M201 & 402: My dream e-cigs!

[ruuku]

Fedor: I just wanted to "tiptoe" around the comment...did not know if you were joking or not...should have known. I'm pretty dense . What do you think about the possibility of Absolutely making 36 MG liquid? I usually use 36 cut 50/50 with VG... the thicker vapor satisfies me more than PG alone. I'll shoot them an email later on tonight, and let you guys know what they say.

need: you'll notice that many, many, many "tobacco" flavors will NOT taste like an analog. I've tried 4 different brands so far, and have yet to find a true "analog" flavor. But, after vaping for a while, many people realize that analogs now taste nasty, and vape fruit, coffee, mint, (insert favorite flavor here), instead. Many also get used to the sweet tobacco flavor and love the stuff. Both Deacon and Fedor posted great things about Absolutely's Marlboro (I NEED TO ORDER LIQUID!!!).

As for flavorless liquid, I've noticed that almost all e-liquid retailers are having difficulty keeping up with demand. I've heard really good things about TW unflavored, just keep checking back. Also is high nic such a bad thing? Check out the DIY Liquid thread. You can add VG/PG to high nic liquid not only to cut the mg, but also to make liquid last longer. Both VG and PG are relatively inexpensive compared to juice.

 

[prr2freya]

I got my M401 and the one from SmokingEverywhere today. M401 I LOVE, but the carts seem to stop producing much vapor fairly quickly. I hope that is settled once my JC juice arrives (and I understand it takes a few days for the atomizer to adjust). All in all, they both work and I am looking forward to giving up analogs after 20 years!

next month I want to get extra atomizers(for diff flavors) and batteries and juice from AbsolutelyCigs for the m401. I am also thinking about getting another starter kit for a friend to try.

I have heard mixed reviews on the JC juice sampler pack ,and I am worried maybe I again, chose the wrong thing as a first purchase (as I did with the overpriced smokingeverywhere). I was really looking forward to trying the strawberry.. is it good? if not, can someone recommend a good strawberry juice. Until the JC juice arrives, I am stuck with a 5pack of coffee flavor carts and the marb carts that came with the m401 starter. neither of them give much flavor and coffee def tastes nothing like coffee! is there a good coffee out there? I know taste is a personal thing, but I would like to make an informed decision before handing out more experiment money as funds are running low!

I do like the smokingeverywhere menthol carts OK and they seem to have more juice than the carts my m401 came with.... so sad to say, until I get some juice, that may be my main unit. After that, it will be a backup unit until it dies because I will not pay their prices for extra parts.

Thanks!

 

[ruuku]

While vaping you might want to try and do this to get the most out of refilled carts: set the M401 with the led tip down, and take slow, steady drags. Give it about 30sec to 1min pauses-this will ensure that enough liquid has soaked into the wick to provide good vapor, especially when a cart is running dry. When you get liquid however you won't have to do this, just top and drip when you run out of steam.

When you order your spare parts for the M401, you can also order liquid, Deacon liked the coffee from them. Plus its SUPER cheap ~$50 for 100 mls...are you kidding!!??
Since your in NY, there are a couple of regulars on the board who might be willing let you test drive liquid. Try searching in the social forum.
I haven't tried any strawberry flavor, but have some LorAnn's Strawberry Candy Oil, and am probably going to mix these with Unflavored liquid in the near future.
As for JC...I've also heard mixed reviews. Early batches developed a green tinge, and some flavor issues, but it seems like they been getting better, or so I've heard. Some people also swear by the Tenn Cured. One of the best things about them is the fact that you can order your liquid with a VG base instead of PG. This has helped many people who are allergic to PG.

 

[need_2quit]

As for flavorless liquid, I've noticed that almost all E-Liquid retailers are having difficulty keeping up with demand. I've heard really good things about TW unflavored, just keep checking back. Also is high nic such a bad thing? Check out the DIY Liquid thread. You can add VG/PG to high nic liquid not only to cut the mg, but also to make liquid last longer. Both VG and PG are relatively inexpensive compared to juice.

thank you so much for your reply ruuku. i smoke RYO light bulk tobacco analogs now... Had to switch to zig zag papers from buglers, because I've found the thinner papers are less harsh.

I'm not sure what the nicotine is in our home rolled now. I don't want to OD on nic and think I'll enjoy the vapping as much as the nic, if that makes sense.

