My experience vaping so far

RossFixxxed

I've let the best part of a week pass before writing this as I didn't want to be reacting too strongly.

Ok so the first thing I should say is I haven't had a single fag since Thursday so pretty much everything after is less important to me. That's a BIG positive.

The community have been lovely and the vendor I purchased from have gone far above and beyond to provide a phenomenal service.

What I bought:

Kanger Twist starter kit. 2 x eGo-C Twist batteries and 2 x Kanger T2s, a variety of liquids.

What I've experienced:

1 of the batteries cannot hold any charge. It stops working after about 10 drags every time. The other battery lasts me at my current useage for about a day / day and a half which is great.

The 2 the kangers could not be used at all. One does not ever engage (ie no atomiser working, no vapour produced). The other has a crack in the body which leaks constantly. Fortunately a friend gave me 2 of his T2s and I was able to get Vaping. I've had the kangers looked at by my mate and they are definitely defective.


I'm currently not fond of the sweet liquids and have been sticking with 18 m.g. Liqua tobacco flavour.


The twist battery is a great idea as it allows me to dial in the kind of hit that I want with ease. The device looks prety cool and feels very sturdy. The fact that it is not emulating a cigarette is a good thing and helps draw more of a line between Vaping and Smoking.

Ultimately I'm not a fan of the whole thing. Of the 4 main components (batteries and clearomisers) 3 of them were defective. Basically I bought 1 working battery for 60 Euro. For me personally, it is too much of a balancing act between quitting smoking and staying hooked on nicotine. There has been a lot of frustration for me with trying to get things working, having only 1 batt that actually works etc. I realise there is a degree of agitation caused by quitting smoking and that is bound to rub off on the device that is 'responsible' for this if you get me. However, all things considered I'm going to leave it in my desk for emergencies, it's far better than the fags, but I wouldn't consider taking up Vaping as an alternative as it is incredibly frustrating and fiddly. The failure rate of the parts and components is very, very poor. The vapour doesn't particularly agree with me, and I spend more time messing with the device than using it.

I will report back in in a week or so and see how things have settled. As it stands a large part of me wants to chuck it all in the bin. But I don't want to smoke and that's great news for me. I'm not missing the fags but I'm not enjoying vaping at all.

RossFixxxed

Actually to be completely honest I neutered that post as I don't want to be standoffish or aggressive.

I'm very underwhelmed by the entire experience (with the huge exception of an awesome vendor). Look smoking is a dreadful habit and I'm not for one second comparing the two here, but in and of itself based on what I've experienced vaping is a very frustrating experience. The equipment is frankly dreadful, the vapour doesn't hit any spot for me at all, it's niggly and it's annoying me a lot.

From where i stand I've paid a good lot of money for basically nothing (one ego c battery). To be blunt I would have been far happier buying an Xbox game for the money, or shopping, or throwing it in a drain.

I'm actually angry at the expenditure vs what has happened. I'm not looking to pee all over something you guys enjoy, but I do want to give my own objective experience of the whole thing. It really really sucks.

eeloe

The equipment isn't dreadful, the harsh reality of it, is when stuff is mass produced, there's bound to be some bad quality products slip through the net.

Get in touch with the guys you bought them off, all of the vendors in Ireland are small family operations, and they are all out with the aim of great customer service, get in touch with them, tell em your problem, and i'm sure they won't mind swapping out the faulty items with replacements.

Lots of people hate the sweet juices, i personally love them, especially the creamy desert type vapes, over time your taste will adjust, and you'll be able to vape juices you once hated. When i started i HATED Tobacco juices, and now i love em.

RossFixxxed

eeloe wrote: »

The equipment isn't dreadful, the harsh reality of it, is when stuff is mass produced, there's bound to be some bad quality products slip through the net.

Get in touch with the guys you bought them off, all of the vendors in Ireland are small family operations, and they are all out with the aim of great customer service, get in touch with them, tell em your problem, and i'm sure they won't mind swapping out the faulty items with replacements.

Lots of people hate the sweet juices, i personally love them, especially the creamy desert type vapes, over time your taste will adjust, and you'll be able to vape juices you once hated. When i started i HATED Tobacco juices, and now i love em.

