New Member Here and I Brought Some Questions...

[Big Steve]

I've been smoking for a little over 6 years. Got hooked for all the wrong reasons and have tried just about everything to quit before coming to the conclusion that it wasn't so much the nicotine that I'm addicted to, but the habits and hand-to-mouth muscle memory that made it hard to kick the habit. It's the associations of smoking a cigarette...MY "triggers", if you will...that made it so hard. Be it waking up, driving, after I eat, when I get ....../stressed, drinking beer, when I got bored, etc. I'm sure most here share(d) some or most of these triggers for smoking.

Then I started thinking, maybe it IS the nicotine that I'm addicted to but only NEED it to get through certain tasks and stressful situations...I only NEED it on MY terms. Make sense? It does in my head!

Anyways, I was at a local smoke shop today after hearing stories about the e-cigs and decided to ask and give them a try. The store had 4 different brands ranging from $20 to $80. The one I decided to go with was Cig2O...regular $80 for the starter kit but I talked the clerk into giving it to me for $60. I could tell that half of what she was telling me was complete BS, but given the fact that I hadn't really done my research and that I could actually try this particular one out in the store helped convince me. It also had the most number of refill options available for purchase right there in the store.

I've been doing the e-cig (or whatever the proper term to call them is) several times throughout the day and I honestly haven't had a craving for a real cigarette....BUT, I do have several questions:


1) Who here has Cig2O and what are your thoughts compared to other e-cigs out there? I've Googled searched the hell out of e-cigs and, unfortunately, all the results end up being some biased review site specifically designed to help promote a single brand. I'm hoping here (key word "HOPING") I'll at least get a straight answer on whether I paid too much or if that money would have been spent better on another brand.

2) Does ANYONE know what the level of nicotine cartridge would be equivalent to Camel Lights (or "Blues" as they've recently been renamed to)? The available mgs for Cig2O are 24mg, 18mg (which is what came with it), 11mg, and 0mg.

3) How long are you supposed to puff on the damn thing for? LOL...this is actually my biggest question. It says 14-16 puffs is what a normal smoker takes to smoke a cigarette, but who actually counted the number of puffs? I'd usually average 5-8 minutes to smoke a Camel, but averaging that time on this thing doesn't seem to be right. I wish this thing would have some sort of timer or simulate the burning of the paper on a real cigarette to let you know when you've finished "smoking" it.


Those are really the only questions I can think of at the moment. I'm sure I'll have more as the days go on, most of which have probably already been answered on these boards, but I'm hoping some here can at least take the time to answer these here without telling me to use the search function. I just quit smoking, actually NEED a real cigarette, and I'm not in the mood!

Thanks for yall's time!

 

[Justice]

I can't answer anything on your ecig but does it at all kill the physical urge to smoke ?

 

[hairball]

Most people start out at 18-24mg. It's better to start high and go down. I vape about 5-7ml a day so I'm considered a heavy vaper (I think). My PV never leaves my hand for very long. I have not heard of the brand that you bought. Can you post a pic? Also, how many packs a day do/did you smoke?

 

[hairball]

Is this the one that you bought?(hover your mouse over this line and it will take you to it)

Description from website: CIG2O PRO AUTO KIT (REGULAR TOBACCO): The Pro Kit is our “Cadillac” package designed for the person who is serious to start vaping or committed to not smoking regular cigarettes. The Pro Kit has all you need to get started in your future of vaping. Kits come with 2 Auto Short Batteries, a USB charger, a wall charger, and one pack of 5 Cartomizers in 18mg tobacco flavor. We also included one free cartomizer to get you started. We feel 18mg nicotine is a good starting place for regular smokers who like their nicotine. You can go up or down on your nicotine with our selection of Cartomizers when it comes time to reorder. We stock 0, 8, 18, and 24 nicotine levels. CIG2o cartomizer 5-packs will cover your needs, after you get started.

 

[Rosa]

I can't tell what kind of e-cig that is, but as for the rest:

• regarding nicotine mg:

It's impossible to tell the right mg to get because we are not sure how much nicotine we are actually absorbing when we vape. We believe that it's somewhere between 10%-40% of what we use, but it's impossible to accurately predict. If what you have keeps you from smoking then I think you just lucked into finding your perfect number.

