I'm a convert - Initial reaction

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PansSiren

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Hello everybody! I've been reading through the forums the last few days and this is my first post. I ordered my first vaporizer on Friday morning and just pulled it out of the mailbox about an hour ago (free 3 day shipping, sweet!), which was perfect timing because I have 3 stinkys left - hopefully I end up throwing them away! So far I love this forum, it's very informative and beyond entertaining! This seems like a really great community, I look forward to my future in it :)

So, I'd like to share my initial reaction. I'm in absolutely no way a seasoned user. I never tried or even held an 'e-cig' before this, and my first ever puff was shortly after receiving my package. Normally, I smoked a pack of Marlboro Blend no. 27's a day for about 8 years. I got a Smokeless Image Volt X2 900mah manual battery, 2 X2 clearomizers, and one 30ml bottle of juice (didn't want to go overboard yet, had to make sure I liked it). Setup was super easy: poured some liquid in the clearomizer, screwed it onto the battery, and I was vaping!

First hit - wow, this is pretty horrible, but it must be new equipment and that's the way it is. The taste was awful and it hurt my throat. Extremely harsh! It also made crackling noises I didn't care for... actually, it really bothered me (but again, figured it was just the new equipment breaking itself in).

5th hit - hmmm, this is getting better.

10th hit - I think I'm onto something.

By the 20th hit - damn, this is pretty AWESOME!! Tastes great, feels great, and it's absolutely silent!

The "throat hit" is what I'm most impressed by so far. It really feels like I took a drag off a cigarette. I don't know if it's the 50/50 PG/VG mix or the 18mg of nicotine that's responsible for it, but it 'scratches' my throat the same way a real cigarette does, and I like it. I think this will be important in keeping me off of cigarettes.

The feel of holding it is rather nice. It's not a small piece of equipment. It's a little thicker than a AA battery, and when assembled, it's 6.5 inches long, but it's remarkably comfortable. I would describe it as holding a pen that you're about to chew on (no, I don't chew pens, lol - but that's what it feels like when holding it and bringing it up to your mouth). It's all black, which I find aesthetically pleasing, and I like picking it up. So far, I tend to hold it with the manual button facing downwards so I can activate it with my thumb when I use it, and it feels very natural. I thought the button would take some getting used to, but it feels completely natural - I don't mind it even in the slightest bit. I thought I would like something the size of a standard cigarette to start off with, but I'm glad I went with more of a big-boy toy. I figured the users on this forum knew what they were talking about, and they do. The larger size doesn't bother me at all and this size battery should last quite a while throughout the day without recharging - something I'm sure I'll appreciate very much.

The flavor is wonderful. Nothing like a cigarette (I wasn't expecting it to be), but I really really like it. I got the Smokeless Image RY4, which is supposed to be a vanilla carmel tobacco flavor. I wanted a tobacco flavor first so it would at least be closer to a real stinky and help ease the transition. I think this flavor accomplishes that. I can definitely taste those 3 flavors, and it's pretty nutty as well, which I happen to like a lot. I'm beyond excited to try new flavors, and as an occasional shisha tobacco/hookah smoker (maybe twice a year), I think I know what to expect and can't wait to try them! I'll be ordering quite a few tomorrow :). I'm also thinking of picking up a fruity flavor with no nicotine - 1. because it sounds fun to vape on it all day, hehe, and 2. I'm curious if that will be enough to satisfy my urges, and see if I really need the nicotine or not.

Smoking wise, I take fairly small hits. I'm producing little to no vapor each time, and it's still very satisfying. I took some larger/deeper hits, which I also like, but don't find it necessary for me to do so every time. A little toot every 15-20 seconds... or even every minute or 2, is quite enjoyable. I really like how it's not just burning away like a traditional cigarette does. I don't need to keep smoking it because it's lit, and it's always ready to go when I am. I think I will really come to like taking a few small tokes every now and then throughout the normal day when I typically wouldn't (i.e.: take 5-10 hits every once in a while rather than really going at it (chaining 2-3 smokes) when it's time for a work break). One of my favorite times to smoke is when I'm on forums (or reading anything online), and I typically would have had about 2 smokes by now in writing this message, or 3-4 cigarettes since I got that package. I don't have the slightest urge for a cigarette, so I think this method will be very effective for me. I've gone through about .6ml so far.

I was unbiased but very skeptical about this whole concept. ... well, I understood how it all worked (I happen to live in a state where, um... "something else" is not frowned upon, and I'm fully aware of the benefits and use of 'water filters' and vaporizers in that sense), but I thought this would be more of a novelty that I would enjoy, but it would not replace my desire for analogs. I'm only a couple hours in, and I highly think this can work - and I don't think I'll have to try hard at it. Time will tell, and I'll keep you posted!

