Hi all. I'm new to this forum, not completely new to vaping, just new to the more complex types and set-ups.
I have been analog free for almost four years now (YAY ME). I didn't use any e-cigs to stop smoking, no patches, gum etc. I just went cold turkey. I first heard about e-cigs when I was nine months smoke free. I had beaten the physical addiction at that point but still missed the whole ritual of smoking and the relaxing feeling of the inhale and throat hit. I was also eating like a horse and gaining weight for the first time in my life. I had always been petite and my lack of something to do with my hands and mouth were putting the pounds on quickly.
I mostly missed smoking when in social situations with other smokers. Watching them light up and puff made me want something (but not a cigarette) to fiddle with. I really didn't care if I became addicted to nicotine again, as long as it wasn't being delivered through a stinky expensive cancerous delivery system.
I knew nothing about e-cigs other than a few advertisements and offers I had seen. I knew instinctively that the "free" offers were a scam and stayed away from those. But I didn't do much research at all and ended up ordering a starter kit from Saf-Cig. I guess you could say it was successful at initiating me into the world of vaping, but knowing what I know now (which admittedly is not much compared to the experts here) I realize now that it was a piss poor excuse for an e-cig. Not only did it not produce great vapor, throat hit or taste, but it was way too fat for a former slim cigarette smoker like me. I used it until the cartridges ran out, then tossed it in my purse and forgot about it for a couple of years.
About 2 months ago I was in a convenience store and saw the NJoy King disposable. What appealed to me about it was the tiny slim size of it. It actually felt like one of my old slim analogs. And that first puff, WOW! I thought I had found the holy grail of e-cigs! The only problem was the price. At $7.99 a piece, and lasting only two days at best, it was just way too expensive to use consistently long term. So I started poking around the internet and I was surprised to see how the e-cig world had evolved since my initial experience almost three years ago.
My problem was I still wanted that slim cig-a-like experience, along with a simple two piece device. I thought I'd found the perfect thing when I saw the Vapor Couture from V2. I didn't care much about the fancy designs and blingy LED tips, but the circumference of these things was perfect! I did a small bit of research on them, and saw some issues, but truthfully I was so blinded by the size of them that I think I blocked out any bad news I read and only let myself remember the very few good reviews.
DUMB DUMB DUMB!! I got the deluxe kit, pretty cheap actually with their 4th of July sale and the coupon code I had. It arrived quickly and I charged up those lovely slim batteries and prepared for vapor nirvana! Right... Immediately one of the batteries crapped out after about ten puffs. Wouldn't take a charge after that. The other battery worked great for about half a day, then the LED came on and stayed on, yet I couldn't get a puff. The light stayed on for about 48 hours then finally died. The battery wouldn't take a charge. Customer service was great and immediately sent two replacement batteries. Upon receiving those, one was dead and would not charge. The other seemed to work great. Again called CS and they immediately sent a replacement out. While I was waiting on that replacement, the one that worked so great at first went downhill quickly. By the time the replacement for the dead battery arrived, the "good" battery had pretty much crapped out. It was good for maybe 3 puffs after a full charge if that.
Lesson learned.
I have finally decided that I want function over form. I am not ready to get into mods yet, I still want a simple two piece, but this time I did a lot more research. I am now waiting on a Halo G6 starter kit. I realize it will still be trial and error, and that I will probably upgrade and move on to more complex setups, but as far as simple cig-a-likes go I feel pretty confident in Halo from everything I've researched. One of the things I like about this kit is that I was able to get a manual and an auto bat. I have no experience with a manual and and I have a feeling I will like it.
I'm also excited to have a system that I can refill. I am very excited to experiment with juice! My local smoke shop sells a line of juice made by a company right here in my town. I won't know till I try it, but I've heard they have great quality and variety, and I would love to support a local company if the product is worth it.
As soon as my Halo arrives I am packing up the Vapor Couture junk and sending it all back. I can forgive a defective item once, maybe even twice if the final replacement works, but after making two returns and still not getting a working replacement--I fold.