I have a polyp on my vocal chord which gives me fits (swelling) from smoking. I have to lightly drag my home rolled analogs and even use a tar blocker filter, because of the vocal chord irritation. I'm trying to get vapor without the throat hit if I can.

This is my first experience with e-cigs. I may have dragged too hard on it tonight, because I got little vapor the more I dragged. The taste is pretty gawd awful though. I'm thinking I'd have to have minty gum in my mouth while smoking it to kill the taste lol. So unflavored would be just fine for me.

The prepackaged carts have the insert with the fiber filling it. The fiber looks white. Could it be too dry maybe? I took it apart to look and there is a fiber on the atomizer, so maybe it's shoved together too tight?

There was a gurgling sound until i shoved the cart firmly on to the atty. Now I just hear a slight sucking sound which I assume is normal.

I know I'm going to love this thing once I get the technique right.

Is this what I should order for PG to cut the nic and get more vapor?

from midwestvapor*com > diy liquid accessories (can't post the link)

USP Grade (Kosher) Glycerine or USP PG?

I started a shopping cart there, but I don't know what the difference is.

I really appreciate your help guys. I just reread the entire thread to read up on tips/snafus for noob eciggers like me.

 

[prr2freya]

Ah! Holding it LED down... great idea, seems to be working. I think i went a little .... on the instructions stating to keep the e-cig level(neither tipping up or down) that came with the m401. I think I will also get some liquid from AbsolutelyCigs. The price does seem right in bulk There have been a few frustrations with the e-cig, but the benefits far outweigh that and adjustments are to be expected. I just hope the FDA does not take something away from me that will probably be saving my life!

Again, this thread alone, has been extremely helpful~_*

 

[ruuku]

First off an apology to Fedor: I feel I'm "threadjacking"... hope you don't mind too much

need: be REALLY careful with vaping... On some rare occasions (usually with overfilled carts) I get liquid droplets hitting the back of my throat. To me its an inconvenience, but it might be that much more serious to you. Also its really easy to over vape, especially when your new to it (I had nicotine OD the first two days after i got the 402/201.)

Having polyfill touching the wick when its dry is also a no-no... in addition to helping to contribute to the untimely death of your precious atomizer, you're also going to be inhaling the toxic smoke that the polyester creates... If you notice a chemical taste (probably the "horrible taste you described) STOP!!! remove the cart. Does it have a burn mark in it? If yes then you've vaped all of the liquid, and the heat of the coil burned the polyfill. Toss the burnt poly fill and replace with fresh batting. It is essential that the wick stays wet, especially for this reason. As soon as you notice a drop off in vapor production, it probably time to change your cart/top up/drip. The gurgling sound is usually either your atomizer is flooded (remedied by removing the atomizer from the batt, and blowing the excess liquid out of the atomizer (lips on the batt end), or liquid in the cart (remove inner cart from mouthpiece using a paperclip) swab inside of mouthpiece with paper towel/q-tip).

As for the PG/VG issue: like i said before some people have allergic reactions to PG... I'm not too sure what the symptoms are, but they should be in the Health and Medical Section... give this a search for more info. Personally I don't *think* I'm allergic to either, and rather like the thick vapor that VG gives off. VG also contributes a sweetness that complements some flavors like coffee. Its harder to top up a cart with a VG mix though, as the liquid becomes thicker, and does not flow to the bottom of the cart as easily. For me its worth the wait and inconvenience. PG is pretty much the standard "base" to most e-liquid.

Freya: Instruction manual...it comes with those?!?!?! Seriously though, the reason for this is the fact that holding it LED down may cause a full cart to leak liquid into the atomizer, flooding it, then if more liquid transfers, into the battery. Needless to say this is bad for both. However I don't see much harm or potential for harm when the cart is half empty (or half full)

 

[Fedor]

First off an apology to Fedor: I feel I'm "threadjacking"... hope you don't mind too much

Are you kidding me? You've been a great help.

I sometimes take a while to reply to posts and may even miss some occasionally. You are doing much better than me in helping out members with their questions.

You've made this thread much more valuable. I should be hoping that YOU don't mind.

 

[need_2quit]

thank you again ruuku. i checked the atomizer and cart and all looks well. I haven't done the q-tip thing yet though. I did read a linked thread about care and feeding of Pilots that mentioned the Q-tip cleaning, so I'll give that a try.

