E-Cigs, The good, The Bad & The ugly

[Madmadigan]

Hello, New to the forums and 1st time post.

I was introduced to E-cigs from a Co-worker 10 days ago and she let me try them out, I was surprised that they managed to somewhat satisfy me while on a long drive, She told me she gets hers online but some can be bought at 7-11's. I decided to give them a shot, so i picked up some NJoys. The taste was horrible to me and the pack had 2 duds in it. I then tried the Blu brand and found i enjoyed the taste of those but after about a half a day they just were not satisfying me. At this point I was beginning to think this just wasn't the solution for me.

I Decided to do some research on the net to see if anyone else was having the difficulty i was having before I caved in and went back to smoking. I found tons of reccomendations to get an EGO, so off to the local smokeshop I went, except the smoke shop was no longer there..grrrr. I had had enough so I headed to 7-11 for a pack. On the way i spotted a Vaper store so I headed in and lo and behold the had EGO Ctwist's!!, The clerk allowed me to try them out and I ended up buying 2 units so i can have one on the charger when the other dies. I also bought a better atomizer at the clerks request.

I should have suspected something was up when the original atomizers would not work on the other battery. But the extra atomer worked on both so no biggie. I have been using this unit for about 8 days now and now Neither Battery on either charger will charge. Both units were still dead after charging all night..grrrr. I can't find any info on what the led lights are telling me and the Store i bought them from doesn't open for another 6 hrs.. I Bought a pack this morning and am smoking again. I'm not giving up on this but until i can find some satisfying dependable way to do this i'm keeping a pack of smokes just in case.. Very very frustrated and upset right now. I had 10 days without smoking before this issue which is a miracle since i'm a 35 year smoker. Any advise or suggestions would help. Iv'e read that the EGO knockoffs don't last as long as the original Joytechs (didn't know there was Knockoffs till this morning) but have not found anyone who has even had knock offs only last 8 days before like mine did. How many backups shopuld i have so this doesn't happen again? Help help help!! Please.

 

[MrLonelyLobo]

It is very strange that those eGo batteries only lasted 8 days, even if they were knockoffs. I would suggest buying online from one of the many sites available, many of which you can find somewhere on this site. Read reviews on the products as to make sure they are genuine products so you can minimise the chances of receiving a dead unit, it still happens every now and again, so this brings me to your last question, and many other users will tell you the same thing, always have backups for your backups, and if possible, have backups for your backups for your backups.
I hope you can get settled with vaping soon, it's so much more enjoyable once you find the right gear

 

[Jwaterski]

Try cleaning the battery and the charger contacts and threads. And welcome to vaping, it gets much easier... eventually, I promise.

 

[Madmadigan]

Try cleaning the battery and the charger contacts and threads. And welcome to vaping, it gets much easier... eventually, I promise.

Thanks for the reply Jwaterski, sadly i have been making sure they are clean. Since there is a variation between how the batteries connect to the custom atomizer, one of the units gurgle a bit and a few nights ago i discovered how important it was to avoid getting the juice in your mouth as it made me quite nautious. Sadly i seem to spend more time keeping these clean and functioning properly then i actually get to use them.... I intend to take them back to the vapor store today, hopefully they will make good on it.

 

[Wingsfan0310]

It's possible you screwed the atomizer down to tight on the batteries and pushed down the center pin. With a needle nose plier, toothpick, etc (something small enough to pry the pin up) try to gently pry up the center pin on the battery.

My charger flashes red and green lights while charging and when finished it displays a solid green light.

Happy Vaping

 

[j3illy]

With the e-cig stuff, there really aren't knock-offs. A better term to use is clones. It's all getting produced in the same factories in China. You could get a clone that has the same exact battery Joyetech uses. But then you could get a clone that has a lower capacity than stated. I've been having better than expected performance out of some Ego 650mah clones & CE4's , going on 2 months now. I also got a 1100mah clone that doesn't last as long as the 650's do. But the seller on ebay sent me out a replacement this past wk after I explained the situation. I haven't spent more than $40, and I have a few batteries I rotate with, and also have a good 10 clearomizers. Half still unused, and the other half in rotation w/ different flavors. I take it easy w/ the gear tho and I'm not vaping too much more than 1 mL a day, but I'm definitely OK w/ this stuff for now.

 

[Jwaterski]

Thanks for the reply Jwaterski, sadly i have been making sure they are clean. Since there is a variation between how the batteries connect to the custom atomizer, one of the units gurgle a bit and a few nights ago i discovered how important it was to avoid getting the juice in your mouth as it made me quite nautious. Sadly i seem to spend more time keeping these clean and functioning properly then i actually get to use them.... I intend to take them back to the vapor store today, hopefully they will make good on it.

