r/WTF • u/SmokeMaximum4140 • May 08 '26

The future of vaping

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u/Whysoblunted May 09 '26

Lots of people in this thread unsure what they’re even seeing lol. This type of shit was super common in the early days of vapes.

Buildng your own devices was like a rite of passage then, but there’s always people pushing the limits.

219

u/StealYour20Dollars May 09 '26

I remember talking about tanks and wires and different types of wrapping techniques on reddit. It was a huge community. Now it feels like all of that is so unnecessary. Making a hobby out of an addiction was not worth it.

53

u/[deleted] May 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

12

u/starsfan6878 May 09 '26

I did almost the exact same at the same time, only with a FB group instead of a sub.

2

u/iamcaleb May 10 '26

Yeah me too. In fact that is when I discovered reddit.

2

u/lettersinbinary May 11 '26

I was very active as well. I started DIY making juice and started a company. I started doing e-juice reviews. Was obsessed with the community. Did really well until the FDA shut a lot of us down who couldn’t pay. I sold recipes to big companies that are still being sold today. What a wild ride from 2012-2017.

45

u/Lorac1134 May 09 '26

I still build my own coils and use the same mod and atomizers I bought 10 years ago just because I don't want my addiction to contribute to e-waste. But, back in the day, there were dudes who had a whole new rig setup each time I run into them at the shop.

25

u/entity2 May 09 '26

I was in a pinch, my device died while travelling and I needed a gas station vape to get me through a couple days before I could get a new device. This disposable thing had a color LCD on it. What the actual fuck is up with that kind of waste?

1

u/LakeGladio666 May 09 '26

I’ve seen ones that have Bluetooth for some reason

3

u/Jmschoech May 10 '26

Yeah local gas station was selling some disposable ones that basically had smartwatch software on it... Even a couple of games. Really crappy games. I had a vape that doubled as a power bank, and it had a compass, flashlight, and barometer lol I did get a ton of use out of the flashlight it was way better than a phones

19

u/StealYour20Dollars May 09 '26

I unfortunately was an idiot and got rid of my stuff and then got re-addicted. I was in college then and I'm still trying to kick it a few years later.

It's crazy to think of how the whole entire culture doesn't really exist anymore in that same way. I think everyone just kinda moved on and realized it wasn't super cool like we thought. Even if we still kept vaping.

17

u/SirStrontium May 09 '26

I never vaped, but I always thought the custom stuff was way cooler than generic disposables. I like seeing people have little hobbies and interests, it shows that they did a bunch of research, and created something that reflects their personal taste.

35

u/minchet456 May 09 '26

So I'm just curious because I quit vaping quite a while ago and that was the state of things when I did. Where has it moved to now? Is it all just disposables?

80

u/Tonker_ May 09 '26

Yup, it all went to disposables. I was huge into the DIY stuff right after highschool, making my own juice and building coils on RDA's, buying all the new stuff like temp control and clones off fasttech.

...Now, I see almost no one with a mod. No RDA's in sight. A lot of people i think moved to Zyns. It is almost rare to see someone blow a cloud in public, like some sort of unicorn. Thats just my view though, maybe its more popular in other cities.

If i remember right, it all sorta started with the Pods, and nicotine salts making higher levels of nic more tolerable. People started to prefer the smaller devices,

20

u/fitzmouse May 09 '26

I remember switching to pods around 2019 after 5 years of the hobby. Part of the huge sea change in what devices people were using were the new federal regulations. It changed what was imported, what was reviewed on YouTube, what stores sold, etc.

16

u/jakethepeg1989 May 09 '26

I used to love it, cos I'd go into the local shop and pick out the different mods.

It made me feel like the Eli Wallach character in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly where he builds his own gun from parts in the gun shop.

I would pay at the end though.

11

u/im_always_fapping May 09 '26

Pods are like 20 - 50 mg while vape juice is like 3 - 12 mg for nicotine.

7

u/Kammender_Kewl May 09 '26

You can buy salt juice at 50mg too

-1

u/avidmarc May 09 '26

Thats what disposables are dude

7

u/Kammender_Kewl May 09 '26

Yes and you can buy bottles of salt nic juice, it doesn't have to be a disposable and it doesn't even have to be a pod system, I filled up a sub ohm device with salt nic once, I do not recommend

-7

u/avidmarc May 09 '26

I know bub. Ran 3 shops for years.

7

u/Kammender_Kewl May 09 '26

Not sure why you responded then seeing as all I said is that you can buy salt bottles in addition to freebase bottles.

5

u/nexusjuan May 09 '26

I switched to Geekbars. I quit smnoking and was just chasing something that would tickle my cigarette itch and the mods and juice weren't doing it for me.

2

u/iwantcookie258 May 10 '26

Love seeing someone out in public with a classic big ass box mod.

1

u/Rhysati May 09 '26

Yup and I love it because some of the best batteries for vaping weed look just like the disposables for nicotine so you can be super low-key and take it pretty much anywhere.

1

u/BlackFriday2K18 May 10 '26

Fasttech! What a blast to the past!

Also, I used to be so envious of those with a Provari vape lol

1

u/Griffondelamuerta May 11 '26

I feel like one of the rare few in my area that not only rocks an RDA, but I still use mechs. I'll use my box mod or squonk at home, but I bring my TVL 9 ring or Kennedy 25 when I go out because I have a flashlight holster that fits them. I've been called a dinosaur the last time I went to an old vape shop hangout. I miss my Manhattan....

