First day vaping.... not impressed

[wack]

I've been smoking since I was 9 years old, and I'm sick of it. When I heard about e-cigs, they sounded like something I could use to finally quit smoking (I've already tried every other method). I live in Canada where e-juice with nicotine is not sold freely, and my only experience prior to actually buying my kit, was from a gas station e-cig called Vapur. It was pretty good; I enjoyed the flavor no matter which flavor I tried, I enjoyed the amount of vapor, the only thing it was missing was the nicotine.

After quite a bit of reading and researching, I finally decided what I thought would fit me best. I got:

2 VV eGo-twists
5 Boge SR cartos
5 CE2 Clearomizers
2 Stardusts, one LR, one SR

I also got 7 bottles of e-juice. 6 of them were from Juicy Clear (a respected Canadian supplier), and are in various strengths which are a blend of PG/VG (depending on the flavor), and one was a Canadian tobacco flavor made by Dekang (PG).

The first thing I filled up was a Boge carto. I put a few drops in and let it soak up, repeat until it wouldn't take anymore. I let it sit for about 5 min or so, and decided to try it out. 1st hit: almost nothing. no flavor, no vapor. 2nd hit: burning cotton! Ok, maybe I didn't fill it up enough. I fill it up again, but it won't take anymore. Even after a whole day of letting it soak in and absorb, it still wont take more, and still tastes like burning filler! Not sure what's going on here, maybe I came across a bad one (I was able to fill them up and use them successfully using other methods).

As of right now, I've tried all the liquids, and in all the different equipment I have, with all the possible voltages, and they all taste like s**t! For most of them, the throat hit is much too sharp, to the point where it causes great discomfort, and causes me to cough if I take a drag that would produce a decent amount of vapor. They all have a very chemically taste, and none of them taste at all like the description! I thought cigarettes tasted bad, but everything I've tried so far takes the cake. They also leave an aftertaste, just like cigarettes, but worse. Further more, my throat feels tight, as if there's a pressure there, I can feel it in my lungs, and my nose seems to be a bit runny. I thought these were supposed to be healthier than cigarettes, but so far it seems like I've only added things onto to my current smoking symptoms.

What happened to that delicious gas station e-cig flavor? Is it not possible with liquids? Is this chemically taste from the nicotine? I'm looking for something that tastes like the description (or at least not like toxic waste), has a smooth throat hit (not too harsh), can make a nice amount of vapor, and has nicotine in it. Am I totally off my rocker for asking those things? Is what I'm experiencing just how it is? Can anyone recommend a good combination of equipment and juice that will help me achieve what I'm looking for? Perhaps I'm doing something horribly wrong, if so, does anyone have any idea what that might be?

I'm really hoping my investment can be salvaged; I don't have much money, and this was the first thing I've bought for myself in years that was not a necessity. Any helpful info would be very appreciated!

 

[NGIB]

Once you burn a carto from it not being filled correctly - it is toast and will never taste anything but burnt. For the first fill of a new carto I always use the condom method as it ensures good saturation of juice near the coils. After the first critical fill, I use the drip to keep it topped off. I have the same equipment you do and I'll ask what voltage you are using on the Twist. If you're running it at the highest level, many juice flavors will taste burnt - especially fruits. I rarely take mine over 4.0 volts and I'm usually at 3.7 or so on the LR cartos. I don't use any of the clearomizers so I have no input for you there.

The equipment you have will work just fine as many of us use the same stuff. Just take care on the initial fill and start at a lower voltage and work up slowly until you find the sweet spot for the juice you're using...

 

[AttyPops]

Welcome!

I sure hope you get over the learning curve and that e-cigs (or any solution) works for you. You sound motivated, and that's a good thing.

Harsh hits are often the result of poorly performing hardware. It doesn't vaporize the juice properly and you get that nasty harsh hit.

