Brand new, need some advice (the more I read, the less sure I am).

CJB85

CJB85

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Good morning everyone!

I am brand new here (I will get to the intro thread in a little bit) and seems like here is a lot safer to get the right advice than at the shops. I have posted the same questions to a number of shops and each has given me different subjective opinions.

I am a (too) long-time smoker and have been trying to get off them with a Twisp Cue, but find that the limited flavours and regular stock issues get me reaching for the Marlboros again.

I have been flirting with the idea of vaping for a while an have decided to pull the trigger.

A few shops, a bunch of online reviews and Youtube videos later, have narrowed it down to the following possibilities (for now):

Mods: Voopoo Drag 2, Ijoy UNIV (Shogun), Aegis (single or Legend), I looked at some on-board battery options like the Drag Mini and Aegis Mini, but have been advised against anything with a built-in battery.
Atomizer/Tank: I am not up for spending loads of unnecessary money on pre-built stuff, so am quite drawn to the idea of an RTA. A local store has said that as long as I buy the coils and cotton there, they will do the build and re-wick for me. I think that if I can watch them do it (and try under supervision), I would be able to pick it up pretty quickly. I have been looking at the OFRF Gear and the Zeus X (leaning towards the gear for the shortened nature of it and how simple it seems to build and wick).

I am looking for some guidance, as the more reviews I look at and read, the more possible options pop up. I am not a tinkerer by nature, so I would prefer something on the simpler side (Wattage, coils, wicking would be about it), without having to fiddle with temperature and ramp curves etc etc. Which of the mods above should I most strongly consider, or should I be looking at something completely off the list? The same question applies for the Atomizers.

I appreciate the assistance and look forward to bouncing the smokes for good.
 
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@CJB85 here is another DL Combo that you could consider. All the RTAs listed below are easy to build and wick and have very good flavour.

Vaporesso Armor Pro Mod w/ 21700 Battery

QP Designs Juggerknot Mini RTA
Or
OFRF Gear RTA
Or
Wasp Nano RTA (New Product)

Check a Vape Hyper, they can hook you up with the Mod and Gear RTA at a good price.

Juggerknot Mini is available from a few Vape stores, so shop around and you will find one (check classifieds a few have gone up for sale)

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Just my 2c but you can't go wrong with a Pico 21700. Am running mine with Zeus single coil (25mm atty). Also has a little more oomph than original pico @100w.
 
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Im still of the opnion that anybody thats starting with building, should start with a rda and squonk mod. Rda's are easy to build and wick and you are almost guaranteed to have good flavour.

Rta's are more difficult to build and then the wicking starts, if not wicked right you have leaks or no flavour. Just check the forum. Everytime a new hype rta comes out we see the threads. The exitement, this is so great, the flavour is the best ever. Then after a week or two, we see the my tank is leaking, I get dry hits, I get no flavour comments. Then after a month we see these rta's floading the classifieds. Go look, it happens everytime.
 
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CaliGuy said:
@CJB85 here is another DL Combo that you could consider. All the RTAs listed below are easy to build and wick and have very good flavour.

Vaporesso Armor Pro Mod w/ 21700 Battery

QP Designs Juggerknot Mini RTA
Or
OFRF Gear RTA
Or
Wasp Nano RTA (New Product)

Check a Vape Hyper, they can hook you up with the Mod and Gear RTA at a good price.

Juggerknot Mini is available from a few Vape stores, so shop around and you will find one (check classifieds a few have gone up for sale)

View attachment 160912
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Okay @CaliGuy , before I read this comment of yours, I had watched and read another ton of rieviews and had all but settled on the following idea:
1) Pico S 100W kit, using the supplied tank and battery to get me started. I liked the idea that the mod lasts and that it takes the larger battery and tanks.
2) Getting an Ammit MTL RTA to start practicing builds on, to eventually use as an MTL and restricted DL setup.
3) Was going to use my twisp as my backup and eventually acquire a second mod with something like a Gear RTA, after which the MTL would become my “stealth setup”, big clouds are not popular at the office.

