**Christmas Contest-Win a Phidias**

[Noodoggy]

Great Pay it Forward!
As I approach my one year anniversary, I have to say all the benefits I have gotten from vaping and all the enjoyment I get out of sharing about vaping are outweighed by this one: I smell good for my family. How it used to hurt me so much to see my wife or my daughter scrunch up their nose when they hugged me or kissed, and the futility I felt because I was so hooked to nicotine, and at the time only knew one way to get it: smoking. Now thanks to vaping, my family enjoys hugging and kissing me, and a little bonus to that, with not smoking, I'll be around longer for them to keep doing it.
Thanks again for the great PIF! Good luck to everyone!

 

[rtrain99]

Several weeks ago, another ECF member got their provari and dca stolen. It kinda p'd me off that someone would steal another persons' mod. He sounded so sad. Since I make and sell box mods for friends and family, I gifted him a mod for the price of shipping only. He was so appreciative and quality of the mod, that he ordered 2 more sets from me.

Thanx for the opportunity BB

 

[Psyche]

I starting vaping in July. I bought a KR808D-1 starter kit for myself for my birthday. I didn't expect to quit smoking cigarettes as I'd already tried eight times unsuccessfully to quit. I figured I would just use it when I was inside and around my family. The choice was inspired by my son coming home upset because some kids at school were accusing him of being a smoker because of the smell of smoke on his clothes. It was incredibly painful for me that he was being judged because of my habit. The day I received my kit I was a 2 ppd Marlboro red smoker, the day after I received it I had only smoked 5 cigarettes the whole day. Two weeks later, I ended my 25 year long relationship with the Marlboro Man and have been smoke free, save for a couple of curiosity inspired slips, since (over 4 months as of now).

That is a beautiful mod! Thanks for the contest and a chance to win it!

 

[Katdarling]

Nearly a year ago, e cigs traveled back and forth into and out of my life. I was exposed to them, and each time, I turned my nose up at the thought of an electronic cigarette.

I had NO desire to quit.

The 3rd time the e cig made its way back into my consciousness, I decided to check it out. I still thought it was just a gimmick, a toy, a ridiculous idea, and welp, I did not want to quit smoking. Ever. End of story.

I started actually studying these little devices and while still thinking they just had to be expensive toys, I decided to order a kit. But only to prove to the world that they were absolutely the most silly thing in the world and that they could not work!

That was January of this year. That little 510 stick battery kit did it for me. I found myself opting for the vape as I discovered I actually enjoyed it more than smoking, and I knew in my heart that it was certainly a WHOLE lot better for me than inhaling burning tobacco.

I bought that first kit as a birthday present to myself, so this January, after having smoked for upteem years (1-2 PAD), I will be turning ONE YEAR OLD.

Every one year old needs a gorgeous wood mod, no?

 

[dotma]

That is a gorgeous Phidias! My story is that i picked up a kit at a mall kiosk one day. Really was not looking to quit, although i was always looking to quit, if that makes sense, and they let me try it and i liked it. Hubs wanted me to do it for my health. I was hooked! But not on that model lol. A couple weeks later got an eGo kit and loved that for a couple of months. A few weeks ago got a Lavatube and it is my new constant companion. I have tried to convert a few people but with no success yet. I wont give up tho!

 

[lilith79]

I've had a few strange looks from vaping, this last fall a girl asked me what it was and I told her it was an ecig, and she said, "Oh, I thought it was a crack pipe and I was gonna warn you the drug dogs are here." I couldn't believe she though it was a crack pipe *and* that if it were I'd be dumb enough to use it in public! (FTR I have never and have no interest in doing that crap)

 

[89camvette]

My friend has been vaping for a while now and it is always amusing to watch how people react to it. Usually they think it's something else but I wonder what they would think of a wooden box This is an awesome contest and if I'll have it sent to my friend as a surprise Christmas present if I win

 

[tiburonfirst]

no happy ending here - so far .......
switched over without a problem and was completely smokefree for 7 months and then it fell apart. been struggling ever since to get back on track.

 

[beebopnjazz]

Great contest! Such a generous prize! My mom first told me about electronic cigarettes and after doing some homework on ECF I purchased a KR808d-2 but soon came on board with the 808d-1 It's been a struggle - found a perfect juice only to find out it was a mixing mistake and the elusive hunt is on. I have found many tasty juices along the way though.

Good luck all!

 

[proudlion]

When I purchased my first electronic cigarette kit at the end of March 2010, I had no thought that I would ever become a non-smoker; I was attracted to the "gadgetness" of it. My highest expectation was that I might use it where smoking wasn't permitted or perhaps while in the car thereby cutting down on the damage to my health and finances. However, I knew after 43 years of smoking that I was literally killing myself as well as separating myself from so much of life where smoking wasn't a possibility. I had used a large number of smoking cessation methods over the years including hypnosis, medications, biofeedback, 12 step programs, meditation, NRT patches, and even the Schick Method, I was convinced that nothing could end my habit/addiction. Imagine my surprise when I immediately discovered I totally Preferred the eCig to the nasty, smelly, dirty cigarette!

My last cigarette was on March 31, 2010 and I could not be happier.

Thank you

 

[Huffelpuff]

My first purchase of ecigs was a $200 kit at a local mall. Really was expensive for me but decided that I'd do almost anything to quit. Tried it and it was WONDERFUL for about 10 minutes. The batteries charged for an hour and vaped for 10 minutes. Worst part is that the cartomizers were $15/5 and had hardly any juice inside of them. They told me that they would last me for months - less than 1 week.

