Vivi Rebuildable Tank (not from Smoktech and not Vivi Nova)

I got the Vivi Rebuildable Tank from GotVapes.com. It is an attractive, and fairly easy to use and rebuild tank that I felt would be a good 1st tank for a newbie rebuilder. The coil is a loose wrap around the wick, so there isn't the need for getting a tight wrap or threading the wick as in the more advanced types of rebuildables.

This is also a good tank for people (like me) who are using ego type batteries with them.

First Impressions

Having just started using this, I am giving my initial experiences with the device at this time. As time goes on, I will update with information on actually rebuilding the coil, and any other information I determine along the way.

On first use, the draw was like pulling up a lung, but it did get a little better after it warmed up a bit. However, it never really had a nice easy draw, and the vapor production isn't that great even with the 100% vg juice I use. The air intake is at the base and the holes are extremely small. Perhaps blocked a bit by the ego threading.  I would prefer side air vents, but this is a fairly simple and low-level rebuildable so that's probably a lot to ask for. Becuase the air vents the same as in an ego cart/atomizer, do not get too much liquid in the atomizer area or it will leak horribly. The tank itself didn't leak though.

(Not a great shot of the atomizer base. The tall post on the left is the fill hole post.)

Refill hole

There is a fill port on the top of level of the atomizer. This is an improvement over the reviews I've seen of the Smoktech version of the Vivi rebuildable. There are good and bad parts about this fill hole.

The Good: It is capped by a long rod that screws into the deck instead of a screw. The rod is easily grasped by two fingers to turn it to remove it, so no screw driver needed to fill up the tank.

The Bad: The hole is SMALL. A blunt syringe tip does not fit into the hole. (Edit, after several tries, I finally found a syringe tip that fit into it. The downside to that is it is an old - still sterile and unused - real needle I used to use to give puppy shots to the dogs. Very thin gauge. Not sure if the standard blunts sold by DIY shops come thin enough. None I have from DIY supplies are.) I don't have a syringe tip bottle with the rubber hose type syringe to try and see if that would fit into the hole. Because the hole is so small, filling takes a LONG time drip by drip. TIP: loading the top area of the tank and letting it drip slowly into the holding tank area is a bad idea, a lot of fluid drips down the atomizer post and leaks out the base of the unit.

The Tank Body

The tank body is plastic, but is strudy feeling. It screws on tightly to the base and tightly at the top. There is no rubber gasket at the top or bottom, however there is one at the middle where the atomizer base sits above the holding tank. I would prefer a bottom atomizer instead of the top. However, at least the tank body does come off so the screws are easy to access for rebuilding.

The Drip Tip

The tank has a nicely shaped drip tip with a large enough opening to make direct dripping onto the atomizer possible fairly easily. However... the drip tip is molded directly from the top of the tank, so you can not change it with a different type. I prefer to use my choice of drip tips. If I happen to like the one a tank comes with, great, but if not, I'd like the option to replace it. You can't do that with this. The drip tip is made of the same stainles steel metal as the top and base of the tank. I know a lot of people who use metal drip tips, but I prefer plastic.

Overall

It's a very nice vape. On the standard ego it vapes kind of hot at 3.8 volts. It is good, but I prefer it on my ego-twist where I can adjust the ohms down to 3.5 for a milder heat level. However, that makes the entire piece a very long and somewhat heavy device, especially when used with an inline tester (volt/wattage/ohm, great for using with egos that do not have a readout available). I like the feel, look and weight of the tank on the standard ego by itself better. Both are well within safety ranges.

NOTE: When using any device that includes rebuildable coils, always use an ohms checker to ensure proper levels to avoid overloading batteries that could create performance issues or be dangerous.

Android E-Juice Calculator Review

Name of app on GogglePlay market: E-Liquid Calculator
Name of developer: Alessandro Boggiano

I just downloaded this app and I LOVE it. I have been using a similar app online, but this will make it easier to create without having a big tablet of paper around and having to copy the amounts from the computer to the page, and then keeping all that paper to save the recipes. This calculator does all that and keeps it all stored on the phone if you want to keep the recipe. It comes with two styles of calculators, an advanced that lets you add one or several flavors and save recipes, and just a simple quickie calculator for single flavors without saving. It also has a handy calculator that I like and hadn't seen before where you can calculate the outcome of mixing two juices. I love this because there are times I do this just by "feel" with small amounts of leftover premixed juices either that I've bought or mixed myself. This way I'll know what the nic levels are and pg/vg percentages are after the mix. Love that a lot.

