My Trials with trying to Vape and some dumb questions.

[Jessica143]

Ok so I have some maybe stupid questions lol, I just started vaping.. well I started vaping about a month ago with the Blu cig, thank goodness it was a 30day money back guarentee! Mind you I didn't do research, I needed it immedietly as I had just gotten out of the hospital for a Pulmonary Emblosim and the nicotine patch was I believe making my cravings worse not better. Anyways I sent the blu back and had my dad research the e-cig for me as he was the one paying for it since I am currently working on getting on disability so I am not kind of broke I am completely broke. The blu started out working really nice but quickly stopped holding a charge at all and i would charge it for hours and get maybe a couple minutes. Anyways, since I am only 22 and had a Pulmonary Ebolism and haven't used any form of birth control in like 3 years the only risk factor I had really was smoking and I knew I had to stop, so I am currently using what is called a Riva 901, I was in chat earlier and heard good things. I am however very unfamiliar with all the lingo. So onto my questions.

Firstly how do I know I've used enough drops of liquid? I am currently dripping onto the bottom of the cartridge abd then onto the top to get the full saturation as was suggested in the chat room.

Secondly how do I know when I need to add more drops?

Also I seem to have a hard time tasting the liquid, I got it from liberty-flight but I have heard good things about them as well, I switched from my regular 901 atomizer to the LR 901 Atomizer - what is the difference? I switched flavors also and yes I am using a different Cartridge with each flavor. I also put 2-4 drops directly onto the atomizer (I aim for the bridge heaven knows if I actually hit it or not). when I switched to the LR atomizer I could definitely taste more but I also switched flavors and cartridge type, (I switched to the kind with the flat mouth peice) So I don't know if it's the flavor, the atomizer or the cartridge itself.

What does a good throat hit mean? Is it the kinda burning sensation in the back of the throat? (I don't always get that) or is the burning sensation when I am supposed to add more liquid?

Also what are some recommendations on good places to get liquid, and cartridges? Good liquid at a good price would be awesome! lol If anyone can make sense of my rambling and answer any or all my questions that would be great! Any Opinion is welcome as I am a total newb!

Happy vaping!

PS are cartomizers compatible with my PV? The Riva 901

 

[justboringsarah]

Did you get a manual Riva? If you have a manual I would yank the filling out of your cartridge and just drop 3 drops of liquid directly onto the bridge of the atty,replace the cartridge(now with no filling)and vape. You should get about 10 puffs before you have to add more liquid. For me it seems that having to vape through the cartridge filler always made the juice taste really muted and gross.
Throat hit is the burning or stinging sensation in your throat. Generally it comes from higher nicotine content,but can be altered by other aspects as well. VG(vegetable glycerin) can dampen throat hit,and some flavors just lend themselves to less throat hit.
I know it sucks,but there is a learning curve to vaping and a fair bit of trial and error

 

[Sainted_S]

Firstly how do I know I've used enough drops of liquid? I am currently dripping onto the bottom of the cartridge abd then onto the top to get the full saturation as was suggested in the chat room.

I'm not sure about your question, but you take the filler out fill a little over half way, put the filler back in and then add drops on the top it should look like a slushie at the top of the cart.


Secondly how do I know when I need to add more drops?

You will need to "top of your cart," which means when you aren't getting as much vapor or you taste a burning smell; take out the cartridge and put a drop or two on the end. If you have too much fluid the atomizer it will get flooded. If you know you have enough juice or if you get juice in your mouth, it's probably a flooded atty. If this happens, unscrew the atty from the battery and blow through end of the atty that goes into the battery and wipe off any excess juice from the battery end with a paper towel.



Also I seem to have a hard time tasting the liquid, I got it from liberty-flight but I have heard good things about them as well, I switched from my regular 901 atomizer to the LR 901 Atomizer - what is the difference? I switched flavors also and yes I am using a different Cartridge with each flavor. I also put 2-4 drops directly onto the atomizer (I aim for the bridge heaven knows if I actually hit it or not). when I switched to the LR atomizer I could definitely taste more but I also switched flavors and cartridge type, (I switched to the kind with the flat mouth peice) So I don't know if it's the flavor, the atomizer or the cartridge itself.
The LR 901 will give more flavor and vapor, but also will drain your battery quicker. You may have too much liquid on the atty and it may be flooded you; may also get juice in the mouth if this happens. Unless it is a new atty, you don't need to put drops on the atty if your cart is filled to the top.



