Generic First Time Post/Rant/Desperate Cry for Help (Mostly Canadian Woes!)

[SeptemberWasp]

Hello! I've been reading this forums exhaustively for a few days now and I feel maybe its time just to post and see if I can't get some return on my thoughts for how to start this "vaping" deal

Background:
3-13 analogs a day, pretty casual I guess but never really can get down to zero.

I imagine my vape schedule will be similar (but what do I know). I likely will have 2-4 "smokes" a day with a co-worker and go outside and just vape whilst he analogs. When I get home and in the evening I'll likely casually vape. I work in an office and won't be vaping indoors and I'm generally always around USB/Wall power. I'd prefer for the device to be small, but it doesn't need to resemble an analog at all. I'd prefer to try pre-filled cartos/carts to start but if thats impossible then whatever is next easiest (blank carts/cartos?)

My friend recently bought a "green smoke" cigarette and to my surprise (after reading here) was shipped pre-filled cartos for his e9 from the states with nicotine. I borrowed a battery and a "vanilla" low dose carto for a day and quite enjoyed it. Came here and began to read.....

The Dilemma (or My Questions):
I can't follow my friends route because getting nicotine over the border seems to be a bad idea and looking at Canadian vendors seems to indicate that getting even blank carts/cartos will be a pain because of shipping costs.

I love the auto battery, and I find it strange to believe that I would ever prefer a manual battery. The only thing that makes me think is I've heard that if you're filling or refilling your own carts/cartos that you could kill your battery. Is this a massive issue? Should I be worried about that?

So really, I guess this is a question and directed if possible to Canadian members/vets... Where do I start? Everywhere I look seems to offer really only the eGo or the 510. Happy vapor sells the 302 which from what I've read seems to work with all the 801 stuff. I like the idea of the pre-filled, no-hassle and no mess cartos but it doesn't seem like that overly available from with the country.

This means essentially that I need to get a 510 or eGo (because if I don't my replacement parts and supplies costs will go up considerably) and the easiest way to go is to get some juice, get some cartos and play around with a starter kits atom/cart system and the extra cartos that I've purchased?

Everything I've read seems to suggest that I want a kr8/808 but there seems to be extreme lamenting in the Canadian section that we are doomed to be unable to use this device simply because its not well supported up here?

I guess when you look at it the entire unit of your device will die in less than half a year no? So I guess you're not really buying something for the extreme longterm? I'm not overly constrained monetarily so is my advice to just take the plunge, get something, and see what happens over the next weeks/months?

This is a long post, and doesn't really have a lot in it... If anyone actually reads this disaster and has some advice/information to give it would be appreciated. If not I think I'm going to get the custom Electro-Vapors 510 auto startup kit, a 5pack of cartos and 20-40ml of juice of varying flavors and see what happens.

Thanks

 

[banjo]

Thanks for the interesting post. The Joye 510 or Joye eGO kit would be a good first choice & I would suggest going with the manual battery. The auto battery is not as reliable & it has a hole in the connection that will allow juice into the battery which will short it out. Take a look at the videos by MistressNomad, they will answer most of your questions: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-videos-newbies-particular-broke-newbies.html

Welcome to the ECF community!

 

[dormouse]

Once you have 5 non-spam posts/replies and wait about an hour, you will be able to post in the Canada subforum on this board. There are a couple of Canadian vendors in there (Happy Vaper is one). They should be able to fix you up.

 

[dopeh]

HappyVaper.com seems to stock all the KR8 and 510 parts you could need. They don't sell nic juices, but do sell flavoring for DIY. Other Canadian vendors DO sell premixed nic juice, for example Vapables.com and ePuff.ca and many more.

Many cannucks order juice from the US, there have been seizures but it seems infrequent. Just be sure to keep juice and hardware orders separate, and choose the cheapest shipping option at checkout. You can also leave a note like "Please do not mention nicotine on the package, this is going to Canada".

Welcome to ECF.

 

[dormouse]

Manual battery will be second nature after about an hour. You have more control over your drag, and they may help your batteries last a bit longer (no extra drags to get it going, and you can let up on the button before finishing your drag). You press about 1/2-1 second before starting to drag and let up about a second before the end of your drag. Or you could get an auto but just be wary of situations that could turn it on accidentally. Some people have actually burned their pocket etc.

If you like cartomizers (2-piece e-cigarette has battery and cartomizer) then you could start with a KR808D-1. For flexibility, you can also make it a 3-piece by putting a standard DSE901 atty and carts on it (or atty and drip tip if you have a manual battery) with no adapter needed. I am using that combination right now. Carts are fun for mixing juice flavors from bottles etc.

Or you could start with a 510 which is a cart unit, and if you want also buy cartomizers for it. Note - the standard 510 has a shorter battery life that the standard KR8. Standard 510 and standard 2-piece KR8 assembled are about the same length, but part of 510's length is its atty, and more of KR8's length is its battery. A KR8 shorty battery is about the same life as a 510 standard battery.

 

[mOJAVEpROVIDENCE]

yeah, i would look into the joye ego as well, starting off on a smaller battery seems to be just a "gateway" battery in the end.

 

[cigarbabe]

I think the eGo is one of the better kits for first time users and you really should give that model a shot. You will like the manual batteries best they won't leak juice like the auto ones do.
I haven't had any problems with it and I've been using the same kit for 3 months now.
It is very versatile and can be used with any 510 connections I believe. You don't have to order from the states when you have "nicfitnation" right in Canada. VST is a great guy who will do every thing in his power to help you get through the first couple of months and beyond!
Here is a link to their ego kit, talk to VSt and let him help you out!
Buy e-cigs in Canada. Smoking alternative E-Cigs.Blog, store, news, and information e-cig 510 901 - but the ego ecig
C.B.