1) Make sure the voltage on the vv is high enough to vaporize the juice.
2) I'd recommend you purchase at least 1 atomizer so you can sample flavors and use it as a debugging tool for your setup.
3) There are a ton of threads on the different cartos, filling them, and use. Like mentioned above, burned filler = toss.
4) Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.....the batteries are fine. And they are vv. So you should be able to adjust them even if you switch to different atties/cartos.
5) Some cartos (like Blu) sold in retail shops and gas stations are 510 compatible. So you could always experiment with the pre-filled ones to see how it works.
6) Note the ohms rating of the atty/cartos when posting questions about them. However, since you're using vv you can adjust to whatever they are. I can't tell you how to do that without a multimeter, other than preferentially. I also don't have a eGo Twist so IDK how the dial is calibrated. But basically:
1.5 - 2.2 ohms = 3.7 volts or less.
2.3 - 2.7 ohms = 3.8 - 4.5 ish volts
2.8 - 3.2 ohms = around 5 volts

Good Luck!

 

[wack]

Thanks for your replies!

I've tossed that one Boge carto that tastes like burnt.

The ohms of the cartos I'm using are as follows:

Boge = 2.7-3.1 ohms
CE2s = 2.4-2.6 ohms
Stardusts = 1x 2.1-2.4 ohms and 1x 1.8-2.0 ohms

One of the juices with a particularly harsh hit is a tobacco flavor that I loaded into a stardust 1.8-2 ohms. I tried playing with the voltage from low to high, but the throat hit remains unbearable, even on the smallest of drags. Could this possibly be a defective carto? I'm going to try and clean it out tonight and try a different liquid inside.

Getting an atty is definitely a good idea. I didn't think I would need one, as I thought that even if the flavor wasn't that good, I would still be able to tolerate it. I was horribly mistaken.

Does the nicotine level play a part in the harshness or taste of the liquid?

 

[Malduk]

Try to shop around for different liquids or samples. Also try some without PG.
Hardest thing about vaping is starting and finding out what works for you. I had the same harsh/chemical taste on my first liquids back in the day, though they were all chinese 100% PG, which I cannot even smell now.

Probably the best way to enter the vaping world is with someones help; for tasting liquids and equipment.

 

[Spazmelda]

I wonder if you could post on the Canada board and find another member close to you who is willing to meet up and take a look at your equipment and cartos, and maybe bring some of his/hers along for you to try. It might be helpful to get some hands on mentoring to figure out what's going wrong with your equipment.

Hope you get it figured out. There is a learning curve, and it does take some time to find a juice you love, so don't get too discouraged!

ETA:

What strength are your juices and what pg/VG ratio?
If the throat hit is too harsh, one thing you might try is adding a little VG. VG mellows the throat hit. I don't know about in Canada, but in the states we can buy VG in Walmart and other pharmacies. If its listed as USP glycerine (or whatever the Canadian equivalent of USP is) then it is safe to use.

 

[Bdbodger]

Yes the nicotine does play a big part in the harshness . You may need to use a juice with a lower amount of nicotine . 24mg/ml is strong , 16 to 18 med and 9 to 12 is light . It may take a while to get use to a high nic ejuice and even then the first vape of the day maybe harsh but after a few puffs your throat will get use to it or get numb either way the harshness won't be as bad . The mixture ratio of PG and VG makes a difference as well . 100% PG will be harsher than a mixture that has VG in it . I think Juicy clear was 70% PG and 30% VG . They are no longer selling but some vendors I guess have not sold out of thier juice .

 

[j_fro]

Thanks for your replies!

I've tossed that one Boge carto that tastes like burnt.

The ohms of the cartos I'm using are as follows:

Boge = 2.7-3.1 ohms
CE2s = 2.4-2.6 ohms
Stardusts = 1x 2.1-2.4 ohms and 1x 1.8-2.0 ohms

One of the juices with a particularly harsh hit is a tobacco flavor that I loaded into a stardust 1.8-2 ohms. I tried playing with the voltage from low to high, but the throat hit remains unbearable, even on the smallest of drags. Could this possibly be a defective carto? I'm going to try and clean it out tonight and try a different liquid inside.

Getting an atty is definitely a good idea. I didn't think I would need one, as I thought that even if the flavor wasn't that good, I would still be able to tolerate it. I was horribly mistaken.

Does the nicotine level play a part in the harshness or taste of the liquid?

What is the nic level of that juice?

When I started I was at 18mg, but now anything above 12 is toooooo harsh for me. The PG ratio may be higher as well. I do not have a sensitivity to PG, but lots of folks do.

