Want to give vaping another try

[doris]

HI,
I tried vaping twice in the past. My last attempt was about 3 yrs ago--still have a bunch of EGO batteries untouched. I'm hoping that by now things are better. My main issues in the past were the life expectancy of atomizers--believe I only got 1 week no matter what & I got tired of messing with them & I disliked the weight of the battery but this was less of an issue. Since then I've been rolling my own at a cost of about $10 for a carton of 100s, so I don't want to spend a lot only to feel I've thrown my money away--once again.

BTW I picked up a Vuse just to see. I was surprised at the vapor & throat hit but thought is was a bit harsh & too pricey. My head is spinning doing research. I've been looking at the mig cig 21(?) e-cigarette) & the Aspire nautilus(?) mini.

I need recommendations for a set-up. Also any info on the life expectancies of various tanks.

TIA!
Doris

 

[Smilemoar13]

Yeah atomizers can be a bit hit and miss. I personally get around 3 weeks or so from my 0.5 ohm aspire ones but then I find it to very much dependant on the batch you get too. Sometimes you draw the short straw and get a bad batch but overall I find it much better than some of the horror stories I have heard in the earlier days.

As for the amount of vapor and throat hit you can adjust these by using more VG over PG and also by lowering the nic levels. I have heard that some smokers prefer at least some throat hit since it helps replicate the action of a cigarette better.

 

[roxynoodle]

There are many clearomizers today that are not disposable; just the coil/atomizer head is. The Nautilus mini is a good example, and very popular.

For the battery, look at the 30W istick or mvp 20W or 3.0.

 

[Baditude]

Life expectancy for the coil heads in clearotanks can be hit or miss. I understand the convenience of using factory made coils, but with the saving to be had with making your own coils and wicks, plus YOU being in charge of your own quality control, you can't really beat getting into rebuildables. You'll get much more satisfying results with the best flavor and most vapor production.

You'll need to buy a "mod" or Advanced Personal Vaporizer to use a rebuildable tank or drip atomizer. Building coils and wicks is easy and can be quite fun for a lot of people. Home-made coils can last months at a time, and wick changing (about once a week) with cotton is cheap and easy. Now's the time to research:

Advancing Up the Vaping Ladder

Battery Basics for Mods

Proper Terminology: Juice Delivery Devices

Information Resources for Your First RBA

 

[Wolfenstark]

Hello and Welcome Doris.
At this stage I'll not add more so to not overwhelm you.
Will say that vaping works , just read around this forum.

 

[john333]

If you want some detailed info find "Indoor Smokers" on YouTube. A lot of his vids apply to new Vapers. Good Luck

 

[WonderDude32]

I use a Nautilus full size daily. I love mine. I was a pack a day smoker and now vape full time. I started with a Kanger tank and didn't enjoy it and came close to going back. There will be some experimenting till you get the right nicotine level and mix of juice but PLEASE hang in there. I smoked for 20 years and ended with a heart attack at 41. Now I vape and feel like I'm in my 20s. My wife has noticed the changes too. This very well could save your life or the life of someone you love. And if you ever need a friend to help you get over a craving, message me or anyone here.

 

[doris]

Thanks for all the info! Update: I dug out my Ego batteries & started charging. I forgot how long it takes to charge & was afraid after a few hours that the batteries had expired--unwrapped some never used ones--plugged in a "new" atomizer & a cart that still had some of my DIY liquid. It was charging & I still really liked the flavor. Remembered that I had, at one time, only vaped--it was only those d..n atomizers. So I think what I'll do is go with re-buildables--after I learn what's involved. I like the idea of being able to control the quality. I'll need to do a ton more research but I can buy time because I have enough old supplies to last a couple of months--maybe. BTW I've smoked off & on(mostly on) for about 40 yrs. I think I'm smoking about a pack a day--I roll a cig when I need one so don't keep track. I'm also recently retired so $ is an issue. Any recommendations or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again! You guys always come through, & I appreciate it. Off to research.

