The single biggest decision you'll have to make as you begin your vaping journey is the hardware you choose to use. The device you select will be dictated based on your smoking habits, so it's important that you choose a product which is going to work for you.
When choosing the right e cigarette for you, certain considerations need to be borne in mind. Your current smoking habits will play a large part in determining the kind of device which will work for you. It's also important to think about how you prioritise your requirements. Are you looking for an e cigarette which offers maximum battery life or power? Do you prefer something small and discrete, or are you happy to use a larger device if it will last all day? What's your budget?
If you're seeking the greatest battery life possible, you'll probably be leaning more towards our SERIES-S or SERIES-B devices. If you're more concerned with the smallest device available, one of our V3i kits is probably going to be a better fit.
Below, we've assembled a selection of case studies which will hopefully help you in making the right choice. If you require a more personalised recommendation, however, get in touch with our customer service team and they'll be happy to talk you through your options.
Thomas - Smokes fewer than 10 cigarettes per day
Thomas is what we'd generally refer to as a light smoker. On average, he smokes fewer than 10 standard strength cigarettes per day and is looking for a kit which will help him to replace the cigarettes he does smoke. He prefers a smaller device which is close in size to a tobacco cigarette and a tobacco flavoured e-liquid.
In Thomas's case, we'd recommend looking first at our V3i kits. These are supplied with our cig-a-like style V3i batteries, which are small in size, making them discrete and easily portable. These batteries are designed to work with cartomizers, or specific mini V3i tanks.
As a light smoker, Thomas doesn't really need lots of battery capacity, so may be happy to get by with one battery (which he can charge on the go using the V1P Portable Charging Case). To prevent being left without a battery to use, however, we do usually recommend having a spare to hand.
Thomas is looking for a tobacco flavoured e-liquid, so we'd recommend looking at our selection of pre-filled cartomizers, which include several tobacco flavours. Each has a large array of user reviews which give a realistic opinion of how each tastes.
Finally, given that Thomas is smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day, we'd recommend starting with 6mg e-liquid or cartomizers. These should be strong enough to satisfy his nicotine cravings, but should he find he wants something a little stronger, he can easily step up to 12mg, or mix a 6mg and 12mg e-liquid together to get something in between.
Richard - Smokes up to 20 cigarettes per day
As he smokes up to 20 standard strength cigarettes per day, we'd classify Richard as a regular smoker. As he's used to smoking throughout the day, he needs a device which offers enough power to get him through on a single charge. He also tends to smoke more in the morning than in the evening, so the option to adjust the power level of his device to accommodate is another key requirement.
For someone in Richard's position, we'd recommend one of our SERIES-S kits, which are supplied with our 900mAh SERIES-S batteries. These batteries will typically last for most of the day on a single charge (for most vapers - heavier users will have to recharge more often). Kits are available with a second battery, however, for those who require a little extra capacity.
As the SERIES-S works with both direct lung and mouth to lung coils, Richard can tailor his vaping experience however he sees fit. And as the available coils are all of relatively low, or even sub-ohm, resistance, more vapour is produced per puff, meaning a lower strength of nicotine will be needed. 12mg should be enough for even heavy smokers when using a sub-ohm coil (6mg is more likely to be the sweet spot in the vast majority of cases).
Henry - Smokes more than a full pack of cigarettes per day
Henry has been smoking for 20 years and has been a heavy smoker for much of that time, regularly smoking more than a pack of standard strength cigarettes per day. He's looking for a kit which will help him to cut down on how much he smokes, or switch away from tobacco entirely.
Given Henry's smoking habits, he has a couple of choices available to him. Over time, he will have built up a significant nicotine addiction, so he will require a device which will deliver enough nicotine to satisfy his cravings. The first option available to Henry is the same SERIES-S kit we'd recommend for Richard (above).
Another option which may be more suitable for Henry is a sub-ohm device, such as our SERIES-B Tilt. This is a variable wattage box mod, which offers a lot of power, and much more than can be supplied by even the SERIES-E. Pairing this device with a sub-ohm capable tank will mean that Henry can use a weaker e-liquid and still satisfy his cravings.
Sub-ohm tanks use a coil which is rated at less than 1.0Ohm. These coils heat up very quickly and reach a higher temperature than a standard coil. This means that they vaporise much more e-liquid per draw, which generates much more vapour and throat hit. As more e-liquid is being consumed at a time, the e-liquid being used can be of a lower strength. Many users of 18mg or 24mg e-liquids will switch down to a 6mg e-liquid almost overnight when switching to sub-ohm.
The SERIES-B also uses removable IMR 18650 batteries which offer a huge capacity (upwards of 2500mAh). Even taking into account the high power consumption of a sub-ohm setup, these batteries will last even heavy vapers a day or more per charge.
Jackie - Smokes up to 5 cigarettes on a night out
Jackie doesn't smoke regularly, tending only to do so when she's out with friends. When she does smoke, she gets through an average of 5 in a night. She's looking a for a device which will enable her to stop using tobacco, but continue to satisfy her nicotine cravings on a night out.
As Jackie is not a regular smoker, her smoking is more of a case of habit than of physical addiction. In such a case, we'd be likely to recommend a nicotine-free e-liquid as a starting point, though if Jackie felt that this wasn't working for her, a 6mg e-liquid would be the next choice (or a mix of 6mg and 0mg to create something in between).
Given that Jackie will only be using her device periodically, and then only for short durations of time, a simple cig-a-like kit is likely to be the best choice. Our Social starter kit is the ideal choice for smokers like Jackie, and comes supplied with a V3i battery and a pack of cartomizers.
Our pre-filled cartomizers contain approx. 0.8ml of e-liquid and on average will equate to around 10-15 cigarettes. So, for a social smoker like Jackie, one cart will most likely last for more than a single night out. Replacement carts are available in a variety of flavours, making it easy to try a few out to find a flavour which suits.
Daniel - Current vaper, not satisfied with existing set up
Daniel is already a vaper, and made the switch from tobacco two months ago. Before switching, Daniel was a regular smoker, and would smoke an average of 15-20 cigarettes per day. At the moment, he's using a cheap cig-a-like device he purchased at the local petrol station, but he's beginning to find that it no longer satisfies his cravings in the same way, and he'd like to experiment with some new flavours.
In Daniel's case, what's likely to be happening is that the battery he received in his original kit is beginning to wear out, and is no longer able to deliver the same amount of power. This is fairly typical in cheaper devices which are marketed more as a disposable product.
Given Daniel's smoking habits, he could very easily select either the SERIES-S kit or SERIES-B Tilt we recommend above for regular or heavy smokers. Daniel isn't particularly interested in variable voltage or wattage, however, and still wants to use a device which is relatively small in size.
As he's looking for an upgrade which still offers plenty of power and flexibility in terms of the sorts of tanks he can use, we'd recommend Daniel looks at our range of JAC 510 starter kits. These are available in several different sizes, with the larger batteries offering greater capacity.
These kits are supplied with our JAC 510 eGo batteries, and a matching tank. As they are 510 compatible, they'll work with any 510 or 510/eGo tank, which means that Daniel can experiment with what tank best suits his needs. Most tanks also allow for the replacement of the wick and coil, with different resistances available. Coils with a lower resistance (Ohms) will generate more vapour and throat hit, which allows Daniel to tweak his set up to deliver the best balance of vapour, flavour and throat hit.