Thanks for your reply. Yeah the juices are just personal taste, just though I'd mention it.

I know myself well at this stage, and I know when to walk away. That time is actually long past. I'm going to bin the whole thing and walk away. Vaping is not for me and I am CLEARLY not for it.

I know mass produced goods are prone to defects here and there but a 3 out of 4 failure rate is pathetic. It is NOT acceptable in any mass manufactured good and the quality will only improve if people acknowlege when something is broken. I've advised the vendor.

I'm going to step back from it all. I wanted to update as I tried it out for a week and I am gobsmacked at it. It is, and I mean this honestly and literally, the single worst product I have bought in many years.

As I say, I'm not knocking what people enjoy, just my experience of this PV has been a complete joke.

UPDATE: the vendor has asked I return the kit as they need to contact the manufacturer, and offered a full refund. However, and this is my bad, I threw out the 2 broken kangers as all they did was leak / not work so I'm using 2 new kangers from a friend. That's my bad and I told them that. I think I'll bin the whole thing (unless anyone wants any of the parts / charger etc) and walk away. Best solution for us all.

I hate being so negative, but it has been just rubbish from start to finish.

grindle

RossFixxxed wrote: »

...I do want to give my own objective experience of the whole thing. It really really sucks.

Subjective, not objective.

If your gear is broken, that's an objective fact, but your experience of vaping as a whole is subjective.
I told my dad reading books on epistomology would come in handy one day! :rolleyes:

It's unfortunate it hasn't worked for you. I thought you were offered a refund?

Speaking on my own subjective experience, there have been fiddly moments and disillusionment with cheaper gear, much in the same way someone who owned a tablet pre-iPad could've had a rant about how shitty and useless tablets are (and there are still some dickheads who presume that because they don't have a use for it, no-one can).
Inventors and engineers improve on ideas constantly, but with your attitude, Steve Wozniak would've shouted at his initial creations - "FUCK HOME COMPUTING! iT'LL NEVER WORK!"

If you want to give up smoking, either go cold turkey, or accept the refund and try other gear. Easy.

As for your 3-in-4 failure-rate comment: again, subjective experience. Vaping equipment does NOT have a 75% failure rate.
Does your friend who vapes have a 75% failure rate with his equipment?

Out of everything I've bought, I think I've had one bad box of cartomisers.
So, out of about €500 spent (€300 more than I would spent on rolling tobacco, but worth it to feel healthy AND enjoy vaping), a maximum of €7.50-worth has been faulty. I can live with that. I didn't buy that brand again.
Anything else that's fallen apart in the meantime has been cheap for a reason.

RossFixxxed

Subjective! My bad on that, language fail. It's just my experience with it.

I'm not comparing to smoking, because I could just say I save even more not vaping or smoking... That compairison doesn't deal with the situation at hand. The product I bought was a mess. Most of it was broken.

My attitude is not comparable to someone working in a particular industry, I deal with niggles, frustrations and annoyances every day in work and even in hobbies. I do this as either it is my job or I love the thing at hand despite all its failings. I've bought defective gear before. This one was the single worst though and is broken to the point that I (PERSONALLY) am not going to persue it.

I'm not arguing with you at all, just saying how I feel on this.

I don't have all the original parts as I chucked the T2s in the bin as they didn't work.

It may be a bad attitude, but the easiest for me is to bin it and walk away.

Short version: I'm not saying Vaping is rubbish, I'm saying my experience has been rubbish and it has really annoyed me. I hate it, personally, and would like to move it on. I wanted to share as this may be an exception but I felt it worth pointing out.

grindle

You've chucked the T2s, but they might refund for the rest.
If you're gonna cut and run, at least see if you can get some of the money back.

Glad that neither of us is arguing.
I can understand your frustration, just not the cut-and-run part of it. As the great Gary Barlow once said:

#Just have a little patience...#

kiffy

grindle wrote: »

just not the cut-and-run part of it. As the great Gary Barlow once said:

#Just have a little patience...#

"Gary Barlow" Is that Ken and Deidre's youngest son

I have to say that in all my vaping purchases I have yet to buy anything defective (good job too as I'm puffing away on my new Provari mini right now), been lucky I guess, even if I did I would be onto the crowd straight away, as all of them have a DOA policy.

