The Fabulous Five-Ten from NHaler: A Personal Illustrated Guide
Part 3 of 3: What to Do with It
In Parts 1 and 2, you learned what NHaler’s 510 is, why it is fabulous, and what you need to order to make it work. This concluding installment shows you what to do with your order when it arrives at your doorstep. [NOTE: There are many instructional videos in this installment. Because they were produced before NHaler began carrying the 510, other suppliers are mentioned. I’m sure that they are good and worthy businesses. Just not as good.
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You’ve placed your order and now you wait the requisite 48 to 72 hours (the longest of your life). To help sustain you during this difficult period, remind yourself why you are going through this agony by rereading Part 1 of this guide and/or watching the following video. In the most unique way I’ve ever seen, BigIceDog tells us why he vapes a 510:
Well … the day has arrived! You open your mailbox or (if you ordered a lot of stuff) you hear a knock on your door. Hooray! It’s here!
The Opening
You tear open the outer mailing envelope or box and the bubble wrap (necessary but #@$% ß that’s the technical term). The fun of opening bubble wrap is demonstrated during the first 50 seconds of this video by “510review.” (Wow, his parents named him after an electronic cigarette, even before it was invented!)
[ACHTUNG: Do not watch past the 50 second mark … until I tell you to! You have been warned.]
Inside you see this 2½” white cube, two 6 ml bottles of juice, and a couple NHaler business cards, plus whatever else you may have ordered … and, probably, one or two things you didn’t order: maybe a small bottle of juice, a drawstring cloth pouch, and/or a small metal tin. Those are pleasant surprises [and I make good use them], but what you want to get your hands on first is that electronic cigarette you ordered. DaBoomVape said it came in a white box, but this seems so small.
Curious, you open it up and see a tiny folded black card. Oh, those are the instructions; I’ll look at that later. [OFFICIAL PRONOUNCEMENT: Always read instructions before use! Yeah, right!]
Underneath that card you see:
Whoa! What is this? I thought the 510 was supposed to look kind of like a regular cigarette? This looks like one of those weird box mods that I’ve read about. Don’t panic; that’s just the wall charger. Whew!
Squeezed in next to that you see a black cord. Oh, that must be for the charger.
Underneath that, you see two very small flat white boxes. This is like those nested Chinese boxes! Well, it was made in China, after all.
Inside the bigger box are five small black thingies. Oh yes, the cartridges. I’ll need those … but where’s my e-cig?
Boy, I sure hope my 510 e-cig is in that final and smallest box … somehow!
You open that and see what appear to be three small batteries in plastic wrappers; two of them have the buttons on the side that you read about. Now we’re getting somewhere! But where are the atomizers … and why is there a third battery without a button?
As you open that third “battery,” it falls apart. Oh my goodness! I broke it already!
But then you realize that, in fact, those are the two atomizers. Aha! Here now are your two complete 510 e-cigs (minus the cartridge/mouthpiece)!
Phew!
Believe it or not, that is exactly how I remember my 510 box opening experience. [Well, I cheated a little bit in my rendition here, since I had seen a wall charger before.]
Now you can go ahead and watch the rest of that 510review video … and/or view GrimmGreen’s grand opening experience (you’ll see that I was not the only one who was faked out by that little box and what was inside):
[NOTE: In Part 1, I said this series would rely on the help of three wise men and a woman, among others. Our third “wise man” is actually a composite of several men (and women), led by GrimmGreen and igetcha. I have yet to introduce the “wise woman.”]
After all that, I need a cigarette! No wait, better yet – let me vape this thing!
Battery Charging and Your First Vape
MsT explains the parts of the 510 (guys, it doesn’t have to be pink) and how to recharge it:
Notice that the prices she quotes are for one battery and one atomizer (and separate USB-only charger). However, she does sell some e-liquids in flavors that NHaler does not carry, e.g., French Toast, Animal Crackers, Pumpkin Spice Frosted Doughnut, and Butterscotch Caramel Cheesecake. Isn’t that all so … Martha Stewart. [Clarification: I have no reason to believe that MsT has ever been incarcerated.]
