Hardware Choices For New Vapers

In today's article, I'll discuss the hardware options for new vapers or for those looking to upgrade out of a starter kit/cigalike.

When many of us decide to start vaping, there is a natural progression that we go through.  With thousands of products on the market, it can sometimes be confusing.  Add in the overabundance of information on YouTube and online, and it only makes it more difficult to figure out what is the right device when getting started in this fast growing vaping world.

When you're starting out, the best advice I can give is to go visit a reputable vape shop.  A shop like Zootie's Vapors will take time to explain everything thoroughly and make sure that you know how to use your new device before you leave the shop.  This process can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes to select the right product, pick out some e-liquid and get everything set up to start vaping on the spot, so be sure to leave plenty of time. Be cautious of vape shops that try to oversell you or do not take the time to explain everything to you before leaving.  As I have said in several of my blogs, not all vape shops are created equal, so if they aren't knowledgeable or make you feel comfortable, please do not support their business by spending money in their shop.  There are plenty of shops that will work hard to earn your business and earn your trust.

The first thing we do is gauge a person's commitment level.  Ask yourself if you are just exploring it as an option and you don't want to make a big financial investment, or if you are serious about making the switch from smoking to vaping.  Having an idea as far as your vape budget is also helpful, keeping in mind that the lower priced entry-level starter kits may not be as good (less battery life, vapor production, less flavor), but it will help you see if vaping is right for you.  Sometimes a little more investment upfront will prevent going through several devices that either don't work for you, or find yourself needing to constantly upgrade.

Also keep in mind that vaping is not cheap.  You will buy juice and coils on a regular basis.  Most beginner vapers can expect to invest $100-$200 for your initial device(s) and anywhere from $20-$50/week in consumables.

When someone walks into my shop for the first time, we lay out 3-5 options, from entry-level to higher-end starter kits.  The EVOD vape pen kit for less than $40 comes with 2 batteries, 2 tanks and a charger.  These batteries do not last very long and often this is the choice of someone on a restricted vape budget, or for someone who is not entirely committed to vaping.  Many times, this choice will either lead to an immediate upgrade (within a month or two) or a backslide to cigarettes, but it is the modestly priced entry point into vaping.

The next step up would be either the Aspire Starter kit or a Joytech Ego One.  The Aspire has 2 price points, one at an entry level or the premium kit that uses a Nautilus tank and variable voltage.  The benefit of variable voltage is you can dial in your vapor experience to your preference for more vapor/flavor, etc.  The Ego One has 3 different sizes, the Mini (850mah battery and 1.5ml tank), the XL (2200mah and 2.5ml tank) or the Mega (2600mah and 4ml tank).  These are some of our best sellers because they are affordable (retail between $58-$78), have good flavor and adjustable airflow control.

Stepping out of the starter pen and getting into the variable voltage/variable wattage (VV/VW) devices, you have the always popular Eleaf iStick.  These range from 10 watts (mini) to 50 watts.  The battery life ranges from 1050mah to 4400mah.  There is also a 75, 100 and 150 watt soon to be released, but when we're talking about starter kits, hardly anyone will need more than 50-60 watts.  With these devices you can adjust your wattage (or voltage) to fine tune your vaping experience and they are very affordable (retail $30-$82).  The only downside is you will need to purchase either an RDA or a tank, so these aren't really "kits".  There are also brands like Cloupor that makes a 30 watt box, or SMOK that offers several devices in the same price point.

Entering the market now are higher-end starter kits.  Both Kangertech and Joytech released their own starter kit over the last few months.  Kangertech Subox mini is a 50 watt VV/VW device that comes paired with their very popular sub-tank.  We have these kits in black and white, but they are also available in purple and pink too.  The only downside to this device is you will need to purchase a battery because it doesn't have a sealed battery like many of the other starter kits.  It takes a standard flat-top 18650 2600mah battery that will run you $12 each.  Many people opt to also get an external charger and a spare battery to swap out even though you can charge through this device.

