how much vaping = 1 cig?

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metapuff

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yes i know it doesn't have any of the chemicals and tar. but the parts that it does have in common with a cig is very small by comparison

i was just wondering because it could be an interesting angle to bring up in conversation.

i'm sure the percentages would change based on the strength of the liquid as well.


can anyone help?
 
This is a really good question.

I understood that the theory was "Smoke until you are satisfied."

I have also heard that since one can't really expect to vape in quite the same way that we smoked, ideas like "chain smoking" and sucking harder on the filter, or even the subconscious things I used to do with a cigarette to extract smoke and nicotine from them without knowing it are going to be challenging with my DSE901.

Personally I have been concerned about how much I'm sucking on my 901. I can sit with it between my lips, huffing and puffing and -- to be honest -- at times in tears because I'm not getting much vapor of of it, confused because I really don't like analog cigarettes anymore, and frustrated with myself because I think I should be doing this better, or not doing it at all.

So for me, it's been a process. A work in progress.

Manufacturers say that a cart is equal to a pack of cigarettes.

Maybe that's technically true in terms of nicotine volume, or some other measurement scale. But in practical experience, I am smoking through at least 5 0r 6 carts a day. I refill them myself, and top them off. I am not usually "satisfied" until I get about 4 good hits from my 901. That will usually take about 10 - 12 tries. Then I can put it down, and move on.

I'm sure that it's different for everyone. Each person is unique, and frankly I think I am doing something wrong in terms of vapor production / cart filling / topping up but to me that really "feels" like I'm probably smoking 4 cigarettes to equal something approaching the satisfaction of one or two.

If you're like me, then you double down in highly emotional situations. This means in a tense conversation, or a really good one, I will smoke 2-3 cigarettes in a row. During one of these conversations now I find myself sucking my cart dry, topping it up, and taking 2 - 3 long, slow puffs in a row and holding the vapor in my lungs before slowly exhaling. It looks weird to the people I'm talking with. I don't care. I'm not smoking and that's important to me.

In the morning is also hard. My throat is raw from vaping the night before. I usually wait until I've got a coffee in front of me to begin again. Then I clean things up, fill a cart fresh, and connect a fresh battery and then puff through 2-3 carts while I drink my coffee. With analog smokes, I would make a coffee, and then sit outside and smoke 5- 7 cigarettes while I was "waking up."

The numbers don't add up really. So it's hard for me to tell how many puffs on the 901 equal a cigarette. This is a different animal, and I feel like I'm really just learning.

I wish I had a simple answer for you -- clearly I don't -- but I hope something I wrote was in any way useful.
 

Corksil

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Just adding my two cents...

Yes, I smoked an entirely unhealthy amount before I got my dse901. It is not unheard of for me to smoke 5 cigarettes with the morning coffee. And no, vaping does not take the place of smoking - someone else said this. You can vape all day and not get the satisfaction from one cigarette. I've been thinking about this, and I suspect it's due to the amount of vapor coming out. When I take a deep drag on a Marlboro - i feel like i'm inhaling smoke and when I exhale there's a big cloud to prove it. On the dse901 when I take a deep drag I don't feel like I'm getting anything except a tickly chemical flavoring and there's no vapor/smoke/cloud coming out of my mouth when I exhale. I also get the feeling I'm doing something wrong...

I heard you can drip directly onto the atomizer - but it shortens the atomizer lifespan and you have to clean it w/rubbing alcohol or it will die. I haven't tried this yet, but I heard it produces much more vapor (but I don't want to destroy my $10 atomizer for a few better hits.)

I haven't read the manual on my dse901 (I'm sure there are a few good tips in there) but on the cartridge box it said something about exhaling first. I find this does work with cartridges/liquid -- when you first put the cartridge on try blowing lightly through it to spray some of that liquid right onto the atomizer. It seems to produces a little more vapor.

You said your throat is raw in the morning - same w/mine. It's odd, I can chain-smoke cigarettes at a party for hours while talking to ppl and my lungs/voice don't seem affected. But when I suck on the dse901 for a good few drags I feel like coughing and my throat feels tickly and raw. Interestingly flavored loogies too - compared to my old cigarette loogies :s

Just throwing a few things out there..
 

unkuser

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Jim Davis

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Since I first started e-cigs I was suspecting I was not getting enough nicotine like I used to. Some members have gotten blood nicotine level test and it seems the absorption rate is very low when vaping.

Read the thread below.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/nicotine/30623-blood-test-lab-results-nicotine-levels.html


I've read that before, but if the e-cig helps does it matter how much nic you get. You'll still get withdrawal symptoms, but not bad. Set your mind that you're not going to smoke, and vape yer little heart out.
 