 

[WonderDude32]

Fasttech is a great company with affordable items of all sorts. Visit and possibly make an aquaintance at a local vape shop to get a hands-on feel for things and possibly try some juices. If budget mindedness is a a goal, you may look in to making your own eliquid. I'm not a pro at mixing but I like what I make and do it for $.05ish per/ml. Research and read/watch reviews. This is also a great place to ask any questions. Maybe subscribe to a few youtube reviewers. Twisted 420 has kind of a bad mouth on him but gives precise reviews. Most are very spot on.

 

[Baditude]

Any recommendations or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

We have a couple of sayings worth mentioning:

It's not important how many cigs you may smoke that count, it's how many cigs YOU DON"T SMOKE that's important.

Backups for your backups. You can't vape if you don't have a charged battery, a working tank, and e-liquid available. So have a backup for everything you need to vape. Don't give yourself an excuse to buy a pack of cigarettes once you've quit.

Drink plenty of water. Pg & Vg in the e-liquid absorbs moisture from your mouth and throat, and can cause dehydration if this fluid is not replenished.[/QUOTE]

 

[kaahn]

HI,
I tried vaping twice in the past. My last attempt was about 3 yrs ago--still have a bunch of EGO batteries untouched. I'm hoping that by now things are better. My main issues in the past were the life expectancy of atomizers--believe I only got 1 week no matter what & I got tired of messing with them & I disliked the weight of the battery but this was less of an issue. Since then I've been rolling my own at a cost of about $10 for a carton of 100s, so I don't want to spend a lot only to feel I've thrown my money away--once again.

BTW I picked up a Vuse just to see. I was surprised at the vapor & throat hit but thought is was a bit harsh & too pricey. My head is spinning doing research. I've been looking at the mig cig 21(?) e-cigarette) & the Aspire nautilus(?) mini.

I need recommendations for a set-up. Also any info on the life expectancies of various tanks.

TIA!
Doris

Hey Doris. Funny you mention the mic cig21 and the aspire nautlis. That was my exact set up that got me off the analogs. Great set up IMO. Kangertech makes a similar battery but I just like the looks of the rebranded mig CIG. As far as the nautilus though...you can't go wrong there. I was using mine up until a few days ago when I passed it on to my brother in hopes to get him off the 'logs. Flavor is awesome, cleanup and maintainance doesn't get much easier and usability is very basic to learn. Coils are no to terribly expensive. About ten bucks for a 5 pack of coils and you get about 1.5 to 2 weeks use out of them. Not to shabby! Coil priming is easy especially with the new occ coils and bigger wicking holes. I wouldn't push the limits though and keep you viscosity of your juice 70/30 VG/PG or higher pg. Thicker juices do have wicking issues. But all in all I think it would be an excellent setup. Buy two so you will always have a backup. Good luck and I hope this helps!

On a side note...I liked the 5ml nauti better than the mini. Just thought I'd let you know!

 

[kaper]

Thanks for all the info! Update: I dug out my Ego batteries & started charging. I forgot how long it takes to charge & was afraid after a few hours that the batteries had expired--unwrapped some never used ones--plugged in a "new" atomizer & a cart that still had some of my DIY liquid. It was charging & I still really liked the flavor. Remembered that I had, at one time, only vaped--it was only those d..n atomizers. So I think what I'll do is go with re-buildables--after I learn what's involved. I like the idea of being able to control the quality. I'll need to do a ton more research but I can buy time because I have enough old supplies to last a couple of months--maybe. BTW I've smoked off & on(mostly on) for about 40 yrs. I think I'm smoking about a pack a day--I roll a cig when I need one so don't keep track. I'm also recently retired so $ is an issue. Any recommendations or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again! You guys always come through, & I appreciate it. Off to research.

Kanger Subtank enables you to use stock (prebuilt) coils or build your own, so can be a good start for playing around with rebuilding.
The Subtank is a bit hard if you prefer mouth to lung though, but I do direct lung inhales mostly so I'm finding it very nice

 

[beachbumcm]

I actually semi enjoy the vuse. Unfortunately, so far it has beaten a few NETs I have tried.