 

[JudeD]

Remember when you first start with a new Stardust to take a few primer puffs--inhale and blow out without sucking into your lungs. The first few hits on a Stardust for me always are harsh. I take small puffs and blow them out until I can taste the liquid and not the primer fluid. Also, for the harsh TH, I got that in the beginning but it was because I was sucking on the vaporizer like it was an analog. You have to take easy, slow, long draws to keep from getting the harsh throat hit. I have an ego twist, too, and I start with it turned all the way down and then gradually turn it up until I find the right spot on the dial. I find that going too high with the Stardust gives me a burnt taste, but if I dial it back, the good taste comes through again. Be sure you are holding the ego horizontal so the fluid is always touching the wick. Sometimes I forget and let the end drop and get a brief burning taste.

One other thing--your taste buds are messed up from smoking for so long, so it might take awhile for them to recover and give you full flavor. You shouldn't have horrible flavor or burnt flavor, but you might not have full delicious flavor for a week or two. Your throat and lungs could feel tight and you could have the aftertaste from inhaling the burnt filler. I've done that before and the nasty taste stayed for quite awhile. A lot of people have problems with the Stardusts, but they work great for me. I fill them and then let them lay on the table for a couple of minutes to absorb some juice. Then I take a couple of small priming puffs and I'm good to go.

I hope you won't give up and you find a way to make this work for you. I'm almost a month without smoking analogs and I'm thrilled with vaping, but there is a lot of trial and error before you find what works for you personally. Come back here and read, ask questions, and make friends and the road will be a lot easier.

 

[Stosh]

Nicotine can give you a bit of throat hit, harshness in the back of your throat, and also a slight peppery taste. A burnt taste is usually from too much voltage to the coil or for too long, dry coils taste very harsh and burnt.

The difference in the equipment you have vs. a gas station disposable is the battery power. You now have enough power to burn things if not careful, and the lower the resistance of the carto, the easier it is to do...

The CE2 and stardusts can least handle higher voltage, the 3 ohm boge a bit better. Easiest way to keep the burnt taste to a minimum, is letting go of the fire button!! Pulse it on and off as you draw if necessary. And take long, slow, gentle draws....very different than a cigarette, but easy to switch to, just a bit of practice and

 

[harleydiva]

Also...I rarely like any juices that arrive without letting them steep for a couple of weeks. They usually taste like perfume to me initially. Some take even longer before I like them. Maybe try some of the prefilled cartos for a couple of weeks and let your juices steep... I have enough on hand now, that I just automatically stick new ones in the box for 2-3 weeks before I even try them.

 

[Riverboat]

Thanks for your replies!

I've tossed that one Boge carto that tastes like burnt.

The ohms of the cartos I'm using are as follows:

Boge = 2.7-3.1 ohms
CE2s = 2.4-2.6 ohms
Stardusts = 1x 2.1-2.4 ohms and 1x 1.8-2.0 ohms

One of the juices with a particularly harsh hit is a tobacco flavor that I loaded into a stardust 1.8-2 ohms. I tried playing with the voltage from low to high, but the throat hit remains unbearable, even on the smallest of drags. Could this possibly be a defective carto? I'm going to try and clean it out tonight and try a different liquid inside.

Getting an atty is definitely a good idea. I didn't think I would need one, as I thought that even if the flavor wasn't that good, I would still be able to tolerate it. I was horribly mistaken.

Does the nicotine level play a part in the harshness or taste of the liquid?

PG will give that harshness.. I use 100% VG 30mg-36mg and I find it smooth.... I use lite or unflavored....

 

[MaxUT]

Wack, you can dilute your existing liquids with a 4:1 mixture of glycerine ("VG") and water; this will make them milder. Adding VG will help vapor production and many people are less sensitive to it.

The more nicotine, the harder the throat hit. I would recommend using 8-12mg strength liquids to start with.

Do you inhale directly into your lungs, or do you first draw the vapor (or smoke) into your mouth, then inhale it? Direct inhaling is much harsher... I smoked for over 40 years and the first time I tried direct-inhaling my ecig, while driving, I nearly wrecked my car!

