First time Vaper!

[DJKahoona]

Hey everyone!

Been trying to kick the habit for a while now, and just ordered a 510 (the Scorpion off of diet smokes), some extra carts, and a flavor sampler from Johnson creek.

I'm trying to keep my hopes low, as I have heard this is a lot different than analog smoking. But still, im really excited!

Any tips out there for the first time vaper? Been reading the FAQ's and it seems like I might have a problem with the new attys. Also read dipping them in vodka might help.

And how long should an atty last?

ANYWAYS, glad to be here!

DJ

 

[JKG]

Hi there and welcome to the world of vaping

I have the 510 myself and have been vaping since Aug. and just love it. Although I've purchased some spare parts, none of my batts or attys have broken down just yet. I might just be lucky. In regards to atty maintenance, you'll find some people who swear by a strict cleaning regimen and some who do nothing or just the minimum, like blowing through the atty once in a while. I fall into the latter category and all my attys seem to work just fine. I don't drip so I don't know if that matters.


Anyways, welcome again and hope you find this forum as enlightening as it was to me when I was a total newbie.

 

[DJKahoona]

Thanks for the warm welcome

I guess ill just need to get a feel for the cycle of things... going to be weird not buying, packing, lighting, ashing, putting out, repeat.

But im steadfast in my decision. Besides, the ladies don't like it so much

I almost bought a blu though... I heard that was a bad idea

 

[Jules22871]

Yeah, the Blu does seem to be a bad idea.

I have been using a 510 for just over 3 months now. To be honest, I really didn't like it the first few days. I liked my 901 better until I got the hang of the 510. One thing I have learned is that certain flavors taste better in each one. They each have their own appeal to me.

Sometimes it takes a day or two for the atty to break in. Personally, I haven't run across one that needed to do that yet. When you get it, be sure to blow out the primer by blowing on the battery end of the atty with a tissue covering the other end so you don't make a mess. Add a few drops of juice and let set for a few minutes. One of the things that will ruin an atty is letting it get to dry to often.

I only drip with my 510. I tried using carts and found that I really prefer the dripping method to carts. Now that I have sealed manual batteries and sealed mods for my 901 I only drip in that one too.

It is best to go ahead and order at least a couple more attys and a couple more batteries. You never know when one might go bad and you don't want to be caught without backups, especially in the beginning.

Be warned, most pre-filled carts that come with the starter kits are nasty. Order some sampler packs of juice. There are several suppliers that offer smaller sample bottles for decent prices. Nhaler and GoodProphets are the first two that come to mind right now. Puresmoker has some really awesome flavors but I don't think they have sample size. From what I've tried of theirs, you can't go wrong with just about any flavor.

Cleaning attys. When I first started vaping I had a 901 with auto batteries. I went thru attys and batteries left and right. I couldn't keep one going for a solid week. Took me a while to figure out that I was flooding the attys and it was getting into the batteries. I was also cleaning the attys way to much. In my experience, the more you mess with the atty the more likely it is to mess up. I blow mine out once in awhile and do a short 2 second dry burn every now and then if I've been vaping a strong flavor and want to change. So far I have not lost an either a 901 or a 510 atty since I've been doing this. But that is a decision that each person has to make for themselves.

OK, wrote a book,lol Welcome to ECF and Happy vaping.

 

[DJKahoona]

Thank you for the post! Lots of good information...

So you dong worry about the carts at all? How many drops do you drip on the atty per vape?

One of the things im struggling with is the idea of knowing when to stop. With a cigg, it obviously burns out, but with this... you could go for a while.

 

[Snarkyone]

You will know without a doubt when it is time to top off or change your cart if using carts or when it's time to dip or drip depending on your model if you go that route. The taste will be an awful burning taste trust me it will be crystal clear to you when it is time to do so. A rule of thumb is you can get a good 10-15 puffs with 2-3 drops any more than that and you are going to flood it.

