So as I come up on my 70th post I thought it would be good to start what will probably be my last New Members Forum thread. I wanted to share with everyone what my experiences have been so far, and what I have learned.
My Experiences:
I started with a ProSmoke before I ever knew this forum existed. The great members here helped me find much better options that led me to a Volt for work, and an eGo for everywhere else and dripping. The ProSmoke just doesn't come close to the performance of these two. And I got both the eGo kit as well as the Volt kit for the price I paid for the ProSmoke. If I had only found this forum a week earlier I would already be ahead in actual dollars saved switching to e-cigs. As it stands I am still $100 in the hole due to that unfortunate initial purchase. Depending on the amount of juice I buy that should happen in about a month. Then again, I will probably buy lots of juice, so maybe we should call that 2 months.
When it comes to my 2 current PV's I have found that I like them both for different reasons. One fits in much more when I am around the suits, and one fits in everywhere else. But at the end of the day they both work really well. Sure, I am going to buy more equipment at some point. I can see a shiny new ProVari or Darwin in my future. But right now I do not NEED anything else. That is a nice feeling. I think it so important to be happy with your gear if you are serious about staying away from the analogs.
I have tried lots of different cartomizer's and atomizers, in my experience the BOGE LR for the eGo is a great match at the price, and the Volt has awesome cartos which I have been told is a Kanger Horizontal Coil. But carto/atomizer opinion really depends a lot on your time, where you are vaping, and what you are trying to get out of it. I really don't want to spend a lot of time fiddling and I want to keep my costs down. So a good simple carto that holds a reasonable amount of juice and has good life works best for me.
When it comes to juice I can only tell you that I have bought a lot already. I recommend buying lots of small bottles and trying them. I have found a small handful of ones I love and a big old bucket of ones I don't care for. But try lots of different stuff from lots of different vendors. Even stuff you may not think you will like. I have been surprised a few times. If you end up with stuff you don't like keep an eye on the PIF thread (please read the rules of the PIF thread first) and see if there is something there for you to try. And in the process you get rid of some the juices you may not have liked, but someone else may fall in love with.
What Have I Learned:
1. Trust the general consensus of this forum. Don't hang on what one person says or what one thread tells you, but read your .... off and make educated buying decisions. I have probably only read .00001% of all the fantastic information and opinions that are on this board and look forward to devouring as much more of it as I can. The general consensus on this forum is right so often that even when it is wrong it could have been right, so it is still right.
2. Use the search button!!!! With the pure volume of posts in this forum, chances are someone has already asked and gotten an answer to what you are struggling with. Seriously, search a little, it won't hurt a bit.
3. Use the resources this forum makes available. Check the PIF threads, read the Deals And Steals pages, etc., etc.. Use the coupon discount codes. All of this makes for a much cheaper experience at the very least. And at the best it gets you the right gear that will keep you off analogs.
4. Talk to people. Don't give up if you are frustrated. Getting off cigarettes is hard as hell. Search for answers, ask questions, just don't give up. This can work for you. You just need to figure out what combo of juice and hardware fills those needs.
5. If money is tight do a search for cleaning a carto with an Oral Syringe and warm water. It works and can save you some money by getting more life out of a carto, or getting rid of a flavor you don't care for that you prematurely loaded a full carto up with. This has saved me several cartos already. (I do soak in Vodka first if I am trying to get flavor out)
Anyway, thank you so much for reading my little rant. I am so happy to be smoke free. I am so happy this forum exists. And I am so happy that all of you great people have posted here, helped me find my way with e-cigs, and really helping to save my life. Thank you. I can only hope to help others along the way like I have been helped.
Shawn
My Experiences:
I started with a ProSmoke before I ever knew this forum existed. The great members here helped me find much better options that led me to a Volt for work, and an eGo for everywhere else and dripping. The ProSmoke just doesn't come close to the performance of these two. And I got both the eGo kit as well as the Volt kit for the price I paid for the ProSmoke. If I had only found this forum a week earlier I would already be ahead in actual dollars saved switching to e-cigs. As it stands I am still $100 in the hole due to that unfortunate initial purchase. Depending on the amount of juice I buy that should happen in about a month. Then again, I will probably buy lots of juice, so maybe we should call that 2 months.
When it comes to my 2 current PV's I have found that I like them both for different reasons. One fits in much more when I am around the suits, and one fits in everywhere else. But at the end of the day they both work really well. Sure, I am going to buy more equipment at some point. I can see a shiny new ProVari or Darwin in my future. But right now I do not NEED anything else. That is a nice feeling. I think it so important to be happy with your gear if you are serious about staying away from the analogs.
I have tried lots of different cartomizer's and atomizers, in my experience the BOGE LR for the eGo is a great match at the price, and the Volt has awesome cartos which I have been told is a Kanger Horizontal Coil. But carto/atomizer opinion really depends a lot on your time, where you are vaping, and what you are trying to get out of it. I really don't want to spend a lot of time fiddling and I want to keep my costs down. So a good simple carto that holds a reasonable amount of juice and has good life works best for me.
When it comes to juice I can only tell you that I have bought a lot already. I recommend buying lots of small bottles and trying them. I have found a small handful of ones I love and a big old bucket of ones I don't care for. But try lots of different stuff from lots of different vendors. Even stuff you may not think you will like. I have been surprised a few times. If you end up with stuff you don't like keep an eye on the PIF thread (please read the rules of the PIF thread first) and see if there is something there for you to try. And in the process you get rid of some the juices you may not have liked, but someone else may fall in love with.
What Have I Learned:
1. Trust the general consensus of this forum. Don't hang on what one person says or what one thread tells you, but read your .... off and make educated buying decisions. I have probably only read .00001% of all the fantastic information and opinions that are on this board and look forward to devouring as much more of it as I can. The general consensus on this forum is right so often that even when it is wrong it could have been right, so it is still right.
2. Use the search button!!!! With the pure volume of posts in this forum, chances are someone has already asked and gotten an answer to what you are struggling with. Seriously, search a little, it won't hurt a bit.
3. Use the resources this forum makes available. Check the PIF threads, read the Deals And Steals pages, etc., etc.. Use the coupon discount codes. All of this makes for a much cheaper experience at the very least. And at the best it gets you the right gear that will keep you off analogs.
4. Talk to people. Don't give up if you are frustrated. Getting off cigarettes is hard as hell. Search for answers, ask questions, just don't give up. This can work for you. You just need to figure out what combo of juice and hardware fills those needs.
5. If money is tight do a search for cleaning a carto with an Oral Syringe and warm water. It works and can save you some money by getting more life out of a carto, or getting rid of a flavor you don't care for that you prematurely loaded a full carto up with. This has saved me several cartos already. (I do soak in Vodka first if I am trying to get flavor out)
Anyway, thank you so much for reading my little rant. I am so happy to be smoke free. I am so happy this forum exists. And I am so happy that all of you great people have posted here, helped me find my way with e-cigs, and really helping to save my life. Thank you. I can only hope to help others along the way like I have been helped.
Shawn
