Thinking About Taking The "plunge"...

[Alexandria182002]

hello, Everyone...

I've been... watching the ecig scene now for about 2 months... it appeals to me for many reasons, not the least of which -- I'd like to stop smoking... but i'm just not sure I can.... but I like this option also because if I Can't Quit, at least the vapor isn't toxic.

the only hold back for me is price. my husband and I live on a very fixed income ((one SSI check))... and here in central flordia, we poor people don't actually smoke cigarettes anymore... we are reduced to smoking clipper cigars... which my husband walks FAR to buy for 8.99 a carton... cuz as I said, very very fixed income.

I figured out that locally I can get a starter pack for 60.00 and e liquid for two (month's supply?) for another 60... so this would be a huge investment for us with no turning back.

I just wondered if anyone had any advice? encouragement? suggestions? sales? cheaper sources? anything useful? We are hoping to place our first order on the first of the month...

Thanks.

Lynn and Dwayne

[juliery]

Hi, and welcome. I understand your situation. I am disabled on disability and have been a single mom and totally understand the financial restraints. Now I am married, but there have been many times in recent years that my husband has been on unemployment. I know everyone will be telling you to get an Ego starter kit, but in your financial situation I would recommend the Riva....it has a longer lasting battery and a starter kit is like half the price....I believe you can get one for like $40, so that would save you 20 right off the bat from what you were figuring. Then I suggest Vapor Renu for juice,....I love their liquid and there are others who do too, but for you the main reason is price....you get 30ml for only $7.49...many vendors charge more than that for 1/3 the amount of liquid. Being on a fixed income you need to be concerned with the price of this entire thing. I buy VR's liquid, just because I like it, but if I was suddenly in a bind then price would play into it. Honestly, in the last year I have had liquid from many vendors that I paid 3 times and more the price and I hated it. Their website is vaporrenu.com and if you use the code nujuice you will get a 15% discount off the price, so even cheaper.

Obviously you know that smoking is dangerous. Just google "riva e cig" and find the best price you can on a starter kit. Also read what kind of warranty or customer service the vendor has. I am sure there are people here who can help you with that. I use a different kind of device, but it is the riva with a different thread on it. Riva and Ego have what is called a 510 fitting, the device I use has an 808 fitting. Anyway, I hope someone will help you with that aspect. The batteries do not last forever, it will depend how much you smoked and how much you vape. They generally have a 300 discharge life, which means you can use and recharge the batteries each AROUND 300 times. You would have 2 batteries, so hopefully with two they would last near a year, again, depends how much you use it. That being said I have batteries from a year ago that have been charged multiple times a day and they were cheapo batts, so it just depends. Like any other device, you just don't know. I am just telling you so you are prepared and perhaps each month you can set aside just 5 bucks into a "battery fund" for when you need to get replacements. If you buy the liquid from vapor renu, you will save a ton of money over other places. There are a couple other places that have similar prices, and maybe other people can tell you about those......I just order from VR.

There are a lot of great people on here that will help you! I wish you the best of luck! I know how hard it is to be in that kind of situation. I commend you for wanting to make a better choice despite your circumstances. In the long run it comes out cheaper, but initially of course you have to buy the stuff. Again, I wish you the best!

[thorne]

Hi Alexandria182002... Just wanted to chime in about the Riva. A starter kit from Liberty-Flights.com is $29.99. (The Riva Lite kit w/20% off coupon.) This includes two batteries two atomizers, a cone (cosmetic), a usb charger, and I believe 10 empty cartridges. Best price I have found so far. Make sure you click on the US site (and not the UK) and click fore your 20% off. They sell juice there as well, but sounds like vaporrenu.com has a bit better price. (Although you can probably get off almost as cheap with not paying an extra shipping fee.)

Either way, congratulations on taking steps to live a more healthy lifestyle. And once the initial investment is out of the way, I believe you will find vaping to be less expensive than smoking. Good luck and let us know how it's going, and if you have any other questions, just ask.^^

[fran1959]

Welcome Lynn, I agree on the Riva, I think you will be happy with it. Good luck to you, there are many people here who are very helpful if you have questions once you get your unit.

[Erika]

Welcome! You have gotten some great advice already. I just wanted to say good luck on making the switch!

[Beans]

I second what everyone has said. Liberty flights for the RIVA and Vapor Renu for the juice. I would also suggest some cartos. They last longer than attys and can be cleaned and reused until they are dead. This is a great sight, everyone will give you the best advice they can to get you started on the right foot and under budget too. I think you and Hubby will really like the products we've suggested. Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

[cheshyl]

Good luck on your journey for you and your husband. This is a brand new world to all of us. Hopefully you would not spend as much money vaping as smoking but the medical benefits outweighs the little extra money. The money you have to spend sounds like you can get two Rivas and some juice. Also, the start up costs of vaping is a little misleading in the "saving" money department. In the long run you will save money but getting started you might just spend a little more. Just remember you will probably vape more than you smoked. Good luck on your journey and keep on vaping.

[Sharon]

Welcome to VT Forum!

