Noob Question.. AGAIN I'm sure!

[yawppy]

Tonight was watching the evening news, reading the paper, chilling with my favorite smoke, Marlborro Light 100's.. a smoker of 26 years or so, tried to quit cold turkey, yeah right LOL.. so tried the patch.. nope.. went to gum.. nope, Wife, and several friends have quit, using Chantix, tried it.. nope... problem is I like smoking, enjoy it tremendously, and well that is the problem.
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But the Tax Man here in RI is killing me , and yet I still manage, but not for much longer.. so any rate, back to the beginning of my evening.. reading the paper, listening to the evening news cast, when I hear about the E Cig, hmm what is that lady doing at her computer puffing away, Smoking bans lifted? again HA!
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Well this seems to be the only answer to me, now where to start, Youtube ..Check.. Google.. Check.. WOW.. Lots to cover, so many questions, as with any Noob, sure this will only be my first posting.
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Have seen a few others, but wanted to get fresh info to probably some old questions, so is "vaporing? " right for me, does seem like it, so here's just a few of my many questions:
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Sounds safe... Is it? Been in Europe for years? Really?,
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OK.. so been to a few sites, seen starter kits ranging from $40-$200, quite a range.. Just how cost effective is this?
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Where are reputable retailers, are there any Brick retailers, or all of them online?
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Just how long till the FDA, Non Smoke idiots, and Tax ....s mess this up?
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And last but not least: I have smoked a while, never liked the Menthols, and have tried cigars, usually the flavored ones are not to my liking, so what should I get as my first E cig, one that will replicate the true flavor, throat hit of the real flavored tobacco?
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K well it is now ET 19:47, and I will be looking forward to the rush of posts to come.. Hopfully!

 

[CaptJay]

First off go read here http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ping-illustrated-guide-e-cigs-part-1-6-a.html - read all 6 parts (its not as long as you might think lol)
Then take a look at http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...icles-validate-e-cigs-safer-than-analogs.html
and also http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...buying-using-electronic-cigarette-primer.html

That should answer a lot of questions and start you on your journey
(btw Ive been vaping for 7 months, no smoking at all, from a 25 year smoking history, and my health is better than ever, especially breathing)

Welcome to ECF

 

[yawppy]

TY--CaptJay,

So Vaping is working for you?.. It sounds and looks like a great alternative, TY for the leads, just opened up the 1-6..looks good!

 

[AJMoore]

Like anything, you need to WANT to quit. E cigs are the best thing ever if you have your mind made up. I was a smoker (a real smoker, not an occasional smoker) for 41 years. Quitting with the e cig has been EASY, yes, easy.

Remember, when you change a brand of cigarette it takes a little while to get used to it, same with e cigs. I don't think anything exactly replicates smoking, not exactly, but you'll become so accustomed so quickly you'll be amazed.

I studied this forum for 2 months, I really mean I studied, but I still didn't make the perfect choice right out of the gate. I suppose everyone will try something a little less expensive to get the hang of it but I like many others went quickly to a mod. I wish I had gone straight to a 5V mod and been done with it but I worked my way up to it.

Your potential success rate has increased ten fold by just finding this forum. Ask away and you'll get all the help you can stand.

 

[CaptJay]

Vaping blows smoking cigs out of the water as far as the whole 'smoking experience' goes tbh - its just not quite as convenient but to me its an easy trade off. And no tar - oh and no smoker's cough since the first 2 weeks either lol.

 

[Automaton]

Hey Yawppy, welcome to ECF!

Yup, I tried everything too (except Chantix - that drug scares me). This is the only thing that worked for me.

Is it safe? All preliminary studies (even the ones the FDA did, no matter how they try to spin it) shows that it is. The vaporizing mechanism is well-understood, and all the ingredients in e-juice, when they are of proper consumable grade, are common and considered safe.

However, this is still the Wild West days of e-cigs. Are there any long-term effects? It's unlikely, but we don't know. Does every vendor make safe juice? 99% do, but occasionally, some don't.

Basically, you need to do your homework before you buy from anyone, and that it is never a good idea to breathe anything besides clean, fresh air into your lungs... but this is almost certainly a LOT better than smoking.

If you have cost in mind, it can be very cost-effective. The Kr808D-1 and the 510 are the best-loved most common starter kits, and you can get either one for about $35. Tack on some extra juice - $10. That alone will get you going for a couple weeks.

Then, yes, you will have to buy more stuff. You will want one or two extra batteries ($15-20), more juice (or you can go DIY - I got a DIY set-up for about $35, and it's still going because of PIF - will explain below), and, depending on if you go with cartomizers or atomizers, you will want extras of those (plan on spending $20-40).

