Finally jumping on the Vape Train!
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Congratulations, and welcome to the forum! You're right about saving money - take a look at my banner... Not all of us manage to go full-on right from the start (it took me about a month to make the full transition), so don't be too hard on yourself if it turns out you need a bit more time. But with that kind of commitment, you're definitely going to succeed! What kit did you order?
As catsitter said, not everyone goes completely smoke free from day one. Some people wean themselves off over a period of months. Whatever works for you is what works. I'm not saying you won't, but don't be discouraged if you can't. even cutting back and weaning off is better than not even trying. Every day you smoke less is a victory. Oh, and welcome to ECF.
Woohoo, nice starter kit! Go gentle with your first few hits - that kind of power can blow your head off (or at least cough your lungs out) till you're used to it - but then I started with the Ego and istick type batteries and only just graduated to the higher-power stuff about a month ago. What level nicotine did you order?
Welcome to ECF and congrats on your decision to switch to vaping!
While some people quit cigarettes immediately with vaping others take weeks or months to do so. You may be one of the lucky ones whose first vaping gear setup allows them to quit smoking immediately fairly easily but most people need to do at least a bit of experimenting with e-liquid (juice) and gear to find what works best for them. You do have the advantage of having purchased decent starter gear.
I would suggest that you make getting juice and gear that you find satisfying your first priority before you focus on quitting entirely. Associating a behavior that you wish to reinforce such as vaping with negative feelings of deprivation may end up working against you if you are less than delighted with your gear and juice. Celebrate the cigarettes you don't smoke and don't sweat the ones you do until you find gear and juice that works well for you. At that point, most, although not all, vapers find smoking downright icky which makes quitting a lot easier.
Also, vaping can easily cost more up front than smoking but there will be big savings down the line if you don't catch a bad case of shiny-itis where lusting after new gear gets the better of your wallet. Something else important to consider is that backups for backups is a vapers' mantra so budget for having enough gear/batteries/juice on hand that a single failure of one device, dead batteries or running out of juice won't tempt you to go back to smoking.
Best of luck on your vaping journey!
While some people quit cigarettes immediately with vaping others take weeks or months to do so. You may be one of the lucky ones whose first vaping gear setup allows them to quit smoking immediately fairly easily but most people need to do at least a bit of experimenting with e-liquid (juice) and gear to find what works best for them. You do have the advantage of having purchased decent starter gear.
I would suggest that you make getting juice and gear that you find satisfying your first priority before you focus on quitting entirely. Associating a behavior that you wish to reinforce such as vaping with negative feelings of deprivation may end up working against you if you are less than delighted with your gear and juice. Celebrate the cigarettes you don't smoke and don't sweat the ones you do until you find gear and juice that works well for you. At that point, most, although not all, vapers find smoking downright icky which makes quitting a lot easier.
Also, vaping can easily cost more up front than smoking but there will be big savings down the line if you don't catch a bad case of shiny-itis where lusting after new gear gets the better of your wallet. Something else important to consider is that backups for backups is a vapers' mantra so budget for having enough gear/batteries/juice on hand that a single failure of one device, dead batteries or running out of juice won't tempt you to go back to smoking.
Best of luck on your vaping journey!
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The higher nic level will be a big help in doing that clean break from analogs. It did for me, the first day I started vaping was the last day I picked up an analog.
It's always easier to dilute your juice down to get a lower nic level than to try to raise it. When I started vaping at high wattage, I went from 24 mg down to 6 mg pretty much overnight. That first day on 6 mg was tough, the cravings got pretty bad to the point where I actually got the shakes. By the second day it was much much better. I had gotten some 12 mg thinking that I might have dropped too far too soon, but the 12 mg just hit my throat way too hard. I've since settled on 6 mg and now two or three weeks on the 6 mg is perfect for me, although I am going through a bit more juice (~ 4-5 ml a day versus 3 ml a day). I had actually purchased some 3 mg a week ago and it did nothing for me, it felt the same as if I was vaping 0 mg.
It's always easier to dilute your juice down to get a lower nic level than to try to raise it. When I started vaping at high wattage, I went from 24 mg down to 6 mg pretty much overnight. That first day on 6 mg was tough, the cravings got pretty bad to the point where I actually got the shakes. By the second day it was much much better. I had gotten some 12 mg thinking that I might have dropped too far too soon, but the 12 mg just hit my throat way too hard. I've since settled on 6 mg and now two or three weeks on the 6 mg is perfect for me, although I am going through a bit more juice (~ 4-5 ml a day versus 3 ml a day). I had actually purchased some 3 mg a week ago and it did nothing for me, it felt the same as if I was vaping 0 mg.
