helping a long time heavy smoker to start vaping

[nemesis8733]

Hey guys, I'm sure this topic pops up quite often round these parts but since everyone's a little different I thought I'd make my own thread

I, myself, have been vaping for 2 years now and I absolutely love it. I'm 26 and I smoked for about 7 years at around 15 cigarettes a day, and then spent about a year and a half transitioning exclusively to vaping. I'm now happy to say I've been smoke free for nearly 6 months thanks to my vape

My aunt has been a smoker for much much longer than I was, around 25 years I believe, and she goes through more than a pack a day (possibly 2). I'm going to visit her in a couple days and I plan on bringing all my old vape hardware for her to check out, and we're gonna hit a b&m as well. Since this forum has done a great deal to help me in so many aspects of vaping, I was hoping you could help me to help her by answering some questions, giving some of your opinions, etc. In framing your answers, it might be important to know that as of now she's pretty lukewarm to the idea. She doesn't reject and is willing to try it, but she's skeptical it'll work for her.

First: from someone who's done this with a serious heavy smoker before preferably, what's the best way to go about this in your opinion? What worked for you? The last thing I would wanna do is overwhelm or do something that turned her off to the possibility of vaping.

Second: what is the comparison of cigarettes to ejuice. Everyone who doesn't know much about vaping seems to want to know: how much ejuice equals one cigarette/one pack/etc. At this point I don't care much, and I never really did, I found something that works for me and that's what matters. But I'm sure she'll want to know. So lets say, for this questions purposes, around how many cigarettes would a 15ml, 6mg bottle of juice equate to?

Third: do you think it's worth investing in a set up more advanced than a basic ego twist/cartomizer initially with the thought that something higher quality might have a better chance to work long term for her? I'm thinking something like an istick/atlantis set up might be a good way to go since they're so popular and replacement atomizers will be easy to pick up online or in a store.

Fourth: I live in southern California, but my aunt is in Leander, Texas, which is around an hour drive from Austin. Can anyone suggest a quality b&m that we can go check out? I've been to enough b&ms myself to know if it's a quality shop or not, and I'd feel much better about her chance to succeed with vaping if I found a nice shop with great customer service to leave her with. we'll likely go into Austin while I'm there and it'd be fun to check out some shops there so feel free to suggest Austin shops (in sure there's a lot) but that would be a mission for her on a regular basis. Something in Leander that she can frequent would be best.

I know this is horribly long so thank you to anyone who reads it all and replies to help me out with any part of this. I love my aunt very much and I know her want to quit is there. She just needs to find something that'll work and I really hope it can be vaping. Thank you again.

 

[skullblade789]

The best thing is to listen to what they want to do. If they do not want to quit then it is going to be fruitless endeavor. They have to be the one ready to go and make the first step. Have them try your setup and see if they like it. If they like it but not the flavor go to the local vapor shop that you trust and have them try some of the products. Do not twist their arm. Just ease them into it. As you know it takes time and determination.

 

[GaryInTexas]

My suggestion is do not try to push it on her. She has to want to try it on her own. Let her know that it is not a vape or smoke deal but that it can be both. Let her start vaping with the ideal of it just being a device to lower her cigarette consumption.
Since you may not have a good B&M local to her, take a starter kit and gear with you so you have it available for certain. I would take a good spinner and several BCC with at least 3 bottles of different juices for her to try.

 

[Bob Chill]

I agree with Gary. A spinner and an evod is probably the lowest grade gear that can satisfy a smoker. 2 years ago, evods and spinners were very popular and worked really well for many to get off smokes. It's where myself and many others started. Definitely get at least one bottle of 24mg juice. Most heavy smokers start there.

 

[RavenZ]

1. I smoked for 24 years 1pack a day before i started vaping. My first set up was : eGo twist battery w/Kanger Pro tank. It's pretty simple to fill the tank & the battery gives you some control over the volts. This gave me a great transition as the draw was similar to the draw of a cigaret.
2. With smoking 1 pack a day I started at 24mg nic. I don't know what the comparison would be as I have never gotten a clear answer on this myself.
I would alternate 1 smoke, then when I wanted to smoke again I would vape. My 1st day vaping I bought a pack of smokes and only smoked 5 cigs that entire day. After 3 days I threw the pack of remaining smokes away and have been vaping for 7 months.
3. If you go to a B & M try to find one that has a taste area and she could try there set up.
Investing in an iPV3 w/atlantis tank (what I have now) would not have gotten me to stop smoking if I started with this set up. I needed something that was a close feel to a cig & not bulky or over whelming. That is subjective though.
4. I live in NJ but you can probably google vape shops Texas and find some.
Good Luck and keep us posted.