Organic No-So-Virgin Eggnog E-Juice Review

I picked up this delightful little juice when it was on a clearance at Virgin Vapor. Apparently it is a seasonal juice, but I wish they kept it year round. After trying it, it is just one of the nicest little flavors. It isn't overpowering. It's very smooth though. That's saying quite a bit since I ordered it in a high 18mg nic level at 50/50 pg/vg, so it's got that PG kick and a high nic level that I use for those times when I need a boost to get rid of a craving. Usually a juice at 50%pg with an 18 mg nic level will have a powerful throat hit. This one doesn't even when dripping it, which is the way I normally use it.

Virgin Vapor's Organic Not-So-Virgin Eggnog

The eggnog flavor is a little butternutty/eggy and very creamy. I really like it. I have used up almost all of the 1/4oz bottle and will keep an eye out for it when it comes back for sure.

Vea Canteen Tank System - Clearomizer Review

This is an unusual product. It's name implies it is a product specific tool, but this handy little clearomizer tank works just fine on any ego-style battery even though it is sold specifically by Johnson Creek for their Vea e-cigarette.

Vea isn't the only thing that is a little misleading about the name of this handy little item. It is called a tank system but it is really a nifty clearomizer. The differences are arguable. After all, a tank is meant to hold a volume of e-juice to feed to an internal atomizer right? By that definition, this is a tank, just a small sized one. The Vea canteen is a cartomizer sized  tank that holds a little less than an ounce at a time, but instead of that old cotton padding of the cartomizer, it has wicks that pull the liquid up to a top feeding atomizer.

These are disposables. They can't be cleaned or rebuilt, but they last a long, long time. At least the ones I've used so far. I bought my first box that contained 3 clearomizers last February and they are still doing well. They can be refilled, and the fact that I normally use 100% or at least a high percentage VG juice that tends to be thick and usually gunks up wicks and coils, these little canteens handle it in great style.

I just bought my second box as a reserve, but haven't used up the first ones yet.

Notice the little white patch at the base--I use liquid white out to make a little spot where I can write what flavor juice (usually just an initial, or in this case "dc" for dark cherry) on each clearo so I know what flavor to load it with so the taste remains pure since these can't be washed out.

The Vea canteen tank comes in two styles, clear which burns warm at 1.8 ohms, and dark glass that burns cool at 2.4 ohms. I can only comment on the clear 1.8 ohm version that I have used so far.

To my knowledge the only place these can be purchased is at Johnson Creek Smoke Juice and E-Cigarettes. Here is a link if you are interested:

http://www.johnsoncreeksmokejuice.com/shop/accessories/vea-trade-canteen-warm-coolhtml

I really like the chrome KGO with the tank on it. It's no different operationally, or quality wise than the black KGO with the tank on it--it just looks nicer (IMO). I think I like it better because the adapter (the fitting that hides the neck and connection between battery and tank) only comes in chrome, and kind of stands out on the other KGO colors. On the Chrome colored KGO it becomes part of the unit. They need to make a black (or gold since the black KGO has gold accents) tank adapters too.

(KGO e-cigarette with Smok Tech dual coil tank)

E-cigarette Makes an Appearance on "Two Broke Girls"!

In an overall positive light, the e-cigarette made its prime time debut (at least it's the first time I've ever seen one in a sit-com or series on regular TV. It had two brief but meaningful spots in the Monday Night series "Two Broke Girls." It was great to see it portrayed in an overall good light. Hopefully we'll see more of it in the weeks to come.

My KGO Collection is Growing

I originally ordered my KGO starter kit in chrome, but the company sent me black instead. I like the two black KGOs that came with the starter kit very much, and the gold accents make it very attractive. However, I couldn't shake the fact that I wanted chrome to start with from my mind, so I ordered a single KGO e-cigarette chrome battery with chrome collar and it came today.

I have to say that it really is a fingerprint magnet as someone mentioned on a post on ECF. It's pretty though. It will look really nice with the chrome adapter and tank. I can't comment on how it works since it is still getting its first charge, but I'm sure it will live up to the KGO name as my other two do. I don't know why they don't just call this silver, or stainless steel, when I see pictures of the "chrome" KGOs on the various sites it looks like it has a gold tint, but it must just be the reflections in it as you can see at the bottom of the picture here. It is actually just silver. I wish they still made the "gold" KGO, but I haven't seen that one in any of the purchase lists, although one site still mentions that color as one of the options (it isn't in their actual purchase list though).

Smok Tech Dual Coil Tank Kit Review

I've heard a lot about tanks, and how they really cut down on constantly topping off cartos, so I just had to try one. Not to mention they just look cool. So I purchased the Smok Tech Dual Coil Tank Kit from Hoosier E-Cig Supply. I'll say one thing for Brant from Hoosier: he sure does ship things out fast. I barely pressed submit on the order form before I got the shipping confirmation. He's great, and the tank is pretty awesome.

