Recommendations?

[Balthezar]

Ok, Traceur, we aren't trying to hassle you, it's just hard for us to understand anyone wanting to do this that isn't trying to get off of analogs. That's the reason most of us are doing it. It's a very difficult thing to get rid of a nasty habit, and we take it very seriously. For some one to come in and want to vape for no reason is hard to comprehend, and we don't understand wanting to spend thousands of dollars on something that is not needed to save one's life. To us it starts to look like a trendy thing, and we are having enough trouble with FDA and others trying to say it's a bad thing, instead of helping us, and if young people just do it to do it, then that will give them more leverage to make it harder for us. Not to sound harsh or anything, but can you understand that?

 

[mra1]

yeah i started out with the t-rex they worked great for me

 

[Traceur]

I understand, but think about it, why did a lot of you start smoking in the first place? Because it was trendy or cool. I don't see the difference between starting to smoke and starting to vape. Do you think the FDA is going to notice me, an 18 year who could pass for 25, and use this against e cigs? I seriously doubt it. I enjoy the feeling I get from smoking but instead of going down that road and becoming an addict, I'm choosing to vape with 0 nic instead. Like I said to another person on this forum, would it satisfy you and all the other vapers if I first got addicted to nicotine from analogs and then switch to vaping?

 

[dotma]

Traceur -- If I may -- I think some of the reason you get "hassled" is because many many of us on here started off smoking when we were young, it was fun, it was cool, everybody else was doing it. There were no ecigs then. Then one day you realize that you are mortal and that these things are not gonna kill you right this minute, but they are gonna kill you. Most of us have smoked for 10, 20, 30, or more years. A lot of that time is spent, after the initial "fun" realizing that you are totally addicted. Then you try to quit. You try everything, you try pills, and cold turkey, and patches, and gum. And you realize that none of these are effective, because after a month, a year, 5 years, 10 years, you still have the urge to smoke. And so you fall back in. For many of us, this is the one and only way we have found to quit smoking. But it is trading one addiction for another. Now we worry about, will i run out of juice? What if my batteries die? What if this doesnt work??

So from this perspective I think you can see how frustrating it is when some young person is coming in, who does not smoke, does not have the addiction, and they actually want it! It's like we have had this demon on our back for years, more years than you have been alive, and we would do anything to go back in time and not have had that very first cig, so we didnt have to worry about all this stuff. But its too late for that.

 

[Balthezar]

And yes, when i started smoking it was to be cool, and a pack of analogs cost 75 cents. Now you're lucky to find them for less than $7 a pack, with all the regulating going on.
And no, it would not please anyone for you to go with any nic, we are just concerned as to why you want to even start. That's all.

 

[Variable]

Don't buy anything that uses proprietary batteries - once they die you'll have to buy another PV. Lurk the forums some more and look for recommendations on things that use rechargeable batteries that you can buy from any electronics store.

People here will keep hassling you because they're afraid the FDA will ban ecigs if they start to attract non-smokers. Just don't advertise the fact you're a non-smoker and you'll be fine. Personally, if I were "addicted" to cigarettes I'd be more worried about promoting ecigs as smoke cessation devices than with nonsmokers picking it up, as far as the FDA/government goes. Ignore the inquiries over why start vaping, you could as well ask them why they started smoking.

I think saying that the whole purpose of ecigs is to get people off cigarettes is disingenuous at best. Do we really need so many flavors and mods to stop smoking? No, all we need is a 901 for that. Picking up a habit can be great for you. I'm a long time pipe smoker and picking that up did wonders for me.

I don't care if you're a kid or a geezer, but I had to say this. Do what you will with your life. If you do some research you'll find both VG and PG are very unlikely to kill you.

 

[dotma]

I think saying that the whole purpose of ecigs is to get people off cigarettes is disingenuous at best.

Well then i will say that for me it was. I had no idea all of this stuff even existed when i got my first one.

 

[Balthezar]

I got a cheapo for my first one JUST to help me quit. And I did say for MOST of us it is a way to quit, not the whole purpose of them was for that, but that is the reason they were invented in china to begin with, as an aid in helping people to stop smoking.

 

[dotma]

Thank you, Balthezar.

 

[Traceur]

I appreciate your concern but I've already told you why I started. Maybe you misunderstood but I've been vaping for about 4 weeks now. I've also been using 18mg nic cartomizers because they don't sell 0 nic or anything lower than 18mg at the store I purchased them from. Once I buy my starter kit, I'm going to stick with 0 nic. And people are different, as in some get addicted or effected by certain chemicals or drugs in various ways and at different rates. I'm not addicted to nicotine and I don't plan on being either.

