Drops per Cigarette

[Gimby]

I posted this as a reply to a question in the 'How many E-Cigs do you own' thread, but as the question of how many drops are equal to a regular cigarette seems to come up a lot I thought I would put it here for those that find it useful. The reply is aimed at someone smoking 6mg juice, but all strengths are covered...

I looked online and this tends to be the general opinion to drops per ml...

"The chemical "rule of thumb" for low viscosity liquids, the most common type we encounter, is 20 drops per ml from a standard eye dropper or pipette. The "rule of thumb" works amazingly well."

Thats based on water. Going with the liquid we use I would guess you are getting 1ml of liquid (6mg of nicotine) in around 15 drops.

Thats 1mg of nicotine per 2.5 drops, or 0.8mg of nicotine per 2 drops.

A typical Marlboro Red has 0.8mg of nicotine (at least here in the UK) meaning 2 drops is roughly the equivalent of a malboro red.

If you were using medium strength liquid (11mg) then just 1 drop would be just below the same level of nicotine as a Marlboro Red.

Other strengths would go as follows...

High (18mg) - 1 drop = 1.5 Marlboro Reds
Extra High (24mg) - 1 drop = 2 Marlboro Reds
Super High (36mg) - 1 drop = 3 Marlboro Reds

Looking at that it's easy to see why people get nicotine overdose so easily on the Super High stuff. 3 Marlboro Reds in 1 drop! Damn!

I generally use medium and simply put 1 drop on the atomiser and smoke until the vapour starts fading, thats basically the equivalent of a regular normal strangth cigarette.

These aren't official numbers, just some working out I just did in my head because you asked the question, but I imagine it's pretty close to the actual levels.

Hope that helps you (and anyone else that was wondering) balance out the drops per cigarette ratio.

Also as a point of interest, going by that numbers that means a 20ml bottle of liquid (around 350 drops) would contain the nicotine equivalent of the following...

Low (6mg) - 175 Cigarettes
Medium (11mg) - 330 Cigarettes
High (18mg) - 525 Cigarettes
Extra High (24mg) - 700 Cigarettes
Super High (36mg) - 1050 Cigarettes

Thats a hell of a lot of cigarettes. lol. 8-o

 

[Kate]

It all depends on how many drops each of us gets in a ml, this seems to vary greatly.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo.../4231-how-many-drops-ml-does-size-matter.html

20 drops per ml = 0.05ml per drop

 

[Gimby]

I know, thats why I said they weren't accurate numbers or anything, just me doing some math in my head.

I based it on what I consider to be a standard dropper. The kind you would find in most ordinary supermarket purchased dropper bottles, and the same size I have on my totally wicked liquid bottles here.

If people are using bottles with droppers that are much thinner than standard then obviously this won't apply, but I think as a rough guide it will work to give some people some idea of the amount they are smoking.

Also as it's unlikely any bottles use oversized droppers as they simply wouldn't function correctly, and as I rounded all the numbers up rather than down, if anything people will be getting less nic per drop than I have tried to work out here, rather than more, giving less chance of them ODing on a crazy first time vaping spree

 

[SpartanWarrior]

Ok question, so when you buy the cartridges how many drops are in that to last 10 real cigs, i just ordered some liquid myself so how many drops should i put in my cartridge?

 

[dnakr]

I wish there was an exact science to this. Who know what size dropper I use and the droppers vary, per bottle, per supplier.

I always use 2 drops of e-liquid. So if I am reading Gimby's post correctly, I am smoking almost 2 cigs with 11mg and 3 cigs with 18mg, each time I drop, however, I don't feel any difference between the two.

 

[SpartanWarrior]

So how many cigs would 2 drops be? because lets say you leave your home it would be frustrating to also carry the liquid around with you also.

 

[Gimby]

The equivalent of standard pre filled cartridges depends on nicotine strength and cartridge size. Obviously a large 36mg cartridge is the equivalent to far more cigarettes than an 11mg cartridge for a super mini.

When it comes to topping up the cartridges I used to add 3 or 4 drops (depending on how dry the cartridge was) before a bubble of liquid formed at the top showing me that it was full, but a larger cartridge would hold more.

 

[Gimby]

So how many cigs would 2 drops be? because lets say you leave your home it would be frustrating to also carry the liquid around with you also.

I actually carry the bottle with me everywhere I go. Its irritating at first but you get used to it, after all its still smaller than a standard 20 pack of cigs. If you aren't carrying at least some liquid or spare cartridges you are bound to find times when you are caught dry with no way of refilling.

 

[SpartanWarrior]

I actually carry the bottle with me everywhere I go. Its irritating at first but you get used to it, after all its still smaller than a standard 20 pack of cigs. If you aren't carrying at least some liquid or spare cartridges you are bound to find times when you are caught dry with no way of refilling.

So do you put drops in until you see the liquid up on top of the cartridge? i ordered the low 11mg

 

[Gimby]

I always use 2 drops of e-liquid. So if I am reading Gimby's post correctly, I am smoking almost 2 cigs with 11mg and 3 cigs with 18mg, each time I drop, however, I don't feel any difference between the two.

Thinking about this that makes sense. I look back at times stood outside pubs smoking. I could happily smoke my cigarette and head inside feeling fine.

