ADVICE WANTED: Having success, but difficulties too.

[Swer3397]

Specifically I'm going to look into/purchase:

Juices:
- desert ship from madvapes
- madvapes tobacco
- grandpas mix for madvapes
- lighthouse from nitelite vapor
- twilight from nitelite vapor
- bounty hunter from nitelite vapor
- renegade from nitelite vapor
- Boba's bounty from AVE
- Gorilla juice from AVE
- fruity, minty, menthol, or sweet juices (to try)
- experiment with mixing juices

Gear:
- Vivi Nova v2.5 Tank
- ce3/phoenix clearos
- ce2/fluxomizers
- stardust clearos
- Lil Mama Tanks from Big Daddy Vapor (from old thread)
- j-tanks (from old thread)
- 510 to 901 adapter so I can try the Bloog cartos again (was one of the things I did really like about the Bloog)

Anything I'm missing? Any comments about anything I've picked (good or bad)? Anything specific (product-wize) anyone would like to suggest or mention? I'm not going to buy all this, most likely, but its all worth looking into.

Thanks again to everyone that chimed in! Its all very helpful! Any and all comments/suggestions/advice is still welcome...

You may wanna look at Virgin vapor organic juices. I was turned on to them and they are so pure and sweet I have most likely found my vendor. They're also good for 100% VG only juices and people who have issues with PG or chemicals etc. Bit more on the expensive side like all things "organic" but you get what you pay for.

The Starudsts like I said are horrible for me. Try one at the very most and then decide.

 

[Spazmelda]

I think a lot of these issues are common with beginners. I did a lot of fiddling the first few months. At first I enjoyed it, but it quickly became tiresome. Carto tanks with boges solved a lot of this for me.

I'll say that I found Bounty Hunter to be quite sweet (and I like fairly sweet juices). I ended up diluting mine quite a bit with vodka (for the thickness) and unflavored juice in the same nic concentration (to cut down the sweetness).

Good luck! Stick out the awkward first weeks, and you will find your groove.

ETA, I hesitate to suggest this, but... It seems like a lot of the flavors you've tried seem to sweet for you, so it might be worth getting a bottle of unflavored 24 mg/ml and trying diluting a bit of these flavors. That might cut some of the sweetness (although it will also dilute the flavors, but sometimes that's okay). You can also try the unflavored alone. Many people like it.

 

[Jixchel]

If you like your boge cartos and don't like the hassel of dripping into them to refill I'd suggest a tank or a bottom feeder mod. I actually find I like the "ritual" of direct dripping, it really isn't much more of a hassel than taking out the pack, searching the pockets for a lighter, light it up smoke it down and wait for the next craving. Now I pull out the pv, pat the pockets for the bottle, drip, vape, put it all back in the pockets or on the table beside me and wait for the next craving.

I understand your finding your brand. I was marlboro light smoker myself. I hated menthol cigarettes, but I'm finding that the menthols are my favorite vapes, I'm guessing it was because I was usually chewing gum while smoking and got a menthol effect smoking that way.

 

[Ralikar]

Like I said, for other new vapers, I would really suggest minimizing the fiddling and all the tanks and new crap and new juices. Get you PV and stick to cartos for some time... And MAKE SURE you always have spare bats, cases or chargers for long social events--like when your friend asks you to the 8 hour party... are you prepared? Messing with too much complex gear is what is going to drive you back to smokes. If vaping is not reliable and a hassle then it will stress you out and cause problems. Simple, reliable devices and cartos with plenty of back ups until you are off of smokes then transition in other stuff... When your tank breaks at that 8 hour party in hour 2 you will be smoking cigs by hour 5 if you're not prepared.

MikeB, another thing to consider is you may want to take some time to adjust before you spend all the $$ on 8 filling devices and 12+ juices. Your taste will change in the first few weeks and so will your PV preferences. You seem more fired up about the gear than the result. Give your body time to adjust! Get a carto/clearo that works for you and stick with it... Your goal is to mimic the smoking experience so you can shift to vaping, then play around and have fun. It's not to accumulate a ton of vaping toys right away.

