First order, first e-cig, should be interesting

[Ghalenlee]

On another forum, for the last couple of months, I've read about Figurehead and his adventures in vaping.

I've been a smoker for a long time, I love the effects of nicotine. But.. I hate the smoke, I hate the smell of the ashtrays, I hate coughing crap up in the morning, and lord knows I probably have the starting of COPD.

I'm a lurker for the most part, I spend all of my days doing customer service, when I come home I don't want to talk or type to anyone.. so I lurk. Figs has had me very very intrigued about this whole vaping thing since I read his first post about it.

Didn't have the money for the initial investment until recently. Just started working again and find myself in quite a pickle. I'm working in the IT department for one of the major health insurance companies and they've banned the use of tobacco related products anywhere on their campus. It's a 15 minute walk from the building to the edge of their property and I'm in New England. It's nice now, but winter's coming. I get 1 break a day and I get to choose between eating and smoking. Smoking wins out, that craving is much stronger than hunger. I've taken to sneaking out to my car in the parking garage and smoking in it, but I know I'm pushing my luck and sooner or later I'm bound to get caught.

I've wanted to try an e-cig for a long time and decided to shop thru LiteCig because of Figs rave reviews. I couldn't be any more pleased. Ordered late Tuesday and my package was here today when I got home from work.

I ended up getting the M401, figured it would be a good place to start from what I've read. I've charged the batteries, popped a cartridge on. Not the marb ones that come with it, I'm a menthol smoker, always have been, so I got some of those. Took a couple puffs.... and there's a learning curve here...

I bought this primarily so I can sneak some nicotine in the bathroom at work. But I have to say I giggled like I was 13 again. It looked almost the same as smoking for real and the taste was fantastic, even with my smoker's taste buds! So much better than my menthol marbs. I can't wait to try the vanilla that I got and the rum that was included as a little treat.

We'll see how it goes but I think I might be able to drop the smokes for real and just do this.

Thanks Figs for pointing me in this direction whether you knew it or not and thanks Shawn for a nice smooth first order. I can't wait to try more flavors. Expect another order from me soon.

 

[JanH]

Good luck, Ghalenlee! I think you're going to love vaping. I was a menthol smoker for 35 plus years...and I'll soon hit four months of vaping. I just love it. And it seems, that without really trying, I've cut down on the nicotene level as well. I did some math last week, and it looks like I'm only taking in a third of the nicotene that I did while smoking. And the funny part is I'm vaping constantly...but I'm using the 11mg level.

And, yes, do try all the wonderful flavors available!

Figurehead's reviews planned a large role in getting me to try vaping, too, and I'm sure glad that I tried it.

JanH

 

[Ghalenlee]

First day back to work since getting it. We'll see how it goes.

You all weren't kidding about the feeling dry part of it. I've been drinking like crazy, too bad my drink of choice is dehydrating as well.. coffee. I did go out and get some non-caffeinated, no sugary choices so I should be okay.

 

[Angelz]

Congratulations on getting your first ecig! M401 - outstanding choice. That was my first one as well, and within 3 days I was finished with analogues forever. It was ridiculously easy, the vaping was just a whole lot more appealing than the analogues - and I was a 2 pack a day menthol smoker! A couple quick tips - #1 - keep an eye on your atty until you get a "feel" for it. I learned the hard way that if it goes dry without realizing it, you can burn up the atty and it won't work, which brings me to tip #2 - have at least 1 spare atty on hand! Rock on!

 

[Ghalenlee]

2 came in the starter kit and I just ordered another as well. Don't want to mix my minty menthol one with other flavors and then one for a spare, will add a couple more as time goes on and if I decide this is definitely for me.

Satisfied with the way it worked at work today. Carried it in my pocket and took a drag or two when people weren't looking.

I used to go out to my car, in the garage, and smoke two with the windows up, motor on, fan running. And be overwhelmed by the stench when I got back in the car at the end of the day. Was nice to go out to my car today and not die from the smell.

Still smoking analogs at home for the moment, but I have to say my 401 tastes a hell of a lot better, I'll wean myself off of them. I did notice that I smoked less this weekend. Instead of 51/2 packs between Fri.and Sun., I smoked 3 between Fri. and this morning.

I've read a lot on this forum so I hope I know what to look for on the dry atty, thanks for the reminder tho. Easy to forget in the moment.

Going to try the dripping thing I think. Just want a simple answer to a question and then I'll feel my way from there. How many drops to put on and how many puffs to expect from it before I have to drip again? I know every model is different, I'm just tired of searching and reading at the moment. Long day in the dungeon at work.

