need help on improving my experience - please help, don't want to go back to analogs

[WorstPersonAlive]

Hi, been poking around on here for a few weeks, and just started vaping 7 days ago. I haven't had a cigarette since, and I'm completely sold on vaping, but I'm not getting the experience I want yet, and I have a buttload of questions. I've done my best to find the answers on here without posting a thread, but it gets overwhelming. That being said, I apologize in advance if I'm clogging up the forum with another list of questions that have answers, but I really need to make sure I get what I want out of this so I don't end up returning to analogs.

So, I bought, and am using the 510 kit shown here: JOYE510 Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit White with a couple of extra batteries and atomizers, a pcc, and a usb passthrough, also from rockymountainvapor. I had a terrible time getting any consistency out of the empty cartridges I bought. It seemed that some hits were competely flavorless, itchy, and weak, with very little vapor, and others were better, but still had little vapor. So I did a little research and switched to a Derlin Shorty drip tip. This has helped, but I still have trouble getting my experience to be consistent. I still have terrible hits sometimes, and sometimes that lasts long enough to be frustrating as hell. Other times things go well, and I really enjoy when it does. What am I doing wrong to make things so inconsistent? I drip 3 drops into the tip, and hit it more like a pipe than a cigarette, every time.

My next question is how can I get more flavor, and vapor? I know that my taste buds are wrecked to a certain degree from years of smoking, but I can still taste, and the liquids I have are just plain not living up to what I desire. I want full on, in your face flavor, and everything I've tried just seems to have a HINT of flavor. I'm using 80/20 24mg liquid from tastyvapor.com. I'm not getting any flavor from any of the fruity flavors I have. Almost none at all, and they all seem to dry out my throat and mouth instantly, leaving me to literally have to sip water after every single hit. They also leave my throat and roof of my mouth "itchy" feeling for lack of a better word. The chocolate/cream mix I got is better, and I've been using pretty much only this as a result, but I'd really like to be able to switch between flavors.

I also don't get anywhere near the amount of vapor I see people getting on youtube with, as far as I know, the same equipment. These people are blowing clouds, and even if I hit my 510 to the cutoff, I still get just kind of a thin smoky plume, not a cloud. I don't really care what it looks like or how much vapor I can see, but seeing that makes me think, "wow, that looks wet and flavorful," while I'm sucking on this dry, nearly flavorless crap.

I researched vg/pg a little, but I can't really figure out what is best for me. I just want my hits to be wetter and more flavorful. MUCH more flavorful, and MUCH wetter. And MUCH more consistent.

So, what advice can you guys offer me? Should I have different equipment? Different atomizers? Different batteries? Different pg/vg mixes? Different flavors? What is it?

I have this concept in my mind of what I want out of this, and every now and then I seem to get a glimpse of it with a good hit, and then it's gone, so I keep chasing the dragon, sucking on this thing like there's no tomorrow.

Please help. Thanks.

 

[CBB]

If you aren't getting a killer pain in your throat its not a dry atty, but it could be flooded. Try blowing your atty out by removing it from the battery, holding it by the threaded and in a tissue and blowing in the mouthpiece. Then replace it and try again. A good test is to draw on the e-dig without pressing the button. If there is a gurgling noise it is flooded. If that doesn't help come back with any new experiences and see if we may be able to find another problem.

Also make sure there is no juice in the top of your battery just wipe it out with a twisted tissue or q-tip.

 

[Rar]

I was having a similar problem. I tried the following recommendation given to another poster: Hold your button down for a second or two before putting it in your mouth. After putting it in your mouth, draw slowly and gently and allow the vapor to accumulate in your mouth. DO NOT try to suck on it as if you were drinking a milkshake. After the vapor is in your mouth, draw some into your lungs, but allow much of it to escape through your nose. This technique has really increased my vaping pleasure.

 

[Gat]

There are tons of videos I watched on youtube on cleaning addys if the above doesn't help and tutorials maybe doing a search and watching other's will help you as it has me.

 

[lemonshrew]

I started out with prefilled pg carto's, which were OK, but not quite the "oomph" I was looking for. I started getting 50/50 pg/vg juices from freedomsmokeusa.com and I've been thrilled with the flavors. The vg seems to give a lot more vapor and flavor. The pg juice irritated my throat a little too. Also, you might want to think about a more powerful mod. I can't speak directly to this yet because my Provape is in the mail, but according to so many people on this forum it makes a big difference.
My
Hope this helps.

