I'm lost, can you tell me where I am?

[jamie]

Enjoyed reading your posts. Thought I should write an end to my tale - well, at least this round.

By the time I'd finished my pack in the afternoon, I'd gotten and later lost the headache. The ciggies had become somewhat less blecchh but not as much as expected over a whole pack. Then! - There was a package at the door and it was so exciting... I ripped strips off the wretched sticky envelope trying to get it open and found... lanyards. The lanyards I'd ordered for all those working ecigs I don't have. The lanyards I'd ordered AFTER that atomizer was supposedly mailed. Hmmph.

While I was irritated, perturbed, disgruntled over the missing atomizer, I didn't have any noticeable interest in getting another pack of ciggies either. I used my prescription inhaler for a while. As posted elsewhere, I used the 'scratch' trick and got about an hour of functionality from one unit. Played with another atomizer for a bit and it's been dribbling, a little vapor here, a wisp of smoke over there... The dribbling and my inhalers have fed the demon, even in the dark.

=================

The "reputable retailers" who continue to flog these single-atomizer kits are quickly losing my respect. You'd think folks who jumped seriously into this business did so because they understood the power of having a customer base of addicts, but they don't seem to get what that means beyond gold bullion fantasies. They'll be hard pressed to hang on to the bullion as a bunch of addicts remember their part in f'ing up the fix. Single-atomizer kits are too costly from all angles.

Not enough time at the moment to note all your interesting comments.... thanks again.

[TropicalBob]

I'm gulping my coffee down this morning while facing two failing atomizers for my pen style. They lasted two weeks.

Visited my tobacco store again yesterday to buy some more Stonewall pieces. The owner asked about e-smoking. I told him the failure rate is excessive. I told him that he'll want to sell these only when they're are as friendly and replaceable as cigarette packs.

That's what I want. I want a product that is the same with every use. I pick it up, I smoke it, I put it down. To get that product, I see disposables as the future. The devices will be sold in hard packs the size of cigarette packs. Inside will be a charger for the e-cig battery and two disposable atomizer-cartridges. Each atomizer-cartridge is equal to one pack of 20 cigarettes. Each atomizer-cartridge costs the same or less than a pack of cigarettes.

When I need a 'smoke', I pull out my pack, slide an atomizer-cartridge onto the battery end and puff away.

I can only see that scenario for mass market appeal.

[dnakr]

After 6 months of e-smoking - I would try a disposable.

I wonder how long it will take before a reliable one is actually marketed. I mean one that will last at least 6 months to a year.

[TropicalBob]

Just about the most important marketing issue for disposables will be price. The combo must be comparably priced to tobacco products. We ex-smokers are used to forking over weekly sums. In my case (Florida has very low tobacco taxes), it was $22 a week for a single carton. I budgeted for that. If I could get disposable atomizer-cartridge combinations (each purchase equal to a carton of commercial cigarettes) for $22 a week, I'd be in E-Heaven.

And -- I hear the voice of Leaford -- I need to be able to buy these off the shelf at my local tobacco store and not depend on a slow boat from China.

[Mr.Darcy]

Bob,how much do you reckon e-smoking is costing you now per week?

[TropicalBob]

Not much at all. I'm a cheap SOB at heart. In the beginning, I ordered quite a quantity of E-Cig's liquids -- and have enough to supply me a year or more. Then I started homebrew and mixing. That's enough to last me another year.

My $36 DealExtreme e-cigar continues to not only function, but get better daily. I've used it five months and never replaced the atomizer or battery. My punk Health mini cig functions as it did new -- not very well. But it works. It cost me $18. My pen style had an atomizer failure at 7 days. That was quickly replaced and I still depend on the myecig.com pen style daily.

Bottom line: E-smoking has been dirt cheap for me. No KISSBoxes, etc. No Njoy. No Gamucci, Santucci or Yves St. Laurent. That's partly because I can't justify spending the money those things cost.

BTW: Do keep in mind that I use snus non-stop. I also like a pipe about three times a day. So I rely heavily on alternative sources of nicotine, besides e-smoking. My addiction/habit costs me about $20 a week, when I add up Stonewall, snus, custom pipe tobacco and amortized e-smoking expenditures. E-smoking has been by far the least expensive stay-off-cigarettes option, but not the most effective for me.

[MNZ]

I'm not sure how I can quantify my smoking ... I own a store that among other things sells tobacco, in fact I sell alot of tobacco, so my smoking needs are free, but I have expended a lump of cash on e-smokers, quite a few of them actually. I'm not going to go into the how many dollars thing, frankly I think that's a pointless issue, you spend what you want to spend and that's the end of it ... but i will say that no matter what is costs getting shot of the evil weed is my goal, and by all that's whatever the quote is I'm going to do it... But, by fecking things with round brass knobs and flashy lights it's a seriously tough ask !

[Spider]

Personally e-smoking is working for me, if anything I don't feel the need for cigarettes at all and I'm even starting to need a lot less e-smoking than when I first started, this means that I'm using less cartridges and my atomisers will hopefully last longer too.

I agree that having to wait for supplies when you can usually just walk into a shop and buy what you need is rather annoying, but if the cost of better health is convenience then I'm up for that. I'll just make sure I stock up enough to keep me going - I'm gonna continue using cartridges, but buy some e-liquid for emergencies, and maybe try some dripping too.

I totally agree with Emperor's point though, the ONE thing I'm noticing is that the density of the vapour decreases as the cartridge runs out - maybe dripping will sort this.

In a strange way, I think that e-smoking is to tobacco smoking what home cooked food is to fast food.

[jamie]

This evening I visited my just-younger sister. After a few hours the sun was setting and a nice breeze had picked up. She wanted to sit on the patio for a chat and smoke. I said sure, maybe I'll even have one with you! She was confused and I clarified, yes, one of hers. It would be nice.

Recalling the experience which started this thread I commented, well, I probably won't love it but <shrug> I'm up for sharing a smoking moment. One will be fine, I noted as we sat down.

She handed me a cigarette - a Marlboro Light - and I lit up first. We were relaxed and unselfconscious, enjoying the breeze and the near darkness. As the lighter still flared I had a fleeting thought that the "damp wool sock" I'd written of would have been a vast improvement over the mushy vegetable sensation of this attempt. I didn't dwell on it though, because the first full drag found me doubled over in the flexible outdoor chair, coughing and spitting and choking and hacking and trying to say something but unable to speak. My sister sat back, leaned over, sat back, not sure whether to be concerned or amused. When I could sit up again I nearly threw the cigarette back at her, saying, okay okay, I guess it's yours after all!

She decided upon a maternal appreciation, and said, well good, good for you! approvingly. We started talking about her job but I couldn't get past it. Finally I sputtered, oh for pete's sake, that's just not right! Probably I inhaled wrong, I'm so used to my ecigs. Give it here.

She handed the ciggie back, now openly amused. I tried again. It wasn't the same. This time, after I doubled over and coughed and coughed and choked, before I was fully upright, I ran into the house and rinsed my mouth over and over right under the faucet and hacked and spit into the sink and pondered if I might throw up.

More than I understood, I'm well and truly trapped here now.

[leaford]

Now you are one of us... FOREVER!

Dum-dum-dummmmmmmmmmm...