 

[Variable]

And I did say for MOST of us it is a way to quit, not the whole purpose of them was for that, but that is the reason they were invented in china to begin with, as an aid in helping people to stop smoking.

No, the reason they were invented was profit - same reason as for any other business.
Then people started marketing them as smoke cessation devices, which if done here in the US will get you in trouble fast.
Ecig manufacturers in the US have had to prove in court that they were not targeting those trying to quit smoking.

 

[EMatic550]

imho, if one wants to vape, do it. Yeah for us ex smokers its an excellent way to get off analogs, but if the dude wants to vape and is asking for opinions all good, brah. But word of warning, it could lead to other things...

 

[Balthezar]

I said the exact same thing when I was 16, and again at 18, and again when I was 21, and again when I was 30. Go figure. I'm not trying to preach or anything, just speaking from experience.

 

[B4DJ1N64N]

I was start smoking @ 13 years old, so I can't tell people not to vape, even they are weren't a smoker. Vaping are better than smoking at least. I rather have one of my non-smoking friend start vaping than start smoking.
So, welcome to ECF Traceur. T-Rex are an ego clone, if you still want to get that kit, just buy the 1000+ mah. The bigger the better.

 

[classwife]

This is an e-cigarette forum to discuss e-cigarettes...regardless.


If someone is going to "smoke" we should be praising them for choosing e-cigs instead of tobacco cigarettes.

People ARE choosing e-cigs because they realize it is a smarter alternative....we only had tobacco cigarettes, this generation has an option.

 

[Traceur]

Exactly my point. I still appreciate all the concern, though, but I'm a big boy and can make my own decisions.

 

[Traceur]

I hate bulky e cigs, even if their batteries are way better than other smaller pv's. I like pen style and any slim pv. It's discreet.

 

[Balthezar]

I will lay off, I've said my piece and voiced my concerns, and I hope you realize we are all concerned. And classwife is right, we should be helping. I can be a crotchety old man sometimes (well, not that old ), my nephew just got out of the hospital not long ago with a collapsed lung, he's only 22 and smokes (still), so I'm just a little paranoid about young people starting a habit like that. I realize you don't want to use nicotine, and I commend you for that. I would just hate to see you go to it or something worse. If I haven't said it, welcome to ECF.

 

[SaNX]

It would be better to start with mods, it will save your money. the best is to use mods with ability to change volts.

 

[rolygate]

I would like to state the 'ECF position' on non-smokers starting to vape.

Our team have discussed it several times and up till now the opinion has always been that it should be discouraged. There were several reasons for this, such as the FDA problems, public opinion, ammunition for antis, and so on. However, the last few months have seen some radical changes in most of these factors. The FDA have been defeated and unless a vendor markets their product as a quit-smoking aid (and thus a pharmaceutical by the current legal definition), they cannot impede sales. They will bring in new regulations, or attempt to, but that is another story.

Our media image has been poor in the past because journalists simply reprinted the propaganda published by the FDA and the other pharma-backed groups such as the alphabet astroturfers. No doubt journalists were unaware that the FDA can operate as a pharma industry propaganda channel, but they seem to be waking up to that now. In fact our media image has taken a giant U-turn and is now very positive.

The antis will no doubt attempt to argue that vaping is a gateway to smoking, but they will need to show some evidence for this, which will be either hard or impossible to find.

E-cigs are the smart person's new 'smoking'. That's how they'll start now. You can fight it but it will get bigger and bigger. It's just a fact that new nic users (or just social puffers of zero-nic) will start with an e-cig in the future - and that is beginning to be seen now. We can accept it or fight it. It is now time to accept that people will start out with an e-cig - or at least the intelligent ones will.

So from now on we will disapprove of newcomers being criticised if they are non-smokers. Our official line is that new, non-smoker vapers are not to be discouraged. Yes, it would be preferable if they did not admit to that, but honesty is a hard trend to buck for some people.

As usual ECF is at the front and many will disagree with this change of policy. But as every year passes, more will start with an e-cig and less will start with tobacco cigarettes. That is a good thing because if someone is going to smoke, it's better if they don't, and they vape instead. We will catch some flak from the antis over this but if the alternative is to suppress the truth, it cannot be a good idea. We have all had enough with those people trying to suppress the truth and there is no need for us to join them.

So, please modify your commentary in light of this new direction, as we will need to edit or delete posts that do not comply.