 

[Del Boy]

x2 on the slooooooow light long draw. Don't be sucking even remotely hard now.

Slow - long - gentle - draw. You'll find you have to cut off because it will hit your throat too hard. Plenty of smoke. Experiment a little.

Let us know if you figure it out.

 

[dragonlover]

Don't give up! I'm new too this too and have a few frustration days lately - I bought a generic 901 from one of the 3 semi local
shops in my area. I bought a box of prefilled cartridges, but wasn't getting enough of a TH. They suggested that I try a higher mg- which they didn't have in prefilled or smaller bottle just 30ml at $32 a pop. Ok still saving money -the first bottle lasted about 3 wks. went back to learn how to refill with the poly fill that they sold and bought another bottle-that one only laste about a week and a half-then i found this forum! there's lots of great info here-use it but try not to get too overwhelmed. I found someone on a location specific subforum who actually GAVE me a Riva 510 that she won and some samples of liquid after i asked her if there was any other places in our area and told her about the problems i was having. I can't believe how generous she is! I'm looking forward to learning and trying our more liquids, cartos etc and to hopefully going to a vapers meeting. This forum is the bomb and a BIG shout out to Karen from NE Vapers!!

 

[deckart]

Sounds like your flooding the thing mate

 

[Digs]

Did you opt to get sweetener added to your juice when you ordered it? TV makes adding sweetener optional and although it is recommended for all but 3 of his juices, the option defaults to "no sweetener". If you did get them without sweetener you can get a bottle of the stuff for $2 on his site. I also vape 20% VG from TV and I get good vapor/taste from the stuff so I don't think it's the juice.

It might be the atomizers you're using. They may have too much resistance causing the coil to not heat up enough. When the coil is nice and wet you need more heat to get the juice to vaporize. Are the hits weak when you first drip and then get stronger as you vape through it?

My advice would be to buy a better eCig. I would recommend something like a 650+ mAh 510 eGo/Riva or a cheap 3.7V 510 mod. That will let you use Low Resistance 510 and 306 atomizers which IMO greatly improves everything about the vape (taste, vapor, TH).

 

[Credo]

Consider trying a 510 cartomizer instead of the atty/cart combo. That'll get you going easier, as getting the cart packing or dripping thing down can take a little practice...and still might not produce the kind of vape you're shooting for.

Cartomizers hold up to 1ml of liquid (some even more than that) at once and don't leak provided you fill them properly. Great for filling a few and tossing in your pocket and not having to carry a bottle of juice around with you. You'll get a much more consistent vape.

Next, consider trying some LR (Low Resistance) stuff. Your batteries won't last as long with them, but they burn a little hotter, hence vaporize more liquid. If you find you love the LR stuff...consider moving up to a bigger battery so you can get more vape time on a single charge.

Another option is to step up to 5v vaping (but don't do this with LR atties and cartos). The least expensive way to try this is to get a USB passthrough. The next option is a Mod.

Simple 5v or 6v mods are easy to find, in all shapes and sizes, from $20 to $300 bucks. They let you swap out batteries for different voltages...and some of the nicest ones allow you to 'change the voltage on the fly...from 3.2v to as high as 6v (Darwin will even get close to 12v if you can find an atty that'll stand up to it).

 

[Digs]

Don't put a LR atty on a normal 510 battery! They are not designed to handle that much current and the battery will quickly fail.

 

[Amy the Addicted Nurse]

I'm still pretty much a n00b but believe me when I say these people know what they are talking about! I went through (still go through) many of the same things.
1. yep most likely a flooded atty, made myself sick...bad sick sucking my brains out on a flooded atty and then swallowing a ton of juice! Best investment I've made are those cans of air that clean out your computer. Much easier and better IMO than blowing on them. Use the little red adapter and just blast the end of the atty...make sure to have a rag under it or do it over the sink cause you'll be amazed at how much juice will come squirting out!
2. I agree with the "hold the button a second or two before beginning to drag and then do long, slow even drags!
3. Move up to a Riva 510 w/ Low Resistance atty's or carto's
4. Taste...wish I could help there, I'm still trying to find something I can taste. So far the best luck I've had is a with a CinnaPear member Salemgold makes...it was totally NOT something I expected to like, but right now it's my all day everyday vape. I'm having more luck as the weeks go on with light airy fruits, a strawberry kiwi from Vixon Vapors has been the best outside of the CP I'm using. You can also find some vendors will add double/triple flavors and some add sweetener...I've used MadVapes, Bombay, and about to order from Vapors Etc. which I know offer extra flavor...I can't taste said extra flavor yet but it's getting there!