 

[wlp5]

I 'm a newcomer too and I got an ego. I couldn't be happier. They're right about the manual battery, it's much better to control it with your finger and you don't even think about it after the first few drags, it's very natural.

 

[giggity]

I'm a newbie as well, just ordered a Joye eGo Mega starter kit from Dragonfly. Looking forward to getting it in a few days. I've been smoking for over 15 years and am really excited about getting away from regular cigs. Looking forward to any tips concerning the eGo Mega and how to maximize the vaping experience. Cheers!

 

[Matthis1]

I started with automatic batteries and couldn't imagine wanting a manual until I got my 510. The other posters are right, after a couple of drags, it will become second nature, so don't write the manual batteries off just yet. I'm VERY happy with my 510 AND my Joye Ego which also has a manual battery. The manuals also last a lot longer than the autos in my opinion.

 

[SeptemberWasp]

Thanks for the responses!

I went for a 510 starter with an auto and manual battery. My concerns for battery life you all seem to qualify and now I slightly regret not going with a eGo. I must admit though, and clearly things can change, but I liked the longer slimmer concept and wasn't ready I think for the thicker idea of the eGo. I looked briefly at the 510 "mega battery" which looks really damn long but not a whole lot thicker and the comments on it seem ok as well.

Now I'm not a heavy analog smoker, so I imagine that my vaping will remain quite restrained as well (generally limited to friends and co-workers smoking for the most part) and I see numbers like batteries last ~6 months, atoms last ~1 month? I can't seem to pin down why everyone doesn't just use cartos? you can still mix and get blanks, they die when they die and you don't have to worry about holding "stock" or "backups" of multiple things. I haven't run the numbers on cost... maybe thats it?

The starter comes with two atoms and 5 blank carts and I purchased 5 blank cartos for it as well. The kit also comes with some "blue foam" which I haven't fully researched but saw mentioned with positivity here and there. I got 30ml of 3 types of juice and I guess I'll start dabbling in the cartos vs. carts and stuff. I got enough hardware I imagine to keep me going for a bit.

I get it early next week and start hammering out initial experiences!

 

[Gerbus]

Hey Wasp, I'm pumped to try your 510 when it comes

 

[Chime]

Get a passthru if your worried about battery life, that way if the unthinkable happens (well it'll happen at some point lol) and your outta batteries and really craving, you can just hop on the comp have a couple quick hits and get back at whatever while you wait for charge.

Start as cheap and basic as possible, then if it turns out you like it you can get into some more serious gear and know it's a smart investment, bonus is 510 is pretty easy to find compatible upgrades for, if you end up sticking with it.

 

[tigerlily]

The 510 kit you ordered will probably be fine for you considering the number of analogs you said you usually smoked. I would suggest buying an extra battery as a backup though. This way you can keep one on the charger at home during the day, have one you are using while out and about, and one you keep with you as a backup in case the one you are using runs out of power.

 

[SeptemberWasp]

I got my 510 on Wednesday of last week and went on a large 15 person Ski Trip until yesterday evening. I mention this because my smoking habit generally would love the mountain and the 5 day party and my consumption would normally spike into more than a pack a day range.

I smoked 3 analogs and they were all in the first two days. I found out quickly that I had no desire to smoke whatsoever with everything being pretty well covered by my PV.

The battery is a little short for partying and an abnormal schedule but with the charger near by its pretty easy to simply rotate the batteries. We'll see how they work on my normal schedule this week.

I'm rotating through 3 cartos right now. I don't get the burning taste to know when to switch but I simply stop getting the loads of vapor and taste and I switch. I'm using the condom trick to refill them but it seems to me like if I want to absolutely avoid a leak or mess I can't put more than about 8-13 drops in these things and I certainly have to wait before I vape on them. This is why I'm doing three right now... I rotate the positions of having one with the condom on in my refill box deal at home, then one cleaned and ready in my case and one on the battery.

I guess I'll have to see how long 8-13 drips lasts me on a normal basis but at this vacation I must have been doing ~30 drips a day which looks like barely a dent in my 10ml bottle. I'm beginning to believe a lot of you guys on these forums are vapin' like madmen and your consumption estimates are well beyond what I could ever even try to attain.

Love the auto battery though. I went for the manual and auto and though I don't mind the manual there is one large factor that I could never do with analogs... smoke with no hands.
There is something quite satisfying about the 510 being light and small enough to hold comfortably in the mouth and hold it kinda like a cigar while playing cards... inside the house.

Anyways, now is time to see how this model works in my day to day regular schedule. Given how few analogs I smoked though I think its altogether possible that I will be ok with the shorter battery life of this 510 model.

We shall see....

 

[tigerlily]

That's fantastic! If you managed to do so well on a trip like that, you will be fine on a regular routine as long as you can keep those batteries charged. If that's a problem, it's easy enough to simply add another battery to your arsenal.

 

[SeptemberWasp]

Been over a week and I'm nowhere near desiring an analog. I've tried quiting cold turkey before and generally it didn't get really annoying until 3 weeks in so I'm not convinced completely yet....

I'm running low on my juice though. I have a bottle of this cappuccino but it tastes like burnt popcorn. I guess this is going to be my emergency bottles.

I really like vanilla. The stuff I currently have tastes/smells more like maple syrup than vanilla does anyone have suggestions for good juice in Canada?