Well I am such a NOOB and have been waiting to post my tale as kind of an introduction. I have a new Titan 510, manual batteries, PCC and a shoe box of juices - OK I am scared of FDA and stockpiled "a little"...haha. I know this will save money in the long run compared to the cost of analogues and associated health effects. I studied all the experts advice on what equipment to get and what flavors/suppliers were the best - how to work the dang thing and how to mix and fill....whew.
So how did I do? Well I went a little cautious and didn't get the extended batteries cause I wanted to make sure I liked e-cigs and I wanted the PCC. I was smoking 2 packs of kretek analogues a day ($15) and was a little skeptical since I have tried everything to quit and was going broke. Today is day 5 with no analogues - no cravings for them - and wow I love vaping. So I got a PCC for charging but with my newbie infatuation it can hardly keep the batteries charged fast enough!! Does this vapefest taper off my hubby wants to know!! I'll have to get the better batteries and maybe a passthrough soon?
So I love to DIY and drip but it has been a learning curve. I got my cart mods done - blue foam and straw. However, I have had a hard time not flooding my atty and getting squirted on the lips with ejuice - it wasn't pretty for a while
. I figured out that I can't vape the same way that I took those long hard lung busting drags on analogues and I had to give the atty time to warm up the juice too. I also learned that when my batteries get low (before they blink) to quit using them cause that is when the ejuice isn't vaporized enough. I also had to learn not to put my fingers over the vent holes for the atty and hold the e-cig horizontal. For some reason I had the habit of vaping with the tip of the e-cig pointing to the floor and this helped to flood the atty. When I top off my cart it seems to work better if I let it sit on the table for a few minutes for some reason. But hey I didn't lose any attys or batteries in this learning process and didn't create the burnt to a crisp taste either!! So finally on day five of vaping, I am getting somewhere with the equipment and loving the flavors.
So ejuice-wise I researched everyone's advice - most of the time it turned out to match my taste. I looked like a kid at Christmas that just got a chemistry set with my table full of bottles. I found some cool syringes and med spoons measured in ml at Toys R Us in the baby medical isle while Xmas shopping. I tried my first recipes in drops so I wouldn't waste fluids in the med spoons and this seemed to help in getting the mixes just right. When I finished perfecting a tasty flavor I just converted the drops to mls and made a bigger batch in an amber bottle+dropper from the health food store. I got flavors from 3 suppliers and they were all on sale - thank goodness. I stuck to trying flavors/suppliers that were popular by the majority of people on the forum here.
RY4, 555, Black Cherry and decadent flavors Black Current-Passionfruit-Menthol (TW), Orange, Apple, and Clove are my favs. Coffee and chocolate were a little too rich for me by themselves in VG and I didn't really like the Loranns flavors unless I mixed them wrong for VG - too sweet and strong. I read all about getting a higher mg of nicotine and then cutting it down to what you thought would be a good strength so I ordered mostly 26-36 mg. I also read all the problems with PG and since I have chemical sensitivities I avoided using it to cut after the first try and harsh reaction. Part of the problem with getting my 501 just right was using the VG to cut and it was a little thick. So then I learned to use flavors without nicotine and a little vodkafor thinner with the VG and so far so good. Someone on the forum said the vodka was OK for the atty if in very small quantities. I got extra attys so that my flavors wouldn't affect one another when I didn't want them to (e.g., menthol, coffee, clove). I have used empty RX bottles labeled with the name of the DIY flavor and they are just right to hold the atty, cart and small teeny drip bottle (TW) for that flavor. This is a convenient pkg to grab and go and put it in your pocket or purse. I have my charged extra batteries in a small convenient flip case too as backup for my PCC.
I did over-estimate my need for strong liquid nicotine a little and got a little edgy 8-oat first because I was using a mixture at about 18 mg all day and excited to taste all the flavors. I found that I could back off and use some 6-11 mg in between to even me out. I have had a little cravings here and there but it is only for vapor and not analogues. In fact I tried to puff on an analogue just to see if I got a DIY recipe right and almost puked at the taste - it was like licking an ashtray on the floor of a bar. Never again!!
I am feeling better already - my lungs don't hurt when I get up in the morning, my taste/smell senses are coming back. I am not coughing up goup anymore. Even though I am chemically sensitive and have had bouts of chemical induced asthma from a sick building I haven't had any reaction to ejuice with some PG as long as it is cut/mixed with VG. I don't care for a stronger throat hit like the PG had anyway - surprising since I was a chain smoker.
