Ready To Buy, But A Few Questions First.

[BuckMulligan]

I am a pack a day smoker of Camel Lights and do most of my smoking at home, outdoors. About twice a month I go out for several hours and smoke A LOT, so I would need something with a good battery life and/or an on-the-go charger.

This site has helped me reach a decision to buy the 510 style, but I have a few questions:

1) I am not sure if I want the carts with a built in atomizer or not. Does the separate atomizer need a lot of care? I have read that many people have had problems with atomizers, so I would like to have some opinions whether the cost of built in atomizers is worth it.

2) Do all 510 come with a flat tip, or are regular round tips available?

3) I have read on the forum that there are different manufacturers and distributors of the 510, so I'm reluctant to purchase the cheapest one I can find unless I know it is a quality build and the distributor is reliable. I found what appears to be a great deal here: http://www.madvapes.com/Details.aspx?itemId=510MEGAKIT It is manufactured by SLB(?). It has the mega batteries, but the flat tip is not what I want (but will sacrifice the round tip for the great price). I am, however, willing to pay more for a quality product. But the cheaper I can find one, the more accessories I can buy (like a USB pass through and a on-the-go charging case).

4) The manual button, I assume, is preferred for giving a heated vapor more quickly? Does it drain the battery quicker?

5) Any Camel Light smokers have a preference for carts or juice? I also smoked Marlboro Lights, so I'm not too picky about flavor as long as it resembles a quality light cigarette and delivers enough nicotine.

Thanks in advance!

[Mark]

I am a pack a day smoker of Camel Lights and do most of my smoking at home, outdoors. About twice a month I go out for several hours and smoke A LOT, so I would need something with a good battery life and/or an on-the-go charger.

The 510 batteries should last you about 1-1/2 to 2 hours---The ego might be a model to go with if you want 8+ hours out of the battery

This site has helped me reach a decision to buy the 510 style, but I have a few questions:

1) I am not sure if I want the carts with a built in atomizer or not. Does the separate atomizer need a lot of care? I have read that many people have had problems with atomizers, so I would like to have some opinions whether the cost of built in atomizers is worth it.

with the 510, you have 3 separate parts---the battery, the atty(attomizer), and the cart---the thing to remember with pvs (e-cigs) is that all of the parts are considered consumables---they will have to be replaced at some point. I found that attys usually last between 6 to 12 weeks.

2) Do all 510 come with a flat tip, or are regular round tips available?

most 510's come with the standard round tip

3) I have read on the forum that there are different manufacturers and distributors of the 510, so I'm reluctant to purchase the cheapest one I can find unless I know it is a quality build and the distributor is reliable. I found what appears to be a great deal here: http://www.madvapes.com/Details.aspx?itemId=510MEGAKIT It is manufactured by SLB(?). It has the mega batteries, but the flat tip is not what I want (but will sacrifice the round tip for the great price). I am, however, willing to pay more for a quality product. But the cheaper I can find one, the more accessories I can buy (like a USB pass through and a on-the-go charging case).

I would recommend either ordering from the Vapor Talk store or awesomevapor.com---the mega batts should last about 3-4 hours

4) The manual button, I assume, is preferred for giving a heated vapor more quickly? Does it drain the battery quicker?

no, the manual battery is actually better. You will find that after you have been vaping for a while you will probably want to direct drip. A manual batt is neccesary for this.

5) Any Camel Light smokers have a preference for carts or juice? I also smoked Marlboro Lights, so I'm not too picky about flavor as long as it resembles a quality light cigarette and delivers enough nicotine.

Taste is VERY subjective. You'll get lots of different advice on flavors. All I can say is to test them out and see what you like. Arno at awesome vapor has a sampler pack so you can test tobacco flavors as well as fruity ones. When you're ready for the best flavors that I have ever had, then you go to the Vapor Talk store!!

Thanks in advance!

