First Day with E-Cigs & Not off to a good start

[MustQuitNow]

All of this is very overwhelming and very confusing.

First, I have been a heavy Malboro light smoker (2 packs/day) for over 40 years. I need to quit for so many reasons. Moving to e-cigs seemed like a good way to begin the process.

Ordered & Got:
1 eGo Carto Kit (comes with 2 batteries, 5 unfilled cartomizers, liquid tobacco/24 mg, case, drip tip)
1 atomizer 510
a bunch of 5ml liquids between 24 - 36/mg nicotine.

There was no instruction manual with the kit. Assembling it was easy, but where to put the liquid was not clear so I watched a couple of videos online and assumed I should dip the cartomizer into one of the plastic caps filled with about 20 drops of that liquid nicotine. I really did not like it. In fact, hated it. Tasted bad and I couldn't stop gagging.

So I tried another flavor (melon) on another cartomizer, but that tasted just as nasty and really burned going down into my lungs.

Then I tried the atomizer with about 5 drops of fireball flavored liquid dropped into it, and that was so much better.

But I have no idea what I am doing, not sure if this is really going to "satisfy", and am utterly confused.

What is the difference between cartomizer and atomizer and why use one over the other? How much liquid should I be putting in these things? I have tried to find this info elsewhere, but have not been successful, though am trying to practice inhaling slowly.

Any help is most appreciated. All I want to do right now is smoke a regular cigarette, but that horrible e-cig liquid is still burning my lungs (and I will smoke until I get this right).

 

[RKWerchan]

I can't answer the technical questions as this is only my 5th day, but I can tell you this is not a cigarette. I've been a heavy smoker for 20+ years, but I give up. Can't do it anymore. I still want a cigarette all the damn time, but this takes enough of the edge off to make it bearable. I've been using the nasty ... tobacco flavor for 5 days but just got in some new flavors from ............ Blueberry Cheesecake is pretty darn good after tobacco flavor, but the Cinful Mint is to die for! These guys here will help you figure it out, and I wish you the best of luck. It's a life saver!

 

[Who-dat]

Welcome! And, above all, don't give up.

First off, you done good, with your 1st order. Yes, there are lots of things to experiment with - and I'm sure you will - but you seem to have bought the right stuff, for now. A few questions:

1. Was there a burnt taste, from your cartos?
2. How did you know that they were full?

I don't know much about the specific cartos you bought, but milage varies with quality and taste. Cartos are a disposable item, and I've had a few bad ones, in my brief time vaping. You could have a bad batch of cartos. Or, maybe you didn't fill them enough. Dry cartos impart a horrible taste (thing of lighting the filter on a cigarette).

You might be having problems, because one of your cartos is still somewhat dry. Try taking one of your cartos and overfilling it. Use the plunge method, as you were, but add more juice. Plunge it, until it simply won;t take any more. Then, blow out the excess, into a paper towel. Do this with a new carto though, because if you burnt the filler material on a carto, that nasty taste will persist.

Hang in there, and welcome!

 

[RKWerchan]

I can tell you for the liquid question, I was putting 5-6 drops in my cartridge, but just changed over to the Lipton pyramid bag trick and I think I put in 12 drops.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Hello and welcome...sorry you are having trouble....I assure you that the burning is from not having enough liquid in the cartomizer...please fill as the previous posted stated and you will see a world of difference.....if putting a few drop on the atty works for you that's what a lot of members here prefer...and don't pressure yourself, everyone is different and has their own pace at giving up analogs....you've taken the first and most important part of getting analog free but there is a learning curve to ecigs and then the fun of finding what juices do it for you......
Members are here to help so please remember that no question is dumb.....

 

[Pigskin75]

Mustquit, if you need a good quick vape, put the 510 atomizer on the battery and the drip tip into the atomizer. Then drip 3 or four drops of liquid down the drip tip. Let the liquid settle to the bottom onto the atomizer. Then, if you have an auto battery (one that runs when you draw) lightly draw on the drip tip. Don't pull too hard. With vaping you take it nice and slow. When you have your fill, inhale as you would a regular cigarette. If you have a manual battery, start the battery up and perform the same slow draw.

This is the simplest form of vaping and one that is enjoyed by a great many vapers. It's called, dripping (oddly enough ) After abouf 5 to 7 draws, you may need to add 2 or 3 more drops.

You didn't detail your cartomizers so I won't comment on those. But rest assured you're in the right place for help. There's plenty of videos and helpful people here. Just hang in there and stay off them nails!

 

[MustQuitNow]

where did you get Cinful Mint?

 

[MustQuitNow]

what is the "Lipton pyramid bag trick"?

I can tell you for the liquid question, I was putting 5-6 drops in my cartridge, but just changed over to the Lipton pyramid bag trick and I think I put in 12 drops.

 

[dormouse]

Even when ecigs have instructions they are rarely useful instructions but rather just a this screws into that.

I recommend a drip tip and the atty to test juices (once the primer is gotten ride of on the atty). Don't waste cartomizers trying juices you might not like.

You may have those Dekang Chinese juices. IMO good flavors of Chinese juice are few and far between. I usually tell people not to bother getting creative with their choices on the initial juices if they are Chinese juices

Atomizer - With an atomizer you need to drip or use carts. Carts can get annoying but they do last a long time. You can resuse, clean, restuff and use some more. But carts need juice often and sometimes will dump juice in your mouth. And atomizers can fail or need cleaning or just degrade.

