Help-started smoking again! E-cig not doing it for me!

[stefania123]

Samples aren't charity. They want to make a sale, they need to provide me a taste for less than $19.

as i said above, there is no vendor that gives out free samples before purchasing. smh.. they sell out of stock because of their paying customers, they are successful, not by giving away their juices to people. if you want to try their flavors before buying WTA, buy some of their non WTA juices, they are cheaper. if you like them you can then buy WTA. just make sure the non WTA flavors you try are on their WTA page too. and remember the non WTA juices will not have the same effect as WTA.

 

[FinallyQuit]

If you look at a lot of my posts since 2011 they have been me screaming for help. Equipment failure, new product, equipment failure, another new product. Look, more equipment failure! I really needed something LESS FIDDLY. I have fried ego batteries, I have broken clearomizers off of their base and flooded pocketbooks with juice, I have had them pop over and over for no reason. I have tried dripping, I have tried cartridges, cartomizers [in and out of tanks], I tried the ego-t tank system and popped every $15 atomizer within 2 days. I bought Leo products, loved them SO much, but very hard to find in stock and in one place. They also have crappy atomizers and the clearomizers break easily, not to mention paying $5 a pop for each one. I bought very expensive name brand stuff that didn't last as long as the clones for a third the price. If someone mentioned it, I researched it to death, and if it could be found in stock, I bought it.

I feel confident when I tell you this. It sucks. I have been there. I am not making light of the struggle.

There is one and only one damn reason I'm trying to quit smoking. I'm broke! I have 2 kids and a menagerie and only one job to keep us fed, clothed, and housed. Cigarettes and the related medical expenses are TOO EXPENSIVE. Then to have to spend all this money to try to satisfy some stupid primal need my body has and nothing works!! It makes me so angry [mostly at myself] that I have to smoke to get over it! Oh, the irony.

Okay, enough of my ranting. You don't mention why you want to quit, and you don't have to. I don't buy the bullcrap 'if you want it bad enough it will happen' spiel. It's work, and it sucks. I don't have the perfect answer for myself, so I can't tell it to you. I only told you what helped me. Good luck.

 

[puro]

YOu should give the NETs a try. I personally enjoy goodejiuce.com vita bella. It's very good. I smoked cigars for over 20 years and was up to too many per day when I quit a year and half ago. Finding decent ejiuce was a hassle, but the NETs have been pretty good. I also bought a genesis atomizer (Z-atty-U from Zenesis). The flavor is very good through these atomizers, but they are a lot of fuss.

As for the the expense, I am now making my own NETs using this presciprtion:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/liquid-extraction-tobacco/99774-vg-pipe-tobacco-essense.html

You should use your favorite tobacco if you make this.

I then bought nicotine from wizardlabs, and a bunch of stuff from DIY, and I make my own juices now that are as good as any I can find, and for a tiny cost. I have flavors from Loranns as a drop of peach or hazelnut really hits the spot. Also you can get menthol crystals and mix some menthol which sometimes really hits the spot.

There's a good thread on NET juices which are reasonably priced:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/general-e-liquid-discussion/274904-natural-tobaccos.html

Finally, allow yourself to have a smoke once in a while if the craving gets really crazy. Last year I smoked 2 cigars when I really needed a smoke. This was way less than one day of smoking before I quit!

I do have to say that I did and do like smoking a lot. The reason I quit was my new wife who couldn't stand it--even if I went outside. But after a lot of fussing around, I find that vaping does a decent job--it's not smoking, but it can be decent enough if you keep trying some different things until you find something you like enough.

Just my 2 cents

 

[GaryInTexas]

Samples aren't charity. They want to make a sale, they need to provide me a taste for less than $19.

They can't keep production up with sales now so I don't think they need to make a sale. Is the possibility of getting over the smoking urge worth $19 to you? You've had 7 pages of good helpful advise and discussion now. Reminds me of an old saying, obstacles are what you see when you lose sight of your goals.

 

[skyztheLynnit]

Samples aren't charity. They want to make a sale, they need to provide me a taste for less than $19.

Ever gone into a bakery and expected them to just give you a slice of cake to see if you like it? Not gonna happen. You want to vape.. it will cost you. People.. most people.. spend a lot of money to find the perfect setup and juice that works for them. It doesn't magically happen.

