E-cigarettes

[Preloader]

A little update on my experience. It's been just passed two weeks and its going great. Smoking has been such a personal and integral part of my identity for so long that I am shocked at how easy the switch has been.

Went out of town this Labor Day weekend and didn't even struggle with the change in behavior. Traveling has always been a huge smoking association for me.

The wife and I went to the Lake County fair and I must've accidentally brought a low battery because it died shortly after we arrived. My back up batteries were a 45 minute drive away. I didn't even think of breaking down and buying or bumming a real cigarette. I just powered through the next couple hours and it wasnt even that difficult. This was huge for me.

I also realize that the reason I have been drawn toward menthol is because it soothes the otherwise harsh burn of tobacco leaves. Now that I'm vaporizing, I don't really need the assistance of menthol because it doesnt burn on the way down and I actually prefer the tobacco favors.

So I just ordered a whole month's worth of tobacco flavor at the mid level of nicotine. There is only one step lower before 0% nicotine. This feels like cheating, because I never imagined it could be so easy.

I'm trying desperately to get my father to make the switch.

 

[Leverus]

I've been vaping since February of this year. I relapsed and bought a pack a few weeks ago after a very bad day (hated it too), but other than that I've been cig free.

It's not the same as a real cigarette, but it works well enough to kill any craving that I might have. I still haven't found any flavor I particulary like; most range from 'awful' to 'not awful' for me. The one I loved was discontinued after my first bottle...

Right now, my setup is a variable voltage Ego battery with a few Kanger Evods and a ProTank. Nothing too fancy, but it gets the job done.

 

[Preloader]

Sweet. I was just looking at variable voltage batts. The V2 is 3.7v, and I hear the Variables only go down to 3.2. I don't feel the need to go higher.

What setting do you tend to use? Low, med or high?

Also noticed an unexpected bonus today.... My teeth are getting whiter.. Smoking 30 cigarettes a day has a tendency to stain them yellow.:sadbanana:

 

[Leverus]

For the most part I keep my voltage around 3.5-3.8. I was around 4-4.2 for my older T3's. It all depends on the type of juice and the resistance of the head in which particular clearo I have. My battery goes from 3.0 to 6.0. I don't have any heads that can take nearly that much; I forgot to lock mine and it got bumped up to 5 while in my pocket earlier today and I fried my head in one puff. Tastes horrible.

Whiter teeth, the return of scent and flavor, lung capacity... it's all good. :banana:

 

[Preloader]

River Rat, any update? Any questions?

I'm still going strong. I've learned a lot more about the ins and outs. Most liquids are 80/20 Prpoylene Glycol/Vegetable Glycerin. I've found that 50/50 is much more gentle on my throat and produces much more vapor.

Tasty Vapors is a great vendor to get 50/50 from and their prices are amazing.

Coming up on 3 weeks. Feeling liberated.

 

[Thaifight-R]

As a person that suffers from allergies and asthma, I really like this recent ecig/vape trend.

I don't get sick and/or nauseated after being around with people that vape.
(I don't want to be rude and tell a person to go somewhere else or stop smoking, so I typically don't say anything when people smoke around me...)

 

[Preloader]

Oddly enough, when you're a smoker you can't smell how bad smokers smell including yourself. I'm already noticing how much I hate the odor cloud around smokers. But being that that was me for almost 20 years, I think it would be hypocritical to judge.

And honestly I think the whole vape thing is gonna revolutionize how nicotine is enjoyed. In the next 5 years I can see tobacco cigarettes slowly becoming antiquated.

 

[Leverus]

I'm still going strong. I've learned a lot more about the ins and outs. Most liquids are 80/20 Prpoylene Glycol/Vegetable Glycerin. I've found that 50/50 is much more gentle on my throat and produces much more vapor.

I'm liking 50/50 too. My last batch was the usual 80/20 (didn't get to choose) and it felt off in comparison. If you haven't, give Mt. Baker Vapor a shot. They've got quite alot of flavors there for cheap. I'm about to order some more from them, just trying to find a new flavor to try.

 

[hand amputation]

Great job Preloader! I'm glad to read you are doing so well.

Here's my story.

I am 32 years old, and I have been a 'social' smoker since I was 21 or so. To me, cigarettes have always went hand in hand with drinking and socializing with friends. I was never a morning smoker. I really only smoke or get the urge to when I have some beers, which in all honesty is most nights. I would say that I would smoke a pack of cigs every other day or every 3 days.