Yea, most juices seem to be better as vapor than drinks!! Hope you find a system that works soon, there's just so many to choose from

 

[Madmadigan]

It's possible you screwed the atomizer down to tight on the batteries and pushed down the center pin. With a needle nose plier, toothpick, etc (something small enough to pry the pin up) try to gently pry up the center pin on the battery.

My charger flashes red and green lights while charging and when finished it displays a solid green light.

Happy Vaping

Thanks Wingsfan, i did read this prior and try it as well, didn't seem to want to go up so i am assuming it is up, good news is they are accepting charge now from a different computer which doesn't make sense as they have have charged on my computer up to this point.

But now for whatever reason my Kanger evod atomizer stopped working alltogether on either battery . took it apart and cleaned it up good and it still wont work.... it's only 3 days old. Having to use the original atomizer which is burnt..yuch! are these kind of issues normal or is the devil determined to keep me smoking..lol

 

[Wingsfan0310]

Sounds like a battery post issue to me. One other thing you could try is two small jewelers screwdrivers one on each side of the post and gently try to pry it up. One other thing, do you have an extra head/coil to try in the Evod - if so, give it a try. It will get easier. My 1st battery was a vision spinner Vision Spinner - 1300mah - Stainless still working like a champ. It's my backup now, I ended up getting a MVP2 Innokin iTaste MVP V2.0 - 101 Vape I couldn't be more pleased with it's performance. Best of luck
Cheers,
Steve

PS Thinking about it some more, its possible the Evod's post may be just slightly raised (or the coils blown) and causing problems by not making contact, since your having the problem on 2 different batteries

 

[Madmadigan]

It's possible you screwed the atomizer down to tight on the batteries and pushed down the center pin. With a needle nose plier, toothpick, etc (something small enough to pry the pin up) try to gently pry up the center pin on the battery.

My charger flashes red and green lights while charging and when finished it displays a solid green light.

Happy Vaping

I have screwed the batteries down tight both to the battery and to the atomizers, no one at the vapor store said anything to me about this. Threading them onto the charger until the blue light comes on is easy enough but what about the atomizer? there is nothing to indicate how far to screw this down right? I havnt been cranking the atomizers down but i have threaded them on until slightly finger tight, is that wrong?

 

[Wingsfan0310]

I have screwed the batteries down tight both to the battery and to the atomizers, no one at the vapor store said anything to me about this. Threading them onto the charger until the blue light comes on is easy enough but what about the atomizer? there is nothing to indicate how far to screw this down right? I havnt been cranking the atomizers down but i have threaded them on until slightly finger tight, is that wrong?

Basically just screw them down tight enough to make contact (work). Finger tight sounds good but some people really crank them down and then the battery post gets pushed down.

 

[Madmadigan]

PS Thinking about it some more, its possible the Evod's post may be just slightly raised (or the coils blown) and causing problems by not making contact, since your having the problem on 2 different batteries

The Evod was working earlier but was low on juice so i filled it to about 2/3 of the view glass up and it stopped working, so i decided to clean it up a bit and still nothing..very odd.

 

[devauto]

Thanks Wingsfan, i did read this prior and try it as well, didn't seem to want to go up so i am assuming it is up, good news is they are accepting charge now from a different computer which doesn't make sense as they have have charged on my computer up to this point.

But now for whatever reason my Kanger evod atomizer stopped working alltogether on either battery . took it apart and cleaned it up good and it still wont work.... it's only 3 days old. Having to use the original atomizer which is burnt..yuch! are these kind of issues normal or is the devil determined to keep me smoking..lol

Hi Madmadigan!

First off, welcome to ECF, and congrats on persevering to quit smoking! It will get easier over time, and the issues you are having now will become a thing of the past as you learn what works and what doesn't.

As for the EVOD problem, like the battery post, the EVOD post may have gotten pushed to far as well. you can try pulling it out a FRACTION and see if that helps. Pulling it too far will completely destroy the coil if it comes apart. Also make sure it is fully threaded into the base, even a little off will cause it to not work and MAY also cause it to leak. Everything in the EVOD should be tightened until SNUG, and the same when attaching the tank to the battery. Never over tighten as it will decrease the life span of the equipment and cause problems in the process.

HTH

 

[Madmadigan]

Hi Madmadigan!

First off, welcome to ECF, and congrats on persevering to quit smoking! It will get easier over time, and the issues you are having now will become a thing of the past as you learn what works and what doesn't.

As for the EVOD problem, like the battery post, the EVOD post may have gotten pushed to far as well. you can try pulling it out a FRACTION and see if that helps. Pulling it too far will completely destroy the coil if it comes apart. Also make sure it is fully threaded into the base, even a little off will cause it to not work and MAY also cause it to leak. Everything in the EVOD should be tightened until SNUG, and the same when attaching the tank to the battery. Never over tighten as it will decrease the life span of the equipment and cause problems in the process.