Yeah I guess that's what you call throat hit. It was very unpleasant. I've hardly vaped it at all since then. Not getting much vapor at all, so I'm just hoping something isn't defective. I'm going to give it a few days and take lite hits to get used to it and break it in.

My son is trying the other battery, atty, and a medium cart. He got a nasty throat hit too, so I think it's lack of technique.

As far as the e-cig, I think it's great technology and if it helps us quit, that will be amazing.

I'm going to look in the side effects forum to see what to watch out for, before I decide what flavorless to buy.

thank you so much guys. You've been a great help.

 

[caywen]

Having polyfill touching the wick when its dry is also a no-no... in addition to helping to contribute to the untimely death of your precious atomizer, you're also going to be inhaling the toxic smoke that the polyester creates... If you notice a chemical taste (probably the "horrible taste you described) STOP!!! remove the cart.

I so agree. I think I botched both of the attys on my previous cig because I overvaped until I was burning polyfill. What I do now is when the vapor production just begins to drop off, I go ahead and refill. I see no advantage in vaping it dry, and I think if one plays it safe like this, there will be no horrible taste.

 

[effy]

This thread is great! I just found this site today and am seriously considering buying the 402 (you are all so detailed and thorough, it's awesome). But in the first couple of pages I remember reading something about the chargers from AbsolutelyeCigs. I lived in the US, and since they are in China do I have to specify that I need a charger that is compatible with US outlets?

-Effy

 

[effy]

Oops, I meant to say I "live" in the US, not "lived." That could be confusing. (Sorry I couldn't find the edit button for posts - if there is one.)

 

[klum]

This is my first experience with e-cigs. I may have dragged too hard on it tonight, because I got little vapor the more I dragged. The taste is pretty gawd awful though. I'm thinking I'd have to have minty gum in my mouth while smoking it to kill the taste lol. So unflavored would be just fine for me.

Need, since you just got the 402, know that the atomizers come with primer fluid on them. Anything that you vape for the first day or two will have an off taste until the primer fluid is burnt off or you clean it off. After it's gone, you'll then get the actual "taste" of the liquid. I've also noticed that on the 401/2, you can occasionally get a metallic sometimes burnt taste. Not sure why, but, I just try to keep the carts filled. As others have said, it's better to keep them moist at all times. Refill when you start to get lower vapor production.

kevin

 

[Donster]

Effy,

If you live in the USA, AEC automatically sends you a US adapter plug.

I just received my M402 starter kit a couple of days ago. I live in Reno, NV.


Happy Vaping,
Donster

 

[ruuku]

Heck even if they don't send you the right plug, the charger is a usb unit, and can be powered off a computer, or powered usb hub.

 

[ruuku]

I just got my reply from Absolutley regarding 36mg liquid:
"As for liquid, we are taking things one step at a time. For quite some time, our customers has been asking to sell liquid. We did not want to rush into it and provide lousy quality. We took some time to prepare ourselves to sell this product.

Our first step is to provide from 0mg to 18mg with only 6 type of flavors. Once we are more comfortable with this, we will proceed to offer more variety and strength.

We do not want to dissappoint our customers with bad management of stock. That is why you will almost never see us out of stock. We may take a longer time to produce due to large amount of orders received but we make sure we are never out of stock, except for unforseen circumstances such as raw material problems.

Therefore, we hope that you can give us some time to improve on our liquid variety as we have only just began to sell them. We find that there are not too many 36mg users and taking too high nicotine may not be a wise choice in terms of health. Many people mistake the throat feel as directly linked to nicotine content but that is absolutely incorrect. Even 6mg can provide the same throat feel.

We hope you can understand and we apologise if we have dissappointed you."

I'm a little disappointed, but can understand their reasoning completely. I cut my 36 with VG, but will order some 18 with my next order.

 

[420inmyapt]

So Hopefully I' am only a day away from delivery. I spoke w/ USPS on Friday and they told me it should be to me by Monday (20th). My tracking also finally updated, Looks like customs in processing my order....ahhh im so excited...

Quick question, is there a purpose to the primer fluid that comes on the unit? or should I just clean it as soon as i unpack it?