 

[Semiretired]

Make sure that whatever you try to start her with is not complicated. If you pull out a Provari and start explaining VV or VW depending upon the ejuice and flavor she is using and that if she wants this or that she needs to do this or that - you will turn her off - to complicated...

Do let it be known that it is versatile and can be tailored and adjusted to her needs and that you are wiling to help here though it - without all the technical jargon. Start her simple, but make sure it fits her needs. If she was smoking over a pack a day then make sure the nic level and resistance is proper for her (before you leave)...

I have a cousin that I helped through it - she vaped for two years - reduced her nic to 0 and then quit, but keeps an Njoy in her purse for a just in case measure...

And point here to here (ECF that is)...

 

[RandyF]

Probably the most important is to know what type of cigarettes she smokes. If she smokes a harsher cigarette then you are going to need to start with a higher nic (probably 24mg) and a more fulfilling vape, but if, like I did, she smokes an ultra light 100 type, then the transition is much easier and cartos and small batteries might work.

The comparison of cigs to juice, IMO, means nothing. It is a pointless comparison made up by opponents of e-cigs to tax it. Vape and adjust until you feel satisfied.

I would not start her out on the Atlantis, start out with a good mouth to lung system. You want to replicate smoking as much as you can initially. She can venture out from there if she feels the need.

Pro Tank or Nautilus (though I don't approve of that "ceramic" wicking) with an iStick 20 watt would be a good jumping off point.

 

[nemesis8733]

The best thing is to listen to what they want to do. If they do not want to quit then it is going to be fruitless endeavor. They have to be the one ready to go and make the first step. Have them try your setup and see if they like it. If they like it but not the flavor go to the local vapor shop that you trust and have them try some of the products. Do not twist their arm. Just ease them into it. As you know it takes time and determination.

Very true. I had already had that thought in my mind. As much as I love vaping I'm going to have to keep myself in check and be prepared for her to say no and then be ok with saying that's cool at least we explored the option.

I'll definitely have her give my vape a try. However, I have a top of the line set up (sigelei 100+/authentic plume veil 1.5). She might end up really liking mine, but I know she won't want to drop that kinda dough for the mod, rda, batteries, and charger right off the bat. And what's more is she's a mom with a very busy schedule and I'm sure she wouldn't want to bother with coil building.

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Read through some of the posts in this forum - The ECF Library, for what will most probably be helpful posts/articles. Good Luck and may the conversion be successful!

 

[IgnorantCig]

I was a 2 pack+ a day smoker for about 30 years and I just quit about 3 weeks ago. I haven't had a single real cig since then.

Everybody is different of course, but an 808 kit was good enough for me. I don't have to fiddle with anything, I don't have to rebuild anything, and they're real slim, like a real cig, and I can walk outside and puff on my e-cig, just like I would puff on a real cig before.

Even though I was a heavy smoker, I started out on 18 mg nicotine, and that is working for me. I use about 2 ml juice a day.

Your aunt just has to try out some different options, and see what they like, everybody is different of course.

 

[nemesis8733]

Wow all of this information is fantastic! Thank you guys so much. Rather than quoting and replying individually I'll try to get a general reply to you all here.

It makes a lot of sense to initially replicate smoking, though I hadn't fully considered that. I'll be sure to gear some research toward devices like you're describing and present those to her first. I'll also be sure to keep it very simple and emphasize the fact that cold turkey isn't necessary right away.

I'll definitely keep you guys posted And if this is something she's willing to really take a shot at I will most definitely get her started on this forum. She loves browsing the net (while she's smoking! Lol) so if shes interested she would surely have the opportunity to spend some time here!

