First build/rig with advanced capabilities

[TheLongTwitch]

Howsit guys

I deemed it necessary to seek veteran advice, as I KNOW I will outgrow a starter pack or kit within days!
...and money isn't abundant at this current stage, so I am slightly limited on what and for how much
Unless anyone needs sound/audio gear? http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/presonus-studiofire-acoustic-gtr-20ch-snake.7713/


***To be Noted***
I am 'Analytical-Brained' (Long to explain, rather look it up)
I am very educated in electronics, electricity and their workings (as all sound gear works with afformentioned).
Besides the fact that I am the "Fix-It" guy to almost every person I know!
...So I NEED something more advanced than standard and can easily take on the challenge.

P.S. As Arthster has already experienced: I tend to reply via essay

On to the relevant stuff:
I want to skip the first steps indeed, but pro status is earned and not particularly a starting point
And I happily welcome any/all criticism and advice!

I am a quick learner and most definitely attuned to technology and mechanics,
but having only stumbled upon the depth and awesomeness of vaping 3 days ago...
So any preference is based SOLEY on research, reviews and playing with the numbers and science in my head
Thusly; I actually have no clue if I will be satisfied with the Magneto or starting type kits etc.

What I know is:
I need VV definitely for control of throat-hit (what I like in stinkies that I'm sucking on right now...help! )
an airy pull as I mouth-to-lungs inhale almost always
and most likely with some cloud chasing at least while I start. (But think this will stay)
Smoking for me has ALWAYS been about the 15min break and feeling of a tangible consumption that I need between work or massive brainstorming. (Never the nicotine...as I can and have stopped more than once)

**I don't WANT to jump straight into RBA or coils etc, but I have the background and skill to easily take it on...I also imagine that sitting and building or reworking would be very enjoyable for me. (And being able to precision my vape)
***I love spending an hour or 2 setting up and servicing guitars. It's relaxing

I have about R1000 I can play with for now and have checked every classifieds site, vape-store and the forum classified to weigh up all current and/or available options.

I looked specificly into Vape-King Northcliff which is in the EXACT same street as my lady (which I was at earlier)
Tough luck they're closed
...but I blame it all on you guys and this awesome wealth of knowledge and cool gear you have!!!
I WANT IN ON IT TOO DAMMIT!!! (Health could improve too...and definitely will after kicking stinkies for good!)

Thanks in advance for the advice and your time!
The last 36 hours of furious research, learning and lurking here has been joyous and I can't wait to get more involved

Much Love & Peace

 

[Daniel]

First of all welcome and congrats on taking the first step towards vape Nirvana ....

Now I am by no means an expert so only speaking from personal experience so here goes ,

- what do you mean by 'advanced' capabilities ? A vw device are as advanced as they come depending on the chipset so I gather that is the way you were going ...

From what I can deduce you are looking at something like an istick topped with a Kanger Subtank , so you can go commercial in the beginning and later move to rebuilding

 

[free3dom]

For your second essay I will score you A++

Going RBA right off the bat is fine, and great (it's not difficult at all and I can tell that you'll take to it very quickly), but you will need a clearomizer too. This is due to the fact that coil building is really fun, but only if you can vape while doing it It also "just works" so it prevents you from going for a cig if you happen to struggle with your current coil build.

That said, the current "standard" entry level type setup is the iStick+mAN (Mini Aspire Nautilus) - it's a great combo that many of our members use daily - I use the iStick but with an RBA instead. One of our members @LandyMan just started a shop (he is located in Centurion, for collections) and he has some of this combo right now on special (for around your budget). You can try and contact him via PM and find out if it would be possible to collect from him at this time (he won't be able to respond here, since vendors can only do selling in the vendor forums, or via PM). This setup will get you off the smokes quite easily - it's tried and tested.

