Hello everyone! I'm new to the entire vaping thing, but first, let me give a bit of background about my smoking...
I started smoking when I was 12. My best friend smoked, and while I never brought a pack of my own, hanging out with her, she would always give me a cigarette and I would give her a couple of bucks towards a pack. I went to college in sunny Daytona Beach, FL in the late 90s, where surfers introduced me to clove cigarettes. Daytona had some awesome smoke shops and cloves and bidis became "my thing". However I didn't want to smoke that stuff all the time. I started to pick up Marlboro menthol lights for just smoking when going out to drink and what not.
After college I quit. But then would pick up a pack here and there....especially if I was going out. I switched to very light, pricey cigarettes....Capri menthols. I met my boyfriend 3 years ago and he's a pack a day Newport smoker. Needless to say, we don't bum each other's cigs!
Because I really don't feel like I'm addicted to nicotine, I never considered e-cigarettes...which for me, were those ciga-wannabe things in the gas station. My boyfriend got a job working nights in a warehouse, and picked up an njoy disposable...so that he wouldn't have to run outside in the cold and have someone let him in and out just to smoke (the doors are locked at night). While he said they were convenient, I found them to be a rip-off. They were like $8, and he would tap one out in a night. This actually made them more expensive than cigarettes. He agreed, and stopped getting them after a month or so. He said that one of his co-workers had a Blu rechargable...and those are more cost effective. But he wasn't willing to shell out the bucks on a starter kit.
I got a new job this past April. Before I was working for an engineering company in the suburbs (where I was the only person who smoked), now I'm downtown in a 50 floor office building. There are several smokers on my team...a few which have e-cigarettes. About a month ago I was talking to one, and she explained that the real cost savings with e-cigarettes come from the tank models that you re-fill yourself. They also taste and perform better than the disposables. I was interested and I started to research online. Whoa! Very overwhelming! I shelved the idea for a minute.
Then two weeks ago, we go out to dinner for my boyfriend's birthday. Surprise, surprise...his brother switched to e-cigarettes! Again, someone else was raving about them! My boyfriend thought the setup (tank, battery, mouthpiece) looked kinda hokey. But I thought it was cool.
This past weekend, I received coupons for a free Vuse e-cigarette with 2 extra refill cartridges. I had 4 cigarettes left, so I let my boyfriend try it first. He said that it tasted and hit better than the Njoy...and he thought that it was cool that it was rechargeable. I tried it, but I found the menthol to be overwhelmingly strong. I also found myself choking on the vapor (reading reviews, a lot of people experienced this with Vuse). However I did get used to the taste...and while it is really strong, it is a "clean" menthol taste. I adjusted to take smaller drags, and no more choking!
The Vuse works ok, but I'm going to ditch it this weekend and get another brand...like Halo or V2. Why? Well I want a larger selection of flavors for one. But the big thing is the nicotine. I have no need for so much nicotine in an e-cig. For me it's really overkill. Also, my Vuse was free, but I think that in the long run, with regular use, it will be a rip-off. I plan to give it to my boyfriend. So that he can use it part-time in the warehouse if he wants.
This past week I really like how clean e-cigarettes are compared to conventional ones. No ashtrays and no lighters to fiddle with. Also, while the smell of cigarettes doesn't completely disgust me, it is annoying to have a smoldering cigarette in the ashtray smelling up everything...especially your fingers. Oh, and I can't stand smoking in the car....especially in the wintertime. And I can actually lay in my bed with an e-cigarette. Something that never worked with conventional cigarettes (unless I wanted my blankets smelling like cigarettes).
The only reservation I have is costs. I would by 2, maybe 3 at the most...packs a week for cigarettes. That's only $45-$70 a month. Most starter kits are at least that much, and I don't know if it will last a month. I don't think that I'm going to go with the tank option right now, although I can see me going that route eventually (next year maybe). I feel like I need to do more research. I have an associate's degree in electronics so I can see me getting all crazy with the mods. For now...I just want to get started!
Nice to meet all of you!