People who roll their own don't see the financial gain as the pack of fags smoker does, so I can understand the frustration, one of my converts only used to spend €10 a week on smoking roll ups, so to lose €60 is a 6 week loss, where as I would have €60 spent in under 5 days on fags.

But she said even if it cost treble her rollies bill the health factor alone makes it money well spent and she vapes smoke green carts and batteries, she wont contemplate and mod looking gear, can't understand how people can stay on 808's :eek::eek: (fashion sensitive)

Any way I have to finish now, my Provari is calling me "Tony, Tony", "press my buttons" "yes sweetie I'm coming don't short your atomizer" very demanding my new Provari

krissovo

Just for the crack I figured out my failure rates:

1x T2 - Battery terminal pushed in
2x Vivi Nova's - Bad heads, repaired with new batch of heads
1x mini Provari - Internal electronics started rattling last night so technically not a failure but bad for a expensive bit of kit:(
5x Boge cartomisers - bad batch all burnt tasting
1x Privi tank - Fell off my desk and cracked the tank, replace with spare which came with it

Works out at 6% of items bought but a very high 87% in terms of value:eek:

Calibos

I can understand the reaction if one is a light rollie smoker. I didn't give up for my health. I smoked 40 cigarettes a day so was spending nearly 600 euro a month on fags. (Its just staggering when you think about it!!) So if health isn't a strong motivator and expense isn't a strong motivator then I can understand calling it quits on quiting.

For me, even if 60 euros worth of hardware was DOA every single month with no chance of refund, I'd still be massively ahead financially speaking. I haven't had anything arrive DOA or leak thankfully.

That said I've had a few cigarettes in emergencies over the last few weeks. ie. Most recently when I had forgotten to recharge a battery and then the one I was using ran out. I smoked 2 or 3 real fags during the 3 hours waiting for the recharge. No nic hit, no taste, no throathit. Waste of time. Well obviously I got the nic which dealt with the cravings but no immediate nic hit. It was like a JPB smoker must feel when he pulls on a Silk Cut Ultra.

I realised that even if health and finances were no longer an issue. If I had access to free cigarettes...well I'd still prefer to vape now. I am no longer worried about falling off the wagon, of falling into the trap of 'just one cig'. There is no longer an "O...M....G" moment when pulling on a real cig(when you haven't had one in a while). Now the 'moment' is....'FFS, these feckin things are useless, Recharge Twist goddam you!!"

colly10

I've bought the following since i've started -

3 x 950 ego batteries
2 x ego-t A atomiser
1 x ego-t B atomiser
A number of a & B tanks
Mini Vivi Nova with spare heads
4 x 1.8 ohm mini nova heads

All of the above items worked. My girlfriend bought an imist starter kit and one of the batteries in it was a dud

It's luck of the draw but from the above, I find the stuff very reliable.
I can understand the frustration of buying rubbish, even if a refund is offered, it's unnecessary hassle but your experience is still a long way off the norm

krissovo

krissovo wrote: »

Just for the crack I figured out my failure rates:

1x T2 - Battery terminal pushed in
2x Vivi Nova's - Bad heads, repaired with new batch of heads
1x mini Provari - Internal electronics started rattling last night so technically not a failure but bad for a expensive bit of kit:(
5x Boge cartomisers - bad batch all burnt tasting
1x Privi tank - Fell off my desk and cracked the tank, replace with spare which came with it

Works out at 6% of items bought but a very high 87% in terms of value:eek:

Edit: provari issue is resolved, my battery extension cap springs were weak and didn't hold the battery correctly.

So 6% failure rate still but 5% of total spend from 87

RossFixxxed

Delighted it is working out for you guys, have had the weekend to think about it. Will post back to vendor for refund once I can get around to it.

May come back in a few years when technology is less tempremental. I appreciate all your help guys!

kiffy

RossFixxxed wrote: »

Delighted it is working out for you guys, have had the weekend to think about it. Will post back to vendor for refund once I can get around to it.

