New to Ecigs, could use some help please

[phalaeo]

Hi there,

I'm looking to switch to ecigs, but all the apparent customization and variety make it really hard for me to research. I did try a free sample from njoy, and they were pretty good, but I'd like something that is refillable/non-disposable. My normal "real cigs" are Marlboro 100s (reds). I'm usually pretty good about Googling stuff for myself, but I really don't know what to do in this situation.

I do know that I like full flavour, would prefer something that looks like a cigarette, I like to feel the "smoke" in my throat, and I hate flavours that are added (plain tobacco flavour = good. Black cherry banana hazelnut mai tai = bad).

Ideally, I'd just like to buy a kit, and have you good folks recommend a brand or two. I feel like I'm in an automobile forum here- you guys are driving around custom hot rods and all I want is to "walk on the lot and buy".... if you know what I mean.

Anyways, if any of you can give me some recommendations based on the info above, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

[spc_erp]

i tried a ciggerate lookin e cig before i deployed for the first time and i did not work, no throat hit nothing, battery life sucked and all of that. I got an ego passthrough kit with a charger, two clearomizers ( reusable tank) with a tobacco flavored liquid, and quit smokin a week later. as your smell and taste come back you may find fruity flavors are awesome. i got an artic ice menthol cuz thats what i smoked and now i vape fruity flavors with mint in them. i paid 40 dolllars at the smoke shop and quickly got obessed. vaping is fun, you can make it yours, i like the color green, so i have a black and green variable voltage e cig mod, with a 5 ml j tank on a low resitance cartomizer. my wife's set up is as about as pink as you could go. hopefully you find somethhing you like and welcome to the vape world!!!!

 

[Reese4]

Phalaeo
We got V2 and very happy with them.

 

[Baditude]

If your first starter kit just must look like a cigarette, I recommend Smokeless Image. They are one of the best cigalike brands available and very popular here. Heck, I started with them and they got me off the smokes and my foot in the door of vaping. But I can tell you now, you will continually look for the better vape than you can get from the small batteries.

I STRONGLY recommend that you go just a little bigger in size (cigar sized?) to an eGo size battery. Your options in battery duration double and triple, the options in juice delivery devices increase tenfold, and the vape that you are expecting will more likely be found with one of these.

A crash course on the more popular juice delivery devices that can be used on an eGo battery:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...minology-carto-tank-what-lol.html#post7562212

A recommended setup:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/369128-what-kit-start-3.html#post8309522



Size comparison of a cigarette, two cigalikes, and three eGo size batteries from Smokeless Image.

 

[Scoper50]

Everybody that is starting out with vaping wants something that looks like a cigarette. The truth of the matter is the cigarette sized stuff doesn't work the way you want it to. You don't get any throat hit, the vapor production usually isn't great, and the batteries die very quickly. I started out with a blu kit. I paid $80 for it, and using it, I was able to cut my pack a day habit in half. But I always went back to real cigarettes because I craved that throat hit. I wanted the feeling of smoking. And the cigarette sized batteries simply don't do that.

Another newbie mistake is trying to find a flavor that tastes like a cigarette. There are some flavors out there that taste similar to cigarette smoke, but not really. A cigarette is burning. A lot of what you taste is burning tobacco. With vaping, nothing is burning. So it's pretty much impossible to duplicate that taste 100% When you quit smoking cigarettes, your taste buds quickly return, and you'll find that cigarettes actually taste pretty awful. I have a few flavors that taste similar to cigarette smoke, and honestly, I don't use them very much. I have found other flavors that taste worlds better. If your not into fruity sweet flavors, I urge you to try different tobacco flavors. Most of them don't really taste like tobacco. A lot of them have caramel undertones with hints of things like maple syrup, or apples, or vanilla, etc...

Almost all of us have made horrible purchases when first starting out with this stuff. If you want to save a little money, skip the cigarette sized junk and start with an ego style battery. You won't be disappointed, and it's actually way cheaper than the gimmicky cig style devices. And you can screw any delivery device on it you want. Your not stuck with expensive pre filled cartridges/cartomizers.

 

[phalaeo]

Thanks guys- I will look into those suggestions.

Do refillable ecigs differ from what's on the market for disposables? Meaning- I like the Njoy disposables. I think they have a nice throat hit, tastes somewhat like a cig, etc. Is it harder to get that with refillables and that's why you're recommending a larger size setup?

