Tell me exactly which vape kit to buy and where to get it?

April 5, 2016 6:47 PM

I'm not new to vaping nicotine, but I am desperately in need of a new kit. My old battery finally died, I am out of juice, and shopping for a new kit is proving to be challenging. Advice needed.

The battery I was using was pretty hefty and I am comfortable with filling tanks and that sort of thing. But I bought this thing when vaping was pretty new, and the shop I used to buy from has switched to iffy Chinese kits/juice. A recent trip to the vaping subreddit was just a flood of mods, rebuilding, wick stuff, homemade juice, etc. I browsed around some sites but many of the reviews seem to be oriented around how moddable a kit is, addons that should be purchased, etc. I just want an all-in-one kit that is safe, works well, has a hefty battery life, is fairly idiot proof, and a huge bonus would be buying it from an online vape shop that also sells clean, quality juice that has some minty flavors. I plan to purchase a kit and an extra battery so I can charge one while vaping off the other.

About my vape style: I like an occasional lung hit, but vapes are mostly like pacifiers for me. I tend to draw a bunch of vapor into my mouth, roll it around a bit, then inhale. Once in awhile if I am feeling particularly jonesy I'll do a few lung hits. A kit that can accommodate that without burn would be welcome. I also prefer a kit that I can easily clean. I am wary of kits that include warnings that read: EXPERIENCED VAPERS ONLY. I don't know what that means and I don't know if I qualify as an experienced vaper. I mean, I've vaped on and off for years and went from the slimline style kits to a large adjustable battery with juice tanks. But I would have no idea if I am turning my juice with a PG carrier into formaldehyde by adjusting something incorrectly.

So, got any kits/shops to recommend?

posted by xyzzy to Shopping (4 answers total)

Best answer: I'm also new, and started on my birthday this year, and haven't had a cigarette since. So, yay! Anyways, I went into my local shop and bought the same mod the proprietor was using (as I figured that was a good bet). I got lucky, and I'm really happy with the kit I ended up with. Which was a Kangertech Nano.

The only thing I didn't like was battery life, so I also bought this Kangertech KBox 200, which has two batteries, and lasts forever at the wattage I use (38.0 watts).

So, anyway, both of these fit really well in the hand. They have a lot of settings, but if you simply stick with the wattage setting, and keep the wattage low (like me) you can't go wrong. I also bought a couple of different tanks, but found that I really prefer the draw and feel on the smaller tanks and my fave is this one, which is also Kangertech.

That's my two cents, and I'll be interested to see what others have to say, as I said, I'm newish to this stuff too.

Good luck!
posted by valkane at 7:15 PM on April 5, 2016

Best answer: The Kanger stuff mentioned above is great - I'm a longtime Kanger user. I also have my eye on the Cuboid Mini, as I really dig Joyetech's new atomizers. Just last week, I purchased their eGo AIO as my 'out and about' pocket vape, and was really impressed by the atomizers that they share with the Cuboids.

They attach to the top of the tank and make contact with the battery when you screw the top of the tank on, so it's essentially leak-proof. They're also super easy to clean AND fill for the reason that the tank is essentially wide-open (with no structural stuff in the middle or small fill holes) with the top off.

One thing I'd mention is that most stuff these days is sub ohm, which means your nic level has to top out at 6mg, no question. Anything more and it'll burn and taste horrible very soon, if you can even stomach it before that.
posted by destructive cactus at 1:47 AM on April 6, 2016

Best answer: I started vaping in 2010 with a cheap truck-stop kit. Very soon, however, I found an online manufacturer called Totally Wicked and have been a customer of theirs ever since. I use their V4 Tornado -- it's sleek and good-looking with a bottom coil atomizer (no cotton wick) and easy to fill. You can get two battery sizes, 650mAH and 1000mAH. They have an extensive array of premix liquids (I like the Titan range, which has things like Virginia mix, tobacco flavor, but also many other flavors), and they have DIY kits to mix your own liquid (too much trouble for me). Their liquid is the best I've found -- I've tried many at the local vape shops and quite often they have a bad "hay" back taste which I don't like. Their liquid also comes in many strengths, so you can really customize your juice. TW has many different styles of vapers, some of which can be heavily modded, which I find ridiculous. They're a UK firm with a US warehouse in Florida. They are also wholesalers so people can set up their own retail shop. Their quality is very high. I highly recommend checking out their site and see what you think.
posted by MovableBookLady at 7:10 PM on April 6, 2016

Response by poster: For future searchers:

I've ordered 2 eGo AIOs because they seem, based on reviews at least, to be tuned to mouth-to-lung hits even at sub ohm. I do have some interest in lung hits/cloud chasing, so I also ordered a Kangertech Nano. I'll be leaving that in the box for awhile, though. I really really appreciated the advice on nic strength. My old vape was filled with 12mg juice.

For juice I found a juice review database, did some reading, and ended up ordering 3mg nicotine at 50/50 PG/VG from Cloud Alchemist. I picked up Glacialis Menta (spearmint, peppermint, vanilla, and cream) and Bacchus (blueberries, cream, honey). It seems that minty/cool juices are not in very high demand, so I am going to have trouble finding these I think. If you aren't a fan of cereal, candy, soda, milk/cream, fruit, chocolate, or tobacco you're gonna have a rough time. I am very reluctantly trying out these hybrid flavors. In the past I always vaped straight up "peppermint" or whatever.
posted by xyzzy at 4:09 PM on April 8, 2016