To start with, I bought the smaller of the two tank kits offered by Smok Tech. It is a 3.5 mil tank, although I'm not sure it actually holds that much. I'd say more like 2 in the tank, unless they are adding what is held inside the carto as well. Then I can see it being 3.5 mil.

It's an attractive tank. I like the way it  looks on my pv. It comes with the clear drip tip pictured. That's kind of neat as well because it's a little longer than the drip tips I've found online and ordered. It is a tight fitting little thing though. You have to really press it on the end of the carto.

Okay, now on to the actual review of the Smok Teck Dual Coil tank. So far--no leaks! That's a really cool thing. However, this is not something we ladies can toss in a purse. It WILL leak if turned completely upside down. (Learned from experience).

The tank is pretty easy to fill following standard tank filling methods that you can find on youtube.

The downsides: I've heard that heavy juices work well in the tank, but I'm not finding that to be true. I can't get my 60% VG e-juice to flow. There is a solution to that, and that's to punch a slightly bigger hole in the carto. The pre-punched hole is way down at the bottom of the tank in the cartomizer. It's very VERY tiny. I switched out the heavier juice for a 30% VG blend, and that does seem to be working.

This may also just be a carto issue. I'll update the review here if it turns out that any of the replacement cartos can pull in the heavier juices.


UPDATE: I didn't even wait. The carto I was using was burning up from lack of fluid. If you buy this tank, and have to get the pre-punched cartos that come with it. PUNCH a BIGGER hole in it! I did that (although I broke out a new pre-punched carto) and it is working like a CHAMP.


I am not sure yet if I can use just regular LR dual coil cartos with this tank because it has that flange groove underneath it. However, I may try that since I have to punch out holes anyway, I may as well use cheaper cartos and just punch the holes in them myself from the start.

Taste: I'm finding that what I've heard about tanks dulling the flavor of the ejuices to be somewhat true. However, unfortunately it does 't dull a bad tasting juice all that well. If you have some very strong e-juice that you like, but find overpowering, here's a good way to use it.

The taste also improved now that the suction is working better through the bigger holes. This is even with my 20% VG e-juice, so not extremely thick.

In addition to the tank, I also purchased the adapter thread so it would look nice on my KGO. The adapter is NOT necessary for using the tank. It is simply ornamental, but nice to have when you want your e-cigarette to look good in public. Here's a picture of the KGO with the tank and adapter thread.

If you look at the base of the tank, right above the button on the battery, you'll see that with the adapter it is a smooth line from the battery up to the tank instead of being able to see the battery  neck and threads like you can above.

The only drawback to the adapter is that it only comes (at least from Hoosier) in chrome, so it will kind of stand out a little on the darker or other colored KGOs. Since I just ordered a chrome KGO I'm not worried about it though. It will look sharp on there.

Overall: Smok Tech Dual Coil Tank -- A for the tank, C for the pre-punched cartos.

I may upgrade that if the draw issue ends up just being a less than perfect carto.

My Review of Copper Creek Chocolate Chip Cookies and Black Raspberry e-Juices

I just got my shipment of e-juices from Copper Creek. As usual, I only ordered a couple until I saw how they were. I am impressed!

The basics: You can choose your level of nicotine when you select each of the flavors, but they are all the same PG/VG mix. I was a little worried because the VG level was a little higher than I normally buy. Copper Creek uses a 40/60 PG to VG ratio. I usually buy 80/20. VG is pretty "sweet" and thought higher levels than the 20 I usually purchased would be too sweet, ESPECIALLY  a 60% level. It's actually very good though.

You can't beat the price either. Each bottle is $9.00 which seems like a lot, but it's for 15ml making it a very reasonably priced e-juice. I also like when e-juice manufacturers use regular caps instead of child-proof caps. I understand the need for child-proof, BUT I have no children here, and those cp caps are a pain to open.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

This is a VERY rich, thick chocolate taste with the cookie dough taste on the exhale. I like it a LOT.

Black Raspberry

Since I like black raspberries, I wasn't surprised that I liked this very authentic flavor. What did surprise me is that I liked it almost more than the chocolate chip cookie flavor. You may be able to tell how much I like it by the level of juice left in the bottle as compared to the level of juice left in the chocolate chip cookie bottle, and that's just from today. It has a very distinct black raspberry flavor that is just strong enough to linger. I've tried other berry blends from other companies, and the flavor was usually somewhat weak. You could taste it, but it didn't stay even for the length of time the vapor was present. 

