1 week lurking and researching and now the time has come.

[capelli]

Hi all, as the title says I have been lurking around forums and sites for the last week or so doing research and a couple of days ago decided to take the plunge and buy myself a kit (Riva 1100) that kit has arrived today and when I get home i will see what it's all about.

Any body got any advice outside of the whole battery charging thing that I should be mindful of, any do and dont advice would be more than welcome.
A bit about myself I have been a smoker for about 20 years, in more recent years smoking roll ups, I normally smoke around 10-12 a day, outside of that I keep a pretty healthy lifestyle with good food and plenty of exercise.

I'm really hoping the transition is smooth and won't deny I am quite nervous and excited about it and also a little confused by the whole wealth of options e-cigs bring, I am expecting a lot of it to be trial and error but I would like to make the transition as easy and enjoyable as possible.

Thanks

 

[corruption42]

First off, welcome and congrats for making the choice for further lifestyle change! I highly doubt you'll regret it -- most fall head over heels for it

Now, as far as your kit goes -- its pretty basic, but more than a lot start out with and more than adequate to give you a leg-up to get over the old 'baccy. As far as charging is concerned -- I tend to be mindful to not keep batteries on the charger for too long -- once they show full charge, I take them off -- but its more a paranoia thing than anything (fear that if the power regulator in the device failed, the battery could go into a thermal breakdown state). Juice types and choices are entirely subjective -- what I like, you might hate, so thats a bit harder to make recommendations on, but I will say don't give up -- if the flavor isn't the right one for you, theres thousands upon thousands of others you could try!

With the transition phase, imo, the most important thing is to take it in baby steps. Don't try to just flat switch from burning your handrolled tubes to the e-cig in one felled swoop -- some can do this, but given 20 years of smoking, it may just not be feasible. This means don't punish yourself if you feel an innate need for a smoke -- this is normal, and somewhat to be expected. There will inevitably be a break in period as you learn what level of nicotine in your juice that you require, and what flavors are satisfying to you. Further punishing yourself in this phase because "you had to cheat" is counterintuitive, and can lead to some remorse and/or resentment towards the concepts -- either the ecigs as an alternative, or that you broke down and smoked. Lets face it -- we are all here because we've all been bit by the 3 headed dog that is nicotine, and changing the delivery system for them is undoubtedly going to come with some complications.

Just take your time, ask questions when they arise, and above all -- ENJOY it! If theres one thing that has gotten me to stick to vaping after numerous attempts to quit smoking via other means, its that I don't just enjoy vaping as much as smoking... I enjoy it more. Its got all of the feel and habitual behaviors of smoking that always appealed to me, with none of the tar, ash and stink that never did.

 

[440BB]

The one thing many of us did wrong to start was to inhale the vapor directly like a cigarette. That will cause a burning scratchy throat very quickly. The best process is to draw a puff into your mouth much like a cigar or pipe, then inhale it. This cools the vapor enough that it doesn't burn the back of your throat. As most of the nicotine absorption is through the tissues in your mouth, you can even not inhale if so desired, yet get the nicotine to stop the craving. Congratulations and good luck!

 

[vernhall]

Welcome aboard!! A newbie here too and still learning the ropes, but one thing I would suggest is to use a syringe to fill your tanks (if your new setup has them) to avoid getting liquid down that center tube. I was a little sloppy (the old nerves just aren't what they used to be) and ruined 3 CE4s that way...

 

[hvac999]

Welcome to the party!!

 

[capelli]

Hi again, thanks for the great welcome, it is always good to receive.
I appreciate all the advice you have given so far, if there is one thing I have noticed and learnt in such a short space of time and that is this e-cig vaping thing is way bigger and experimental than I imagined.

My main concern is filling the cartomizers and clearomizers, I have not opened my pack yet (3 hours to go!) but I think I have 5 cartomizers and 1 clearomizer... can anyone share their thoughts or a link to the pro's and con's of each system? as I have been thinking of buying some more clearomizers to use.

Do wish I had bought some more juice too!!

 

[corruption42]

Clearomizers are simple -- remove the top mouthpiece, and you will be presented with a hollow body, and a narrow tube seated in the center of it. Fill the juice around the narrow tube -- take care not to let juice get into the tube itself, as this will just flow out of the bottom connector. The cartomizers, most people tend to just drip juice into the filler material from the top -- but here's a super simple method that may help you out in the starting period:

Filling 510 electronic cigarette cartomizers using the "condom" or "push" method - YouTube

There's absolutely a lot to take in -- but don't get overwhelmed! Here on ECF, most of us tend to overcomplicate things. The reality is, keeping things nice and simple will lead to the desired results. And most importantly, if you feel lost, overwhelmed, or just flat out confused just ask! Thats what we're here for!

