New guy. Here's my 2 cents.

[migszo]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post so I thought I would share a few thoughts. Yesterday, after about 6 months of research and the determination to kick the filthy, life threatening habit known here as "analogs", I ordered my first e-cig starter kit. My hesitation for jumping onto the e-cig bandwagon wasn't because of the absence of long-term studies; hell, everyone knows the long-term effects of actual cigarettes... but what turned me off is the way this market is presented.

I'm not calling the forum users out, I think I've found some real folks here... but for the love of God, just Google anything related to electronic cigarettes. I began thinking there wasn't one real "face" involved in the entire industry, but rather just an extremely saturated internet market filled with subtle advertisements, affiliate programs, and false reports. Every domain with keywords related to e-cigarettes is registered. It felt like a big conspiracy... everything was being spit out by a giant machine somewhere. Even entire message boards that just didn't seem right... everyone talked the same way, used the same language.. all the buzz words involved..

Then there's the Youtube reviews. Finally, an actual customer and a face to go with it, right? Wrong again. I felt like most of these people weren't even real, with contradictory videos everywhere.. backing this product, that product...are they robots? affiliates? pawns in some sort of e-cig cult? What kind of product is this? The whole thing is completely convoluted. I'd go to the store, buy a pack of smokes, and that's that. The whole experience is the same 20 years ago as it is now, save the price. Maybe that's part of the addiction, and this market needs to take notes.

Anyway, for lack of a better word, the whole process was "scary". I'll be delighted if this is the alternative I need. I can't say anything about the product itself because I haven't received it yet, but I am excited. Hopefully you don't take this the wrong way, I just thought I'd share my feelings on the market itself. Maybe some of the users can reassure me!

 

[humarock]

Migszo, welcome to ECF, you came to the right place for education. I hear what your saying, I too was doing the google route and finally found this place and it stopped right there for me! I was ready to go to the local smoke shop for one of their overpriced kits and glad I got here 1st....I've been a faithful Marlb red smoker for 40 years! YUP, 40! Loads of money out the window and not to mention my health.....so, at 1st i was 'weary' as well about the absence of studies, but then the light bulb went off and I thought "hell, I'm smoking THIS crap and there are 4,000 KNOWN chemicals??? what am I CRAZY?"...so I ordered my 1st kit, a 902 similar to the 510's you see, and I was jazzed...yeah, it was a little messy at 1st, I had NO idea what I was doing, then I watched the videos that are on here, got that DOWN PAT and moved on to getting an Ego starter kit, can I tell you that from day one of my e-cig journey, I have not TOUCHED, THOUGHT or WANTED another 'analog'! It is AMAZING! I felt hopeless before, I WANTED to quit, but never got past 8 hours and that was because I was SLEEPING!....so this to me is an amazing journey! Yeah, we are a group on our own, but a GREAT group for sure and I have been successful for a MONTH as of tomorrow! YEAH ME!

So I hear ya, even my hubby was like "oh, what are you spending money on NOW?" and even HE is very impressed, hopefully he'll follow suit, because now that I'm not smoking, he is stinky...LOL....

I look forward to hearing about your journey and we don't take anything the wrong way, everyone here especially the 'vets' are VERY helpful and we've all been in the shoes your wearing!

Wish you MUCH success! Even if you don't quit right off the bat, which some don't, no problem, you keep up and it WILL happen to you!

Enjoy!

 

[alexcore]

I completely agree. I almost gave up on ecigs all together after trying to find some quality reviews and information through google and yotuube. I mean , if you search e cig reviews on google you only find a bunch of bull....ted sites that tell you EVERY BRAND is good. Not to mention all of these brands they tell you are great and give 5 stars. Green Smoke...blu...etc. It became very hard to tell who was bull....ting and who was not.

I have owned my Joye 510 for 5 days and I am in love. I dont think I even heard about the 510, 808, or and other popular PV until I read into this forum a bit.

If it were not for this forum I would have wasted tons of money on a product I would not be happy with, and start smoking analogs again.

I hate to say it but at first I wasnt sure if I could even trust the info on this forum.

I love e cigs and I love ECF!

 

[Automaton]

Welcome migzo!

Yeah, I do really know what you mean. And here's the thing - most of the GOOD e-cig suppliers have really ugly websites and very little advertising money. They're just small operations, run by an enthusiastic e-cig convert.

But in most markets, the ugly websites and small-time operations are the ones to avoid. So everything is the reverse in the e-cig industry of what it is in other industries.

