REVIEW: AquaVaporCig PRO DSE901 PCC eCig Starter Kit

Review: AquaVaporCig PRO DSE901 PCC Electronic Cigarette Kit

By: Christopher “Synther” Wilson

Some may wonder why I would be doing a review on an electronic cigarette kit and lump it in with my regular reviews of computer hardware and games, since these things seem fairly unrelated.  In reality, I find that they are extremely related since there is a good percentage of computer IT people that smoke.  And a good percentage of those people are also gamers.  The old saying at many corporations I’ve worked at was that if you had a question you couldn’t find an answer to, go out to the smoking area and you’ll get 20 new answers to help you out.  This was the complete truth, too.

Having smoked menthol cigarettes for close to 25 years, I’ve recently decided that it was time to think about getting off of tobacco.  Quitting is difficult since the nicotine gum tastes like crap and the patch irritates my skin.  And neither of these is smoking!  Which is the hardest part since I freaking love to smoke.  The alternative is the electronic cigarette.  You can continue with the vice you love without burning tobacco and the related chemicals involved with it.  Because it is not burning any tobacco, the eCig can sometimes be used in locations where traditional smoking is not allowed as well (be sure to ask or kindly put it away if you are asked to stop).  And yet another benefit is that you can get the liquids in excellent flavors!  This is something that the FDA took away from smokers, which is stupid.  They claimed that “Strawberry” flavored tobacco, for instance, was catering to children and those under the legal age (note that I say both children and those under the legal age…that’s because, I’m sorry, but 15 years old is NOT a child).  But at the same time, they don’t try to claim that “strawberry” flavored Vodka is catering to children or those under the legal age.  Ultimately, it comes down to the government telling me that it is apparently ok for me to poison my body one way but that it is socially unacceptable to do it in another way and they’ll use the guise of “public health” to argue it.  Ridiculous.  Keep in mind that we, the IT people, keep your society, life, and corporations running.  A good percentage of us smoke (and drink obscene amounts of coffee and energy drinks).  Don’t make an attempt to take away our nicotine (or caffeine) or we may decide to no longer part with our arcane knowledge to keep all the crap you rely on running.  Something you anti-smokers might want to consider.  You need us and literally cannot live without us.  Do not piss us off.  We.  Are.  Legion.

“So, Synther, how does the electronic cigarette work?”  Asks the uninitiated.  The electronic cigarette uses a battery and atomizer with a heating coil to heat up eJuice, or smoke juice, liquid that contains nicotine.  The vapor that is produced is then inhaled and is very similar to a normal smoking experience.  How the liquid is loaded into the eCig depends on the model you purchase, but there are basically three models.  The first is the two piece design.  This design is the one you are seeing the new TV commercials about by Blu and is very close in size to a real “analog” cigarette.  This consists of a battery unit and what is called a Cartomizer.  The Cartomizer is a single piece that contains both the cartridge and the atomizer, hence the clever name.  Cartomizers have the benefit of holding a good amount of eJuice and are compact.  Some companies market their Cartomizers as disposable and when used in this manner, you get the side benefit of a fresh atomizer every time you replace the Cartomizer.  In reality, every brand of Cartomizer can be refilled.

The next type of eCig is the three piece design.  These can range in size to being about the same size as a regular 100 style analog cigarette all the way up to being about the size of a good cigar.  Generally, the size is directly related to how long the battery is going to last you.  In a three piece design, you have the cartridge containing the eJuice, an atomizer unit, and a battery.  The benefit of these is that you can get a lot of good options with them and many can also use Cartomizers to turn them into a two piece design or use a tank for much longer “vaping.”

The last type is what is referred to as a “Mod.”  These generally do not look like cigarettes at all but have some crazy capabilities.  These will usually use a tank system, such as a Clearomizer and have an extremely long battery life.  One example would be the new Joytech eVic, which has an LCD screen that shows information on how much liquid is left, battery life, and even the number of seconds of your average draw.  It can then be plugged into your computer and this information can be tracked!

After doing what literally amounted to weeks of research, I settled on a DSE901 model eCigarette.  This is a three piece design with a lot of options in the future and is about the same size as a real cigarette but is just a little longer.  Price ranges can vary widely, but the best deal I found was at AquaVaporCig.com.  Their PRO DSE901 PCC kit offers two batteries in your choice of automatic or manual push button, two atomizers, five pre-filled cartridges, a free 10ml bottle of eJuice in your choice of flavors, a USB charger and wall adapter, and a PCC (Personal Charging Case).  I felt that my choice in this particular kit was important since the idea of not smoking real “analog” cigarettes any more is a rather major life change after doing it for so long.  I wanted it to be as close to my real habit as possible or else I would undoubtedly fail in my endeavor.  The PCC is close enough feeling to a real cigarette case that it feeds the habit of reaching into my pocket for the pack all while serving the purpose of charging a dead battery for me.  I chose to go with manual batteries due to the fact that I would like to try direct dripping and manual batteries are sealed.  Direct dripping is where you drop one or two drops of eJuice directly into the atomizer and should be good for eight to 10 puffs.  If some of the liquid leaks out into an unsealed battery, you can ruin the battery!  There was a simple mistake and what were shipped to me were automatic batteries.  Because it was later in the evening, AquaVaporCig was closed, so I left them an email to resolve the situation.  Even late after hours, they immediately contacted me telling me to keep the two batteries I have as spares and that they are shipping me the manual batteries first thing in the morning.  True to their word, I received an email the following morning confirming that they shipped out the new manual batteries.  It's one thing to have a well stocked business with good prices but it is another to have excellent customer service.  And AquaVaporCig has customer service in droves!  If you’re thinking of going with an electronic cigarette, parts for an eCig, or want to buy some eJuice, I would recommend them just on their customer service alone.