 

[bazmonkey]

Sorry to hear about all of that, Jane. It sounds like it was a perfect storm of annoyances, between the online stores, the quality, etc.

I must admit, the coils are where poor quality shows the most, and rebuilding sort of shields me from that. I don't think anything of a bad head because I just remake 'em.

I don't have anything to say about batteries. I have mostly stuck to Joytech and name brands, but have also gone generic a few times and seem to have lucked out. Nothing's died too quickly, lately.

I'm a hobby-happy sort of guy, so I can definitely imagine that what I think of as relatively hassle-free is still more hassle than some people would care for. Honestly, without DIY-ing my juice and coils, I would have gotten fed up with it, too. The last week or so I was using cartos, cleaning them, dripping them full each night, etc... I would not have been able to put up with that much longer. It really wasn't until making a new coil or two was a weekly activity and daily upkeep was just filling a tank that it became something maintainable.

I wish you lived nearby! I have a few friends (the lady-friend and people from college/work) that I take care of: I remake their coils weekly and whip up easy DIY juice, sell it to them for half of what it would cost them otherwise (except lady-friend: she vapes for free). They nearly support my habit, and it helps save them some of this hassle. It also means that between all of us, there's usually spares ready-to-go. If a coil is no good I don't necessarily need to re-make another right then and there.

I'm not about to try and convince you to try again too badly (what's it to me, right?), but I still think that there's a system you could enjoy out there. Metal tanks you can drop, a coil you can rebuild, juice you can make without thinking, etc. I know: that all sounds like more of the work that you're fed up with, but vaping is a lot less stressful when you have the means to make up for inconsistent quality.

 

[salemgold]

I really do not have any answers for you but, I did want to suggest that if you do end up buying another PV, you would do well to get this set for under $50.00 $51.42 Vamo-Vivi Voltage Adjustable E-Cigarette Battery Compartment Set - with Nitecore I2 US battery charger/charger cable/2*Panasonic 18650 batteries at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

I have owned one for about 6-7 months now and it is the best PV that I have ever used. It is sturdy, reliable and low cost.

I too need simplicity with vaping and have found that with the Kanger T3s and ProTank which hold 2.5 mls of juice. It truly has been a fill and go set up for me.

Once you find what works for you, time on the forum will drop drastically. All that I can really tell you after 3 years of vaping and being free from the stench and cough that comes with cigs is that it was very well worth the investment of time and money to get where I am now.

Good luck to you and hang in there!

ETA- You get 5% off at Fasttech using code cpaste13spring

 

[JaneinMesa]

Thank you, FinallyQuit. I know it's not just me because I've read several posts with the same complaints. My main reason for quitting was $$$ and I was making my own cigs and I didn't like spending that much time doing it. Yes, health was a reason and I love not craving a cigarette or vaping when I'm out in a movie theatre or restaurant. But the main reasons are made worse with vaping. And a good portion of my kitchen counter is full of vaping stuff, it's so annoying. Like you said I get mad at myself for needing to vape/smoke.

I've had one cig today, planning on one more. I really think I was over the addiction (not the oral fixation), it's just that I felt better with the tobacco. I'm actually vaping 0 mg nic juice and am ok except for the aforesaid equipment problems. Maybe I'll puff on an empty carto and have a couple cigs a day.

 

[JaneinMesa]

Sorry to hear about all of that, Jane. It sounds like it was a perfect storm of annoyances, between the online stores, the quality, etc.

I must admit, the coils are where poor quality shows the most, and rebuilding sort of shields me from that. I don't think anything of a bad head because I just remake 'em.

I don't have anything to say about batteries. I have mostly stuck to Joytech and name brands, but have also gone generic a few times and seem to have lucked out. Nothing's died too quickly, lately.

I'm a hobby-happy sort of guy, so I can definitely imagine that what I think of as relatively hassle-free is still more hassle than some people would care for. Honestly, without DIY-ing my juice and coils, I would have gotten fed up with it, too. The last week or so I was using cartos, cleaning them, dripping them full each night, etc... I would not have been able to put up with that much longer. It really wasn't until making a new coil or two was a weekly activity and daily upkeep was just filling a tank that it became something maintainable.

I wish you lived nearby! I have a few friends (the lady-friend and people from college/work) that I take care of: I remake their coils weekly and whip up easy DIY juice, sell it to them for half of what it would cost them otherwise (except lady-friend: she vapes for free). They nearly support my habit, and it helps save them some of this hassle. It also means that between all of us, there's usually spares ready-to-go. If a coil is no good I don't necessarily need to re-make another right then and there.