Then you come along with the Armour Pro and capsized my well organized little boat ...
The Armour is a little more expensive than the Pico, but is smaller and seems to have a better chip op board... Is it worth getting the Armour instead of the Pico??
 
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@CJB85 I think you are on the right and very logical track with the setup you are looking at to have a Sub Ohm Combo, add the MTL Rebuildable RTA and use your Twisp as the backup.

You can’t go wrong with the Pico Combo as they are dependable Mods. I’ve never tried their larger Sub Ohm RTAs to comment on coil longevity or flavor.

In the same price range as the Pico S 21700 Kit or Pick 21700 Kit both of which come supplied with the 21700 battery you get the Vaporesso Armor Pro Mod with the Cascade Baby RTA. Yes it’s also a very good 21700 battery option, Vaporesso have the Ceramic and Mesh Coils options which are very good from the reviews I’ve seen.

Vaporesso’s mod is smaller, has a few more features but who uses all the features anyway. Yes it is a very good mood, you will see several forum Memeber have them and from the pics I shared you can see what it looks like with other 24mm RTAs (Max 26mm) onboard.

Let me not detract you totally, you have some great choices from all of these Direct Lung setup and as I mention your strategy of DL Sub Ohm, with rebuildable MTL RTA and Twisp Cue as backup sounds like a good plan.

As long as all of this is within your budget and you get something that works for you and it allows you to add future tanks and still look good then I say go for it. I feel everyone here that has been helping you just wants to make sure that you end up number 1 stopping the ciggies and number 2 don’t go down a spending spree road chasing the next best thing when you can get by and be satisfied with having a versatile setup from day one.

I for one spent a lot of money before doing almost a full 360 degrees to finally settle on what works for me, wish I had some more guidenace from the start but I didn’t really ask so it’s my fault. Honestly just following posts on this forum and seeing post from other members finally got me to my happy place through trail and error.
 
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Has anyone had any experience with the Geekvape Aegis 100W? I like the idea that it can take a bit of punishment, but now looks like it uses an "odd" battery size?
Is this one I can take a look at as well, or should it be avoided?
 
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CJB85 said:
Has anyone had any experience with the Geekvape Aegis 100W? I like the idea that it can take a bit of punishment, but now looks like it uses an "odd" battery size?
Is this one I can take a look at as well, or should it be avoided?
Click to expand...

Nice mods. Not very pretty but strong. I have one which doesn’t get used too much lately but my goto device for rough outdoors. My wife is also running one daily (she works in the service department of a motor stealership, and mod often gets bumped around).

Batteries aren’t that odd and are readily available. Was getting about a day and a half when I was running with only the Aegis.
 
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CJB85 said:
How about this one for a starter mod?

https://www.ecigssa.co.za/eleaf-istick-pico-25.t57596/
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Just a tip. Things like that at the price sells quick. There was a similar one this week that sold in a few minutes. If you see something like that in classifieds, dont even comment on thread, pm the member immediately and buy it. The market is just a bit slow at the moment, otherwise that would have sold in 10min
 
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Jean claude Vaaldamme said:
Just a tip. Things like that at the price sells quick. There was a similar one this week that sold in a few minutes. If you see something like that in classifieds, dont even comment on thread, pm the member immediately and buy it. The market is just a bit slow at the moment, otherwise that would have sold in 10min
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Thanks, sent a PM to the seller.
 
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Cape Town Vape Meets

All new vapers are welcome to attend the Cape Town Vape Meets. We are all willing to help new vapers. It is an ideal opportunity to try out tons of mods, RDAs, RTAs, RDTAs, all types of juice etc. There are coil making experts who will help you building and wicking.

To be honest, absolutely anything vape related can be seen, used, explained and discussed.

Where else are you able to get expert vape advice in a friendly (apart from @Bulldog who is a bit strange) and relaxed atmosphere?

