I was undecided whether to post this under hardware reviews or the noob section, but I suppose there is a lot of information here that regular members will find obvious and since there are a few aspects of this review I wanted to post for others that cover what swung me over to ecigs as well as a specific product and even the VapeShop, I decided to put it under the noob section.
Me:
I am/was a casual smoker. A pack would last about 4 days and then I could go for maybe a month or two without smoking at all. It was more of a habit thing, I guess. A relapse would always be preceded by a bar/pub session with friends which is the only time I really 'felt' for a regular cigarette. My sister once let me try her Twisp Clearo and I didn't like it that much especially since I enjoy seeing the smoke as I exhale. I then borrowed it for a while to really try and switch over but it always gave me a rough throat. This coupled with the fact that, with no warning, it suddenly vomited the contents of its tank out into my car kept me far away from the e-cigs. I did, however, notice it at least killed my urge to smoke, if I had one.
What made me switch:
She then got herself a Twisp Edge. I tried it and I think this is what hooked me. Easy pull with not too much resistance which felt more like a regular cigarette, I suppose. No gurgling, spitting or weird behaviour. No burnt taste now and then. No hot liquid in my mouth (this almost killed me when it happened with the Clearo. Being a noob, I thought it was just liquid and swallowed a small amount. Thought I was going to die). Most importantly, I could inhale (mouth to lung) like a normal cigarette and feel an almost authentic throat hit (instead of feeling like I had sandpapered my lungs) and exhale huge clouds of smoke (something I now realise is a big part of what I enjoy about smoking in general). She then mentioned that the Edge was filled with Twisp 'Pure' liquid which seems to mean higher or full VG content. So I decided to switch.
My first kit:
Buying online was out of the question unless it was a Twisp Edge because I could not invest in kit that I was not sure was going to suit me. However, after joining this forum and reading a few threads, I was hesitant about just buying into the Twisp family. I checked around and found mentions of VapeShop at Gateway. I walked in and the two guys at the counter (didn't even get their names) were extremely helpful. I wasn't forced into buying something unnecessary, and was even showed a few clearo-type models. After much interwebbing, I was set on the iStick, though and walked out the shop with the iStick 40W and a GS air as per the assistants suggestion. The guy had advised me on letting it wick properly the first time, so I gave it a few minutes and was happy with my first pull at about 10W. This is one advantage I think brick & mortar shops will always have over the purely online shops.
Then I got home, and tried to enjoy it properly and the hits were getting bad. Less vapour, harsh throat hits despite a really awesome flavour (I got Liqua Apple 18mg nic). I was a bit disappointed, thinking I was slowly burning the coil. This made me turn down the wattage which seemed to make things even worse. I set the kit aside and gave up for the day.
The next morning, looking sadly at my new toy I decided to give it another go before resorting to switching to TC mode (I had bought a single Ni coil to try TC mode in the future). I cleaned out the tank and filled it with my sisters Twisp VG-type juice. Another bad experience. I then thought since this coil is trashed, I might as well up the wattage to see what death tastes like. Would you believe I'm now sitting at 12.2W and happy as a pig in sh!t
. Soft, clean vapes with plenty clouds. I tried 9W again and it resulted in the same bad vape. Back to 12.2W and everything was cool again.
I want to wait until I try the TC mode before I add more to this review about the actual kit.
I suppose the reason I wrote this review was to get this final point across for the other noobs like me:
Somewhere amidst the excitement of sub-ohm coils and rebuildable everythings, I think I forgot that everyone experiences something new in a different way. When starting out, try everything for yourself. That's not to say I'm unhappy with my iStick and GS Air, I love it. I just don't think the Twisp Edge would have been the worst thing in the world either.
The Twisp Edge seems like something for someone who just wants it to work out the box. The route I chose had a bit of a bumpy start, but now that I've found the sweet spot, I enjoy it more than the Edge especially due to the better flavour (not sure why, the juice just tastes better in the iStick\GS Air combo versus the Twisp Edge).
