First e-cig: not enjoyable enough to quit analogs so looking for suggestions...

[SoulFool]

Hi everyone. Just a little background: I received my firs e-cig kit last Friday after a few weeks of researching here at ECF. I got the Vapor4Life Shorty Mini PCC Kit. I'm a half-pack-a-day Parliament Menthol Light smoker so I also ordered the Parliament Menthol (11mg) and the Methol Sampler 2 (11mg) cartridges. The folks at V4L are great: they threw in an additional platinum colored automatic shorty battery...I ordered the white manual shorty. And about 5 mixed flavored cartomizers (11mg nic).

Flavors: I sampled 5 different cartomizers the night I received my kit. The first was the Parliament Menthol, which had too strong of an exaggerated tobacco flavor. The same for the Dunhil Menthol from my Sampler pack. Their generic Menthol, from the sampler pack, had the cleanest taste out of the three menthols that I tried. And the cappuccino and other coffee flavored cart I sampled were not tasty at all...I'm not looking, at the moment, for food/drink flavors.

Here is where I need help: Each time I vaped, regardless of the flavor, I had the same problem that I must resolve if e-cigs are going to take the place of my analogs: Harshness. More specifically sharp, hard hits to the lungs that made my chest feel tight, like I needed a hit of my inhaler. A secondary issue was that it was also harsher than I expected on my throat...I would never want more of a "throat hit" than what I'm getting. I thought at first I was taking too much vapor in...this V4L shorty battery provides plenty of vapor. So made sure to inhale to my mouth first, let some out, then inhale. Smaller drags didn't really help the harshness either, in fact the flavor was worse when I'd drag the equivalent the amount of time I drag on a regular cig. I've seen many people dragging on ecigs like a hookah but I'd rather just drag for a second or two, like a real cig. My newbie conclusion at the end of the night was that I either need a lesser strength nicotine, although I ordered 11mg, which I thought was in the mid to low category. OR I need to switch to VG since I believe all the cartridges were PG. If anyone has had or is having the same issue I'm having with harshness, I'd appreciate any feedback.
I have some follow up questions but I don't want my main question to be overshadowed since it's a deal breaker on whether or not I continue down the vaping path.

 

[kellogg]

Hi Soulfool and welcome to ECF!

PG will give you stronger throat hits and stronger flavor. VG gives you more vapor.

Most vape with a ratio of 50/50 to maybe 70/30 of pg/vg.

The prefilled cartomizers are nasty IMO. I would try sample bottles from several different vendors with different ratios and flavors until you find what you like.

 

[DragonflyVaper]

I suggest trying more VG than PG.... BackWoods Brewer.net or FreedomSmoke USA are great ejuice suppliers...rated high on ECF. BackWoods flavors tend to get better with age. Both companies are very smooth when you choose less PG You may have gotten ejuice from China, mostly PG.... Hang in there, you'll find a great tobacco juice that is not harsh.

 

[kellogg]

You may also want to check out mistressnomads videos for newbies at the top of the page under the stickies for additional information including how to fill your own cartos. It is much cheaper.

 

[DragonflyVaper]

PS You may also want to try blank cartridges and fill with the juices from BWB & FSUAS (3 drops).... folks are using Blue Foam (MarineLand Aquatic Size U from PetSmart) to cut their own fillers.... really easy to do.

 

[Travis798]

PS You may also want to try blank cartridges and fill with the juices from BWB & FSUAS (3 drops).... folks are using Blue Foam (MarineLand Aquatic Size U from PetSmart) to cut their own fillers.... really easy to do.

I don't think he's going to be changing the filler in his cartomizers

Okay, this is going to be the hard part for you. It's difficult to test flavors when using cartomizers because you are dedicating a cartomizer to your "test flavor".

People take long drags off their e-cigs for a reason. Your cigarette is already hot and burning. When you start to inhale, you are then activating the battery. You have to continue to inhale in order to keep it activated, and you have to keep it activated long enough to actually get hot and convert your juice into that sweet, sweet, nicotine filled vapor. This is the main reason I dislike automatics.

As far as the throat hit goes, I've seen many people, myself included (and I was a heavy smoker) cough when first starting in much the same way many people cough when they start smoking (I was never one of those, I took to it like a duck to water). Many times, the problem is in how they inhale. You may need to try VG juice, or you may just need to learn that these things are not a cigarette, and you can't treat them like one.

Before buying all new juice and dedicating atomizers to the testing of that juice, I would first recommend that you try lighter, longer drags.

 

[son et lumiere]

Id try freedomsmokeusa.com if its not enjoyable.

 

[Krisb]

Same answer here! I'm not really looking for a big TH either, vapor and flavor for me. I use 50/50 to 70/30 PG/VG. You can ask for extra flavor (FSUSA and Vapor Bomb both will do that). Finding the right juice, IMO, will make all the difference. Definitely watch those videos, she explains the different methods (cartos, atty's with cart and dripping)

A drip tip with a manual battery and atty are perfect for trying many test flavors!