Boge-type filler cartos-- I always fill a new one by injecting the liquid with a syringe. I can tell exactly how much liquid I'm adding and be sure that it's distributed evenly through the filler. I use a 1-mL syringe with a 14 gage needle. Slide the needle down between the filler and the inside of the carto tube, go all the way to the bottom then draw it back a few mm and begin slowly injecting. Draw the needle out slowly as you inject liquid. I inject 0.6 mL into one side of a standard length carto, refill the syringe and inject 0.6 mL into the other side. This over-fills it slightly, so I blow through the mouthpiece end to remove the 2-3 drops of excess liquid from the central tube. Last thing, wipe liquid off the connector end.

When you put the newly-filled carto on your battery, turn the voltage down low because the first few drags from a brand-new carto will be much harsher than one that's broken in. Take short puffs to start. If you get 'slurpy' sounds at first, you may need to blow more liquid out of the carto. After a short period of use you can turn up the voltage a bit. I try to use only as much voltage as it takes to get a good amount of vapor.

The eGo Twist is the perfect battery for a new user, IMO. You made a good choice.

 

[wack]

What strength are your juices and what pg/VG ratio?
If the throat hit is too harsh, one thing you might try is adding a little VG. VG mellows the throat hit. I don't know about in Canada, but in the states we can buy VG in Walmart and other pharmacies. If its listed as USP glycerine (or whatever the Canadian equivalent of USP is) then it is safe to use.

The strengths of my juices vary from 9, 18, and 24mg. I'm not sure about the ratio however, as they were not listed on the site that I purchased them from. Bdbodger suggested that they may be 70 PG and 30 VG. What I find strange is that I have a tobacco flavored liquid that is 24mg and pure PG that is not too bad throat hit wise (but the taste is pretty bad), and then I have another tobacco flavor that is 18mg and a mix of PG and VG that has an unbearably painful throat hit. Does that sound right?

Remember when you first start with a new Stardust to take a few primer puffs--inhale and blow out without sucking into your lungs. The first few hits on a Stardust for me always are harsh. I take small puffs and blow them out until I can taste the liquid and not the primer fluid. Also, for the harsh TH, I got that in the beginning but it was because I was sucking on the vaporizer like it was an analog. You have to take easy, slow, long draws to keep from getting the harsh throat hit. I have an ego twist, too, and I start with it turned all the way down and then gradually turn it up until I find the right spot on the dial. I find that going too high with the Stardust gives me a burnt taste, but if I dial it back, the good taste comes through again. Be sure you are holding the ego horizontal so the fluid is always touching the wick. Sometimes I forget and let the end drop and get a brief burning taste.

One other thing--your taste buds are messed up from smoking for so long, so it might take awhile for them to recover and give you full flavor. You shouldn't have horrible flavor or burnt flavor, but you might not have full delicious flavor for a week or two. Your throat and lungs could feel tight and you could have the aftertaste from inhaling the burnt filler. I've done that before and the nasty taste stayed for quite awhile. A lot of people have problems with the Stardusts, but they work great for me. I fill them and then let them lay on the table for a couple of minutes to absorb some juice. Then I take a couple of small priming puffs and I'm good to go.

I hope you won't give up and you find a way to make this work for you. I'm almost a month without smoking analogs and I'm thrilled with vaping, but there is a lot of trial and error before you find what works for you personally. Come back here and read, ask questions, and make friends and the road will be a lot easier.

I will try the long slow drags instead of how I've been doing it so far. I've been treating them just like a regular cig up to now. The thing that I find strange in those cheap $8 gas station e-cigs is that I could use them just like a normal cig. There was almost no throat hit in those, just like inhaling thick air with a bit of flavor, and I could take continuous drags with no break, and it would never taste burnt, or the consistency would not change. Is that type of thing possible with the equipment that I have? Is it just a matter of finding the right carto and juice?

Thank you everyone for your replies! I will take this information and see if I can work something out.

 

[wack]

Wack, you can dilute your existing liquids with a 4:1 mixture of glycerine ("VG") and water; this will make them milder. Adding VG will help vapor production and many people are less sensitive to it.

The more nicotine, the harder the throat hit. I would recommend using 8-12mg strength liquids to start with.