 

[Eric in AK]

Maybe I got lucky: the pre-filled carts that came with my 510 were delicious from the first vape. I think they were supposed to be "marlboro" 18mg....it's been so long (5 days!) I can't remember, but I know this: I placed an order for a variety of juices and included another 5 pre-filled carts because I like them so much. Just a matter of taste.

Don't worry about getting your hopes up. I'll bet I'm typical of 90% of new vapers: I loved it from the first minute I fired my e-cig up. And, that was the last time I even thought of a regular cigarette. No kidding. The funny thing is each day is easier, because as you start letting your lungs clean themselves and your nasal passages and taste buds get free of the film that regular cigarettes seem to lay down, each day just seems a little bit better. And as your senses of taste and smell improve, each vape seems a bit sweeter. That might be part of why some people find themselves able to switch to lower strength nicotine juices.

Go for it. I wish I had found out about e-cigs months ago, but I'm sure glad I'm into it now. And this forum is phenomenal. The veterans who put such huge effort into reviewing products and explaining techniques sure made things a lot easier for a newb like me.

 

[Jules22871]

I Use 3 drops at a time and I just timed it, I get close to 15 minutes of vaping. I then put it down for awhile. I was a 2+ ppd smoker when I started and I swear my 901 was glued to my mouth. I couldn't put it down. I was vaping 18mg to 22 mg all day long. I can't vape any higher than that or I get a massive headache. I do however keep a small 6ml bottle of 36mg so I can drip just one drop on the atty when/if I get a serious urge to smoke. I vape that one drop and I'm fine.

Another thing I meant to write (like I haven't typed enough already,lol) was don't rush yourself cutting out the analogs. You will cut down smoking them a considerable amount from the beginning but might have some problems getting rid of the last 3-4 ciggies a day that you just have to have. I went from 2+ ppd down to 5 cigs for about a week then it was down to 3 and it took me a couple of months to get rid of those. Don't beat yourself up if you do have a smoke now and then.

 

[Snarkyone]

You are in for a world of pleasure! True, everything you noticed above, your taste buds are back, your breathing easier, your smelling things again for the first time (not always cool), and your getting healthier every day you stay away from smoking tobacco your lungs are actually repairing themselves.

I stopped the same day my Dragon arrived from Truesmoker.com and I have not looked back and have gotten a 510 and a HV mod for it as well. I am sure you will end up with another model as well just as about 99% of the others on here have as well. I find that I prefer my m401/Dragon's over the 510 but the 510 at 6v is another experience in itself, it's almost as if you can see color of the taste. You will probably find one for different times of the day that you prefer for whatever goofy reason that you justify it by just as some of us do.

I have also cut down my nicotine a great deal since I won't truly feel completely free of tobacco cigarettes until I am free of my nicotine addiction which kept me hooked on tobacco in the first place. It's a good idea to plan on getting as close to 0 nic as possible as soon as possible considering the ban talk floating around in government circles. Good luck.

EDIT: Just wait until you have gone about 3 weeks with a tobacco cigarette and bum a hit or two off a friends tobacco cigarette and you will be blown away at what you experience check out my experience http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-smoking-discussion/40918-test.html

 

[DJKahoona]

You guys are getting me all excited!!

Cant wait for the damn stuff to get here now . . . .

So is there any reason not to just drip smoke?

I bought some carts, so I can do it the other way as well....

Whats the general conversion for ml to a smoke? Like how many "smokes" will a ml last me?

And is drip vaping more "conservative" than cart vaping?

 

[Snarkyone]

Absolutely, by dripping or dipping your getting close to 100% usage of your juice compared to half wet fillers in carts that won't wick it all up. You will use less liquid and get better yield for your money. Not to mention none getting all over the place and on your hands, dipping and/or dripping is easily the most economical way to vape.

The other part that your asking can't be answered. Think of these as cars, and even if you and I have identical cars with identical everything we will get different mileage due to how we differ in our driving habits. Same thing with this, we have different smoking habits and techniques so it will vary really. I don't get more than 3 cigs out of a pre filled cart I feel, and I get about one cigarette for 2-3 drops in the 510 or for 5-10 seconds of dipping with the 401.