• regarding how much/ how often:

The best way to figure it IMO, is to not try to use it less, as much, or more than you smoked. Just vape when you feel like it and don't try to keep to a vaping schedule. This also will help you to break the habit of your addiction, because there will not be a timer that goes off in your head that says, "NOW! DO IT NOW!!" like there is when you smoke. You may find that in the beginning you will vape more often than you smoked, but most people will find themselves at a point (me, and others) where you can go hours and hours without thinking about vaping or smoking or nicotine at all and then puff away contentedly two or three puffs every 10-15 minutes for a while when it's convenient for you.

Vape to satisfaction in other words.

I hope that helps a little.



...ps, you have a smaller sized e-cig. Sort of an entry level thing, so if there comes a day when you say to yourself, "self, this was fun for a while but it's so dang fiddly! I don't know how much more of this I can take!", then just remember that there's a great big world of vaping out there with solutions for any problem that may arise. Good luck, happy vaping, and welcome to ECF!

 

[pkj]

What Rosa said, ++++1

Welcome to the forum. Glad you found us. Wish I could answer questions about your particular e-cig, but I am not familiar with that brand.

Within a short time, probably 30 to 60 days, one of two things is going to happen for you. You are going to kick the nicotine habit OR you are going to decide to upgrade your e-cig equipment (pv) If and when you decide to upgrade your PV, please come here and do some research. Ask a bunch of questions. Seek out information from our members. They are a great group of people and will do everything they can to help you find information.

If you decide to kick nicotine out of your life, please tell us that news too. We will celebrate with you

Wishing you all the best,
Happy Vaping,
Paula

 

[headsontwentys]

ok. im a new ecf member too, so please dont jump all over me if i say something wrong. big steve, i cant directly answer your question, but i can give you my personal experiences. i smoked a pack a day marlboro blend no. 27. i use 18mg liquid. i bought an envy bliss from a local smoke shop and quickly realized that e-cigs could work for me, just not this one. so did i waste the 50 bucks for that kit? yes and no. i dont use it anymore and consider it a pos. but, it did get me started on the idea of vaping and i quickly purchased a totally wicked tornado. once i figure out what the best cartridge, cartomizer, atomizer combination is perfect for me i will be set. when i first got the envy, the guy at the store told me that each cartridge was equivalent to a pack of smokes *cough,cough* bull#@$^. i have been vaping on my tornado for about a month and have noticed that i use it much less than when i started. i actually vaped on it so much when i first got it, that i would get lightheaded and get shaky hands. no body can tell you how long to vape. its kind of a learning curve. thats my story. hope it helps.

 

[StormFinch]

I did a quick Google search and found (through links to ECF of course ) that Cig2O is the KR808d-1 model. Big Steve you did good with the price you paid if the batteries are decent quality. KR8s are probably the second most popular thread type available. Cartomizers may be a bit cheaper at one of the online stores, or you could just buy juice and re-fill for even less, but if you can buy them locally for what the website sells them for it's not bad.

Edit: That's what I get for posting late at night/early in the morning. Changed the above Cig2Go to Cig2O

 

[Rosa]

I did a quick Google search and found (through links to ECF of course ) that Cig2Go is the KR808d-1 model. Big Steve you did good with the price you paid if the batteries are decent quality. KR8s are probably the second most popular thread type available. Cartomizers may be a bit cheaper at one of the online stores, or you could just buy juice and re-fill for even less, but if you can buy them locally for what the website sells them for it's not bad.

EXCELLENT!! KR808D-1 is not bad at all, it's very good. If that's the case, then you may want to get the PCC to go with it:

black for $15: KR808D-1 PCC Charging Case
or fancy colors for $25: Vapor4Life- Electronic Cigarette: Vapor King PCC
Also, if you go to vapor4life, you can get lots of flavors of cartos and use the coupon code "smilin" for some discount on your order. PLUS, get on the mailing list and they e-mail much bigger discount codes to you very frequently.

 

[Rosa]

I did a quick Google search and found (through links to ECF of course ) that Cig2Go is the KR808d-1 model. Big Steve you did good with the price you paid if the batteries are decent quality. KR8s are probably the second most popular thread type available. Cartomizers may be a bit cheaper at one of the online stores, or you could just buy juice and re-fill for even less, but if you can buy them locally for what the website sells them for it's not bad.

oh wait... cig2go? or cig20?