And this is because there is absolutely no market regulation. This forum is probably the closest thing to market regulation there is, simply because there are so many active members.

There are hidden reps and spammers that come here too, but the mods are very tight-fisted about it and they usually get spotted quick. So, welcome to ECF! There are lots of actual human beings here!

 

[Sign-Man]

Welcome to ECF.

Just hang in there and read, read, read. That warm and fuzzy feeling will eventually prevail.

I quit smoking tobacco the same day I received my Nicotine Vaporizer. I check into ECF occasionally and I live my life as before - only I have more money in my pocket, I don't cough a lung and I walk 7 miles a day.
.

 

[JC Okie]

I know what you mean about confusing...but you REALLY have finally landed in the right place. I think for one thing it's a relatively new market...for sure here in the US....and it's unregulated....so anyone can make any claim and there's nobody saying you can't say that.... But here, these people (we) are real people who are using e-cigs. This forum is full of accurate information as well as thousands of people who are actually using the product and who have incredible success stories. Start reading around. Read our library. Anyway, what are you ordering? I started with a crappy mall kiosk model, ditched it pretty quickly, then got a 510 and loved it. I now have a Joye eGo and absolutely LOVE it. I swear by it. And I've been off cigs for over 3 months now. This WILL work for you if you want it to. And....you'll be surprised at how quickly your perception of the whole vaping community will change. Keep us informed.....and good luck.

 

[migszo]

I found this forum after ordering my starter kit, so I rather not reveal the brand until I've tried it out for the sake of being called out as a noob. There's some posts here that say it's no good, others say they enjoy it. If I had found this forum first, I probably would have ordered the "510" everyone is talking about. I may have been sucked in by the machine I loathe so much.

 

[whiskey]

Relax Mig & welcome to ecf...where the REAL people hang out...

 

[humarock]

I found this forum after ordering my starter kit, so I rather not reveal the brand until I've tried it out for the sake of being called out as a noob. There's some posts here that say it's no good, others say they enjoy it. If I had found this forum first, I probably would have ordered the "510" everyone is talking about. I may have been sucked in by the machine I loathe so much.

LOL...the best part of this place is everyone realizes it is personal preference for everything from hardward to juices....You have to start somewhere! And use it for a while and when you get familiar with it all, you'll upgrade as we all have done and you'll find that sweet spot....I love my Ego but I'll keep tweeking it until I get really comfy, haven't found my sweet spot yet, but getting there....so read on, keep in touch with the boards and enjoy it!

 

[blondeambition3]

Bravo Migszo! I hear you & I'm with you!!!!! It's INSANE here in the eCig World, and that's WHY I chose the ECF Forum... to try & make sense of the non-nonsensical & oversaturated Big $ eCig Market! (LOL)
Now, just tell me Sir... WHAT SYSTEM did YOU buy!!!!!??????!!!!!! (I NEED to know!) Please share as soon as your starter Kit arrives...

* I use a Janty eGo with E2 XL cartos..... after spending thousands of dollars searching for that elusive 'perfect' eCig... this is what does it for me.

 

[cliff5550]

You have landed in the right spot.
My wife and I have not had a stinky, choking cigarette since July 1, 2009 when we picked up our first e-cig. NOT ONE!
I had smoked for 45 years and was at 2-3 packs a day. She had smoked for about 30 years and was at about 1.5 packs a day.
It's not always that easy for many who try e-cigs and many still use both regular cigs and e-cigs. We were among the lucky ones and quit immediately.
Good luck to you...and ask as many questions as you need. Someone in here will have the answers you need.

 

[SimpleSins]

I found this forum after ordering my starter kit, so I rather not reveal the brand until I've tried it out for the sake of being called out as a noob. There's some posts here that say it's no good, others say they enjoy it. If I had found this forum first, I probably would have ordered the "510" everyone is talking about. I may have been sucked in by the machine I loathe so much.

You'll end up finding out what works for you, Migzo. I admit it sometimes does come off as almost cult-like in the vapid endorsements around here, but I think if you stick it out, you'll find that there are a few real people on here. It really doesn't matter whether anybody likes the model you have or not; what is going to matter is whether you do and whether it helps you achieve your goals. If you only use it for a couple of weeks before you're ready to move on to something else, it has stilled served the purpose of moving you forward to achieving what you want, so ignore any scathing remarks cast in your direction!!

Good luck. There are a lot of people that are willing to help, and just mentally edit as you see fit.