Do you inhale directly into your lungs, or do you first draw the vapor (or smoke) into your mouth, then inhale it? Direct inhaling is much harsher... I smoked for over 40 years and the first time I tried direct-inhaling my ecig, while driving, I nearly wrecked my car!

Boge-type filler cartos-- I always fill a new one by injecting the liquid with a syringe. I can tell exactly how much liquid I'm adding and be sure that it's distributed evenly through the filler. I use a 1-mL syringe with a 14 gage needle. Slide the needle down between the filler and the inside of the carto tube, go all the way to the bottom then draw it back a few mm and begin slowly injecting. Draw the needle out slowly as you inject liquid. I inject 0.6 mL into one side of a standard length carto, refill the syringe and inject 0.6 mL into the other side. This over-fills it slightly, so I blow through the mouthpiece end to remove the 2-3 drops of excess liquid from the central tube. Last thing, wipe liquid off the connector end.

When you put the newly-filled carto on your battery, turn the voltage down low because the first few drags from a brand-new carto will be much harsher than one that's broken in. Take short puffs to start. If you get 'slurpy' sounds at first, you may need to blow more liquid out of the carto. After a short period of use you can turn up the voltage a bit. I try to use only as much voltage as it takes to get a good amount of vapor.

The eGo Twist is the perfect battery for a new user, IMO. You made a good choice.

I'm going to try getting some VG and diluting the liquids that are too harsh for me, maybe I can save them though this method.

The strange thing for me is that I haven't seen a correlation between the nicotine strength and the throat hit. Some of the lower ones are harsher, and some of the higher ones are smoother. I'm now thinking it has something more to do with the way that I'm using it.

I've been using it just like a normal cig. By that, I mean I am first drawing the vapor into my mouth, then inhaling.

I've also found that the needle method is my favorite so far. Filling those things sure is messy though, a lot more than I expected.

Also...I rarely like any juices that arrive without letting them steep for a couple of weeks. They usually taste like perfume to me initially. Some take even longer before I like them. Maybe try some of the prefilled cartos for a couple of weeks and let your juices steep... I have enough on hand now, that I just automatically stick new ones in the box for 2-3 weeks before I even try them.

I've heard about this. That is basically letting the juices sit for awhile before you use them? Is there anything that needs to be done beyond that?

 

[AttyPops]

Steeping:
Shaking the bottle (like once a day?) helps. Warm water bath is supposed to help too (tighten cap well!).
Juice left in sunlight or open to air can lose nic.
Just takes a while for freshly made juice to "mellow".

You'll never really know what's in your e-juice. Some flavorings add TH... some vendors add something to increase TH. Nic increases TH. PG increases TH.

VG reduces TH and flavor somewhat. Adds visible vapor quantity.

If you like to cook, or mix stuff up, you could try to buy some DIY e-juice ingredients since you're planning on getting VG anyway. Then you can see what effect different ingredients have since you mix it yourself. It can be real simple if you order unflavored e-juice in say double-nic-strength 50/50 pg/vg. Then when you cut it in 1/2 to get to normal strength you can cut it with PG, VG or some combination of both to get a lot of sample vapes from one order. Add a few drops of some flavorings and your GTG. Shake and steep.

And of course there's the hardware stuff discussed above about how well it vaporizes the juice. Make sure the coils are wet or it will taste harsh and nasty.

 

[wack]

Just wanted to say that I did finally get the hang of it. It seems that it took some time for my throat to get used to it, now everything is much smoother and the taste came out, and most of the juices that I bought are pretty tasty now (not sure if this was due to steeping, the equipment being broken in, or just me getting used to it).

I did figure out that one of my stardusts were bad, or needs some adjustment. I put a juice in there that I like in another carto, and it was very harsh and didn't produce much vapor. I'm pretty sure that either the wick or coils need to be adjusted. I took apart the one that I was having trouble with, cleaned it out, and did a dry burn. I noticed that the coils were right next to each other, and were touching. From what I've read, this seems to be the cause of the dry hits. All the CE2's that I bought leaked horribly out of the bottom, and whenever I let them sit for awhile, the atty would be completely flooded, and would cause juice to go into my mouth, and sometimes fling hot burning juice onto my tongue. Definitely not impressed with these, although I've heard good things about them. Maybe I'll buy another batch from somewhere else in hopes that they will preform correctly.

