Original article: Learning to vape… | the happy drone
Three weeks ago, I quit smoking. By accident. Under normal circumstances, this would sound a bit odd. Quitting smoking is supposed to be difficult, and it is, for most people, most of the time. Smoking cessation products have abysmal track records. But over the last few years, a new technology has emerged that will completely change the way people consume nicotine. I’m speaking, of course, of personal vaporizers, otherwise known as e-cigarettes.
Electronic cigarettes work by heating a nicotine-infused solution of propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin, producing a vapor that users inhale. These solutions (or e-liquids as they are known) are available in a variety of flavors and nicotine strengths (typically between 0 and 24 mg/ml.) Most people are introduced to “vaping” as e-cigarette users call it by buying one of the “cigalike” products that can be picked up in gas stations, truck stops, and convenience stores.
But these “cigalike” products, for many former smokers, just don’t cut it. They have short battery lives, the flavors are a bit odd, and they feel like a poor substitute for smoking actual cigarettes. They may be good for reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke (I went from smoking 30 cigarettes a day to 5-10 using the popular Blu e-cig,) but the device that actually helped me stop smoking was something like this: an “eGo” battery with a “clearomizer.” The eGo battery is simple, long-lasting and rechargeable. It has a single button, that, when pressed, heats up the element in the clearomizer, which also holds your e-liquid juice. This is a pretty straightforward setup, but it has some issues. It turns out that clearomizers come in two basic varieties: top coil and bottom coil (the coil is the bit that heats up and produces the vapor.) I have found that the bottom coil versions (like this one) work better for me, so that’s what I’m using now. Many veteran “vapers” recommend exactly this kind of setup for new users.
I’ve tried several different models now, and if I had to start over, I would start with something like this, skipping over the cigalikes, and "top-coil” clearomizers altogether.
So I am a n00b vaper. I probably shouldn’t be offering advice to anyone. But here I am. The thing is, in the emergent vaping culture, things can get very complicated, very fast. Many veteran vapers (meaning people who have been doing this for more than a year or so!) have taken up vaping as a serious hobby, and their vaporizers can require a good deal of skill and technical knowledge to assemble and use. It is a fascinating and fast-moving maker subculture, but new users probably want to keep things simple, at least at first. A lot of the conversations that the veterans are having just don’t apply to us beginners, if we could even understand them. So with that said, I thought I would offer ten tips for new vapers (with all due humility, being a beginner myself.) While I am new, I have spent a lot of time over the last few weeks becoming acquainted with some of the basics, and if reading this article saves you some time (I watch vape videos so you don’t have to,) then great.
10 Tips for the New Vaper
1. Go for it. If you want to start using e-cigarettes, then the best way to start is to dive right in. Get a starter kit, or, if you are just an occasional smoker, pick up a cigalike at a gas station, and start vaping. Vape to your heart’s content. Buy it and get on with it. Even if what you buy isn’t very good, you will have started, which is the first step.
2. Treat yourself. You are going to have to spend some money. Just do it. If you are a heavy smoker, you are going to recoup your costs very quickly. Whatever you are currently spending on cigarettes, spend that on vaping supplies. In a short period of time, you will end up with equipment and supplies to last you weeks. Keep telling yourself that it will pay off in the long run.
3. Take it easy. If you don’t stop smoking all at once, don’t worry about it. A lot of people ease into vaping, and eventually just lose all desire to smoke. Remember, vaping is a harm reduction strategy, not a “cure” for smoking.
4. Try new equipment. You are probably going to have to try a number of different setups before you get what you want. You’ll probably buy things that don’t work very well out of the box. Buy something else and move on.
5. Visit a brick and mortar store. You may be surprised to learn that there are a number of e-cigarette vendors in your area. And not just convenience stores: increasingly, pipe and tobacco stores and head shops are getting in the e-cigarette business. You may even have a “vape shop” in your area that sells e-cigarette supplies exclusively. The people in these stores can be useful allies in your transition to vaping. Use them, and their knowledge.
6. Learn from veterans. Vaping is complicated. In fact, it can be extremely complicated for new users. There is so much to know it is overwhelming. The best thing to do is to learn from people who have been there before: the veterans. This may be your buddy, who started vaping before you, or it could be someone in an online forum (two of the best are the E-Cigarette Forum (ECF) and the E_Cigarette subreddit), or it could be someone with a Youtube channel.
7. Watch videos. Vaping is very visual (it is easier to show someone how to change an atomizer head than to tell them in writing,) so having access to video reviews and instruction is very useful. Some of the best are Grimm Green, PBusardo, and, for new users this kid who shoots videos in his dorm room (yes, really.)
8. Try new flavors. You are going to have to try a number of different flavors before you find a few that you like. Some people are going to gravitate towards tobacco flavors, or menthol, while others will be drawn to fruity or sweet flavors. Chocolate flavors are what do it for me.
9. Shop online. There are a lot of very good vendors out there, who sell their products online. Most of the time, these products are going to be much cheaper than what you will find in a brick and mortar store. So far, I have been extremely impressed with all the online vendors I have used: Carolina Vapes, My Freedom Smokes, and Mt. Baker Vapor.
10. Have patience. Not everything that you buy is going to work for you. Things will leak, flavors won’t be right, you’ll have to adjust your nicotine levels, and so on. This is normal and happens to everyone. However, at the time of this writing (September 2013) the technology is beginning to really come along, and new vapers won’t have the same, or as many problems as the beginners of yesteryear (in vape time, that’s like two years ago.)
