New to this site and Vaping, so Hello from Lima, Peru!

[Mr.GfCs]

Hi all,
I'm a 51 year old American living abroad in Lima Peru. Been smoking most of my life and decided I needed to try and cut down on my smoking, so instead of buying a months worth of cig's this month, I purchased a eGo Speed 1S for use around the house and a smaller unit for when I go out.
Thus far, I've only used the pre-mixed stuff. Don't like the tobacco flavor, but I've taken a liking to the Coffee (by Dekang) and Apple flavored stuff (made locally). While I was smoking 2 packs of Hamilton Lights on average a day, I wasn't really "smoking" them. I'd light a cig at my desk, take a drag, put it down and before it's burned up, maybe get 1 or 2 more drags off if it. Of the 2 packs a day I was burning, I'd only actually smoke about a dozen or so.... but after 36 years of this (between Marlboro's Lights, Lucky Strike Light, or Basic Lights) I figured it's time to seriously try and quit smoking.
Having moved here in 2000, I'm pretty much out of the 'main stream' of information down here as I don't watch the local cable at all. So I have no clue on what's going on up there in the States, or even the 'world' most of the time. What got me to to try vaping, is the fact that my brother switched to it after returning from a tour in the DMZ in S. Korea and he told me a little about it. I compared the cost of smoking this month to the cost of getting the two rigs and e-juice for a month and realized what I could save, so here I am.
Now, I'm thinking about ordering the stuff to make my own E-juice, as it seems to make it even cheaper. From what I've been able to grasp thus far, I'd be better off ordering the Nicotine with the PG, as it's got a longer shelf life than the VG does.
Question is, what strength of Nicotine-PG mix should I get? 100mg, 60mg, 48mg, 36mg, or 24mg? One of the things I have to take into consideration is the weight (shipping fees) and the fact that I have to make an order last....

 

[Tommy-Chi]

Welcome to ECF! Thank you for serving!!!

Here in the states, there are low wattage vapers (W < 20, using pens), mid wattage vapers (30W < W < 55W, all sorts of devices) and high wattage vapers (75W < W < 200W, using box mods with two 18650's and up).

There has been an increasing number of posts on ECF in the mid to high range of users, but most of the vapers buying cigalikes, pens and low wattage vapers(TootlePuffers) aren't on ECF. There are some, and they are a very solid bunch of ECF.

I vape at the higher end, 90W+, dual claptons on a Sigelei 150W TC box mod with an RDA.

Buying two Sigelei 213's within the next 30 days for TC. Just bought one and will order 3 more Twisted Messes Squared RDAs. This is where the action is.

 

[Tommy-Chi]

I buy 250ml and 500ml bottles of 100mg/ml Nude Nicotine. It was voted as best taste, cheapest, best color overall, here on ECF. Store it in the freezer and it should last 5 to 10years.

 

[Mr.GfCs]

I buy 250ml and 500ml bottles of 100mg/ml Nude Nicotine. It was voted as best taste, cheapest, best color overall, here on ECF. Store it in the freezer and it should last 5 to 10years.

Not sure if you have read this:
"Few last points to cover – shelf-life varies largely by nicotine strength, as well as PG/VG ratio. Higher nicotine strengths will possess more nicotine molecules, less likely to be completely solvated by their carrier (PG/VG). Put simply – 100mg/mL formulations will keep for less time than a 24mg/mL formulation. PG is also a much better solvent for this purpose – it has an extremely low viscosity, will dissipate dispersed oxygen bubbles quickly (say that 4 times fast!), and has a longer shelf-life chemically (2 years from DOM, vs. VG – 1 year). Thus some may only see a short shelf-life for a 100mg/mL solution kept on a shelf compared to a 24mg/mL solution kept in multiple frozen aliquots. Remember, nicotine solution solvated in wither PG or VG WILL NOT FREEZE!" copied from here.

So, I think I answered my own question, sorta... after following your link to that product.

 

[Tommy-Chi]

Interesting. I can learn something new every day. Thanks for that information.

Well...that's a problem. I must be closing in on a gallon of 100mg/ml in my freezer. Maybe I'll start buying it in lower nic strength from here out(24mg/ml). I'm buying it for the long haul in case the FDA starts to ban supplies and I need to start mixing at home.

There are tests that show little degradation (read: reasonable losses) for nic at the 5yr and 10yr window if in freezer. There is a lot of documentation here on the site too, but I'll dial back the mg/ml and switch over to 100% PG. Can't hurt.

 

[Tommy-Chi]

Thus far, I've only used the pre-mixed stuff. Don't like the tobacco flavor, but I've taken a liking to the Coffee (by Dekang) and Apple flavored stuff (made locally).

Do you like lemonade? Try "Pink Lemonade" from Element E-Liquids in 6mg, or 12mg/ml nic.

