Heavy smoker needs help - Vaping not working so far

[DevastationWagon]

OH and I never really thought about the whole dripping and driving thing. My motorcycle is my only means of transportation and I'm one of those ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time) riders. Hard to take a vape doing 80+ mph with gloves and a full face helmet on

Ha! ATGATT! Me too brother! I ride to and from work as much as I can. When stopped at traffic lights I'll reach into my inside pocket, grab my eGo twist, and sneak a pull through my helmet. It must look silly but I don't care.

As far as dripping and driving is concerned, no way. I'm vaping to extend my life. Any distraction behind the wheel can have fatal results. If I have to drip, I'll do it at a long red light or something, but never while moving. Keep vaping!

 

[gthompson]

I didn't read the whole thread, so someone may have already said this, but one more piece of advice. Don't think you have to immediately stop smoking when you start vaping. If you NEED a cigarette, have one. Don't put that kind of pressure on yourself, it's counter productive A 1 1/2 pack a day smoker is VERY addicted. Not many people stop smoking just as soon as they start vaping. If you're like most of us you will very quickly be pleasantly surprised at how rarely you will find yourself NEEDING a cigarette anymore. That might be a few days, it might be a few months, but at that point most of the pressure will be off.

 

[ThunderFli]

pwitte -

It look several months for me to transition from analogs to vaping. Once I got over the learning curve, vaping became easier but it wasn't until I found a really great juice(s) that I was able to completely transition.

Stick with it and don't give it. Not everyone can immediately switch and never touch an analog again.

 

[Hydrophoid]

@Hydrophoid - Thanks so much for posting! I keep a couple of Green Smart Living e-cigs (from a convenience store) to have with me when I go places and want to be discreet. It never occurred to me that the battery has 510 threads! I've been trying all my toys on it, most of which look stupid, but a regular black eGo atty & cartridge is a trip! It looks like a white pen with a black cap that lights up green on the end. It vapes okay too.

I like the large callibur disposables, like the blu, expensive but they get the job done.

Be carefull when trying new devices, I burned up a blu battery once trying out a different charger, the bat fit, but the circitry inside of it didn't like the charger.

Just though I would put that out there. The blu carts can be had at almost any walgreens, which is nice in a pinch since they fit on my ego twist, and the twist has enough power to produce a ton of vapor.

Pwitte,

I forgot to menton the other day my experience with drag:

510 cartos (aka, most gas station tips, blu tips ect) have a tight drag. Add that to the not having enough juice and you get a head ache trying to get a decent puff.

Vivi stardust (clearomizers) have a medium drag. Good vapor production with medium ammount of effort

510 debridged attomizers (basically atty, drip tip, and nothing else; I use for dripping and trying home made flavors) have a medium-loose drag. Same vapor production as the stardusts, with a little less effort. The taste is a bit better than the clearomizers.

Vivi Rebuidable Tank (Much like the other vivi tank) Super loose drag, almost too loose, huge puffs of vape but flavor is a bit off, I use it anyway cause it is probably my fault for a bad coil or other thing

Phoenix rebuidable (All metal, basically a drip tip) Nicest 510 rig I have, loose pull, perfect flavor and clouds of vapor. By far my favorite, at least it was till I tried to rewrap a wick...LOL.

The down side of the last 2 is there is a big learning curve to them, the up side is that I got enough replacement parts to last about 6 months for about 20 bucks.

Some people, much more experienced would probabally recomend not starting on the rebuildables early on, just like the provari there is a steep learning curve. Other people may be in my camp: learning about the rebuildables, all the configurations, changing parts, bouncing ideas on forums, experimenting and tinkering; all this gives me something to do other than worry about if I want a cig (I don't any more, they taste so gross, I can even taste them drunk). For me, it is something to do, and something to concentrate my extra energy on. My total investment into rebildables was around 70 dollars, a small investment considering my last project cost about 300 (electronics kit).

Sorry for getting a bit off topic but I though the drag breakdown would be usefull to you. I have never used anything but 510 threading so I dont know about the pull on thoose devices.

 

[The Ocelot]

I want to make sure you all understand I was playing around with putting vaping attys & carts on cheap convenience store e-cigs. I do use the cigs in a pinch, but I would NEVER use them regularly with any of my vaping stuff. I don't trust those little batteries as far as I can throw them.

My regular set-up is eGo batteries using the attys & carts the first kit came with (just as them came or with drip tips), Stardusts (with stainless steel tips), a vivi nova mini, and LR 306 attys with a Cannon drip tip for direct dripping). Nothing fancy, but it works for me and still leaves things to look forward to someday, like VV bats and more elaborate tank systems.

