canadian dude wanting to quit smoking...

[nicfitter]

Hey guys/gals,

I'm brand noob here. I was wondering if anyone could help me out...
I have been looking around on-line for quite some time trying to figure out which e cig, vaporizer (don't know which is more correct.) I wanted to buy. Finally decided to settle on the blu cig. Then, come to find out that I can't get the nicotine in cartridges delivered in Canada. I tell you if I didn't hate the Canadian Gov. before, I sure as hell do now.

I guess what I'm asking for is, help in acquiring a top to high mid grade e cig, WITH nicotine. Maybe I just don't get it, why would you want vapor carts without the nicotine.

Any help or observations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[4mehealth]

Welcome.

Git yer 5 non-spam posts, wait an hour, and head on over to the Canadian forum.

 

[MTV]

welcome to ECF nicfitter...don't order a PV or juice until you can get into the Canada forum...good luck and great decision!

 

[wv2win]

Hate to tell you, but Blu is really a low quality PV, bottom of the pile. There are easily 50 better models than the Blu.

The vast majority of us use models that provide longer battery life (at least 5 hours), warmer vaper and more consistency. Blu does none of those things. They put all their money into advertizing, not the product. The Blu would work for you if you only smoke 5-6 cigarettes a day.

You probably think you want something that looks like a cigarette with auto batteries. Here is the reality of vaping:

Rule of Thumb: the more it looks like the real thing, the worse the performance.

I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than one that is the size of a slim cigar. There are several in that category that are good beginner PV's. The one, however, the provides the best value for the money is the E-Power, because the batteries only cost $4 - $5 each, whereas the proprietary battery models (510, 808, eGo, Riva) cost $10-$20 each. Plus the batteries last much longer (lifetime wise). I would suggest you stick with manual batteries (90% on this forum use manuals) for better control, safety and throat hit.

Here are a couple of good supplier for the E-Power:

e-Power

Electronic Cigarette - Starter Kits - E-Power

I would also suggest you buy your own liquid and fill your own carts or better yet, cartomizers. Much less expensive and much better taste and variety.

Good Luck

 

[bollo]

I'm guessing the Canada thread will help (I'm still two posts short of heading over there) - all I'm going to say is that where there's a will, there's a way.

As for the PV - I started on the 510 but the battery life was killing me, and I found that having a unit that looked like an analogue was actually a negative. People think you're smoking inside or near windows/doors/bus stops, and you still get stopped by people on the street asking for a cig or a light. Sure, it's fun the first couple of times to explain what it is, but it get's old quickly.

I switched to the EGO passthrough battery (I speand a lot of time in front of a computer) and am now using 510 cartomizers. I got sick of atties (I was pulling the bridge out to drip by the end) and especially the EGO atomizers - mine never lasted longer than a fortnight.

One word of caution - imho stay away from the G4 cartos. They are a great idea, but I was going through three times as much juice as with a normal atty. They break easily (the plastic is fragile) and they leak. A lot.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mindfield]

Yeah, Blu aren't that great. Those were teh first things I look into as well -- and I'm glad they didn't, as it paved the path for me to get an eGo.

Get yourself up to 5 posts and I'll PM you a list of Canadian suppliers who sell nicotine juice. And of course join the rest of us Canucks (and a few non-Canucks and ex-pats) in the Canada forum. Also check out Happy Vaper; he doesn't sell nicotine juice but sells a lotta hardware, quality stuff too.

 

[nicfitter]

Sounds like I`ve got a lot to learn... Maybe someone could offer some advice... I generally smoke half a pack a day. I know that doesn`t seem too bad, I was up to a pack a day and if I`m out drinking I still am.

So what`s the best bang for my buck and I still sort of want it to look like a cigarette. (Basically I don`t want to look like I`m sucking a screwdriver. You know what I mean.)

Thanks for the advice, in advance.

 

[nicfitter]

Also I looked into the ego as it seems it has gotten favorable recognition.