Do you like Yellow Taffy? YUM! Try Juice Mafia, "Yellow Taffy." Really great at 6mg/ml...a bit harsher at 12mg/ml. Don't let it sit around b/c it looses flavor at around the 4 month mark. No steeping. Just vape it!

Charlie Noble, "Admirals Reserve RY4 Pistachio," seems pretty tasty to me at 6mg/ml. 12mg/ml still works for me...but the nic taste intrudes a bit.




Q: How did you go from S.Korea to Peru? I'd have found a pretty S.Korean girl!!!

 

[Mr.GfCs]

No, my brother did that stretch. He's back at Ft. Hood, in Texas now. I'm Ex-Navy, CVN 65 USS Enterprise, last West-Pac Tour. I ended up down here on vacation after finishing up on a Workmans Comp. case that disabled me. I developed RSD (just google the letters) and while here on vacation, I found that the weather doesn't aggravate it as much as it does up there in the States. Plus, the pitiful amount I get in Disability at least allows me to survive here and have a resemblance of a life, where up there, it wouldn't even pay rent.

 

[Tommy-Chi]

No, my brother did that stretch. He's back at Ft. Hood, in Texas now. I'm Ex-Navy, CVN 65 USS Enterprise, last West-Pac Tour. I ended up down here on vacation after finishing up on a Workmans Comp. case that disabled me. I developed RSD (just google the letters) and while here on vacation, I found that the weather doesn't aggravate it as much as it does up there in the States. Plus, the pitiful amount I get in Disability at least allows me to survive here and have a resemblance of a life, where up there, it wouldn't even pay rent.

Just Googled the RSD. Hope everything works out. Glad you found a place that you like! Watch out for Zika in South America. Wear mosquito repellent.

Sorry that I didn't read that initial post more carefully. Had a buddy that was in the Army and left for S.Korea out of HS back in the 70's. Met a girl. Came back home. Called me on the phone and invited me over to talk to his father who had threatened to disown him. Hehehe...his father was in Korean War. Doh!

 

[Mr.GfCs]

As to flavors, I'm gonna wait until I'm ready to buy the mixing before I get into those in any depth. I've got a few things I need to buy for a lathe a friend gave me that I'm trying to get up and working to start doing some making shavings.
I'll try a few of them, looked at a few recipes. Even found and downloaded the eJuice Me Up website's program. But I'll probably stick to the more basic flavors like the Coffee, Apple, Lemonade, maybe some of Amaretto or a few of the desert flavors to start. I understand that you get to the point that you don't even taste the flavors after a while, so I know I'll need a variety of them. But to do that, I'll need to get a bunch of the chamber things for the liquids.

I've been here since 2000, so yeah, It's pretty much home now. As to the mosquito's, even with 98% humidity and being on the coast, it never rains here in Lima. Not real rain anyways, so it's true desert and there's never any standing water anywhere long enough for them to bread. I think I've only been bitten 2 or 3 times in the 16 years here...

 

[Tommy-Chi]

As to flavors, I'm gonna wait until I'm ready to buy the mixing before I get into those in any depth. I've got a few things I need to buy for a lathe a friend gave me that I'm trying to get up and working to start doing some making shavings.
I'll try a few of them, looked at a few recipes. Even found and downloaded the eJuice Me Up website's program. But I'll probably stick to the more basic flavors like the Coffee, Apple, Lemonade, maybe some of Amaretto or a few of the desert flavors to start. I understand that you get to the point that you don't even taste the flavors after a while, so I know I'll need a variety of them. But to do that, I'll need to get a bunch of the chamber things for the liquids.

As to my recommendations, they're all premade e-liquids, not flavors. They are very good. Among the very best from around $1,500+ in samples that I did of premades in 2015.

I'm not at home (until tomorrow). I can give you the entire list of better premade e-liquids that I found at that time. There may be 5 to 10 tops. Quite a waste if you're looking for something decent.

Right now I'm vaping Five Pawns, Castle Long Reserve at 12mg/ml. It's OK, but I think it tates better after it steeps for a couple of weeks, at 6mg/ml.

You can get vapers tongue after rotating a lot of flavors too. YMMV. Just eat well, and vary what you drink (water, fruit juice, pop, etc.).

 

[BrotherBob]

Welcome and glad you joined.
Might like to read:
Beginner | Guide To Vaping
What is Vaping? The Definitive Guide | Vaping Cheap
E Cigarette Academy: User Guides and Tutorials For Beginner and Intermediate Vapers
One Stop Reference Shop For New and Experienced Vapers
(4) Good Starter Setups for a Beginning Vapor | E-Cigarette Forum
(10) Advancing Up the Vaping Ladder with Egos and Mods | E-Cigarette Forum
Best Budget but Decent Juice Makers & Vendors Part 1
When you are ready to start mixing flavors, you might like to post in the DIY forum. Could how to start.
RE: DIY E-Liquid