[FTJoe]

Most of this is answered. As far as a unit, you could go standard 510 and have a couple of batts handy, or a spade with an extra battery handy. Bottom line is if you're venturing away from the homestead, you should have your primary device and a backup in case something goes wrong. So in the beginning I had several 510s built and ready to go. A PCC for charging on the go and a bottle of juice and an extra battery and atty (or two).

manual batteries prevent an issue of leakage from the aty into the battery. I like manuals because you can actually start it cooking before drawing.

Wordupecig has a sampler and many flavors including lights, camel, marlboro, etc. I can not attest to how light they taste, I am a menthol freak.

http://www.shop.wordupecig.com/e-lquid-Variety-Pack-e-lquid-Variety-Pack.htm

Carts are usually round tips.

[snubber]

I am a pack a day smoker of Camel Lights and do most of my smoking at home, outdoors. About twice a month I go out for several hours and smoke A LOT, so I would need something with a good battery life and/or an on-the-go charger.

This site has helped me reach a decision to buy the 510 style, but I have a few questions:

1) I am not sure if I want the carts with a built in atomizer or not. Does the separate atomizer need a lot of care? I have read that many people have had problems with atomizers, so I would like to have some opinions whether the cost of built in atomizers is worth it.

2) Do all 510 come with a flat tip, or are regular round tips available?

3) I have read on the forum that there are different manufacturers and distributors of the 510, so I'm reluctant to purchase the cheapest one I can find unless I know it is a quality build and the distributor is reliable. I found what appears to be a great deal here: http://www.madvapes.com/Details.aspx?itemId=510MEGAKIT It is manufactured by SLB(?). It has the mega batteries, but the flat tip is not what I want (but will sacrifice the round tip for the great price). I am, however, willing to pay more for a quality product. But the cheaper I can find one, the more accessories I can buy (like a USB pass through and a on-the-go charging case).

4) The manual button, I assume, is preferred for giving a heated vapor more quickly? Does it drain the battery quicker?

5) Any Camel Light smokers have a preference for carts or juice? I also smoked Marlboro Lights, so I'm not too picky about flavor as long as it resembles a quality light cigarette and delivers enough nicotine.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome Buck.

Chris is really the one to help you with this and I'm sure he'll get to you when he can.

The carts with the attached attimizors aka cartomizers are not compatable with the 510 with out an adapter if I'm not mistaken.

As far as care for the atty..some people clean them in boiling water or everclear, some use other ways and some do nothing but let them drain and reuse them. There are a few videos out there to look at that may help you on that one. But you have to remember that atty's, carts, and batteries are a disposable item. They will all need to be replaced at some point.

That's why a lot of people have several on hand at all times, don't want to be caught without a good one on hand.

The carts of most kits are round and pre-filled. They also have empty carts that you can fill yourself.(it's not hard once you get the hang of it). The pr-filled ones come in all kinds of flavors and strengths.

You should also remember that cheaper is not always better. Genuine Joye 510's are the better brand with less trouble than some other brands.

The manual battery is usually better because it lets you take longer puffs for more vapor. It also is sealed so you can drip without worrying about getting juice in the battery. Check out Chris's video on direct dripping for more on that.

The mega batts are nice in that they last longer between recharges.

Well, that's about all I can tell you, I'm sure others can help you more than I and will be more than willing to answer any thing you need.

I would add that you take a look at the VaporTalk store before you go buying something just because it's cheaper. They carry the genuine Joye510's and Chris will help you all the way.

So good luck and keep vaping.

And don't forget to get some juice.

[jmhester]

Welcome to the world of vaping! This is going to be easier than you think!

First, I would go ahead and buy a 510 kit with a personal charger pack (PCC). They allow you to keep your batteries charged on the go and double as a carry case. They also seem to "deep charge" the batteries better than a wall unit so they last longer. Any of the vendors here should have what you need. I know that wordupecig has the complete kit with the PCC included. Give Jeff a call at the number on the web site and he will be able to help you out, too.