If you can wait (I know, it's horrible) then you can start shopping around and look at how "deep end" you want to start at. We are spoiled for choice from our local vendors, but as I mentioned in the Intro thread, your timing is just bad luck. Over the next couple of days though, you will be flooded with mini-essays by our various immensely helpful members - so the real question becomes: can you wait?

Someone will always be around to advise you, so keep the essays coming and you'll get sorted in no time

 

[TheLongTwitch]

Shot for the welcome and yeah: advanced in the fact that I need and want some form of control.
The are indeed many ways to achieve control or pre-determined available capabilities,
not to mention the amount of gear out there...seriously, it has been STUPID EXCITING to drool over all of it!
...however, that is all I can and have done thus far.

So going headfirst into vaping is a solid 150% decision I am steadfast on!
I just know myself with everything I have previously experienced and I know that without some advanced-type control
I am going to get stuck frustrated or unhappy (and broke) with any run of the mil thing.
Hence why I didn't just go to the garage down the road and buy a Twisp ...almost though!

Wattage is a control I might want later but Voltage I would say is almost required for my initial setup.
I will branch out and obviously add gear in future...I honestly just can not afford to fork out money for dissapointment.
Had enough of that in life that has seriously fueled the stinky addiction!

iStick is widely liked as I have seen and the product line have good stats too, so I am open to it.
I do feel conflicted looking at Box Mods though, because norm for me has been them little death-sticks

 

[free3dom]

The box mods put me off too at first, then you hold one :hug:

I've gone from looking exclusively at tubes to exclusively at boxes...the very fact that they are so different from cigs actually makes them cooler

 

[Alex]

Firstly, welcome and congrats on your decision. I would advise you to get a Reo ASAP. But your budget is limited at this stage. So my recommendation would be to look at a Lemo, RTA. Or alternatively the Atlantis, coupled with a CF mod.


via iphone

 

[Andre]

Well, after your 2nd essay, my recommendations are still as set out in the thread you introduced yourself in: http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/introduce-yourselves.24/page-178#post-162677

 

[n0ugh7_zw]

I'd say, that for dipping your toes in the more "hardcore" side of vaping, you can't go wrong with an Aspire Atlantis and a mech mod (Make sure you get a safe battery, purple 2500mah eFest or a Sony VTC4 or VTC5).

a regulated device that'll run an Atlantis, won't fit in your budget as far as I'm aware. That said, the Atlantis performs really well, on a mech mod. You can mouth to lung on the first air flow setting on the Atlantis, and it can give you some clouds on the last air flow setting.

Though, the best advice I could give you, would be for you to head down to a vape shop, and try one out before you buy. Because 0.5ohms (that's the resistance of the coils in the Atlantis) can be pretty harsh initially.

On the rebuildable front. A thing worth noting, is that you can customise your vape to a much greater extent with a rebuildable and a mech mod, than you can with a commercial tank and a VV/VW device.

Using a rebuildable on a VV/VW device, is more a thing of blurring lines. Making coils that are too heavy (literally, too much metal) to have a reasonable ramp up time on a mech mod work. that kind of thing.

Mech mods are also way more compact than most VV/VW devices (Exceptions being the iStick, and your usual stick type batteries like the Vision Spinners, etc...) They also have vibe of being like a classy Zippo, or fancy cigar case kinda thing. Whereas most VV/VW devices don't (unless you spend a s*** ton of money)

A Solid piece of advice I can give you on the VV/VW front, is don't get an eVic Supreme, its not really a 30W device, and has many issues.

 

[huffnpuff]

What have you vaped so far?

Cigarettes are a poor baseline, which is why folks upgrade shortly after their first starter kit.

Theoretical research doesn't help you jack until you physically start somewhere, establish a baseline and work from that. Due to the personal nature of vaping, personal experience is everything and experience is something you only get after you needed it Lol. Go to a place that will let you try before you buy to get a better starting point. With a 1K budget, focus on the all day requirement first, the cloud stuff can come later when you're more experienced.