Fast forward to last Friday. I finally decided to cut the crap and make a real attempt to quit smoking. You see, I never considered myself a 'smoker', even though I smoked on a pretty much daily basis. Dumb, eh? Either way, I decided to check out a local Vape shop close to my work. It wasn't one of the 'pop up' cash grab shops. It was a nice place with a very knowledgable staff. A fella named Joel helped me out and walked me through the process. He helped me pick out a nice 'entry level' vaporizer. He didn't try to oversell me, and even helped me decide on a flavor for my first fill. I went with menthol since I was used to smoking Camel Crush cigarettes.

So Friday night I had band practice, and I knew that was going to be a real test. Some of the guys in the band smoke, and we enjoy some beers while we practice. I definitely felt the urge to smoke, but the e cig actually scratched the itch. It still took some self control, but I told myself that if I made the investment I needed to try to stick with it.

Saturday night we had a show, and I knew this would be another test. I had not been in a smoky bar since I decided to try to quit smoking, and this was really tough. It's easy to walk away from the smell of cigarettes if you're outside, but an entire night in a smoky bar was an entirely different situation. I stayed strong and resisted smoking, even though people were offering me cigarettes.

After Saturday night things got easier. Sunday and Monday rolled around and I didn't even think about cigarettes. I puffed my vaporizer a few times here and there each night, and it really did help me out.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wrote this over Labor Day weekend. Still using the e-cigarette. Haven't had a cigarette in 19 days!

 

[Preloader]

That's awesome. I'm at a month and going strong. There is a whole world of stuff to learn. I started with the V2cigs e-cigarette, but have quickly learned there is almost as much upgrades and bolt ons as a hobby car.

I personally like to experiment and research everything involved in anything I do, and have already spent a butt ton of money trying different options.

I still use the V2 at work for portability, but have also acquired a couple more advanced set-ups. Variable Voltage is awesome, you can dial in the wattage for different juices.

If anyone is unsure about what to look for or has any questions, don't be afraid to ask. You shouldn't have to feel around in the dark like I did, unless you want to. But I may be able to save you the cost of trial and error.

 

[Swordsmith]

I have a friend who smokes, he was very excited about the E-Cigs when they came out, and quit using them... and went back to smoking when stresses came up in his life. He's quit a couple times since then, and same story, it's very easy to quit, but when he goes back to smoking, it's always to tobacco, not to E-Cigs. Then a few months later he decides to quit again, uses the E-Cig for that purpose.

He also Vapes around me, because I am sensitive to smoke, the vapes don't bother me the same way.

But (and I haven't done any research on this, just wondering) if he's taking nicotine along with who knows what other chemicals into his lungs in vapor form, and then exhaling, why are people saying there's zero emissions for me to be "second hand vaping"? It doesn't seem to me that human lungs are 100% efficient at removing all impurities they inhale. I know there's no vapor being emitted while he isn't taking a drag (which isn't true of tobacco smoking)... but I would have thought that 80% or so of secondhand smoke would also have been thru a smoker's lungs before ending up in my air, no?

 

[Preloader]

You are not going to second hand transfer nicotine with a PV (personal vaporizer) like you will with a cigarette.

With a regular cigarette, 3/4 of the nicotine goes off the lit end.
Nicotine absorption in the lungs is near 100%.

Also, unless someone has a specific allergy to nicotine, small amounts are harmless. Nicotine itself is not a proven carcinogen. The 500+ chemicals released from burning tobacco and the added chemical are.

As far as what other chemicals present that could be harmful......
PG- propylene glycol a USDA approved food additive found in virtually all processed foods
VG- vegetable glycerin a vegetable based liquid
Flavorings- ingredients vary but generally all come from food grade flavor additives

So far there hasn't been any long term usage test studies, so I don't think anyone can say vaping is harmless, but it seems clear to most that it is a much safer choice than smoking tobacco.

Also, my wife has always been very offended by my smoking, which I never did in the house out of respect. Now I can lay in bed next to her vaping myself silly and she doesn't even care....... Unless my bong rip sized clouds block the TV.

 

[River_Rat]

Here's my belated update:

A little background. I'm 27. I've been smoking about a pack a day for 10 years (1/3 of my life and all of my adult life). I've temporarily dropped the habit for a few months at a time in the past, but always picked it back up.

A couple years ago, one of my buddies was trying to quit and had some sort of e-cig, probably a really cheap one. I tried a couple of puffs and wasn't impressed. It had no taste, no feel.

Fortunately when Preloader made this post I was ready to give it another shot. I followed his lead and got a v2 starter kit with 2 long batteries and two flavors of cartridges at the 1.2 mg strength, red and Sahara.

