I'm at a loss...

[jcaruso415]

I'm a newb. I've been vaping now for 10 days with moderate success. What's not moderate, however, is the amount of money I've spent.

I could've bought 3 cartons of cigarettes this far; what keeps me from going back is the money I'm feeling like I've wasted.

So far, I have purchased 4 (one en-route at this time) tanks, 2 batteries, and 8 different juices. The juices are subjective...some are 6mg, some are 12, varying types of flavors; I don't want to focus on those here. I'd like to discuss the devices.

First setup was the Kanger T3S (2 or 2.5ohms, can't remember) on the eGo-T. Unless it was a massive draw, vapor production was so-so at best. After a couple of days, my lungs wanted more but my throat couldn't handle the hit (on 6mg).

I asked for help from a local vape shop and was told I should upgrade my tank to the Aspire BDC with 1.8ohm coils. I also tried a different juice (that was tasty!) but neither of these still gave the desired effect.

The following day, I upgraded the battery to the Vision Spinner 1 and decided I liked the Kanger better. This got me by for a few days; I decided I wanted to try another flavor (something with tobacco) and got GREAT results in the vapor shop with a 12mg juice, EVOD tank, and my battery. Until later that evening, which I attributed to low battery from enjoying the new liquid all day.

Unfortunately, vapor production continued to decrease even with a full battery, but the throat and lung hit continued building. By this time, I'd watched hours upon hours of tutorials and reviews and felt like maybe I was just missing something. I'd tried VW with "ok" results, dripping with GREAT results (but it's not what I want), and some tank/battery combos similar to what I've had that were fairly good...but was assured I'd achieve the same results.

Now I'm frustrated! I bought the Kanger Aerotank online and am awaiting delivery, but couldn't hold out any longer. I decided today that I was going to purchase the Aspire Nautilus BDC (not BVC). Good results, bad results, great results...it seems like every hit is different from the last. Some are strong enough to choke while others are insanely weak. I started with a 6mg, went to a 12mg, then mixed the two 50/50 for a 9mg that still leaves much to be desired.

I don't know what I'm missing... I'm looking into buying an iTaste MVP, but want something similar in a stick design, but I really feel that another $50+ is just insane at this point!

What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? Am I trying too hard? Have I not tried something I should've? I don't want to give up, but at this point I'd be just as well off quitting everything cold turkey!

 

[ScandaLeX]

Hi & Welcome!

I'll try to answer as best I can.

The eGO-T & Vision Spinner are essentially the same thing so no surprise there you got similar results.
[IMO] The T3S doesn't put out much vapor. Again [IMO] the EVOD is a better tank but not for cloud chasing (more vapor).

The Aspire Nautilus are great. BDC & BVC are the coils.
BDC = bottom dual coils.
BVC = bottom vertical coils.

Personally I got better results with the BDC.

The devices you're using aren't the most powerful but they get the job done.
I can't speak on the Aerotank & MVP; never used one.

As far as money spent, I haven't saved a dime. Actually spent more in one month than I would've on cigarettes in 6 months.
Vaping doesn't have to be costly but more times than not it is until you find the perfect setup.

Don't give up. Others will chime in with more info for you.

 

[daz2013]

For a small cost i would try the bvc in the nautilus.
What you have to remember is vaping isn't the same as smoking
And it can take a while to settle into also its still early days and you will still be withdrawing from smoking. Hang in there once you find the right juice and setup you will be fine.
good luck on quitting

Sent from my GT-S7500 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jcaruso415]

Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone here. What might you recommend as far as a battery? What worked well for your setup? Should I look into wattage instead of voltage?

 

[Katya]

Hi jcaruso and welcome. And yes, you're trying too hard. You're making a typical newbie mistake of buying more gear instead of learning how to use what you already have properly. I know it's frustrating, but vaping is not like smoking--there's a learning curve and there withdrawal symptoms to deal with. We have all been there.

So, for starters, you have some nice gear already. A vision Spimer is a good battery. The eGo-T is also a good battery but it's not vv so you'll have to use correct resistance atties on the T or you'll be miserable. Do you have a simple eGo-T or Upgrade? If it's a regular eGo-T, it's 3,3v regulated. If an upgrade, it has to modes: the first one is the constant voltage output mode 3.3V (when it's driving the atomizer (load added)) and is the same as the normal eGo-T. The other is variable voltage output mode, in this mode, the voltage will change from 4.15V to 3.6V as the lithium battery power decrease.