Are you also factoring the cost of juices? Juices play a big role in your starting line up. Too strong and it becomes a painful excercise, too weak and you're back on ciggies in no time. Don't just blow everything on gear and then snap up a 30ml bottle of something that smells funky or looks fancy. Get 10ml or smaller bottles of juice in 18,12 and 6mg Nic. Once you find the Nic strength you like all day, an atomizer with airflow control and a VV/VW battery will tailor the vape closer to you're liking. For starters a variable device is better so you can begin at lower wattages, especially in the morning and then adjust it higher as the day progresses. Those of us on the mechanicals have experienced enough to know what we like and thus are happy with only needing one "speed" for the whole day.

You won't understand the appeal of box mods till you try, especially if you're looking for a ADV device. Tube mods become a pain in terms of pocket carry.

For R1000, The Joyetech eGrip + the rest for juice is hard to beat as an all in 1 package. Unless you can get an iStick+mAn/MOW/Aerotank cheaper then that can also work. The mAn give a good warm and flavourful vape but is more aimed at mouth to lung hitters as all it's airflow options are quite restrictive. The rest give perform better for those looking for higher airflow options. Just make sure you test the eGrip first to see if the minimum airflow isn't too big for you as it is quite open to begin with. The VV Spinners are good too, but if you're looking for that little extra oomph, then the 20Watt sealed devices are the way go.

Personally, ask nicely and someone might borrow you some of their old starting gear to get you off the stinkies and then go from there. Paying-it-forward is actively practiced in the vaping community.

 

[WHeunis]

Hi @TheLongTwitch, and welcome.

Based on EVERYTHING you have said, I would consider a Kanger SUBTank as your best probable choice.
Neat thing is that it has off-the-shelf coils, so you dont need to get right into rebuilding.
BUT, also includes the rebuildable "insert" so that you can switch to rebuilding whenever you feel you are ready, without needing to spend any more beyond wire and wick.

As for the mod...
Your price limit puts a heavy limit on what we can do here.
It also depends on box vs tube preference...

But what seems to me, is that the SUBTank won't work too well on most devices, and look pretty doing it.
Subtank is a 25mm device - too large for MOST 18650 devices, and also too small for MOST 26650 devices.

Best I can come up with here, is the Sigelei 50W or 100W box mods.
Price is reasonable, preformance is good.

Total for those 2 will come out a few units north of your stated limit, but I personally feel that this combo will best suit all your immediate, and most of your future-planning needs.


Hope this helps.

 

[Daniel]

+1 on the Egrip , very very nice and compact device with RBA capability later when the vendors start stocking the parts

Just remember with a mech mod you will have the extra overhead of buying a charger and batteries , you should already have a multi meter I presume for the ohm measurements on your coils ....

I am in your area so you are more than welcome to come check out some of my gear is you like in the new year....

 

[Silver]

Superb advice guys. Just reading all this advice I am impressed

@TheLongTwitch , i wish I got this advice and had these choices available when I started vaping

I would like to add a few things

As @huffnpuff said, you need to get yourself sorted and get something reliable to quit your stinkies. After all, I assume that is your primary goal? Getting a mech and some fancy cloud blowing atty may be cool, but I dont think its going to be easy to expect that to get you off the stinkies from day one.

Also, to properly get off stinkies, you need two of everything. Backup in case of failure and backup in case one battery goes flat at a bad time. Also, having two flavours on the go makes it easier.

I will also stress again the importance of the juice. Without finding a few juices you really like, you will need massive determination to make the switch. If you like the juices, its easy.

Honestly, the "good tried and tested commercial gear" suggested above is more than enough to quit the stinkies. Better to go for something like that and achieve your goal of stopping stinkies and then go on to bigger and more detailed things on the hobby side of it when you have more experience and start understanding better what your preferences are.