So thanks everyone for all the great advice - this forum is an incredible resource for NOOBS like me. I know there is still much more to learn from all of you.
So how did I do? Well I went a little cautious and didn't get the extended batteries cause I wanted to make sure I liked e-cigs and I wanted the PCC. I was smoking 2 packs of kretek analogues a day ($15) and was a little skeptical since I have tried everything to quit and was going broke. Today is day 5 with no analogues - no cravings for them - and wow I love vaping. So I got a PCC for charging but with my newbie infatuation it can hardly keep the batteries charged fast enough!! Does this vapefest taper off my hubby wants to know!! I'll have to get the better batteries and maybe a passthrough soon?
So I love to DIY and drip but it has been a learning curve. I got my cart mods done - blue foam and straw. However, I have had a hard time not flooding my atty and getting squirted on the lips with ejuice - it wasn't pretty for a while
. I figured out that I can't vape the same way that I took those long hard lung busting drags on analogues and I had to give the atty time to warm up the juice too. I also learned that when my batteries get low (before they blink) to quit using them cause that is when the ejuice isn't vaporized enough. I also had to learn not to put my fingers over the vent holes for the atty and hold the e-cig horizontal. For some reason I had the habit of vaping with the tip of the e-cig pointing to the floor and this helped to flood the atty. When I top off my cart it seems to work better if I let it sit on the table for a few minutes for some reason. But hey I didn't lose any attys or batteries in this learning process and didn't create the burnt to a crisp taste either!! So finally on day five of vaping, I am getting somewhere with the equipment and loving the flavors. So ejuice-wise I researched everyone's advice - most of the time it turned out to match my taste. I looked like a kid at Christmas that just got a chemistry set with my table full of bottles. I found some cool syringes and med spoons measured in ml at Toys R Us in the baby medical isle while Xmas shopping. I tried my first recipes in drops so I wouldn't waste fluids in the med spoons and this seemed to help in getting the mixes just right. When I finished perfecting a tasty flavor I just converted the drops to mls and made a bigger batch in an amber bottle+dropper from the health food store. I got flavors from 3 suppliers and they were all on sale - thank goodness
. I stuck to trying flavors/suppliers that were popular by the majority of people on the forum here.RY4, 555, Black Cherry and decadent flavors Black Current-Passionfruit-Menthol (TW), Orange, Apple, and Clove are my favs. Coffee and chocolate were a little too rich for me by themselves in VG and I didn't really like the Loranns flavors unless I mixed them wrong for VG - too sweet and strong. I read all about getting a higher mg of nicotine and then cutting it down to what you thought would be a good strength so I ordered mostly 26-36 mg. I also read all the problems with PG and since I have chemical sensitivities I avoided using it to cut after the first try and harsh reaction. Part of the problem with getting my 501 just right was using the VG to cut and it was a little thick. So then I learned to use flavors without nicotine and a little vodka
for thinner with the VG and so far so good. Someone on the forum said the vodka was OK for the atty if in very small quantities. I got extra attys so that my flavors wouldn't affect one another when I didn't want them to (e.g., menthol, coffee, clove). I have used empty RX bottles labeled with the name of the DIY flavor and they are just right to hold the atty, cart and small teeny drip bottle (TW) for that flavor. This is a convenient pkg to grab and go and put it in your pocket or purse. I have my charged extra batteries in a small convenient flip case too as backup for my PCC.I did over-estimate my need for strong liquid nicotine a little and got a little edgy 8-oat first because I was using a mixture at about 18 mg all day and excited to taste all the flavors. I found that I could back off and use some 6-11 mg in between to even me out. I have had a little cravings here and there but it is only for vapor and not analogues. In fact I tried to puff on an analogue just to see if I got a DIY recipe right and almost puked at the taste
- it was like licking an ashtray on the floor of a bar. Never again!!I am feeling better already - my lungs don't hurt when I get up in the morning, my taste/smell senses are coming back. I am not coughing up goup anymore. Even though I am chemically sensitive and have had bouts of chemical induced asthma from a sick building I haven't had any reaction to ejuice with some PG as long as it is cut/mixed with VG. I don't care for a stronger throat hit like the PG had anyway - surprising since I was a chain smoker.
So thanks everyone for all the great advice - this forum is an incredible resource for NOOBS like me. I know there is still much more to learn from all of you.
!!
