New to town, just quit smoking, looking to pick up an e-cig

[insomniacasaur]

I started smoking when I was 12. By the time I was 14, I was smoking 3 packs of Kool Regulars (unfiltered) a day. I switched to Camel Wides after I quit smoking the 'green tobacco' when I was 18'ish. Over the next decade and change, I would go through a pack and a half to three packs a day...

Than I met my girlfriend. It's safe to say that I have an amazing girlfriend. She has stuck by my side through things I could never imagine myself sticking around for. So, after several years of very slowly recovering from being sick, I finally decided to quit smoking on my birthday as a present to her. I guess it should be noted that I have a very distinct style and I quit in quite the grandiose manner - if you want to know, just ask. I should also mention that she is mildly allergic to smoke and almost every time I would come in from having a pull, she would get a headache. I know... what a selfish ... - in my defense, she wasn't a big fan of my temperament without them.

So, here we are. less than a month in and I could attack villages with a chainsaw for a Camel. But, I am holding fast to my dedication and have not had one drag, much less a whole ciggy and I guess that explains why I am here. I've tried e-cigs before, but honestly I couldn't stand the taste of the factory BLU cartridges. Maybe I can find a much better match. I think that about covers it.

So, hello all, nice to meet you!
insomniacasaur

 

[gleekeelg]

Congratulations insomniacasaur on finding the perfect girl, making it through, quitting smoking, taking the plunge on ECF, and so much more I'm sure! E-cigs have helped me get through a month and a half so far. Do you know what set up you are going with yet?

 

[zapped]

Welcome to ECF! Do both of us a favor and visit this thread and take the time to answer the questions there and then copy and paste it here. Your answers will help us determine what will probably work best for you.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-members-decide-best-starter-kit-pv-them.html

Its a lot of information to go through but in the end I think you'll be happier than just taking the advice of someone whos looking at these from a totally different perspective and set of circumstances than you.

 

[insomniacasaur]

Sorry, it's been a while. I am not the most 'online' person on the planet

Congratulations insomniacasaur on finding the perfect girl, making it through, quitting smoking, taking the plunge on ECF, and so much more I'm sure! E-cigs have helped me get through a month and a half so far. Do you know what set up you are going with yet?

I could be way off but I'm thinking I want a drip tip system. I just want what is right for me. i want something that can handle thicker resinous liquids. Thicker than any juice I have seen on the videos. My experience had been limited to that blasted factory Blu and I was less than impress. Does the ejuice get gummed up like a tobacco pipe would? Gotta be honest, it is getting a little frustrating looking into say atomizers vs cartomizers and then a week later, you read the word clearomizer. And of course, I can't just start a new thread like the rest of America, I have to do the reseatrch on my own - bot interested in them (plastic). I'm hoping to find something with no plastic parts all ceramic and stainless that can be dripped. I'm likely headed to start a thread about what I am looking for right after this reply.

Welcome to ECF! Do both of us a favor and visit this thread and take the time to answer the questions there and then copy and paste it here. Your answers will help us determine what will probably work best for you.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-members-decide-best-starter-kit-pv-them.html

Its a lot of information to go through but in the end I think you'll be happier than just taking the advice of someone whos looking at these from a totally different perspective and set of circumstances than you.

Hello there. I will gladly answer the questionnaire. Would you rather I do the 'my ideal setup' here than a new thread?

1. Long time norm - 3 packs a day, after 'cutting back' - pack to pack and a half. Quit holidays 2012.

2. Started with Kool non filtered, moved to Camel Wde FF's (non menthol) for the last 15 or so years.

3. I actually don't want it to look like one, not because of the reminder, but the hassle and attention. Last thing I want.

3. That's kind of like asking how much is a blue car. If I am at home passing the fun around, a nice big battery is very nice, but on the road, something with a pack charger might be nice. Then again I'm new here, what the hell do I know?

4. I don't think the shape matters as much as the color scheme I want. I like the Envy line. I wish it had a green light on the end like a Blu. That would sell me.

5.Two packs a day over a 19 hour stretch, regular use.