 

[MaxPerilous]

Plus the battery life is just plain awful.

 

[bappo]

ATGATT here aw well! Ride a Super Tenere wearing either Klim Latitude kit or Aerostich Roadcrafter. The right long chest in either holds my Egos perfectly. I wear a Schuberth C3 and vaping is easy, just open the faceshield and tip down or lift the whole front. The long 1000 twist is easy to use with gloves.

 

[UnFettered_Soul]

I haven't read every reply, and you got some good advice.

I would go with a good battery system and a juice delivery system that works for YOU.
Some refill cartos, some use cartos in tanks, some use clearomizers, some use rebuildables.

Another thing you may want to look into is ejuice with WTA. Whole Tobacco Alkaloids.
There are two vendors that carry them that I know of.
These types of juices have helped some members kick the analogs.

People are different...... I never looked back. Haven't had an analog in over a year and don't miss them at all.
The hubby.... he's only been vaping for a few months, but still misses "something" and will have an analog now and then.
However, when using the WTA juices, he does better with just the vaping.
I know there are threads on here discussing WTAs you can find using the search.

Good luck, and stick with it, you'll be fine.

 

[MaxPerilous]

Most of my commute is on the interstate. But when I'm in town at lights I'm usually to busy navigating in between lanes of traffic instead of waiting in line like I should lol. I take a 45 minute commute in a cage and turn it into 15 on two wheels

 

[Hydrophoid]

I want to make sure you all understand I was playing around with putting vaping attys & carts on cheap convenience store e-cigs. I do use the cigs in a pinch, but I would NEVER use them regularly with any of my vaping stuff. I don't trust those little batteries as far as I can throw them.

My regular set-up is eGo batteries using the attys & carts the first kit came with (just as them came or with drip tips), Stardusts (with stainless steel tips), a vivi nova mini, and LR 306 attys with a Cannon drip tip for direct dripping). Nothing fancy, but it works for me and still leaves things to look forward to someday, like VV bats and more elaborate tank systems.

I figured you were not running around with a tiny bat on something like a vivi tank (probably would work, my phoenix did). I just wanted to make sure all the people who end up reading this thread do not make the same mistake I did without proper warning I just love that I can get refill cartos practically anywhere in the USA without much hassle. I can just see a juice spill disaster the next time I go out of town.....

It seems like things change so quickly (in a month I have seen all kinds of new stuff come out) that we all will always have something to look forward to.

 

[Cherinny]

Pwitte,
I am also new to this vaping thing. I decided on the e-cig from south beach smoke. Electronic Cigarettes - Buy Electronic Cigarettes Online It looks like a real cigarette. I didn't smoke as much as you so I am using the 12mg. I was a 1/2 pack smoker. It is something of pure choice when it come to picking out a e-cig. I didn't know what I was getting myself into but I am happy I made the decision. It's not an easy thing to switch to. I have the cravings but when I'm at work I get some gum and chew away. I cannot use my e-cig at work on the property. Keep going and don't quit. Try some other e-cig...

 

[monkeybusiness]

You've got to be willing to experiment a bit. It can cost a lot of money getting it right. And what's right for others may not be right for you. I tried 2 ecigs before I found one that I liked and which didn't break. One of the ecigs I tried, came highly recommended by just about everyone but I found it very poor, and it even produced a metallic burning which tainted the vapour. I tried 2 different atomizers in it and they both did the same thing.

The juices are also very hit and miss. Some are absolutely awful, really bad. Some are quite good, but as of yet I've yet to find one which I like enough to really settle on. I've just placed a large order with Ms T's Bakery which I'm hoping will work out well. Some juices feel a lot more like smoking than others, and as your taste buds recover from smoking, a juice you may have liked can become horrible. Don't always assume that high nicotine content is good, as I've found it can make the juice unbearable after a while.

The right equipment and the right juices can make the difference between success or failure.

Also, for the first week, even if you get everything right, you'll still probably feel like smoking. In my opinion, if going cold turkey is 100% difficult, then going from cigarettes to vaping is 10% difficult. In other words; it's still not quite right but a hell of a lot easier than going cold turkey and after a while you'll probably develop a disgust of cigarettes if you can stick to vaping.

I was a 20-30 a day smoker for 10 years, now I've been vaping for three months consecutively. It took me 2 years to get it right after a couple of false starts. I was on 24mg, then 18mg and now 6mg of nicotine. I've accepted I'll probably never give up, but I do feel quite a bit better than when I was smoking, and it's a fair bit cheaper.