May come back in a few years when technology is less tempremental. I appreciate all your help guys!

Sorry your giving up.

I remember telling my father in January 2010 to try and give up the fags due to his constant chest infections, he jokingly said he's give them up next new years eve, he died in July of the same year of lung cancer aged 75, he'd been smoking rollies for years

Don't let one bad experience with gear put your health at risk by sticking to fags.

I have a working Twist, clearomisers, charger and juice you can have for free, if you trust me with address to keep you off the cancer sticks gear is all in working order so you can just start vaping away. You have nothing to lose.

RossFixxxed

Firstly I'm very sorry to hear that. I lost someone this year to throat cancer and it was horrible. What did I do straight after? Smoke. So that obviously the most stupid, idiotic thing I could do.

However, I do need to at least get this refund sorted first, it's a defective kit I got. I will have to reassess my options after that.

I don't want to write this off 100%, but I now should think about cold turkey or vaping as options. Both have good and bad points. Both are better than smoking.

Hmmm.

Lucutus

kiffy wrote: »

I have a working Twist, clearomisers, charger and juice you can have for free, if you trust me with address to keep you off the cancer sticks gear is all in working order so you can just start vaping away. You have nothing to lose.

really? The provari is *that* good?

Fair play to you kiffy, can't ask for more than that. I doubt the OP will go for it, but the offer is great. played.

heliguyheliguy

I just started a couple of weeks ago and its been a life changing experience. (not even tempted to smoke)
Why such a difference between our experiences?
Maybe it was luck?
I did however take a different approach than you, and I suspect that may have made all the difference.
Not knowing anything about the subject I decided I would rather buy form a bricks and mortar store; so I could see what I was buying.
I found these guys http://www.ovaleireland.com/ (no affiliation ) within a few minutes of searching google.
I dropped into the store where the equipment was explained clearly my options given. All the liquids and gear are available for tasting, this is brilliant, try before you buy.
The the kit I chose was opened assembled, filled and tested, before I left the shop. Excellent service!
Not saying they're the best shop ever or even the best prices, but there is a lot to be said for try before you buy; at least the first time out.

RossFixxxed

Yeah that is something that bothered me. I would have preferred to go into a shop, but I went online as there was a good looking kit. The vendor WAS amazing, and I will keep pointing that out, but I just prefer going in somewhere.

Ovale is around the corner from where I work, so I'll pop in once refund is issued and have a look. Smoking is obviously killing me.

The offer earlier is a great one and I really, really appreciate it, but I absolutely cannot give my address out. I regret it with vendor (though they are absolutely fine and legit) and I would rather not do it again. I know it sounds tinfoil hat, but there is a reason!

Yet again you guys have given me a lot to think about!

billybudd

RossFixxxed wrote: »

Yeah that is something that bothered me. I would have preferred to go into a shop, but I went online as there was a good looking kit. The vendor WAS amazing, and I will keep pointing that out, but I just prefer going in somewhere.

Ovale is around the corner from where I work, so I'll pop in once refund is issued and have a look. Smoking is obviously killing me.

The offer earlier is a great one and I really, really appreciate it, but I absolutely cannot give my address out. I regret it with vendor (though they are absolutely fine and legit) and I would rather not do it again. I know it sounds tinfoil hat, but there is a reason!

Yet again you guys have given me a lot to think about!

I bought a eclip from ovale, very good and no leaking and has a great tank.

kiffy

Lucutus wrote: »

really? The provari is *that* good?

Fair play to you kiffy, can't ask for more than that. I doubt the OP will go for it, but the offer is great. played.

Yep Cutus tiz that good and even better, I was assimilating some of my stuff for better storage and came across my 2nd order from TBS (June 2nd) which included 5 Boge 510 carts at 3 ohms, so said bugger it lets see what this is like on the Provari (even though I have 6 V2's and 4 more ordered yesterday and 4 Viva Nova's) and wow biggest vapour production I have experienced, using it at 4.5v and people at the gym thought I was self com-busting and about to put a fire extinguisher on me there was that much vapour.