So, the initial outlay is definitely more than cigarettes.

But, in a relatively short period of time, you can make it a lot cheaper.

I've been vaping for a month and a half. I have spent a grand total of about $130.

And I've been able to do that because I DIY most of my own juice, and I am involved on the Pay It Forward group, where I can trade, give, and take various items.

So at this point, vaping isn't costing me anything except the occasional 2 bucks of shipping. And I get to help people out, and people help me out.

And, I do this because I am extremely budget-conscious. I was only spending $50 a month on smoking (rolling my own with bulk tobacco), and I could barely afford that.

So, if you want to, you can make vaping VERY cheap.

Of course, you can also spend thousands of dollars trying everything. But you don't need to.

Brick and mortal retailers are very few and far between. There's mall kiosks and gas stations sometimes have them too, but it's usually overpriced, and not that high quality. For the most part, all the good stuff is online.

I have personally had great experiences with the following vendors:
ElectroNicStix (Kr808D-1 kit)
Good Prophets (charging case, cartos)
MyFreedomSmokes (juice and DIY supplies)
OneStopDIYShop (DIY supplies)

...And there are plenty more.

I have also had exceptional experiences with every member on ECF that I have swapped or PIF'ed with.

No one knows how the FDA thing is gunna go, but personally... I'm not that worried. I'll continue to fight it, but I'm not worried.

 

[sofocused978]

Those links Captjay posted should keep you busy yawppy. I got my ecig last Thursday and threw my butts in the trash later that night and haven't had once since. Loving my e-cig. Glad you found this forum. The people here are awesome.

 

[Waho]

It took me a good week to quit analogs entirely, like AJmoore said, its likke changing brands, takes a bit to get used to it. Just stick with it and don't feel bad about reaching for your cigarettes at first.

 

[petem]

Seems like the 510 followed by the KR808d-1 are the most popular. I first went with a greensmoke before I found this fourm. Ok product, way over priced, battery life poor for my needs. After researching here got a ego and I am happy with it for now.

 

[quasimod]

[...] Just stick with it and don't feel bad about reaching for your cigarettes at first.

+1! Some people never smoke another cigarette after their first vape. It takes a couple of weeks for most of us. It took me about 3 months of not really trying very hard (30+ years smoking 3 packs of Kools pr day). For an unlucky few, it doesn't work at all.

You're way ahead of the game, because you came here before you started burning that credit card up. Vendors aren't allowed to post here in New Members, so there won't be any sales pitches to decipher. There will be a lot of opinions and advice, though. I hope you're ready for a crash course in vapology!

 

[beachbaby]

Hi Yawppy and welcome! I am new to this vaping thing also (3 weeks this Wednesday) and in my opinion this is just what I needed. I wanted to quit smoking and have tried many, many times in the past but with no success. I have been smoking 30+ years and I just about gave up until my daughter hooked me up with this new gadget. I think what has made this so easy for me is that it feels like I'm still smoking a cigarette. I still have the same hand to mouth motion that I had before and I still feel like I'm inhaling a cigarette. Plus, when I exhale it still looks and feels like a regular cigarette. I have not had a real cigarette in five days and for me this is a major accomplishment. I am so glad I made the investment to try the e-cig.

Good luck as you make your decision. There is a vast knowledge base in this forum. Everyone is extremely helpful and they don't mind helping out noobs like us!

 

[Nobodyatall]

Yawppy, I smoked for 30 years and vaping is working great for me. Like people say, it's a little different, but effective. You can pretty much turn off your BS detector while reading thru what people put on this forum. The info is GOOD(TM) and BS gets shot down real quick like.

I can only encourage you to study the models and performance people describe, select appropriately and dive in!

It'll cost you what? About the price of a carton of cigs? To be rid of them and tell the taxman to kiss your ... at the same time?

Smokin' deal, methinks.

And there is more to life than the taste of "real tobacco"... I could not care less for it at this juncture. You may find the same.

 

[DrOckW]

My experience.

I smoked for over 10 years (not many compared to some) I loved my cigs. I smoke cigars (not flavored because I have elitist taste when it comes to cigars), I smoke pipes (again not cheap flavored tobacco). I enjoyed the whole process and haven't quit for more than 2 weeks in those years.

I picked up a $100 Smoke Everywhere kit because I wanted to try it, More than I wanted to quit. I enjoyed it, I liked it so much I found myself smoking less. I didn't try to quit at all mind you. Over the next few days I just didn't smoke, I preferred my vapor. I had a cigarette about a week later and tasted nothing but tar. I smoked Marb Ultralights 100's. It was disgusting just a few hits and I was nauseated, and I was done.