Following the trend of temperature controlled devices, Joytech has taken a big jump ahead with their EVIC-VT.  This VV/VW device also has a sealed 5000mah battery and comes in hot colors.  It has the ego mega tank which comes with both a titanium and a nickel coil.  Nickel and titanium are the popular metal wire used in temperature sensing coils.  The benefits of having a temperature control device is so you can set an actual temperature of your coil, so you can prevent burnt or dry hits.  By setting your device at say 400 degrees, no matter how long you hold the button down for, the coil will only get to 400 degrees and pulse to stay there.  I really wish this was around when I first started vaping because I don't know what I did before temp control came around.  Ah yes I do, I got a lot of burnt hits :)

So in a nutshell, those are the options for someone getting into vaping.  The next article I write will talk about taking the next step from tanks/starter kits into more advanced devices and RDAs.  As always, if you would like to experience what a vape shop can do for you, please be sure to stop by Zootie's Vapors at 40602 Charles Town Pike Paeonian Springs VA 20129.

Vaping For Beginners - Part 1: How To Get A Great Experience

On a daily basis, people come to me and ask about vaping,.  Many of these people have never tried vaping and heard that it could help them quit smoking while some are just curious because they are starting to see new vape shops pop up all over the place.  Over the next few weeks, I will focus these blog posts towards the beginning vaper - someone who has either tried to quit smoking unsuccessfully or someone who wants to get the best experience in their journey of getting off the smokes and into vaping.

Today, I wanted to start with How To Get A Great Experience - the first time and every time.

STEP 1 - DO YOUR HOMEWORK: The first thing any new vaper must do is educate themselves.  This could be spending hours in front of YouTube, or talking to people who already vape.  The hardest part about this self-discovery is making sure you are getting the best (and correct) information.  There are too many people online who really don't know what they are talking about - and sometimes they can be the loudest voices.  Likewise, you may have a friend who is a cloud-chaser and could possibly steer you into getting something that may not be the right device for you.  What'e even worse is going into a less-than-respectable "vape shop" to get wrong information, bad products, or getting generally overcharged for what they claim to be authentic devices.

STEP 2 - READ REVIEWS:  If you're relying on a shop to steer you into your first vape, get on Yelp or Facebook and see what others say about them.  Not all shops are created equally.  There are shops that focus on cloud-chasing or the "hangout" aspect of the vaping community.  There are dedicated vape shops that only focus on e-liquids and there are even shops that muddy the waters by being a tobacco shop or head shop that also carry a small selection of vape products.  Your best chance at success is to find a reputable business that focuses only on vaping and is run by people you can trust.  Remember, if you walk in and you're not comfortable with the environment or the people, don't spend your money there.  It's worth your time and money to support businesses that care about you and take time to explain things thoroughly.

STEP 3 - GIVE VAPE A CHANCE: I wrote about this in a previous post, but because your changing your behaviors from smoking to vaping, you have to give it a chance to work.  Commit to yourself and avoid cigarettes for at least 3-5 days.  This will allow your body to start to work with you.  Whenever you would smoke, pick up a vape instead.  Remember that the chemicals in cigarettes are what's causing you to be addicted, but the nicotine level in your vape can help get you past some of the withdrawals.

STEP 4 - EXPERIMENT WITH FLAVORS: Many people chase tobacco flavor when they are trying to quit smoking and start vaping, but remember, cigarettes taste BAD.  There are so many other flavors you can get in a vape that taste better, and may help you be more successful in the long run.  Try flavors.  Try many flavors.  Try different brands.  Visit different shops.  If they don't offer you a sample or taster of the flavor in zero nicotine, go somewhere else.  Don't buy a flavor without trying it regardless of whether a friend said it was good or not.  Every palette is different and what one person may like, another may not.

