Buying a TECC e.pipe -- what else should I get to go with it?

[phasmo]

Olá everyone,

I'm a total noob to this vaping thing (so much so that just saying "vaping" still feels kind of silly ).

I was just proceeding to checkout when I noticed that, because I live in Brazil, shipping alone will cost me $36 -- more than a third of the e.pipe kit. So now I feel like I need to get some more stuff on my kart just to make it worth the delivery rate.

Any ideas on what else I should get to go with the pipe? Please note that I'm a clueless first-timer still trying to figure out what on earth are cartomizer, tanks, concentrates etc.

And before someone tells me to go do some reading, let me add that English is obviously not my native tongue and there's very little material on the matter in Brazilian Portuguese.

Muitíssimo obrigado!

[FredSpencer]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

The only things that 'go' with the pipe are spare parts - mouthpiece, batteries. cartomizers. Besides that kind of thing all you need is some extra eliquid to refill the cartomizers - they are quite easily refillable despite what anyone might think.

Had you been from my neck of the woods I might have said to get a pair of slippers, flat cap and a couple of whippets, but it's a local thing.

[Kenneth131]

lol fred brilliant.

Cartomizers are the cartridges that hold the e liquid, they are basically metal tubes with a poly wool filling and a coil through the middle which heats up. you soak the wool with e liquid and when the coil heats up it vaporizes the liquid held in the wool.

When it runs dry and flavour drops off and you dont get as much vapour, fill it up again with liquid.

The cartomizers for the pipe come pre filled so you can use them then fill with liquid when running dry.

The will however get to a stage in their life where they dont hold as much liquid and they wont produce as much vapour as they used to. They just wear out after a while, So when this happens you will just have to bin the cartomizer and use a new one.

The mouth piece will only need replaced if you bite on it while holding it in your mouth, so this might never need replaced at all to be honest.

Batteries are cheap enough and stocking up on one or two extra is always a good idea as it will mean you can swap or replace ones that stop retaining a good charge.

besides that you just have to pick a liquid that you like and keep filling your cartos.

[phasmo]

Thanks for the answers, guys.

It's precisely those technicalities I was stuck on, Kenneth. I'm trying to learn a thing or two, but the lack of comprehensive, in-depth glossaries and how-to's make the learning curve a tad too steep for newcomers like myself.

I was kind of blind-buying a 30ml bottle of red tobacco-flavoured Patriot Range eliquid to go with the epipe, but now I'll be adding some spare batteries to my order. Any advice on which cartomizer I should go for? Budget not an issue.

[Kenneth131]

 you can only use the cartomisers made for it. http://www.totallywicked-eliquid.com/products/tecc-products/epipe-ecigar/epipe-ecigar-prefilled-cartomizers-product.html

the pipe does have a 510 connection (which is pretty much the standard conection size these days)  so it it possible to fit some other non pipe atties in there but you would have to do some modifications.
.
I heard TW should be looking to get empty cartomisers for the pip soon but no date has been given for this.

[phasmo]

Just finished my order, thanks to you guys!

30ml Totally Wicked- Patriot Range E.Liquid
size: 30ml
Flavor: Pillbox38s Mad Dog
Strength: 18mg - High

TECC E.Pipe & E.Cigar Prefilled Cartomizers - Tobacco
Quantity: 24
Strength: 14mg - Medium

TECC E.Pipe Replacement Battery

TECC E.Pipe Full Kit

So excited! Just hope I didn't do anything stupid in the process.



Cheers from sunny Rio!

[Kenneth131]

the only thing i would mention on your order is the liquid you ordered was "mad dog" flavour which is pepper and mustard. Its not bad but i think you might have been after the Tobacco flavour rather than something like that.  forgive me if im wrong.

If this was not the flavour you were after dont worry just email TW or if possible phone them when they are open and give them the order number and ask them to change the liquid ordered for a tobacco or cigar flavoured one.

By the way. Loved your pics they were AWESOME

[phasmo]

the only thing i would mention on your order is the liquid you ordered was "mad dog" flavour which is pepper and mustard. Its not bad but i think you might have been after the Tobacco flavour rather than something like that.  forgive me if im wrong.