 

[shawnp1]

drippping can and will kill a battery from liquid getting inside of it voiding your warranty on the unit. i would try to suggest u not drip on the unit unless u have spare parts that u are willing to have die

 

[Ghalenlee]

Good advice, thanks..

Suppose I should slow down a bit eh.. never was one for seeing or doing things in baby steps.

Thanks Shawn for the gentle reminder...

 

[shawnp1]

just dont wanna see u ruina perfectly good battery

 

[Ghalenlee]

I'll wait till I go and screw the battery up another way... I know me.. it's bound to happen..

 

[svtboosted]

You have a M40x unit -- I definitely do not recommend dripping on this unit, either. However, one option (if you are fed up with the small cartridges), which has a MUCH less chance of getting liquid into the battery is to *dip* rather than *drip*.

M40x units have the advantage of having an exposed atomizer bridge. You remove the mouthpiece, and bam, there's the atomizer bridge. If you have a small puddle of liquid (in a cap, contact lens case, whatever), you can 'dip' the atomizer bridge into the liquid. Try to only touch the atomizer bridge itself to the liquid, and not the metal at the base of the atomizer.

The beauty of this is the fact that the atomizer bridge will absorb the perfect amount of liquid -- with dripping, you're putting an unknown amount of liquid onto the atomizer, you don't know exactly how much was already on it. You still have a minor risk of getting liquid into the battery, but it's much less of a chance using this method. Occasionally check the battery and atomizer connection points for liquid and wipe off accordingly.

On my M401 (Dragon) unit, I've been dipping on the same atomizer for at least a month, without issues. I carry a contact lens case with me, that has two 'cups', each with a different flavor. Works like a charm and no atomizer or battery issues. I run an empty mouthpiece (no inner cartridge) to have the most direct flow... consistent hits, great vapor and flavor.

Just an FYI...

Disclaimer: This is my personal experience. I do not guarantee that this will not kill a battery. I'm not responsible if you kill a battery or atomizer. But, with that said, many people use this method with great success.

 

[Ghalenlee]

hmmm, interesting.. I had read the posts about dipping.. sounded complicated and messy... and heh, too much information all at once. I think I have information overload.

Your post was nice and concise and much more understandable to me, about the dipping.

Getting nice vapor from my 401, unless I hold it in for a bit longer than I do with a cigarette. And it's not like trying to drink a milkshake so I'm happy about that.

 

[BubbasMom]

I also use the dip method and it works like a charm. I got really frustrated with trying to refill the carts. The other good thing is this way you don't have to carry around bottles of juice to have more than one flavor. Very important when you are addicted to say 555 and coffee break flavors .

 

[fanofwalt]

Like Ghalenlee, I am feeling the e-cig information overload big time; just trying to sort out which e-cig to order first (I'm leaning towards the M40x series with the analog cig look). There is sooo much to ramp up on, yeow! -- but you folks definitely help.

@svtboosted (and whoever else also does this) -- what a clever idea with the contact lens case! Easy, compact, portable refills in two flavors. Smart! How about those 7-day pill boxes from pharmacies; would those work too, do you suppose? That would provide a seven-day buffet of flavors!

 

[Ghalenlee]

I would think the pill case might leak. I know the ones I've had have been flip top and not all that secure, opening in my pocketbook type thing. Maybe they have some that have better closures. Contact lens cases are small though, you could easily carry a couple.

Having a joy of a time explaining to people why this is better than actually smoking. Wonder if anyone has made a clear one page fact sheet comparing vaping to actually smoking that I can just give to people when they ask.

 

[BubbasMom]

Hi Ghalenlee
I would suggest using the screw on cap type of lens container. It seems to be far more secure. They are also still small enough to carry around. You might try to find a small carry case ( I have a small leather one) to hold stuff and this way if by chance they leak then you don't get juice all over your purse.

Here are a few reasons to move to e-cigs. Not sure if this will help but if it does then all the better.

1. You can still reap the benefits of getting nicotine w/o all the chemicals that the analog companies put in their products. By the very nature of ridding oneself of the dangerous chemicals you have improved your health. Nicotine does not cause cancer and all the other health issues that smoking analogs does. One caveat is that you can get nicotine poisoning if not careful (i.e. ingesting/absorbing into the skin to much nicotine) As long a folks are careful when refilling carts, dragging on their pv (don't hold the pv up as then it gets nic juice in your mouth) then they shouldn't have a problem. I always suggest that folks start at medium to low mg strength and then go up or down from there.