I'm with you on the juice. I like cigarette flavored ones. Any of the marlboro, etc. taste the same so take your pick.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[ddavelarsen]

Welcome BuckMulligan! You sure found a great place, and it's nice that you've been doing your homework. We're here to answer your questions, and we sure get off on that. Which, from the forgoing, you can see. You won't go wrong with a 510. Like has been said, you'll be ahead to buy a genuine Joye unit. Quality vaping stuff doesn't cost a great deal more, but the difference can be vast.

If you're looking for a real long-term battery, consider (probably down the road) one of the mods like a Spade or VP2. Batts are good for 8-9 hours of heavy vaping on my VP2 and the Spade reportedly is good for 4 or 5 good hours. You will always want to carry a spare battery and atty though; never know when something might fail and the last thing you'll want is to not be able to vape on. I always carry spares unless I'm only going to be away for a few minutes.

Personal preference rules when it comes to choosing flavors. My tobacco favorite is 555. It's a nice nutty tobacco taste. Very nice and clean. Since you're a lights smoker, I'd say start with two strengths - 18 and 24mg. Just buy small amounts until you know what you like and what the best strength for you is. Some folks like to use a different strength depending on the time of day; maybe kick it in with the higher strength in the morning, and vape the lesser during the day. It's a learning thing, and it's fun.

We all pretty much prefer the manual button for the reasons stated. I'm a control freak, so that's my reason. But I also direct drip (you will too, eventually). Direct dripping for me gives a more consistent hit and flavor. And I vape hard enough that carts have a hard time keeping up with me; dripping keeps the atty nice and wet. If you have a long commute though, for example, a cart might be your best option. I've had the best luck with the Pyramid Tea Bad mod, but Brian also has discovered another potentially excellent mod.

The Amazing Cart Mod

It's ready-made for your 510s. What could be cooler than jumping in modding your own carts?! Nothing. Nothing, man.

Okay, I'll shut up. Welcome to Vapor Talk! You're going to like it here.

[FTJoe]

A PCC for charging on the go and a bottle of juice and an extra battery and atty (or two).

A word of warning, mega batts don't work "out of the box" in a standard PCC. I see you were looking at possibly picking them up.

[Brian]

Well, not much for me to add. I will add that electronixstix is another execllent supplier to consider. Use VTALK10 for a 10% discount. Can't go wrong with VT Store or awsomevapor either though. I've used all three (many times). You're really better off looking for genuine JOYE products. I've made several purchases of modding parts from Madvapes and they have outstanding customer service, but I wouldn't buy the SLB (just my opinion). You can get whistle tips for the 510, but they are not flat... more rectangular - like you said.

[BuckMulligan]

Thanks for all the advice!

I went ahead and bought the Mega battery kit from Madvapes. It was much cheaper than the regular kit + mega batteries from electro-nic-sticks (about $70). For about $79 I got this from Madvapes:

510 Mega kit - $43.99

5 volt manual passthrough - $15

510 USB charger - $6.29

AC to USB charger - $2.49

510 round refill carts (5) - $2.99

10ml liquid (marlboro) - $3.99

10ml liquid (tobacco) - $3.99

They were out of 510 atty ($7)

Their PCCs looked a little cheap, so I passed on one of those ($19.99)

Total: $78.74 (free shipping)

I would have paid for priority shipping if had known it was so cheap ($3). I placed the order at 2am PST this morning, and it has already shipped according to their site. So, we'll see how it goes.

I will also be ordering 3 of these USB battery packs http://deals.woot.com/sellout in the hopes that they work with my mega batteries for a back up charging supply when I'm on the road (this deal will be gone at 10pm PST, or sooner if sold out). If it doesn't work, I can also use them as a phone/MP3 battery backup.

So, right now I'll go look for some attys. Other than that, I simply have to wait 2-6 days for my system to arrive (from North Carolina, so likely at least 4 business days). Please let me know if there is any thing I have forgot or should think about purchasing.

Cheers!

