AltSmoke made it easy for a noob in Cincinnati

[Mattnatti]

I attended AltSmoke's grand opening today thanks to Google and this forum. And the staff made my first system purchase very easy.
Mika ( I hope I spelled that right )From the Columbus store answered all of my questions with patience and knowledge.

I smoke tobacco for 30 yrs. 9 weeks ago I had a heart attack resulting in a 2x bypass. For the first 6wks of recovery I thought I had the cigs whipped. Well, it didn't stay that way. After buying one pack it was back to normal smoking routine in a flash.
I had to do something as the guilt of smoking and worry about ruining my bypass overwhelmed me but I still kept buying tobacco.
A friend in Atlanta had suggested a Ego to me a few months ago and after finding a thread about e-cigs on a Tacoma truck forum I am a member at I spent about 10hrs last night researching. I stumbled upon this forum through Google looking for local shops and the thread about AltSmoke grand opening. I could hardly sleep last night. I went to the store and had a very good experience.

I someone else's thread I posted that I had a pro tank and wished the flavor was stronger. I bought a pro tan and the extra coil is a 2.5 and not sure what is in it now. I also bought three T3 tanks, two eGo twist and four flavors.

I won't complain just yet as I really don't know what to expect and will have to experiment more to find the sweet spot if that is even possible.

@spamzelda, mason is close. I work in mason and live in reading. It is nice to see quite a few cincy members here.


Blah, blah, blah....ramble over.

 

[Spazmelda]

Hey again. I thought that alt smoke had opened a few weeks ago. Shows what I know. I haven't been there yet, but I did visit city vapor shop a few months ago. I'm glad you found them and they fixed you up! I know my uncle had bypass surgery and was sneaking cigarettes in the hospital after his surgery (this was many many years ago). It's a damn hard addiction to break.

The twist sounds like a great option for you. As for your protank, maybe you just need to try it out some more and fiddle with it. I tried to see what resistance the heads it comes with are. Some sources say both heads are 2.5, another source says some of their boxes have a 2.5 and a 1.8, so it's hard to say what ohms you are vaping with right now. You might try bumping up the voltage a little bit at a time to see if you get some more flavor. If the head you are using is 2.5, then 3.8-4.2V would be a good range to try. If it's 1.8 you'd want to be quite a bit lower, like maybe 3.3-3.4V. If it tastes burnt you've either gone too high and gotten some burnt juice, or your coil dried out (not wicking juice fast enough for the heat of the coil). Some people take the head apart and remove one of the flavor wicks (wicks that lay on top of the wick with the coil on it) and say this improves flavor. I don't think I'd recommend that to you quite yet, as it can cause other problems, like gurgling and leaking. Something to keep in mind for later though.

Do the t3 tanks have more flavor with the same juice, or have you tried them yet?

It could just be the juice. Everyone is different as far as what liquid does it for them. I've only got a handful of commercial juices I like. If I order 10, I'll usually only like 2-3 of them.

Anyway, I'm not a protank expert, so I'm sure other people can give you some more ideas.

 

[Mattnatti]

One of my T3 tanks has more taste but I am running peppermint patty through it as I Always enjoyed a menthol every now and then.
The guy that helped me said to run at about 4v until I get used to vapeing. I will keep reading and learning more tips of the trade so to speak. I am less than 12hrs into this as of now.

AltSmoke did open the store a few weeks ago but had their official Grand Opening today. It is a nice place. Very relaxed atmosphere. They had WEBN there, a pig roast and good deals going on. I didn't hang out long though. There were many experience gapers there and I kinda felt out of place.

 

[Spazmelda]

Aw. Sorry you felt out of place. Maybe go back later at a less crowded time. You will find what works for you soon. I will have to get down there to check it out sometime.

 

[Mattnatti]

I hate the iPad spelling teacher. Vapers not gapers.

It was pretty crowded. That is good though, it appeared to be a successful grand opening. Don't get me wrong, no one person made feel out of place just my noobness did. I will be going back for sure. I will try the store you mentioned as well. It might be closer to where I live.

One of my T3 tanks has more taste but I am running peppermint patty through it as I Always enjoyed a menthol every now and then.
The guy that helped me said to run at about 4v until I get used to vapeing. I will keep reading and learning more tips of the trade so to speak. I am less than 12hrs into this as of now.

AltSmoke did open the store a few weeks ago but had their official Grand Opening today. It is a nice place. Very relaxed atmosphere. They had WEBN there, a pig roast and good deals going on. I didn't hang out long though. There were many experience gapers there and I kinda felt out of place.