What does a good throat hit mean? Is it the kinda burning sensation in the back of the throat? (I don't always get that) or is the burning sensation when I am supposed to add more liquid?
TH is the feel of the vapor hitting your throat, it should feel more like when you inhale an analog, though not as strong. If your atty is too dry you will get a harsh, acrid feeling that you will feel in your nose, this is different than throat hit.


Also what are some recommendations on good places to get liquid, and cartridges? Good liquid at a good price would be awesome! lol If anyone can make sense of my rambling and answer any or all my questions that would be great! Any Opinion is welcome as I am a total newb!

Vapor Renu is cheap and good with tons of flavors. It costs about $7 more or less for 30ml depending on the options you choose, other than Dekang this is the cheapest juice I have found. Vaporbomb is very good and I've heard alot of support for MadVapes on the forum. You don't need to buy more cartridges, those are reusable. When you want to clean the filler, just take it out, run it under hot water, dry it by squeezing in a paper towel and put the stuffing back in. You can buy cartomizers prefilled or ones that you fill yourself--they are a combination of atomizer and cartridges in one unit.

 

[deback]

1) Firstly how do I know I've used enough drops of liquid? I am currently dripping onto the bottom of the cartridge abd then onto the top to get the full saturation as was suggested in the chat room.

2) Secondly how do I know when I need to add more drops?

3) Also I seem to have a hard time tasting the liquid, I got it from liberty-flight but I have heard good things about them as well, I switched from my regular 901 atomizer to the LR 901 Atomizer - what is the difference? I switched flavors also and yes I am using a different Cartridge with each flavor. I also put 2-4 drops directly onto the atomizer (I aim for the bridge heaven knows if I actually hit it or not). when I switched to the LR atomizer I could definitely taste more but I also switched flavors and cartridge type, (I switched to the kind with the flat mouth peice) So I don't know if it's the flavor, the atomizer or the cartridge itself.

4) What does a good throat hit mean? Is it the kinda burning sensation in the back of the throat? (I don't always get that) or is the burning sensation when I am supposed to add more liquid?

5) Also what are some recommendations on good places to get liquid, and cartridges? Good liquid at a good price would be awesome! lol If anyone can make sense of my rambling and answer any or all my questions that would be great! Any Opinion is welcome as I am a total newb!

6) PS are cartomizers compatible with my PV? The Riva 901

1) Cartridges will usually hold about 1mL of liquid, I believe. I don't use carts, but if I did, I would remove the filler, drip liquid into the empty inner cart about 3/4 full, and then place the filler into the liquid, keeping the top of the filler even with the top of the inner cart. You don't have to remove the filler, but some fillers aren't very porous, so it can take longer for the liquid to drain down into the inner cart. It's just quicker for me to remove the filler. The top of the filler should be wet or soggy wet, but not overflowing into the cartridge.

2) After you fill the cartridge, here's what I do with the atomizer. Blow through the bridge end several times until it sounds like I've blown out all the liquid inside. If it's a new atomizer, there will be a primer liquid inside the atomizer that needs to be cleaned out. You might be able to blow out the primer liquid, but sometimes that doesn't work, so I'll clean the atomizer by soaking it in isopropyl alcohol for a few minutes, then soak it in hot water (not boiling) for a few minutes, then rinse it well, blow through the bridge end several times to remove the excess water (or use the syringe and rubber cone from Walmart pictured in one of my blogs, accessible at the left under my avatar, to plunge out the excess water), dry it off, and either blow it dry with a blow dryer, set by a fan for a while, or let dry overnight. There's a dry burn method called the highping resurrection, but that could be too advanced for you at this time, but I'll include the link if you're in the mood to learn more:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tips-tricks/69834-my-atty-resurrection-method.html

After the atomizer has been cleaned and the primer liquid removed (which causes a bad taste or will cause you to not taste your liquid flavor), I'll drip 6 drops into the atomizer...just drip into it and don't worry about dripping exactly on the mesh and bridge. Then lightly blow through the bridge end about three times to push the liquid down to the bottom of the atomizer, then add 3 more drops, put the cartridge on, and vape.

You can eliminate the cartridge and just drip 3 drops into the atomizer every few drags (about 5 to 10 drags) and use a drip tip for a mouthpiece or to drip into.

3) An LR atomizer is a low resistance atomizer that can be used with any batteries with 3.7 volts or less (like the Riva you own). It will produce hotter vapor, as if you're vaping with a 5 volt battery. LR atomizers will decrease the overall lives of batteries. I've never used an LR atomizer and probably never will, since I get mouth and chest pain when vaping with the 5 volt passthroughs. Guess I'm sensitive to the warmer vapor, which burns through my mouth tissues, as if I had eaten something hot, but it's a gradual burning if I continue to use the 5 volt passthroughs.