And always BE prepared! Make sure you have spare bats/juice in case your supplier blows and order. And make sure you can be at that all day event, party or job 10+hour meeting/day. What if your power goes out for 24 hours? You have a passthru for your car for power outages or long trips? Be prepared with a simple set up and tons of carts/juice and you will succeed. Don't blow hundreds of dollars on crap that in one month won't taste good or you find you throw away your old bats for some upgrade and all the crap you bought for it.

Simplicity=success for the first few weeks!!

(MikeB, you are missing sweet American juice from Johnson Creek! I had constant sinus problems and coughing until the day I threw all that Chinese juice in the trash! It's a good example of things changing--I hate prefilled carto juice now it's like rotgut to me. Try some out ).

 

[MikeB]

More great feedback! ...far too much for me to comment individually.

I got a bit frustrated because most of the stuff I went to look at today I couldn't get. Got Vapes was out of stock on everything I was looking at, Alien Visions credit card payment system was down (and they finally had bobas in stock!), Nite Light is overrun with orders and not taking any more... Only thing I got was a bunch of samplers from Mapvapes and more Boge cartos form Vapor Beast.

I think Ralikar may be on to something. As of 6:00pm tonight, it has only been 5 days. I think I might just need to settle in and wait out this, uh, adjustment period for a bit. Once I've got a week or so behind me and gotten used to this new routine and setup, maybe things will become clearer. I don't know. Eitherway, I'm too stubborn to go back to analogues or even to try one... just going to keep on vaping! lol

Thanks again to everyone...

 

[Jixchel]

More great feedback! ...far too much for me to comment individually.

I got a bit frustrated because most of the stuff I went to look at today I couldn't get. Got Vapes was out of stock on everything I was looking at, Alien Visions credit card payment system was down (and they finally had bobas in stock!), Nite Light is overrun with orders and not taking any more... Only thing I got was a bunch of samplers from Mapvapes and more Boge cartos form Vapor Beast.

I think Ralikar may be on to something. As of 6:00pm tonight, it has only been 5 days. I think I might just need to settle in and wait out this, uh, adjustment period for a bit. Once I've got a week or so behind me and gotten used to this new routine and setup, maybe things will become clearer. I don't know. Eitherway, I'm too stubborn to go back to analogues or even to try one... just going to keep on vaping! lol

Thanks again to everyone...

I spent quite a bit finding the right delivery system for me, now I am looking into the right equipment for the delivery system. Took a while for me to find it too. I wouldn't really order much in bulk in the beginning. I ordered a ton of cartos, then I found I really dislike that carto filler taste (gave the extras to my neighbor), tried the clearomizers, really disliked the dull flavor from those (neighbor got more free stuff). Learned my lesson on bulk buying (neighbor wasn't too happy about it). Got pretty lucky with juice, found one I liked almost right away, but still have others I want to try out lol. I've always been the type of person that likes all the new tech stuff, every kind of electronic that came out I was buying it. My now limited budget is the only thing that has stopped me from getting every mod out there, which is probably a good thing because most would go to waste, or I'd have an eternally thankful neighbor!

 

[MikeB]

I spent quite a bit finding the right delivery system for me, now I am looking into the right equipment for the delivery system. Took a while for me to find it too. I wouldn't really order much in bulk in the beginning. I ordered a ton of cartos, then I found I really dislike that carto filler taste (gave the extras to my neighbor), tried the clearomizers, really disliked the dull flavor from those (neighbor got more free stuff). Learned my lesson on bulk buying (neighbor wasn't too happy about it). Got pretty lucky with juice, found one I liked almost right away, but still have others I want to try out lol. I've always been the type of person that likes all the new tech stuff, every kind of electronic that came out I was buying it. My now limited budget is the only thing that has stopped me from getting every mod out there, which is probably a good thing because most would go to waste, or I'd have an eternally thankful neighbor!

So, just curious, what is your delivery system now if you're not using cartos or clearos? And whats your juice?

Also, I've head a lot (and I mean a lot) of people talk about the "carto filler taste". I've really only used cartos so I guess I have no frame of reference, but what is the taste exactly? I've been curious about this for a while lol...

 

[Jixchel]

So, just curious, what is your delivery system now if you're not using cartos or clearos? And whats your juice?

Also, I've head a lot (and I mean a lot) of people talk about the "carto filler taste". I've really only used cartos so I guess I have no frame of reference, but what is the taste exactly? I've been curious about this for a while lol...