Yeah, 18 mg would definitely be just a bit much with that set-up. But then, you may want to get a lower-powered set-up to use where big clouds would not be desirable. I still use the Egos with Kanger Protank 2s when I go to concerts or places were I have to sneak into bathrooms for a quick vape and then the higher nicotine is a good thing to have.
And do make sure you have back-up gear. Nothing worse than being caught out without a back-up and facing the choice of waiting till you can find something or having to go back to cigarettes... Many people even recommend having back-ups for your back-ups! It's all too easy to crack a tank or have some other unexpected disaster occur. I have tile floors throughout the house and have managed to lose 3-4 tanks to them so far...
And do make sure you have back-up gear. Nothing worse than being caught out without a back-up and facing the choice of waiting till you can find something or having to go back to cigarettes... Many people even recommend having back-ups for your back-ups! It's all too easy to crack a tank or have some other unexpected disaster occur. I have tile floors throughout the house and have managed to lose 3-4 tanks to them so far...
Oh, DIY is fun! Come over to the DIY forum and get acquainted with the http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/336110-flavor-apprentice-flavoring-thread.html It's huge, but take your time reading it. There is so much good advice, great recipes and really helpful people there. I'm sure you'll love it.
If you find that 18mg is too much with that rig, which is more than likely, you can get some glycerin from the drug store to cut it down.
The specs for the KBOX call for ≥20 amp batteries. That means 20 amps continuouspulse ratings are meaningless marketing drivel. If your flashlight batteries can't deliver 20 amps or more continuous purchase ones that do from a known reliable source such as Illumination Supply, Lighthound, Orbtronic or RTD Vapor. Vaping can be extremely demanding of batteries that have the potential to vent quite nastily so always play it safe.
If you dilute your juice with just VG, PG or a combo of the two you will also dilute the flavor. That might be an issue as smokers' tastebuds usually aren't so great. You could order the same flavors you ordered in in 0 mg. and use that for dilution for your 18 mg.
Many people find DIY'ing extremely enjoyable and you can save huge amounts of money on juice. If it interests you pop over to the DIY forum and read the stickies before you start playing mad scientist mixing juices.
My son commented yesterday how my desk is starting to look like a chem lab, with six different amber bottles of juice on it, with 5 mods sitting next to them with 5 tanks on it. I told him just wait until I get around to starting to DIY my own juice....then it will really look like a chem lab.
I have been a 2 pack a day smoker for 52 years, tried everything but e-cigs. I researched vaping and ordered equiptment have not had a cig. in 7 months now. if I can do it you sure can. sounds like you have a plan. Good luck.
It would probably cost you more to rig up a system than to just buy batteries that will work. Samsung 25R's or LG HE2's will run you about $9 a piece (the KBox only uses 1 battery) and even going with an Orbtronics SX30, which gives you a continuous 30 amp limit only costs $11 each.
Aside from the safety question, using underpowered batteries will likely void your warranty and will severely limit the versatility of your KBOX. You would be well ahead of the game both in aggravation, expense and safety to stick to the batteries jseah recommended from the suppliers I listed upthread rather than MacGuyvering anything involving batteries. Battery burns from 18650 batteries and shrapnel from a blown apart mod aren't great fun.
Your Kanger Subtank comes with an optional deck for building your own coils but there is a learning curve involved. Stick with the excellent pre-built coils for your Kanger Subtank while you are mastering your coil building skills. You can get help in the Rebuildable Atomizer Systems forum. For extremely handy math calculations for building use Steam Engine.
If you enjoy electronic tinkering ECF has a Modding forum that you might want to peruse. Take the safety advice offered there to heart.
Also, there are often money-saving ECF coops for items of interest to modders but you need to become a verified member in order to view and participate in that part of ECF, How To Become A Verified Member.
After more than 40 years of smoking I stopped all together after 1 1/2 weeks of vaping. Don't give yourself any added stress, keep the ashtrays around and smell them once in a while, it may help you give up the cigarettes after you start vaping.
I didn't have any plans on quitting smoking altogether, as a matter of fact, I promised myself I would smoke 1 cigarette a day. After 1 1/2 weeks, I forgot to smoke one day and the next cigarette I lit up made me gag.
Good luck to you and remember it's Tobacco Harm Reduction and not a quit smoking device (although some of us do quit by using it).
I didn't have any plans on quitting smoking altogether, as a matter of fact, I promised myself I would smoke 1 cigarette a day. After 1 1/2 weeks, I forgot to smoke one day and the next cigarette I lit up made me gag.
Good luck to you and remember it's Tobacco Harm Reduction and not a quit smoking device (although some of us do quit by using it).
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