So, if have a regular eGo-T, a 2.5Ω coil may feel weak--2Ω is fine. Kanger makes fine claeromiozers and with a vv battery you can get a very nice vape out of them. Evod is good, T3S is good, ProTank 2 is good. Aerotank is also very good--but you have to vape at correct wattages:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...171-best-resistance-coil-vv.html#post14314739

Aspire BDC is a dual coil atty that requires more voltage than a single coil--and it's not Aspire's best work. I gave up on them. If you want an Aspire with more oomph, you should have gotten the BVC--single bottom vertical coil.

That's just for starters.

Good luck!

 

[Rourke]

Eleaf Istick with a Aspire Nautilus Mini. $60 for both. I have probably spent as much on vaping as I would have on smoking the 1st 6 months. I expect the next 6 months to save some money since I already gotten enough gear and I have started diy e juice.

 

[Rickajho]

Welp, from the sound of your post two things come to mind:

Slow your roll. You found this place, now start asking questions before throwing money at random devices and then asking questions about why it isn't working out for you.

Maybe change your expectations. Vaping is not smoking. Trying to make a liquid vapor resemble something you used to get from a burning combustible can be both unrealistic and frustrating. If you are throwing money at this only to come away from every device saying "That's not a cigarette...", "That's not a cigarette..." - you can go through a lot of money getting nowhere.

So, what are you trying to get out of the experience? Something that can get you away from smoking and do it effectively? Or something that is just like the taste and feel of smoking a cigarette - which vaping can't really do.

 

[jcaruso415]

I want that beautiful feeling in my lungs! Lol
I've always smoked menthol, so it's that deep, full feeling that my lungs aren't getting that I feel like I need. I got it once I a dripper, but his setup was equivalent to my car note. I'm not willing to commit to that nor do I want to deal with dripping at all.

I get the lung hit every now and again, so that's why I keep chasing that Dragon.

I think part of it, too, is that my mind is equating draw length and tightness with how much vapor I should expel based on dragging on ciggs, i.e.: tighter packed cigg, longer drag= fulfillment + lots of smoke exhaled.

 

[robbiekw]

*raises hand*
I am guilty of wanting "The Cigarette"
and "The Vaping Experience" is not that.
So this withdrawal we are experiencing is something I would like to know more about...
I mean, of course, the best thing to get through detoxing off anything is to go through it... but this is a unique thing here. I am hoping someone will have a post on withdrawal help/stages, etc here on the forum. It would be good to know.

 

[Katya]

*raises hand*
I am guilty of wanting "The Cigarette"
and "The Vaping Experience" is not that.
So this withdrawal we are experiencing is something I would like to know more about...
I mean, of course, the best thing to get through detoxing off anything is to go through it... but this is a unique thing here. I am hoping someone will have a post on withdrawal help/stages, etc here on the forum. It would be good to know.

Start your own thread in New Members forum--or in General... There are many great people here who will be happy to help you and share their experiences.

You're not alone:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...getting-discouraged.html?highlight=withdrawal

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...withdrawal-symptoms.html?highlight=withdrawal

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...attle-determination.html?highlight=withdrawal

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-getting-frustrated.html?highlight=struggling

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...day-without-analogs.html?highlight=struggling

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ew-vaper-struggling.html?highlight=struggling

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...day-without-analogs.html?highlight=struggling

Shall I go on?

Good luck and happy vaping!

 

[Agent75]

I found the ego-T batteries worked great when just charged, but the vape got worse as the battery lost charge. That's why I read up on batteries and settled on an mvp2. It's a box which I wasn't that keen on either but the vapes are consistent throughtout the charge, which is massive (2200 maH). This made a huge difference to my vaping. It came with an iclear30 tank which performed okay, until I decided to buy a nautilus. Now the vaping feels pretty close to smoking for me, can get a nic buzz if I need it (18mg juice atm) and the throat hit feels nice. All in I spent £28 on battery, £20 on tank and £8 on replacement BVC coils, and I don't see myself needing any more equipment other than juice for the forseeable future (apart from the stainless steel tank I just bought as I seem to be developing shinyitus). The experienced folks round here really know their stuff, ask about before shelling out more money on equipment.

 

[zapped]

You need a mod thats voltage regulated. That was the game changer for me. Regulated voltage will eliminate the battery degradation and loss of vapor mentioned in your first post.

If youre on a budget, I would look into an MVP.

If moneys no object, then get a Provari its hands down the best vaping related purchase Ive ever made and Ive made more than a few over the years.

Look at my signature below.If I spent 2k dollars over the course of the past two years on juices, mods and vaping related supplies, I'd still be almost 5k dollars ahead of the game.