All the best

 

[Rotten_Bunny]

@TheLongTwitch, im just waiting for my monies to get into order for an order that i have placed with another member of the forum. Once that is done, you can have my Vision Spinner and MPT3... You just need to pay for the postage... And source a good juice.. Dont get me wrong, i love my Vision and MPT3. But i hardly use it anymore due to Certain people on the forum getting me to dwell even deeper yet into the Rabbit Hole..



Rotten Bunny.

Vape the Planet !

 

[Daniel]

@Rotten_Bunny wow this is what makes this such an awesome community good on you brother!

@TheLongTwitch my offer also still stands if you want to check out some of my gear or need advise feel free to PM me can loan you a kit as well

 

[TheLongTwitch]

Im honestly and absolutely blown away by the warmth, kindness and hearts of everyone here!
Thank you all SO MUCH! There is so much good advice and options!!!

As a fellow old grumpy man(despite my age), my cynicism grows daily and I honestly fear the survival of the human race/planet if things continue the way there are on this crazy rock!
However, meeting such wonderful people that share so unrestrained (knowledge and gear) gives me hope and happiness!

I have already thanked @Rotten_Bunny and accepted his gracious offer
On grounds that I am to show the same kindness and pay-it-forward to someone in need when I acquire my own setup!

@Daniel expect a PM and some essays shortly Haha!

The large factor of experience limited to a old shoddy N-Joy has determined the logic, that I need to actually get stuck in, test and try out some gear before any question, idea or my request will hold any valid weight
...and I don't wish to provoke the grumpy man in me by now knowing enough
Knowledge is key but experience is VITAL!

Thanks again all! I hope that everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and that the new year brings wonder and happiness!
Much Love & Peace

 

[free3dom]

@TheLongTwitch vapers are a wonderful bunch, no doubt

I have a theory it's because they float on clouds all day long

Best of luck to you (and your inner Grumpy) on this the start of your new journey...may your days be sunny and cloudy always

PS: just when you think you know it all...I guarantee there will be something new to learn...this rabbit hole has no bottom

 

[TheLongTwitch]

@free3dom thanks!
And don't worry, I'm already interested in taking on the challenge of building a MOD/PV from scratch.

But that'll be a project starting in Feb most likely...with detailed documentation and pictures for all
Maybe I can start a truly SA build or revolutionise some aspect all together...1 step at a time, maybe 2 because of my long legs!

 

[Daniel]

@free3dom thanks!
And don't worry, I'm already interested in taking on the challenge of building a MOD/PV from scratch.

But that'll be a project starting in Feb most likely...with detailed documentation and pictures for all
Maybe I can start a truly SA build or revolutionise some aspect all together...1 step at a time, maybe 2 because of my long legs!

Sho jumping in with both feet , good luck I suspect this rabbit hole has no bottom .... Like most hobbies

 

[johan]

@TheLongTwitch (cool name BTW), although I can't relate to either/or "old" and "grumpy", I will most definitely share PEACE with you brother!

​

 

[free3dom]

@free3dom thanks!
And don't worry, I'm already interested in taking on the challenge of building a MOD/PV from scratch.

But that'll be a project starting in Feb most likely...with detailed documentation and pictures for all
Maybe I can start a truly SA build or revolutionise some aspect all together...1 step at a time, maybe 2 because of my long legs!

One of our esteemed members @HPBotha is already all over that, have a look at this

Edit: there is also this one (almost forgot)

But we could definitely do with many more

 

[Rotten_Bunny]

@TheLongTwitch,
I left out a digit on the mod, its a Vision Spinner 2 and MPT3 and Charger.. I will fill the tank with some 16mg Ry4, a good caramel vanilla chocolaty vape. Kicks like a mule after 6pm.. Still dont know why
Í
As far as i am concerned, jumping head first into extreme vape gear (mechs) is not really a good idea, untill you know what you are doing. I still dont know what im doing ! , built a sub ohm coil for my Kayfun and have not had the guts to post about it untill i am sure im not jaaging kak aan ... This is a very exciting world we dwell in here on Ecigssa, we understand each other... People at work think im some sort of deviant! Sucking on a Vibrator and stuff .

