Last attempt to kick the habit!

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Ladiekali

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I quit smoking back in 2013 with carto tanks. Then the carto's became obsolete. Took about three years to find some juices I could vape, always my favorites were discontinued… (goodby Charlie noble fruit on the bottom and nicoticket humming bird)

by 2017 I was a part time smoker. I had some nords and a couple aegis'. I was rocking the uwell crowns 3 and 4, struggling with the falcon king. I threw away all other gear. By the time covid hit I was back to full time smoking.

now it’s 2021. About a week ago I decided to pull out all my old gear and juice. I ended up at a vape shop to try to get some fresh juice. I left with the new aegis solo and Cerberus tank as well as a caliburn A2. As well as two bottles of juice from mama knows best, that is so full of sugar I can’t vape!♀️

we left last Tuesday for my first ever vacation. I mostly used the crown 4, Cerberus and caliburn A2. My cigarette use went down to 2-4 a day, compared to 20. Also, I’ve been using strictly 12mg nic salts in the caliburn.

my Nord 2 gurgles and spits at me. The original nords just seemed to leak when they got warm. And well, I was in south Florida. The falcon had minor seepage through the air holes but using the same juice in all the tanks, the falcon tasted more concentrated and not nearly as good. The crown 3 had a good vape, it just looks Jurassic at this point.

so last night I decided to order some pod mods. I ordered two made by innokin. The sceptre and the sensis. I also ordered a caliburn AK2. And I couldn’t resist the zenith 2.

I’m finding I need muted flavors for juice. I’m vaping a vanilla and snickerdoodle that is light on flavor compared to other juices and has no sugar added. I decided to order some juice from Charlie noble, Alice in vapeland, the zen vaper and some place called dash vapes. I read reviews and picked three that light flavor was mentioned. The first three were just name brands that I vaped before and not heavy on sweetness from what I could remember. If you have any juice recommendations for me that you think may be good for me, please mention them.

today is my birthday. I’ve been smoking 33 years now. Subtract maybe 6 months total that vaping worked for me. I’m really tired of being outside chain smoking instead of being inside with the family. It’s like being a pet dog with bad habits so I have to be left in the back yard ‍♀️

I believe I’m a mtl vapor with sub ohm tendencies. I like that crown 3 tank first thing in the morning or when I go too long with out vaping. It is not good for watching a movie with the family. Or in the car with other people.

I think the caliburn is the closest I’ve come to a carto tank since they did away with those. I did burn one coil because I let my juice get too low. But that coil rocked for a good 5 days. No leaks or gurgles.

I probably didn’t do enough research when picking my pod mods. They seemed to be the most recommended for leak free set ups. I think they both offer mtl and direct lung depending on the coils.

I can’t seem to find any mod cases these days. They used to be everywhere. I’d like a case for my aegis legend and solo and for the new pod mods. This way I can drop them in a bag when on the go. Is that not a thing anymore? I still have a vapesox that will fit my aegis solo and a 75ml of juice, even a battery if I wanted.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if my last smoke was a stale cigarette I had on Halloween and I woke up to my birthday to never smoke again? Maybe the family would let me back inside. Even Florida gets a little cold in winter.
 

BoilerGuy

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Ladiekali

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You sound like you're on a good track. But why "last chance"? Why can you not try again in case you don't succeed again? Lots of people have to try many many times to kick bad habits, especially smoking.
It’s the amount of money I’ve spent. I’m not even talking a few hundred. It’s ridiculous honestly.

I get your point though. It’s just been this never ending battle. And I’m ready to be done with the guilt. Right now I’m allowing up to four cigarettes a day. I decided if I smoke four a day for the rest of my life, it’s better than 20.

i decided to lower my expectations, hoping for better results!

but I am hopeful again. At least there seems to be a ton of mtl options now.
 

Ladiekali

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Have you tried Nic salts? I haven't but they've worked on friends of mine (and my mom who smoked for 50 years) that couldn't get off cigarettes despite using every tank/juice/mod available and then amazingly they try a JUUL and they are totally off cigs.

I have a couple. That’s what I’m using in the caliburn. But it’s only 12 nic. I do like it. Well I like the salty zen, not sure how I’ll do with others. These juice vendors are using too much sweetener for me.

hopefully the current nic salt I’m using stays in business.
 

rosesense

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    It’s the amount of money I’ve spent. I’m not even talking a few hundred. It’s ridiculous honestly.