 

[capelli]

Thanks for the info and the link, I will watch that video later on before I fill mine.

What are the pro's and con's of each system though? I read that clearomizers tend to leak, obviously I have no idea if thats true or even just some brands.
How frequently would you have to buy new ones of each?

 

[pkj]

Welcome to the forum. Congrats on your decision to vape

 

[molli]

Filling 510 electronic cigarette cartomizers using the "condom" or "push" method - YouTube

THIS!!!! I wish I had this link early this week. Thanks to all the wonderful people here, I've now saved a bunch of money. I got 'cheap' blanks (first mistake) tried the drip fill method (second mistake...stabbed myself with the needle, burned the coil, totally ruined the blank) JUST tried the condom fill method with the juices I had steeping. (OMG, STEEP PEOPLE, STEEP!!! trust me!) I now have two perfectly filled cartomizers and they taste good! Thank you SO MUCH corruption42 for that link!

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Hi capelli, welcome to ECF and congrats. I own the Kgo which is identical to the Riva. I now use the Mini Vivi Nova and I felt it was better build quality than the clearos. For either clearos or Vivi Nova make sure you buy the rebuildable LONG wick.
Cartomizer/ Carto- metal tube with stuffing and element. Holds anywhere from 1- 4 ml of juice. Carto is fully saturated and must be occasionally refilled when juice runs out. My Cartos last 1-2 weeks. Best Cartomizer I’ve found is the Smok Tech XL 1.7 single coil. Boge 2.0 ohm cartos will give a cooler vape. Always use single coil cartos with 3.3- 3.7 PVs for the best vape.

Carto+Tank- a Carto with a hole punched in it. Carto is than placed in a glass, metal or plastic tank which is filled with juice- juice saturates Carto by way of hole in Carto. My Cartos with a tank last, before tight draw occurs:
light juices- 80-90 ml.
dark juices- 50-60 ml.

Clearomizer (includes the Stardust and the Vivi Nova Tank)- a plastic or metal tank with a wick and element. Contains NO stuffing. The rebuildable clearos come with heads (coil+ wick) that can be cheaply ($1.50) and easily replaced. When the head burns out simply unscrew the old head out and screw in new head- takes 10 secs. My Vivi Nova heads are lasting about 6 weeks BUT I wash the heads every few days and also dry burn. Now using unflavored juice and heads are lasting 4? months.I've found the Vivi Nova to give the best draw.
When I was using cartos I used the condom method but I soon got tired of worrying about burning the filler having to refill.
When I first began vaping I used Boge 2.0 ohm single coil cartos (1 ml). After 1 month I switched to Smok Tech XL 1.7 single coil cartos (1.8 ml). Next I used a carto+and tank (3ml) setup. When the cracking and wicking issues were resolved I got into Stardust Clearos (1.6 ml). I now use the Mini Vivi Nova (2.0 ml) rebuildables as I feel they give a better draw and are far superior in quality. It is VERY important to match the correct ohms delivery device to the PV we are using otherwise, dry hits or a weak vape will occur.
Best of Luck....did you get your kit from Jason at Vape Escape?

 

[pingywon]

WElcome!!!

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Some info regarding your other questions.
Although it's very rare exploding batteries can occur. Best not to charge them unattended.
Either 3 or 5 quick clicks= on or off.
Batteries should last for about 250- 300 recharges.
Before recharging always clean juice from connection points (battery and carto/ clearo) dried juice can give connection probs.
Low res ohms carto/ clearos (1.5- 1.8) will give a warm vape- higher ohms (2.0- 2,4)= cooler vape. Low Res (LR) will drain batts slightly quicker.
Always use single coil cartos- not enuff power for dual and they wear the batts down quickly.
Alawys shake your juice before adding to delivery device as the components (flavor, PG, VG, Nicotine) can separate.
Drink LOTS of water as vaping is dehydrating- the vapor comes from our bodies and not the juice cuz PG/ VG is hydrscopic (traps moisture when inhaled)

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

For condom filling cartos I found this vid to be more detailed with closeups of how the carto should look post fill. Remember to fill VERY slowly

 

[capelli]

Wow cheers for all that info... it is really informative and going to be of great use to me on this journey.

Funny you should mention the mini vivi nova's as that was what I was looking at and I noted the heads were replaceable.