 

[Cat_in_the_Playground]

According to the e-cigarette-wiki compatibility chart,
Brand and Model Compatibility Chart - E-Cigarette Wiki
the Cig20 may be a KR808D1 - but does not state this for certain. It reads:
"May be a KR808D-1. Battery is male; cartomizer is female. Cartomizer has air flow notches."

If it is indeed a KR808D1, then I think you have done well for yourself. You might have paid a little too much (you can get a KR808D1 starter kit from MyVaporStore.com for $32.50 (KR808D1), but at least you got a good model. If you do have a KR808D1, then I have found MVS to have some of the best prices for this model (and others) on the net. They have great customer service as well. They responded to my question in under 24 hours and provided a very detailed answer, including pictures.

The KR808D1 and the 510 are the most popular models, especially for beginners.

I am fairly new to vaping, started in January. The first starter kit I purchased was a 510. About 2 weeks after I purchased my 510, I ended up buying a KR808 from Vapor4Life. V4L is also an excellent vendor with great customer service, but I find their prices a little higher on hardware. But, their juice prices are great - only $12.50 for 30ml.

With the KR808, you have the battery and cartomizer (atomizer + cartridge in one piece). You can purchase them pre-filled, or you can buy empty cartomizers and juice and (re)fill them yourself. I recommend (re)filling them yourself. It is very easy - simply remove the white cap from the end you drag on and drip the liquid around the sides - about 10-15 drops - replace the cap and you're good to vape.

As far as nicotine level, it really is just trial and error as others have said. I smoked about 1.5 PPD ultra lights. I started with 12mg and it has worked well for me. I have purchased 6mg and it was too low. I have bought a few 18mg bottles and they were okay as well, but I still find that 11-12mg is just right (like baby bears bed and porridge).

I COMPLETELY understand your issues in #3 about how long to vape. An analog has a defined start and end - not so with an ecig. My first starter kit came with similar instructions. It said that I was supposed to vape it as I would an analog - about 10-20 drags and put it away for an hour or so. There were warnings about overuse and I was scared I would OD on nicotine. But then I thought, I was a horrible chain smoker. There is no way I could vape for 20 drags and wait an hour. On a few occasions in the past, I have chain smoked so much I made myself ill, so I know how too much nicotine makes me feel - headache and nauseated, for me. I just started vaping until I didn't want to anymore - or "vaping to satisfaction" as someone put it. I think that is an excellent description. Just like I used to chain smoke analogs in the evenings before, now I chain vape in the evenings. The only difference is that before I was typically freezing or burning up outside on my iPhone, and now I'm plugged into my computer with my passthrough in the comfort of heating and AC. I probably even vape more than I would chain smoke, and I have yet to feel ill from vaping. So, as for how often and how long to vape - do it as much as you want, until you don't want to do it anymore - aka - till you are satisfied. You'll know if you are overdoing it on nicotine - I got a headache and nauseated. Others report feeling dizzy, light-headed, shaky, etc. If you are concerned that you are vaping too much nicotine, you can always get some juice that doesn't contain any nicotine and vape that. I think it took just 2-3 days before how much, how long and when was not a concern for me whatsoever.

Congrats on making the switch and welcome to the group!

 

[rimallik]

Hey Big Steve, I'm new here too but I will share my experience. I bought something in a smoke shop but it wasn't as nice as yours. I also smoked Camel lights but for about 20 years. I started with 18mg but that did not do the trick for me. I am using 24mg juice and that seems to do the trick for me. I vape all day long. I vape waaaaay more than I ever smoked. I am constantly hitting this thing but it's working. I still smoke a little here and there but cut it down to like 5% of what I was smoking. It is whatever works for you. Everyone here seems to have a different story and a different way of doing things. When you do decide to get a new device check out the ego. I just got one with the tank system and it is amazing. Great battery life (one battery lasts all day and some of the next) and great vapor and flavor. Good luck.

 

[sharoline424]

I also started with a cig2o. Can't complain about the product. I haven't ordered from cig20 themselves, but have ordered from vapage.com. I believe that cig2o and vapage are the same company, though. I don't recommend ordering from either. I ordered 2 packs of cartomizers and a pcc from vapage.com. It took two weeks to receive the cartos and I still haven't my pcc. Customer service is basically non existant. I've requested a refund for the pcc twice and haven't gotten a response. Hopefully the bank will help. Order your supplies from vapor4live.com. Awesome customer service and products!!!!!!!!!