The other reason I wanted a manual battery was because I had found the draw on other brands of automatic batteries to be a little tight.  I didn’t want to feel like I was sucking in my cheeks just to get a drag off my cigarette.  I was pleasantly surprised that the automatic batteries on the PRO DSE901 are not like that at all!  It is a very pleasant and easy draw.  The atomizer works extremely well and the eCig produces good flavor and vapor overall.  Since it is new, I used the DSE901 a little more than I would normally smoke but I still found that the battery was good for a little over two hours.  I selected high nicotine (24mg) menthol flavor for my prefilled cartridges and high nicotine (24mg) Strawberry flavored eJuice for my free 10ml bottle.  Because AquaVaporCig.com has a 10% discount code to use if you are switching from “analog” cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, I saved some money on the overall purchase and ordered some extra flavors of Low Nicotine (11mg) Butterscotch and their new AquaVMax line of liquid in High Nicotine (26mg) Cocoa Mint.

The cartridges for the PRO DSE901 are what are known as a “whistle tip.”  This is almost exactly like you would find on a Swisher Sweet Cigarello.  At first, I didn’t think I was going to like this tip because it wasn’t enough like a real cigarette.  However, I found that the whistle tip works perfectly with the PRO DSE901 and aids in gripping it in the mouth in a comfortable fashion.  It has been said that for flavor, you’ll never find an exact match to “analog” cigarettes.  I somewhat disagree with that, but in the case of the 24mg Nicotine Menthol that was prefilled in these cartridges it is pretty close to true.  Instead of tasting like a true menthol cigarette, these taste much better and are a lot like the flavor of a stick of Wrigley’s Double-Mint gum (a comedian once stated the truth when he said, “if cigarettes tasted good, why don’t we see Marlboro flavored ice cream?”).  I found them to be quite enjoyable and the 24mg strength to be just about perfect for what I was looking for.  Vapor production is pretty average with the prefilled liquid and about the same that you would see with a real cigarette.

I admit that the flavor I was really excited about was the AquaVMax Cocoa Mint 26mg.  As I stated, many will tell you that it is impossible to match an eJuice flavor with any real “analog” cigarette.  In this case, that claim is completely untrue.  The AquaVMax Cocoa Mint, to me (I realize that taste is very subjective), tastes exactly like a Camel Jade.  It has that perfect mix of menthol mint flavor on the inhale with a very chocolaty flavor on the exhale.  The AquaVMax flavors come in a little bit stronger strengths than AquaVapor’s Premium eCig Liquids and I didn’t think that the 2mg difference between 26mg and 24mg would really matter.  I was wrong.  26mg is a little too strong on the throat hit for me and the next time I order this flavor; I will definitely get it in the 18mg strength.  I found that this seems about twice as strong as one of my regular rolled “analog” cigarettes.  The other thing to note about the AquaVMax line is that they are made with a 50/50 mix of Polyethylene Glycol (or PG, a common component found in food products and cosmetics) and Vegetable Glycerin (or VG).  VG tends to be a little thicker than PG but produces more vapor, while PG is known to carry the flavor additive better.  The 50/50 mix of the two seems perfect for good flavor and large amounts of vapor production.  Notice I did say “next time I order this flavor,” because I can definitely see this flavor being my regular all day vape.  It is absolutely delicious in every way and I will be ordering this again!

Charging the battery of the PRO DSE901 is a very simple process, especially if you’re a technogeek that is in front of your computer all the time.  Simply plug the USB charger into an available USB port on your computer (or use the supplied wall adapter), screw in the battery until the light on the charger goes red, and you’re charging.  When the light on the charger turns green, the battery is charged and ready to be used.  Alternately, you can use the PCC pack to charge your battery as well.  The PCC is used when you’re out and about and you need to charge your battery.  It also holds a fully charged battery with an atomizer on it and five cartridges.  This one pack should have you set for an entire couple of days of vaping!  To charge your battery using the PCC, screw the battery into the second hole from the left and press the button on the front of the case.  The LED light will turn on and go to red.  When the light goes to green or turns off, your battery is charged.  Alternately, you can leave the spare battery in this slot unscrewed for storage.  Pressing the button on the front of the PCC will then show you the battery level of the PCC itself.  This pack is great!  The charge on the pack is good to recharge your batteries about 10 times total!  The pack is easy to charge and comes with its own USB cable that can be used with the wall adapter or plugged into your computer as well.

The one extremely minor gripe that I have with the PRO DSE901 is that the PCC will not hold a fully assembled eCig if you are using the atomizer and cartridge.  Instead, you have to remove the cartridge each time to put it away and put the cartridge back on when you want to vape it (vaping is the term to use instead of smoking).  However, if you decide to use Cartomizers with your DSE901, this is not the case and the pack will hold a fully assembled eCigarette.  The Cartomizers I’ve tried in the past on other brands had a tougher draw and I just didn’t like them as much.  Having said that, the quality of the merchandise from AquaVaporCig is so good, I may purchase a pack of Cartomizers from them anyway since it is very likely that I’ll find a much better experience!

In all, I am extremely pleased with AquaVaporCig.com and with their PRO DSE901 PCC Kit.  It should be noted that when shopping for a DSE901 starter kit, all of the others that I found only came with one atomizer, did not offer any free liquid, and were usually about $10 more in price.  AquaVaporCig.com has a good product with excellent pricing and they completely back it up with phenomenal customer service.  Whether you’re a first time buyer of an electronic cigarette or looking for new flavors and parts, you should definitely check them out.  And if you are switching from analog cigarettes, be sure to use the discount code of “switch” in your cart to get your 10% discount on your total purchase!