 

[T41CK]

Make sure you post back with what you are looking for and maybe even a link on what you have decided with. Doing this we all could help you find the best deal and purchase possible. There are a lot of vendors that mark-up their prices almost triple the amount sometimes. Get back to us as soon as you can.

Welcome to the community phalaeo you will love it here, everyone is really helpful here.

 

[hope1]

Everything suggested here is sooo true! I was a pack per day and started wtih V2. It helped me quit, but the carts started tasting like lighter fluid to me and I went back to smoking. This time around I listened and though really opposed to getting something bigger - the ego style, it is truly a huge difference in what you get, reliability, consistency! Congratulations on your decision to get into this. You won't regret it!!

 

[T41CK]

Edit: I didn't see your questions ha ha

Throat hit is all on the type of e-liquid that is being used (VG, PG or mix) and yes you can refill disposables and even charge them sometimes but this would be just as expensive if you were to just get some kind of rechargeable kit(all in one).

If you are looking for throat hit(TH) then I would suggest higher nic levels (24mg-32mg) and while using straight PG base mix. These mixes will give massive TH if that is what you are looking for.

I was also the same way when I started... Looks like a real cig, tastes like a real cig, etc etc. I can not stand marlb flavor e liquid at all anymore and I think I vaped it for about 2 weeks before switching to some kind of RY4

 

[Rachy_B]

I'm gonna wade in on the side of cig-a-likes here... I use a 510 penstyle, the same sized battery as the right-hand pink battery in baditude's photo, and I really like it.

I have 5 of these batteries- they're about 85mm long, 9mm diameter and 240mah in power each. The total length of my PV is 14cm, including battery, cartomiser and drip-tip. I also have a PCC for when I'm out and about incase I need to charge them. I usually use about 2.5-3 of these batteries in a day using 12mg juice, although I started out on 24mg in the morning and cut it down to 18mg during the day. Before using this, I smoked 20 roll-ups of Amber Leaf tobacco, using an extra slim filter, a day.

I had previously tried to quit using a cigar sized set-up like the Ego-T but it was too heavy and cumbersome for my liking. I actually downgraded and found it worked best for me!

It's a matter of taste... I've got a friend who also uses the same type as me, just with a slightly shorter battery and she loves it too. Very experienced vapers will tell you that bigger usually equals better but as yet, I haven't found this. The only reason I'm thinking of upgrading to an ecab (similar dimensions) is the rebuildable quality and possibility of easier parts availability in the event of a ban. You know yourself better than anyone but if you start out small, higher nic might be the way forward to ease you in?

My friend and I who both like the 510 are students so we sit at a desk all day and read and type papers so the automatic nature of our batteries means we can leave our ecigs hanging out of our mouths and just get on with it! That said, I occasionally drive a long distance home for a few days and I use my ego-t then so I don't have to keep refilling my cartomiser. I don't find it as satisfying though (I can hear you all yelling 'whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!' at your screens btw!).

As for the difference between disposable and refillable, I haven't tried disposables BUT I enjoy the throathit on my 510 and I use a 70/30 PG/VG blend in my juices. As for flavour, I have some samples from my supplier in their own bottles but one is labelled 'HS Delight' which I assume is Hangsen Delight. This smells and tastes awful! It smells and tastes just like a 'real' cig IMO. Naaaaaaaaaaaaasty! Getting a very realistic taste is difficult but that's one I'd certainly recommend if you want to go down the 'real' cig taste route. Virginia (in the two different versions I've tried) tastes quite honey-y and RY4 tastes like cookies, both of which are delcious! I've also tried a Marlboro and Hangsen Storm which both taste quite nutty or like the nutty ones in Quality Street chocolates.

I'm sorry to 'muddy the waters' for you a little bit but I just wanted to add my 2 pennies to this as the smaller style does work for me. If major TH and vapour are for you, I'd totally agree with everyone else. If it is more important that you have the cig-a-like, stick with something like the 510...x

 

[ego-sum-deus]

Honestly, I was intrigued at first with the cigarette sized ecigs. I tried a couple out and let me tell you, they don't usually work like you want. With the ego style kits and a good juice, I think you'll find that the throat hit is there (much more than a cig-a-like) while being satisfied from the nic.