I leave on 4/5 and I'll be there until 4/11

 

[nemesis8733]

To answer the question of what she smokes: Marlboro red 100s. So about as heavy as it gets while still having a filter lol. So the nic concentration will likely need to be high. Good to know.

 

[edyle]

Hey guys, I'm sure this topic pops up quite often round these parts but since everyone's a little different I thought I'd make my own thread

I, myself, have been vaping for 2 years now and I absolutely love it. I'm 26 and I smoked for about 7 years at around 15 cigarettes a day, and then spent about a year and a half transitioning exclusively to vaping. I'm now happy to say I've been smoke free for nearly 6 months thanks to my vape

My aunt has been a smoker for much much longer than I was, around 25 years I believe, and she goes through more than a pack a day (possibly 2). I'm going to visit her in a couple days and I plan on bringing all my old vape hardware for her to check out, and we're gonna hit a b&m as well. Since this forum has done a great deal to help me in so many aspects of vaping, I was hoping you could help me to help her by answering some questions, giving some of your opinions, etc. In framing your answers, it might be important to know that as of now she's pretty lukewarm to the idea. She doesn't reject and is willing to try it, but she's skeptical it'll work for her.

First: from someone who's done this with a serious heavy smoker before preferably, what's the best way to go about this in your opinion? What worked for you? The last thing I would wanna do is overwhelm or do something that turned her off to the possibility of vaping.

Second: what is the comparison of cigarettes to ejuice. Everyone who doesn't know much about vaping seems to want to know: how much ejuice equals one cigarette/one pack/etc. At this point I don't care much, and I never really did, I found something that works for me and that's what matters. But I'm sure she'll want to know. So lets say, for this questions purposes, around how many cigarettes would a 15ml, 6mg bottle of juice equate to?

Third: do you think it's worth investing in a set up more advanced than a basic ego twist/cartomizer initially with the thought that something higher quality might have a better chance to work long term for her? I'm thinking something like an istick/atlantis set up might be a good way to go since they're so popular and replacement atomizers will be easy to pick up online or in a store.

Fourth: I live in southern California, but my aunt is in Leander, Texas, which is around an hour drive from Austin. Can anyone suggest a quality b&m that we can go check out? I've been to enough b&ms myself to know if it's a quality shop or not, and I'd feel much better about her chance to succeed with vaping if I found a nice shop with great customer service to leave her with. we'll likely go into Austin while I'm there and it'd be fun to check out some shops there so feel free to suggest Austin shops (in sure there's a lot) but that would be a mission for her on a regular basis. Something in Leander that she can frequent would be best.

I know this is horribly long so thank you to anyone who reads it all and replies to help me out with any part of this. I love my aunt very much and I know her want to quit is there. She just needs to find something that'll work and I really hope it can be vaping. Thank you again.

1:
Well whatever else you carry, it would be worthwhile to carry a simple disposable cigalike.
For an old smoker like myself (30years smoking 2pad), finding a simple cigalike that worked established proof-of-concept; it PROVED that vaping could work; and if they were not so expensive I'd have continued to use them; but then again they were limited to flavors you could buy, so there was always the interest in getting a setup where I could try out alternative flavors/strengths.

2:
I would guess ballpark: 50-100 mg total to 1-2 pack of cigarettes;
4ml of 24mg adds up to about 100mg total
20ml of 5mg adds up to about 100mg total

3:
Depends on the user; especially on the person's finances.

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Here's the rig I started vaping on - Vapor Cigarette 650. While a visit to a local B&M is 'efficient' and if the employee is honest and knowledgeable that's a good thing, be prepared to drop maybe a lot of cash. If you and her can wait two or three days for snail mail, and $25 sounds nicer, think of shopping online. There are many more online places too, I'm just linking to Tastypuff since that's where I've been spending most of my vape money the past 6 months, non-regrettably.

Email the place (info AT tastypuff.com), inquire about some flavor suggestions. An extra bottle or two may even be included with whatever is ordered.

 

[Bob Chill]

One thing I did when I decided to try switching was buy a Blue and Njoy for me and my wife. We just wanted to see if it was "close enough". I remember being nervous as heck when I walked in the front door with them. I wanted it to work so bad. I was so sick of smoking and trying to quit.