 

[radicaljd]

I went through the same process as you. My first ecig was from BluCigs, purchased last June, which was absolutely TERRIBLE. The batteries lasted maybe an hour or 90 minutes before needing a recharge, and the cartridges they sell lasted only a few puffs. Fortunately, I returned it for a refund during the first 30 days, but now I hear that they will deduct the cost of any cartridges you consume.

Next, I tried ProSmoke, which was also a total ripoff, and much more tight fisted about giving refunds.

Then, I found this forum and, based on recommendations, got a Joye eGo kit for about 55 bucks. My eGo is fantastic. The battery lasts all day without a recharge and provides plumes of vapor. I haven't smoked or wanted a tobacco cigarette since!

I also discovered that it is foolish to get prefilled cartridges. The liquid they use usually tastes terrible. The best and most economical answer is to buy US-made e-liquid from one of many sources recommended here, and either fill your own cartridges or cartomizers, or do what I do: direct drip using a drip tip.

Anyway, welcome!

RadicalJD

 

[mianker]

migszo welcome to the sometimes confusing world of vaping. If you are like a lot of us no matter what you start with eventually you will want to try something else. The entire e-cigarette industry is changing almost daily it seems. New innovations some great some maybe not so great seem to be almost a daily occurence. I have friends and family members that are still happy with the first things they tried and others keep trying out new things. The most important thing either way is the analogs we are all avoiding. I have been vaping only over 6 months now and can't think of anything that would make me go back...................although I do keep some higher levels of nic around for really stressful times my normal vapes are 6mg and at times I am happy at 0mg nic.

Enjoy the journey & I wish you well.

 

[tedward1555]

Yep you're in the right place. Today is a great day to be smoke free!

 

[JC Okie]

It doesn't even matter what kit you bought because it's the first step.....can't be anything bad about that. Like I said, I bought one from the mall kiosk at first. It's not even that those first kits are so bad....it's just that they are usually overpriced for what you get. But when you calculate how much money you sent literally "up in smoke," even an over-priced model is better than cigarettes (analogs...lol). So....whatever you got will hopefully work well enough for long enough for you to see what vaping can really do.

I didn't even set out to quit. I smoked for over 40 years and I really just tried one because I was so sick of the MONEY I was spending on cigarettes. I thought I'd "supplement" my habit and save a little money. BUT.....I found that I loved vaping so much that I truly "forgot" to smoke. I call them miracle workers. It's absolutely amazing that they are so effective. Good luck, and really....don't let anyone rag on you about your kit....whatever it takes is what you need. As you go, however, you'll probably get caught up in the whole culture of it and once it really starts working (you'll be so proud of yourself! We all are...can you tell?) you may want to upgrade. By that time, you'll have a much better idea of what you want/need. Good luck!! When do you get it? Soon? Aren't you excited?

 

[migszo]

Thanks for the nice replies, all

When do you get it? Soon? Aren't you excited?

Well, I received a tracking number... I'm expecting to get the kit sometime next week. I'll give a little review when it arrives.
And yes, I am excited

 

[rons29445]

Welcome to the club....
I ran across this site while researching the kit I had purchased on a cruise ship.
At first I began thinking what the heck is all of this about, juice, condoms, syringes, etc.. Am I going to have the feds busting down my doors in a drug raid???

But after digesting it and reading more, I came to understand and see this forum as a support group more than anything.
I firmly believe that kicking the tobacco habit is going to work and vaping is going to help.

I began vaping in this morning and so far no analogs smokes today... Just taking 1 day at a time.

 

[debb]

Welcome! I ran into ECF...after seeing a commercial for ecigs...so I set out to do research...and the first thing that popped up when I google ..was this forum...so I popped in to read...(and boy did I)...and took the plunge...I was very happy and satisfied with the first kit I bought... Good Luck, and Vape on...

 

[maclean]

I was pretty lucky. I found the italian e-cig forum first and read up on a bunch of stuff there. I'd already spent money on a crap mall-type ecig, but it got me started, and once I read through the forum, I realised I was on the right track - I was just using the wrong equipment. I order a 510, then I discovered this place, then eventually got an Ego, and now I'm all set.

The terminology didn't worry me too much. I make 3d content for a living and there's nothing in the world as confusing as 3d terminology. LOL.

Anyway, congrats on deciding to quit, and coming to the forums. I'm betting you'll soon realise it's one of the smartest moves you made.

mac