Disappointing first vape.

[Arukas]

Finally got my Eleaf iStick and Nautilus Mini today and was excited to start vaping. However my first experience has me a bit disappointed and puzzled.

The eliquid I ordered may not have been best for me. I'm a pack and a half a day smoker and I liked "harsh" cigarettes like Parliament full flavors and Newports. Because of these preferences, it was recommended that I order 70/30 PG/VG and 18mg nicotine eliquid. I ordered online since the closest vape shop is about 35 miles away and I don't drive.

The vape is harsh, very harsh. Almost painfully harsh, and that's at the iStick's lowest setting (4.7 - 5.2 watt). I started with a banana flavor and I couldn't take it anymore, so I switched out the coil to a replacement BVC (the one it came with was 1.9 ohm, the replacement was 1.7 ohm) and changed to a coffee flavor. It's ever so slightly better, but it's not an enjoyable experience. There's also like no vapor, but I presume that's because I've vaping at such a low wattage and I can only draw for a second or two before it becomes too overwhelming.

Do I go to 12mg nic? Do I go to 60/40? 50/50? Is something wrong with my equipment? It feels like there's a long delay between pressing the button on my iStick and "hearing" it kick into action. Also sometimes I get a bit of a "pop" into my mouth which is also a bit odd/uncomfortable. There's like a pop sound, and I get a wet blast into my mouth, I think it's just air and I can't even imagine how any real amount of liquid could get through the tank into my mouth (it should just be enough to keep the wick wet I imagine). It's an unpleasant experience though, and leaves a "hot" spicy sensation on my tongue.

Curious what I should do and how much of this is normal. I checked all the Aspire equipment on their website and it's authentic.

(I posted a similar thread earlier on Reddit but the response I got wasn't very conclusive. Some people told me this was normal and I'd be fine going down to even a 60/40, other people told me it's not normal and something may be wrong with my device(s). So I'm trying to get a second opinion.)

 

[Susan~S]

Did you prime your coil before you started vaping?

1. Put a few drops of eliquid directly in the coil.
2. Fill tank and assemble.
3. Take a few "unpowered" draws over a period of 5-10 minutes to let the juice saturate the coil.
4. Now you are ready to vape.

 

[GT86]

Do you remember the very first cigarette you ever smoked? How was it? Well vaping isn't like smoking and it takes a little time to get used to it and find methods that work for you. I just started about 6 weeks ago and it was kind of harsh and the throat hit was so strong I had a hard time inhaling but now I don't feel like I'm getting enough throat hit. It has really changed for me. At first it was a bit uncomfortable but now I just love it. Hang in there and try different juices and I'm sure you will find it's a lot better than smoking after a little time.
I have a Mini also and it spits a little once in awhile so I understand the sensation on the tongue and again it used to be very uncomfortable but now I don't mind it a bit. The popping and crackling sounds are normal, I like hearing the juice get vaporized!

 

[Ed Kindred]

Like Susan mentioned, make sure the wick is saturated. The Istick, we have 4, is a hit it quick kinda battery. If you hesitate, it will burn the juice in a hurry. Start drawing on it right away. It took me a little bit to get used to it. I was & still am, using the MVP which works better if I give it a second or 2 to warm up. The Istick doesn't need any warm up time. After I got use to it I really like it.

 

[eyerhere]

Vapeing requires a longer slower draw than ciggs. Rinse out your 1.9 coil and blow it out and let dry over night. The lower the ohms number the hotter it runs.
Once you have reinstalled your coil do like Susan said and give it a try.
Try starting out at about 8 watts and adjust up and down to see which is better.
As far as pg vg your probably ok. Higer pg does cause more throat hit but high vg is thicker and may not wick as well which can be agrivateing to you untill you know whats what.
Lowering your nic will reduce throat hit but may not satisfy the joneses.

Ooo after thought: Sometimes a new tank will have machine oil residue which will make a seasoned veteran gak. Thoroughly rinse out your tank then fill with vodka or evoclear shake for a few minutes then rinse with water and dry out as good as you can.
Good luck. It will get better!

 

[Bimini Twist]

It's definitely not the same as drawing on a cigarette. One thing I tell people trying it for the first time is to treat it (almost) like a cigar or a pipe. Pull the vapor into your mouth, then exhale through your nose. Word is that you absorb more nicotine from the vapor in your mouth than in your lungs anyway. It won't take long to get the hang of it. Then you can try pulling into your mouth and inhaling some if you wish.

Once you get a good feel for it, as you've discovered, your setup has enough airflow to allow full lung hits. No need to make that a goal, though. Several experienced vapers don't do lung hits at all.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

[Jwaterski]

Just don't give up, there is a little bit of a learning curve. It'll get better!

 

[vaperature]

I've experienced that popping sensation that you've described as well. I still have no idea what it is. It's as if you get a little electric shock onto your tongue. It's definitely not e-juice getting into your mouth. You'll definitely know when that happens. That's nasty. What company did you get your e-juice from. by the way? Maybe it's not the nicotine level but just harsh flavors.