STEP 5 - GET A DEVICE THAT WORKS FOR YOU: There are thousands of devices for vaping, from the starter pen to the advanced box mods.  There are also thousands of atomizers from tanks to drippers.  Finding what works right for you based on your goals is the most important thing you can do.  Don't let a shop talk you into more than what you need.  Many of us are now hobbyists and collectors, but you don't need 5 or 20 devices to be successful in vaping.

I'll discuss hardware options in my next blog.

Breaking Through The Barriers - Give Vape a Chance

I met a friend for dinner the other night that I hadn't seen in almost a year.  He had never stepped foot into a vape shop and had never tried vaping before.  He has been smoking on and off for many years and the more we talked about how my new vape shop was going and talking about how we go about introducing people to vaping as a cigarette alternative, he asked me a very interesting question.

"What are the barriers?", he said.

He could tell I was somewhat puzzled, so he continued: 

"You know, what are some of the barriers that people face when it comes to giving it a try?  For me, I would have never considered vaping until I sat here and talked to you and actually tried it myself.  Vaping has always been something I considered to be for the hipsters - something about the people I see that do it, well, they dont really seem like my kind of people.  They seem, I dunno, like douchebags."

Even though, he pretty much insulted most all of the vaping community, that made me really think for a minute because honestly, I too had those same initial thoughts about vaping when I started using it to help quit smoking.  The first person I ever saw vaping was a complete douche.  And not just because he vaped, but sucking on a little blue glow pen and exhaling a tiny puff of "water vapor" didnt help his cause any.  Back then, there was NO WAY that vaping looked nearly as cool as I thought I was taking a long, contemplative drag of my Marlboro between my fingers and flicking an ash to the ground.  If I would have let that one guy be a barrier to me trying vaping, my life may have taken a completely different turn.

But as naive as my friend's statement was, he brought up an interesting point that night and I'd like to share with you some of the things I feel are barriers that people face when considering vaping as a smoking alternative.

Barrier #1: First Impressions

First impressions are often the most influential in any situation.  As is with vaping.  If you are new to the scene, some of the sub-culture of vapers may be an immediate barrier to wanting to try it for yourself.  Lets take my friends example, those of us in the vaping community either acknowledge, participate and/or support the act of "cloud-chasing" but to the novice, this may seem unusual.  People getting together to see who can chuck the biggest clouds may be seen to some as a turn off.  Similarly, if your first impression of vaping is by walking into a shop that is run by some punk kids who either dont know the 1st thing about vaping, or cant speak intelligently to help someone from all walks of life get into a device and setup for their best personal experience, this could potentially be a barrier that would prevent someone from taking the next step.  It is important as responsible business owners of a vape shop to not only hire but also continually train our staff the art of customer service, putting the needs of the customers ahead of selling the latest and greatest products.  I can't tell you how many times I've walked into a poorly run vape shop, where I find the "employees" either playing a game of grab-ass or completely ignoring their customers.  Blowing huge plumes of vapor in the face of a first time customer is a sure fire way to not only lose the sale, but also send those people right back to smoking.  Vape shops need to be a safe haven for anyone, so this barrier can be avoided.  Likewise, if youre out in public and you see people vaping irresponsibly where they shouldnt, this could also steer your opinion on the entire vaping opportunity.  Vapers, as a whole, we need to be respectful of those around us and be an ambassador for the community, not a detriment.

Barrier #2: Mind Games

People are 100% mental.  No, not crazy (although many of us have those tendencies at times), but everything you do is controlled by your mind.  A person needs to be willing to acknowledge that smoking WILL kill them, and there are better, safer alternatives to not only quit smoking, but also to get completely off the addictive nicotine.  The person has to be committed to give it a chance to work, and nobody can force anyone to do something they are not ready to do.  This will always be the most difficult barrier to overcome.