2. Smoking e-cigs is cheaper than analogs. The priice for a pack of analogs these days is anywhere from $5-$8 or more. Since you have a choice of pre-filled carts or dripping/dipping, you can significantly cut your costs. theoretically one cart should be about half to full pack of analogs (depending how you smoke). Let's say for arguments sake that 1 cart equals 2 analogs, for $2.95-$4.25 you can get a pack of 5 carts (conceivably a pack of analogs). If you go the empty cart route ( or refill the pre-filled) for around $8 you can vape for a week just refilling your empty carts with juice. Depending on type of care you take with your device and the device model on a monthly basis for about $80-$100 you can maintain equipment and juice pretty easily. Of course one of the caveats is that as you grow into e-smoking you want different things and that usually means spending more money. But for arguments sake even if you are buying mods and spending $250 a month I believe you are still ahead of the cost. Again this depends on how many analogs you smoked. If more than a pack a day of the higher quality analogs then I believe you are way ahead of the game.

3. This is a method that can help you break the habit of analogs. I truly believe that with e-cigs and some determination one can quit the nasty analog habit. What makes it easier than other methods is that the body is still receiving the nicotine that it craves. It may be easier for some than others. I have read (and did experience myself) that the body does go through withdrawals from the other chemicals in analogs. Just imagine waking up in the morning and not coughing up a lung, having your sinuses clear up, your taste buds return, not causing harm to others around you, being able to vape in lots of places where you can't smoke (especially is you have the stealth method mastered ).

4. Choosing how much nicotine your receive and the flavor you want to vape. You, your clothes, house and car don't stink. With no flavor nic juice and either veg glycerine or pg and some Loran's flavorings you can mix your own juice and decide the flavor and nic content of your juice. This isn't an option with analogs. As your taste buds return you will find that you may not like the tobacco flavor anymore but would love the pineapple flavor. With a little work you can mix your own or for a very reasonable price you can order anywhere from 4ml's to 30m's (maybe even more) of juice and your in vaping nirvana.

5. There are a myriad of devices to choose from. Again depending on what the end user is looking for (or enjoys of the smoking experience), you can get a device that's small that puts out lots of vapor and good throat hit (M4xx series, DSE901, 510) just to name a few. If one is looking for monster vapor and throat hit then they can try a mod (vapre51, silver bullet, screwdriver). It just all depends. It will take some investment in time, however I highly suggest getting them in touch with a reputable vendor. People like Shawn at litecig, or Katy at the smokeless shop (sorry Shawn I know this is your thread), and they are more than willing to help a newbie figure out what will best suit them as a beginning device. The great thing is you can have more than one if that's what you choose or you can find your favorite and stick with one. If you don't like the one you get then you can sell on the forums or to friends to get them started. The good part of selling to friends is they can try the device in real time and get an idea of the whole experience.

6. You are a part of a social revolution. We vapers have decided we no longer wish to be stuck with the alternatives that the government/pharmaceutical companies/big tobacco businesses choose for us. We choose a healthier way of smoking and an easier alternative to quitting or cutting down on the amount of nicotine. We also choose to not imbibe a cadre of chemicals that kill us or take chemicals that scramble our mental faculties and in which many times cost as much as a pack of analogs and most often than not cause us to be unsuccessful in our quest to quit. Instead we are choosing to follow a path of healthy smoking, not causing our loved ones and the general public to have to endure stinky smoke and the same bad health effects or smoking analogs.

I know this is long winded and may have some typos, but I wanted to provide you with something you could pass onto friends. I know that I have been successful using this rationale with at least 10 of my friends that smoked analogs for many years. I hope it will help you as well.

 

[Figurehead]

On another forum, for the last couple of months, I've read about Figurehead and his adventures in vaping.

I've been a smoker for a long time, I love the effects of nicotine. But.. I hate the smoke, I hate the smell of the ashtrays, I hate coughing crap up in the morning, and lord knows I probably have the starting of COPD.

I'm a lurker for the most part, I spend all of my days doing customer service, when I come home I don't want to talk or type to anyone.. so I lurk. Figs has had me very very intrigued about this whole vaping thing since I read his first post about it.

Didn't have the money for the initial investment until recently. Just started working again and find myself in quite a pickle. I'm working in the IT department for one of the major health insurance companies and they've banned the use of tobacco related products anywhere on their campus. It's a 15 minute walk from the building to the edge of their property and I'm in New England. It's nice now, but winter's coming. I get 1 break a day and I get to choose between eating and smoking. Smoking wins out, that craving is much stronger than hunger. I've taken to sneaking out to my car in the parking garage and smoking in it, but I know I'm pushing my luck and sooner or later I'm bound to get caught.

I've wanted to try an e-cig for a long time and decided to shop thru LiteCig because of Figs rave reviews. I couldn't be any more pleased. Ordered late Tuesday and my package was here today when I got home from work.