6. I can tinker with it, I just don't want it to break. If it's right, hassle and cost don't really effect my decision.

7. I'm going to tinker (for lack of better terms) with the exotic stuff a bit, but I think something that tastes similar to a Wide would be nice. I know... likely story. I am aware that vaping is not replacing smoking in the traditional sense of the word.

8. I don't really know. I know I need it to kit a certain temperature, if the difference is only in the vape temp (not how hot the unit gets) I would prefer a cooler vape. I hit my cigarettes hard when I smoked and my one ..... was the heat. I ALWAYS crushed my filters and hotboxed no matter how hard I tried not to. I'm just a heavy smoker I guess.

9. It's nice to have all of your preferences, but I'm hoping for a cloud maker I mean like 'lookout, there's a hurricane on the horizon' cloud maker. Flavor is not a huge deal, if it tastes better than Blu, we can handle that. Throat hit for me isn't an issue, but for a friend that wants to try, it will be. No menthol please. Yech. (no offense)

10. Quality and reliability. I have a feeling what I want to do is going to fry parts quick (not sure which , but I'm guessing the element or something around it. Dripping (not drip tipping, but leakage) and crappy battery quality should not even be a factor. I was hoping for something 510 threaded. Really hoping for something 510.

11. Nothing, I was hoping the tooth fairy takes stolen gold teeth I really don't know. Maybe 75 in the first year ( not including samplers from all the recommended juice makers). Maybe less.

12. I just heard of clearomizers tonight, youtube'd it (which is a wealth of random knowledge isn't it?) and I really don't want anything plastic. Plus, I want to drip as I go, maybe add enough drops to keep me puffing for an hour or so. I don't have much interest in disposable or 'factory' carts. Not really any questions,

13. I have no problem doing it in public. I also have no problem telling some nosy ..... to mind their own business in public.

14. If you mean color scheme for the cigs black and green. I like the Envy so far as I can tell.

15. I would like something that is steel and ceramic. There's actually a huge market for it, believe it or not. Plastic and heat is a turnoff. I once saw a Chinese vaporizer (not e-cig) that had yellow glue like wood glue or gorilla glue on it. A surgical grade model would be something I would buy if it worked etc. Let's design one now

16. I want to start with 2 batteries maybe one for on the go and a party battery. And maybe some extra parts. I'm not really sure. I'm pretty sure my 'ideal setup' doesn't exist so I may even need 2 kits. Hell, my 'ideal setup' might not even be what I need.

17. I would prefer a consistent battery that warned me when it has say 150 mah left then again when it has 75. So you know... twice that it's time.

Oh, and I don't mind contributing when I can here and there. I don't come omline as often as 99% of the world, but I will do my best to not be a PITA member

 

[achieve3484]

Congratulations. First for quitting and second for tryingout electronic cigarettes. To tell you frankly, I faced this problem myself. But, electronic cigarettes helped to quit cigarettes completely. I have not smoked a cigarette from past six months. Initially I tried normal cigarette looking styled ecig. It did not help at all. Once I switched to tank based..there was no turning back.. All the best!

 

[insomniacasaur]

Thanks. I think I'm pretty set on no more cigs, I'll vape nasty juice before I give her another headache. Is tank just another term for big ... battery? Maybe I suck @ google, but I kept trying to find the difference in the Joye Tech 510 and the 510t and maybe I am dumb but I couldn't find much other than the T stands for tank.

 

[kiwivap]

If you are going to drip you may like a bottom feeder. These are some bottom feeder mods:
reosmods.com

To answer your question - a tank is a juice holder/delivery system - it's attached to a battery. The bottom feeder mods work a bit different though - the "tank" is a bottle of liquid which feeds up into the attachment atomizer or cartomizer. May not be your thing but your answers reminded me of it.

 

[insomniacasaur]

If you are going to drip you may like a bottom feeder. These are some bottom feeder mods:
reosmods.com

To answer your question - a tank is a juice holder/delivery system - it's attached to a battery. The bottom feeder mods work a bit different though - the "tank" is a bottle of liquid which feeds up into the attachment atomizer or cartomizer. May not be your thing but your answers reminded me of it.