 

[ruuku]

I have two theories on the primer: Allows a fluid transfer period between a fresh atomizer and a cartridge, and/or prevents corrosion of the wick/coil during storage. Either that or the manufacturer is playing a seriously bad joke on e-cig users...lol.

I've heard rinsing then allowing the atomizer to dry is a good way to remove the primer off the atomizer, but I really didn't notice the primer off of any m401 atomizers...i just vaped through it.

 

[need_2quit]

effy- when you place your order, just remind them to send a usa adapter in the comments section. or you can email them with any questions. they are very quick to respond.

ruuku - I think the factory carts must not have much liquid in them, because the vapor is still lacking. Because of that, it's hard to tell if the carts are running dry, so I just switch it out for a fresh cart to be safe.

I decided dripping my own will be the way to go. I ordered some flavorless pg and vg and some glycerine and pg from juicyliquid here on the forum. He's been a big help and he's in atlanta. I was trying to order TW flavorless, but they're alway out of it.

The flavorless will hook me up to keep my used carts topped off and I'll see what kind of vapor I get then.

I'm definitely sold on e-cigs and the 402 is the perfect size to replace an analog and feel natural. I just wish I bought a case, so anyone that has yet to order and is new to e-cigs, pick up a case.

You guys are great. I'm well on my way to laying down analogs for good.

 

[ruuku]

My son is trying the other battery, atty, and a medium cart. He got a nasty throat hit too, so I think it's lack of technique.

Is your son's batt/atomizer combo producing the same amount of vapor as yours? If so, then keep on vaping... I just saw igetcha's vid review of the 401, and it took him a week of heavy vaping to break in the atomizer. Personally, All but one of my atomizers (1/6) produced pretty good vapor after about 20 min or so. I recently sold a unit to a friend (story of my life...it was meant for spares) and he had the same problem, weak vapor. On his second day, vapor started to get better.

I mix up between carts and dripping. If I'm at home I'm dripping with the 201, and if i'm out, and sitting for long periods of time then I'll drip with the 401. Otherwise i like the convenience of carts.

I would suggest looking into LorAnn's flavoring. I just tried it last week, and I'm totally stoked at making my own juice. I piled up all of my spent carts, took out the poly, and used a syringe to "extract" the juice from them. I got about 2-3mls from about 4 201 carts and 15 401s, (pretty good for carts that were already no good standalone). Just for kicks I dripped this...hmmm... not too bad but def, not great either (mixture of coffee, watermelon, marboro, menthol, 555, and other misc. juice). I was curious about LorAnn's butterscotch flavor so i added about 10 drops, and then 2 mls of vg. The butterscotch overpowered everything else, and isn't bad for the sum of its parts (I'm sure unflavored would have been tons better). Just realize that some of the flavors contain ingrediants that *can* clog atomizers so proceed at your own risk. For me, its worth it though.

Overall I think you'll be happy with your investment in PG/VG. Adding VG seems to "soften" the liquid. When i vape most liquids straight, the throat hit can cause a bruning sensation on my throat (especially menthol/mint) But this problem goes away on most liquid when i add VG.

In my case (pun intended) I just used an old padded nylon case for a digicam. It holds pretty much everything in my daily kit (paperclips, batts, atomizers, carts and liquid), downside of this is i look like a ...... addict...

Glad to hear that your adjusting well to kicking analogs... out of 4 friends i introduced to vaping, 1 has quit completely, the other two smoke about 2-5 cigarettes/day (down from a pack) and the last one had no intention of quitting/cutting down, and still smokes regularly.

 

[bmckenna]

Off-topic, but here's my 2nd day with my M402:
- Definitely getting more vapor now, but it's clear to me that JC juice is inferior. My last e-cig, my JC juice was giving me barely acceptable vapor, but I thought it was the e-cig. It clearer to me now that I need some TW or EST. BTW, JC Kona Coffee is NASTY and yields little vapor. I'd stay clear of that.
- Battery life is not bad. Not blown away, but definitely not disappointing.

So, still happily vaping this. Can't wait for my new order of attys and battys.

Can you enlighten me as to what retailers/brands of smoke juice TW/EST stand for? I just tried to order some Johnson's Creek (the sampler) but they told me it would be 1-2 weeks before the order was available (it was on backorder). I'm looking for something as a replacement for my first e-cig, which should be arriving (hopefully) within the next week.