So ordered 9 XXL Boge 3 ohm carts, so much for not buying anymore gear :eek:. Should get both orders Wednesday. Think I have found my perfect delivery device for my perfect gear :D:D

V2's going into storage me thinks

Calibos

How is the Provari making such a difference. ie. What is the mechanism of the improvement? How is 4.5v from the provari any different from the 4.5v of the twist. I mean I am not dissing the provari and will get one when funds allow. The look, build quality, larger battery, better switch etc make it worth the price alone I am sure, but is there some technical reason why its gives a better vape or is the placebo effect at play?

krissovo

Calibos wrote: »

How is the Provari making such a difference. ie. What is the mechanism of the improvement? How is 4.5v from the provari any different from the 4.5v of the twist.

With the provari "what you set is what you get" (see review below)so regardless the battery power remaining you will get 4.5 volts if thats what you set. This gives you a very consistent vape once you have found the sweet spots for the rest of the setup. Also the provari uses only one 3.7 volt battery but you can vape up to 6 volts. Other devices need two batteries to get the 6 volts.

With a twist you need little tweaks fairly regularly to get the sweet spot. I still use a twist to find the approximate sweet spot. I get the rough voltage and then try on the provari.

Explained here very well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG9DQbowrDA

kiffy

Calibos wrote: »

How is the Provari making such a difference. ie. What is the mechanism of the improvement? How is 4.5v from the provari any different from the 4.5v of the twist. I mean I am not dissing the provari and will get one when funds allow. The look, build quality, larger battery, better switch etc make it worth the price alone I am sure, but is there some technical reason why its gives a better vape or is the placebo effect at play?

Look it's just better RIGHT I didn't get where you are today by asking silly bloody questions like that, everyone knows the Provari is the bees knees, just like the Rolls Royce is the bees knees of motors. And if you want the real reasons I have set them out below.

"With the provari "what you set is what you get" (see review below)so regardless the battery power remaining you will get 4.5 volts if thats what you set. This gives you a very consistent vape once you have found the sweet spots for the rest of the setup. Also the provari uses only one 3.7 volt battery but you can vape up to 6 volts. Other devices need two batteries to get the 6 volts.

With a twist you need little tweaks fairly regularly to get the sweet spot. I still use a twist to find the approximate sweet spot. I get the rough voltage and then try on the provari.

Explained here very well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG9DQbowrDA"

Well Keith I hope my well thought out and time consuming answers puts you in the picture, I spent ages coming to these conclusions. :p

RossFixxxed

I'm so busy I don't have time to get the thing posted back. I may lose out to this still.

I looked at Ovale and they have a 250 mah twist battery for €100 in a starter kit. That sounds dreadful surely? The 900 mah I got with my starter kit is crap as it is (the one that isn't broken). The first day it lasted about 30 hours of tinkering a little with it, but it only lasts about 5 if you use it in place of cigarettes (I smoke 10 a day).

The technology I have encountered is pretty much the shoddiest I've ever purchased. I'll HOPEFULLY get that posted this week then maybe look at this whole thing again from scratch when I loose the urge to throw the ****ing thing out the window!

Lucutus

How about a hug? Would you like a hug? I'll come over... just pm me your address there.

grindle

RossFixxxed wrote: »

I'm so busy I don't have time to get the thing posted back. I may lose out to this still.

I looked at Ovale and they have a 250 mah twist battery for €100 in a starter kit. That sounds dreadful surely? The 900 mah I got with my starter kit is crap as it is (the one that isn't broken). The first day it lasted about 30 hours of tinkering a little with it, but it only lasts about 5 if you use it in place of cigarettes (I smoke 10 a day).

The technology I have encountered is pretty much the shoddiest I've ever purchased. I'll HOPEFULLY get that posted this week then maybe look at this whole thing again from scratch when I loose the urge to throw the ****ing thing out the window!

Weird. Those batteries seem to last 20-a-day smokers about 8 hours, and should last about 24-25 minutes of constant inhaling (set @ 4.4v with a 2.4ohm coil).

Brick and mortar shops do have many (manymanymany) more costs, so as awful as their prices sound, that's the price that people who don't shop on the internet have to pay for goods.

kiffy

Lucutus wrote: »

How about a hug? Would you like a hug? I'll come over... just pm me your address there.