Hope you get all the help you need...if you hand around here you most certainly will!
Welcome!

 

[swedishfish]

Hi, been poking around on here for a few weeks, and just started vaping 7 days ago. I haven't had a cigarette since, and I'm completely sold on vaping, but I'm not getting the experience I want yet, and I have a buttload of questions. I've done my best to find the answers on here without posting a thread, but it gets overwhelming. That being said, I apologize in advance if I'm clogging up the forum with another list of questions that have answers, but I really need to make sure I get what I want out of this so I don't end up returning to analogs.

So, I bought, and am using the 510 kit shown here: JOYE510 Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit White with a couple of extra batteries and atomizers, a pcc, and a usb passthrough, also from rockymountainvapor. I had a terrible time getting any consistency out of the empty cartridges I bought. It seemed that some hits were competely flavorless, itchy, and weak, with very little vapor, and others were better, but still had little vapor. So I did a little research and switched to a Derlin Shorty drip tip. This has helped, but I still have trouble getting my experience to be consistent. I still have terrible hits sometimes, and sometimes that lasts long enough to be frustrating as hell. Other times things go well, and I really enjoy when it does. What am I doing wrong to make things so inconsistent? I drip 3 drops into the tip, and hit it more like a pipe than a cigarette, every time.

My next question is how can I get more flavor, and vapor? I know that my taste buds are wrecked to a certain degree from years of smoking, but I can still taste, and the liquids I have are just plain not living up to what I desire. I want full on, in your face flavor, and everything I've tried just seems to have a HINT of flavor. I'm using 80/20 24mg liquid from tastyvapor.com. I'm not getting any flavor from any of the fruity flavors I have. Almost none at all, and they all seem to dry out my throat and mouth instantly, leaving me to literally have to sip water after every single hit. They also leave my throat and roof of my mouth "itchy" feeling for lack of a better word. The chocolate/cream mix I got is better, and I've been using pretty much only this as a result, but I'd really like to be able to switch between flavors.

I also don't get anywhere near the amount of vapor I see people getting on youtube with, as far as I know, the same equipment. These people are blowing clouds, and even if I hit my 510 to the cutoff, I still get just kind of a thin smoky plume, not a cloud. I don't really care what it looks like or how much vapor I can see, but seeing that makes me think, "wow, that looks wet and flavorful," while I'm sucking on this dry, nearly flavorless crap.

I researched vg/pg a little, but I can't really figure out what is best for me. I just want my hits to be wetter and more flavorful. MUCH more flavorful, and MUCH wetter. And MUCH more consistent.

So, what advice can you guys offer me? Should I have different equipment? Different atomizers? Different batteries? Different pg/vg mixes? Different flavors? What is it?

I have this concept in my mind of what I want out of this, and every now and then I seem to get a glimpse of it with a good hit, and then it's gone, so I keep chasing the dragon, sucking on this thing like there's no tomorrow.

Please help. Thanks.

I have a 510 from Rocky Mountain Vapor. Get yourself some cartomizers. I think this is a great pv (except for battery life but that's to be expected with a mini). I honestly get as good of a vape with this as I do my ego.

I do use the carts/atty only to test juice. If I had to use them all the time, I'd probably be smoking. That's how much I hate them. But you'll get a much better experience with cartomizers.

If you have tried them and don't (I haven't read the whole thread) you may need to move up to a mod.

 

[swedishfish]

Get these

http://crystalclearvaping.goshopper.net/c/80073/15-carto-deal.htm

You don't have to get that many, but it's a good deal. They hold a lot of juice and you'll notice a tremendous difference.

 

[WorstPersonAlive]

Wow, thank you all so much for all the replies. So, I'm going to order some cartomizers, since they're cheap and a few people suggested those. Others suggested different batteries, and different atomizers...(right?) but I'm still kinda confused about that. I really don't understand the voltage/resistance thing at all. I saw one of you said to try a 3.7v battery? Is that just like the battery I have but with a different voltage? Do I have to get different atomizers for this? Do I have to get different atomizers for the cartomizers? I'm not even sure what a cartomizer is. Haha. But I can look that up and save you all from explaining it to me.