We still on for Monday dude, i have pm'ed you my contact number. Whatsapp me.

See you Monday


Rotten Bunny.

Vape the Planet !

 

[TheLongTwitch]

Today (Monday) I get my first toy!
Which has been graciously been sponsored by @Rotten_Bunny
Thank you SO MUCH!!!

I also wanted to add that my conquest for my perfect rig is only starting (as I'm sure you all know)
Though I have taken quite a shine to the Cloupor T5, SMOK BEC Mini...any comments?
And my research has no inkling of slowing down, let alone stopping.

Already found 2-3 possible regulating chips for building a mod
(But a few more months of hard knowledge and veteran discussions before I attempt anything unthought out or foolish)

In the mean time I'm interested to find out if there is specific devices or requirements that determine a awesome cloud blowing rig besides high/pure VG and a good RDA?
(Looking at Doge, Dark Horse, Plume Veil and Tugboat and would also like opinions)

I imagine that single, dual etc. and ohmage + wattage could have great differences too.

Nothing has been fully decided and I will keep updating as I progress,
And obviously covey my final decision when I do decide

Much Love & Peace!

 

[Arthster]

Generally massive clouds are done from unregulated mechanical mods. But keep in mind that this is where the safety aspect comes in. I have huge respect for cloud chasers. as this is where your kit is pushed to the utmost of limits And battery quality is really tested here.

My reluctance to go below 0.5 ohm is the reason I wont call myself a full blown pro cloud chaser. you will get decent room filling clouds anywhere from .6 to 1.5 ohm if you have your coiling and wicking skills sorted and the RDA is designed for it. The most important parts to look at is your RDA, airflow, coil and wicking.

you can very easily get a "cloud" from a fairly decent regulated mod (I mean mods that are in the 15 - 20 watt range) if your RDA is designed for clouds and has well built coils and wicks, but I wont enter competitions with this setup. the next thing to look at is your juice.

If you want to blow massive competition clouds then a Mech is the way to go but again at this level you need batteries that can cope with this. I think the lowest resistance a regulated mod allows at the moment is .2 ohm. But I am sure you know ohm's law very well so you will understand that using a battery then can only supply 10 amp will not be to thrilled on a build that demands 40++ amp

With coiling its important to understand ramp times. in most regulated mods a low ohm dual coil setup takes to long to warm up and single coil with the same ohmage might be better. the Istick for one is not happy with 1 ohm dual coils and works much better with a 1 - 1.5 ohm single coil build (Remember this is from an RDA point of view. its is perfectly happy with clero's running duel coils but this is due to the type of wire used in the clero tank coils and they are generally not designed for cloud chasing although some does give decent amount of cloud). As stated before the Istick gives me better cloud with a single coil design from the Aspire Nautilus then I get from the Kangertech protank dual coils. But the Nautilus has much better airflow which is another very important part of cloud chasing.

 

[n0ugh7_zw]

I'm not too sure about the T5, but the T6 and T8, have gotten a lot of bad press for not delivering what they say they'll deliver. the T6 only gives out something like 60-70W of its promised 100W. It is possible, that this may be fixed in a firmware update.

But Cloupor has a really bad reputation with firmware updates, and the general consensus with the T5 is to not update them under any circumstances. Because the likelihood of them bricking, is very very high.

A sigelei 50W or 100W, are far better options in my opinion, they don't look quite as nice, but in terms of reliability and capability, they have far better reputations.

On the RDA front, I can recommend the Magma, and Hobo RDA's, both are friendly to newcomers. A general rule of thumb, is the more airy an atomizer, the more it will leak on you. Few things enrage my inner grumpy old man more, than having juice over everything.

The Hobo RDA will give you significant clouds, it's unique airflow, allows for quite airy draws, whilst not leaking too much. The Magma, is more of a daily driver device. it doesn't make huge clouds, but the flavour from it is among the best you can get.