Here's my point, I wasn't going for the best e-cig... I know plenty of people dislike the model I use. I got my wife one and she didn't like it either. We bought one at 7-11 the Xhaleo2 (read my reviews). It's $20 and was decent. I would suggest buying the $20 Xhaleo2 kit. Try the kit, if you like it buy another, if you like vaping but hate the kit buy a more expensive model.

The cartridges taste more smokey and are not sweet and flavored (Don't buy the Xhaleo2 Hookah as it's no nicotine and has terrible flavors). My wife, mother, and future father in law all quit using the Xhaleo2 kit.

Give it a shot, don't work at the quitting part, that takes care of itself.

FWIW feel free to ask me questions about my experience, I also have spent my unfair share of time reading about the e-cigs and the juices.

Doc

 

[prawdaeh]

TY--CaptJay,

So Vaping is working for you?.. It sounds and looks like a great alternative, TY for the leads, just opened up the 1-6..looks good!

I've been cigarette free since 8/13/2010...well ok not totally cig free..but all i've had since then was half a cigarette after i ate some food the first night...and then 3 hits off a cigarette i decided to put out because it didn't taste good.

There are tons of threads mentioning popular brands. My advice? Be sure not to fall for Blu, Greensmoke - or most others out there costing $100-$150 claiming they use disposable cartridges and charge $15 for a pack of 5 carts.

I personally recommend something like what i ordered to start out - Joye eGo (janty and totally wicked have their own branded version of the exact thing). It's more expensive than a 510 but not horribly..and the battery life is worth it. A good number of people on these forums will recommend a Riva instead..I'm guessing it's just as good.

A lot of people say the 510 is a great starter e-cig...I say avoid the hassle and extra money spent - you'll end up wanting a bigger battery most likely.

Don't take my word for it however - go read up there is way more advice on these forums than i have to offer.

Mind you - I knew i wanted to quit smoking when I ordered my e-cig..and i couldn't wait for it to get here.. There are several stories of people who weren't trying to quit that ended up quitting because they liked vaping so much more.

There are some stories of it not working for some people...and there are stories of it working for some people but they find out they're allergic to the solution bases or flavorings in the juice. Some have remedied this by switching from PG based juice to VG based juice.

I'm just trying to sum up what i've learned so far for you, I apologize for hogging this thread. Reviews are all over youtube, and information is readily availble here. And almost everyone here seems to be entirely supportive and happy to help you out.

Some even get all emotional inside when they find out it's working for someone.

I've tried everything else before this man...and i've gone 3 and a half days without a cigarette and nobody's dead because of me. I call it...SUCCESS!

edit - dr0ck makes a good point - if you can test it for $20 to see how you feel about it give it a shot. My first purchase cost around $124. (i ordered a good amount of extra juice, atty's, and blank carts" But Again i went for battery life and reviews about throat hit and amount of vapor and had a strong desire to be rid of cigarettes. you might save some money going with his advice if you decide you don't like it. But don't let the first hit fool you! I couldn't even inhale the first hit - it hit my throat and "hack". But that ended quickly.

 

[yawppy]

WOW.. HOLLY WOW!.. What have I stumbled across, Vaporizing... CaptJay.. Yep that kept me busy, still got more to do, but am still unclear on a few things..(OF course) But very excited, and TY, everyone for some more tid bits to think over.

Well I have decided to get the JOYE 510, and Marl bro juice.. but WOW there are millions, if not billions of vendors out there. But have a feeling I'll soon be posting a few youtubes and forum posts of all my newest vaporizers..KOOL

Just curious, seen the little cake icing flavorings, have heard folk talk about DIY, making they're own juice, and liked the pass it forward idea, anyone have info where to look into that for later reference,

K.. Again TY for the tips, info, advice, and comradeship!

 

[War Mouse]

I would just like to say be sure to try other flavors as well as strengths in nicotine. Look around RI, I'm sure there is a group that gets together regularly. You can trade flavors and get tips from people as well as support. Look into it.

 

[Laddsy]

I have been off the smokes now for 7 weeks and didn't find the adjustment that hard. I started with a 510 and then upgraded to a Riva after the first few weeks. The 510's are great, but battery life is pretty bad. I can use my Riva's all day without needing a charge.

Also when I started out I was sure I wanted something that looked and tasted like a cigarette, but that didn't last long lol. I have 14 bottles of juice sitting on my desk here at work with flavors like Cinnamon, Blueberry, English Toffee, Red Bull, mountain dew etc. Yummy yummy