    I get your point though. It’s just been this never ending battle. And I’m ready to be done with the guilt. Right now I’m allowing up to four cigarettes a day. I decided if I smoke four a day for the rest of my life, it’s better than 20.

    i decided to lower my expectations, hoping for better results!

    but I am hopeful again. At least there seems to be a ton of mtl options now.
    From my perspective, I have bought literally a giant closet of vape gear and I know I still have not spent a fraction of what I would have spent on cigarettes. It is a personal choice of course but we were all where you are at one point, trying to find what works best etc. I was lucky that I found stuff that worked and kept on upgrading over time. Sort of a hobby to keep me from returning to smoking.

    Best of luck to you, I hope it is a smooth journey for you this time.

    ETA: why not diy your own juice? It is much cheaper and easier to control the flavor and sweetness level. Take a look at the diy threads for help if you decide to give it a try.
     

    Ladiekali

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    The Aspire Nautilus 1.6 ohm coil at 12 watts worked for me after 40 years of smoking.
    As far as juice is concerned only the natural tobacco NET's worked for me. I vape "Real Tobacco Extracts" (Google them) - Virginia, Burley and a few cigar varieties keep me happy.
    I may actually give that a try. I have heard about NETs. It’s been awhile though.

    I’m a menthol smoker and haven’t been able to vape menthol. One of my favorite vapes has a maple type syrup that I love. People tell me it smells like a cigar! So maybe I would like some of the tobacco nets.
     

    Ladiekali

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    From my perspective, I have bought literally a giant closet of vape gear and I know I still have not spent a fraction of what I would have spent on cigarettes. It is a personal choice of course but we were all where you are at one point, trying to find what works best etc. I was lucky that I found stuff that worked and kept on upgrading over time. Sort of a hobby to keep me from returning to smoking.

    Best of luck to you, I hope it is a smooth journey for you this time.

    ETA: why not diy your own juice? It is much cheaper and easier to control the flavor and sweetness level. Take a look at the diy threads for help if you decide to give it a try.
    I’d love to diy. But buying nicotine seems next to impossible. All my old vendors are wholesale only now. Wizard labs and nude nicotine. Google hates me and only gives me nicotine searches for other countries. Originally I was thinking if all else fails, just vape unflavored! Nicoticket gave out some of their juice recipes. I’ll keep looking if it’s still being shipped out in the US. I was under the impression I wouldn’t be able to find any!
     

    puffon

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    I’d love to diy. But buying nicotine seems next to impossible. All my old vendors are wholesale only now. Wizard labs and nude nicotine. Google hates me and only gives me nicotine searches for other countries. Originally I was thinking if all else fails, just vape unflavored! Nicoticket gave out some of their juice recipes. I’ll keep looking if it’s still being shipped out in the US. I was under the impression I wouldn’t be able to find any!
    The latest list of nic vendors still shipping:
    List of US Retailers Still Shipping 100mg Nicotine Base | E-Cigarette Forum
     

    UncLeJunkLe

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    I’m a menthol smoker and haven’t been able to vape menthol

    Can I ask why? Is the menthol too strong or something? I ask because I'm an avid peppermint vaper (and I wasn't a menthol smoker - actually hated it).

    I DIY now and make my peppermint using one of 4 different peppermint flavors and I love it. I only vape peppermint and one other flavor. I mix around 6-8% flavor, depending on the brand of flavor - for me, it's a very mild yet noticeable peppermint flavor at that level. I don't add anything else to the juice, just my flavor, VG, PG and nicotine. I would say that it's mildly sweet.

    If you do decide to make your own peppermint, I recommend Flavor Apprentice's Peppermint. Start at 5% then adjust up or down from there.

    On the other hand, if you meant mentholated tobacco flavored juice, I can't help you there. I loathe tobacco flavored vape with the exception of one RY4, but since it's a coil killer I can do without it.

    I know that DIY isn't for everyone, but juice is where the money flies out of your pocket and since you are particular on sweetness and flavor intensity, DIY seems like a good route for you. By and large, commercial juice is notorious for being over flavored and over sweetened.
     
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    UncLeJunkLe

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    Or, you could get your feet wet with DIY by buying a commercial juice you like but is too flavorful/sweet for you, and then buy PG, VG and nicotine and dilute the flavor with your PG/VG/nic mix.

    So if say you buy a 12mg commercial menthol juice that's too strong in flavor for you, you could mix your own unflavored juice at 12mg (same VG/PG ratio as the commercial juice) then mix that with the commercial juice to dumb-down the flavor a bit. Since you'd be mixing your unflavored at the same nic strength and same VG/PG as the commercial juice, you would be keeping the same strength and thickness - you're just diluting the flavor and any sweeteners and other additives.
     
