Beginner~Help with harshness?

[SilentEyedStorm]

Good Saturday afternoon to everyone. I have my very first PV, it is an Inferno (eGo clone/510?) with a tube tank. I ordered Volcano's Sweet Tart 16 mg juice with it, but after 2 days of practicing my draw I have a hard time inhaling because it causes me to cough. I'm taking very small easy draws, but still coughing.

I have no idea what Volcano's PG/VG blend is, but after reading through some threads I'm thinking of buying a bottle of VG and diluting the juice in my tank. Am I on the right track here for troubleshooting? I placed an order 5 days ago to Juicy Vapor for some samples (yeah, I read that post today about the pyramid thing). In the mean time, I'd like to be able to begin enjoying the experience.

Even with the limited amount I have vaped, I've only smoked 6 analogs in the past 2 days......normal day was about 17. Any other pointers? I appreciate your help.[/SIZE][/SIZE]

 

[thedescolada]

First off, congratulations on cutting back on analogs! There's a couple different factors involved in harshness, I'll address them each:

Heat (or wattage): It looks like you're vaping at around 9 watts assuming that the battery puts out 3.7volts (which is the common output for ego type batteries). The cartos that come with that kit are 1.5ohm. http://www.ecigadvanced.com/community/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/power.jpg. A great battery to get, if you have the money, is the ego twist, as you can control the voltage delivered the atomizer/cartomizer.

Nicotine: That level of nicotine might be high for you, it might be worth trying out a 12mg/ml blend. Some people argue that nicotine has little to do with Throat Hit, but in my experience, it drastically affects throat hit.

Nature of the draw: Ecigs, in my experience, need a real slow, long draw. I personally do a mouth draw, then inhale to the lungs.

Blend: Typically, a higher pg ratio will give a more harsh throat hit. It might be worth diluting the liquid a little with VG, but it will be a delicate balance to mute the PG to a certain point while maintaining good flavor.

Good luck! Please report back if any of these things help you.

 

[RosaJ]

Congratulations and welcome to ECF!

I vape with a carto tank and a Kanger T3, not sure what a tube tank is. If it has a carto inside the tank, make sure it doesn't dry out. Also, if you're using a clearomizer and you're getting dry hits it's probably because the juice is not wicking right.

Try to vape into your mouth and then inhale into your lungs. You can usually tell it's a dry hit even before it goes through your throat, just exhale it from your mouth if that's the case.

A higher percentage of pg is also known to affect your throat harshly. And, make sure you're drinking lots of water.

I hope you find the problem, I'm sure others will chime in with suggestions. Good luck and happy vaping!

 

[SilentEyedStorm]

thedescolada.....Thanks! I will update. I called around and found a local brick and mortar that carries some juices. I'm off to check them out and buy some VG.

 

[zapped]

One thing you can try is to hold the vapor in your mouth for 3-5 second before inhaling into the lungs or exhaling through the nose.

Takes a bit of practice, especially if youre used to cigarettes but will help cut down on the harshness a LOT.

Phil Busardos juice reviews on youtube show some really good examples of this technique.If you watch him, he evens moves his head from side to side like he's counting before inhaling. Definitely worth watching if youre more of a visual learner.

 

[CarbonThief]

I coughed my brains out for the first few days, maybe even a week. Then I was clearing out a ton of the built up gunk from my lungs from 5 years of smoking, so even more hacking. Then I had a bronchitis, so my coughing lasted about a month. Stick with it, maybe even get a cheapo dispo for the next few days to acclimate to vaping, they give off much less vapor and TH so you might find that easier initially on your cilia.

As severla above me suggested, try holding the vape in your mouth first before inhaling into your lungs, if you aren't already.

Good luck!

 

[Worzel]

I like the Inferno setup! I think Volcano liquida are 50/50. Too bad they don't offer VG alternatives. Make sure your cartomizer is soaked, but get nothing down the center hole or you will be drinking the juice instead of vaping it. If enough of us ask Volcano about VG juices, the more obliged they would feel to come out with it! Their flavors are good and to the point!

 

[Baditude]

I have my very first PV, it is an Inferno (eGo clone/510?) with a tube tank. I ordered Volcano's Sweet Tart 16 mg juice with it, but after 2 days of practicing my draw I have a hard time inhaling because it causes me to cough. I'm taking very small easy draws, but still coughing. [/SIZE][/SIZE]

What you are experiencing is perfectly normal for a new vapor. It takes our body a week or two to get used to vapor, just as it took time for us to get used to cigarette smoke. E-cigarette guides Archives - ECF InfoZone

 

[wanttoknow1]

I started with Blu e-cig and at first coughed seemed to harsh almost quite. Then learned slow and steady.
Just got twist & a bolt , when frist trying these about cough my brains out or what’s left of them.
Learnd again slow and steady and not the same amout I did with a cig . A vid I watched said push button as bringing it to your mouth count two second let go of button and keep inhaling a bit. Really helped me out.

 

[SilentEyedStorm]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Prior to getting this thing, I watched a few videos on vaping techniques, so I was already doing the hold in mouth before inhaling. I thought it might have been the juice blend. I went to a health food store and bought 100% VG and found some strawberry flavoring at Wally World.

Just mixed up a bit of VG and the strawberry flavoring to compensate for flavor loss. My tank is small so I didn't need to add much, added a tiny bit to the top of the cart and I think that did the trick. I can now vape without hacking......still keeping the puffs small though. Plus, the flavor is better now. Looks like I'm going to have to be careful that I order higher VG blends.

So, now another question. What blend would be good? 60/40? 70/30? Keep in mind I'm using a tank with a punched cart inside. Everyone is so nice here. Thanks for the help.

 

[opal]

by adding VG and flavor you also lowered your nicotine some.. I find the higher nicotine level the higher my cough ratio. I use 100% VG but am not using a tank system. I have volts and well.. the whole variety of smokeless image delivery devices.. just no carto in tank things going on here.

 

[pdxrex]

Don't have negative thoughts about Juicy Vapor just because they have a new rewards program. They have always provided quality juices that I enjoy & you don't even need to join their club. If you enjoy their juice don't let other peoples opinions of their club affect your experience with them!!! Also remember that some people can be allergic to ingredients as well that could be causing your coughing. If you have friends that vape see if they will let you try some of their blends as well!

 

[VA Slim]

As mentioned before in this thread, drinking lots of water is key. Vapor seems to dry my throat out really fast, one would think since it is water vapor that this would not be true. I use a mostly PG mix because VG upsets my stomach for some reason. It's a journey, good luck, and happy vaping.

 

[johnms88]

As a non smoker, i have tried back to back the same juice before and after nicotine was added. I can vape fine without the nicotine, but once its added I cough up a storm a,d it burns my throat. I would consider a lower nicotine concentration and just vape a bit more if needed to try and resolve your issue

 

[SilentEyedStorm]

The lower nicotine could be the cause of the harshness too. Good thing the juices I ordered are a lower nicotine (12mg) so I should be able to figure it which it is. I'm cool with the way I've got it fixed up for now.......but that could change tomorrow

 

[chris_vazquez1]

16 mg is a bit high if you're looking for less throat hit. 11 and 12 mg juices seem to have the sweet spot for throat hit for me. They just take a little longer to hit the "spot," but I enjoy them more. The higher 16+ juices overpower the flavor for me.