All the Walmart / Walgreens / convenience store ecigs are pretty much the same. You can order the starter kits from China for about $8 – and if you order 100 kits you can get them with your own brand on the packages. (Actually, you can get any brand you want on the packages; the business is flooded with counterfeits.)
The only convenience store ecig that stands out as being different from the rest is the Njoy King. It is disposable, not rechargeable, and it costs about $8. It is strong and produces a lot of vapor, but for that $8 it will only last about as long as one charge on your rechargeable device, and then you throw it away. It might be worth a try to see if a higher quality ecig will do what you want, but I think they are much too expensive for continued use.
If you are still firmly committed to the idea that an ecig has to look like a cigarette, the two best choices are Smoov and Smokeless Image Volt. The problem with them is they both use non-standard connectors that lock you into using their parts.
If you can get past the idea that your device has to look like a cigarette, the world opens up. If you can find a local ecig store your best bet is to go there. Most of them are set up to let you try a wide variety of stuff. Otherwise, you just have to order online. Basically, online sites that sell only one item or one brand are not the best idea. You want to shop on a website that offers a wide variety of devices and brands that all use standard connectors so the parts are interchangeable. The most common set-ups use “510” or “eGo” connections, so just look for either of those phrases (even though you don’t know what they mean yet.)
Now for a specific recommendation:
http://www.myfreedomsmokes.com/categories/e-cigarette-starter-kits.html
Scroll down to find the eGo-C Twist VV w/ CE5 eGo Clearomizer Starter Kit.
I recommend that specific kit because it has much bigger batteries than the cigarette-looking type you are using, so the battery will not fade after a few hits. The CE5 clearomizer is probably the least “fussy” atomizer; no fiddly little parts to mess with, they are cheap enough to be considered disposable (expect one to last somewhere between two to six weeks) but you can replace the head for a couple of bucks if you want to mess with it. They are very easy to refill. They produce a lot of vapor and a good flavor (depending on you choice of eliquid). The only drawback (and this applies to most tank type ecigs) is it may leak if you lay it down – find a way to keep the device upright.
You also have to order eliquid to fill the device. There are many. Everybody has different tastes so the only thing to do there is to order several small bottles of different flavors to find what you like. It varies widely, but expect that you will use somewhere between one to three ml per day to get some idea of how much to order. Get enough to last a few weeks while you try the thing out. If you are the type who only goes to the store to buy one pack of cigarettes at a time when you run out, you do have to adjust to ordering your juice in advance.
With the two clearomizers that come in that kit and enough eliquid, you can expect to be smoking for at least a month, probably two or three, then you will need to get some more atomizers (clearomizers) – the batteries will likely last about a year before they need to be replaced. It does require an initial investment, but it turns out to much cheaper than cigarettes or the convenience store ecigs in the long run. In a recent thread I figured out my cost for ecigs to be a little over 40 cents per day and I smoked over two packs a day for many years.
Warning: The page I linked to contains several different starter kits. Do not confuse “starter kit” with “beginner kit”. Feel free to choose a different kit if you like, but DO NOT buy a kit that contains the word “mech” or “mechanical”. Those are not for beginners. There are lots of choices, but an eGo with a clearomizer is the simplest way to get started with satisfying esmoking. It will keep you happy while you learn the ropes and the lingo of the ecig world.
If you want to go one step farther, my favorite current device (although I do still use the CE5 clearomizers) is the iSmoka Bottom Coil Clearomizer. It holds a lot of liquid, produces good vapor and flavor, has fairly cheap replaceable heads, and it doesn’t leak when I lay it down. Try one.
I know it can seem overwhelming trying to sort through all the lingo and technology to get a handle on ecigs. Hope this helps.
A couple of good ecigs reviewers on Youtube:
pbusardo – He goes very in-depth and isn’t afraid to say “It’s bad.” when it’s bad.
grimmgreen – His musician brain drifts and wanders around the theme a bit but he does honest reviews.
And yes, there are lots of places you can buy the same stuff if you want to research and shop around. I chose to link to this particular site because they have put together into a kit what I consider to be the best choices for a beginner and because I have been ordering from them for a couple of years and am sure they sell good quality equipment at a fair price.
BTW: The “bite”, known as “throat hit” in ecig lingo, comes from the PG in the eliquid. The vapor comes from the VG. So a PG based juice will have more throat hit and a VG based juice will produce more smoke but have less throat hit. Most liquids are a mix of both PG and VG although there are a lot of 100% VGs on the market now, mainly just because so many people fear the chemical sounding name of PG. You just have to try them to find what you like. Also, to the OP, I suggest you try some lower than 24mg nicotine eliquids, too. The eGo systems are much more powerful than what you’ve been using and 24 is likely to be too strong. I was a heavy smoker and found that 24 was too much, went to 18 for a while and now use 12mg.
But the larger battery of the tank/clearomizer style systems make for a much better and more smoking like satisfying experience. And they’re not nearly so complicated as I feared they would be. Really easy to use and troubleshoot even if you’re not particularly mechanically or electronically minded.