When the package arrived about a week later, charged up and started puffing away. The red tasted horrible but the Sahara was really not bad. I didn't have another cigarette for the rest of the day which for me is really saying something. Over the next 3-4 days I think I had one cigarette a day in each day that one cigarette just got worse and worse. After the first week I think I tried maybe one or two more cigarettes from the same stale pack. They tasted like s*** and I still haven't finished them.

Before I finished up the Sahara cartridges from the starter kit, I ordered some clearomizers and a bottle of Sahara refill liquid, again. 1.2 mg. The clearomizers and the liquid are way better than the cartridges, and I rather enjoy them. This morning, I ordered some fresh clearomizers and some .6mg Sahara liquid.

I'm not sure, but I think this is nearing the end of week 5. The initial purchase was a little pricey, but at $6/pack for American spirits, I think I've already seen a return on my investment.

The good: I no longer smell like an ashtray, and I'm saving a little money. It's probably good for my health too, but OK.

The bad: this is still an addictive habit. In fact, since I can do it pretty much anywhere, I'm vaping more than I was smoking before. It does not provide the same satisfaction as the real thing, which leaves me always wanting another puff.

I have purposefully chosen not to seek out better hardware because I don't want to make vaping any better. I want this to be a means and to an end.

So far, so good.

 

[Preloader]

Ha, that's awesome. I think Sahara was my favorite flavor from V2.

Give it some time. 1.2mg is really low compared to real cigs. I'm still vaping 2.4mg. Lol

And as far as addictive habit, I can go waaaaaay longer now without vaping than I could with smoking before I get bent out of shape.

I'm on a job where neither is allowed right now, and I went 7 hours today without barely even thinking about it.

Couldn't do that 4 weeks in so easily. I'm at 7.5 weeks now and it's getting easier. I'm never gonna smoke again. I've come too far.

The clearomizers hit way better than the cartridges. Plus you can keep track of when you're getting low better. Only problem is that like 1 out of 5 of them leaked on me.

Mt Baker Vapor has arguably the best prices on juice. Way cheaper than V2 and I hear they have good tobacco flavors. It's like less than $10 for 30mL and they ship lightning fast.

 

[River_Rat]

I've not had problems with them leaking so much as breaking them in my pocket (they really leak then ). Thanks for the heads up on that supplier. I'll check them out.

 

[hand amputation]

Still goin' strong. I've been tempted to smoke but I haven't gave in!

I recently upgraded my e-cigarette, too. I am not using a Vision Spinner battery and I bought a couple of Kanger Mini Pro Tanks. Personally, it makes for a much better experience than the cheaper disposable tanks that I was using.

I bought my sister a similar setup for her birthday. She's trying hard but it's a little harder for her to commit completely, as she's always been a heavier smoker.

Having said that, if you are reading this and thinking about making the switch, do it! You can totally do this if you put your mind to it. I believe in you.

 

[River_Rat]

I recently ordered some 50/50 juice from Mt Baker to see what it's all about

I've changed too many variables so I'm not sure what it is, but I really don't like it at all. I know you're supposed to let it "steep," but I think they all taste pretty bad. Maybe its the VG? I don't know. Guess I need to keep trying different things.

 

[Preloader]

I was skeptical about "steeping", but it is real. I tried MBV, because they seem so popular with the vape community, but I didn't like them very much. Tasty Vapors is still my go to.

However a friend turned me onto Heather Heavenly Vapor. Dragon's fire is now one of my favorites. It's a tobacco flavor with deep rich turkish undertones.

I order it in 70/30 VG/PG.

Also I have gone mad with collecting ProVaris.

CHROME:

24K GOLD PLATED:

It's been 3 months, and I haven't had a single cig. That's over 2,500 cigarettes I haven't smoked.

 

[Preloader]

Whoops, I got self absorbed with showing off my hardware, I forgot to elaborate on steeping.

Some juices taste great right out of the mail, others take up to a month. I always give them a test on day one, and then compare after each week. The HHV Dragons Fire was noticeably better after about 3 weeks.

Also, tobacco flavors are notorious for needing long steeps 2-4 weeks. Shake them once a day and keep them in a dark drawer. You may be surprised at how different they tase once they develop.

MBV gives the option to add extra shots of flavor. I don't suggest adding shots unless you've tried it and decided you want more flavor.

 

[River_Rat]

Thanks for the tips. That is some impressive hardware :blankface: by the way. Maybe I'll try some tasty vapors. The are just too many choices out there for someone starting out.