I'm not about to try and convince you to try again too badly (what's it to me, right?), but I still think that there's a system you could enjoy out there. Metal tanks you can drop, a coil you can rebuild, juice you can make without thinking, etc. I know: that all sounds like more of the work that you're fed up with, but vaping is a lot less stressful when you have the means to make up for inconsistent quality.

Have you posted how to rebuild your coils? I've looked at it and understand how to do it, I just don't know what wire to buy because of the burning rubber issue and such that I've read about. Is it really necessary to have the tester? I've saved all my bad coils and don't mind sitting down one evening and rebuilding. I just don't want to buy a roll of wire to find it burns the rubber gasket, tastes funny, or something.

I'm still going to try and quit smoking but maybe by stopping vaping I can quit the oral habit. I don't think I'm addicted to nicotine again - yet.

 

[bazmonkey]

Have you posted how to rebuild your coils? I've looked at it and understand how to do it, I just don't know what wire to buy because of the burning rubber issue and such that I've read about. Is it really necessary to have the tester? I've saved all my bad coils and don't mind sitting down one evening and rebuilding. I just don't want to buy a roll of wire to find it burns the rubber gasket, tastes funny, or something.

I've posted about it, but not exactly what I do. 32-gauge kanthal and silica wick. The tester is to not just check the resistance of what you made, but verify that it's not shorting. It can totally be done without a meter, but without knowing the resistance it's hard to tell what's wrong if it doesn't work. Plus it invites the possibility of shorting a battery. If it tests with a reasonable resistance you can be confident it's not going to ruin anything.

A multimeter is cheap--it wouldn't be the make-or-break part of this.

If you want to know exactly what I do: I buy that wire I mentioned, and 3mm silica wick. The wick is made of a bunch of individually-twisted strands of silica, and I pull two of those out to make the wick a little thinner (that's what I settled on: thicker sometimes hits dry and thinner sometimes gurgles). I attach the wick to the thinnest pin I can find (I used tape originally and now little alligator clips), and I wrap it *as tight as I can* (it's just right after I take out the pin) five times (4.5 times around). Then I pull the pin out, put the head back together, and clip off the ends of the wire with a razor. Just like that I get a resistance around 1.8ohms (give or take .2), which is nice and strong off a plain eGo battery.

I never clean the heads: it's easier to just redo them every week or so (after I vape about 10mL off of it).

I've been wanting to fiddle with other techniques and wicks, but what I've been doing has been so consistent and simple that I've had no motivation to try anything else since.

I have also heard of this burning rubber issue. If I push my coil and run it at a high voltage, yeah, I can burn rubber. Using non-resistance wire where it touches the rubber would let me crank it up higher without doing that, but I don't have a problem burning rubber routinely. It produces plenty of vapor at a voltage that doesn't push it, and it's simply not worth the effort to me (fiddling with twisted wires, having to calculate how much to cut ahead of time to get the resistance right... that's when it gets to be too much trouble for me to bother).

So, I remake those heads after about 10mL. Having three tanks set up at a time (one mint, one tobacco, and one I switch up), I remake one or two each weekend. Once every 5 days or so I pour 10mL of base in a bottle and add .5mL of a flavor, three drops of another, and 10 drops of another. That's my juice, which I don't steep. And nightly I charge one of the two batteries I use primarily and squirt the tanks full. That's everything I do, the entire routine. I had to learn how to make the coils and had to find a recipe that I liked, but now that I did, I can't describe it any other way but "damn easy".

 

[JaneinMesa]

I have a multimeter (GB GMT-19P)but I don't know if it's the right kind nor how to really use it (I've had it for years, probably needs a battery, if it takes one). Like this one: View attachment 219381 I see the wire and wick material is very inexpensive. I usually don't vape higher than 3.8 v according to my Spinner/Twist. I know I can make it physically (I recoiled one with the existing wire and it worked), it's the understand the multimeter and such that i'll have trouble with. Don't want to spend hours learning ohms, resistance, etc. (I also have memory issues.) If someone can tell me: Set the multimeter to XX, make your coil, connect the black lead to X, the red lead to X, check the reading to make sure the coil is XX. If not, do X.

