Review: VaporKings.Com

My transition from smoking to "vaping" continues, and so far I'm very pleased with the results.

As of two weeks ago, I smoked 1 1/2 to 2 packs of cigarettes a day. When I took up "vaping," that amount rapidly trended downward; earlier this week I ran out of cigarettes, and I'm not planning to buy more. Within a couple of days of beginning with electronic cigarettes, I noticed that I was breathing more easily, coughing less and just generally feeling better.

Not quite two weeks later, I'm completely sold. If you smoke (or used to smoke) you're familiar with that "wake up coughing until you get your first cigarette going" feeling. It's gone, baby.

At the moment, I'm spending only a little less on "vaping" stuff than I did on cigarettes, but I'm in the middle of an equipment buildup. My costs will go down even more once I've got all the stuff I want to have on hand.

I've already purchased a USB "pass-thru" that lets me "vape" at my desk without running down a battery which then has to be recharged.

I've also ordered a third KR808D-1 battery to go with the two that Morey sent me to get me started (the ones he sent are push-button operated; the one I just ordered is "automatic" -- taking a "drag" on it activates it).

And I've ordered a few blank "cartomizers" so that I'll have extras on hand to refill and use. The non-equipment stuff I've purchased has been "e-juice," the nicotine-laced liquid that goes in the cartomizers and produces the inhaled vapor.

Total expenditure so far, about $45 including shipping ... the equivalent of two cartons of generic cigarettes, and I expect the "e-juice" to be at least a couple more weeks' worth (I've still got about 2/3 of the first bottle left).

Anyway, review time. So far I've only ordered from one place, VaporKings.Com. I just placed my second order with them. I will probably try out some other vendors soon, but so far VaporKings.Com has had the stuff I wanted at the best price.

Disclaimer: Neither VaporKings.Com nor anyone else is paying me, or giving me complimentary product or any other inducement, for this review.

If I had anything bad to say about VaporKings.Com, it would be that the site isn't as well-organized as I'd like. It's divided into handy sections, but there can still be a lot of scrolling involved to find particular products.

My first order was for the aforementioned "pass-through" ($12.95) and a bottle of "Nu-Port" menthol-flavored, propylene glycol-based "e-juice" at the medium nicotine level ($8.95).

I ordered late (after normal business hours) last Thursday. My order shipped Friday and arrived on Monday. Here's the good part: A lot of Internet sellers really rape the customer on "shipping and handling" charges. VaporKings.Com charged only $1.89 for USPS First Class mailing. I could have paid more for Priority Mail, but First Class got it to me about as fast.

I just placed a second order -- for that additional KR808D-1 battery and another bottle of the "e-juice" (I've still got plenty left, but I want to be stocked up). Shipping: $2.23. I ordered early enough that it may ship today, but even if it goes out tomorrow I once again expect to see it in my mailbox on Monday or Tuesday. Oh, and my first order came with a 10% discount code for this one, pretty much erasing that shipping charge.

As far as product quality goes, I'm more than satisfied. The "Nu-Port" flavor "e-juice" tastes pretty damn close to the menthol cigarette that shares a similar name. I initially thought they'd sent me a defective "pass-through," but it turned out that the problem was low power to my USB ports -- as soon as I hooked it up to a different machine, it went right to town for me.

I can't tell you that VaporKings.Com is the best place to get your e-cigarette stuff, because I haven't tried the others yet. I probably will, when they happen to have a good price on something I want. In particular, there's a local St. Louis startup -- face-to-face and cash only, although they're working on getting Intarwebbed and credit-cardy -- that I plan to check out. But so far I've had nothing but good service, fast shipping and superior product from VaporKings.Com. I recommend them.