Steve K's Vaping World

One of my favorite things about writing an e-cigarette blog is the opportunity I have to interact with readers.  I also get questions about different things in the electronic cigarette world. So, I figured, why not try to publish some of the more frequent questions in a sort of e-cigarette Q&A article (or maybe series).  I’m sure a lot of people may have these same questions.

If you have questions of your own, shoot me an e-mail via the contact page or leave a comment here.

Q: Do you use lower or higher resistance cartomizers to get better vapor?

A: In absolutely general terms, a lower resistance cartomizer will produce more vapor than higher resistance.  Specifically, one of the factors (beyond e-liquid composition) in vapor production is the amount of wattage applied to the e-liquid.  Wattage is actually what one should be looking at to determine the vapor production, but the products are generally dealt with in terms of voltage and resistance, or ohms.

There are two ways to increase wattage.  Either increase the voltage applied to the heating coil, or reduce the resistance.  There are plenty of Ohm’s law calculators online you can play with to see how each one relates to wattage.

Q: What is mAh and how does it relate to vapor?

A: mAh, shorthand for milliamp hours is a measurement of battery capacity, not energy output.  It is an indicator of how long one could expect the battery to last.  Quite simply put, the higher the mAh rating, the longer you can expect your battery to go between recharges.

The mAh rating doesn’t have anything to do with the actual vapor production of the e-cigarette.  Vapor is mostly a result of the factors mentioned above.  However, the more strain you put on the battery in terms of higher wattage, the quicker you will drain the battery.

Q: What is your favorite e-cig, what should I buy?

I’m a little hesitant to answer questions about what e-cigarette someone should get.  I wrote a 101 article about the subject before, where I steadfastly refused to tout one brand over another.

That is true, I’m a strong believer that this stuff is a matter of personal taste.  What I like is what I like, and it may not apply to you at all.

That being said, if you want something that is a lot like a cigarette, I really like the KR808D-1 standard.  They have a little more battery power, so you get better vapor than a 510. V2, Smokeless Image, Revolution Vapor and of course no-name kits you can get from generalists like Mad Vapes all use 808s.  The 510’s biggest advantage is that it has the most accessories available for it.

The next size up is the eGo which is also a good choice. eGo devices have a huge fan base.  I love the form factor of eGo devices You get something that’s not too big and better battery life.  The downside is that in my opinion they are a bit under powered.  They do alright with low resistance gear, but I personally like a little more oomph.

I personally would opt for one that has a USB pass-through just because it’s way more convenient. An alternative to the eGo is the Innokin Lea or Leo Pro which feature USB pass-through, on/off settings and nifty pen-style caps.

Finally, the advanced PVs, or mods.  To be honest there’s a whole world there, with different features.  This is one area where I honestly can’t suggest one specific device.  The ecosystem is just far too vast.  I have an article for that too.

Personally, there’s a few mods I really like, but my main advanced personal vaporizer is the ProVari.  When I’m not trying out stuff, I use a ProVari with either a single coil Resurrector carto or a dual coil carto in a tank.  The fact that you can dial in a voltage and stay there is great with the ProVari.  Plus there are some variances with the cartos so you can adjust your voltage up or down a couple of ticks to compensate.

Q: Why cartos?

I’ve mentioned I’m a carto kind of guy a few times.  Recently, some people have asked me why.  I’m a little embarrassed, but to be perfectly blunt, the reason I’m a carto guy is pure laziness.

Atomizers are great.  Well, specifically dripping into atomizers is great.  Using old school cartridges on an e-cigarette is just an exercise in self-loathing.  I don’t recommend anyone do that.

Atomizers give you probably the most true reproduction of flavor in your e-liquid.  Vapor production is also usually no slouch since you’re so close to the heat source.

But atomizers are a lot of work.  You have to stop every few puffs and drip a little more liquid in.  If you don’t time it right, you get an unpleasant burnt taste. Or, in my case, I always end up over-dripping and having to clean up an e-liquid mess.

Cartos on the other hand, you fill up and don’t have to think about it for a while.  I like to use the cartomizer tanks on my e-cigarettes, so I can go a long time without thinking about the e-liquid.  I’m a fan of set and forget.

I know there’s a few more questions in my mail bag, but I think I’ll save some for later.  If enough people enjoy this, I’ll try and make it a regular feature.  For that to happen I need questions, so ask away! 

Title Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net