 

[Big Steve]

Thanks everybody...this is definitely a lively forum as I didn't expect to receive half of the replies I've already gotten.

I guess I should've described my habit a little bit more and posted links to the e-cig that I bought. I've been smoking cigarettes for about 5-6 years but started out smoking cigars 8 years ago or so. Cigars definitely led to cigarettes and, while I started out where a pack would last me over a week (mainly only when I drank), I quickly began building up other associations to become almost a pack a day smoker for the past year. Roughly 15-18 cigarettes a day, I'd say....always Camel Lights.

The actual e-cig I bought was the Cig2o (Cig2o.com). Most of the review sights I've seen through a Google search never talk about this one but are always talking about GreenSmoke, VaporKing, and Blu (which is the first one I heard of several years ago). Looking up GreenSmoke, it seems to be good, but it didn't seem to have very many options as far as replacement cartomizers. I did find several places that said the Cig2o was the KR808...which was still Russian to me considering I still didn't know what that was. I appreciate y'all explaining that to me and if that is what I have, hopefully it's good enough to help me quit all together. And honestly, I didn't mind paying a few dollars more to have it now considering I would've made up the price difference in buying Camel Lights anyway if I had waited for one to be shipped off an internet site.

To answer someone's question above, since I have been using my pv (is that the proper term? I'm still learning; lol) I really haven't had the urge to smoke a real cigarette...which is really all that matters, I suppose. This particular one seems to produce enough vapor to simulate the inhalation of actual smoke and gives that "throat hit" sensation from a real cigarette...the cheap $20 one they had at the store didn't give that and felt more like I was taking a hit off an asthma inhaler.

I guess my main concern was that I would be using it TOO much and, if I didn't use the right mg of nicotine, I'd become EVEN MORE addicted. Perhaps that just some paranoia talking on my behalf; lol.

Thanks to everyone for all the links to cartomizer sites and the accessory stores. Rosa, I actually saw a similar case to that being sold in the store but I think they were wanting twice as much. Hopefully this one I have is the same KR808 that y'all refer to and it will fit if I were to order that case.

The best part of this whole thing is, WHEN I do finally quit it all together, I can actually resell this thing to someone else so I don't really ever consider myself out of pocket anything...I've been treating it more like a long-term investment

 

[Big Steve]

Speaking of the KR808 and 515 or whatever the other ones are; are these considered more-or-less universal battery types? Meaning do many of the major brands use these same batteries and just rebrand them for their own use? Or, does each brand have their own specific model?

I've been watching quite a few videos on YouTube and it seems some, even some of the "major" brands, don't produce much vapor with each puff. VaporKing and Blu were two of the ones that didn't seem to have much vapor at all. GreenSmoke and others (forget what they were) seemed to produce a bit more than what mine even does. I've read up a little and the vapor production seems to be the main draw in a "good" e-cig...mine seems to be good enough, I suppose, but I have already found myself saying "that's not enough".

Another question...are there ANY e-cigs out there that are roughly the same size as your average cigarette? I understand that there obviously a lot of tech inside these things (well, more than a regular cigarette anyway) but it's just so big and heavy. I'd like to find one that I can lip like I did with a regular cigarette.



Also, what brands are everyone here using? Does anyone use GreenSmoke, VaporKing, Blu? Are these even good brands or just the ones that have branded themselves onto every Google search of "electronic cigarette"?

 

[Rosa]

AAARGGh! I typed up this whole response but when I went to post it the forum was too busy and it deleted my whole message. *sigh* here's the gist of it:
• The batteries of some models are compatible with other models parts. The numbers that we reference (808, 510, 901, etc) refer to the threading of the e-cig so if you have a kr808d-1, then you can only buy stuff that's compatible with a 808 threaded models. If you have a 510, you can only use 510 parts. It gets more complicated because there's a lot of rebranding in this industry so unless they tell you the true model number you must find it out for yourself or else don't buy it because you won't know what else it's compatible with (for example, the vaporking is a kr808d-1, Blu is compatible with but not the same quality as a 510 -- vaporking not to be confused with the website "vapor kings" which sells other models). It's similar to buying software for your computer, you would never do that without knowing for certain if it will be compatible with your hardware right?