 

[Jazzi Mike]

Mattnatti, welcome. I had to quit smoking because of a stroke, so I definitely can relate. I was the type of person that usually had a lit cigarette with me at all times. I thought I was young though, so I didn't need to worry about quitting smoking because of health reasons until I was at least 30! Anyways, you seem like you are on a good track (the ego twists, protanks, etc..). I might suggest to you to try out a ViVi Nova. Make sure you get a Vision Vivi Nova though because they seem like they have the least leaking issues and best wicking. They may cost a little more, but to me the flavor enhancement is totally worth it. Actually, the altsmoke.com website has them at pretty decent prices. I don't know what the prices at the actual store are like, but I'm assuming they are decent.

 

[Signal30]

I got most of my gear from that Eastgate location. They are getting more stuff coming in daily.

 

[Mattnatti]

Thanks for the tip on the VivI nova, I might just ry one out this week. altSmokes site said they were out of pro tanks last night but they had many in the store today thankfully. After many hours of research last night I had decided on a pro tank because of many good reviews. I found one online for like $22 but I bought mine today for $17 so I was happy. Glad you survived your stroke Mike. I was lucky I didn't have one. A 2x bypass at the age of 43 is nothing to take lightly.

 

[Mattnatti]

Well, I am approaching 24hrs of vaping and am getting used to it. The taste, feeling in my throat and picking up the ecig instead of wanting to light up.

 

[DasFriek]

I do shop at times at the Columbus Altsmoke store so I may have met your salesman.
They have better prices on tanks and clearomisers and accessories, but higher on mods and don't mix their own juices.
They even sat me down and showed me how to make a coil and ss-mesh wick for my AGA-t2 which took an easy hour to do. They weren't that busy like a grand opening would be tho. So yeah I do like them.

 

[Signal30]

They are good guys in there just make sure you shop online too to compare prices. They don't make commission, but there main goal is for you to spend money.

 

[Spazmelda]

So, I just had to go out there today and check it out. AWESOME! It was not at all crowded today, so a regular day would be a good day to go get help if you need a less hectic experience.

This is by far the best ecig store I've ever been in. It has very classy decor. The tasting bar was fabulous. Looked like more than 100 flavors, all in t3s with either a spinner or a twist to taste (can't remember which). I didn't test ALL the flavors, but I probably did at least half. At that point my taste buds were getting kind of wonked out, so I stopped. I'll have to go back for the rest. I ended up getting Jameson's Amelia (which is super tasty) and blueberry Niquid. The two guys there were still finishing cleaning up from yesterday, but they were fun to talk to, and definitely knew their stuff.

I was very tempted by an itaste svd, but I held back on that purchase. I will definitely be visiting them again.

 

[Spazmelda]

Thanks for the tip on the VivI nova, I might just ry one out this week. altSmokes site said they were out of pro tanks last night but they had many in the store today thankfully. After many hours of research last night I had decided on a pro tank because of many good reviews. I found one online for like $22 but I bought mine today for $17 so I was happy. Glad you survived your stroke Mike. I was lucky I didn't have one. A 2x bypass at the age of 43 is nothing to take lightly.

Wait, were you there this morning? I probably saw you. Lol.

 

[March 23 2013]

Matt:
Welcome to ecf, vaping and other fellow cincinnati vapors. Went last weekend Altsmoke? and enjoyed myself. I had to work this Saturday, really wanted to attend (BUMMER). Just don't give up. If something doesn't taste right or not the same as you remembered there is probably something wrong. It may seem overwhelming at first depending on equipment, spend the time to investigate. You will find that in reality there are just a couple things that could go wrong and spending the time to find out will help make it better. ASKING here on the forum will act as a support group LOL.

DONT forget those $2.00 coils are just that and MASS produced.
Most will last for a predictable amount of time while others will last forever and yes some will last 3 hits.

I am no vet on vaping but 2+ PAD smoker for 23 years i can attest it works. Every time i wanted a cigg at first i simply made myself hit the Vape Stick (at first it was absolutely constant) as a result i think new vapors actually run into many issues very quickly (stay patient). ALL the vetts here on ECF have seen and understand most issues by simply reading your posts.

WELCOME to VAPING

 

[Signal30]

Im thinking about making a Facebook group called Tri-State Vapers if anyones interested.

 

[Spazmelda]

Im thinking about making a Facebook group called Tri-State Vapers if anyones interested.

Sure! 10 char min

 

[Signal30]

Its been made.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/558079797581550/


Im Dr.Arachnicus on FB. Its my gaming profile and i dont have a real account so please join so it does not look shady.....lol. When i get home later, ill add a banner and make it look better.

 

[Spazmelda]

I joined. I use a Facebook alias for ecig stuff, but you should be able to tell it's me.

 

[Signal30]

No worries it's a open group, invite everyone you know locally.

 

[SonHouse]

Hope it works for you. I found the transition fairly painless but it'll be much easier if you have good equipment you enjoy.