 

[banjo]

Your problem is most likely related to the juices you are using. I would try FreedomSmokeUSA their 800 phone number is on the home page of their web site. Give David or Pam a call and discuss your problem with them. I'm sure that they will be a big help. Good Luck to you!

 

[usok]

50/50 pg/vg

 

[The Fool]

Hi, Welcome to the forum! Good for you for not giving up right away and looking for a solution. All the suggestions above are good ones. Keep trying, I do believe there is a sweet spot in vaping for every smoker out there, it just sometimes takes some work to find it. It's really worth it though, I promise you. Good Luck, let us know how it goes.

 

[Drozd]

for me the KR808d-1 (vaporking) just wasn't going to do it... all the same problems as you...and absolutely hated it... luckily that was my second ecig I had tried just to see what it was like...

for me the answer was a 510 (with the only real drawback being the short battery life, the eGo solved that)....but my suggestion would be to get an adapter (901>510) and a joye 510 atty and carts... and try some different juice.. (as far as menthol goes I like the xhale nuport and the HV super menthale form nhaler mixed 50/50 (which ends up being 18mg))

also I'd really suggest trying a manual battery in the future as it gives you a bit better control although the idea of a button will seem completely foreign at first..

 

[Jim211]

Juice is important but you may also want to try the xl cartomizers. The vapor is cooler which goes a long way to preserve juice taste and cut down on throat/lung irratation.

 

[Drozd]

flavor has alot to do with the heat of the atty...some do better on hotter atties (tobacco, menthol, and coffee flavors) others on cooler running things (fruits and delecate and or complex flavors)...
example: I've got a tiramisu that is fantastic in my 510....but actually tastes like vomitus in a carto...
being that we're talking menthol I'd stick by my recomendation to try a 510 atty with a better juice..
the V4L juices are all china juices that actually use some keytones that are found in flowers which give them a chemical/flowery/perfumy taste... and you'll get that out of a lot of dekang juices

 

[908Tracy]

soulfool,

I am a newbie too and am in the same exact position as you as well. I tried 2 common brands of ecigs, only to hate it. I thought I just could not do it, not to mention enjoy it! I am returning the recent disaster purchase, and on the advice of the wonderful members here I just purchased an eGo, some juice and hope to be well on my way to becoming a vaper that loves it like the rest of the members here. Good for you for not giving up the idea all together, and good luck!

 

[Luvs5rugrats]

The most frustrating part of this new adventure is finding a good device and then a good juice to go with it. If you have unlimited money, it can be fun. Luckily, I didn't go too broke finding either one of those things (well, the juice is almost there...I'm sort of still searching but have a type that will work well for me until I find a better one) but it really depends on your personal tastes and preferences and the only thing you can do is keep trying.

It took me about 1/2 day to get the harshness out of vaping when I first started. My first two drags, I nearly coughed up what was left of my lungs. lol I'm not sure if it's because I was doing it wrong or if it was just something new that I had to get used to. I still cough a bit if I take too long of a drag and my cart is nearly dry. Ouch.

 

[jonny2hottie]

i went through the same thing.. harshness killed me...if you stick with PG get a lower nic level and try DK-TAB its what i started with and still love it...i will always have that as a backup..other route is like everyone else stated use VG its alot smoother...12mg PG is alot harsher than 12mg VG...FSUSA junkies have always marked this thread.haha i would recommend the same

 

[KILLERkpd]

Try different juices, it will make a big difference. I am the opposite, I need alot of TH. I have resorted to mixing my own juices and I still am tweaking them to find the right one for me. Remember this is a work in progress and trying different juices with different pg/VG ratios is just part of the process. Like others have posted, there are many great vendors on this site that will be very helpful in finding out the right juice to meet your needs.

I thought I needed to just add PG for more TH, but I realized they are all tied together. Finding the right combination of nic juice to PG/VG is crucial for success. I have a few pages of notes and little tips to help me out everytime I mix a new DIY juice.

I also have not yet bothered with other flavors outside of menthol.

Good luck and stick with it!!

 

[PaulB]

Early on, I had that harshness issue for a while (weeks), especially early in the morning. It seemed like my lungs just didn't want to "welcome" vapor. For a short while I switched to VG liquids which seemed to help in what I guess is a conditioning process. When I eventually switched back to all-PG, it was a non-issue, even at high-nic levels.

 

[Heartbskts]

Id try freedomsmokeusa.com if its not enjoyable.

Agreed- their caramel cream, banana cream pie, and alot of other flavors are very smooth, but their juice does need a couple of weeks to steep (age)
Definately try longer, steady, smoother drags from your PV- these are a little different than smoking analogs. At least this is what I tell people who want to try my 510. There is a bit of a learning curve on these things, as I've found out the past couple of months, so hang in there. I've heard alot of great things about the V4L's that you just bought
And, welcome to ECF- you will find a ton of info here!!