[FTJoe]

I will also be ordering 3 of these USB battery packs http://deals.woot.com/sellout in the hopes that they work with my mega batteries for a back up charging supply when I'm on the road (this deal will be gone at 10pm PST, or sooner if sold out).

Too funny, I bought three of those (shipping doesn't go up so buy three) an hour ago. You better hurry, only pink and red were available when I did it. I'm guessing they will work, using mine for my hopeless family who never charges their phones.

[BuckMulligan]

Too funny, I bought three of those (shipping doesn't go up so buy three) an hour ago. You better hurry, only pink and red were available when I did it. I'm guessing they will work, using mine for my hopeless family who never charges their phones.

All they have is pink now, but Amazon sells them for $7.99 in several colors. They also have a model that is iPhone 3GS compatible. Free shipping if you spend $25 or more (so you'll have to buy 3 plus something for $1.03 more to take advantage).

Do I want pink? Nah, I'll pass for now.

[DAYVAPE]

Thanks for all the advice!

I went ahead and bought the Mega battery kit from Madvapes. It was much cheaper than the regular kit + mega batteries from electro-nic-sticks (about $70). For about $79 I got this from Madvapes:

510 Mega kit - $43.99

5 volt manual passthrough - $15

510 USB charger - $6.29

AC to USB charger - $2.49

510 round refill carts (5) - $2.99

10ml liquid (marlboro) - $3.99

10ml liquid (tobacco) - $3.99

They were out of 510 atty ($7)

Their PCCs looked a little cheap, so I passed on one of those ($19.99)

Total: $78.74 (free shipping)

I would have paid for priority shipping if had known it was so cheap ($3). I placed the order at 2am PST this morning, and it has already shipped according to their site. So, we'll see how it goes.

I will also be ordering 3 of these USB battery packs http://deals.woot.com/sellout in the hopes that they work with my mega batteries for a back up charging supply when I'm on the road (this deal will be gone at 10pm PST, or sooner if sold out). If it doesn't work, I can also use them as a phone/MP3 battery backup.

So, right now I'll go look for some attys. Other than that, I simply have to wait 2-6 days for my system to arrive (from North Carolina, so likely at least 4 business days). Please let me know if there is any thing I have forgot or should think about purchasing.

Cheers!

Not saying you need to right yet... but the amount of juice won't last you that long I bet. I know when I first started vaping I wasted a hell of a lot jackin' around with carts, switching flavors, etc. Just my .02 though. For what it's worth... I vape 3ml a day easy... give or take a ml or 2 depending on my stress level! I'd recommend a sampler pack from a vendor of your liking so you can test them before you buy a larger bottle. Take care.

Edited February 18, 2010 by DAYVAPE

[BuckMulligan]

Not saying you need to right yet... but the amount of juice won't last you that long I bet. I know when I first started vaping I wasted a hell of a lot jackin' around with carts, switching flavors, etc. Just my .02 though. For what it's worth... I vape 3ml a day easy... give or take a ml or 2 depending on my stress level! I'd recommend a sampler pack from a vendor of your liking so you can test them before you buy a larger bottle. Take care.

n the

Thanks for the info. I knew the 10ml bottles were not much juice, but didn't know how long they would last (and I should have accounted for spillage). I did want to sample a couple though. I'll look to pick some more samples up when I go to purchase some more attys today.

I am wondering if I can buy juice locally at a tobacco store here in Oregon? I doubt it. The juice is probably banned for sale here, even those brands made in the USA.

As for the portable chargers I mentioned above, does anyone think they would work with a pass through? I doubt it, but was wondering if anyone had tried using a pass through with any portable 5v charger.

[ddavelarsen]

Well, VT store sells (but is currently out of stock I believe), a USB adaptor that plugs into the 12V outlet of your vehicle. You can find these other places but it's important to get one with sufficient amperage to power the passthrough. The one I got from VT store is 2,000 mah, and many of the ones folks have found in Walmart and similar places are only 500 mah - which would not have enough oomph to run the PT. You can also use the portable battery packs that people use to charge their phones and music players. Typically those will run a passthrough. Just some ideas, good luck!