Take a look at this thread and come and join us on 30 March.

https://www.ecigssa.co.za/cape-town-month-end-meets.t48845/page-37

If you want a look at a specific mod or Atty, drop a note in the above thread and one of us is likely to have one and will bring it to the meet for you to try.

P.S. Experienced vaperists are also welcome.
 
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Awesome gladly you manage to snag that Pico Kit, price was perfect and I can also vouche for @TradeMark as I got my Eleaf Ikonn Total Mod from him.

Reckon you are on your way then @CJB85, now to find yourself some juice flavours that will keep you vaping. With your new setup I would stick to Fruity flavours to start with, there are lots of lip smacking good local juices available that will work well in that Pico Sub Ohm RTA.

Check out the Steam Masters Question Mark, Exclamation Mark, Hashtag and Semi Collin range of fresh fruity flavours, you can’t go wrong with any of those.

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@CaliGuy I was itching to get going, so popped into a Vape King around the corner from where I met Mark for the mod.
I was helped by a guy called Matt, who was very helpful and patient.
I got set up with some batteries, a cheap charger and some juice.
I got one each of Prime's Armageddon and Pomcool (a pomegranate on ice juice), the Pomcool rocks so far, but I am sure I will play around a lot in the future.
 
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CJB85 said:
@CaliGuy I was itching to get going, so popped into a Vape King around the corner from where I met Mark for the mod.
I was helped by a guy called Matt, who was very helpful and patient.
I got set up with some batteries, a cheap charger and some juice.
I got one each of Prime's Armageddon and Pomcool (a pomegranate on ice juice), the Pomcool rocks so far, but I am sure I will play around a lot in the future.
Click to expand...

Good to hear @CJB85

PomCool is great by the way

I reviewed it here:
https://www.ecigssa.co.za/vape-king-juice-reviews.t1497/page-5#post-717146
 
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Thank you very much to @CaliGuy, @Jean claude Vaaldamme, @Silver and everyone else who helped me take my first steps.
I have one more question before we can shelf this thread for a while: I have only taken 4 pulls on the new vape (the out of box battery did not have much life in it, they are currently charging) and have it set up with the Kit tank and 40Watts, airflow wide open. If I want to start playing with the airflow (I think I may prefer a slightly tighter draw), do I need to be aware of anything, like having to adjust the wattage as well?
 
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CJB85 said:
Thank you very much to @CaliGuy, @Jean claude Vaaldamme, @Silver and everyone else who helped me take my first steps.
I have one more question before we can shelf this thread for a while: I have only taken 4 pulls on the new vape (the out of box battery did not have much life in it, they are currently charging) and have it set up with the Kit tank and 40Watts, airflow wide open. If I want to start playing with the airflow (I think I may prefer a slightly tighter draw), do I need to be aware of anything, like having to adjust the wattage as well?
Click to expand...

Generally speaking if you reduce the airflow you should reduce the power a bit.
Otherwise the coil/wick could overheat.

I would say start at a low wattage (say 20W) and work your way up and see where it feels best
 
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Silver said:
Generally speaking if you reduce the airflow you should reduce the power a bit.
Otherwise the coil/wick could overheat.

I would say start at a low wattage (say 20W) and work your way up and see where it feels best
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Would it be okay to drop it to 30W as a start (the coils are rated 30-80), or can I drop it below the coil rated wattage?
 
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It is safe to drop the watts lower than 30W but you are likely to experience a very cold vape with very little vapour production. @Silver 's advice to start low is the way to go. As you increase the wattage it will get warmer with more vapour. Find the spot that you like. If you decide on a low wattage (high ohm) build then you may have to increase your nic content, particularly if you are still trying to quit smoking.
 
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Like they said nothing dangerous can happen if you play around with watts. If your watts is to high you can just burn your coil and get dry hits and bad taste. To low watts, just no flavour.
There is some formula where you can work out at what watts you should vape more or less according to your coil's ohms. Maybe someone can direct you to it
 
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