 

[TheLongTwitch]

@Arthster I guess I should have been more specific in that I'm not aiming for competitions or anything.
Thanx for all the useful advice though, it's still going to come in handy.
I more want to have a rig with big/good sustained clouds I can play with, rather than just massive rainclouds

@n0ugh7_zw thanx for all the wise words! I am now falling for the SMOK mini, although its called mini it looks like it's already eaten an iStick and is ready for more

*To Note: As I was writing this, it felt like a good idea for a review of this starter kit for SkyBlue, because I haven't seen any on the forums and it is the ultimate for a beginner trying to find his "juice & flavour profile"
So expect to see this pop up in the E-Juice reviews(and edited/updated in this thread) once the other 5 juices have been thoroughly tested!

I stopped by Skyeblue yesterday morning and picked up their 10 x 3ml flavour E-Juice starter pack, which was accompanied by a free 30ml bottle of Happy Holidays, which is steeping still but I cant wait to try it (a warm amber brown colour at the mo)

Thank you @Melinda for the awesome tasties!

All tested with: Vision Spinner 2 with KangerTech Mini Protank 3

Apple Pi was puffed up like a choo choo until the tank was empty! (I LOVE IT!)
Strawberry Snap was a bit much for my tastebuds right now, but reminds me of halls strawberry and prolly good for flu!
Bavarian Cream was breakfast or could be dessert too! Delicious with a cuppa Jacobs coffee and home made rusks.
Amaretto wasn't for me at all. It made the tip of my tongue numb and i found myself drawing hard to get more body flavour.
Strawberry I found require's decent heat to really get the flavour going, but then it's smooth sailing all the way

Baked Apple - next in line after this strawberry, which has been my trusty writing partner through this whole post!
Ry4 Double - I have Ry4 18mg that is way too intense for me. The 12mg might be way better but what is double?
Melinda's Nilla Custard - Sounds like my heaven!!! So I'm keeping it for something special as I only have 3ml
Black Cherry - Drooling every time I put it off as I flatten regular cherries anywhere, anytime, anyday!
Frostbite - I was a menthol smoker and Im scared to try this But I will!

Questions:
-I tend to exhale out my nose and I've noticed that if I'm vaping like a choo choo I tend to get a runny/watery nose
Is this the vapour condensing in my nostrils on exhale, or something else and natural to happen?
-When puffing or doing slow pulls on the mini protank 3 I get gurgling type sounds, but not when full lung pulls.
I assume that an influx of juice is seeping into the atomiser and coil? (Correct me if wrong) Cause or fix?
-Steeping: Can someone provide me with a detailed and informative link?
@free3dom gave me the basic break down, but I must know MORE!!! Haha!
-Numb tongue and/or mouth. As well as itchy throat.
Is this the nicotine content or the PG/VG mix? (Only really happened with Amaretto and Strawberry Snap though)

Thank you guys for all the help, info and awesomeness!!!
Much Love & Peace!

 

[Arthster]

@TheLongTwitch. I absolutely love the way you are doing your home work. on the Smok mod you are looking at you will definitely get the cloud cover you are looking for.

With regards to your questions

the snot nose is condensation and is nothing to worry about I get that as well when I am chain vaping or trying to look like a dragon

the Nautilus does have a bit of a gurgle on slow puffs and its normal. I was also worried about this but basically its the juice that flows in from the wick and collect in the middle of the coil. Remember the coil in the Nautilus sit vertical, so when you draw the air flow is through the middle of the coil. when you do a lung it the airflow is faster so you don't notice the gurgle.

The numbness you are experiencing is also fairly normal if you vape allot. but yes this can be due to nicotine as nicotine does num a little. also if you are vaping menthol or mint like flavors you will notice this as well.

As with steeping, I am no expert so we will need for one of the brew masters to advise on that one.