Hello, friends. Allow me to take a moment to introduce myself, share my vaping experience with you, and invite you to do the same, if you wish.
I discovered vaping over a year ago, when a friend of mine realized he wasn't able to smoke his much-beloved pipe due to medical complications. He took up an e-pipe, the 510-based F4313 that was popular at the time, and though it didn't work out for him, the matching e-pipe I purchased to vape in solidarity with him was a hit, and I found myself really enjoying recreational vaping. I hadn't really thought about vaping as a social activity, as a way to emote, to express and nuance ideas with nonverbal cues, to deepen the layers of communication in a social setting. I found myself 'saying things' with the way I drew from the pipe, the way I released the vapor, and people responded powerfully to that, in a sort of lively-and-chatty way. I had no idea, really, how social the smoking (and therefore, the vaping) experience was, and the role it could play in human interaction.
It's delightful, really. A rather Jazz Age thing, expressing curiosity with slow, leaking tendrils of "smoke," amusement with the sudden scattered cloud that a chuckle produces. Everyone asks what "that thing" is, what it is that you're vaping, what it's like, how it tastes, how you enjoy vaping. They're often even more curious when I tell them that I vape nicotine-free; I suspect many people think of vaping as purely a nicotine delivery system, and it's fun to point out that it can be many things to many people. In my case, it's been a zero-calorie source of flavor, a fascinating new dimension to social interaction, and an opportunity to enjoy many of the things I love about smoking while avoiding some of its dealbreakers for me.
I began vaping with the F4313 pipe system with 510 cartomizers, as I mentioned above, but in recent months, I've moved to less analog-looking systems. My favorite battery these days is a simple, generic, unbranded eGo C-Upgrade copy (650mAh) with passthrough charging, classic black, with the satin finish lightly rubberized grip that I really like. It was a cheapie from eBay, no variable voltages, a reduced charge capacity, and no frills -- and to my surprise, it's become my 'daily driver.' The convenience of pass-through charging alone sold me on it, but its reduced length makes for a pleasant balance in hand, and its raised plastic button, while not as visually elegant as the flush-mounted one on my Kangertech Evod battery, is quite easy to find with a fingertip. In the end, convenience won out.
I also have a Smoktech Winder battery, but I haven't experimented much with it, yet -- in fact, I have an Ego-V v2 en route to replace it. I'm curious to experiment with voltage adjustment, but honestly, I like the 3.7V produced by my current batteries just fine, and with the batteries I have on hand, the passthrough charging has really been the feature I most use and enjoy. The convenience is splendid -- I just plug it into my laptop and charge up while vaping.
I'm pretty smitten with my Kangertech ProTank II, and that's my go-to tank for 'daily driver' e-juices. (Presently, it's full of ECBlend's absinthe in double strength with "cool hit" added, which has been quite a hit for this black licorice fan.) I have a few CE4s and a Kangertech MT3S lying around, too, but I just don't switch e-juices terribly often. I've ordered a Mini RDA for dripping flavors in smaller sample sizes, and will try it out soon. I'm a little wary of rebuilding the coil myself, but I see there are plenty of videos online documenting the process, and the process looks simple enough for even I to eventually master.
I've also put together an Extremely Silly Thing (tm), largely for novelty and conversation-piece purposes. It occurred to me that a passthrough battery could easily be tethered by charge cable to a suitably showy centerpiece -- in my case, a small plasma "lightning sphere" that doubles as a USB hub -- to become, visually, a 'vape hookah' whose 'tank' contains a miniature glowing storm. I've ordered a "racing lights" LED charge cable to replace the plain black one, to add a visible impression of the light from the 'storm' flowing upcable to the tethered vape rig, which I think will only intensify the effect. That effect is likely "convince others than I am a really bored nerd," but I suppose that's a fair cop. It's nifty, it's interactive, and it's a great conversation starter.
After discovering how easy it is to blend one's own juices, I've ordered some supplies and plan to make a few small-batch test juices. I'm curious to see how well I can adapt my favorite sipping rum to vaping, in particular. I am one of the unfortunates who reacts to PG, so I generally vape high-VG-ratio juices, or all-VG if possible. I'm really enjoying ECBlend's juices so far, though I have a few bottles from Quack's that I really need to try, too.
My wife is a fellow vaper, also nicotine-free, running an Ego C-Twist and a ProTank II. She's fonder of the sweeter juices, and I have high hopes that I'll be able to make something she likes, once I get a bit of practice blending.
