There are a lot of smokers out there and THERE'S NO REASON FOR IT!
Ok ok… people like what they like… and holy shit did I like cigarettes. 2 packs a day worth of "like". When the time came that I had enough of $13 a pack (NYC), I had to find other options. Tried patches, gum and pills. The patch gave me rashes and just didnt work. The gum made my mouth raw and the "pepper" taste made me want to puke. The pills worked (made me sick in the worst way when attempting to smoke) but I swear I had weird dreams that entire month. After the bottle ran out, I was smoke-free for 3 months before I went back to cigs…
And then I found the answer.
If you are new to vaping, this post is for you. I know we're about big clouds and quality hardware here at SOS-K, but if I can point some new people in a good direction… I'm gonna do my best.
1. Decide whether you want to go Mechanical or Regulated.
- If you break it, most times, you can fix it.
- If you like to tinker, maintenance on these things can be pretty enjoyable.
- There are a TON of incredibly nice mech mods out there.
- Modders are constantly pushing the envelope to create mods with the least amount of voltage drop. Watching the innovations un-fold is nothing short of exciting.
- If you plan on building coils, there is danger involved. If you want to do this right, expect to do some research.
- Your vape quality decreases as your battery dies.
- The ability to control the heat and overall vape experience is awesome.
- The learning curve is super easy to deal with.
- You will have the same vape quality from a fresh charge till your battery can't handle it.. then it just turns off.
- If you're not into having a big box in your pocket, your selection is kinda slim.
- If that board fries... You. Are. Screwed.
I am a hardcore tinkerer and all about innovation. If I had to choose one type of device over the other, I'd go mech. If I was to recommend one or the other to a new vaper? I'd recommend mech…... BUT! I would NOT recommend getting a rebuildable atomizer with your fresh new mod. You should really be fully transitioned from smoking to vaping before diving into rebuildables. I'll elaborate in #2.
But why mech?… EASY! You can get a good quality mod (non-clone-see last post) for a decent price! If you get an "affordable" regulated mod, be prepared to replace it in less than a year… probably less than 6 months if it's really "affordable". You will drop this thing guys… it will happen. If you've been vaping for more than a year and have never dropped a mod, I want to meet you and shake your hand.
If you have money to burn and feel that regulated is the direction you want to go, the Provari is supposedly a tank. I can attest to the Semovar being a beast because I accidentally dropped it onto some stone tiles while running up stairs… I was over 3/4's the way up those stairs. The thing fired up like it never happened. It also retails for $350 with all the battery tubes...
2. Decide what you want to do for an atomizer.
Rebuildables are awesome. They really are… if you like to tinker like me? They have the potential to become a very enjoyable hobby. You know what else they are? They're a pain in the ass if you don't know what your doing… and if you're trying to quit smoking, they can very quickly give you a reason to buy a pack. You need to make sure the resistance is within your battery's limits. You need to make sure your wicking material is set up properly. You need to make sure your wick is saturated or you're gonna feel a burn in your chest that probably rivals the burn of Hell itself…. it's that bad.
Standard resistance Boge cartomizer. That is what you need to search on Google. It may not be the best carto out now, but it was the standard a few years ago (based on a quick search, reviews confirmed that they are still awesome). For the most part.. they are consistent. As long as you saturate that wick and let it sit for 2 minutes, you're good to go for a while… when the flavor starts to get weaker, just fill it back up. When it turns into a dark almost gross color, throw it out and pop on a new one. Oh ya… THEY'RE CHEAP! With the standard resistence (2 ohms or 3 ohms… can't remember), you can use any QUALITY battery you want.
Once you've become comfortable with vaping and how to use a carto, treat yourself to a tank. Not only does it keep the flavor of your juice consistent… they look awesome! When I first got into tanks, we had to drill holes into the side of the cartomizers so the juice would feed into the wick. Now you can buy them with the holes already drilled! AWESOME!
I'm going to keep this very simple… figure out what size battery your mod takes - and DO NOT SKIMP ON THE EXPENSE. Save money on something else in your life before you go cheap on batteries. I'd say over 90% of the "danger" in vaping has to do with the battery. You have a metal tube with a battery that can explode if it is not used properly, and it's going to be about 1.5" away from your FACE.
Just don't buy cheap batteries guys.. the savings is not worth your face.
If you were smart and decided to go with cartos, get 24mg to start. Coming from smoking, it's better to need less than want more. I started at 24mg and now I'm down to 6mg.
5. What else do you need?
- Don't forget the battery charger. Make sure it can charge the battery you decide to go with… If it's a smaller battery (18350), you will definitely need to confirm it will fit.
- Be patient and open-minded. Vaping is not smoking. It will not feel right at first. Your body is going to be getting rid of a ton of "smoking leftovers". Be prepared to cough up a ton of stuff you knew was there but pretended wasn't. It's going to happen.