[Tinker]

Soory, Buck, you probably have all the information you need, but I gotta get my five NEWBIE posts in before I can post in other forums...

You asked question the way I asked them when I first waded into the shallow end of the e-smoking pond. You've made a good choice with a Joye 510-style kit. I'm a 20-year 2+ pack, Marlboro 100's addict. The manual battery 510 worked for me, the automatic battery 410-style (Blu) didn't work at all, not for a minute.

But like me, you got sidetracked by authentic vs. non-Joyetech OEM. My first kit was just the cheapest 510 starter kit I could find, from Cignot.com for $35 plus $5 shipping. That was six months ago. Of the original two batteries and atomizers, both batteries are still working, and one atomizer just quit this weekend. I've never asked the ladies at Cignot to assure me they were sending authentic Joyetech equipment; the rig worked and continues to work.

You can get round- or flat-tipped cartridges for the 510. I started out using the whistle (flat) tips, but recently changed to round-tips. The only reason I changed was that I caught myself trying to hold the whistle-tips in my mouth while typing stuff like this, and was starting to bruise my lower lip... Duh! The round tip is slipperier and I don't try holding it in my lips with them.

I didn't want to be reminded of cigarettes in any way, so I dumped all of the tobacco-flavored cartridges right off. But I think the Winston flavor is probably closer to what you want than the Marlboro flavor. Don't go lower than 18mg nicotine strength to start with, and I'd actually recommend going with a 24mg liquid for refilling your cartridges.

There is a difference in how the body takes in and uses nicotine when comparing cigarette smoke to e-smoking vapor, and while a cigarette - even your "lights" - are considered to deliver 16 mg, to me it took the 24mg liquid to give the smae relief from cravings. (If that sounds scary, six months into e-smoking, I now only use 6mg nicotine products...).

There's probablky a bazillion other questions you're asking. I ran across this the other day and find it a very good read, even if you're not new to it:

http://www.awesomevapor.com/page/397873360

Welcome to the forums - you're my fifth post so now I can go sit a the same table as the adults - and congratulations on a wise decision to try an alternative to tobacco.

Good luck, hang in there, and don;t give up without talking to us some more!

- Tinker

[Tinker]

Oh yeah! And Buck - the thing you want to watch out for is a description called "throat hit". Your Light cigareetes have very little "throat hit" compared to my He-man Marlboros, so when you get to shopping for e-liquid to refill cartridges, you might want to shy away from stuff described as having "great throat hit". But balancing that, the vapors are never close to the same temperature as a suck on a cigarette, so even powerful "throat hit" might not seem too strong for you...

- Tinker

[Christopher]

By the way tinker NOOBIE isn't miss spelled. It's was spelled the "leet" way.

[BuckMulligan]

Oh yeah! And Buck - the thing you want to watch out for is a description called "throat hit". Your Light cigarettes have very little "throat hit" compared to my He-man Marlboros, so when you get to shopping for e-liquid to refill cartridges, you might want to shy away from stuff described as having "great throat hit". But balancing that, the vapors are never close to the same temperature as a suck on a cigarette, so even powerful "throat hit" might not seem too strong for you...

- Tinker

Thanks for the great info, Tinker! I feel more comfortable now with my purchase from Madvapes. I did get the 24mg from them in 2 flavors, and I suspect I will be trying many more flavors in the near future until I find something I like. And thanks for the advice about shying away from "great throat hit" flavors.

MY PACKAGE HAS ARRIVED!!! A shout out to Madvapes for incredible speed to ship! From NC to OR was two days WITHOUT priority shipping! And it was free!

Everything I ordered is here. However, I am not sure if what I received are Mega batteries or not. I assume they are, but how am I to know the difference? The Megas are longer, correct? I have nothing to compare them to, so if someone could let me know the length of a Mega, that would be helpful.