 

[gooney0]

DJKahoona,

Welcome. I'm only about 2 weeks ahead of you.

Here is a link to my story: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/39555-skeptical-smoker-trying.html

To start I wouldn't worry too much about dripping, carts, or which PV is the best. Instead I'd focus on if you like it, and how you can make it work for you.

A few questions to ask yourself (and share with us if you like)

1) Is vapeing good enough to replace smoking? If "no" you can skip the rest.

2) How do I like the model of PV I got?

3) If I like the PV I have do I need accessories or parts? (PCC, extra atomizers, batteries)

4) Do I like the flavor of this juice? Does it satisfy my craving?

You are definitely in the right place! There is a ton of information here.

As you read and post, I find it helpful to notice the posters who have similar tastes to my own. You'll probably find at least three opinions for everything here and they're all right.

Some of us were heavy smokers, some of us light smokers. Some prefer heavy vapor, some focus on exotic flavors.

Stick around and let us know how it goes. Don't worry about posting dumb questions we don't seem to have any meanies here.

-Gooney0

 

[Le Maserati]

I just started a couple of weeks ago DJ, and after smoking for nearly 2 decades (I'm 30), I've been tar and tobac free ever since. My attempts at quitting always failed me, until now. I wish I had these in the Navy, I could have vaped on my damn radar the whole time. Oh well!
As for smokes, it's generally (as advertised) 160 puffs or 0.7ml per cart, but I've noticed I get about 90-99 good puffs from one cart (.7-.9ml - some spillage). In a Marlboro short I'd take about 9-12 hits (varies). So the high numbers 99/12 hits= 8 cigs and .9ml/99 pufs is 0.009ml. So 0.009ml in one cig for me.

You guys are getting me all excited!!

Cant wait for the damn stuff to get here now . . . .

So is there any reason not to just drip smoke?

I bought some carts, so I can do it the other way as well....

Whats the general conversion for ml to a smoke? Like how many "smokes" will a ml last me?

And is drip vaping more "conservative" than cart vaping?

 

[gooney0]

DJK,

For me 1.5ml of 24mg juice is about a pack of Marlboro Mediums.

This is very inaccurate of course for a few reasons:

1) A small amount of juice is wasted in cleaning and leakage.

2) Its hard to say exactly how many cigarettes I would have smoked that day. I still smoke 1-3 cigarettes per day.

3) I vape a lot at the computer, but very little elsewhere.

In answering your other question "how will I know when I'm done?" --- you won't. It is possible to take just one puff, or a million. When I first started with 18mg juice I had to really vape like crazy to avoid smoking. The 24mg juice works better for me and I'm becoming more used to using the PV.

I hope to start cutting down the mg level once I get rid of the cigarettes. The ultimate goal is to not "have" to vape or smoke and use the 0mg juice.

One thing at a time though.

-Gooney0

 

[DJKahoona]

DJK,

One thing at a time though.

aint that the truth.

Your "Skeptic" post was a good read. Im just researching here and realizing just how much there is out there to learn and dive into.8-o

It seems like everyone here is in good spirits though.... I was looking for a forum to start posting on anyways!

So I hear its like Pokemon.... you just gotta catch em' all.

Is the standard more than one vape? lol

 

[DJKahoona]

So woke up this morning after a long night of browsing ecf and felt horrible.

So I emailed my profs and I am home from classes today.... hoping to not get more sick.


But still! Its like im waiting for christmas.

It kept me up a good while last night, trying to pin down the exact reason I was so excited.

I think its because

A)I love gadgets....im a self proclaimed technophile! And this 510 im getting is everything that a sexy gadget should be.(Sleek and black with a blue led )

B) Saving money. Really. I spend so much money on analogs. Not as much as some, but regardless.... I spend enough.

C)Smoking INSIDE! - Its a luxury that I had only experienced and indoor hookah lounges.... not anymore!

D) The Flavors. .- Pina Coloda anyone? My jaw dropped as I was reading through flavor lists and whatnot


SO EXCITED! lol