When I came to the ECF I found great new people to learn from and a lot of support. I value each person here and the help I've received and hope to in some way help new people that come in.

Thanks for the contest!

 

[BryanL]

Shortly before I found the ECF, I purchased a $200 kit from V2Cigs... I was desperate to quit smoking and they were a short google search away (such a bad idea).
My only regret in my vaping experience is that I had found this place before purchasing my over priced kit. The advice and help I have received from all the lovely people around here is heartwarming. I appreciate everyone here so very much, and would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who has or will help me in the future (which is prolly everyone).

Additionally, a big thank you to Brutus for such an awesome contest and prize. It has been a lot of fun reading everyone responses.

 

[caspr]

I got into vaping while trying to get my wife off of analogs. Ordered her a starter kit and a few juices to get started. I found ECF while researching a few things After I read a few things and kind of figured out how the various things worked it had me hooked.
Now I have about 15 difference juices and enjoying it to the max.

 

[musiceqlslife21]

Since I started vaping during late October to now I've had a variety of exeperiences with many smokers. The funniest experience I had with vaping actually occurred a couple months ago. I was at a traffic light, and I was vaping my madvapes VV box mod, and was tapping it with my finger to the beat of some rock music on the device. When the person next to me in the other lane, shouted out towards me, asking: Is that one of those electronic cigarette things? I replied yes, and proceeded to tell her what I had. Then the girl asked: Do you have to tap the device that many times to get the smoke out of the it? I laughed a little bit, then told her: no, I was just trying to keep to the beat of the music, theres actually a button that I'm pushing, and holding in. She laughed and then I threw her a couple of business cards, told her check out ecf, and said bye, as the light changed.

 

[Running Wolf]

I picked up a gas station e-cig when I was helping someone move out of state. I drive the U-Haul and take a bus back. I actually didn't start using it till I got home. I wasn't really at looking to quit smoking. The thing is I liked the idea of vaping instead of smoking. Sort of funny how things like that happen. The old fart in me was "I want tobacco flavor" but as soon as I tried flavors I was hooked .

Hopefully before crashing out tonight the DIY black cherry will tell me what else it needs to become a favorite vape juice.

 

[karmakatie]

I am new to vaping 2 weeks today with no analogs!!! My story is this, I kept the analogs by my desk with my lighter and ashtray as a security thing. Well while reading and engrossed with all of the great info on ECF, I have aced 2 510 batts by lighting them with my lighter!! The LEDS promptly melted and I had had to remove the lighter to a safer place!

 

[Paislia]

So there I was. On my birthday. 2008. I had quit analogs almost 2 years earlier when I got pregnant. My dh (who only smokes the occasional cigar and just doesn't get it) tosses a pack of Gauloises in my lap after the kids are in bed. We cannot find them around here but had been to CAN recently. Of COURSE I jump up, find a lighter and become hopelessly trapped for 3 more years. (He really really thought I could just have a few and that would be that.) THIS year for my b'day, he got me an e-cig. I completely switched over in about 72 hours and have almost forgiven him at this point - lol! over 6 months now and going strong! Congrats to all my fellow vapers!

 

[pringles13]

I don't really have a funny or exciting story. I started smoking at age 16. I smoked 1-2 packs a day for 10 years before quitting cold turkey. Then boredom happened while working a job doing security escorting (primarily outside) 5 years later and I started smoking again, a couple of packs a week. Stopped again after a year. Then moved back stateside and here came the frequent deployments and the fun that brought. So in 2008 I picked them up again, about 1-2 packs a day for 3 months at a time (during the underway periods) with, at most, a six week break of not smoking between deployments. My neighbor and friend DubMajnoon and his friend Nich introduced me to vaping, and I got my first starter kit in July 2010. I gradually started using analogs less and less and was vaping more and more. I wasn't one of the ones who put down analogs altogether. I was going through a divorce, 2 moves in 2 months, financial issues and so on, so it took a while. I purchased a chuck in the fall of 2010 and that helped tremendously. I was able to get down to only a few analogs a day. Finally on Dec 29, 2010 I purchased my last pack before a road trip and ended up smoking only 1 on the way to MS. Since that day, I've been analog free. Almost a year later and I'm so glad I was finally able to put them down. Occasionally I'll get a craving for one when I'm uber stressed and I thank the heavens I have my PV to pick up instead.

 

[kaykay]

when i first started vaping i had an issue with throwing my pv on the floor,it was a pen style,this lasted about a month,i even threw one out of a moving car,lol..bad habits are hard to kick.my best purchase was a lanyard,got me use-to not throwing my cig against the floor or in the toilet,lol.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

 

[dragonlover]

When I first considered switching to ecig my husband bought me a disposable #7 from a kinda close by smoke shop to see if I would like it. That led to buying a 901 auto kit from a local brick and mortar store. I then found this wonderful forum and two awesome people who lived nearby--Brewlady and Santo. Without them I surely would have given up! Since then I have committed "Riva manslaughter", left an adapter on a pv and screwed it onto a charger and had various other "mishaps" lol. I stuck to it however and have been cigaretted free since May 8th of this year! Without the support of this forum and the vaping community in general I would most likely still be smoking. Thank you to everyone both here and on the Face Book vaping groups -yes FB-I practially live there now and stickam lol.
Thanks for the contest and for giving back to the community <3