 

[MaxPerilous]

Different devices (not batteries typically) but like atomizers, cartomizers, etc make your juice taste different too. Depends on the draw, wick, ohm, etc etc. I had a couple juices sitting on my desk that I thought about throwing on the classifieds. I mean I used like 6 DROPS from them and just knew I didn't like them. Then today my HH. 357 atomizer came in. 2ohm 510 hybrid handmade atomizer. My fav juice tasted AMAZING, so much better than before and it was already my fav, and some the ones I wasn't super fond of, like green apple and watermelon, tey just came to life in that atomizer. For real. I been dripping 510's and 306's and this HH. 357 just takes the cake!! Assuming you are willing to spend the $20+ on a single atomizer when the others sell for around $5.

 

[money4me247]

I was a 3 pack a day smoker for 37 years and quit within 3 days of getting my eGo kit.
Like you I tried to find a juice comparable to my Kools ciggies but was always unable too there is no such animal in e juices!
Stay away from Apollo they are one of the worst companies by far and don't buy a (any) device from them either.
Just use your twists instead of having a drag and you should be golden!
You can send me a pm if you have any questions.
C.B.

hey CB, just wondering why you don't like apollo. they have a new really cool ego-vv that seems nicer than the regular ego twists. i actually had a really good experience with apollo in terms of their customer service. they are super nice about replacing failed batteries within the year. just their small cigarette clones don't cut it for me.

 

[DEVO357]

@thereldevo & @ImThatGuy - I'm in the valley, so downtown, San Gabriel, Orange County, etc., are all too far to go on a regular basis. Are there any places in the valley area that you know of?

P.S. I don't have PM ability yet, apparently, nor was I able to respond to private visitor messages. So I have to post here for now.

Sorry I work in the San Fernando valley and there are none that I know of maybe try and YELP it and see what comes up

 

[pwitte]

Just got 2 packages today - one from Altsmoke.com (all the parts) & one from Puresmoke.com. Still waiting on 2 more packages with liquids from Halo and Rawr. I tried the stuff I got this morning, and while I am still new at this, my first impressions are that the 305 atomizer is my favorite so far. Much better than the Apollo e-cig I tried.

Regarding Apollo, B.T.W., they shipped really fast and I have no complaints at all about the company - just the "free sample" e-cig was really hard to use and didn't work for me. But I'm sure their other products are probably much better, and I certainly had no other issues with them at all, so please do not interpret my comments to be putting them down. They seem like a great company and I will most likely order different stuff from them in the future.

Since the two sample liquid packages I ordered did not get here yet, I could only test the one liquid flavor I did receive, the Silver Leaf menthol e-liquids. Which I think is a good thing, because it allowed me to see which setup works best for me. Here's what I think so far:

The 306 atomizer is nice because it is so easy to draw from and gives a really good taste, and IMO, is the most like smoking a real cigarette. With the ego twist set to 3.8, it gives a really good vape, too, and I don't have to keep sucking in hard to get it. At 4.0 it's even better! And the size with the cannon tip is nice, considering the length of the ego twist. So Max, kudos to you for that recommendation, I think it may just be the winner. But, I do hate having to refill it so often. Not very practical when out and about. And with my bad eyes, I have to be very careful with my aim when dripping.

The Dual Coil cartomizer is definitely nice because you do not have to refill it as often - I haven't refilled it yet, and I've already had about 20 toots (Grimm) on it, but it doesn't have that same kick to it that the 306 does. I have to set the ego on 4.0 - 4.2 to get a decent hit, inhale a lot harder, and the taste varies on it for some reason. Sometimes, I get a super strong throat hit and cough it out, other times I hardly seem to get anything. Definitely a learning curve with that one. But I will keep trying it and hopefully I'll get the hang of it. Another thing I don't like it the size - so freakin' long! BUT - it definitely looks the best on the 650 battery because it looks like a one piece unit (just a really long one.)

The Vision Clearomizer Version 3 is probably my least favorite so far. Kind of difficult to get a good hit, and the taste is somewhat strange. Someone in an earlier post had mentioned that Menthol reminded them of Vicks Vaporub. Well, that's exactly how the same liquid tasted from this device. And a little metallic tasting, too, if that makes sense. But, it looks great on the ego and certainly holds a lot of liquid. I've tried playing with the voltage, and it seems I have to go to at least 4.0 to get a reasonable vape from this clearomizer.

The Nova tank was a little easier to get a hit from than the Vision clearomizer, but not much, and certainly not nearly as good as the atty. And the taste was only so-so, not as good as the cartomizer or the atty. But again, the convenience of having lots of liquid is nice. But I don't like how it fits on the ego, so I see why Yves recommened the sleeve collar. It looks like something I swiped from a .... lab. Wonder what would happen if I was smoking it while driving, and a cop saw me?

Last night, I watched about 5 hours of Grimm Green's YouTube videos. I also watched about 1-2 hours of other random people's videos, but I still have a few questions that maybe you guys can help with (you've all been so helpful so far) -

(a) How long should an atomizer last for someone like me who will probably be vaping for most of the day? A few days, a week, or more? How about a cartomizer? How about the atty heads of the clearomizer and Nova tank? How will I know all of these things are no good any more?

(b) Should I clean any of these things on a regular basis, or just throw them out?

(c) What is priming and how do I do it? (so many videos say you should prime these things when they are new, but never say how.)

(d) If I want to use a different liquid (i.e., I have menthol in there now but when I get my sample pack I want to try the free mint chocolate that Halocigs is sending me), do you need to clean it or something to get the old taste out and the new taste in?

(e) Ego-c twist - Okay, press 5x on, 5x off. Here I am playing with all my new stuff - oh damn, did I turn that thing off? So the question is, will it turn off automatically after awhile if you forget to turn it off? I don't want to kill the battery, so I find that I keep OCDing to make sure I turned the damn thing off. I tried to test it, but it stayed on, so maybe I didn't wait long enough?

I figured out through some messing around that I can use pre filled blu cig refill cartos (get em at walgreens for 15 bucks for 5) will make a great emergency juice if you run out. It fits right into the 510 connector on my twist. Just make sure you dial it all the way back when you do this.

@Hydrophoid - based on your post, I just want to be clear so I don't mess it up - In emergencies when I run out of liquid, I can buy the 5 pack of disposable cartos at Walgreens and screw them on my ego-twist, but I just have to set the volts at 3.2? And this is compatible and won't kill my battery, correct?

@MaxP - So you like the 357's better than the 306's? $20 seems high, but how long will it last? Is it as easy to vape from as the 306's?


Ramble, ramble, ramble, sorry folks.....


Now I've had the stuff for about 8 hours and I've only smoked 3 real stinkies today. By now, I'd usually have already smoked about 16, so I'm feeling "stoked" so far! This just may work!

 

[Debadoo]

With the vision v 3 (stardust) and the vivi, keep using them. It will usually take about a 1/2 tank to a tank to break in, and then the flavor greatly improves, so don't give up them just yet.

Cleaning is the same for both of them, and this is how I do it when I'm doing a thorough clean (after about 4 tankfuls)
disassemble.
leave the silicone cap on and rinse the atty head and the wicks under running water, til the wicks look clean (no juice in them) this is easier to tell if you have a colored juice.
I will use a bit of dish soap ONLY for the inside of the plastic tube/tank. I don't ever use soap for the wicks
Dry everything off, blow through the metal stem to get out any water that might be in there. Blot the wicks with a paper towel.
I will typically put the atty head in paper towel lined bowl I have and let it completely dry and grab another one.

Dry Burning: Quickest if the wicks are totally dry but can be done when they're wet it just takes longer because you have to dry the wicks with the burns first.

Put the atty head on the stem (without the silicone cap), attach the stem to the battery, set it for about 3.4v and mash the button for 3-4 seconds. You'll see some smoke, smell a burned smell etc. Pause to let the smoke clear and let the coil cool off ( a couple seconds or so), and continue to do the dry burns in 3-4 second bursts until you can see the coils glowing red (bright orange), and when you look at coils when not hot, you can see each individual coil wrapped around the wick.
Remove the head from the stem, (once cooled), put the silicone cap back on (with the flat part of the metal piece toward the wick and coil) and rinse it under running water.
Blot the wicks with a paper towel, assemble the juice holder, fill and vape. It only takes a few puffs to work through whatever water is in the wick to get the juice flavor.

I always rinse my atty heads with the silcone cap on, just because it helps the wick and coil not to move. Some take it off before rinsing.
If I've only done a tank and just want to change flavors, all I do is rinse the head, and tube, blot the wicks, reassemble and fill.

Dry burning sounds labor intensive, but it's super quick and easy. Just don't do it over about 3.4v, and don't do it longer than 3-4 seconds or when they coils are glowing good, or you could pop a coil. I'm still using heads I've had since the end of June. If you can't get good flavor or the coil pops, replace them for 3.00. Other than that, just keep cleaning and reusing.

I'll let others chime in on the dual coil carts and the 306 atty

 

[MiamiMom63]

pwitte, sounds like you learned the fact that you can love a juice in one thing, and it tastes totally different in something else. I have found some of my juices that I love, I use in different things. Other things they don't taste good in. I can't answer all your questions but I can tell you about atomizers. I love dripping mainly because like you said, nice flavor and strong throat hit. As far as how long they last, it depends on how good of an atomizer you purchased and what type of juice you are using in it (whether 100% VG which is thicker and gunks them up faster) etc. It should last at least a week or two even. Some say theirs lasts alot longer but they don't use them exclusively and switch out so I don't know. Well, some do last alot longer but are more expensive ones like HH357's from Avid Vaper. I like their Ciscos alot and they seem to last a couple weeks or so, depending on how much I'm using it. I know some people clean them but I don't. Some clean them by boiling them for about 5 mins or so and blow them out and let them dry. Some soak them in Everclear. As far as priming a brand new atomizer when it's totally dry...Some atomizers when you first get them have a liquid in them that tastes nasty and they have it in them to keep the coil moist. You have to blow that nasty stuff out the batt end before using it otherwise it will make your juice taste nasty for awhile. Alot of other types of atomizers do not have the liquid in it at first and you don't have to worry about it. If it's a new atty I'm not familiar with, I always blow out the batt end to make sure there is no primer in it. Then to prime it and get it working I put about 6 drops of juice in it and let it soak in for about 30 seconds, then I take a couple careful hits and maybe put a couple more drops in it. After that it should be fairly primed and working decent. Then after the initial priming I can just add about 2-3 drops of juice at a time as I use it. That's because there is already some juice in the ceramic cup under the coil already. If you ever have a bad flavor and you need to blow it out the batt end of your atomizer and start over, then try the 6 drops again and go from there. I hope this helps

 

[MaxPerilous]

Pwitte check out this link and watch the tuitorial video made by the maker of the HH. 357. This atomizer has the draw of the 306 and taste that I have yet to find anything to even get close to it.

HH.357 Cisco Spec Hybrid 510 Atomizer - Avid Vaper

As far as how long it will last?? Couldn't tell you. Haven't had mine long enough =) But time will tell and just judging by how pleasureful (is that a word?) the vape is to me its WELL worth the $22 even if it only lasted 2 weeks. Trick to keeping them alive longer is never let the coil get dry. As soon as you notice the flavor change from normal in that atty add another 2-3 drops.

Anyways, I'm so happy I helped you take a step closer to not smoking the stinkies!! I hope you find your perfect setup and you kick em for good. So far my fav vape is a Provari (oh yeah got it in the mail today) with the HH. 357 and a drip shield (have to use a 510-510 adapter/extension for the shield) and I couldn't be happier and further away from picking up a stinky ol' analog again. Also, I went to a local Vapemeet tonight. It was GREAT. Lots of fun, met cool new people young and old all walks of life (I was the only biker lol) And most people will let you try thier setup if you have your own drip tip to use with thier device. They had lots of juice giveaways and even a few drip tips. They also had a raffle for a VMOD and a Telescope!! Two people walked away with some very good mods for $5 raffle ticket!! If you ever see of one (vape meet) in your area you should def drop all plans and insert a time slot to show up to it.

When I clean my atty I just use rubbing alcohol and soak it for a bit, swish it around a bit then blow it out and let it dry (make sure you give enough time for wicks to dry or you will get a wicked alcohol flavor for the 1st 10 mins or so of vaping). As far as tanks and cartos, I haven't found any that I would rather use than smoke a cig. I suggested them cause there are many people that like them, and maybe there are some good ones. I heard a guy talking about his 801 fusion like it was a godsend tonight. Didn't try it myself but he seemed well impressed with it. Mostly if you feel that dripping is an inconvenience enough to sacrifice a lil flavor and/or TH to take you to where you are going then drip again thats all personal choice. But if you ever find a carto/tank system that give TH and flavor like that 306 (or even better the HH. 357) please let me know I'd def be willing to scoop one up and try it.

Priming an atty is explained in the video. Priming a carto/tank means to draw sharply on it a few times to get the juie flowing into the device. Also with carto tanks, you want to fill the carto itself before filling the tank with juice. They say you get better results that way and it will also hold more liquid.

Did I answer all your qestions? Not sure. If you have anymore just post em up and I'll keep doing what I can to get you down to less stinkies and more of the finer things in life (like vaping!! oh and thanksgiving lol). Happy vaping and best of luck Pwitte. Sound like your well on your way to living a happier healthier and less smellier lifestyle.

 

[napalm]

The hardest thing is taking the time to find a comfortable PV setup with a liquid that suits you. Once you break that old routine, you'll find yourself wanting less and less analogs..