You are in conflict: you’ve read that you should charge the batteries for 4 to 8 hours before use, but you’re just dying to try it out. I’ll compromise! Charge one of the batteries like a good little boy or girl and start vaping the other one just a bit.
MsT showed you how to screw the battery into a USB charger. [You do it the same way with your wall charger.] And you are able to figure out for yourself how to plug the charger into a wall outlet or power strip. Similarly, you really don’t need her help (or mine) to screw the atomizer and other battery together. It’s not rocket science.
And her video reminded you to open up one of the cartridge packets. You see that there is a plastic “condom” on the end (to keep the juice moist). You remove that and put it to the side (you might have a need for it in the future). You push the cartridge into the atomizer. If you have the flat whistle-tip carts, the correct orientation will be obvious (relative to the button). But if you have the round-tip carts, according to Hellen A. Handbasket:
For those of you that are not sure the right way to line up your cart to the atty... Look at this picture. See the white part down in the bottom of the atty? See how the shape matches the rim of the cart edge? That’s the direction you want to keep your cart to line up as you insert it into the atty. That way the wick makes good contact with the cart filler.
[NOTE: The filler in your cartridge is not blue. What’s shown in that photo is the “blue foam mod” described further below.]
Now the big moment! You stick it in your mouth and puff. Nothing happens. Oh, that’s right! I forgot to press the button. So you do it again, pressing the button while you inhale. Oh, I felt something there, but not much. And where’s this vapor everybody talks about?
The problem is not with your new 510; it’s with your drag technique. You’re attempting to do it the same way as you have smoked an analog cigarette: a short, sharp puff directly into your lungs. But an e-cig, although similar in some ways, is not an analog (it’s better, but different). So some brief instruction is in order…
Using his penstyle e-cig (with an automatic battery), joshuajamerson explains and demonstrates what you did wrong and contrasts that with the more effective way to do it:
[NOTE: Since you have a 510 manual battery, you don’t have to worry about that “fine line” he mentions. You just press the button and drag as long as you want.]
If you like, you can do this using a British accent, as demonstrated by igetcha:
[That second “primer puff” technique is not applicable to the 510 with its manual button. Just press the button and do what igetcha does with his first “long controlled drag” technique.]
One aspect of puffing on an e-cig that neither of them mentions is the two-phase inhale that most of us use. That long leisurely drag is not directly into your lungs (as with an analog), but into your mouth … and then inhale into your lungs.
Why don’t you give it a try?
That was much better, wasn’t it? Lots of vapor and you really felt it. Oh, you want to go right back and do it again, huh? OK! Have at it for a couple minutes … and start evolving your own puffing/inhaling style!
If you’d like to blow smoke rings, igetcha shows you how:
All right … that’s enough for now. You may have noticed a rather unpleasant taste as you were vaping. Don’t worry; you are about to find out how to take care of that. First, fully charge both of your batteries. Speaking of batteries, if you purchased the kit with the PCC, you should charge that now as well. While all that charging is going on, why don’t you watch this review and demonstration of the 510 PCC by igetcha:
Batteries not fully charged yet? Just as well; we need to learn some…
Basic Operating Procedures
To do that, let’s bring in our wise woman, ECF’s Kristin. Her Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Your 510 tutorial provides the foundation for effective continued use of your 510. [I’ll be quoting only brief portions here. I urge you to read it thoroughly: now and several times during the next week or so.] We’ll supplement her wisdom with that of others from the vaping community, who will be joining us by video.