Lastly, thank you to everyone who contributes to this forum. There's a lot of information here that helped me, and I hope my review helps someone else!
Me:
I am/was a casual smoker. A pack would last about 4 days and then I could go for maybe a month or two without smoking at all. It was more of a habit thing, I guess. A relapse would always be preceded by a bar/pub session with friends which is the only time I really 'felt' for a regular cigarette. My sister once let me try her Twisp Clearo and I didn't like it that much especially since I enjoy seeing the smoke as I exhale. I then borrowed it for a while to really try and switch over but it always gave me a rough throat. This coupled with the fact that, with no warning, it suddenly vomited the contents of its tank out into my car kept me far away from the e-cigs. I did, however, notice it at least killed my urge to smoke, if I had one.
What made me switch:
She then got herself a Twisp Edge. I tried it and I think this is what hooked me. Easy pull with not too much resistance which felt more like a regular cigarette, I suppose. No gurgling, spitting or weird behaviour. No burnt taste now and then. No hot liquid in my mouth (this almost killed me when it happened with the Clearo. Being a noob, I thought it was just liquid and swallowed a small amount. Thought I was going to die). Most importantly, I could inhale (mouth to lung) like a normal cigarette and feel an almost authentic throat hit (instead of feeling like I had sandpapered my lungs) and exhale huge clouds of smoke (something I now realise is a big part of what I enjoy about smoking in general). She then mentioned that the Edge was filled with Twisp 'Pure' liquid which seems to mean higher or full VG content. So I decided to switch.
My first kit:
Buying online was out of the question unless it was a Twisp Edge because I could not invest in kit that I was not sure was going to suit me. However, after joining this forum and reading a few threads, I was hesitant about just buying into the Twisp family. I checked around and found mentions of VapeShop at Gateway. I walked in and the two guys at the counter (didn't even get their names) were extremely helpful. I wasn't forced into buying something unnecessary, and was even showed a few clearo-type models. After much interwebbing, I was set on the iStick, though and walked out the shop with the iStick 40W and a GS air as per the assistants suggestion. The guy had advised me on letting it wick properly the first time, so I gave it a few minutes and was happy with my first pull at about 10W. This is one advantage I think brick & mortar shops will always have over the purely online shops.
Then I got home, and tried to enjoy it properly and the hits were getting bad. Less vapour, harsh throat hits despite a really awesome flavour (I got Liqua Apple 18mg nic). I was a bit disappointed, thinking I was slowly burning the coil. This made me turn down the wattage which seemed to make things even worse. I set the kit aside and gave up for the day.
The next morning, looking sadly at my new toy I decided to give it another go before resorting to switching to TC mode (I had bought a single Ni coil to try TC mode in the future). I cleaned out the tank and filled it with my sisters Twisp VG-type juice. Another bad experience. I then thought since this coil is trashed, I might as well up the wattage to see what death tastes like. Would you believe I'm now sitting at 12.2W and happy as a pig in sh!t
. Soft, clean vapes with plenty clouds. I tried 9W again and it resulted in the same bad vape. Back to 12.2W and everything was cool again.I want to wait until I try the TC mode before I add more to this review about the actual kit.
I suppose the reason I wrote this review was to get this final point across for the other noobs like me:
Somewhere amidst the excitement of sub-ohm coils and rebuildable everythings, I think I forgot that everyone experiences something new in a different way. When starting out, try everything for yourself. That's not to say I'm unhappy with my iStick and GS Air, I love it. I just don't think the Twisp Edge would have been the worst thing in the world either.
The Twisp Edge seems like something for someone who just wants it to work out the box. The route I chose had a bit of a bumpy start, but now that I've found the sweet spot, I enjoy it more than the Edge especially due to the better flavour (not sure why, the juice just tastes better in the iStick\GS Air combo versus the Twisp Edge).
Lastly, thank you to everyone who contributes to this forum. There's a lot of information here that helped me, and I hope my review helps someone else!