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    Miles Himan

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    today is my birthday. I’ve been smoking 33 years now. Subtract maybe 6 months total that vaping worked for me. I’m really tired of being outside chain smoking instead of being inside with the family. It’s like being a pet dog with bad habits so I have to be left in the back yard
    Happy birthday (today is also my wife's birthday... go scorpios) Hey... did you know today is also "all saints day"? Just the opposite of Halloween.
    Anyway, have lots of advice for you but wanted to post this first. I'll be back soon. yes, many juices are way too sweet! UJ suggested what I was going to say... easy to dilute them. Please don't give up (or give in... smae thing really) I slipped a few times but always vaped and loved it... just got stressed and was a "dual user" for awhile. Once you find gear and juice you like, you won't look back.
     
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    Miles Himan

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    @Ladiekali , about small pods (and I've heard those are a good choice) don't fill the pod all the way (leave some airspace) and be aware if they get warm (like in your pocket) they tend to cause more issues. I always remove the pod when not vaping but I'm OCD (and I can see if it leaked... keep a paper towel handy just in case) You will like the Innokin pods and Zenith2 (very good choice) Try different coils (especially with the Zenith... 0.8 is nice for MTL and the 0.3 is amazing for restricted DL) I know many people like the 1.6 but it's too MTL for me. Not specifically familar with the pods but they are very popular (I have a KromaZ and love it)
    The bigger tanks have different coil options... maybe try one that is lower power and close the airflow down for a nice restricted DL vape (if they are an option, mesh "coils" are nice... I have a Vaporesso NRG and use a coil that is dual mesh... rated for 50 watts and above but I like it at 45 watts (it is similar to the ones you mentioned) Find the right coils, find the right juices, and learn how to "fix" jucies that are too strong/sweet (I do DIY so this is also something I often do) In the long run, consider DIY (but get some nic now!)
     

    Hawise

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    Or, you could get your feet wet with DIY by buying a commercial juice you like but is too flavorful/sweet for you, and then buy PG, VG and nicotine and dilute the flavor with your PG/VG/nic mix.

    So if say you buy a 12mg commercial menthol juice that's too strong in flavor for you, you could mix your own unflavored juice at 12mg (same VG/PG ratio as the commercial juice) then mix that with the commercial juice to dumb-down the flavor a bit. Since you'd be mixing your unflavored at the same nic strength and same VG/PG as the commercial juice, you would be keeping the same strength and thickness - you're just diluting the flavor and any sweeteners and other additives.

    Another option is to buy your juices with double the nicotine you want and then cut them in half with a PG/VG solution. That way you don't have to buy the nicotine base. I find most commercial juices too strong and overly sweet, so that's my strategy.

    For what it's worth, SMOK (who makes the Nords) is known for a lack of quality control and durability. Innokin has a much better reputation - the Sceptre in particular has good reviews and the Zenith is very well-liked. I'd say you didn't do too badly on your shop-a-thon. Like another commenter mentioned above, the ridiculous amounts I've spent on vaping gear (more than a bit of which I've quickly abandoned) are far less than the ludicrous amount I'd have spent if I were still smoking.

    Good luck - and may you never crave another cigarette!
     

    Ladiekali

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    @Ladiekali , about small pods (and I've heard those are a good choice) don't fill the pod all the way (leave some airspace) and be aware if they get warm (like in your pocket) they tend to cause more issues. I always remove the pod when not vaping but I'm OCD (and I can see if it leaked... keep a paper towel handy just in case) You will like the Innokin pods and Zenith2 (very good choice) Try different coils (especially with the Zenith... 0.8 is nice for MTL and the 0.3 is amazing for restricted DL) I know many people like the 1.6 but it's too MTL for me. Not specifically familar with the pods but they are very popular (I have a KromaZ and love it)
    The bigger tanks have different coil options... maybe try one that is lower power and close the airflow down for a nice restricted DL vape (if they are an option, mesh "coils" are nice... I have a Vaporesso NRG and use a coil that is dual mesh... rated for 50 watts and above but I like it at 45 watts (it is similar to the ones you mentioned) Find the right coils, find the right juices, and learn how to "fix" jucies that are too strong/sweet (I do DIY so this is also something I often do) In the long run, consider DIY (but get some nic now!)



    Thanks! I never even thought of fixing juice!
    I almost bought the kroma z, last minute I decided on the sensis. I'll keep the kroma in mind if the sensis doesn’t work out.
     
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