Now that I've past my learning curve, I have to say that vaping is one of the least user friendly experiences I've ever encountered. I must have spent 2 weeks solid where all my free time went into reading about everything ecigs, and even then, once I finally got everything, I still had a hard time due to faulty equipment and just not knowing how to fill/use all the various types correctly. It's really a shame, considering that this is by far the best way to quit smoking. I'm sure there have been many newbies that have given up on vaping due to the same problems that I've experienced, or by buying those cheap starter kits that won't meet their needs due to lack of performance. A little bit of quality control and information would go a long way for the vaping world, Chinese manufacturers take note! I think that without a helpful community such as the people on these boards, the vaping world would be a lot smaller.

Thank you everyone for your help!

 

[The_Jerkstore]

Just wanted to say that I did finally get the hang of it. It seems that it took some time for my throat to get used to it, now everything is much smoother and the taste came out, and most of the juices that I bought are pretty tasty now (not sure if this was due to steeping, the equipment being broken in, or just me getting used to it).

I did figure out that one of my stardusts were bad, or needs some adjustment. I put a juice in there that I like in another carto, and it was very harsh and didn't produce much vapor. I'm pretty sure that either the wick or coils need to be adjusted. I took apart the one that I was having trouble with, cleaned it out, and did a dry burn. I noticed that the coils were right next to each other, and were touching. From what I've read, this seems to be the cause of the dry hits. All the CE2's that I bought leaked horribly out of the bottom, and whenever I let them sit for awhile, the atty would be completely flooded, and would cause juice to go into my mouth, and sometimes fling hot burning juice onto my tongue. Definitely not impressed with these, although I've heard good things about them. Maybe I'll buy another batch from somewhere else in hopes that they will preform correctly.

Now that I've past my learning curve, I have to say that vaping is one of the least user friendly experiences I've ever encountered. I must have spent 2 weeks solid where all my free time went into reading about everything ecigs, and even then, once I finally got everything, I still had a hard time due to faulty equipment and just not knowing how to fill/use all the various types correctly. It's really a shame, considering that this is by far the best way to quit smoking. I'm sure there have been many newbies that have given up on vaping due to the same problems that I've experienced, or by buying those cheap starter kits that won't meet their needs due to lack of performance. A little bit of quality control and information would go a long way for the vaping world, Chinese manufacturers take note! I think that without a helpful community such as the people on these boards, the vaping world would be a lot smaller.

Thank you everyone for your help!

You are right. For a newbie, vaping is not user friendly. If someone try's to do it without a friend or without the aid of a forum such as this, they could fail quickly. Another great resource is YouTube. There you can learn how to fill a carto, how to fill a tank, watch reviews of products you're thinking of upgrading to. Just about every question you may have can be found there. Glad to hear you stuck with it, Keep it up.

 

[Filibuster]

Wow! I missed your thread the first time around, but I am thrilled you found some traction, and are on your way. The path may be windy, and the learning curve steep, but it is definitely worth the prize. Kicking the vile cigarettes. My hat's off to you. Great job!

I'm new myself, but from what I've read, vaping has come a long way in a few short years and believe it or not quality control is vastly improved! lol

 

[VaporPhreak]

Wack, glad to hear things are improving for you! I just wanted to note that I have used cartos, specifically the Boge cartos, for the better part of 2 years. A few months ago I swapped out to 5ml DCT (Dual-coil Carto Tank) and it did WONDERS for the consistency! The vape is smoother, and I never have to top off the carto! I just fill it up in the morning and go. I'm not sure what vendors up there may have them, but for reference here is where I got mine: Smoktech 5ML DCT @ Litecigusa.net

Also, I have found over the years that using a good drip tip on your carto makes a world of difference! I am currently using a Ming (vase like design) and I can tell a difference in the vapor between it and my old straight drip tips. And you get a LOT more vapor using a drip tip rather than those little white plugs the cartos come with. So if you dont have one, pick one up. Hope things continue to improve for you, and don't hesitate to hit up the folks here if you have any questions. Happy Vaping!