Good luck.
Three weeks ago, I quit smoking. By accident. Under normal circumstances, this would sound a bit odd. Quitting smoking is supposed to be difficult, and it is, for most people, most of the time. Smoking cessation products have abysmal track records. But over the last few years, a new technology has emerged that will completely change the way people consume nicotine. I’m speaking, of course, of personal vaporizers, otherwise known as e-cigarettes.
Electronic cigarettes work by heating a nicotine-infused solution of propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin, producing a vapor that users inhale. These solutions (or e-liquids as they are known) are available in a variety of flavors and nicotine strengths (typically between 0 and 24 mg/ml.) Most people are introduced to “vaping” as e-cigarette users call it by buying one of the “cigalike” products that can be picked up in gas stations, truck stops, and convenience stores.
But these “cigalike” products, for many former smokers, just don’t cut it. They have short battery lives, the flavors are a bit odd, and they feel like a poor substitute for smoking actual cigarettes. They may be good for reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke (I went from smoking 30 cigarettes a day to 5-10 using the popular Blu e-cig,) but the device that actually helped me stop smoking was something like this: an “eGo” battery with a “clearomizer.” The eGo battery is simple, long-lasting and rechargeable. It has a single button, that, when pressed, heats up the element in the clearomizer, which also holds your e-liquid juice. This is a pretty straightforward setup, but it has some issues. It turns out that clearomizers come in two basic varieties: top coil and bottom coil (the coil is the bit that heats up and produces the vapor.) I have found that the bottom coil versions (like this one) work better for me, so that’s what I’m using now. Many veteran “vapers” recommend exactly this kind of setup for new users.
I’ve tried several different models now, and if I had to start over, I would start with something like this, skipping over the cigalikes, and "top-coil” clearomizers altogether.
So I am a n00b vaper. I probably shouldn’t be offering advice to anyone. But here I am. The thing is, in the emergent vaping culture, things can get very complicated, very fast. Many veteran vapers (meaning people who have been doing this for more than a year or so!) have taken up vaping as a serious hobby, and their vaporizers can require a good deal of skill and technical knowledge to assemble and use. It is a fascinating and fast-moving maker subculture, but new users probably want to keep things simple, at least at first. A lot of the conversations that the veterans are having just don’t apply to us beginners, if we could even understand them. So with that said, I thought I would offer ten tips for new vapers (with all due humility, being a beginner myself.) While I am new, I have spent a lot of time over the last few weeks becoming acquainted with some of the basics, and if reading this article saves you some time (I watch vape videos so you don’t have to,) then great.
10 Tips for the New Vaper
1. Go for it. If you want to start using e-cigarettes, then the best way to start is to dive right in. Get a starter kit, or, if you are just an occasional smoker, pick up a cigalike at a gas station, and start vaping. Vape to your heart’s content. Buy it and get on with it. Even if what you buy isn’t very good, you will have started, which is the first step.
2. Treat yourself. You are going to have to spend some money. Just do it. If you are a heavy smoker, you are going to recoup your costs very quickly. Whatever you are currently spending on cigarettes, spend that on vaping supplies. In a short period of time, you will end up with equipment and supplies to last you weeks. Keep telling yourself that it will pay off in the long run.
3. Take it easy. If you don’t stop smoking all at once, don’t worry about it. A lot of people ease into vaping, and eventually just lose all desire to smoke. Remember, vaping is a harm reduction strategy, not a “cure” for smoking.
4. Try new equipment. You are probably going to have to try a number of different setups before you get what you want. You’ll probably buy things that don’t work very well out of the box. Buy something else and move on.
5. Visit a brick and mortar store. You may be surprised to learn that there are a number of e-cigarette vendors in your area. And not just convenience stores: increasingly, pipe and tobacco stores and head shops are getting in the e-cigarette business. You may even have a “vape shop” in your area that sells e-cigarette supplies exclusively. The people in these stores can be useful allies in your transition to vaping. Use them, and their knowledge.
6. Learn from veterans. Vaping is complicated. In fact, it can be extremely complicated for new users. There is so much to know it is overwhelming. The best thing to do is to learn from people who have been there before: the veterans. This may be your buddy, who started vaping before you, or it could be someone in an online forum (two of the best are the E-Cigarette Forum (ECF) and the E_Cigarette subreddit), or it could be someone with a Youtube channel.
7. Watch videos. Vaping is very visual (it is easier to show someone how to change an atomizer head than to tell them in writing,) so having access to video reviews and instruction is very useful. Some of the best are Grimm Green, PBusardo, and, for new users this kid who shoots videos in his dorm room (yes, really.)
8. Try new flavors. You are going to have to try a number of different flavors before you find a few that you like. Some people are going to gravitate towards tobacco flavors, or menthol, while others will be drawn to fruity or sweet flavors. Chocolate flavors are what do it for me.
9. Shop online. There are a lot of very good vendors out there, who sell their products online. Most of the time, these products are going to be much cheaper than what you will find in a brick and mortar store. So far, I have been extremely impressed with all the online vendors I have used: Carolina Vapes, My Freedom Smokes, and Mt. Baker Vapor.
10. Have patience. Not everything that you buy is going to work for you. Things will leak, flavors won’t be right, you’ll have to adjust your nicotine levels, and so on. This is normal and happens to everyone. However, at the time of this writing (September 2013) the technology is beginning to really come along, and new vapers won’t have the same, or as many problems as the beginners of yesteryear (in vape time, that’s like two years ago.)
Good luck.
Last edited:
