Hello, folks! New vaper/ex-smoker here...

[Shaun Hopkins]

Hello, everyone... I am brand new to the vaping scene.. I purchased my first e-cig two weeks ago, hence, I haven't smoked or bought cigarettes in two weeks. I'm pretty stoked about that! Having tried to quit smoking many times over the past 25 years, I have seen many gimmicks, and as a result, I was very slow to hop on the vape train when I first heard of e-cigs a few years ago. Nonetheless, having hit 40 years old and having a few friends who have been encouraging me to give it a try, I must say..... I have been VERY pleasantly surprised! And now in week 2, I don't even MISS the cancer sticks. This thing has become my security blanket. Much like my cel phone, it's on my person at all times now. I don't know how or why I waited so long to make the switch.

Having spent the past two weeks scouring the internets for info, I see that I have plenty to learn, so I figured that a message board would be a good start. I honestly don't see myself getting into all the "sub-ohming" and "cloud chasing" that I've been reading about, but who knows? All I know is that I'm no longer sucking carcinogens into my lungs and I'm getting all the satisfaction that I received from my Pall Mall reds...

So, where to start... Having not taken a course in electronics/principles of technology in over twenty years, I went with what seemed to be a good starting point.. I bought the Vision Spinner II battery with a Nautilus mini tank... As for the juice, I'm still vaping on my first bottle, Vigilante's "Pineapple Express" in 18 mg. nicotine. However, seeing that I haven't been craving the cigarettes this week (and using my e-cig quite a bit), I may go ahead and step down to 12 mg. when I purchase my next bottle this week.

My girlfriend (also a smoker - albeit, a very light smoker) has enjoyed my e-cig so much that she ordered the same set-up as mine this week. We both look forward to learning more about vaping and losing the cancer sticks for good!

 

[Warpigs]

Welcome to ECF! Grats to the both of you on quitting!

 

[savvy503]

Congratulations on quitting! I quit 2-3 years ago & never looked back...great job!

 

[Shaun Hopkins]

Appreciate yas! Look forward to learning to learning the ins and outs of vaping from those of you who have been at it for a while. Thanks for the welcome!

 

[philoshop]

Glad to hear of your success. Welcome to ECF.

 

[eratikmind]

Hello, Shaun . . . Welcome aboard to the ECF Vaping community.

I hope that you and your GF have an excellent vaping adventure.

 

[Shaun Hopkins]

Hello, Shaun . . . Welcome aboard to the ECF Vaping community.

I hope that you and your GF have an excellent vaping adventure.

Thanks, Eratik! So far, so good.

 

[swizzcheese]

Welcome as well! I've found, and I think a lot of people agree, that the most important part of vaping is that you enjoy and feel satisfied by your setup. Personally for me, sub-ohming is much more satisfying, but me and my wallet wish I were happy with easier setups. I've heard that the nautilus mini is excellent, a lot better compared to the other pre-built coil vapes that have been out for a while and I probably would have stuck with that a lot longer if I had started out with one myself.

The really awesome part is how much better physically you're going to feel. Every time I had gone back to smoking cigarettes for a little while after vaping it really made me realize just how crappy they make me feel.

 

[GinnyTx]

Hey Shaun!!!Congrats to you and your gf, it's so much easier quitting with your significant other...and those times when you crave, you keep each other motivated.

I started stepping down on the nicotine after two weeks, from a 24mg to an 18mg...then 12mgs (*we're at 4 mos and 2 days ) and now over half of mine are 6mg and I keep a couple 12's for morning and " crazy" moments when out and about and can't chain vape.

I use an MVP which is a fine "next step" whilst you reaquaint yourselves with Electrical Engineering *lol*

best of luck and vape on!!!

 

[Shaun Hopkins]

Hey Shaun!!!Congrats to you and your gf, it's so much easier quitting with your significant other...and those times when you crave, you keep each other motivated.

I started stepping down on the nicotine after two weeks, from a 24mg to an 18mg...then 12mgs (*we're at 4 mos and 2 days ) and now over half of mine are 6mg and I keep a couple 12's for morning and " crazy" moments when out and about and can't chain vape.

I use an MVP which is a fine "next step" whilst you reaquaint yourselves with Electrical Engineering *lol*

best of luck and vape on!!!

Thanks, Ginny!

 

[daleron]

Welcome to the forum Shaun

 

[chopdoc]

Hi Shaun and welcome to ECF. The spinner II and Nautilus is a good set up. Grats on kicking the habit. I quit a 40 year 3 pack a day habit on 16 mg, went zero and that hurt so went back to using nicotine and now am comfortable at 6 to 12 mg after 2 months without a cig. From what I learned here nicotine by itself isnt any worse than cafine and they are both just stimulants. Its the tar and other 4500 chemicals in cigs that was killing us. Find the nicotine level your confortable with and enjoy your vaping experiance. Before you know it you will be breathing much easier than when you smoked, taste and smell improves immensely and for me, I even sleep much better since i quit.

 

[Shaun Hopkins]

Welcome to the forum Shaun

Thanks for the warm welcome, daleron!

 

[Shaun Hopkins]

Hi Shaun and welcome to ECF. The spinner II and Nautilus is a good set up. Grats on kicking the habit. I quit a 40 year 3 pack a day habit on 16 mg, went zero and that hurt so went back to using nicotine and now am comfortable at 6 to 12 mg after 2 months without a cig. From what I learned here nicotine by itself isnt any worse than cafine and they are both just stimulants. Its the tar and other 4500 chemicals in cigs that was killing us. Find the nicotine level your confortable with and enjoy your vaping experiance. Before you know it you will be breathing much easier than when you smoked, taste and smell improves immensely and for me, I even sleep much better since i quit.

Thanks, chopdock! So far, I'm enjoying my Spinner II/Nautilus mini set-up...

As I mentioned in my first post, my girlfriend also enjoyed my set-up, so we ordered her what we believed to be the same set-up off eBay. Unfortunately, she just received it today and we didn't notice that her's came with the 5 ml Nautilus tank instead of the mini that I have. Can anyone here tell me if there is any difference in the performance of the 5 ml and the mini? Aside from the obvious cons (bulkier, can't change juices quite as often, etc.).
I told her that I would swap tanks with her because she simply thinks it's too large for such a tiny woman... However, I like being able to lug mine around in my pocket (it's always with me) so I'm expecting to be dropping another $30 on a tank.