ADVICE WANTED: Having success, but difficulties too.

[MikeB]

I have to put in a disclaimer here because I could be way off. There's not a lot of info that I can find about whether the freebase nicotine can be extracted. It may be that it's the product of a reaction that occurs during combustion. The ingredients that cigarette makers use to beef up the freebase nicotine (mainly ammonia) are not something you'd want in your juice.

The best advice I can offer is what I did. I had to go down to 12mg to get to something I could vape all day without getting sick. That wasn't enough to keep the crave monster away. So, I would carry an atomizer and some 24mg juice. When I craved or noticed I was desperately sucking on the PV, I'd pull out the atomizer and drip 3 drops of the 24. Then I'd go back to the 12. Within about 10 minutes the craving would subside.

Awesome. Thats basically what I read. They add ammonia, a strong base, that during combustion strips electrons off the nicotine-salt (it's natural form) freeing the nicotine from the salt and changing it into a base (as opposed to an acid). This then allows the nicotine to cross the blood-brain barrier without having to be metabolized, meaning it basically can get to the brain faster and fill up it's nicotine receptors. (Note: I may have some of the details wrong). What's interesting about this, is that you're not actually increasing the dose of the nic, just how fast it does its thing. It's crazy the brain can make a fuss over, for example, 24mg of nic over 10min vs 24mg of nic over 1min, but it does.

Interesting that you suggested that, because I unconsciously seem to be heading that way. I hit the 24mg WTA, but too much makes me sick feeling, so when I feel weird, I transition to a lower nic like 18mg. I hadn't really realized it, but it's a pattern now that I think about it. Now I think I'll try to consciously do what you suggested. When I get that craving, just vape of bit of 24mg WTA and then put it away (as opposed to keeping it up until I feel sick lol). Good idea, thanks.

 

[MickeyRat]

Interesting that you suggested that, because I unconsciously seem to be heading that way. I hit the 24mg WTA, but too much makes me sick feeling, so when I feel weird, I transition to a lower nic like 18mg. I hadn't really realized it, but it's a pattern now that I think about it. Now I think I'll try to consciously do what you suggested. When I get that craving, just vape of bit of 24mg WTA and then put it away (as opposed to keeping it up until I feel sick lol). Good idea, thanks.

Believe me when I started, my nic level bounced all over the place. I even started to DIY so I could adjust it when needed. I vaped myself sick many times. That method was learned the hard way. Learning to do that by trial and error was the hardest thing about vaping for me. I'm very grateful to the many people on here that encouraged me to stick with it. I'll still do it now and then but, just one drop. It took almost a year but, eventually 12 was more than I wanted too and now I'm using 6. So, I can't take much 24 anymore. None of the reduction was something I was trying to do. It just turned out that way.

 

[hittman]

Mike I haven't read the whole thread but was wondering if you have tried the GI Joe wta yet? The next time you put an order in it might be worthwhile. It's a pg base and to me seems to give a quicker response than the vg wta. It kind of makes sense since pg particles are smaller.

 

[MikeB]

Mike I haven't read the whole thread but was wondering if you have tried the GI Joe wta yet? The next time you put an order in it might be worthwhile. It's a pg base and to me seems to give a quicker response than the vg wta. It kind of makes sense since pg particles are smaller.

No I haven't tried it, but I do vape their WTA DK-TAB which is a PG base. Only problem with it for me is that it is so sweet. The underlying flavor isn't bad, but it's overpowered by a cotton-candy taste. I'll give the GI Joe a try too. I have two of their VG based liquids, and haven't vaped them much because I didn't care for the flavors, but they didn't seem to have the 'kick' the DK-TAB does so you may be on to something.

 

[hittman]

To me it tastes more like a Winston or something like that. I don't pick up on much sweetness.

 

[RedForeman]

I've been off the real ones for around a year and a half now. I was at about the same place you are at about the same time. It was a long slow transition for me, taking about 6-8 months before vaping was about as second nature as cigarettes once were. During that time you will eventually figure out the three areas you are fighting with. Rushing things will just cost you a lot of money and not get you there any faster.

Flavors are deceiving. When you land on that one that satisfies, it will probably be something you would never have chosen the first try. I'll echo some others and recommend you branch out from tobacco flavors. I smoked Camel filters for 30 years. I tried all sorts of flavors. I now am nearly exclusive with water-razzle from FSUSA, and use a 120ml bottle about every 6-7 weeks. Oddly, it's a fairly unexciting and weak fruity flavor that for some reason gives me a taste that satisfies almost as good as my cigarettes did. Totally unexpected. If FSUSA had not supplied me with a random, free 3ml sample bottle, I may never have found it. Prior to that, I had narrowed down to two others that were ok (vanilla and orange creamsicle). I would order those in 40 or 80ml quantities while continuing to order a handful of 10ml other stuff to try.

Nic content is another trial & error effort. No parallels to real smoking as you've already noted. The PV setup you use, how you inhale, how frequently you hit it, all play into what will work. Some people stress over tapering off the nic and having a different level for different occasions. I am in a bit more extreme use case. I buy 36mg content because that is what it takes to snuff cravings. However with my new vaping habit, I moderate use not content. I also probably only go thru 2-3 ml a day so not as heavy as it would appear. That's just what works for me. YMMV.

Fiddly goes away with practice. I use a 650mah eGo pass-thru with type B atty/cart. I carry a 10ml bottle of juice. I have to top it off every 2-6 hours depending on how hard I'm hitting it. I'm always near a usb connector so battery life is almost never an issue. If I'm going somewhere away from a charge, one backup battery solves the problem (charge one, use the other). Back when I was trying new things, I used a 510 pass thru with a drip tip for trying new flavors, and carried the eGo with one of the two favorites when away from my desk. Fussing with mods and filling cartos upped the fiddly factor for me and never worked. Which is why my PV preference is just a giant version of the trusty 510. Simplicity.

Looking back, I'd say the real satisfaction comes when you don't have to actually think about vaping. That's the difference and I'm there. Other than checking my 10ml bottle before leaving the house, I drop my PV in my pocket and just go. If I take a trip, I might pack extra juice and a spare atty. No muss no fuss. I haven't bothered to much with the technical details like high voltage or low resistance gear. Vaping is a habit substitute for me, not a hobby. After some exploring, I came back to a simple setup that gets the habit satisfied.