Looking forward to getting my education here and working my way into the ranks of veteran vapers!
I have been analog free for almost four years now (YAY ME). I didn't use any e-cigs to stop smoking, no patches, gum etc. I just went cold turkey. I first heard about e-cigs when I was nine months smoke free. I had beaten the physical addiction at that point but still missed the whole ritual of smoking and the relaxing feeling of the inhale and throat hit. I was also eating like a horse and gaining weight for the first time in my life. I had always been petite and my lack of something to do with my hands and mouth were putting the pounds on quickly.
I mostly missed smoking when in social situations with other smokers. Watching them light up and puff made me want something (but not a cigarette) to fiddle with. I really didn't care if I became addicted to nicotine again, as long as it wasn't being delivered through a stinky expensive cancerous delivery system.
I knew nothing about e-cigs other than a few advertisements and offers I had seen. I knew instinctively that the "free" offers were a scam and stayed away from those. But I didn't do much research at all and ended up ordering a starter kit from Saf-Cig. I guess you could say it was successful at initiating me into the world of vaping, but knowing what I know now (which admittedly is not much compared to the experts here) I realize now that it was a piss poor excuse for an e-cig. Not only did it not produce great vapor, throat hit or taste, but it was way too fat for a former slim cigarette smoker like me. I used it until the cartridges ran out, then tossed it in my purse and forgot about it for a couple of years.
About 2 months ago I was in a convenience store and saw the NJoy King disposable. What appealed to me about it was the tiny slim size of it. It actually felt like one of my old slim analogs. And that first puff, WOW! I thought I had found the holy grail of e-cigs! The only problem was the price. At $7.99 a piece, and lasting only two days at best, it was just way too expensive to use consistently long term. So I started poking around the internet and I was surprised to see how the e-cig world had evolved since my initial experience almost three years ago.
My problem was I still wanted that slim cig-a-like experience, along with a simple two piece device. I thought I'd found the perfect thing when I saw the Vapor Couture from V2. I didn't care much about the fancy designs and blingy LED tips, but the circumference of these things was perfect! I did a small bit of research on them, and saw some issues, but truthfully I was so blinded by the size of them that I think I blocked out any bad news I read and only let myself remember the very few good reviews.
DUMB DUMB DUMB!! I got the deluxe kit, pretty cheap actually with their 4th of July sale and the coupon code I had. It arrived quickly and I charged up those lovely slim batteries and prepared for vapor nirvana! Right... Immediately one of the batteries crapped out after about ten puffs. Wouldn't take a charge after that. The other battery worked great for about half a day, then the LED came on and stayed on, yet I couldn't get a puff. The light stayed on for about 48 hours then finally died. The battery wouldn't take a charge. Customer service was great and immediately sent two replacement batteries. Upon receiving those, one was dead and would not charge. The other seemed to work great. Again called CS and they immediately sent a replacement out. While I was waiting on that replacement, the one that worked so great at first went downhill quickly. By the time the replacement for the dead battery arrived, the "good" battery had pretty much crapped out. It was good for maybe 3 puffs after a full charge if that.
Lesson learned.
I have finally decided that I want function over form. I am not ready to get into mods yet, I still want a simple two piece, but this time I did a lot more research. I am now waiting on a Halo G6 starter kit. I realize it will still be trial and error, and that I will probably upgrade and move on to more complex setups, but as far as simple cig-a-likes go I feel pretty confident in Halo from everything I've researched. One of the things I like about this kit is that I was able to get a manual and an auto bat. I have no experience with a manual and and I have a feeling I will like it.
I'm also excited to have a system that I can refill. I am very excited to experiment with juice! My local smoke shop sells a line of juice made by a company right here in my town. I won't know till I try it, but I've heard they have great quality and variety, and I would love to support a local company if the product is worth it.
As soon as my Halo arrives I am packing up the Vapor Couture junk and sending it all back. I can forgive a defective item once, maybe even twice if the final replacement works, but after making two returns and still not getting a working replacement--I fold.
Looking forward to getting my education here and working my way into the ranks of veteran vapers!
