V2 Cigs Starter Kit Revisited

V2 Cigs is one of the most popular e-cigarette companies in what I like to call the “big box” category. That is it’s a company that focuses on its own branded equipment that tends to focus more on the cigarette-like style of electronic cigarettes. V2 was one of the first big box brand I reviewed early on. That review continues to be popular, but I thought I’d get a current V2 Cigs starter kit to review to see if anything has changed.

[stextbox id=”info” caption=”Product Details”]

	Product name	V2 Standard Kit
	Available from	V2 Cigs
	Price	$64.95
	Threading	KR-808-D1

What’s in the Box
2	batteries
2	5-packs of cartomizers
1	USB charger
1	AC to USB adapter
1	user guide

[/stextbox]

V2 Standard Kit Features and Design

The Standard Kit is the company’s basic offering. It includes two batteries, you can mix n’ match between colors, sizes and automatic or manual. The kit also includes two five packs of cartomizers (also with your choice of flavors and strength). Finally, there’s the standard charger setup. Unlike the other versions of the kit, there are no carrying cases or portable chargers in this one.

The nearly 65 dollar price tag is a touch higher than other kits in its class. Fortunately, I have a permanent 10% discount code for V2 Cigs. Use code stevevape if you buy one of these kits and that’ll put the price in line with those of similar companies.

From a design standpoint, these are fairly standard fare. I believe V2 was the first to come out with the D1 upgrade to the 808 standard which offered a battery with slightly higher power output. Naturally, that has remained the same, why mess with  good thing after all?  The button design has changed slightly on the manual battery version. Previously there was a rubber button prone to getting stuck. That has now been replaced with a similar button made of hard plastic.

I haven’t run into any stuck button issues in my testing.  The automatic batteries are also relatively unchanged because there really wasn’t anything wrong with them to begin with. V2’s auto switches have always been very responsive with a smooth draw that doesn’t require a whole lot of effort to produce vapor.  Unlike the older batteries, the new automatic power sources are now sealed, so there’s no worries about getting liquid into the battery’s airway now.

Some of the gripes I had with the old kit remain as well.  Batteries now come with color choices for the LED. But it doesn’t seem to be a selectable option on the site when checking out. The auto battery came with a white LED with the manual has the old red light which I rather despise.

The included cartomizers (grape and menthol in my case) are also pretty standard. Even though V2 offers e-liquid and blank cartomizers, the ones included with the kit still had hard caps, so refiling is possible, but not as easy as it could be. You might want to opt for blanks if you plan to refill.

There is one more thing I’ll mention here, although I admit it’s nit-picky too. The box the Standard Kit comes in is enormous. It seems like a complete waste of resources and increased shipping costs. Perhaps they wanted the kit to feel a bit more grandiose than the reality bears.

Using the V2 Standard Kit

I suppose there’s really not much to using a standard e-cigarette starter kit. You just charge the battery, screw on the cartomizer and go. That is the main appeal of this type of kit. They are simple to use and mostly feel like a cigarette.

Naturally, the automatic battery is a bit more like a cigarette. I still suggest even new vapers go to a manual battery. It doesn’t take long to get used to pushing the button and the performance is a little better. This is true even when compared to good performing automatic batteries like the V2s.

As far as performance is concerned, once again, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In my original review I found the V2 to be one of the best performing big brand e-cigarettes I’ve come across. While in my mind, the playing field has been equalized with many popular brands now offering good performance, the V2 is still a top performer.

Vapor production is great, especially from a small e-cigarette. V2s have always had a warmth to its vapor. I know that’s also a personal thing, but I’m a fan of warmer vapor.  Flavor is naturally subjective as well. I’m not a menthol fan, but I’m addicted to these grape cartos that came with the kit.

Battery life is pretty much run of the mill. Technology has gotten to the point where there isn’t a lot of difference between battery life of similarly sized devices. Light users can expect a few good hours from a standard battery, while heavy vapers can easily go through one an hour.

In general, the V2 gear is iterative rather than innovative. There have been some small changes, nothing groundbreaking. The changes that were made have improved the device over earlier versions.

Too Long; Didn’t Read

While perhaps not as radically better than the competition as it was a couple years ago, the V2 e-cigarette is still a very competent device. There is a certain subset of e-cigarette users that prefer to stick with major brands. The V2 remains an excellent choice in that regard and perhaps a refreshing alternative to other brands that have focused on producing gas station disposables instead of starter kits. You can see the selection at V2Cigs.com

Pros:

Cons:

Disclosure: I received this kit from V2 Cigs for review. This review features affiliate links.