I will note the advice about the battery charging/cleaning and the need to take on plenty of water as I don't actually do that at the best of times without vaping.

Yes I got my kit from Jason at Vape Escape, good or bad move?

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

You got a GREAT kit. I run a non profit vape prog and have distributed 250+ (500+ batts) Kgo Starter Kits (same as Riva) and the failure rate has been 4 batteries. Although on this side of the pond I've heard some really good stuff about Vape Escape. If I were over there he'd be my "Go To" guy
For instance Jason went out and asked vapers what they would want in a Starter Kit. That Riva Kit reflects exactly what he was told. In regards to info here's the U.K. Forum. Chrissie really knows vendors and deals:
UK Forum
Chrissie:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/members/1704/chrissie.html
She also has a list of reputable U.K. Vendors with discount Coupons included. After 5 posts wait 1 hr for the ECF servers to reset and you'll be able to post elsewhere in the forum.
Cheers and the Best of Luck.

Wow cheers for all that info... it is really informative and going to be of great use to me on this journey.

Funny you should mention the mini vivi nova's as that was what I was looking at and I noted the heads were replaceable.

I will note the advice about the battery charging/cleaning and the need to take on plenty of water as I don't actually do that at the best of times without vaping.

Yes I got my kit from Jason at Vape Escape, good or bad move?

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Actually ECF was founded/ started by a U.K. Vaper

Edit: one last bit of info. Most eGo class PVs fire at 3.4 volts- Riva/ Kgo fires at 3.7 volts.

 

[capelli]

Actually ECF was founded/ started by a U.K. Vaper

Edit: one last bit of info. Most eGo class PVs fire at 3.4 volts- Riva/ Kgo fires at 3.7 volts.

Hmmm might be a dumb question but what is the significance of it firing at 3.7 versus 3.4?

 

[Baditude]

click to enlarge image

Cartomizers are steel tubes filled with a polyfiber that looks very much like a cigarette filter, and have a heating coil within it which heats e-liquid into vapor. There is a small air tube in the center of the carto running its entire length which directs the vapor into a drip tip that is placed on the end of the carto.

These can have a juice capacity of 1 ml (standard length) or 1.5 ml (XL length). There are mega cartos that can have a capacity of up to 4.5 ml.

Single coil cartomizers have one heating element in them and dual coil cartomizers have two heating elements. Dual coil carts may drain your battery faster than single coil carts will.

Cartos may be filled by using a couple of methods, but I prefer to fill them by dripping into the top (see below).


Above are Clearomizers. These can be considered a small tank as the container holding the juice is typically clear plastic. Instead of polyfill like a cartomizer uses, these use string-like wicks that draw the e-liquid to an atomizer head, which contains the heating coil to make vapor.

These can have a juice capacity of between 1.5 - 2.5 ml. These are filled by removing the top cap and dripping in the liquid, careful to not get any into the center airhole.

*Some flavors, such as cinnamon and citrus flavors, can react with the plastic used in these and cause the material to crack or actually melt. Below is a link to the list of these flavors:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tanks/219179-lets-make-list-juices-flavors-crack-tanks-ce2s-clearos-30.html#post7805448


Filling a cartomizer: Many people use the condom method, but I find that way too time-consuming. I drip directly into the top of the carto from the juice bottle.

A tip that I use when filling the carto is to plug the center air hole with a wooden tooth pick. This blocks any unwanted e-juice from getting into the tube that can cause flooding.

I hold the carto at a slight angle, and rotate it around as I drip liquid onto the polyfill. When the fibers look like a slushy drink, I shake the carto down like a thermometer. This produces the same effect as a centrifuge, forcing the juice down into the carto. I return to adding more drops, and shake it down again. Repeat this process until the polyfill will absorb no more liquid. It is then ready to vape.

No need to blow out the air tube because the tooth pick kept juice out of there, and there is no reason to let the carto "sit" because the polyfill is as saturated as it ever will be with liquid.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

More voltage= more vape. GrimmGreen (along with PBusardo) are very well known reviewers and advice givers within the industry actually did a video on vapers moving up the ladder and he stated the Kgo definitely gave a better vape than the eGo...very surprised as he didn't know why...it was that tiny little extra bit of voltage. That's the reason some of us move up to variable voltage/ VV PVs. I'm near the end of my vape career and am using very low nic/ mg so I needed that extra "kick/ VV PV". Also some juices are better at diff voltages.

Hmmm might be a dumb question but what is the significance of it firing at 3.7 versus 3.4?