Also, as for the juice. Someone said 50/50 mix might be better for me? What mixture is going to give me the wettest, most flavorful hit?

Sorry to not credit you each individually, there were alot of replies. (which is great, thank you again)

 

[swedishfish]

To me, the first step would be to try cartomizers. See how your experience is with them. That's one of the easiest solutions.
A cartomizer is very simple- it's your atty and cartridge in one piece. Instead of having a cartridge and filling that and placing it on the atty, the atty is already built in to the cartomizer. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. While you're at it, buy a drip tip. You can just pop off the drip tip to fill the cartomizer.


Then make sure you have a good quality juice from a juice vendor. I usually get 70pg/30vg but people may prefer different ratios. I just got 60/40 from Vapor Bomb and I like that for that particular juice. All PG is pretty harsh, all VG is sorta thick- I get something in between.

 

[swedishfish]

Since you just started, you may need higher mg of nicotine. I've never tried the tasty vapor, but if you like fruit flavors, Vapor Bomb fruit is really good. They'll make up to 30 mg. juice for you if you ask them and you can also request the pg/vg ratio you want.

 

[Digs]

The regular 510 batteries operate at about 3.1 volts and a normal 510 atomizer is 2.2 ohms. Using Ohm's law you can figure out the amount of power the atty is getting. (3.1/2.2)*3.1 = 4.4 watts. If that atty is 2.5 ohms for some reason you'd be vaping at 3.8 watts. More power means more heat to the coil. Most people find their sweet spots between 7 and 9 watts.

Low resistance atomizers are designed to pull more current from the battery to increase the power. For example, with a 1.5 ohm atty on a 3.2V ego battery you'd be vaping at 6.8 watts. However, not all batteries can supply the current required by these atomizers so they will drain almost instantaneously. The eGo batteries are 3.2V and are able to supply enough current to operate low resistance atomizers, however some people still experience problems like batteries or atomizers failing (I never have).

Many if not most of the battery mods available use replaceable, rechargeable 3.7V batteries. Others use different batteries to operate at 5V, 6V, etc. Some allow multiple battery configurations and some of the newer ones let you manually adjust the voltage in small increments using a single battery (Variable Voltage).

3.7v is a good operating voltage for a lot of different atomizers. You can use most standard and LR atomizers with this voltage and it will perform better and last longer than with the 510s or eGos. The only real drawback is that they are larger and heavier.

 

[swedishfish]

The regular 510 batteries operate at about 3.1 volts and a normal 510 atomizer is 2.2 ohms. Using Ohm's law you can figure out the amount of power the atty is getting. (3.1/2.2)*3.1 = 4.4 watts. If that atty is 2.5 ohms for some reason you'd be vaping at 3.8 watts. More power means more heat to the coil. Most people find their sweet spots between 7 and 9 watts.

Low resistance atomizers are designed to pull more current from the battery to increase the power. For example, with a 1.5 ohm atty on a 3.2V ego battery you'd be vaping at 6.8 watts. However, not all batteries can supply the current required by these atomizers so they will drain almost instantaneously. The eGo batteries are 3.2V and are able to supply enough current to operate low resistance atomizers, however some people still experience problems like batteries or atomizers failing (I never have).

Many if not most of the battery mods available use replaceable, rechargeable 3.7V batteries. Others use different batteries to operate at 5V, 6V, etc. Some allow multiple battery configurations and some of the newer ones let you manually adjust the voltage in small increments using a single battery (Variable Voltage).

3.7v is a good operating voltage for a lot of different atomizers. You can use most standard and LR atomizers with this voltage and it will perform better and last longer than with the 510s or eGos. The only real drawback is that they are larger and heavier.

Do you think the OP will get better performance on their 510 with a LR atty?

 

[Digs]

Do you think the OP will get better performance on their 510 with a LR atty?

A LR atty (1.5 ohm) on a normal 510 battery (cigarette size) will drain the battery almost instantaneously.

I think the problem with his eCig configuration might be that it is not generating enough watts to heat the juice effectively. This could be fixed with a lower resistance atomizer or a higher voltage battery. If you want to go the cheapest route, try some other atties or cartos first. Maybe 2.0 ohm but I wouldn't go lower than that on those small batteries. If you get an eGo or big battery mod then you can try 1.5-1.8 ohm stuff. If you get a mod that can do more than 3.7V (High voltage) then you need to start looking at higher resistance atties (2.8-4 ohm) or else it will generate too much power and heat and pop.