I ended up getting the M401, figured it would be a good place to start from what I've read. I've charged the batteries, popped a cartridge on. Not the marb ones that come with it, I'm a menthol smoker, always have been, so I got some of those. Took a couple puffs.... and there's a learning curve here...

I bought this primarily so I can sneak some nicotine in the bathroom at work. But I have to say I giggled like I was 13 again. It looked almost the same as smoking for real and the taste was fantastic, even with my smoker's taste buds! So much better than my menthol marbs. I can't wait to try the vanilla that I got and the rum that was included as a little treat.

We'll see how it goes but I think I might be able to drop the smokes for real and just do this.

Thanks Figs for pointing me in this direction whether you knew it or not and thanks Shawn for a nice smooth first order. I can't wait to try more flavors. Expect another order from me soon.

SO glad to see you here and see that you are enjoying vaping!

How many "analogs" are you down to now?

 

[BubbasMom]

Hey Fig good to see you are back. Are you just recovering form your bday or did the harem keep you away?

I think many of us owe you for our move to ecigs. Your vids are priceless. I especially enjoy it when you chase a drag with some beer. That's the one thing (red wine ..mmm) I haven't done since I quit analogs. Not sure if it would be the same.

 

[Figurehead]

Actualy, right now I am working 2 jobs and haven't had a day off since September 5th.

I'm glad my review vids have helped some make choices. I was a hard core smoker and accidentaly quit, and altho I'm not millitant about it, I can't believe I smoked those dreadful things for 30 years.

 

[Ghalenlee]

Well.. *blushes* I'm cutting down from about two packs a day. I've managed to get down to a pack a day on the weekends and about half a pack on workdays.

I'm a chain smoker at home. Most of the time I only want a drag or two of a cigarette. But I can't just smoke a drag or two and put it out cuz I won't light it again cuz it's nasty, so I smoke the whole thing cuz cigarettes cost almost 8 bucks a pack here and I'm frugal.

The vaping has come in handy for this. I sit here at my computer, holding it, and puff once in awhile when I feel like lighting a smoke. I have it in my pocket at work and I hold it like a security blanket.

So far, I've hit it in the bathroom, in my office when there's only one other person there who couldn't care less, walmart, supermarket, and pharmacy. I hold it with my hand over the light and it just looks like I'm chewing on a pen. Hold it long enough or cough into my sleeve and there's no vapor.

That was a nice write-up Bubbasmom, I think I'm going to adapt it a bit and make little brochures to give to people. I know I've been getting a lot of flack from my family about the vaping. "Why don't you just quit smoking altogether?" I've tried explaining, my sister is the only one who sort of gets it. My family are the worst bunch of former smoker non-smokers I've ever met.

I really really like the pineapple and coconut juices I ordered. I like to mix 'em too. I ordered some flavors from capella's and I'm going to try mixing my own. Read a bunch of posts in the DIY part of this site and I think I can handle it. Going to start with 0 nic and see if I can handle it, if not I'll get some flavorless and go from there. Bought some VG at the health food store, and I have plenty of vodka to cut it if need be.. lol...

Not sure if I'm sensitive to the PG or not. I've been itchy (no rash or hives) like crazy, not sure if it's the reduced smoking or the vaping, going to give it some more time and see what happens. Don't think it's dry skin from being dehydrated, usually I get a super-duper headache when I'm dehydrated, and I've been drinking like crazy. Me and the proverbial race-horse have a lot in common right now.

Figs, hope the Scorch thing is going well... don't tell me anything, I don't want to know... clowns freak me out and the few pictures of you as a clown that I've looked at have given me nightmares for a week.

 

[BubbasMom]

Ghalenlee
Happy to help. Hope it works with your family. I have also offered to do a fact sheet for our vapers group here in the Pacific NW. I will be doing some research on the effects nicotine has on the body and the brain and adding the negative effects of analogs. If I can find my pagemaker disc, I can make some brochure type docs. I think part of it just boils down to folks not understanding what the addiction to nicotine is like. I often equate it with an addiction to ...... with all it's foibles to kicking the habit.

Thanks for the tip on the coconut pineapple. I love the pineapple and will have to try coconut with it.

I have also found that I have a slight sensitivity to PG. I figured this out quite by accident when I decided to cut my juice with vg. I bought a 16oz bottle of NOW at Whole Foods and mixed with my 555 juice. It actually was soothing to my throat instead of irritating. I have also noticed I am drinking a ton of water now. Of course that can't be a bad thing. Now if I could just get rid of my cold and taste things properly I think the capp juice would taste like capp. I think Shawn said he was going to carry empty bottles so that we can mix our juice.