 

[leekeylee]

Trying to find the right setup is all about trial and error

I started with a 650mah ego battery and a CE4 tank. After 3 days was not doing it for me.

Got a bigger mah vv ego battery and a protank2 with bottom coils. A lot better. Then found out how to re-build the stock coils to my own micro coils wicked with cotton, better still.

Now got an eLeaf iStick still using the protank2 and now an emow mega with great air flow control (also added an airflow control to my protank2) and when I rebuild my coils I now re-build vertical coils with japanese Muji cotton.

Found my vape sweet spot. 1.2ohm vertical coil with japanese cotton on an istick in the EMOW Mega at about 12 watts gives me exactly what I need.

This has taken me about 4 months to get to this point and hasn't cost me too much in finding out what suits me

 

[daz2013]

Good read on withdrawal symptoms

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3305

Sent from my GT-S7500 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Chickentender]

Eleaf Istick with a Aspire Nautilus Mini. $60 for both. I have probably spent as much on vaping as I would have on smoking the 1st 6 months. I expect the next 6 months to save some money since I already gotten enough gear and I have started diy e juice.

Just want to 2nd Rourke's comment only because I've only been vaping regularly (off smoking) for 2 days longer than you, OP but my experience has been the opposite entirely. This tank/mod combo (Nautilus Mini with the iStick) has been brilliant and I've spent a bit more money but only because I bought 2 additional Nautilus Mini tanks and the stainless "T" replacement as well as a couple packs of coils because this thing has performed so well I discovered I wanted juice choices at the ready and just wanted options.

I even at this moment have an Aspire eGo style batt and a couple aspire K1 style tanks in a shopping cart and am about to pull the trigger. (Same BVC style coil but a smaller setup for on the go/working etc.)

These are the only pieces I've owned in the past 12 or so days and I've only puffed on the setups of friends in past as my only other experience. ...Oh, actually I did buy a smaller top coil eGo style tank, the older wicking variety. (Nearly forgot about that - can't remember the brand). Vaped on that for only a day and a half off-and-on and DID have experiences similar to yours - inconsistent vapes, occasional burned flavor, sometimes cool sometimes hot... I cleaned and now it's sitting on the shelf two days later as my 2nd Nautilus mini arrived and immediately took its place. The difference is palpable.
Hang in there - you'll settle into a groove and get to a point where you can just buy/try juice and replace the occasional coil. (Or so I'm told) I guess I just lucked out with my original choices of tank/mod.

FYI the eLeaf iStick is adjustable voltage/wattage (either) and is really easy to dial in. Check out a youtube review on it. I've yet to hardly DENT the battery life on it in a day, and it's tiny considering this. (Much smaller than the MVP2)

 

[QU1T]

What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? Am I trying too hard? Have I not tried something I should've? I don't want to give up, but at this point I'd be just as well off quitting everything cold turkey!

I am a N00b also, spent about 500EUR in a month on vape gear,
Addictions make us do silly things!, and gadgets always tend to appeal, the vape world is cluttered with awesome gadgets!

My advice, as a 20 year moderate smoker, would be to go cold turkey, of sorts, no nicotine,
Forget the lung/throat hit, just forget it...if you can!
But why try to imitate the smoke, you vape, go with that sensation instead...

Why would you want to quit a nasty habit only to pick up another unhealthy and potentially costly new one?
All these gadgets and the nicotine injection do not help in that sense...
My personal aim is to also quit with the vape soon'ish, when the nico urge totally dies!

As for technical, I get more then enough mist on a Spinner, on 3.2! i like it cold! and Evod/Ce5, but I am on 100% VG, I like Virgin Vapors stuff a lot!
However I get no hits of any kind, sure I miss it... but quitting any addiction is not easy.

I have ordered a N. mini and an MVP also, ok ok, and the Hammer mod - just for fun, the Evods & Ce5's dry hits, gargles, etc are annoying.
When I am done with this whole adventure, I will pass them on to friends.

Just my 2 cents of course

Good luck!

 

[rallykid]

Let me give you the run down of what worked for me. I apologize in advance because this may be a little long. Like you i was looking for something to help me stop smoking and wanted an identical experience. It is not going to happen but i got close enough that i didn't care to smoke anymore and prefer vaping. Here is the path i took and the mistakes i made.

I started with a Tsunami kit which is a small battery and cheap tiny clearo. I used Tsunami liquid. That was all that i found available at the time at a local store. The experience was "meh" at best.

I upgraded to a Protank 2 clone from NLA after going through 3 other tanks that weren't much of a step up from the originals. The PT2 improved the experience but still wasn't what i was looking for.