Yes, you are wrong, Kenneth -- and yes, I forgive you. That was a last-minute change, seeing as I also got the tobacco-flavoured prefilled cartomizers. (Note to self: I should try and learn the lingo asap; pretty sure I could've shortened the "tobacco-flavoured prefilled cartomizers" to a four-letter acronym or something like that.)

[Kenneth131]

Good stuff phasmo you could abbreviate to  Tobacco pre filled cartos. Cartomizers are usually shortened to carto. Eliquid is usually liquid or juice,

The liquid is made up of propylene glycol and Vegetable Glycerine those are always shortened to PG and VG

PG gives throat hit like you get from a cigarette and VG gives more vapour but smooths out the hit you get on the inhale.

These are the two things in e liquid so its often referred to on the forum

just incase you ever wonder what people are on about,

Well i hope all arrives quickly for you and you enjoy vaping, The Pipe is lovely and the bowl is made of wood which makes a difference compared to other plastic ones iv seen. Im sure you will love it.

[phasmo]

To all you improbable Brazilian readers out there: tonight it'll be ten full days (or six full workdays) since I placed my order and, from what I gather, it's still sitting at some USPS depot in Miami. And according to my order tracker, it took USPS three workdays to just take the package from Bradenton to Miami -- usually a three-hour drive.

Just for comparison, a couple weeks ago I bought a £6 pair of shoes from Asos and had them delivered free of charge, from London (1350 miles farther from Rio than Bradenton), in six workdays. I also sent a package to my girlfriend, who lives in Seattle (2240 miles farther from Rio than Bradenton), and it was delivered within four workdays. It cost me $20.

But now I have $175 worth of vaping goods plus a whopping $36 for "priority" postage, a fairly short distance for an intercontinental delivery, and yet it's taking forever to arrive.

This must be about the tenth time I have a problem with USPS's outrageously sloppy service. A quick look through forums would easily back me up. I would strongly recommend that TW find an alternative to USPS if they're ever to consider a share in the fast-growing Brazilian e-cig market.

[canniscam]

Phasmo,

Sorry to hear about your shipping troubles but don't let the USPS issues get you down .. We ship a lot of international orders from my job, (Not a TW employee) and about 1 of 20 or so gets stopped by US Customs and Clearing for inspection.  It's a pain but every U.S. company gets to experience if they are international shippers. The most frustrating part for us, and TW I would assume, is that there is very little that you can do about individual package inspections.

I'm not saying this is what happened to yours but if you get some nice blue and white tape with the U.S. Customs and Clearing logo wrapped around it that is what happened.

However; I think that you will enjoy your products when they arrive.   

My Best Wishes,
Casey Annis

[phasmo]

Sorry to hear about your shipping troubles but don't let the USPS issues get you down .. We ship a lot of international orders from my job, (Not a TW employee) and about 1 of 20 or so gets stopped by US Customs and Clearing for inspection.  It's a pain but every U.S. company gets to experience if they are international shippers. The most frustrating part for us, and TW I would assume, is that there is very little that you can do about individual package inspections.

Olá, Casey,

Thanks for the sympathy. I called BR Customs and Postal Service and heard from both that the package hadn't left the US until just the day before yesterday. Indeed it seems from the tracking label that it was sitting in Miami for 15 days. Package is now in Rio and I should be getting it sometime tomorrow. So excited!

TW's Stacey and Naomi were super helpful and patient with my whining, which definitely helped bear the wait. It was particularly nice of Stacey to take the time and explain in detail why they chose to stick with USPS. Flawless customer care.

Até logo,
~Pedro

[canniscam]

Phasmo,

I am glad to hear that your wait is almost over.. I really do think it will be worth your wait..

As always TW Customer Service does a great job of doing their job.

Casey

[phasmo]

So it turns out I'm nowhere even near to getting my package. Just called BR Postal Service and -- surprise! -- it's been taxed by the IRS and now I'll have to pay a jaw-dropping 75% over its original value if I want to get my hands on it.

So my package went from 211 to 370 dollars. That's 20 bucks shy of a brand new iPad 2. As if I wasn't unlucky enough for paying 100 dollars on the pipe alone, only to see its price dropping to 60 dollars three days later. Un-bloody-believable.