Cartomizer - neat and complete. When you have juices you already know you like then cartomizers provide a more even experience, need juice less often, vape more evenly, won't dump juice in your mouth. No atomizer to worry about - every carto comes with its own fresh atty inside. This also means you can totally change flavors easily and each flavors only gets all over its own internal atomizer. Downside - they are disposable. if you fill a carto properly. let it settle, then keep it damp, then you can get 4-7 days or more good vaping out of one carto.

Notes - the cartos you have may be LR (low resistance) which would make then hotter than a standard resistance atomizer or standard resistance cartomizers. I am perfectly happy with standard resistance. Some people prefer the hotter harder hit of LR. You may or may not like LR.

Also - I don't use carto condom filling. Are these Boge cartos? I use Boge as do most people. I fill them as they were designed to be filled, buy carefully popping out the soft cap and dripping 18+ drops into the stuffing. I hold the carto at an angle, with some tissue pressed against the threaded end hole, and drip the juice in slowly as I rotate it. When done I clean the threaded end, then tilt the open end down into the tissue and blow into the threaded end to clear the central air channel the Boges have. I want to see light through there. Then i sop up any loose juice above the stuffing and cap the carto. Now, if it was a fresh fill, I lay the carto on different sides for 15-20 minutes 9that is enough time with my 70pg/30vg juice which flows pretty well). That is to make sure every bit of stuffing has absorbed some lqiuid so I won't singe the carto stuffing and ruin its flavor. Then it should be ready to vape. While vaping, if the vapor seems a bit light ot a bit dry or the carto is geting too warm, I add some liquid.

 

[NicLiq]

There is nothing worse than a burnt cartomizer that didn't get soaked through. I won't take the chance anymore and I count each drop that goes in and they sit overnight before I use them, and I try to get a few more drops in them the next day before I use them.

I'm sorry you had to experience that on your first day, if it had happened to me, I wouldn't have stuck with this. The first time it happened to me, I felt sick for a long time, like I had been in a fire or something.

Fireball is probably a good choice for simulating the feeling of smoking, but its possible that you won't be able to taste/feel other types of liquid for a few days - you'll get used to it. My husband has only used cartridges and an atomizer since he started a month ago, so if that's working for you, that's great.

A cartomizer is a cartridge and atomizer all-in-one.

 

[Pigskin75]

what is the "Lipton pyramid bag trick"?

It's a mod (modification) you make to the cartomizer to help it wick better. But don't worry about that now, Mustquit, just get the system functioning.

I find it strange a starter kit would have cartomizers. Are you sure they're not plain cartridges? Do you have a model number of the kit? I can look it you and be more helpful.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

where did you get Cinful Mint?

Can you tell us from what vendor you purchased your kit?

what is the "Lipton pyramid bag trick"?

This is for use in carts not cartomizers.......you kit came with cartomizers correct?

 

[MustQuitNow]

the kit came with 5 unfilled cartomizers. Was there a burnt taste, from your cartos? yes, and it was awful. How did you know that they were full? I have no idea. I will try to saturate one of the two I have messed with, and fill it from the tip instead of from the bottom.

I have a manual battery.

I don't know what a cartridge is.

Does this really satisfy and take the 'edge' of wanting a regular cigarette when it works?

 

[MustQuitNow]

Can you tell us from what vendor you purchased your kit?

purchased it from MadVapes.

 

[Pigskin75]

This one?

510 Manual Battery Carto Kit

 

[MustQuitNow]

This one?

510 Manual Battery Carto Kit

this one: eGo Carto Kit With Carrying Case

 

[tsbrewers]

I have also never used the ego with cartomizers but take a deep breath and we will get you there.

a cartridge is a mouth piece that is full of a fluffy stuff that acts like a sponge. This slips down in to an atomizer. A cartomizer (cart-cartridge, omizer-atomizer) has both the atomizer and cartridge together. These are considered disposable since when it no longer works, you just throw it away (you can refill them for a while) While on a separate atomizer/cartridge version, you can throw away the cartridge and pop on a new one, while keeping the atomizer.

I think with the ego cartomizers you can either put the carto upside down and drip in to the hole on the threaded end, and keep slowly dripping until it doesn't seem to want to take any more, then wipe everything off, and start vaping.

You can also pop the little mouthpiece off the top and use a syringe to fill. this is probably the better method if you have a syringe handy.

Or you can keep dripping right on to the 510 atomizer. Lots of people do this and really like it. If this is what you end up doing, you can buy a drip tip to put over the atomizer. This is nothing more than a mouthpiece that has a larger hole in the middle that you drip the juice down.

It very much will take the edge off, but you will still crave the analogs too. Of course it gets better with time.

Brew

 

[Bobbye]

Must -- where are you in Delaware? I'm in Newark, if I can help at all let me know,

 

[MustQuitNow]

so much to learn and understand. think I will give this one a rest for the evening and relook tomorrow with a fresh head and maybe some good rest.

thank you all who have given responses. I really do appreciate.

 

[Pigskin75]

this one: eGo Carto Kit With Carrying Case

Sweet...watch this video.