 

[Catmau5]

1) I have never had tobacco flavored juice but I remember smoking bugler and it had a sweet taste and from what I have heard the tobacco flavors taste the same just not smokey so I think it would be a better.
2) I agree with rachy the 510 is the way to go I have a 510 battery with a bridgeless atomizer and a drip tip and it works just as good as any other model (except apvs which is my next step!)
3) great job on wanting to quit it just takes that will power no matter what device you go with as long as you get the nicotine delivery and the effect of smoke coming out it makes a whole difference and you will find a great difference in your life and suddenly begin finding passions you never knew you have through the passion of e cigs!

 

[phalaeo]

Hi folks!

Thanks for all the help again. I did go ahead and purchase an eGo Mega Dual Coil Cartomizer Kit, along with 2 PG juices- an RY4 and "Black Tea".

Here's the link to what I purchased. (Mods- if I'm not allowed to post links to vendors I apologize, and please delete it)
AltSmoke.com | Personal Vaporizers | Electronic Cigarette | Ecigs | eGo Dual Coil Cartomizer Starter Kit

(EDIT) Link somehow got changed- should be ok to click anywhere on it to go to the URL I posted. Oops.

Hopefully, it should get here soon and I can reply with how it's working for me.

One thing that was unclear to me was whether or not I'd need one of those syringe-bottles to fill the thing. My husband can get syringes from work if needed, but I'd kinda like to know before it gets here if possible. If anyone has ideas as to how the cartomizer on this thing gets filled, I'd really like to know.

Thanks!
-Phal

 

[Ken_A]

Many people think that juice is all subjective and the larger the PV (personal vaporizer) the better. I personally vape a pipe when I can and it uses an 18350 battery. They don't last terribly long and I carry spares in little plastic bags to switch when I need to. This works for me. I know people who have gotten cigarette sized e-cigs and a pcc (portable charging case) and that works for them. Vape one and charge one. Your ideal PV is just as much a matter of taste as your juice. Whatever reduces or keeps you off the cigarettes is what you should use. Don't feel like a failure if you start out wanting a REAL cig sometimes either. Vape when you can and smoke when you must.. You will soon enough find that the smoking satisfies you less and vaping satisfies you more. THEN you may become a PV enthusiast and start buying all the latest and greatest as a hobby. You may become an ex-smoker AND an ex-vaper. IMO as long as the cigs are gone, then you have won a major battle. I started vaping to replace tobacco. I do not currently have plans to stop, but that is just what works for me no smoking, just the enjoyable parts without the bad.

 

[Baditude]

Nice choice. (By the way, it is ok to post links here.)

You do not require a needle and syringe to fill these, but you can if you wish to. I'll include a video demo below of someone filling one of these types of cartomizers, only it is clear and you can see what the polyfill material inside the carto looks like before and after it has juice in it. Should you decide to fill yours by simply dripping e-liquid into the top, I recommend plugging the center airhole tube with a wooden tooth pick to keep liquid from entering there. Once the filler looks moist like a slushy drink, remove the tooth pick and replace with the whistle tip mouthpiece.

These cartos hold a lot of liquid, but they like to be "topped off" frequently. Once you begin to detect some burnt taste, refill with your juice. After some time, you'll soon be able to guage at what point to refill before you get to that burnt taste.

 

[phalaeo]

Just wanted to let you guys know how it's going. Got it in the mail early today. It's fairly simple, and once I was able to hold it in my hands all of the descriptions/shorthand here started to make more sense. It's about what I expected, so that's good. There's enough vapor/throat hit/flavour to be satisfying, and between the refillable one I just got and the gas station ecigs, I've not smoked a real cig in over 4 days! Wooo!

Hopefully I'll be able to experiment more with flavours. I got two to start, one called "RY4" and "Black Tea". I liked the RY4... the Black Tea did taste like tea, but for some reason I didn't like it.

Not sure if anyone is still reading this thread, but I'm curious about how one would switch flavours without "contaminating" or inadvertent cross-flavouring. The kit I got has 3 Cartomizers, so I just put one flavour in one, and the other in the second. When you refill with a new flavour, is "crossing the streams" inevitable?

 

[TBPlayer2112]

Usually I keep one cartomizer for one flavor. If you use one type of juice and then fill with another type there will be 'flavor creep'. You'll want to get more blanks, or since you have ego batteries you could try using clearomizers or cartotanks in the future.
Conga-ratz on four days tobacco free! Now the search for your favorite juices begins!
Quick tip-Drink LOTS of water. Vaping WILL dehydrate you so you'll want to drink plenty of fluids.