 

[Mindfield]

You can't go wrong with an eGo. I used one for nearly a year before getting my first (and current) mod, and it never failed me. It's a little bigger than your standard cigarette-style E-cig, but you get much longer battery life and the ability to use any 510 or eGo atomizer, cartomizer, tank or hybrid, so with an eGo you have a very versatile little unit. Highly recommended for your first E-cig.

If you are absolutely stuck on a cig-style E-cigarette though, the Volt from Smokeless Image is your best bet. You get a great vape despite its diminutive size. There's even a vendor in Canada who sells them (though in black only).

Don't worry too much about how much or what strength you smoke. Generally it doesn't translate very well into how much you'll vape or at what strength. I would recommend starting out with 18mg juices to start off. If you find yourself vaping a lot or need more throat hit, move up to 24mg. Too much throat hit or it's making you dizzy, nauseous and headachy, drop down to 12. It won't take long to find what works for you. The real challenge is finding your favourite juices. Finding your "all day vape" is pretty much everyone's quest here.

 

[hendextall]

I'm really new to all this and it seems most experienced vapers say to stay away from one's that look like an analogue, but I am very pleased with my Colibri. I smoked about as much as you say you do, and I haven't had a real cigarette since I began vaping. With the PCC, I've had no trouble with battery life. I can easily go 3 days before I have to charge it again. I don't know maybe I don't vape as heavily as everyone else.

There are some negatives though, it is a little more expensive, and only available from pretty much one supplier. So the carto's cost a bit more than normal too, but I still figure that I'm saving money from smoking half a pack a day. It looks almost exactly like a cigarette and to me that was a big plus. It is my first e-cigarette though, so maybe I am missing out by not getting something bigger. Someday I might even try a different kind, but for now I'm happy with the Colibri. Just do lots of research and figure out which kind will work best for you.

 

[drac]

Hi and congrats for trying. Just get a couple more posts in then go to the Canadian Forum. Someone will be able to help you and give you a choice where to get your supplies from. At this time its Health Canada that are being real (insert comment here)
Drac

 

[Mindfield]

I'm really new to all this and it seems most experienced vapers say to stay away from one's that look like an analogue, but I am very pleased with my Colibri. I smoked about as much as you say you do, and I haven't had a real cigarette since I began vaping. With the PCC, I've had no trouble with battery life. I can easily go 3 days before I have to charge it again. I don't know maybe I don't vape as heavily as everyone else.

There are some negatives though, it is a little more expensive, and only available from pretty much one supplier. So the carto's cost a bit more than normal too, but I still figure that I'm saving money from smoking half a pack a day. It looks almost exactly like a cigarette and to me that was a big plus. It is my first e-cigarette though, so maybe I am missing out by not getting something bigger. Someday I might even try a different kind, but for now I'm happy with the Colibri. Just do lots of research and figure out which kind will work best for you.

Colibri makes E-cigs, now? I thought they just made expensive lighters. Huh.

But I say, whatever works for you. If the Colibri punches your ticket, you're good. I'd see what I could do about refilling those cartos instead of buying more prefilled ones though. You'll save a heck of a lot more money that way.

 

[hendextall]

Colibri makes E-cigs, now? I thought they just made expensive lighters. Huh.

But I say, whatever works for you. If the Colibri punches your ticket, you're good. I'd see what I could do about refilling those cartos instead of buying more prefilled ones though. You'll save a heck of a lot more money that way.

No it has nothing to do with the Colibri lighter, it's an e-cig you can get at ePuffer. I've also found one other place that sells them under the name x3. I've already received some juice, and have tried refilling some of the prefilled carto's that I have cleaned out and that has worked out ok, until I get the blank carto's that I ordered.

That is post #5, I'll see you in the Canadian forum in the near future!

