Carto issues for newbies

[the_maiden_fair]

I have been vaping for about 2 months, and my hubby would like to try. I decided to get him set-up with cartos and skip the whole atty+cartridge method for him since he drives for a living. He has tried to use it, and each time, he coughs like he's losing a lung. So, he kind of ignored it for a while. Today, I tried a different carto and decided to have him try it (seemed like a better one than the first ones I had ordered), he still coughed, so I took the same juice, and filled a cartridge for him, and had him try that. He had hardly any coughing. So, does anyone have any thoughts on this? I want to be able to get him on the cartos at least eventually, so it will be easier and safer for him at work. Do you think he first needs to get used to vaping, then learn how to use the cartos? Maybe it takes a bit of adjustment time or something. Why would cartos cause such an issue? Another family member of mine had the same issue when I let her try my pv (no analogs allowed in my car and it was a long trip!). She is willing to deal with the death hack to stop the analogs, however. I didn't get the chance to experiment with her, as I didn't think that the carto would be the issue. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated!!

 

[Jerk]

Could be too strong a flavor or nic level which is diminished when using carts.

 

[leftfeild]

Are you using all PG? I don't know about you but I found all PG was too strong a TH for me, especially when I first started. I now use all VG. There definately is a transition period where you need to get used to vaping. It hurts your throat and lungs and everything. Try some VG or VG/PG mixed if you use just PG.

Perhaps, ask him if he can take it into his mouth first like a cigar and then inhale. Direct inhaling on an ecig still kills my throat and it's been 6 months or so now.

I don't know what kind of carto you have but I found the clearomizers with the coil so close to the mouthpiece too hot for me. If it's further away it's cooler. If there is such a thing you can put ontop of your carto like a normal cart instead of a cap then it'll have more time to cool.

I use the EgoT system which I found was pretty close to the normal cart/atty system but was much more convenient. It's an option especially for being able to use it for long periods without having to refill it or change anything with it. It's not for everyone I know but I found it much cooler and smoother than the clearos I have.

There's probably some other things you can do I'm not aware of because I have no experience with cartos. Good luck!

 

[WomanOfHeart]

It could be that he's drawing too hard on the cartos, too much PG, too high of a nicotine level for him. Vaping is a lot different from smoking and cartos can change the game even more. I'm kind of curious, are those cartos LR? My fiance tried one of my LR cartos on my mod and started coughing so hard that he actually threw up!

 

[dormouse]

You did not give enough information

What ecig
Exactly what cartos (including what ohms or whether they are labeled LR)
How are you filling them
What is the PG/VG of your juice

if you are trying to use high VG juices in cartos then they may be getting singed because high VG does not work well in cartos - it is too sluggish to move through the stuffing and keep it damp. Ditto if you are not filling them properly - they could be getting singed. Ditto if your husband vapes them dry instead of adding juice to keep them damp. If you are buying LR cartos or extreme LR like some I see people suggesting on this board, then they are a very hot hit and heat increases TH and can be irritating. If you are using crappy cartos then it can be like trying to suck air through a wet dog.

Here is how I fill Boge cartos. Boge are the most popular cartos for 510 threaded devices. I use the standard resistance because I use both slim and fat batteries and LR can damage slim batteries. I find 20% or less VG works best for me for getting longest good performance out of carto.

How I fill
Pop out the soft cap with an unbent paperclip in the mouth hole, very careful not to catch stuffing or the wire loop.
Shake and open the eliquid
Hold a bit of tissue on the threaded end hole, tilt the carto, and add 18+ drops per ml of capacity into the stuffing (Boges are about 1ml)
Clean up the threaded end, tilt open end down into tissue, puff into threaded end to clear air channel (Boges have a defined center air channel and I want to see light through that)
Sop up any loose juice above the stuffing
Cap and let it settle - I lay it on different sides for 15-20 minutes to make sure every bit of stuffing gets damp so I won't singe the carto. if you use thicker juice than me (I use 30% Vg or less, I prefer 20%) then you may need to wait much longer.