You might have gotten more flavor with the LR atomizer because it's possible that that atomizer had less primer liquid in it. I don't know, but I would clean your atomizers and then the flavor should be much better.

4) A good throat hit is yes, a nice burning sensation at the back of the throat. You'll recognize it when you get a good throat hit. A burnt taste is completely different and is like you inhaled the smoke from something burning (which would be the atomizer burning when it's too dry inside and needs 3 more drops dripped in).

5) Good places to get liquid, based on all the comments by people here, and this is only a short list: FreedomSmokeUSA.com, BackwoodsBrew.net, GourmetVapor.com, and there are many more. I've tried liquids from myfreedomsmokes.com (artificial, bland flavors), vaporrenu.com (avoid-no throat hits), litecigusa.com (tobacco flavor-didn't care for), volcanoecigs.com (avoid this one), smokelessdelite.com (avoid this one), goodprophets.com (tobacco flavors-didn't care for), and freedomsmokeusa.com. I never vape the juices from any of these sites, except for the last one, FSUSA. The liquids I vape are listed in my signature. But flavor preference is subjective, so you'll have to experiment until you find the flavors you like the best. You could order samples and try them before spending a lot on larger bottles. Other posters should give you more info about ordering samples. I never did this, because I found I love the RY4, caramel, apple, and nut mix from FSUSA -- and just the RY4 and Apple mixed together is good enough for me.

Where to get cartridges? The cartridges you have can be used forever, so you shouldn't need to buy cartridges. I don't use or buy cartridges, because I use cartomizers. Cartomizers have a built-in atomizer and filler all in one piece. They are easy to fill and easy to refill, can be refilled many times (like over 20 times), can be cleaned (I have a blog describing how I clean them after about 3 weeks of use), and cost about $8 for a box of 5. Each carto (cartomizer) will last much longer than using a cart (cartridge) and eliminates the need to mess around with a filler and dripping often or constantly. I use Boge 510 soft cap cartomizers from litecigusa.net (in PA, very close to you), shipping fee is only $2, they ship the same or next day, have great customer service, and has a rewards program for future price savings on products.

Sorry for the long message, but I realize that details are necessary when responding to new users, so that's what I do. Keep posting, and I hope some of this has helped.

Edited to fix spelling errors, etc...

 

[medman1234]

You may want to ask your Dr. but for my spinal surgery they wanted me to quit smoking for a month b4 so I used the gum.He said he wouldn't do it because of the nicotine.He may have full of it but it can't hurt to ask.

 

[dormouse]

What juice did you get at liberty? They are a good hardware shop but would not be my first choice for liquid. And they only seem to have all PG base (which can be harsh and make your tongue dry and tingly) or all VG which makes a lot of vapor but can mute flavors. And if their PGs are the Chinese PG, I don't think the tobaccos like Marlboro flavor have much flavor or aroma at all.

I would recommend trying FreedomSmokeUSA. Their juices have a decent amount of flavor. Some of their juices are available as $2.25 sample sizes but only at 24mg and some preset PG/VG ratio. Then in their normal juice sections, the bottles start at $4 for 5ml and all of their flavors are available with a variety of nicotine levels and PG/VG ratios. I usually like 70pg/30vg or 80pg/20vg. Some like 50/50 for more vapor and less TH, especially for foody fruity flavors. My current fave is their Desert Ship tobacco. Lots of their tobaccos have reviews on them so read the reviews. When they aren't having a special sale, the discount code freedomsmokeusa will give 10% off.

re the carts, after using a cart for some amount of time, the white stuffing can become tired and not wick well. When that happens I replace it with blue foam. StrictlyEjuice.com, Flavor Shop! has cheap precut pieces of blue foam for 510/901 carts so that would be an inexpensive way to try blue foam. I don't really recommend their juices because the ones I got were kind of weak on flavor, but I've heard the Kona Coffees are good and they carry those. If you like the blue foam cart stuffing, you can buy uncut as Marineland Rite-size U Foam Sleeve in the aquarium dept of Petsmart (when they aren't out of stock). I like the way it wicks and it retains its shape and is easy to wash out (just hold under running water and pat dry on paper towel)

And if you have manual batteries - a suggestion for getting a nice hit. Press and hold the button then 1/2 to 1 second later start dragging, and when you are almost done dragging let up on the button and continue to drag for about a second to get whatever vapor is still in there.