Excited, Frustrated, and Apphensive...HELP

[Coastie3202]

I have been a pack a day smoker of analogs for the past 40 years and find that I am just fed up with it all. I have tried the patch, counselling, etc with no success. I refuse to use that pill that they offer due to the horror stories that I heard. I tried a cheapo ecig a couple years ago and like it, but the battery life was real bad and that cartomizer had a terrible task. So I did not stick with it. I spent $19.00 bucks to try it out, so no great loss.

I have decided that it is time to spring for a quality ecig, but of course had no idea what to get. I have for the past two weeks research eCigs extensively, both at home and at work (I know I know). I kept putting off a decision and last night decided to go ahead and order a Volt, now I am waiting for it to come.

I am excited about it getting here, and frustrated as I understand very little that I have read in this forum, and apprehensive that it will be worth the money. My initial impression is that it may be a money hole since it seems that cartos don't seem to last long and folks have said that a pack a day smoker will go thru 3 to 4 cartos a day.

When I ordered my Volt I also purchased some, uhm, uhm, what were they called, well anyway the liquid that you can drip into the carto. Sorry haven't learned all the ecig talk yet. I have researched and think that the cartos can be refilled, but am unsure. If I can refill them it seems to me that they should last a little longer.

Anyway, it's probably just the first time vaper apprehension. I am sure once I get the starter kit and begin using it I will understand more about it. But the excitement, frustration, and apprehension is gonna drive me nuts till my Volt gets here.

Am I abnormal, or have others experienced the same thing?

P.S. Don't forget to school me on refilling cardos. Is my assumption correct.

On top of all that I understand that there is a great 50 minute video available in this forum, but I can't get to it until I have 20 posts and become a verified member. You know how hard it is to make 20 posts when you know so little about the subject matter of the forum. I'm sure I would have at least 20 questions after watching the video, but can't. Oh well.

 

[kotje]

well im new to e-cigs (allmost 4 weeks or so)
i used to smoke 60 to 90 cigs a day
now i use one cartridge a day or a bit more (no normal cigs what so ever) but its like the most expensive brand (thats what i get from the forum )>the brand is "greensmoke"
and they say its really not need to go to sutch expensive brand and i will check out the cheaper ones they suggested to me
altho im not that eager to stop using trow away cartomizers

this forum is allso new to me (allmost 3 hours)...
cant really help ya much but i can at least tell ya what i experienced the last weeks

 

[ThaHealer]

I think you're experience is fairly similar to that of many of us when we started. Most start with a kit similar to the Volt and then progress as we get further from analogs and enjoy vaping as something different and unique. The cost is dependent on how much you choose to spend. 2 of your preferred batteries, blank cartos, and juice will be cheaper than analogs. However if you want to try out lots of different juices and cartomizer types it can get expensive. Prefilled cartos are generally tremendously overpriced. Refilling them is intimidating at first, but easy as could be once you get the hang of it. The biggest thing is you never want them to get dry or they burn. This means you'll be "topping off" by removing the cap and dripping several drops of liquid into the filter every half hour or so of vaping. There are tons of youtube videos that will help. You can search for the "cartomizer condom menthod" and find a very simple way to fill with the rubber caps that come on the end of the cartos. PBusardo, Grimm Green and several others are popular reviewers with tons of videos that will help. Ask lots of questions around here and don't get discouraged. Also remember that your taste buds will go through changes and your first e cig will not produce the same vape as something fancier, so if you're satisfied great! but if not there are tons of juices and equipment out there. Good luck and welcome to the community!

 

[jonnypanic]

Welcome.

A PBusardo Tutorial : Filling Boge 510 Cartomizers - YouTube

 

[X P3 Flight Engineer]

Greetings from Canada! Welcome to ECF!

First, Yes you are abnormal, just like us! Lol!

Many people have started with the Volt and NOT moved on to bigger things. If it works for you, that's enough. The Volt system even allows you to upgrade to bigger (X2) batteries and still use all the attachments you have for the smaller ones, so you don't have to throw things out to upgrade, if you need to for longer battery life. It also is a great way to add some back ups.

(Off Topic) Your avatar pic looks familiar. I have 1800 hours on Sea Kings (a while back). That must be a local NM pic, I'm guessing! Lol

Relax, Enjoy!

 

[lotsoffish]

I have been a pack a day smoker of analogs for the past 40 years and find that I am just fed up with it all. I have tried the patch, counselling, etc with no success. I refuse to use that pill that they offer due to the horror stories that I heard. I tried a cheapo eCig a couple years ago and like it, but the battery life was real bad and that cartomizer had a terrible task. So I did not stick with it. I spent $19.00 bucks to try it out, so no great loss.

I have decided that it is time to spring for a quality eCig, but of course had no idea what to get. I have for the past two weeks research eCigs extensively, both at home and at work (I know I know). I kept putting off a decision and last night decided to go ahead and order a Volt, now I am waiting for it to come.