In the Getting Started portion of her tutorial, to get rid of that unpleasant taste, Kristin advises you to:
…blow out your atomizer. The atomizer comes from the factory with a “primer fluid” to keep it moist, but it tastes terrible. Simply place your mouth over the threaded end and blow hard [and steadily] onto a paper towel until no more liquid comes out. [NOTE: This is the same thing to do if your atomizer ever becomes flooded with too much e-liquid at once.] There may still be some primer fluid on the atomizer, so…
…take a few puffs into your mouth [but don’t inhale into your lungs] and blow it directly out, to get the liquid flowing into the atomizer. Give 20-30 seconds between puffs, so the atomizer doesn’t get too hot. If you continue to taste a burnt/chemical taste, this is the atomizer burning off the primer fluid. Continue to “puff & blow” until the taste diminishes. If the taste gets worse, add two more drops directly onto atomizer again and continue to “puff and blow.”
Optimizing the Cartridge [aka: More Cartridge Information Than You Ever Wanted to Know]
Unfortunately, virtually all cartridges right out of the box (not just the 510’s) are not as effective as many of us would like in delivering juice to the atomizer. Most vapers make up for this in one of two ways:
1. Bypassing the cartridge and dripping 2-4 drops of juice directly onto the atomizer. This is the simplest method and requires no advance preparation. Therefore, it is the one lazy Don prefers. I just use the mouthpiece after yanking out the cartridge material. This works very well when sitting at my desk at home. Its downside is that dripping is awkward to do when out and about, especially when driving.
2. Modifying the cartridge filling and/or how you refill it. What follows are the myriad ways to do this.
Topping off the cartridge by squirting a few drops on top of the filler material is simple, but the juice doesn’t necessarily soak all the way through. So the inventive members of ECF have come up with other techniques (which also can be used when filling a blank cartridge from scratch), including:
Injection with a syringe. [You should have seen my wife’s expression when I opened a package of supplies containing the syringe. I think she misunderstood where I was going to inject the liquid.] It’s demonstrated by one of my mentors, RitaLee76:
- The straw mod, demonstrated by our second “wise man,” the video prolific MoobyGhost:
- And the toothpick technique (you can also use a bent paperclip), as demonstrated by John from the Evel Knievel school of driving:
- After a few refillings, the absorbent material in the cartridge becomes gunky. MoobyGhost shows us how to clean the polyfill in a cart and refill it with juice:
- GrimmGreen (along with many other vapers) re-stuffs the cartridge with a teabag of all things:
In that video, he uses a traditional teabag. Even more popular for this is the Pyramid Tea Bag (PTB).
- What recently may have become the most popular material to use is blue foam, described and illustrated in detail in this thread by eclipse … and demonstrated here by VaporHead:
I do sometimes remember my Boy Scout Motto and prepare a few cartridges in advance for use when I’m out in the world. When I do, I’ve applied an adaptation of the blue foam mod using AquaClear reticulated foam recommended by quovadis and Hellen A. Handbasket or Hagen Fluval Foam Inserts recommended by kevbow. [NOTE: The label on the box on the right emphasizes “fluval,” however these are the fluval foam inserts, not the same thing.]
So … was I right? Was that “More Cartridge Information Than You Ever Wanted to Know?”
- YES: Who knows, it may come in handy some day. And I bet at least one of your batteries now is fully charged. So…go ahead and apply all you’ve learned and vape!
While you are relaxing and vaping, you might enjoy watching the video that Mommy Raesunrae prepared for her son on the overview and use of the 510 and PCC:
Basic Maintenance
Electronic cigarette batteries and (especially) atomizers don’t last forever. This includes the 510 (although, in my experience, 510 parts last longer than most other models – after a month, I’m still on my first set of batts and attys). You can postpone that day of reckoning by performing basic maintenance.
- igetcha demonstrates general cleaning and maintenance of any e-cig:
- MoobyGhost shows us how to clean the atomizer:
- ZigCigs shows us how to clean all the components of the 510:
Replenishing Supplies
Even though 510 cartridges, atomizers, and batteries tend to last longer than most e-cig models, they don’t last forever. And e-liquid certainly doesn’t. So, on a regular basis, you’ll need to replenish this hardware and software.