I saw a review of the Rio and I think something I can drip directly on is better for me. I don't like the bottle of liquid. One of the things I am primarily going to be dripping gets kinda thick when it cools off. Like bearing grease. i saw a video of a young lady dripping onto the element and I seemed to like the idea of that or something close. The juice needs to stay close to the element (I would think) being that mine is thicker. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Tish Talons]

My advice to you would be to go to sweet-vapes.com or madvapes.com and order yourself a KGO 1100mah kit. They have atty kits on sweet-vapes that may work very well for you, and they are very affordable. I also don't think you should write off blank cartomizers so quickly. They are actually really great if used properly. i have been vaping about 9 months and was very wary of disposable cartos until recently because I didn't like the idea of the polyfill inside. But now that I've tried them, they perform really well. I used to drip exclusively, and I still enjoy it when I'm at home, but when I'm out its nice to have a carto or a vision vivi nova tank juiced up so I don't have to fiddle with dripping on the go (although I am pretty good at dripping and driving, not recommended btw). I wouldn't start out with a mod, personally. It gets pretty complex once you go beyond basic ego and kgo set-ups. But if you have your heart set on a mod, visit tasteyourjuice.com and view some of pbusardo's reviews before making a decision. He's great and very unbiased in his reviews. Hope this helps. Good luck!!

 

[kiwivap]

No prob. Then you are probably looking for atomizers, and maybe RBAs (rebuildable atomizers). RBAs have a learning curve, so you'd want some straight forward atomizers to use while tinkering.
Battery wise - A couple of Vision Spinners or Ego Twists to start, unless you are ready for APVS (mods).

 

[insomniacasaur]

Thanks for all of the dumb question answering. You folks rock!

My advice to you would be to go to sweet-vapes.com or madvapes.com and order yourself a KGO 1100mah kit. They have atty kits on sweet-vapes that may work very well for you, and they are very affordable. I also don't think you should write off blank cartomizers so quickly. They are actually really great if used properly. i have been vaping about 9 months and was very wary of disposable cartos until recently because I didn't like the idea of the polyfill inside. But now that I've tried them, they perform really well. I used to drip exclusively, and I still enjoy it when I'm at home, but when I'm out its nice to have a carto or a vision vivi nova tank juiced up so I don't have to fiddle with dripping on the go (although I am pretty good at dripping and driving, not recommended btw). I wouldn't start out with a mod, personally. It gets pretty complex once you go beyond basic ego and kgo set-ups. But if you have your heart set on a mod, visit tasteyourjuice.com and view some of pbusardo's reviews before making a decision. He's great and very unbiased in his reviews. Hope this helps. Good luck!!

The KGO looks good. If only that KGO had a green light. Can you mod the led? I'm (half) kidding about that. I have no confidence in my soldering. It's 510 which I love. There is a 510 accessory I want to use, so the compatibility was pretty relevant. Thanks so much. But... i watched a video and the reviewer dripped onto a foam or something. What are my options if I am anti filler? Heck the accessory I am looking to use might fix that problem. I really don't know... Back to the library for more research. Google, ONWARD!

No prob. Then you are probably looking for atomizers, and maybe RBAs (rebuildable atomizers). RBAs have a learning curve, so you'd want some straight forward atomizers to use while tinkering.
Battery wise - A couple of Vision Spinners or Ego Twists to start, unless you are ready for APVS (mods).

Looking into RBA now. Atomizer is what I had been looking at before posting. From research, it seems to be what I need. I can't deny I have a unique taste. I like experimenting so I anticipate I will need a backup element. That part is in the atomizer/cartomizer, correct? How do you feel about the aforementioned KGO? Is it moddable to do what I am asking?



Also, how are any of these units for using 'food safe, hospital grade' etc parts. That is an underlying concern.

 

[kiwivap]

Looking into RBA now. Atomizer is what I had been looking at before posting. From research, it seems to be what I need. I can't deny I have a unique taste. I like experimenting so I anticipate I will need a backup element. That part is in the atomizer/cartomizer, correct? How do you feel about the aforementioned KGO? Is it moddable to do what I am asking?



Also, how are any of these units for using 'food safe, hospital grade' etc parts. That is an underlying concern.