I don't have any first had knowledge regarding the Riva, but the folks who have recommended that PV brand, are reputable vapers as far as I am concerned. I do use Vapor Renu for e liquid, aka juice, and I can say that you can't beat their price for juice. Make sure to shake your juice real good before using it. This goes for any brand you buy. I don't recommend you buy anything from the carts in the malls. They are over priced and the products are crap. To put it simply. It might take you a little time to find a juice flavor that you like. So buy a small amount if you can, just so you can see if you like it. The initial cost is a little high, but if you hold fast and don't get caught up in all the posts you read about the stuff that other people have and like, you can keep your cost down. I, on the other hand, have not been able to contain myself and have spent somewhere around $700 over the last 4 months. I did not start off with the great advise and input that your getting from the experts here on VT. I bought two off the wall e cigs before finding VT. That was $200 down the drain, but I am on the right path now and would be doing a lot better if I could put my bank card in a container of water and freeze it. Then if I get weak and want to try another juice or buy a bigger or better battery, atty, or cart, I would have to defrost my bank card first and hopefully talk myself out of it before I am able to defrost it. LOL

If you can find the funds to get you started, you will be saving money in the long run and you will find that your health will improve and (I believe) you will truly enjoy vaping over smoking 100%.

Good Luck making your decision.

[Alexandria182002]

Hi Alexandria182002... Just wanted to chime in about the Riva. A starter kit from Liberty-Flights.com is $29.99. (The Riva Lite kit w/20% off coupon.) This includes two batteries two atomizers, a cone (cosmetic), a usb charger, and I believe 10 empty cartridges. Best price I have found so far. Make sure you click on the US site (and not the UK) and click fore your 20% off. They sell juice there as well, but sounds like vaporrenu.com has a bit better price. (Although you can probably get off almost as cheap with not paying an extra shipping fee.)

Either way, congratulations on taking steps to live a more healthy lifestyle. And once the initial investment is out of the way, I believe you will find vaping to be less expensive than smoking. Good luck and let us know how it's going, and if you have any other questions, just ask.^^

Can anyone tell me what the difference between the Riva 510 and Riva 901 are, and which is better? both seem to have the long lasting battery....

our situation is a tuffie. part of my nervousness is, I consider myself a heavy smoker... between 30-40 analogs/day... my husband... on a normal day will smoke between 10-20... I think from what I read, i'll need to invest in "the tank" for myself... but hubby will likely survive happily on the standard carts.

and I'm one of those ppl that can tell you how many rolls of tp or cans of coffee we need to make it thru the month... so I'm wondering how much juice a mid to heavy vaper will use in a month...to judge how much I have to buy. Being on ssi, I get my supplies for the month on the first and live broke the rest of the month, so I do not want to run out of juice or i'll be back to analogue and beating myself up for "wasting" money... argh.

but I'm having a hard time telling if the Joye Tank Cart and Atoms will work with the Riva 510 Battery....

[Alexandria182002]

oh, and another question....

as far as juice "flavor"... I'm not interested in candy or fruit... reg tobacco flavor is fine... but WHICH one...

I prefer Skydancer cigarettes (as I like my toxins natural - not with arsnic).... but I don't know what kind of tobacco they use...

If I can't get Skydancers and someone else was buying... I'd go for a store brand called Jacks they sell at "Sheetz" convienence stores on the east coast... or Doral or Winston I guess...

but again, I'm not sure what kind of tobacco that is. argh.

Any suggestions?

[cheshyl]

Alexandria182002: You do not need to get the 510 kit. The larger battery is what you need. It is like the joye ego/tornado. It has a great battery life and in a kit you will get two batteries. One to charge and one to vape on. I would suggest you get you a ego type battery kit, a couple of extra atomizers and some cartomizers (to see if you like to direct drip or use the cartomizers which you don't to constantly fill up. I direct drip or use the ego tank and I'm good to go. But I had to watch a lot of videos and be on this forum for a while to learn what I really needed. I wasted a lot of money on other e-cigs before I bought my eGo. I have wasted a lot of money on looking for that perfect juice, I have since found it. Now when I waste money it's for something I want not something that I need to continue in this world of vaping. I was an over a pack a day smoker when I quit. I vape more than I smoked so I'm using about about 12 mls of liquid a week, maybe a little over. If I'm at my computer I am vaping more. I also vape more because I can do it inside and right next to my husband (he's a non-smoker) and he doesn't mind at all. The only thing that I blow through is atomizers. I have some that have lasted me a couple of weeks and some just a couple of days and they aren't warrented except if they are doa. I try to buy them in bulk and have them available at all times and when I see a good deal on them I try to get more backups. I have backup batteries and backup atomizers and juices that I really don't like but in a pinch I could use them if I couldn't get my liquid of choice. The ego tank would not work on the 510 battery it would not be strong enough for the atomizer. Good luck with your decision.

[Brian]

The difference between the 510 and the 901 is the threads on the battery. A 510 attomizer will run a little hotter, which will give you more vapor and better throat hit. The 901 attomizer will give you better flavor, but less vapor and throat hit. I'd say if you're a long time heavy smoker, you're going to need the 510.

Be very cautious about what you can buy at your local smoke shops. They tend to be over priced and not the best performers.

As for tobacco eliquid, you're not likely to find anything that tastes like a real cigarette. What you will find is something better. If you quit smoking for a week or two and then light one up, you'll see how bad a cigarette really tastes and you'll be glad that your eliquid doesn't taste that way.

I smoked 1 1/2 packs a day for 20 years and now I vape 15-20ml of 24mg eliquid per week.

Edited February 16, 2011 by Brian

[SmokeSkins]

Vaping start-up costs are high yes, but I guarantee if you sum up vaping costs compared to regular cigarette costs, it will be cheaper. Money will definitely be saved in the long run. Also, don't put cost above your health, I was in the same situation at first, but my health is more important to me. Good luck