The Hardware
When I turn in at night, I plug all my batteries into chargers. At the moment, I have only my original two 510 batteries. I plug one into the wall charger and the other into the PCC, which itself is plugged into a USB port on my computer. If you don’t yet have a PCC:
1. You’re probably finding that you could use one. At this time, Drew doesn’t sell them ala carte, however Rocky Mountain Vapor does. in several color choices: for $23 with free shipping.
2. Or you might want to get NHaler’s $45 Joye Tech 510 PCC Single Battery Starter Kit – providing you with, not only the PCC, but also an additional battery and atomizer. [As I write this installment, that kit currently is out of stock.]
3. Or you might want to get an additional charger, e.g., NHaler’s $12.50 Joye Tech USB combo Wall Charger – enabling charging of your battery or PCC in either a USB port or wall outlet/power strip. This also enables use of the 510 passthrough in a wall outlet/power strip. Pretty handy accessory, eh?
Over time, you will need to order replacement 510 batteries ($11.50), atomizers ($9), and pre-filled cartridges ($4.50). While you’re at it, why not try out different colors, flavors, and cartridge tips?
Perhaps you are finding that you love the 510, but you wish you didn’t have to recharge it so frequently and/or you’d like to try a longer e-cig (without having to give up the wonderful 510 atty). Well, NHaler has just the thing for you: the $18 Kr808D-1 Manual Xlong 380 mAh Mega Battery. Wow, that mAh is impressive – 2½ times the 510’s 150 mAh! But that’s the KR808D-1. How does it help me?
I’ve not seen a photo of what the assembled device looks like. [Let’s lobby Drew to put one up on his website or here in this forum!] I imagine that it looks somewhat like a penstyle: long, slender … and elegant!
[And compare the total price ($41) with what the similar length 360 mAh VP1/Spade/Vapre51 sells for: $100-$110.] While you’re at it, maybe you’ll want to try out those cartomizer thingies: the KR808D-1 carts or GreenCig carts (the latter will require either the $12 Cartomizer Adapter or $16 KR808D-1 Automatic 280 mAh Battery).
And, if you want a powerhouse 510, you can get the XHaler described in Part 2. Speaking of Part 2, occasionally browse through it again to reconsider additional options you didn’t pursue in your initial order – passthrough, car charger, portable power pack, travel cases, different colors, etc.
The Software (i.e., the Juice)
There are so many choices: in three categories (Nhale/Xhale, High Voltage, and Lung Juice), two sizes (6 ml or 30 ml), two nicotine levels (12mg or 24mg), and 30 different flavors – all described in Part 2. I urge you to try out different flavors (e.g., in 6 ml sizes), then order 30 ml bottles of your favorites.
If you are like me, you may want to supplement your nicotine vaping with non-nicotine (what I call “pacifier”) vaping – providing all the flavor and vapor, but without overwhelming your body with more nicotine than it craves. Drew doesn’t sell non-nicotine juice, but I’ve identified another, very inexpensive source that does: Tasty Vapor – four-ounce “doubler” bottles (that’s 120 ml) of flavored 0mg juice for $12, in any of 36 flavors plus 26 flavor combinations.
Conclusion
There is a lot more you can learn about the fabulous five-ten and how to enjoy it. Search the threads here in the NHaler forum, in the 510 Model Specific forum, and in the New Members forum (especially the Stickies). Ask the wise men and women. As you have seen, we’ve consulted many more than just 3+1 of them. Shown below (including RitaLee76 and Drew in the closing photo) are those we called on the most. [You’ll recognize the guys from their videos. We read the words of Kristin (in the top row) and heard the words, and saw the hands, of MsT (in the lower right).]
As a last resort, you can even ask me! [That “last resort” crack was modest self-deprecation and not meant to discourage you. Actually, I’d love to hear from you! Be forewarned: I’m not very technically savvy.]
In his inimitable way, pugilist BigIceDog points the way to find out even more about vaping:
Enjoy your 510 electronic cigarette and accessories, all the great NHaler juice … and your interactions with one of the very best suppliers in the business!
... but with 