Barrier #3: The Exit Strategy

Most people quit the habit of smoking and pick up the habit of vaping.  Ask any of us that are hobbyists and collectors and we'll tell you that vaping can be a very expensive habit.  Many people need to know that vaping doesnt have to be a lifelong thing.  It is a great way to quit smoking by using vape to supplement the addiction of nicotine and satisfy the oral fixation, but as you advance in your vaping, you should be able to tailor back on the nicotine levels.  Once the addition of that chemical is gone, there can also be an exit strategy for also quitting vaping.  Many of us enjoy it too much, but knowing that there can be a way to end it completely and not be handcuffed by simply replacing one addiction for another should help someone overcome this barrier.

Barrier #4: Expense

As I mentioned in the previous barrier, expense can be a barrier for people when they start to look at vaping.  Sure, you can get into vaping relatively inexpensively, but anyone who has been vaping longer than a month or two will tell you, you need some serious vape budget if you plan on doing this any length of time.  Not only can advanced devices be expensive (especially if you are always chasing the latest and greatest), but just the normal expense of vaping from juice to consumables like coils, etc can add up quickly.  Most recreational vapers will go through at least 15ml of e-liquid a day (or more), so if you compare the cost of that to the cost of cigarettes, unless you are a two-pack-a-day smoker, vaping will be much more expensive over the long run.

Barrier #5: Quality of Goods Sold & Consumer Education

How many times have you purchased a juice or a piece of hardware and been completely dissatisfied for one reason or another.  For vaping to work, your devices have to work reliably, all the time.  This is often the biggest excuse for people who are trying to quit smoking to go back to the stinkys. I know for me, I make sure everything I sell, from the juice to the hardware and everything in between, is the best quality I can get.  This doesnt mean I only sell high-end authentics, but everything I provide as a responsible shop owner, either has a manufacturer defect warranty or I personally guarantee repair or replace if it's something I can control.  In the very least, I try to offer as much assistance to people, as much as I can.  Another thing is making sure the customer is steered into something appropriate for their level and experience and they leave with an understanding of how everything works.  If more manufacturers and vendors did the same, this barrier would be much easier to overcome.  Educating the consumer is hugely important not only to their success but to the growth of the industry as a whole.

Those are the 5 barriers that I could come up with in the short amount of time in writing this blog post. Feel free to use the comment section below to offer feedback or provide some barriers of your own.  As always, please come visit me at Zootie's Vapors at 40602 Charles Town Pike in Paeonian Springs VA 20129 and we'll be happy to help you overcome the barriers you face to quit smoking and start vaping.  We want you to be successful and give vape a chance.

-Zootie

An Inside Look at How Zootie's Vapors Select Juices for the Shop

People are always asking if we carry this line or that line.  Unfortunately it is not that simple for us to select a line of juice for our shop.  Every day, we get emails and samples from juice makers asking for a spot on our wall.  With over 70 flavors, we have to be very selective and that process takes time.

So for an insiders look at how new juice gets added, let me walk you through the steps we take.

1. QUALITY. The first and most important factor in selecting a juice line is to make sure that proper safety and quality control is being met.  All of the companies that we select use dedicated clean rooms, high-quality ingredients, and have responsible business practices.
    
2. TASTE.  We ask for samples and we personally vape on it for as long as it takes for us to determine if the flavor and quality meets our standards. Sometimes we share these flavors with our customers to get their opinions as well.  We are primarily testing for whether the flavor is good throughout the vape, whether its in a tank or a dripper.  We also make sure that all of the flavors listed are accurate and consistent.
    
3. COMPLEXITY.  We don't want to carry any one-note flavors on our shelves.  Sure a delicious strawberry is great, but we want flavors that have inhale, mouth taste and exhale characteristics.  Most all of the juices we carry either have consistent flavor through all three phases or sometimes they change, such is the case with Grand Vapors Velvet Revolver.  It is a delicious red velvet cake inhale that is followed by a sweet icing finish.  This is just one juice example of a flavor that exceeds our expectations.
    