 

[KenDogg1024]

Hi Doris,
I just joined the forum yesterday, I kicked a PAD habit of marlboro reds about two months ago in maybe two weeks time using a vaper so you can definitely do it. I started with an EGO type battery and tank, the aspire K1 tank which was OK but was kind of 'just enough' to take the edge off the craving. I quickly moved to a Nautilus mini like you mention and a iStick 30Watt and that is my setup of choice and I love it. If you are concerned about not getting enough vapor and/or smoothness/flavor there is a big difference I found btw an EGO setup and what I use now.

Another big thing in the beginning that was a big deciding factor was what type of juice you use. I initially bought Cuttwood 'Unicorn Milk' and then some Ignite 'Peach'. The unicorn milk was awesome and when I vaped that didnt want any real cigs but with the crappier juice it was kind of like vape it until I could get a chance to smoke again.

I know this is a long post but these things helped me big time and now I wouldn't think of going back I tried a real smoke about 2 weeks ago it was horrible, so in short get a decent setup and get some good quality juice in the beginning it will make a world of difference.

 

[kaper]

Kanger Subtank enables you to use stock (prebuilt) coils or build your own, so can be a good start for playing around with rebuilding.
The Subtank is a bit hard if you prefer mouth to lung though, but I do direct lung inhales mostly so I'm finding it very nice

Just for accuracy, I tried mouth to lung on the subtank using the smallest airlow at 6.5-7.5w (with the RTA and a 0.8 ohm coil) and it worked just fine, no issue

 

[djsvapour]

Is this thread still live? I was going to comment, but the O.P. posted nearly two weeks ago.
Did it get fixed up?

 

[evan le'garde]

HI,
I tried vaping twice in the past. My last attempt was about 3 yrs ago--still have a bunch of EGO batteries untouched. I'm hoping that by now things are better. My main issues in the past were the life expectancy of atomizers--believe I only got 1 week no matter what & I got tired of messing with them & I disliked the weight of the battery but this was less of an issue. Since then I've been rolling my own at a cost of about $10 for a carton of 100s, so I don't want to spend a lot only to feel I've thrown my money away--once again.

BTW I picked up a Vuse just to see. I was surprised at the vapor & throat hit but thought is was a bit harsh & too pricey. My head is spinning doing research. I've been looking at the mig cig 21(?) e-cigarette) & the Aspire nautilus(?) mini.

I need recommendations for a set-up. Also any info on the life expectancies of various tanks.

TIA!
Doris

IT REALLY IS ABOUT "COMMITMENT".

You have to just throw yourself into the whole world of vaping without looking back. That could mean spending more money than you expected. So if you really are serious about it then don't be afraid to spend and get excited about buying good quality hardware that will last. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest you start at the deep end and treat yourself to a regulated mod and a decent kayfun clone, get a couple of decent batteries, 18650's are a good choice, sony VTC4's for example, you'll need a good charger for them like an xtar 18650 single bay charger. You could save some money buy buying a relatively cheap Vamo V7 (regulated mod-advanced personal vapouriser), which is a perfectly good start and could provide plenty of power to your atomiser. You'll have to learn how to wrap a simple coil for your atomiser, which, couldn't be easier really. Learn a little about ohm's law. All this will save you going backwards when you give up on the little ego battery and plastic atomiser you could have possibly bought, which will let you down !. There is a learning curve but it isn't at all complicated. Just don't be afraid to jump in at the deep end. Some people might say that this advice isn't ideal but as long as you choose a regulated device it's ok. So do yourself a favour and you won't look back.

 

[Lova]

Here is something I typed for almost the same post here on ECF:

I personally would go with eGo One XL and perhaps another tank, like the Kanger Subtank Nano on top of that. 2200mah battery and sub-ohm coils with affordable price (~$40-60/£25-40/35-60€) should give you everything you want. Vamos are kinda outdated nowadays and there are tons of options to choose from which don't end up looking like a lightsaber.