Both of these flavors were GREAT right out of the package. I just shook them up a little and dropped them on my atomizer. Once I determined they were excellent, I loaded them each into a cartomizer for further vaping.

Okay, now for the Boooooo:

I was happy to receive a sample with my order. That's always a nice touch from an e-juice manufacturer. It's good advertising too... usually. Not so much this time. While I was very impressed that not only did they send a sample, they sent one in my perferred nicotine level (unlike Blue Mist that sent a sample in a MUCH lower nic level: still a good practice, but not quite as impressive), I can't say I was super impressed with the flavor though. Copper Creek sent me a sample of Irish Creme.

On first drag, okay, I liked it. Then I exhaled.

Ewwww. Seriously, I had to fight off the gag as I tried to suck it out of my atomizer. Thank heavens I didn't waste a carto on it.

Now, I'll say that it may just be me, and all taste is individual. I don't like whiskey, and I think that was the exhale flavor. I gave it to my son who thought it was fine, so he has a nice little sample.

Overall: Copper Creek e-Juices -- A+

My Review of the KGO e-cigarette

Again, I am just letting you all know, none of these reviews, this one included are paid for in any way. They are just my experiences with new equipment I've purchased to get started in my e-cigarette life. Thanks to these delightful pieces, I've been tobacco free for 2 weeks now!

My Review of the KGO E-Cigarette

I purchased my KGO starter kit from Northwest Vapors, but there are several vendors out there with equally good deals on starter kits for this powerful little model.

After a little over a week of being a slave to my battery charger with the smaller Nebula (which I still like a lot), I decided it was time to try one of the "big boys" on the block, and after much consideration, chose the KGO.

The KGO is a very attractive piece. It  is about 2 times big around as the Nebula and about the same length (the drip tip on top was an add-on that did not come with the actual kit). Even though the KGO is about twice as heavy as the Nebula it is easy to handle.

The biggest differences with the KGO are the fact that it is a manual battery for one, and much more powerful and longer lasting.

The KGO is a 1100mah battery, meaning it will have about an 11 - 12 hour running life even at the heaviest vaping. Compared to the smaller pen-style automatics like the Nebula with its 2.5 hour use life, that's amazing.

Of course, it is rechargable, but now I don't have to feel like I am always charging batteries.

The 1100mah batteries are also a ton more powerful. It operates at 3.7 volts and can use dual cartomizers which produce a lot more heat, therefore a lot more vapor with each draw.

With a manual you don't have to do the ritual primer puffs that you with an automatic battery, and because of the massive power, you don't have to take long draws to get huge amounts of vapor.

The KGO Kit:

2 KGO 1100mah/3.7 volt batteries
2 atomizers
2 atomizer sleeves
USB/AC charger

(Sorry the picture is so dark)

The KGO kit from Northwest Vapors also comes with 6 preloaded cartridges of various strengths, but I didn't care for the juice in them, and I don't plan on using cartridges anyway. I prefer cartomizers or plain dripping with the atomizers.


Using the KGO

Wow what a difference! Besides the battery life issue, the entire vaping experience changes with such power. I didn't think I'd like having to push a button to turn it on every time I vaped, but it really isn't an issue at all.

The KGO locks (5 fast clicks on the button turns it off completely) so that it won't turn on by being bumped in a purse or pocket. Turning it back on is easy (the same 5 fast clicks). That's a cool safety feature.

I love the freedom to be able to "sample" e-liquids before filling an entire cartomizer with them too. I just use the atomizer alone, and drip liquid into it to taste it first. Then if I like it, I can load up a cartomizer and go.

I have ordered a few extra accessories to go with this. They should be here in a day or two. Along with extra empty cartomizers (colored and clear: that should be interesting), I've also ordered:

A lanyard to carry it around my neck anywhere
A carrying case that also holds extra cartomizers and e-juice bottles, etc.
A 3.5 ml tank (a really new experience that will alleviate all the constant refilling of cartomizers)
A few more drip tips in different colors

Lots of fun, and best of all, I'm cigarette free and not missing them at all!

The KGO--AA+

Quitting One Cigarette at a Time, or All At Once: Does it Matter?

Technically, I'd say  no. If you vape and smoke, and gradually cut down the number of "real" cigarettes you smoke each day, week or month, that is that much less harmful toxins and carcinogens you are inhaling.

If you find that you're craving cigarettes while you vape, consider using a higher nicotine level e-juice. The brand I started out with only had an 11mg strength at the highest, and I liked it okay, but it was not killing the cravings for cigarettes. I bought a different model, and found that most standard pre-filled cartomizers, and e-juices come in higher levels including 18gm, 24mg and 30mg. I chose 24mg and all of my cravings stopped. All of them.