4. PRICE POINT.  This one is a bit subjective and normally I wouldn't discuss "profit margins" with customers, but I think we all understand that shops are in business to make money.  Some shops choose to make that money by marking their prices up beyond what we would consider acceptable because of greed or because they have higher expenses to account for.  At Zootie's Vapors, we keep all of our 30ml bottles at an average of $20, regardless of what we pay for that brand.  We know that buying juice is one of the biggest expenses for vapers and we want to make this as affordable as possible, while still being able to stay in business.
    
5. CUSTOMER FEEDBACK.  Our biggest determining factor in selecting a juice line and keeping those flavors in stock is our customers.  If you ask for a line that you enjoy, we take that into consideration and will reach out to those companies to constantly bring in new juices.  Obviously we know what juices and flavors are selling best, so we'll continue to reorder and keep those in stock for as long as they are popular.  Occasionally there will be flavors that we like but they may not sell well in the shop.  Those will be rotated out to make room for new lines and flavor profiles as the industry and customer tastes change.
    
6. EXCLUSIVITY.  We enjoy having juice on our shelves that you cannot find anywhere else in the area.  Sure, we have brands that you will find in some of the other local shops, but unless they are personal friends of ours, we try not to have the same old same old.  We wanted to introduce new flavors and brands to the vaping community and offer a variety of the profiles and nuances.  We dont just call the distribution company and say, send me bottles.  We hand-pick each and every comany and flavor that is in our shop.  Often times, if you like a particular brand, we have the same, if not better, flavor profile from another company that you havent yet tried.  That's the benefit of having such a huge selection to try before you buy - we're sure you'll walk away with at least one bottle that you'll love!
    
7. PERSONAL INTERACTIONS WITH THE JUICE MAKERS.  At Zootie's Vapors, we are very proud to not only carry a huge selection of juices local to Virginia, but also from people that we know personally.  Having a relationship with our vendors is very important to us and the people that represent the brands is hugely important to us.  We want to work with like-minded individuals, those who give back to the vaping community and who exhibit the same level of customer service that we strive for on a daily basis.  We are a "smile and a handshake" kind of company, so when juice makers take time out of their schedule to come see us, follow us on social media and constantly ask how their product is doing in our shop, that means SO much to us.

So hopefully that gives you an idea of the process we go through to select juices, and why we choose not to carry many of the more mainstream brands out there.  We take pride in each and every bottle of juice we sell and we hope that you enjoy them as much as we do.

If you havent had a chance to stop by our shop, please take a day and come see us.  Zootie's Vapors is located at 40602 Charles Town Pike in Paeonian Springs VA.  You can also call us at 571-293-8277 or email store@zootiesvapors.com if you have any questions.

Zootie's Vapors Grand Opening Celebration

We are planning something special for our Grand Opening Party. We will have raffles, give-aways, customer discounts, and much more! Put this on your calendar and come out to help us celebrate our official opening and the future of vaping in Paeonian Springs!
We will be closing the shop at 8pm that night and continuing the celebration next door The Blind Pig Bar At Vino 9 from 9pm-11pm with live music and frivolity! Free sober rides will be available for Loudoun County residents. 18+ and older please.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1443586089269587/

Quick thanks to everyone that has come out to support Zootie's Vapors

Zootie's Vapors now open in Paeonian Springs VA

Hey Everybody!  Things have been happening so fast - but we are now open for business in Paeonian Springs VA.  We are located on Route 9, just a mile from Route 7 in between Leesburg and Hamilton.  We have over 60 flavors of e-liquid (many of them locally made in Virginia).  We have a tremendous selection of hardware, including starter kits, sub ohm tanks, RDAs, regulated and unregulated box mods and all the accessories you need to keep vaping and stay off the stinkys.

Stop by and see us at 40602 Charles Town Pike.  Turn in at the big pink pig - we are located next door to Vino9.  Live music on Fridays and Saturday nights!