I am excited about it getting here, and frustrated as I understand very little that I have read in this forum, and apprehensive that it will be worth the money. My initial impression is that it may be a money hole since it seems that cartos don't seem to last long and folks have said that a pack a day smoker will go thru 3 to 4 cartos a day.

When I ordered my Volt I also purchased some, uhm, uhm, what were they called, well anyway the liquid that you can drip into the carto. Sorry haven't learned all the eCig talk yet. I have researched and think that the cartos can be refilled, but am unsure. If I can refill them it seems to me that they should last a little longer.

Anyway, it's probably just the first time vaper apprehension. I am sure once I get the starter kit and begin using it I will understand more about it. But the excitement, frustration, and apprehension is gonna drive me nuts till my Volt gets here.

Am I abnormal, or have others experienced the same thing?

P.S. Don't forget to school me on refilling cardos. Is my assumption correct.

On top of all that I understand that there is a great 50 minute video available in this forum, but I can't get to it until I have 20 posts and become a verified member. You know how hard it is to make 20 posts when you know so little about the subject matter of the forum. I'm sure I would have at least 20 questions after watching the video, but can't. Oh well.

This is one of the better instructional video's regarding the volt and Smokeless Image- Smokeless Image Volt Demonstration and CE3 Cartomizers - YouTube

My personal advice to you is try to just get familiar with using the cartomizers and KEEPING your batteries CHARGED during the first week or 2.

I think almost anyone could quit smoking using a couple good batteries, cartomizers and the right strength liquids. It's easy to become annoyed and impatient with clearomizers, tanks and all the rest of that type of stuff. At least for me anyway.

 

[Dominicanto]

You don't know how normally abnormal you are

Welcome and you're in great company here and don't worry about the post count - you'll have enough questions to rack them up quickly and ask away.

I've not tried the Volt, but I've heard fantastic things about them. Among the "mainstream" mini ecigs (analog-look-a-likes) these are consistently seen as the best, at least among the rather snobbish crowd here ;-) (and I mean that in the best possible way)

Try the filling methods in the videos, above, and definitely subscribe to a few YouTube channels to slowly get familiar with the technology and terminology. (pbusardo, grimmgreen, and igetcha69 are my go-tos). Take your time and enjoy the experience. The advantage of the volt over the crap I tried early on is the ability to fill your own cartos and use the thousands of great juices out there as opposed to the cheaply made and, often, horrible tasting stuff in the expensive pre-filled cartos sold elsewhere. Not only will you save money in buying your own juice to fill your cartos, but you'll be able to experiment with flavors as your taste buds heal and allow you to enjoy what's out there.

Have fun, ask away and congrats on making a positive step towards getting healthy and off the analogs.

 

[Pappy]

Coastie, you bought a good kit from a great company, so no worries there.

Like so many things in life, it's all hard to understand until you have it in your hands and then you realize it's not hard at all. And then you go "Oh, I get it. "

Yes, you can re-fill the cartos. And it's not rocket science or even difficult. Relax and don't fret.

 

[lmorris]

Coastie, see --> Smokeless Image | Only The Best Electronic Cigarette | Refill Liquid top of the page has a video on refilling the Volt carts.

I figure a refill would probably be equal to about 10 real smokes so you can base your usage on that.

Pick up some of the blank carts and fill with the juice of your choice.


Eazy as filling an old Zippo lighter.

 

[hnyb0210]

Welcome to ECF!

I also got a Volt & am very pleased with it. I smoked a pack a day and (although it's hard for me to keep track since I switch cartomizers many times throughout the day rotating flavors) I maybe go through 2-3 of them total in a day. Refilling your own cartos is the way to go & it's really quite easy once you get the hang of it. In the little over a month that I've been vaping I've only thrown away one, maybe 2, cartos so far because they had finally come to their end. As for the others, I'm still using the ones I started with & just keep refilling them. I'm a real cheapskate & I can make just about anything last practically forever

 

[Coastie3202]

Welcome to ECF!

I also got a Volt & am very pleased with it. I smoked a pack a day and (although it's hard for me to keep track since I switch cartomizers many times throughout the day rotating flavors) I maybe go through 2-3 of them total in a day. Refilling your own cartos is the way to go & it's really quite easy once you get the hang of it. In the little over a month that I've been vaping I've only thrown away one, maybe 2, cartos so far because they had finally come to their end. As for the others, I'm still using the ones I started with & just keep refilling them. I'm a real cheapskate & I can make just about anything last practically forever

Thank you for your confession of cheapdom. That is exactly where I'm at. I only spend about $29.00 every 10 days for a carton of analogs on an indian reservation where they aren't taxed, so I really want to keep my PV costs down below that. I know that the health benefits of PV outweight the monetary cost, but I am a cheapskate and it factors in for me.

Thanks to all of you for your responses, it gives me hope, calms me down, and answers a lot of questions for me. This forum is going to be a great place to hang out and learn.

 

[Coastie3202]

Hey Flight Engineer. Nope, not a local pic (I wish). I spent 21 years flying in everything that the U.S. Coast Guard had and miss it terribly. But onward and upward working on a second retirement.