• the amount of vapor is effected by a few different factors: the kind of ejuice (pg/vg), the kind of atomizer or cartomizer, and the strength of the battery, and the voltage of the e-cig too. Giant plumes of vapor are great but they aren't the end-all/be-all of vaping, a real "feels like I'm smoking a cigarette" feeling is usually the goal. It is possible to have giant plumes of vapor and still feel like you are sucking air through a straw.

• there are very small e-cigs that are the size of a real cigarette, but they are generally considered junk for a couple of reasons; the battery will be so small it will only last about an hour of use but will take 2 hours to recharge, in addition to that it'll only fit enough liquid inside to get about 10 minutes of use before having to refill. Most of us find that the amount of work involved is not worth the small size.

• The KR808D-1 is the second most supported system around here (that's the vaporking model) but most of us don't like the Greensmoke or the Blu. Greensmoke performance is ok, but they are extremely, extremely, extremely over-priced and it's a model that is common enough that you can purchase it for cheap a few other places (IMo, it's sort of a scam, like selling cheap payless shoes at a fancy department store for $100 a pair -- but that business, right?). The Blu is generally considered to be a weaker unit and many people buy them and are disappointed by the performance. Some people still like Blu, but most say that they were surprised by how much better the 510 or the kr808d-1 e-cig performed considering how popular Blu is.

• regarding the nicotine: Nicotine by itself (outside of tobacco use) is not significantly addictive. It's only when you use it with the tobacco products that it becomes extremely addictive. Even if you use a lot more nicotine when you start vaping, you will end up less addicted to it then you ever were before. This is just from my observations and personal experience over the last year of vaping and reading on ECF. Plus this: Nicotine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

quote:
"Technically, nicotine is not significantly addictive, as nicotine administered alone does not produce significant reinforcing properties. However, after coadministration with an MAOI, such as those found in tobacco, nicotine produces significant behavioral sensitization, a measure of addiction potential. This is similar in effect to amphetamine."

Good luck!

 

[robocig]

Also, what brands are everyone here using? Does anyone use GreenSmoke, VaporKing, Blu? Are these even good brands or just the ones that have branded themselves onto every Google search of "electronic cigarette"?

The brands are generally overpriced in most every way, so I'd probably avoid them. The GreenSmoke (which I tried at first) produces a lot of vapor, but it's also a version of the KR808- it's a KR808D-2, not a D-1 (and apparently the D-1 is newer, but don't quote me on that). The problem is that you're going to invest a lot more for that kind of product since it's harder to get replacement parts for the device. For example- a battery through GreenSmoke is $50... but you could get a KR808D-1 for $13.

I switched over to a KR808D-1 with a PCC within two weeks and I am more than happy with it and get plenty of vapor.

 

[Big Steve]

Thanks for the info...I wish I could find out for SURE if the one I have is the KR808. Guess I may just have to do it by trial/error and order cartomizers that are compatible with the 808 and see if it works.

I take it that the 510 is the most popular and highest recommended? KR808 is second?

Can you refer a respectable website that sells the 510? There have been a few sites posted in this thread already, but being new to this whole thing it still seems foreign...I'm sure I'll eventually get it all down, though. LOL

If anyone didn't get the link to the main site of the one I bought, here it is again:
Cig2o.com
...maybe someone can look at it and understand something I wouldn't be able to and be able to tell me if it is indeed the 808.

 

[Rosa]

I found this on a thread from a while back:

quote:
"I started with a cig2o, they are compatible with cartos from Vapor4Life. Also battery replacements can be purchased from here as well. I had initially gone to their website (cig2o) after buying their product in a store looking for more cartos when half their offsite links didn't use SSL encryption for online transactions. Thats when I found this place and V4L as an alternative. I've been using 510 and eGo's now which have personally been better."

If you decide that you want to try the 510 threaded devices anyway then I do recommend skipping the small 510 unit and going straight for the eGo or Riva ones. You can buy a Riva at Liberty Flights for $30 after clicking the 20% discount button, and the batteries last about 8-10 hours between charges. The 510 (the eGo/Riva specifically) kits are popular because they are so widely supported and so versatile; you can use them the following ways: carts, cartomizers, drip tip, LR atomizers, tanks, clearomizer, map tank, vapemate... more.

 

[StormFinch]

oh wait... cig2go? or cig20?

Yeah, my bad Rosa. I was of course posting when I should have been sleeping. I did actually check the specs for the Cig2O.