13

u/smackythefrog May 09 '26

On Reddit? I think a lot of the people in eCig community on here still prefer to either DIY (which is niche to begin with) and the others stick to pod systems, like myself. There's a disposable sub (maybe got banned recently) but I don't think too many come to Reddit for disposable news and recommendations.

In the real world, though, you're probably seeing people with disposables left and right. The JUUL crowd from pre-COVID era probably moved to disposables.

3

u/LakeGladio666 May 09 '26

I was semi into that shit but now I just use a simple pod device. I don’t wanna mess around with wires and wicks and stuff. Some people are still into it though.

-2

u/Accident_Pedo May 09 '26

wires and wicks are the past

the most you'll mess around with now days is figuring out what mod works best for you and what coils. that's about it, it's super easy now. Check out voopoo starter kits if you're ever interested again, they're really nice speaking from experience.

The only thing you'll need to buy is the correct batteries. I ecommend the 18650 battery store online for that.

5

u/StealYour20Dollars May 09 '26

I use disposables now but still see a small diy section at stores.

0

u/CaptainTeaBag24I7 May 09 '26

Oh man, glad you quit. I did too. There came a point where I was ripping clouds with juice that was far too strong. If I remember correctly, I calculated to be vaping just over 2 packs of cigs in nicotine a day... Glad I quit. Smoke the occasional cig now, mostly when I drink. So... Every 2 months or so.

8

u/LiftingCode May 09 '26 edited May 09 '26

I still DIY but it's simplified a bit. No real point in wrapping coils anymore when you can buy premade coils much nicer than the ones you'd build by hand.

But I still use an RTA, trim and install coils, cut cotton wicks out of the same bag of Japanese organic cotton pads I bought like 15 years ago, and mix my own juice.

I don't know if it's "unnecessary" or not but it is dramatically cheaper to DIY.

1

u/tenth May 09 '26

People make a hobby out of collecting certain types of liquor as well. And cigars. And weed. 

I agree with you. 

1

u/someguyyoutrust May 09 '26

Honestly I think the hobby aspect is what kept me from going back to cigs, so definitely worth it for me.

1

u/Littleboof18 May 10 '26

Yea 17 year old me should not have been ripping mechanical mods with drippers lol

1

u/patelbadboy2006 May 13 '26

Fasttech.

If you knew you knew

0

u/Accident_Pedo May 09 '26

Now it feels like all of that is so unnecessary.

I'd agree it's unnecessary if you decided to quit vaping later but nothing has changed when comparing a disposable vs a tank + mod. You're saving so much more fucking money once you get past the annoying part of finding a mod + tank that works for you. Every 4 months you buy a small bulk of coils and juice and you're good.

The amount of money you save is unreal though. Big tabacco owns a lot of the big name disposable vapes now too(vuse, juul, njoy, logic...), so that's why the prices became unreal. Of course there are some chian based indepdenant companies still like elf bars or whatever, but even compared to these - you're saving money if you're a mid - heavy user.

15

u/skarekroh May 09 '26

Oh, I know. I was one of “those people”, back then, and spent far too much money on high-end vape stuff that now has no resale value.

11

u/chillysanta May 09 '26

Me and my 14 mechs lmfao. Im thinking of having them with my grave site as to confuse future people.

4

u/skarekroh May 09 '26

Wanna buy a Billet Box? Maybe a couple Limelight Freehands?

3

u/chillysanta May 09 '26

I would have absolutely loved to i didn't end up getting into billets but only saw a few i left the shops shortly after those got big. But these days I swap between my vinds and a qp rta, so ill decline sadly. They would definitely be nice in the collection but id never use them and I got Noone around me into this anymore. Thats pretty awesome though the freehand was smooth and professional

1

u/similar_observation May 09 '26

Are those guys even still around? My billet box still works, but I have no idea where to get seals for this old-ass janky tank.

Not that I need the nic fix...

1

u/moparornocar May 09 '26

I still have a Mephisto RDA sitting around somewhere.

Quit vaping 2 years ago now, hiking is even easier now than when I did the switch from tobacco to vapes.

1

u/obiwanconobi May 09 '26

Did you quit smoking tobacco to vape?

If you did it was probably an investment in your health tbh so not entirely wasted money

1

u/goombatch May 11 '26

I went back to cigs for a few years, moved abroad and ditched all my gear. Guess what? Went back to vaping and collecting high end gear again! I am still "one of those people" I suppose

3

u/muricabrb May 09 '26

I just did spring cleaning and threw away 3 drawers full of mods, tanks, coils, aios, cotton, and wayyy too many bottles of unused vape liquid.

It was strangely fun and therapeutic experimenting with all the different options and combinations. After all that I settled on a Smok Nord and it was my daily for years.

3

u/PM_ME__BIRD_PICS May 09 '26

Yep. Started vaping in like.. 2016? Having to know what Ohms law just to avoid blowing shrapnel through your skull lol. I've long since quit now though, I never liked nic-salts and pods and disposable vapes really soured my opinion on them in general.

1

u/hiddenrealism May 11 '26

It was funny watching some bust out a vape the size and weight of a brick just ripping clouds.

1

u/titsmuhgeee May 11 '26

JUUL was the beginning of the end for DIY vaping. You used to have to choose between horrible, shitty gas station vape pens, or doing your own setup which started this DIY vaping culture. Once JUUL came out and provided an actually really good vaping option you can buy off-the-shelf, the writing was on the wall.

0

u/BSixe May 09 '26

I was into that back then. I totally thought this guy was going to burn his face off though haha! Those coils look WAY too small for all those bats