How could anyone turn down an offer like that.
Just PM'd you my address see you later

eeloe

I wouldn't say the quality of e-cigs are shoddy.

One Kanger being broken out of the box is covered by the DOA warranty most of the vendors offer, and even if they don't offer it on their site, they will help you out. What your dealing with here is suppliers who are also users of the products they sell, and they know how frustrating it can be when something's not working, and it's also frustrating for them when someone's online repeatedly slating their products as being shoddy.

In all the time I'm doing this, I've come across maybe 2 dodgy items, and both vendors sorted it for me within a day of contacting them.

RossFixxxed

eeloe wrote: »

I wouldn't say the quality of e-cigs are shoddy.

One Kanger being broken out of the box is covered by the DOA warranty most of the vendors offer, and even if they don't offer it on their site, they will help you out. What your dealing with here is suppliers who are also users of the products they sell, and they know how frustrating it can be when something's not working, and it's also frustrating for them when someone's online repeatedly slating their products as being shoddy.

In all the time I'm doing this, I've come across maybe 2 dodgy items, and both vendors sorted it for me within a day of contacting them.

Oh I would. I got 2 kangers, BOTH broken (and confirmed by someone who knows a lot more than me, he replaced them for me with some of his own). I got 2 batts, one of which doesn't hold any charge... That's really shoddy. Can't see how 3 out of 4 failing completely is anything else to be honest.

I would like that hug please! I'll PM my address right over, and post you a spare key! (btw I get what you're saying with that post and I'll try to keep mindful of it)

EDIT: I have said the vendor is amazing multiple times, I've said that I'm sure it's bad luck on my part. The point was just I'm very underwhelmed and for me it doesn't work. And the opposite: do you want ME in the vaping community?!

eeloe

RossFixxxed wrote: »

Oh I would. I got 2 kangers, BOTH broken (and confirmed by someone who knows a lot more than me, he replaced them for me with some of his own). I got 2 batts, one of which doesn't hold any charge... That's really shoddy. Can't see how 3 out of 4 failing completely is anything else to be honest.

I would like that hug please! I'll PM my address right over, and post you a spare key! (btw I get what you're saying with that post and I'll try to keep mindful of it)

EDIT: I have said the vendor is amazing multiple times, I've said that I'm sure it's bad luck on my part. The point was just I'm very underwhelmed and for me it doesn't work. And the opposite: do you want ME in the vaping community?!

I'd consider you to be one of the lucky ones, i've had more fall out with high end electronoics than i've had with vaping gear.

I've had an ipad 2 fall apart out of the box(Apple replaced it for me within two days) i've had a 37inch TV fail on me on the first week of ownership(Harvey Norman also sorted this for me a couple of years ago) and i've had an iPhone break down after a couple of weeks(again, apple sorted it in a quick fashion)

When dealing with mass produced consumer electronics, you're going to meet some duds, that's why the vendors offer a DOA warranty, no questions asked, and i think you posted here saying on the day you got your stuff, that you were offered a refund straight away, now, it's no ones fault that you still haven't found the time to post this stuff back, in reality, how long would it take you to nip to the shop, grab and envelope, and stick it in the postbox(5 mins max?)

Again, you've been offered kit that a member here KNOWS it working, to help you get off the cigarettes, and you turned that offer down?

RossFixxxed

Yep, I had to turn that down I'm afraid. Look I know it's a bit odd (EDIT: actually nope it's not, giving my address to total randomers off an Internet forum is absolutely a weird / dangerous thing to do, and for all YOU know I'm a complete and utter psychopath) and seems obstinate, but I have to reiterate there is actually a very good reason I can't give my address out. I really do appreciate the offer. I've had dud electronics before but I always go back with them and go for another company. Same applies here, I'm going to send it back asap (this week) and reassess the situation.

It IS my fault I have not posted it back, yep. I just put up my experience, it's not a good one but that hapens. It's just my observation / personal experience. I'm not arguing or looking to fight. I bought a product, it completely failed and I'm going to move on. I'm sure I'll get back vaping or go cold turkey soon but for now the latter seems a lot easier.

Once again: I really really do appreciate the kind offers and replies.