So in a nutshell, if you're on the fence or just curious about "electronic cigarettes", do yourself a favor and just get one. So far I'm really really really glad I did.
 
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Pappy

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Welcome to ECF. That nasty, burning first hit you got was probably because the juice had not had time to soak into the wicks and get to the part of the wick that the coil wraps around. That's called a "dry hit" and it is REALLY nasty and harsh.

When you fill a dry clearomizer, you need to give it 5 minutes or so for the wicks to soak up the juice into the coil area.

Glad you're finding success. Many happy vapes to you.
 

PansSiren

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Thanks for the warm welcomes! I know there's a lot of posts similar to mine, but I'm excited, wanted to share, and I feel it's important to talk with others through this journey, as I will feel more ashamed if I ever pick up another analog - sort of like public humiliation for being a liar, lol.

Thrasher, love lots of your posts and your avatar is BRILLIANT! Rock on, brother!

Thanks for clearing that up Pappy, that's what I figured, I guess I learned the hard way! lol. I heard mention of the dry hit, wasn't exactly sure how that was accomplished - well, now I know. hahahaha

Thanks Doogmar, and I was hoping this would be a nice setup. I wasn't shooting for the BEST, but I didn't want crap, either. I wanted the transition as close to as easy as possible, but didn't want to sacrifice simple features like a long lasting battery. The refillable clearomizers seemed like a no-brainer, and the price offered by Smokeless Image was pretty attractive. It was definitely daunting looking at all the choices! ECF definitely helped narrow some things down!

And thanks Macro - you might be happy to know my avatar photo was taken a few months ago beneath the surface off Cozumel, Mexico! I LOVE visiting that region of your country!! SCUBA was always a motivator for me to quit the stinkys, but man is it hard to give up - especially when sitting in paradise with your feet in the sand and a beer in the hand! I know this will be far safer than a stinky in regards to diving, but I do wonder about the technical details of water vapor in the lungs and micro-bubble formation in regards to diving and pressure. If I find other divers in this forum, maybe I'll start a thread about it someday. I am VERY curious about this.
 
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Faylool

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I had nasty hits problem a while back in the beginning. I split the juice I'd had sitting a week or so between two cartos preparing for a day trip. So when it was time to go I took one of them and another one I had already going with a different flavor so,I could switch. It was new juice to me and the new one was really good! Better than my other flavor. Satisfied my sweet tooth and I vaped it like crazy for the flavor and thinking. Wow I can't get over this this is like dessert! Between that one and the one sitting at home there was a big change to it all that yummy-ness that night when back home. The at home carto was harsh and choking me and all messed up. Between me and the juice vender we figured out I DID NOT SHAKE IT UP first. Well,I never even knew I was supposed to! Apparently the juice flavor and the Nicorette separates, one being lighter than the other and I don't know which way it is. But the harsh carto was most the nicotine. Awful. And I order 36mg.
Moral of story and please correct me if the vendor told me a story, but it made sense. Shake well before using!
 

Plumes.91

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Good to see someone benefiting from the forum. The way you described your first impressions of vaping was great. I'd love to use it here on my ECF blog for new members to read to better understand what its like to get your first PV. Would you mind if I used it? Which juice companies have you been looking at buddy? I can recommend a few in PM if you'd like? Sounds like your having no problem figuring things out for yourself. Welcome to the forum.
 

PansSiren

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Thanks CommaHolly! I don't have anything to directly compare the X2 to, but so far I love it. It's been 3-4 hours now and I have no urge for a stinky! Whether there's better out there or not, this is doing it's job perfectly! If I happen to move on to other things, I'm sure I'll always say I was happy with my first vaporizer! I had the 1300 in the cart but removed it in the end - I didn't know if it would fit in my pocket or not, which I definitely want (I don't wear a man purse, hahaha). This is my only day of the week I have off (I LOVE Mondays!!), so I'm lounging around in my lazy wear, so I don't know if this will fit in my pocket or not. One thing I'm wishing for though, is a clip like a pen has (on the cap or on the side or wherever), so I could 'clip' it inside my pocket so it's not rolling around in there, and stays upright. I don't know for fact if this will be a problem or not, but I always have a pen in my pocket, and I HATE when it's not clipped upright (more or so when I'm moving my leg, sideways stuff tends to get in the way in certain positions or it's just annoying when going up stairs). I'll probably get the 1300 soon though anyway, just so I can have 2 in rotation (again, thought it'd be a good idea in the first place but wanted to test the water first).

