Hi all,
Ok so a little background on me.
I started smoking at about 16 and I'm now 26. Me and the wife gave up for around 3 years and then started again about 12 months ago. I smoked on average 15 B&H Silvers a day (though this would be about 30 on a day with a night out!).
My main reasons for starting vaping:
The money - although I have now realised this probably isnt going to change much!
The health aspects - Im asthmatic and smoking cigarettes really doesnt help!
The smell - well we all know this one
The flavours available to vapers
Ok so after quite a bit of research, I was more confused than when I started looking!!
This is basically what I think I've found out since. This is just as much to get things sorted in my head as well as helping anyone else! If I've got anything wrong, please let me know.
So.... an e-cig is made up a bit like lego! You can mix and match pretty much anything with the right connectors. The most common format seems to be '510'.
So the three parts of an e-cig are:
Battery
Ok so lets start with the battery. There are 'normal' type batteries and then mods. There are also automatic and manual batteries. This is basically how the battery is activated - either automatically when you breathe in, or when you press a button on the body of the battery. The automatic style tend to suffer from false activations caused by wind, loud music etc. Some are apparently better than others.
Normal style
There are various different types available with differing capacities. They are sealed units, so once the battery is dead, it would be thrown away. I would recommend going for the 650mah or larger battery. Also, after picking one without, I would recommend getting a battery which can be switched off so you don't accidentally switch it on when in your pocket. There are ones available which you press the button quickly 5 times within 2 seconds.
You can also get batteries called USB Pass Throughs. These have a usb connection at the bottom which means you can plug it in to your computer and vape all day.
Mods
These tend to be a lot larger in size, with a separate battery. I've not tried any, but they allow you to run the heating coil at higher voltages, giving different effects to the vapour. I'd say they are probably more suited to more experienced users.
Heating coil
There are again a number of different types available! Each one comes in (at least) 2 styles - NR and LR. Normal resistance (NR) is your standard offering, and Low resistance (LR) will give a stronger hit. The heating coils last an indertminate amount of time. I think they last on average a few weeks, but have heard of some running for months.
Atomiser (atomizer, atty, attys, atties)
These are the 'standard' offering. They consist of a tube with a coil which heats up and vapourises the e-juice. As well as the resistance, they also come in tank and non tank types - read the tank section further down.
Cartomiser (cartomizer, cart, carto)
This is a combined atomiser and e-juice holder.
Clearomiser (clearomizer)
This one I believe is just a clear cartomiser without any wadding inside, so you can see exactly how much juice you have left.
E-juice holder
Guess what - again there are more styles. Remember you only need these if you are using an atty.
Cartridges (carts)
As the name suggests, they are cartridges which hold your e-juice. They come empty or prefilled.
Tanks
These can only be used with tank style atomisers, and hold more juice than a cartridge - so less filling.
Drip tips
This is basically just a wide mouthpiece which allows you to drip 2 or 3 drips of e-juice directly on to the atomiser. Be careful not to add too much juice, or you will get leaks all over your hands. Another tip with drip tips is to give a quick short sharp blow to the top after you have dripped the e-juice in. This stops you inhaling a drip which has got caught in the tip. Don't blow too hard though or you will force it out of the holes at the bottom of the atomiser.
So what is the best setup? Whatever is right for you. You will be buying more stuff than you first anticipated so a bit of trial and error is required.
So what did I buy?
I purchased my stuff via ecigwizard.com mainly because of their free postage lol.
What would I have changed? Well I purchased tanks by mistake - oops. I would also buy a battery which has a master on/off for when it is in my pocket. The other mistake I made is when I unpacked it all, I immediately filled up all of my carts with the sample juices. Mistake. I hate the cherry and cherry cola flavours I received. They are sooo harsh on my throat (even with the standard attie) and taste very chemically. I really should have started by just test dripping them on the atomiser rather than filling up and potentially wasting a cartomiser.
So anyway I think this vaping lark is going to catch on. I've not smoked for over a week and haven't been craving one.
Finally found a flavour I like - vermillion fruit stripe. om nom nom.
Looking for some juice recommendations if anyone wants to throw some at me
Ok so a little background on me.