 

[radmama]

I am almost at 2 weeks off newports. I also have the istick + nauti. You do have to prime the coils and give them time to saturate. I am at 12 mg nic right now and I still find it a bit harsh w/ certain juice. I found a good combo is mint + chocolate, my fav. right now is whit.e octopus' minty mountains. the first week was super tough, it does get better and the more you vape and push though it the more you'll realize how nasty cigs. really are! My husband is still smoking and I can't even sit outside w/ him while he's smoking anymore.

 

[Arukas]

Vapeing requires a longer slower draw than ciggs.

I've read this a lot before I started vaping, so I've been attempting to slowly draw the vapor into my mouth. But then:

The Istick, we have 4, is a hit it quick kinda battery. If you hesitate, it will burn the juice in a hurry. Start drawing on it right away. It took me a little bit to get used to it.

I read this and tried taking a faster/harder draw (like a cigarette) and it actually improved the throat hit and the vapor quite a bit. Maybe the iStick is a bit different. Still not comfortable, but better.

I've experienced that popping sensation that you've described as well. I still have no idea what it is. It's as if you get a little electric shock onto your tongue.

Yup, that's exactly it! At least it's not just me.

What company did you get your e-juice from. by the way? Maybe it's not the nicotine level but just harsh flavors.

I ordered from Heather's Heavenly Vapes. I convinced my mother to try switching to vaping with me, but she only wanted to vape a tobacco flavor. It was suggested to me by a couple people to go with Heather's Heavenly Vapes for tobacco flavors. I personally got Monkey Wrench (candy banana) and Java Mocha Smooth. The flavors definitely seem pretty nice, I enjoy them, it's the throat hit that's been the problem. My mother seemed to like the tobacco flavor (Dark Horse), which surprised me since she was looking for something like a cigarette and I've heard how difficult it is to try to replicate that flavor.

I did the "prime the coil" thing, didn't seem to change the vape much. I think I should probably just go down to a 50/50 blend, but will be a few days before I can order some new eliquid. The 2 sets of iSticks/Minis, replacement coils, and eliquid set me back a bit.

Thanks for the responses so far.

 

[Robino1]

18mg nic might be a bit too strong for you. Higher nic = harsh or stronger throat hit.
I know heathers sells 15mg and they will provide any level of nic, just make a note in the comments field. Choose something that is close to what you want then just put in the comments what you want it to be.

Play with your vaping technique. Move your tongue or the drip tip to the side of your mouth so that the vapor is not hitting your tongue directly. Pul the vapor into your mouth and hold it there for a bit. Inhale with mouth and nose open. See if that helps any. If you have something that has a removable drip tip, maybe look into getting a longer one. The longer the drip tip, the cooler the vape as it hits your mouth.

Vapor is a different animal compared to cig smoke. It does take some adjustment.

 

[OldLadyO]

The only popping, gurgling and spitting I get is from the Nautilus. My other tanks have never done that.

 

[Woofer]

More VG and less nicotine will help to smooth out the vapor some extent...
However I think the problem may well be the iStick and Nautilus Mini combo. I know this combo has many fans but for me it was horrid, wicked hot and hasty burnt taste. A quick hard draw helped some it was still unusable. The iStick(ittoyou) displays V average, most devices display V RMS so 3 iStick volts are like 4ish volts from most devices. Simple put the iSick runs hotter (more watts). When already at the lowest watts the stick will supply and still to hot the cure would be higher resistance coils but the Naut mini coils only come in 1.6 and 1.8 ohms. I needed 2.8 ohm coils to tame mine. The Kanger Protank II with 2.8 coils works much better then the Naut for me. Note I said better not good or great.

I suspect that some Isticks may run hotter then others.

 

[huckleberry]

The nautilus is a lot more efficient at delivering nicotine than some other tanks so as most people have said you might want to lower your nic level for that tank. The spitting and tongue spraying from that tank is pretty common for some of the coils. I noticed after a while the coils seem to "break in" and the spitting stops however it did wreak some havoc on my tongue. If you can maybe pick up a longer drip tip to use, like a bent aluminum one for example, it might help. Good Luck!

 

[FlawedOne]

it's the PG. get some 50/50 24mg. I smoked two packs a day. The throat hit on PG is sick. Start with the tobacco flavors. Find one you like. the system shock isnt so bad that way.

 

[FlawedOne]

you might want to try the Nautilus BDC coils too, they are a little easier hitting.

 

[ProjektMayhem]

Try some 50/50 juice with lower nic and it will probably make the TH a little better. I don't really like a ton of throat hit anymore. I use 80/20 VG/PG juice with 6mg nic now.

 

[Wolfenstark]

All answers have been good things like lower the nic , increase the vg , prime the coils , I had a go on an istick and nautilus 1.8Ω bvc yesterday and it was fine for me. Mum who then bought my istick uses it on her clearos and they are 2.4Ω and she is fine and does not like harsh vapes.

Possibly try different air holes.

 

[Tygerlovesdeb]

Try, try and try again. I did not like my first vape either but it grows on your after awhile.

 

[Maiar]

Do you remember the very first cigarette you ever smoked? How was it? !

Actually looking back... trying to duplicate that initial head rush is why i continued to smoke for years after that first one.