My first few pulls on a Blu was like fireworks in my head. I knew right away I could make it work. I also knew that it was one of the lowest quality vapes I would ever have but it was still "ok". The next day I drove to a local B&M and bought a couple twist batteries, 4 evods, and some random flavored juice. I vaped all the way home and was thrilled. My wife didn't understand the need for variable voltage and I simply said "think of it like a volume knob on the radio". That analogy clicked and off she went.

My wife liked the njoys form factor so she alternated for a while. Njoys are obviously a big waste of money but who cares. She wasn't smoking and neither was I.

You may want to buy a disposable or 2 just for trial and error.

 

[Lori2014]

I second the start simple recommendation. For me, 18 mg works, and 15 ml of that lasts 3 or 4 days ... ie, 3 or 4 packs of cigs. Note this is not on a cloud making sub-ohm type device ... just a simple non-variable-anything. Go over the how-tos with her, suggest she ADD it to her smoking (maybe alternate them), and leave the stuff with her to find her own sense of it all.
Good luck to her!

 

[jseah]

When I quit cigs, the blu Plus was close enough to get me off, and keep me off, of cigarettes. It did take a couple of days to get used to vaping instead of smoking (taking a bit hit would make me cough). The important thing is the mental mindset I had of wanting to give vaping a chance and trying to quit. Without it, I could have easily just given up and started smoking again rather than vaping through the cravings for a cigarette.

 

[englishmick]

I second the start simple recommendation. For me, 18 mg works, and 15 ml of that lasts 3 or 4 days ... ie, 3 or 4 packs of cigs. Note this is not on a cloud making sub-ohm type device ... just a simple non-variable-anything. Go over the how-tos with her, suggest she ADD it to her smoking (maybe alternate them), and leave the stuff with her to find her own sense of it all.
Good luck to her!

That's good advice. Tell her that a lot of people start small, if you came on too strong about quitting smoking that could be intimidating. If she thinks of it as an enjoyable alternative to some of the smoking it would be easier to handle. That's how it was for me. I smoked a pack a day for 50 years. I enjoyed vaping and slowly cut down on the cigs without a conscious effort. Tell her it can satisfy the craving and be more fun than smoking cigarettes. Some folks try vaping once and never smoke again. Others take years to taper off. Some never quit completely.

 

[Spanky Payne]

My hardest part of transitioning was probably work, I have been vaping for almost a year and half, but only been off of cigarettes for almost a year, (july 4th 2014 was my last) but I haven't bought a pack for well over a year, I had issues being around smokers, at home I never had the urge but you get me under the tin gazebo at break with all the other smokers, and I'm immediately bumming, One day I was smoking a cigarette and was "like this is my last" and of course the next few weeks at work kind of sucked but I got through it, next thing I'm a month without an analog, and I didn't want to break the streak.

What I'm trying to say is it's all about willpower and the WANT to quit, If you don't want to quit analogs, vaping isn't going to work, If I would have wanted to quit completely from the start I'd be almost 2 years without one, but I didn't even though I never would admit it at the time, but this is just my personal experience, everyone is different and I'm like you and had only smoked for 7 years not 25.

 

[nemesis8733]

Update on all the new replies:

for the sake of getting her started I know that I'll have enough knowledge to not let her get taken advantage of by a less than honest b&m employee. I went through all of the major vaping levels. cigalike, Ego twist/cartomizer, low voltage regulated with a tank, tube mod with an rda, and now I'm using a high wattage box with a couple different rdas and also a subtank mini. It would be ideal to find a good b&m, but I could just as easily get her going somewhere online and have her send questions my way. The b&m, at the very least, will be a chance for her to see some devices physically and try out juice. even if the b&m isn't the greatest customer service wise, she should still be safe to go there exclusively for juice and atomizers And if she ever wants to upgrade I can help her to get to the next logical level.

As for the cigalikes, she's tried them. She actually got me into them by buying one herself first. We both failed on them, but I decided to look into advanced vaporizers and she never did. She also tried to switch to the cigalike pretty much cold turkey (as did I) and I think that had a lot to do with our failure.

What she didn't like about the cigalike is it was never strong enough for her. the options for flavors were limited, the nic strength was just low/medium/high and very vague so she would drag through an entire cartridge in a sitting because even high wasn't strong enough.