But if I was just putting out my cigarette and a friend came outside to smoke I would happily light up another and smoke one with them, then head back inside feeling just the same as if I had smoked only the one cig.

I can only put it down to needing my nicotine fix and getting it. Regardless of if thats from 1 cig or 3 I know I have just had a smoke and the need is gone. I feel the same with my e-cig, I can smoke 11mg or 11mg and don't really feel any difference, I just kill the craving.

 

[Gimby]

So do you put drops in until you see the liquid up on top of the cartridge? i ordered the low 11mg

Yep, add a drop and wait a second, you will see it be absorbed. After a few drops you will add one and part of it will sit on top and not absorb, then you know it can't soak up anymore. You will soon learn just how much your cartridge can hold and stop just before it is full to overflowing.

 

[SpartanWarrior]

Yep, add a drop and wait a second, you will see it be absorbed. After a few drops you will add one and part of it will sit on top and not absorb, then you know it can't soak up anymore. You will soon learn just how much your cartridge can hold and stop just before it is full to overflowing.

Great now i understand thanks

 

[foodovision]

I have a 200 microliter pipette (standard lab device, will suck up liquids between 20 and 200 microliters (0.02 to 0.2 ml), to the microliter. I will usually drip approx. 100 microliters onto my atomizer and that will last something like 12 drags.
Do the math from there, that should help drive things a little more towards being an 'exact science.'

 

[Tetsab]

Having actually started the thread Kate refers to, which we've all had plenty of fun with (one claim of 90 drops to 1ml using a syringe needle!), I've actually decided that mls per day is probably a better way of working out and monitoring how much nicotine I'm using. It seems to be a measurement plenty of others here use and I can see the sense in it. I really can't gauge how many puffs on my 901 = one cigarette's worth, it just doesn't seem to work quite like that vaping. I've seen it mentioned here that 2ml a day is about average and had thought that sounded a lot but I think also plenty of people DO dilute/mix up to their own preference.

I was also a Marlboro smoker, around 30/day. Bought 18ml liquid to start off with and then started playing around with it; adding menthol/vodka solution (now just adding crystals direct to e-liquid, works fine, thanks SanjP) diluting with a bit of glycerine and so forth. Thought this would be plenty good enough for getting started becoming accustomed to vaping. And it is too, and I thought I was playing around with the e-cig at the moment more than I will once I've settled down a bit. After a few days did sometimes feel as if I could do with some more nicotine and as I'm still smoking a few cigarettes I'd probably have one. (still lots left in the cupboard, heard about e-cigs & got them right after we'd just stocked up in Belgium, c**p timing)

Decided to check how much I was using each day by using one of the tiny JC 3.7ml sampler bottles as it is easy to see how much that has gone down & gauge quantity used. Turned out I was only using around 1ml a day and if you do the arithmetic you get this result: 30 Marlboro at 0.8mg each = 24mg. I'd also admit (though not proudly) that I have done 40 cigs and more on occasions and only finances kept me to that 30/day.

No wonder I wanted the occasional cig - using slightly diluted liquid I probably WAS getting less nic than I'm accustomed to, less than 18mg. So now I know I can actually be quite a bit more generous with the vaping and still not be doing any more nicotine than I was - result!!

Almost forgot - another great thing about the little JC bottles is they fit beautifully in my old cigarette case along with a spare battery - ideal for taking out with you. Sorry my posts always seem to be so long, but I'm really taken with my new 'hobby'.
Vape on, all!

 

[Compactman]

according to your numbers I'm having waaay to much nicotine. I'm going to order much much lower stuff.

 

[SpartanWarrior]

Ok another question, i use the low nicotine 11mg cartridges, each marlboro cigarette has 0.8mg nicotine, i usually take 12 drags on my ecig like a normal cig, so how much nicotine am i taking in?

 

[Tetsab]

Rats! The elegant (ish) method of calculating my nicotine consumption goes right down the pan if you stick to using prefilled cartridges...<sigh>

You would need to know how much liquid your cart is rated to contain (it varies according to model), how dry you smoke them (apparently there is always some liquid left in the cart) and how many carts a day you are using before you could estimate quantity of fluid used per day. But...I still think this wouldn't work as well as using juice to top up or drip with.

Wouldn't work at all for me. Loathed the generic carts that came with my e-cig so almost immediately started adding other juice to them to make them taste better. Also got some empty carts to fill with the JC sampler juice I'd bought and there's no way I was putting 1ml into each of those empties, though I think that's what my 901 carts are supposed to hold. I'm paranoid about keeping my atomiser moist as well so add more fluid to the cart as soon as I think it is getting at all dry.

Sorry, SpartanWarrior - none of this is really much help to you unless you get yourself some liquid and then you can use my method as a guideline. I doubt it is all that accurate even then, as I say, just a guideline which I think it would give me some warning if I start going through too many mls per day. Plus, I'm not really trying to cut out or significantly reduce my nicotine consumption, just the tobacco.

Just out of curiosity Compactman, how much have you been using to think you've been overdoing it? You could always try diluting with glycerine to make your liquid go further AND reduce the strength.

All the best, guys.

 

[Compactman]

Well it would take me 3 days to smoke 25 cigs and I'm vaping 24mg almost as often as I'd have a analogue but not quite as often. It's cool though Steve got lower cash juice in so I'm ordering that as soon as he gets back to me on an email I sent him.... p0ke p0ke