Direct Drippng with a LR 306 atty is what I use with either Dragon's Blood with double extra flavor from ECBlends or Tiki Juice from Halo.

The filler taste is kind of hard to describe, kind of dry and scratchy, but not quite the same as the dry scratchy hits you get if the carto is actually dry. If you lick the polyfill material I guess you could taste it LOL. I started out with the ego-t and ego-c there is no filler in either of them so I guess I was able to taste it when I tried them. I did give them a fair shake, tried out the cartos for a few weeks before going back to the ego-c. I liked the cartos in the increased depth of flavor compared to the ego-c, but there was that undertone of the filler material that I didn't like. Someone suggested direct dripping, and I've never looked back.

 

[MickeyRat]

Look in the sale section on Madvapes for the vivi nova. They have them for $12.99. Search on Madvapes is mostly useless.

I've been vaping for about 14 months and I had a hell of a time getting here. However, I can honestly say that unlike when I quit smoking cold turkey for ten years, I never crave a cigarette. At times I crave something. Then it's time to drip one drop of 24 mg. I usually use 6. That takes care of it. I might do that once or twice every couple months.

Unfortunately, I have no answer for the fiddly part. It's the nature of the beast. If you settle on one set up, it'll get easier. Then it gets boring and you have to go buy something to make it more fiddly again. Currently I'm looking to buy rebuildable atomizers. Those promise to be REAL fiddly.

One caution about the fluxo/clearo/nova/CE/mega stuff. You'll be beta testing. Those things go through a ridiculous number of revisions. I'm about to buy one to see if I can rebuild it but, I understand that it's not going to be perfect.

 

[MikeB]

As of 6pm tonight, it has been one week without an analogue!!!!

(just had to post that)

 

[Flyer]

As of 6pm tonight, it has been one week without an analogue!!!!

(just had to post that)

Big milestone! Congrats!

 

[ohai]

You're on your way! Here's to many milestones to come!

 

[MikeB]

Thanks!!!

Hey, ohai, I want to get one of those signatures like so many of you have that says how long I've gone with out cigs... Where/how?

 

[ohai]

Thanks!!!

Hey, ohai, I want to get one of those signatures like so many of you have that says how long I've gone with out cigs... Where/how?

If you click on it, it'll take you to a set-up for it- just enter your info, and then copy and paste the code it gives you into your sig. If you need any help, you can pm me.

 

[Xaiver]

I'm going to do something that drives me nuts when I see other people do it. Why? Because I can. Mostly because there are 4 pages of lengthy responces and it's almost 1am...and I'm sure that my son is going to wake me up at 8, so I wanna do some word vomit in here and hope I can help a bit.

3) Satisfaction:
So far, this go 'round with vaping has been a success. Before, I was only able to cut down to 2-3 cigs per day, and that only with white-knuckle effort. This time with the new VV mod and WTA, I have cut them out completely in just a few days, and now its been four days since I lit up at all. Only trouble is... Vaping still isn't as satisfying as smoking. I'm still craving cigarettes. I can tone down the craving by vaping my head off and hitting the 24mg WTA, but it's tough. I don't think I'm going back to analogues because I feel like this is working, but this along with the other two issues above, does make me worry about it. My question is, will vaping become as satisfying as smoking? Will this craving for analogues go away or will I just have to live with it?

I don't really have an all day vape yet, myself. There's one that I use....mostly because I can mass produce it and it tastes decent. The flavor isn't something that I crave, like when I'm looking for a Reeces, but it does the trick.

I'm afraid that vaping is going to be fiddly, by definition. If you're comparing this to smoking, chewwing gum is fiddly. Once you incorporate it into your routine, it doesn't seem like such a bad thing, or such a pain.

Okay! Numbah 3! Numero Trace...

I went through what you're talking about. It was the worst part of the transition. My conclusion was that what I was addicted to wasn't exactly what I was getting, and it was always that 'something's missing' feeling. I had the hand-to-mouth, and the nicotine, so that ruled them out. The only thing I could think of was the 4000 chemicals that are in analogs. It stands to reason that - since we can become addicted to gambling - we could become addicted to all of those other things. It took me about a good month to two months to get through that part, all the while I continued vaping and buying up all sorts of little fiddly bits to play with in my new hobby.