PlanetScribbles

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I smoked roll ups. My calculations are as follows ...

1x thin roll up = 0.7mg
1x fat roll up = 1.3mg

I figure that 1ml of 14mg will give me the equiv of 20 thin roll ups. One drip per cigarette. Other calculations can obviously me made according to your need.
eg. 1x 26mg drip = 1x fat roll up. Hope that helps ex-tobacco smokers :)
I have found that 5x good puffs = 1 drip
 

Tugger

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no way to know. Ruyan did a study that suggests if you vape 16mg for 5 minutes you'll get 1/10 as much nicotine as you would smoking for 5 minutes. Then there's the data saying that the MAOIs in cigarettes increase nicotine uptake significantly. There's also some suggestion that cigarettes have a form of nicotine called freebase nicotine that is more efficiently utilized by the brain.

There's just not enough data to say and even with some research we don't yet know what the appropriate metric is to make such a comparison.

Blood nicotine level is the metric currently used and that appears not to tell the whole story.
 

Corksil

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Aug 16, 2009
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Things we know..
- Your body does not absorb anywhere NEAR the amount of nicotine from vapor as it does from smoke.
- Cigarettes have different chemicals to potentiate the uptake of nicotine (like MAOIs.)
- It is very hard to do an accurate analysis of how much nicotine you are taking in due to too many variables (as stated previously.)

Things we don't know..
- Long term effects of vaping unknown chemicals which are supposedly all fine and good.
 

Apophis

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This may sound a little off-the-wall, but I've heard that you are generally satisfied after 5 hits on an analog. The way some people smoke analogs (doing stuff while smoking, ie: playing video games, intense conversations) you may only get 5 puffs before you put it out. So, for me, a good 5 hits (about 5 seconds each) on my M402 seems satisfying and the equivalent to about 1 analog. Well, that's just me.
 

KevinD872

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This may sound a little off-the-wall, but I've heard that you are generally satisfied after 5 hits on an analog. The way some people smoke analogs (doing stuff while smoking, ie: playing video games, intense conversations) you may only get 5 puffs before you put it out. So, for me, a good 5 hits (about 5 seconds each) on my M402 seems satisfying and the equivalent to about 1 analog. Well, that's just me.

That's pretty much been my experience with 18mg juice and a 510. About 5 GOOD hits, and I feel pretty good (satisfied). On the other hand, the last week or so I have been finding myself dripping towards the end of the night. I like to drip two drops (which gives me approx. 10-15 pretty good hits), then I repeat the process two or three more times. Definite nic buzz and it feels great. I don't know how this compares to analogs, but I do know that I have never had such a great buzz from analogs (probably because my lungs couldn't handle that many analogs in a row). I will need to be cut my nic to zero in a couple days, so I think I am trying to get my last "fixes" in. :)
 

Randyrtx

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The comparison's that suggest we get far less nicotine from vaping than from analogs confuse the hell out of me. I was a 40 year, pack and a half a day smoker, the last 20 years or so using ultra-lights.

I started vaping with 18mg or so strength liquid, and quickly found (or felt) that I was getting far too much nicotine/nicotine buzz. I've since gone down to a 5-6mg strength, and that seems to be about right for me. That's just enough that it staves off the cravings without the buzz, and I'm averaging about 3mL of liquid a day.
 

Lazarus

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yes i know it doesn't have any of the chemicals and tar. but the parts that it does have in common with a cig is very small by comparison

i was just wondering because it could be an interesting angle to bring up in conversation.

i'm sure the percentages would change based on the strength of the liquid as well.


can anyone help?

This is a really good question.

I understood that the theory was "Smoke until you are satisfied."

You guys are going into it too heavy. While you're trying to figure this stuff out, I'm happily vaping my .... off.

I drip so 2 drops on the atty is about 1 cig worth for me.

I like vapourheads theory, but I also think that the device you are using, the ciggys & ammount you were addicted to, and mg of your juice will play a big part in the comparison.

I used to smoke 1-1.5 packs of Marlboro red/white per day. So 6-8mg juice for me is out of the question for nic content. 18mg is still a constant vape for me all day. Vaping constantly all day puts a strain on your equipment too, so that needs to be factored in to your equation.

I like 24mg juice, with some 36 & 48 mg spiking depending on the device. 36 for my 510 and 48 for my 901. This keeps the device out of my mouth an hour or more at a time. Sometimes I have to speak :D

I have vaped for a while now, more than 3 months, but I don't see me backing off on the mg anytime soon.

Hopefully this will help in your assessment. Vape on..
 
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