HTH

Thanks for the welcome and Tips devauto, I just returned from from the vapor shop, Concerning the chargers, the mistake i was making was making was screwing the battery in prior to plugging in the usb charger, this keeps the charger from registering on the computer. The Evod issue was because one of the clerks there had given me the wrong coils for it. They gave me a Joyetech charger and an additional EVOD atomizer for the trouble, more then i expected so they took good care of me.

Thanks for all the assistance from everyone here, I gave that pack of smokes to a homeless couple on my way back to work

 

[Davinna]

Welcome to ECF! Grats on quitting! Count your success as the cigarettes you don't smoke.

I didn't see anyone mention this. Did the salesperson show you how the batteries turn ON/OFF? I thought one of my eGo style batteries had died when I first started and learned from a friend about the "5 button presses" turning it ON/OFF. Apparently I had accidentally shut one off

Other than that, as others say, probably battery post.

Hang in there. There's a bit of a learning curve with the personal vaporizers over the cig-a-likes, but it's well worth it.

 

[Davinna]

Opps, just noticed the OP had the problem fixed...my bad.

 

[Oakman_Smalls]

Just want to commend you on keeping with it and not just giving up. Quiting is tuff but well worth it in the end. Good luck and stay strong!

 

[UnclePsyko]

Opps, just noticed the OP had the problem fixed...my bad.

Well, that's still a good tip for the OP, or any others who may not have known/thought of it... so the post still has value.

 

[Nermal]

. . .good news is they are accepting charge now from a different computer which doesn't make sense as they have have charged on my computer up to this point.

I'm going to suggest you invest in a wall wart. Things seldom go bad, but if they ever do, you will be very glad that you didn't screw up a valuable computer. As I say, things seldom go bad, but when they do, it can be very bad indeed.

 

[poetic_injustices]

Okay, so I'm new to real vaping as well. I've had the Blu brand e-cigs for awhile and I can tell you, this is better. Yes, a little more work but ultimately part of the fun. This stuff can get pretty heavy so I did a little research and chose my own starter kit. If you're just getting started, it's probably best to get the mainstream stuff. It's more consistent and you're going to find it a lot easier to get any specific support you need for your gear as even the experts can only speculate on the specifics of your clone. My pseudo-starter kit consisted of the following:

-2 eGo-C Twist 900mAh batteries
-1 Kangertech Protank II Mini (the Mini is important here in my opinion as it fits the battery size and weight balance better but to each his own. It just means smaller capacity which suits me because I cycle flavors frequently anyway.
- 1 rapid USB charger (the recommended one) on the site I'm about to give you. For this I second NERMAL's recommendation. Don't charge it in your computer. Get a wall wart but watch so the output isn't too high.

This setup gives you room to play and learn within the limits of what actually works so you don't accidentally screw it up. I haven't had it long but I have to say, it's perfect and apparently it's what a lot of people started on. So it's a tried and true setup that works well, is user friendly, has some but not too much wiggle room for experimenting and it's not too hard on the wallet.

Next- where to buy? Purchase on myvaporstore.com. Local vendors can be AMAZING and the good ones deserve our support but there are ones out there who don't. No matter what they will pretty much all be more expensive as they have to be to turn a profit but some of them scam newbies into setups that can actually be dangerous to an inexperienced user (or just plain poor quality) so research your local vendors before you buy from them. The whole thing will run you less than $80 on that website. A bottle or 2 of ejuice will push you high enough to get free shipping and, for future purchases, Mt Baker Vapor has the cheapest stuff around and a lot of flavors to play with.

What you have to remember is that vaping is just not like smoking cigarettes. It's not going to provide you the same experience and, even with your nicotine needs filled, you're going to find yourself impatient and irritable at first. That fades and you'll actually be able to find it fun and interesting to learn about different setups and experiment with what works for you. In time, your body and mind will adjust to this new form of nicotine delivery. I was lucky in that I enjoyed vaping FAR more than I ever did smoking and so making the switch was cake (it's been over a year since I first started with the Blu brands and now I cannot be around regular cigarettes they are so gross) but not everyone has that experience. It took my boyfriend much longer to get comfortable. So accept that you're going to feel differently and there's no way to feel exactly like you did when smoking short of actually smoking and move on. Don't bother chasing that EXACT same feeling of smoking with ecigs or nicotine replacement because you just won't find it. It's different and once tobacco loosens its grip on you a bit, you'll probably find it's better.

Last thing I would suggest is that you stay on this site. Post every little question and read. Just one post about my starter setup that I'd chosen verified I'd made the right choice and the people gave me a slew of videos to help with the process. I'm the type of person that needs to understand the "why" of it, not just that it does what it does. These people know their stuff and they're generous with the advice.