I was told the Mega batteries are not ready out of the box, so I have one charging now (it says to charge for 8 hours the first time).

The passthrough looks like a quality build. The car usb charger feels a little loose (1000mA). The usb charger looks strong. The wall usb looks good, too. The wall charger feels tight, and the battery screwed in snug (though I noticed the manual button comes very close the the edge of the charger once screwed in, which might become a problem if the threads get worn down a bit).

The batteries appear sturdy on the external view, though one has a tiny chip of paint (black) missing, smaller than a head of a pin, so not a big deal unless it grows in size later. The buttons are firm, but not too much so. The blue tip light is about the right brightness, but uneven across the tip (top side nearly dark).

Atomizers look good as far as I can tell. Both screwed on snugly. No paint chips missing.

I ordered two flavors in 10ml bottles: Tobacco (labeled Tabak), and Marlbro (labeled MAR). No way for me to know whether there is an actual 10ml in each drip bottle.

Now the carts. Two came with the atomizers. Do these have flavoring in them? I guess I'll find out when I hook these up to the passthrough. I also received refill carts and, I assume, pre-filled carts. Both boxes say "Marlbro 24mg" and the carts all seem the same size, but one box is slightly larger than the other. Do I open a cart do find out which are pre-filled and which are empty? I don't want to make a mess of things. [on closer inspection, it looks like I have round tips and flat tips, so the round tips are the refillables. But they also say 24mg on the package, so are they filled to start with?]

Going to give the passthrough a test now and report back.

Edited February 20, 2010 by BuckMulligan

[BuckMulligan]

Ok, the cart attached to the atomizer was empty. Makes sense, since liquid would have leaked during shipping.

Attached a new 'Marlbro' cart and took my first hit using the passthrough. Wow, big vapor! Nice. I have to draw just slightly more than a regular cigarette.

The first thing I noticed was that it gave a bit of a tongue buzz, just like my Camels. The taste is similar, but slightly sweeter than a Marlboro light. I'd prefer something closer in taste to Camel Lights, but these are not bad. I could get used to them.

Difficult to tell if the nicotine level (24mg) is going to be enough. So far, I find a couple puffs is about right, but I come back for another couple hits sooner than I would after smoking an entire cigarette (10 min vs 1-2 hours). Makes sense, but I'd like to train myself to vape for 5 min, having several hits, and then laying off for 1-2 hours because I will not be vaping in the house most of the time (kids).

I'm very pleased with the flavor and feel of vaping. All I need to do is find the right juice for me.

Looks like I am on my way to being an ex-smoker!

Thanks for all the help, peeps!

now, where are those mod threads.........

[FTJoe]

Ok, the cart attached to the atomizer was empty. Makes sense, since liquid would have leaked during shipping.

Attached a new 'Marlbro' cart and took my first hit using the passthrough. Wow, big vapor! Nice. I have to draw just slightly more than a regular cigarette.

The first thing I noticed was that it gave a bit of a tongue buzz, just like my Camels. The taste is similar, but slightly sweeter than a Marlboro light. I'd prefer something closer in taste to Camel Lights, but these are not bad. I could get used to them.

Difficult to tell if the nicotine level (24mg) is going to be enough. So far, I find a couple puffs is about right, but I come back for another couple hits sooner than I would after smoking an entire cigarette (10 min vs 1-2 hours). Makes sense, but I'd like to train myself to vape for 5 min, having several hits, and then laying off for 1-2 hours because I will not be vaping in the house most of the time (kids).

I'm very pleased with the flavor and feel of vaping. All I need to do is find the right juice for me.

Looks like I am on my way to being an ex-smoker!

Thanks for all the help, peeps!

now, where are those mod threads.........

yay - you will have tons of questions and probably some issues, just keep at it. Like I tell everyone, if you fade back or supplement until you get comfortable so be it. One less cig is good, anything after that a bonus.

[Brian]

You're well on your way now!!!