I started smoking when I was 12. My best friend smoked, and while I never brought a pack of my own, hanging out with her, she would always give me a cigarette and I would give her a couple of bucks towards a pack. I went to college in sunny Daytona Beach, FL in the late 90s, where surfers introduced me to clove cigarettes. Daytona had some awesome smoke shops and cloves and bidis became "my thing". However I didn't want to smoke that stuff all the time. I started to pick up Marlboro menthol lights for just smoking when going out to drink and what not.
After college I quit. But then would pick up a pack here and there....especially if I was going out. I switched to very light, pricey cigarettes....Capri menthols. I met my boyfriend 3 years ago and he's a pack a day Newport smoker. Needless to say, we don't bum each other's cigs!
Because I really don't feel like I'm addicted to nicotine, I never considered e-cigarettes...which for me, were those ciga-wannabe things in the gas station. My boyfriend got a job working nights in a warehouse, and picked up an njoy disposable...so that he wouldn't have to run outside in the cold and have someone let him in and out just to smoke (the doors are locked at night). While he said they were convenient, I found them to be a rip-off. They were like $8, and he would tap one out in a night. This actually made them more expensive than cigarettes. He agreed, and stopped getting them after a month or so. He said that one of his co-workers had a Blu rechargable...and those are more cost effective. But he wasn't willing to shell out the bucks on a starter kit.
I got a new job this past April. Before I was working for an engineering company in the suburbs (where I was the only person who smoked), now I'm downtown in a 50 floor office building. There are several smokers on my team...a few which have e-cigarettes. About a month ago I was talking to one, and she explained that the real cost savings with e-cigarettes come from the tank models that you re-fill yourself. They also taste and perform better than the disposables. I was interested and I started to research online. Whoa! Very overwhelming! I shelved the idea for a minute.
Then two weeks ago, we go out to dinner for my boyfriend's birthday. Surprise, surprise...his brother switched to e-cigarettes! Again, someone else was raving about them! My boyfriend thought the setup (tank, battery, mouthpiece) looked kinda hokey. But I thought it was cool.
This past weekend, I received coupons for a free Vuse e-cigarette with 2 extra refill cartridges. I had 4 cigarettes left, so I let my boyfriend try it first. He said that it tasted and hit better than the Njoy...and he thought that it was cool that it was rechargeable. I tried it, but I found the menthol to be overwhelmingly strong. I also found myself choking on the vapor (reading reviews, a lot of people experienced this with Vuse). However I did get used to the taste...and while it is really strong, it is a "clean" menthol taste. I adjusted to take smaller drags, and no more choking!
The Vuse works ok, but I'm going to ditch it this weekend and get another brand...like Halo or V2. Why? Well I want a larger selection of flavors for one. But the big thing is the nicotine. I have no need for so much nicotine in an e-cig. For me it's really overkill. Also, my Vuse was free, but I think that in the long run, with regular use, it will be a rip-off. I plan to give it to my boyfriend. So that he can use it part-time in the warehouse if he wants.
This past week I really like how clean e-cigarettes are compared to conventional ones. No ashtrays and no lighters to fiddle with. Also, while the smell of cigarettes doesn't completely disgust me, it is annoying to have a smoldering cigarette in the ashtray smelling up everything...especially your fingers. Oh, and I can't stand smoking in the car....especially in the wintertime. And I can actually lay in my bed with an e-cigarette. Something that never worked with conventional cigarettes (unless I wanted my blankets smelling like cigarettes).
The only reservation I have is costs. I would by 2, maybe 3 at the most...packs a week for cigarettes. That's only $45-$70 a month. Most starter kits are at least that much, and I don't know if it will last a month. I don't think that I'm going to go with the tank option right now, although I can see me going that route eventually (next year maybe). I feel like I need to do more research. I have an associate's degree in electronics so I can see me getting all crazy with the mods. For now...I just want to get started!
Nice to meet all of you!
. 
I actually hurt my lip trying it out in the store. I picked up a clear plastic, contoured drip tip to use instead. It feels more comfortable in my mouth anyway. But wow...I'm surprised there isn't more of a murmur about this!