I'll list a few different setups and a guesstimated price range of each setup and you can pick the ones you want (1 tank from tanks, 1 mod from mods) or 1 from standalones:

Tanks:
Aspire Nautilus or Nautilus Mini (1.8ohm coils, might want to concider getting a variable wattage device for this one, although it works on an ego battery also)
Price: ~$25/£15/25€

Kanger Subtank, Subtank Mini, Subtank Nano or Subtank Plus (0.5ohm coils, all mods I link here are suitable for 0.5ohm coils)
Price: ~$45/£30/45€

Joyetech Delta 2 (0.5ohm coil again)
Price: ~$35/£30/35€

Aspire Atlantis or Atlantis 2 (0.5ohm coils for Atlantis 1, 0.2ohm for Atlantis 2)
Price: ~$40/£30/40€

Mods:
eLeaf iStick 30W or 50W (50W fires down to 0.2ohms while 30W fires down to 0.5ohms)
Price: ~$45/£35/55€ for 30W and ~$55/£45/65€ for 50W

eGo One XL (best bought as a kit with the eGo One XL tank and chargers, if not, get the recommended charger and the Kanger Subtank Nano)
Price: ~$40/£30/50€

Aspire CF-SubOhm battery (Not mod!)
Price: ~$30/£25/30€

Completely stand alone kits:
Joyetech eGrip
Price: ~$45/£40/50€

eGo One XL kit (tank, battery and charger)
Price: ~$40-60/£25-40/35-60€

Just keep in mind these are just guesstimated prices, if you want to buy any of these setups, just get them from where you can find them cheapest.

I might have also missed some tanks or mods from this one, so if someone has anything to add, please do so

 

[Kilo3]

FYI, I went from the stupid store bought logic e cigs, to a spinner II battery pushing Aspire BDC clearomisers....I was dual using the logic and cigs, the aspire combo allowed me to stop cigs...but it wasn't enough after about a week. I then bought an iStick 50w and a Kanger Subtank mini. I now have 4 STMs and rebuild coils...and it is so much better (and cheaper overall) than pre made coils.

 

[doris]

Hello Everyone,
Thought I'd post an update & have a question. Tried using some of my still-in-the-box Egos from way back. That didn't work out great still with atomizer problems. So bought a 2nd Vuse while I thought things over. Wound up going with a Kangertech Evod2 starter set from Myfreedomsmokes. While I was at it bought some unflavored nicotine & some tobacco flavoring. Did have a start-up issue. The nicotine was 75% VG 25% PG & I used all VG for my eliquid base. Burnt metallic taste so did some research & learned that bottom coils don't like the thick vg. So off to the convenience store to buy a couple of e-liquid flavors which solved the problem. My vape of choice right now is vg with the nicotine & just a bit of my home made vanilla extract for flavor & thinning. Like it so well that I'm evaporating some of the extract for a stronger vanilla flavor--it's also popular(the smell) with my non-smoker, non-vaping husband. I've had the evod for about 4 weeks & no atomizer problems. Haven't quite ditched the cigarettes yet. Especially at the start of the day. Thinking I might need a bigger nicotine hit in the AM so I'll be concocting a higher nicotine liquid & see if that helps. I have high hopes that I'll make it this time. The evod2 seems much more reliable than anything I had in the past & it's now a simple trip to the store if I unexpectedly run out of supplies. I live in rural NH, so in the past if I had, say, 3 new atomizers & all quickly failed I'd be without a vape while awaiting snail mail.

Given the price & longevity of the coils, I don't think I'll be getting into rebuilds except maybe as an experiment or backup.

Question. The other day I used an 1100 ego battery with the kanger tank & atty. Really, really, liked it. Am I going to run into atomizer/coil issues because the kanger battery 650?

BTW I found a nicotine extraction method from an English chemist--posted the link in the appropriate forum. Haven't vaped any yet but the resulting fluid is crystal clear so I have high hopes.

Thanks for all the advice & encouragement!
Doris