 

[nicfitter]

I appreciate everyone's opinions and advice. I do have a question(s) regarding all these acronyms though. I get that PV stands for Personal Vaporizor, but being brand new to this, what does PCC stand for, atty, and also whats the difference between, an atomizer and cartomizer? One more thing, I was interested in the BLU because I didn't have to refill anything. Is it difficult to refill these things?, how often will I be refilling them?
Everyones advice is greatly appreciated. One can never have too much information before making a purchase. Especially when one doesn't really know anything about what their purchasing.
THX in advnance.

 

[Mindfield]

PCC = Personal Charging Case - a battery-powered case to store your batteries in, usually with at least one charging slot and some spare slots for carts or cartos.
Atty = Atomizer

Blu cigs can be refilled, but they hold so little liquid that it's almost pointless and it's a pain in the .... anyway.

The difference between an atomizer and cartomizer: An atomizer is paired with a cartridge. The standard atomizer contains the heating coil, a wick, and a nickel mesh bridge that pushes into the cartridge to soak up liquid, transfer it to the wick, and then to the coil. The cartridge typically contains polyfill that you put your liquid in. Some atomizers, such as tank atomizers, work a little bit differently, but the purpose is all the same.

Cartomizers combine the cartridge and atomizer into one unit; they contain filler around an air hold, and either at the bottom or up the center sit(s) the coil(s). They are very simple to refill: Typically just remove the silicone end cap and drip liquid down the sidewalls, rotating the carto as you go to get even liquid distribution. There are also other fill methods, such as the "condom method" or using a syringe to inject liquid down the sides. I just stick with drip filling myself. It may take a little bit longer but it's simple and you don't need any special tools other than a toothpick or bent paperclip to pry off the little silicone endcap. Or replace the endcap with a drip dip or something so you don't even need that.

 

[nicfitter]

Personal Charging Case...thanks, that would have taken me a while to figure out. Also thanks for explaining things a little for me. One more (two more) quick questions, 1. Which if either, is easier to refill, I don't want this to become a pain in the ...., I don't want to get discouraged from sticking with it. 2. I acquired my 5+ posts needed, for the Canadian members forum, now what?
Thx in advance

 

[Mindfield]

Personal Charging Case...thanks, that would have taken me a while to figure out. Also thanks for explaining things a little for me. One more (two more) quick questions, 1. Which if either, is easier to refill, I don't want this to become a pain in the ...., I don't want to get discouraged from sticking with it. 2. I acquired my 5+ posts needed, for the Canadian members forum, now what?
Thx in advance

They're both easy to refill. However, the problem I find with a two-piece system (cart+atty) is that the liquid has a lot further to travel to get to the coil (filler to bridge, bridge to wick, wick to coil) and most of it gets trapped under the surface. You have to constantly top them up every few puffs or they dry out. Cartomizers have the advantages of having no bridge and no wick, just a sock around the coil(s). For bottom horizontal coil cartomizers the liquid just sinks to the bottom and the coil vaporizes it from there, where the filler is sitting right on top of the sock, which easily transfers liquid to the coil. For vertical single and dual coil cartomizers, the coils sit right around the center air tube so they get liquid from all sides, thus produce more vapor.

Now that you've got your 5 posts, you can post in any other forum. If it doesn't let you, give it an hour or two as the system only updates permissions every so often. So pop into the Canada forum and say hi.

 

[nicfitter]

Thanks a lot I really appreciate your help. I'm going to try the Canadian Forum. Just in case I can't figure it out...how do I get there? I'll check back on this thread in a few minutes. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Mindfield]

Thanks a lot I really appreciate your help. I'm going to try the Canadian Forum. Just in case I can't figure it out...how do I get there? I'll check back on this thread in a few minutes. Thanks again for your help.

No problem! Just click on the "Forum" button beside home at the top nav bar, then scroll down the list of forums until you get to the "National Forums" section, and there we are.

Or you could just click here, too.

 

[Spazmelda]

Something I figured out after a few visits here... some of the acronyms are underlined with a little dotted line. If you hover your cursor over them, it will tell you what it means. This works in both firefox and google chrome, not sure about other browsers.