Recently I bought some new juice and thought I could get away with a lower level, and bought it in 16mg. That was a mistake. It's okay to try and cut back on the nicotine levels gradually, but do it slower. The cravings came back, although not really intensely. I was able to resist, and thankfully had some 24mg e-juice still, so I alternated between them throughout the day and killed all the cravings.

Since stopping smoking 7 days ago, my sinuses have cleared up, I have stopped that nasty, hacking smoker's cough and I feel great. There hasn't been any of the horrible withdrawals I've had when trying to quit tobacco cigarettes in the past. E-cigarettes are fantastic!

The Monster (e-cig battery)

Another new addition to my e-cig equipment is the "monster" Nebula battery.

An extra-long KR808D-1 battery that fits Nebula cartomizers, but is about an inch and a half longer. It is supposed to have a longer battery life.

It came fully charged like the smaller "regular" version. So we'll see if it has longer staying power, and how long it takes to charge once it is out.

Review of the Nebula from VaporNine

First I want to say that I am not getting paid in any way (product or cash) for the reviews on e-cigarettes I am doing. I am searching on my own for a product that will help me quit smoking cigarettes, and I've found it.

The first e-cig was good, but not good enough to provide the satisfaction that allowed me to completely give up cigarettes. It did help me cut down, but then I found the Nebula.

At the very base of this product is a KR808D-1. While the K808 as it is sometimes called is not as versatile or customizable as a 501 or 510 base unit, it is plenty versatile in that you can find cartomizers at almost any reputable vendor and get chargers, drip tips and other add-ons for it. The ability to shop around for the best price, or pick up a pack of cartomizers (the part that resembles a cigarette's filter, and holds the juice and atomizer in this two-piece unit) when you buy juice at any vendor makes it very convenient.

As for the basic KR808D-1 model, there are a LOT of e-cigarettes out there being sold under various brand names using this model, so the Nebula is not necessarily "unique" but in the world of "pen-style" closely resembling what those using e-cigarettes (calling themselves vapers) call analog cigarettes, the KR808D-1 has a very solid reputation for being reliable and producing good results.

I didn't know that when I found the Nebula on the VaporNine.com website. I found out afterwards while I waited, and I was then very anxious to recieve my starter kit. What I did know when I found the VaporNine.com website was that I hadn't seen this kit for a better price anywhere!

On the VaporNine website, the Nebula starter kit is $29.95. That's the lowest I saw anywhere. Of course, you have to pay shipping and taxes, but it is still an amazing value.

Shipping was very fast. They sent out the kit the day after I ordered, and I got it two postal business days later (can't count Sundays).

What You Get

In the box (which is very attractive and makes a good storage unit for the kit) there are two KR808D-1 batteries, one USB charger and an AC adapter so you can charge the battery (only one at a time) either using a computer or from any wall outlet, and a set of 5 cartomizers come along with the kit. You can choose any flavor they stock, or regular tobacco flavors in varying strengths of nicotine.

I chose their Blueberry in a 24mg strength.

The Results

I LOVE this e-cigarette! The very first day I was down to just 3 "analog" cigarettes, and the next day just one, and I haven't had a single one today (the third day) and I don't have any desire for one!

The flavoring in the blueberry is very mild. I'd say a bit too mild, I would have liked a stronger flavor, but I also bought 3 - 10ml bottles of Carolina tobacco 24 mg juice to refill and that is very satisfying. The blueberry is plenty satisfying as a nicotine replacement, and I don't crave cigarettes anymore even with that, it's just the flavoring I had a little issue with.

The actual e-cig Nebula unit is fantastic for a small battery style unit. It produces easy vapor with low resistance. Not the lung-pulling inhalation of the last e-cig I tried. The biggest drawback is the small cigarette sized batteries do not last long. It takes 2 hours to charge them, and they only last about 2.5 or 3 hours depending on use. I do use them heavily in general though. On the upside, there are two of them, so I can keep things in rotation fairly comfortably. I did order a few extra batteries that I'm waiting on, one is called the "monster" that is supposed to give some extra time. I'll let you know how that works when I get it.

Overall, I'm very happy with the way this works and you can't beat the price! I have a 510 3.7v unit coming that I ordered today. I figured I'd use that at home for much longer, stronger vapeing time, but I won't be giving up my Nebula any time soon. It's great for when you're on the go, and just a nice size for casual daily vaping. The bigger unit I am hoping will give me a little break on the charging though.

Conclusion: If you're new to vapeing, and want a PV (personal vaporizer/e-cigarette) that works great and is very affordable, you can't beat this.