I tried different juices from different vendors and kept going back to the Tsunami because while it wasn't great, it sucked the least.

This went on for a year with mediocre results at best. I didn't see it as something i enjoyed, it was merely a required unpleasant chore to help me stop smoking.

A few weeks ago i wandered into a local cigar shop to pick up a few things and they had a tiny selection of juice. I inquired about it and the owner told me he didn't carry much because of the vape store across the parking lot and that i should check them out if i was looking for anything.

I drove across the lot and saw the sign over the door that read "Ahlusion" (yes, THAT Ahlusion).

Not knowing what to expect i walked in anticipating the typical old school hippie or "cool kids" hangout and to be stared at as the "creepy old guy" (i am 41) while being given cold shoulder welcome.

What i was greeted with was an awesome staff that was not only friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and outgoing but made suggestions based on my preferences and situation, likes, dislikes and budget opposed to what would put the most money in the register.

I walked out with an ARO 1500, Kanger Aerotank 2, some smooth criminal juice and a LOT more knowledge of vaping than when i walked in.

I setup the tank and battery and started vaping. Wow! Now we are getting somewhere! Talk about a much better experience!

I thought after that i would start doing a little research and stumbled across ECF. I read and lurked and lurked and read. I figured if the vv/vw battery was good then a mod might be an even better experience.

The research started. I devoured every bit of info i could and settled on a Provari. My wallet however said no so i started researching more affordable first mods. I decided on an Innokin SVD 2.0 and waited for it to drop into the market.....and waited, and waited, and waited some more. I finally got tired of waiting and went for my second choice of the Sigelei zmax v5.

Order placed and 2 days later it arrived. I picked up some Sony vtc4's and a Luc 4 from Ahlusion while i was waiting so the batteries were charged and ready to go when the mod came out of the mailbox.

I set it up, screwed on the tank, hit the button and changed my vaping world. THIS is what it is supposed to be like. For the first time since i quit smoking i don't want to go back to an analog because the experience is finally fulfilling enough to make me prefer vaping over smoking. The right mod, the right tank to set the draw to my preference and the right juice (Ahlusion Just Criminal for me) made ALL the difference.

I wish i would have figured it out sooner because i wasted a lot of money on cheap kits, cheap tanks, cheap batteries and bad juice before i did.

Total cost to do it right:
Sigelei zmax v5 $52
2 Sony VTC4's $19
Efest Luc v4 $40

I previously spent more than that in 2 months just replacing cheap tanks and failed batteries just to keep having a mediocre experience.

Is the Sigelei the best mod out there? No, but it worked for me. Will i upgrade? Yes. But the Sigelei will be kept around not only as a backup but also as a reminder of what made me not want to go back to smoking after so many failed attempts to quit and bad experiences with bottom of the barrel equipment.

Ymmv but that is what worked for me. Hopefully there is something in there that can help you achieve your goals as well.

My goal is to keep reducing the nic level until i can completely cut it out and then vape 0mg nic juice because i enjoy it, not because my body needs it.

 

[twgbonehead]

I want that beautiful feeling in my lungs! Lol
I've always smoked menthol, so it's that deep, full feeling that my lungs aren't getting that I feel like I need. I got it once I a dripper, but his setup was equivalent to my car note. I'm not willing to commit to that nor do I want to deal with dripping at all.

I get the lung hit every now and again, so that's why I keep chasing that Dragon.

I think part of it, too, is that my mind is equating draw length and tightness with how much vapor I should expel based on dragging on ciggs, i.e.: tighter packed cigg, longer drag= fulfillment + lots of smoke exhaled.

jcaruso,

I know exactly what you mean. Lots of folks talk about "throat hit" but not very many talk about "lung hit" - that feeling of something in your lungs besides air.

Higher VG juices help a lot with that. Re-wicking your heads with rayon or cotton can also make a big difference (but it takes a bit of learning; expect to have to figure out how to wick without gurgling which takes some practice).

I've never found a setup, though, that worked as well as the Wizard Stick (which is not intended for vaping, but does let you get a very dense, yet not too hot cloud of vapor). Unfortunately these will eventually clog up, so I am not specifically recommending one! (It's also not the kind of thing you would use in public for reasons that would be obvious when you see one:
http://www.amazon.com/American-Science-Surplus-Wizard-Stick/dp/B000FIN0V8 )

Good luck, and if you do get a setup that works the way you want it to, report back!

 

[joesquid]

I'd recommend getting the MVP and the BVC coils for your Nautilus. If that still doesn't do it for you, you may want to look at RTA's.

 

[sab8s418]

Great beginners kit for a good price