I think that's a pretty solid overview of myself as a vaper. Glad to come aboard and meet the rest of you!
I discovered vaping over a year ago, when a friend of mine realized he wasn't able to smoke his much-beloved pipe due to medical complications. He took up an e-pipe, the 510-based F4313 that was popular at the time, and though it didn't work out for him, the matching e-pipe I purchased to vape in solidarity with him was a hit, and I found myself really enjoying recreational vaping. I hadn't really thought about vaping as a social activity, as a way to emote, to express and nuance ideas with nonverbal cues, to deepen the layers of communication in a social setting. I found myself 'saying things' with the way I drew from the pipe, the way I released the vapor, and people responded powerfully to that, in a sort of lively-and-chatty way. I had no idea, really, how social the smoking (and therefore, the vaping) experience was, and the role it could play in human interaction.
It's delightful, really. A rather Jazz Age thing, expressing curiosity with slow, leaking tendrils of "smoke," amusement with the sudden scattered cloud that a chuckle produces. Everyone asks what "that thing" is, what it is that you're vaping, what it's like, how it tastes, how you enjoy vaping. They're often even more curious when I tell them that I vape nicotine-free; I suspect many people think of vaping as purely a nicotine delivery system, and it's fun to point out that it can be many things to many people. In my case, it's been a zero-calorie source of flavor, a fascinating new dimension to social interaction, and an opportunity to enjoy many of the things I love about smoking while avoiding some of its dealbreakers for me.
I began vaping with the F4313 pipe system with 510 cartomizers, as I mentioned above, but in recent months, I've moved to less analog-looking systems. My favorite battery these days is a simple, generic, unbranded eGo C-Upgrade copy (650mAh) with passthrough charging, classic black, with the satin finish lightly rubberized grip that I really like. It was a cheapie from eBay, no variable voltages, a reduced charge capacity, and no frills -- and to my surprise, it's become my 'daily driver.' The convenience of pass-through charging alone sold me on it, but its reduced length makes for a pleasant balance in hand, and its raised plastic button, while not as visually elegant as the flush-mounted one on my Kangertech Evod battery, is quite easy to find with a fingertip. In the end, convenience won out.
I also have a Smoktech Winder battery, but I haven't experimented much with it, yet -- in fact, I have an Ego-V v2 en route to replace it. I'm curious to experiment with voltage adjustment, but honestly, I like the 3.7V produced by my current batteries just fine, and with the batteries I have on hand, the passthrough charging has really been the feature I most use and enjoy. The convenience is splendid -- I just plug it into my laptop and charge up while vaping.
I'm pretty smitten with my Kangertech ProTank II, and that's my go-to tank for 'daily driver' e-juices. (Presently, it's full of ECBlend's absinthe in double strength with "cool hit" added, which has been quite a hit for this black licorice fan.) I have a few CE4s and a Kangertech MT3S lying around, too, but I just don't switch e-juices terribly often. I've ordered a Mini RDA for dripping flavors in smaller sample sizes, and will try it out soon. I'm a little wary of rebuilding the coil myself, but I see there are plenty of videos online documenting the process, and the process looks simple enough for even I to eventually master.
I've also put together an Extremely Silly Thing (tm), largely for novelty and conversation-piece purposes. It occurred to me that a passthrough battery could easily be tethered by charge cable to a suitably showy centerpiece -- in my case, a small plasma "lightning sphere" that doubles as a USB hub -- to become, visually, a 'vape hookah' whose 'tank' contains a miniature glowing storm. I've ordered a "racing lights" LED charge cable to replace the plain black one, to add a visible impression of the light from the 'storm' flowing upcable to the tethered vape rig, which I think will only intensify the effect. That effect is likely "convince others than I am a really bored nerd," but I suppose that's a fair cop. It's nifty, it's interactive, and it's a great conversation starter.
After discovering how easy it is to blend one's own juices, I've ordered some supplies and plan to make a few small-batch test juices. I'm curious to see how well I can adapt my favorite sipping rum to vaping, in particular. I am one of the unfortunates who reacts to PG, so I generally vape high-VG-ratio juices, or all-VG if possible. I'm really enjoying ECBlend's juices so far, though I have a few bottles from Quack's that I really need to try, too.
My wife is a fellow vaper, also nicotine-free, running an Ego C-Twist and a ProTank II. She's fonder of the sweeter juices, and I have high hopes that I'll be able to make something she likes, once I get a bit of practice blending.
I think that's a pretty solid overview of myself as a vaper. Glad to come aboard and meet the rest of you!
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