While vaping, if the vapor gets a bit light or a bit dry or the carto is getting hotter than normal, I take the carto off the battery and add eliquid. I sometimes use a plastic or delrin drip tip as a mouthpiece on Boge cartos (not to drip into since the juice would head for the central air channel)

 

[Sniffle]

I have an issue with high %'s of PG myself, it irritates my throat so bad i can't stand it unless it has some type of cooling sensation liquid mixed in(cinnamon/menthol)

as a pure test off of the information you have provided so far

head to your local wal-mart and pick up a bottle of unflavored Vegetable Glycerine, take a separate bottle drop 5 drops of your PG juice and 5 drops of VG in it, and let him try it, this WILL decrease the nicotine level and flavor, BUT in the event that it is the PG causing his coughing fits this should minimize the problem if not clear it up completely. and in the future when you order juice for him you can make sure that it has a higher VG% this is usually denoted by 50/50, 70/30.

so far all vendors i have seen list PG first then VG on their ratios so 50/50 would be 50%PG/50%VG, 70/30 woud be 70%PG/30%VG

 

[the_maiden_fair]

Sorry everyone, I am using the Riva 510, I prefer the atomizer/cartridge myself, but got a few different cartos for him. The first ones were the cheapos on sale at ikenvape, average resistance, and I don't like them myslef. I also have some 2 and 3 ohm boges, and I seem to like them better. I had him try both the cheapos (good thing, cause the first one he killed immediately!) and this last time I had him try a 3 ohm boge. I mix my own juice, 18mg nic, 50/50 pg/vg. Since I used the exact same juice for him to try with the boge carto and the atty/cart set-up, I don't think it has to do with the juice. I will however keep that in mind, and maybe mix a 70/30 vg/pg ratio for him to start. I actually wanted him to have good TH as he smokes kings, I thought it would make the transition easier for him. Like we always say, we are all different! I smoked lights, but have no problem with my 50/50 ratio.

Thanks for all the good info! It's just a strange thing I thought I would share, and maybe figure a way to get him eventually on the cartos. I did look at the tank system, I can get them and use them on the riva, and thought about giving it a go, but there were so many posts on leaking issues, and I didn't want to turn him off to vaping with all the extra fiddling.

 

[swedishfish]

I'm going through the same thing with my sister. She coughs too. I suspect it's the way she vapes but it's hard to explain to another person.

With my sister, I doubt if it's PG/VG or nic strength related. She's not a delicate flower. I think she's inhaling wrong or too deeply.

 

[ardelleg]

I could inhale smoke, no problem. But when I started vaping my throat and lungs could definitely tell the difference and would not let me inhale. I used the PV like a cigar for quite awhile, vapor in the mouth, somtimes inhale a little through my nose, and lo and behold now I can inhale if I want, but don't have to. Seems like creating a cloud of vapor (and the flavor) is enough, even without inhaling.

 

[swedishfish]

That's because we absorb the nicotine in juice differently than in cigarettes.

 

[swedishfish]

I could inhale smoke, no problem. But when I started vaping my throat and lungs could definitely tell the difference and would not let me inhale. I used the PV like a cigar for quite awhile, vapor in the mouth, somtimes inhale a little through my nose, and lo and behold now I can inhale if I want, but don't have to. Seems like creating a cloud of vapor (and the flavor) is enough, even without inhaling.

That's a good point though and what I tried to explain to my sister. According to what I've read on the board the nic in juice is absorbed through mucus membranes in the nose, throat, etc. Not though the lungs.

 

[player30]

I still have times that I cough wile vaping (9 1/2 months). I do use a 70-80% pg juice, but I have also found that as the carto gets older, it tends to make me cough.

Also, I agree with the suggestion to hold the vape in your mouth before inhaling.

 

[Drak]

When I got my first PV, it actually took me an entire day of experimental inhaling different ways to get it sorted out.

For a few hours, I was actually directly inhaling every hit instead of taking long, slow, even draws, or 'puffs'.
By the end of the day that first day, I had it mostly sorted out, but it did take most of an entire day of vaping to sort through it.