After that, it went away, one day after about 2-3 months I decided to try an analog. The smoke still smelled good. I made it through one puff before I snuffed the thing out and gargled root beer for ten minutes, and still my mouth tasted like I was chewwing on an ashtray.

 

[MikeB]

...My conclusion was that what I was addicted to wasn't exactly what I was getting, and it was always that 'something's missing' feeling. I had the hand-to-mouth, and the nicotine, so that ruled them out. The only thing I could think of was the 4000 chemicals that are in analogs. It stands to reason that - since we can become addicted to gambling - we could become addicted to all of those other things...

This is exactly my theory as well. I know, without a doubt, that I am getting more than enough nic because I get a serious buzz if I overdue it vaping, and the WTA seems to take the edge off a really bad craving ... but it doesn't fix it. I still get that 'something's missing' feeling as you described above. After much thought, I am convinced it has to be the '4000 chemicals' we so often hear about. Everything else can be ruled out. The good news is, that I feel like I'm over the hump. I still get cravings, but either they are getting better or I am just getting better at ignoring them. Regardless of the reason, it's getting better so I'm glad for that...

Also, I've honestly gotten over the fiddly bit. You're right. It's not smoking, and it will always be more fiddly just because of its nature. I've just decided to put that out of my mind and wait for it to become normal. Also, I've embraced that I'm not going to have an 'all-day-vape' right away. I'm trying to enjoy the idea of changing flavors. I tell myself things like, "changing flavors is good and normal... would you want to drink orange juice, every hour on the hour, all day long?" Kinda goofy, but works for me just because it seems like a logical argument.

Anyway, thanks for the input!

 

[MickeyRat]

This is exactly my theory as well. I know, without a doubt, that I am getting more than enough nic because I get a serious buzz if I overdue it vaping, and the WTA seems to take the edge off a really bad craving ... but it doesn't fix it. I still get that 'something's missing' feeling as you described above. After much thought, I am convinced it has to be the '4000 chemicals' we so often hear about. Everything else can be ruled out. The good news is, that I feel like I'm over the hump. I still get cravings, but either they are getting better or I am just getting better at ignoring them. Regardless of the reason, it's getting better so I'm glad for that...

Also, I've honestly gotten over the fiddly bit. You're right. It's not smoking, and it will always be more fiddly just because of its nature. I've just decided to put that out of my mind and wait for it to become normal. Also, I've embraced that I'm not going to have an 'all-day-vape' right away. I'm trying to enjoy the idea of changing flavors. I tell myself things like, "changing flavors is good and normal... would you want to drink orange juice, every hour on the hour, all day long?" Kinda goofy, but works for me just because it seems like a logical argument.

Anyway, thanks for the input!

I can tell you what you're probably missing. One of the things vaping lacks that cigarettes have is freebase nicotine (google it). You know that feeling you get with cigarettes when you've been without them for a bit and you take that first hit and you can really feel it? You don't get that with vaping. That feeling is caused by freebase nicotine. Even when you're not seriously craving, that feeling is what makes lighting a cigarette so satisfying.

 

[thinkingaboutit]

I'm having the same issues. The technology is not yet refined enough to give us a "one size fits all" method.

Of course not. Even cigs come in a few varieties/sizes

They are farther from personalized, we all just suffered through them and told ourselves we loved them.

OP...keep going. I agree with the KISS ideas...sometimes the fiddling is fun but something plug and play is a good idea also.

 

[MikeB]

I can tell you what you're probably missing. One of the things vaping lacks that cigarettes have is freebase nicotine (google it). You know that feeling you get with cigarettes when you've been without them for a bit and you take that first hit and you can really feel it? You don't get that with vaping. That feeling is caused by freebase nicotine. Even when you're not seriously craving, that feeling is what makes lighting a cigarette so satisfying.

That's really fascinating! I'd never heard about that. I'll read up on it, but you are probably right that's what I'm missing. One question, and this may be answered when reading about it, but why they add freebase nicotine to eliquid?

 

[MickeyRat]

That's really fascinating! I'd never heard about that. I'll read up on it, but you are probably right that's what I'm missing. One question, and this may be answered when reading about it, but why they add freebase nicotine to eliquid?

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.