First time poster - intro and question

[TheScootness]

Hi guys, my name is Scott and this is my first post here. First off, this is a great community. I've been reading a lot here over the last couple days and ECF has more info than you could possibly ask for.

I've been vaping for exactly 2 weeks today and I absolutely love it! After being a 1 1/2 - 3 pack smoker for several years now, I will never go back. I never particularly wanted to quit smoking, but the health effects were finally starting to get me. I just decided to get into this one day and I couldn't be happier with this alternative. It has all the feel of a real cigarette, but none of the negatives. Plus it allowed me to go back to menthol (had to quit a few years ago b/c they killed my lungs more than regulars) which I absolutely love. Camel Jade Lights were my thing.

I started with V2. I love the product, but unfortunately have discovered that I can't depend on them for cartos, and I don't want to get hung out to dry and have to go back to nasty cigs. So I tried out a menthol sampler from V4L (great experience with them so far!) and I have a quick V4L question. I apologize in advance for having it here, but this is currently the only place I can post.

I found that I really liked the Kamel Menthol from them as an alternative to the V2 menthol. Also, from everything I've read, juice is the much more cost-effective way to go rather than buying pre-filled cartos. I was getting ready to order some more Kamel Menthol cartos and some juice from V4L but I read a couple reviews saying that this recipe has changed and is terrible now.

Can any of you veterans shed any light on this or possibly recommend a comparable carto/juice?

Thanks,

-Scott

 

[lostknitter]

I'm not a Menthol person, so I can't answer your question, but GO Chiefs!!! And welcome to ECF, someone will be along directly to answer your question I'm sure.

 

[dormouse]

Wow no idea. Did you try reading the comments on both those juices and the cartos at V4L?

I would think that if you like what is currently in their cartos then the bottle would probably be the same?

And if you don't then there are so so many Camel and Desert-Ship juices. I like FreedomSMokeUSA Desert Ship (and it has other fans too) and I have not tried their Camtel.

 

[TheScootness]

Thanks lk! dormouse, I sure did. I was getting ready to order from V4L and saw comments on both the juice and cartos from the last couple of days complaining about the new flavor. I'm not sure if the one I got in the sampler was the new or old or what. I was just trying to see if anyone had some insight before I put in a decent sized order.

 

[mspellz]

I really like FreedomSmokeUSA I have no complaints about anything I have bought there.

 

[redheadone]

First off welcome to the forum. There are a lot really great people who are really knowlegeable and will help you out if you ever have a question or concern. As I don't smoke menthol I can't answer that part of your question but try FreedomsmokeUSA or Gourmet Vapors I know both have quite a few menthol juices I have bought juices from both and liked everything I have ordered not a bad one in the bunch plus both have a wide variety of juices so you might find something else you might like to try

 

[TheScootness]

I have been looking at Freedomsmoke and I think I'll try something from them first. Thanks for the tips guys!

 

[lemonshrew]

Scott, I can't tell you what a relief it was to find your post. I'm having the exact same problem. I started off with V2 and I've been cig-free for 14 weeks! BUT, the last time I ordered, it took so long to get (5 days even though I paid for 2-day shipping) that I almost ran out! I've been looking around for alternatives, but I don't know anyone who uses the refillable cartridges and the juice. I've heard that the juice is more economical and there are so many more flavors! I would love to know some good (reliable!) places to buy the refillables and the juice. Also, I'm having a devil of a time getting an idea of how long the juice lasts in comparison to a pre-filled (particularly V2 pre-filled).

 

[TheScootness]

lemonshrew,

First of all if you just want pre-filled cartos like V2 sells, go with Vapor4Life (V4L). They sell cartos that are absolutely compatible with V2 (KR808D-1) and have tons of flavors. I just ordered a sampler pack (5 carts) from them and it came fast!! I ordered on a Friday morning with regular shipping and it was waiting at my house on Monday afternoon when I got home from work. Plus they threw in two free carts for no reason! I'm not messing with V2 anymore unless I hear in the next few months that they have all the shipping issues straightened out. And even then, they will need to start selling juice and have better prices. I'll probably still continue to buy prefilled just for convenience, but I'm totally going to start refilling my own.

As far as the cartridges - they are all refillable. Just keep the ones you use up (and be sure not to burn them out) and you can refill them with juice (which can also be purchased at V4L). There are plenty of how-to videos on youtube that explain the process. Although I haven't done it yet, I know that you can only refill them with the same flavor they had before unless you want to go to the trouble to boil them. You can also purchase blank (empty) cartos from V2, V4L, and other places rather than refilling used ones. From what I understand, each one is good for about 5 refills before you can pitch it. You can do more, but that would require some mainenance on them from what I've read and I'm too lazy for that.

I believe that the juice would be much more economical, which is why I'm getting into it. A 20-pack of prefilled at V2 is $36.54, while a 30 ml bottle of juice at V4L is $12.50. 1 ml is roughly equal to 1 cartomizer so you're talking about 30 refills with that one bottle! When you fill a carto (either used or blank), about 16-18 drops should saturate the batting inside. It should last just as long as a pre-filled or longer (since you know it's fully saturated).

For V2 beginners like you and me I would recommend Vapor4Life and FreedomSmokeUSA (which only sells juice, not prefilled) as mentioned above.

 

[lemonshrew]

Thanks so much Scott! I'm going to check out Vapor4Life and FreedomSmokeUSA today.

 

[lemonshrew]

I ordered 5 different flavors of the 5ml bottles from Freedomsmokeusa.com. I was going to order some blank cartos from them as well but they were out of stock so I ordered them from V4L. I'm very excited.
I've heard people talk about steeping, and I get the impression that only applies to the "big" 30 ml bottles. Is this correct? How long should a bottle steep (I am assuming steep = sit around in a cool dark place for a while.)?
Also, can someone tell me about the "drip tips"? I've seen them and I assume they are more of a convenience than a necessity, but how helpful are they?
Thanks!

 

[MickeyRat]

I've heard people talk about steeping, and I get the impression that only applies to the "big" 30 ml bottles. Is this correct? How long should a bottle steep (I am assuming steep = sit around in a cool dark place for a while.)?
Also, can someone tell me about the "drip tips"? I've seen them and I assume they are more of a convenience than a necessity, but how helpful are they?

Steeping...Well it kind of depends. Some people swear by it. Others don't think it makes a lot of difference. If you like it, vape it. If you don't, throw it in a drawer and let it sit for a day or two.

Drip tips...Well, they are really handy for sampling juice. However, one night you're gonna be sitting around watching TV and you're really gonna want a nice hit but, your cart's a little dry. You can fill it up and get a wet hit but, that's not what you want either. Then you pull out the drip tip and get proficient. There's no way to get a more consistent hit. It's all I do around the house.

 

[lemonshrew]

Oh, OK. So you can use the drip tip to immediately start puffing instead of having to wait for your cartos to ... um I guess "dry" is the word. You guys are so much help!