What I learned is it just takes time to yourself working with it to figure out the best way for you, just taking some random puffs here and there, I think turns people off very quickly who have little patience to just 'sit with it' for awhile and find out what works best.

I would think left alone with a PV for the majority of a day most people would get it 'worked out'.

Also, I don't think you can force people to use a PV if they really don't have the desire for themselves, I think once you personally really 'want' it, you're willing to take the time to figure it out.

If you really don't want it, there's a thousand excuses/reasons why it doesn't/won't work, and you can't force anyone into it, I truly believe it has to be an 'attraction' to take hold.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

Long, slow draws like you're sipping on a fine wine. If you suck on it like a straw in a thick milkshake it's just going to end in coughing and sadness.

 

[texasgranny]

It does take several tries and perhaps a couple of days for many to get comfortable
with the difference of puffing a cig versus vaping. At first, don't inhale like a regular
cig. Take a little into the mouth area only(slowly) and then blow out. Do this most
of the first day, then start increasing into the throat area slowly. I coughed bad the
first couple days and was just about ready to give up on this ecig thing, but I prevailed
thru it, the cough went away, and look at my sig.......YEA!! for hanging in there!
It is sooooo worth it.

 

[swedishfish]

When I got my first PV, it actually took me an entire day of experimental inhaling different ways to get it sorted out.

For a few hours, I was actually directly inhaling every hit instead of taking long, slow, even draws, or 'puffs'.
By the end of the day that first day, I had it mostly sorted out, but it did take most of an entire day of vaping to sort through it.

What I learned is it just takes time to yourself working with it to figure out the best way for you, just taking some random puffs here and there, I think turns people off very quickly who have little patience to just 'sit with it' for awhile and find out what works best.

I would think left alone with a PV for the majority of a day most people would get it 'worked out'.

Also, I don't think you can force people to use a PV if they really don't have the desire for themselves, I think once you personally really 'want' it, you're willing to take the time to figure it out.

If you really don't want it, there's a thousand excuses/reasons why it doesn't/won't work, and you can't force anyone into it, I truly believe it has to be an 'attraction' to take hold.

I think that people that go through the trouble and expense of ordering a PV, reading all the info, selecting juice, figuring out what a cartomizer is what battery to get are pretty motivated. I don't think they just purchase on a whim.

 

[the_maiden_fair]

Right, Swedish, I know exactly where you are coming from. It's a hack that is even worse than the morning smokers hack that we used to get.

 

[Drak]

I think that people that go through the trouble and expense of ordering a PV, reading all the info, selecting juice, figuring out what a cartomizer is what battery to get are pretty motivated. I don't think they just purchase on a whim.

Totally correct, I was speaking more to trying to convert those around you, my bad.

 

[the_maiden_fair]

I refuse to force anyone to use it, Drak, he actually asked me about it, saw how good I was doing with it, and would even sneak a few puffs from it when I wasn't around. I think I just started him out on the wrong set-up, get him used to the cartridge/atty set-up, and go from there. I just put the cart before the horse for him, lol, and he was turned off from the choking cough he was getting, where he did much better using my pv than using his. I will tell him about the initial cigar puff method to get used to it, and he just wants to slowly test the waters, maybe replace one or two analogs a day until no more analogs! I'm a jump right in kind of gal, and also the guinea pig for others interested, so they let me do all the work to get the kinks out for them (at least the 2 friends who have converted and my hubby are that way!). I always tell anyone who is interested to come here and read, it seems that most are too busy (or lazy! lol) to do it. I wish they would come here to ask their questions, as most everyone here knows a heck of a lot more than I do about these things! I guess I'll just be posting questions for them, until I get tired of it and tell them to do it themselves!
Thank you all for your help and insight, you are helping more than just one individual, if not just me and my family/friend, but the thousands of others who browse through ecf. What a wonderful community we have here! Hats off to you all, you rock!!!

Plus, I have some who are interested who have no internet access (long story), so it does make my job of guinea pig a little tougher!

 

[the_maiden_fair]

Sorry, off topic, but I love your av, texasgranny! How cool is that!!