I started smoking at about 16 and I'm now 26. Me and the wife gave up for around 3 years and then started again about 12 months ago. I smoked on average 15 B&H Silvers a day (though this would be about 30 on a day with a night out!).
My main reasons for starting vaping:
The money - although I have now realised this probably isnt going to change much!
The health aspects - Im asthmatic and smoking cigarettes really doesnt help!
The smell - well we all know this one
The flavours available to vapers
Ok so after quite a bit of research, I was more confused than when I started looking!!
This is basically what I think I've found out since. This is just as much to get things sorted in my head as well as helping anyone else! If I've got anything wrong, please let me know.
So.... an e-cig is made up a bit like lego! You can mix and match pretty much anything with the right connectors. The most common format seems to be '510'.
So the three parts of an e-cig are:
- The battery
- The heating coil
- The e-juice holder
Battery
Ok so lets start with the battery. There are 'normal' type batteries and then mods. There are also automatic and manual batteries. This is basically how the battery is activated - either automatically when you breathe in, or when you press a button on the body of the battery. The automatic style tend to suffer from false activations caused by wind, loud music etc. Some are apparently better than others.
Normal style
There are various different types available with differing capacities. They are sealed units, so once the battery is dead, it would be thrown away. I would recommend going for the 650mah or larger battery. Also, after picking one without, I would recommend getting a battery which can be switched off so you don't accidentally switch it on when in your pocket. There are ones available which you press the button quickly 5 times within 2 seconds.
You can also get batteries called USB Pass Throughs. These have a usb connection at the bottom which means you can plug it in to your computer and vape all day.
Mods
These tend to be a lot larger in size, with a separate battery. I've not tried any, but they allow you to run the heating coil at higher voltages, giving different effects to the vapour. I'd say they are probably more suited to more experienced users.
Heating coil
There are again a number of different types available! Each one comes in (at least) 2 styles - NR and LR. Normal resistance (NR) is your standard offering, and Low resistance (LR) will give a stronger hit. The heating coils last an indertminate amount of time. I think they last on average a few weeks, but have heard of some running for months.
Atomiser (atomizer, atty, attys, atties)
These are the 'standard' offering. They consist of a tube with a coil which heats up and vapourises the e-juice. As well as the resistance, they also come in tank and non tank types - read the tank section further down.
Cartomiser (cartomizer, cart, carto)
This is a combined atomiser and e-juice holder.
Clearomiser (clearomizer)
This one I believe is just a clear cartomiser without any wadding inside, so you can see exactly how much juice you have left.
E-juice holder
Guess what - again there are more styles. Remember you only need these if you are using an atty.
Cartridges (carts)
As the name suggests, they are cartridges which hold your e-juice. They come empty or prefilled.
Tanks
These can only be used with tank style atomisers, and hold more juice than a cartridge - so less filling.
Drip tips
This is basically just a wide mouthpiece which allows you to drip 2 or 3 drips of e-juice directly on to the atomiser. Be careful not to add too much juice, or you will get leaks all over your hands. Another tip with drip tips is to give a quick short sharp blow to the top after you have dripped the e-juice in. This stops you inhaling a drip which has got caught in the tip. Don't blow too hard though or you will force it out of the holes at the bottom of the atomiser.
So what is the best setup? Whatever is right for you. You will be buying more stuff than you first anticipated so a bit of trial and error is required.
So what did I buy?
I purchased my stuff via ecigwizard.com mainly because of their free postage lol.
What would I have changed? Well I purchased tanks by mistake - oops. I would also buy a battery which has a master on/off for when it is in my pocket. The other mistake I made is when I unpacked it all, I immediately filled up all of my carts with the sample juices. Mistake. I hate the cherry and cherry cola flavours I received. They are sooo harsh on my throat (even with the standard attie) and taste very chemically. I really should have started by just test dripping them on the atomiser rather than filling up and potentially wasting a cartomiser.
So anyway I think this vaping lark is going to catch on. I've not smoked for over a week and haven't been craving one.
Finally found a flavour I like - vermillion fruit stripe. om nom nom.
Looking for some juice recommendations if anyone wants to throw some at me