Then I could do it. If more than that, I'd rather smoke. Is this possible or doe sit require I actually understand all the electric concepts.

Thanks, some pretty good, simple instructions.

Juice I am able to eyeball I've made so much.

 

[FinallyQuit]

There's a Youtube video of a woman showing how to use a multimeter for vaping. When I had the same issues, how to use it, when would you need to, where to put the leads, someone posted a link for me. I'll look that up later in the day for you. I have also rebuilt a few coils, find it to be easy peasy after the initial fumbling.

 

[Tanks]

I don't know, maybe just commiseration. I always have something going on (I have depression). I just know that it was so awful to quit back in August and don't want to go through that again. So before I go full blown smoking, thought I'd try and post.

Thanks for the link!

What set up were you using (what battery and what atty/carto/clearo)?

I went thru something similar. I quit analogs and was only vaping for 6 months or so then I went back to analogs because I was having trouble with all my attys and it got frustrating. Just 2 weeks ago I got all new clearos and some cartos with a TON of new juice flavors and started vaping again.

 

[Tanks]

Double post

 

[Rocketpunk]

Vaping requires a little bit of effort on the part of the user, as it comes with a relatively steep learning curve. It is easy to get overwhelmed by all the options, acronyms, technobabble, and quirks that come with electronic gear. Granted, nothing is easier than pulling out a cigarette, lighting it, smoking it, and tossing away the ....... BUT...

"Too much time" to research a way of potentially freeing yourself from real cigarettes is 110% worth it, to me. I'm sorry it's not working out for you. It definitely sounds like the delivery device you have attached to your battery. All delivery devices, whether they're wicking systems like clearomizers, polyfill systems like cartomizer tanks, or dripping or RBA atomizers, all of them come with a little bit of required research, and it's up to you to figure them out (and there are multiple blogs, websites, and Youtube videos, etc., out there).

"But, I shouldn't have to!" is just an excuse for laziness and entitlement. I hate to sound rude, and I apologize if it came across that way, but a chance to extend your health and your life should be more than enough reason for someone to figure something out... And it not only affects you, but your family and friends around you.

There is a trade-off when it comes to vaping, unfortunately. You get "x" with this device, but not "y". You get "y" with this device, but not "x".

The best way I can describe it is like the way an older friend of mine described finding the right woman (or man) for you: "Find the person who confuses you the LEAST, and stick with that."

 

[JaneinMesa]

It would be great if we were sure it was safe, but we're not. Some people may want to spends days on end reading opinions, I can't and don't want to. In fact, I want a cigarette the most when I'm frustrated and reading all the reviews with vaping. Just read info the alkaloids in WTA are carcinogens. Maybe I'm better off with a few cigs. Plus, I just can't afford it. Cigarettes are much less expensive.

Side note: a few months ago I was vaping and a guy came up to me and was telling me that several of his friends just started. He laughed and kept saying, but it's like a cult! I was thinking of that today and sometimes feel the defensiveness of vaping when you complain about something does make it seem a bit cultish. There are serious issues with it and I think we just need to be honest about it. Did it help me quit for 6 mos, yes, but it is a PITA, expensive, and of poor quality.

 

[stefania123]

It would be great if we were sure it was safe, but we're not. Some people may want to spends days on end reading opinions, I can't and don't want to. In fact, I want a cigarette the most when I'm frustrated and reading all the reviews with vaping. Just read info the alkaloids in WTA are carcinogens. Maybe I'm better off with a few cigs.

Jane, WTA is derived FROM tobacco, and no where on the site does it say they are 'carcinogens'. Cigarettes have WTA- its the whole alkaloid of nicotine and alkaloids naturally occurring in the tobacco leaf. What WTA juice does not have is the 4000 other synthetic chemicals added by the cigarette companies to the cigarettes you smoke. As well as the tar...

 

[stefania123]

& Nobody can even say if vaping is for sure safe... but we all know its better for us than smoking cigs by our experience and studies..

 

[stefania123]

Why not look into the NET's then, instead of demonizing WTA liquid because you dont want to pay for it. Many of us have suggested it in this thread as well and its a cheaper alternative.

 

[Rocketpunk]

I hate to say this, but vaping isn't for everybody. Be nice if it was, but it isn't. Certain types of people would just rather smoke real cigs and risk cancer than do a little bit of research or try to learn a new skill.