I think I will LOVE this style for another cool reason I found yesterday (at least to me). If this sort of talk is a no-no, please remove (I honestly didn't read ALL the rules, lol... I hope I don't become part of a centipede, lolololol!!) But I went in to my "dispensary" yesterday and asked if they heard any methods of using an electronic cigarette to vaporize "the other" substance (I bought this in point for a cessation tool, but if it had other capabilities, well then F yeah!!). Well, ask and you shall receive! They sold clearomizers pre-filled with 'the good stuff'. After having this in my hand now, it is in fact the same exact clearomizer, so I'm one very happy hippy (I'm totally not a hippy, lol). And on another rockin note, I haven't found any "e-cig" retailers in my region (other than the gas-station kind), and the dispensary sells the eGo batteries and clearomizers, so at least I have a backup source incase of failure and can't go without. ...now if only I can find a juice seller!
 

bwbroo

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So you cracked open the door, well come in. Welcome and behold the Vaper's world..........on it goes for miles and miles of fun 21056-1920x1200birds and clouds.jpg
 

PansSiren

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Good to see someone benefiting from the forum. The way you described your first impressions of vaping was great. I'd love to use it here on my ECF blog for new members to read to better understand what its like to get your first PV. Would you mind if I used it? Which juice companies have you been looking at buddy? I can recommend a few in PM if you'd like? Sounds like your having no problem figuring things out for yourself. Welcome to the forum.

I'm glad you enjoyed my post! Like I said, I know there are similar stories, but I wanted to get mine in and I didn't see any really describing their first use in that way, and I would have liked something like that. You may absolutely use it in your blog! The whole point is to share with others, right? Spread the word!

In regards to juice companies, I'm very overwhelmed and barely know where to begin, but I guess that will all be a part of the fun! In part by reviews and mostly for cost, I have bookmarked EC Blend, and that's where I'll be ordering from tomorrow. Their list of flavors is HUGE, the custom options seem super fun, they do fresh batches, and their customer service looks top notch. I know they aren't exclusive to any of that, but I have to pick one to start off with, and I'm sure this is just the beginning.
 

Plumes.91

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Unfortunately we can't speak of those types of things here on ECF. :/ Maybe someday in the future we will be able to without fear, but for now, it is not recommended. We battle to keep our precious e-cigarettes legal and we don't want them associated with anything that is already illegal. I can't believe they are selling clearomzers prefilled with that. Thats the same grounds as... KavaKava being sold as an anti anxiety pill replacement. In both situations its going to shed a negative light on e-cigs or Kava.

This is in no way an attack. I've messed up and wrote about that type of thing before and I've been told not to here and now I know why. We are under attack and we have to do what we can to keep the heat off of our e-cigs before they are lost forever unfortunately. I was BIG into entheogens and psychoactive botanicals all my life, and I was always a part of the fight to keep the plants and/or chemicals that I benefited from legal, yknow? So we try to button that talk up here to ensure e-cigs future in our society.
 
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PansSiren

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In addition to the great advice from Pappy, I recommend washing your clearomizers thoroughly before using them. You don't know what kind of stuff was floating around the factory it was made and packaged in.

Haha, I knew I should wash it, but man was I jonesing. I smoked an entire pack the night I was just READING about switching over! I was smoking while watching the delivery status, and I wanted to smoke on my way to the mailbox to pick it up (but I didn't!!!!). I couldn't tear open the package fast enough and was rushing in excitement to assemble it! I knew people didn't always wash them out, and I really didn't want to wait for it to dry (I'm sure any remaining water would affect the taste), so I just went for it. I wonder how my habit with that will change over time. I tend to be quite thorough and methodical with most things, but I do like being lazy! hahaha.

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And for an update on my progress:

I've been vaping the hell out this thing. It was in my hand for a solid 2-3 hours once I started, so I put it down (didn't feel funny or anything, but it's not a toy and there is a drug in it, so off it went for a while). About 45 minutes later, I got the urge. Puffed away on my vaporizer for a few minutes, and I'm good again. I still have the 3 nasties sitting there, and for once, I will disagree with the "if you got 'em, smoke 'em," line. What I'm realizing about this device is, it's entirely capable of satisfying all of my smoking urges, in an extremely tasty and gratifying way. If I make it until tomorrow without touching those analogs, that will be a HUGE accomplishment for me.

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Plumes: understandably and respectfully understood!
 
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junkman

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And for an update on my progress:

I've been vaping the hell out this thing. It was in my hand for a solid 2-3 hours once I started, so I put it down (didn't feel funny or anything, but it's not a toy and there is a drug in it, so off it went for a while). About 45 minutes later, I got the urge. Puffed away on my vaporizer for a few minutes, and I'm good again. I still have the 3 nasties sitting there, and for once, I will disagree with the "if you got 'em, smoke 'em," line. What I'm realizing about this device is, it's entirely capable of satisfying all of my smoking urges, in an extremely tasty and gratifying way. If I make it until tomorrow without touching those analogs, that will be a HUGE accomplishment for me.
!

Sounds great!

I started about 3 months ago. When I got my first ecig I had one cigarette left. I still have it and have never even considered lighting it.

Good luck and keep it up!
 
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