You mean changing the LED color on the KGO? I don't think so. They are good pvs - quite a few people use them.
The atomizer is the element - the coil. A cartomizer is an atomizer/cartridge combined. So they hold more juice. An Atomizer on its own is for dripping a few drops at a time.
These units are used with PG (Propylene Glycol) and VG (Vegetable Glycerin) based e-liquid. I don't DIY my juice, but food grade should be fine from what I've read.
There's a DIY E-liquid section here if you're interested:
DIY E-Liquid

 

[insomniacasaur]

Yeah, from all of the setups I have seen I think dripping a few drops directly on is certainly where I want to go. Is the KGO moddable to do it?

You mean changing the LED color on the KGO? I don't think so. They are good pvs - quite a few people use them.
The atomizer is the element - the coil. A cartomizer is an atomizer/cartridge combined. So they hold more juice. An Atomizer on its own is for dripping a few drops at a time.
These units are used with PG (Propylene Glycol) and VG (Vegetable Glycerin) based e-liquid. I don't DIY my juice, but food grade should be fine from what I've read.
There's a DIY E-liquid section here if you're interested:
DIY E-Liquid

Trust me the led color is not a deal breaker. Just a dream since I don't sleep enough, I think about what my machine would have in a Utopian world. I have been peeking at juice tutorials. I know I will be getting into them after the winter is over. It's reformat tax time etc. Fun fun. I'm going to need clean nicotine soon By food/medical grade I meant the machines. I'm not into heating toxic plastic. No offense, but I have seen "high end" vaporizers use crappy plastic tubing, nasty glue and all kinds of stuff. Some people don't even know it's toxic.

 

[SpEcTReCHieF]

Welcome to the wonderful world of e-cigs and vaping insomniacasaur!! So many choices, so many different terms and things to learn about. As the others were saying with a KGO/EGO kit you can pretty much make it do whatever kind of vaping you would like to try. You can buy atomizers for dripping, cartomizers to which is a coil with poly fill material that will hold liquid (fill and vape for awhile vs drip afew drops, take some puffs, then drip again), and also you can put a liquid tank on there that has either wick material in it or now they also make atomizer tanks also. But what I am trying to say is that those kits, (KGO/EGO) are very inexpensive, a great starting point, and very customizable to accomplish whatever style of vaping you would like to do, ie dripping, carto's, tanks, etc. Hope you find something you like and good luck. Lots of great info here and people that will help you out with whatever you need.

Take care and happy vaping!!
Rick

 

[Jerkiness]

congrats on quitting

 

[Tish Talons]

What you saw pbusardo dripping into was the cartomizer I mentioned. Like the other poster said, there are lots of ways to deliver your juice to the heating coil. Pbusardo likes cartos with the polyfill in them. I was very sceptical of cartos for a long time. But, the truth is that unless you are planning to do direct dripping onto the atomizer, you will have to accept some kind of polyfill or wick as the delivery method for your juice to get to the atty. Its a matter of personal preference. And, just to be clear, the e-go and kgo style batteries fit ANY equipment with a 510 connection, but you have to be careful about the ohm rating. Anything with a 3.0 ohm rating or higher typically needs to be vaped on a higher voltage mod. I know its complicated, but theres lots of helpful info out there, including tons right here on this site. I recommend starting with 1.8 to 2.4 ohm atomizers and grab a box of single coil cartomizers just to try them out. They're not expensive and if you don't like them at least you know. As for clearomizer tanks, I have mostly found them to be unreliable, although some people swear by them. The only one I like is the Vision Vivi Nova, not the knock-off Nova tanks. Its a good tank with replaceable atomizer wick heads and its pretty good, although I have found a couple of juices that taste very different in it compared to a carto or an atty. Nova tanks work great on kgo batteries. My best advice is to start simple and with reliable equipment that works. Theres nothing more satisfying than a quality vape, imho. Again, good luck in your vaping adventure!!

 

[Tish Talons]

One addendum: never choose form over function. It has to work well. Its visual appeal should always be secondary. I'm glad to hear you say that the LED isn't a deal breaker. Just because it lights up like the 4th of July doesn't mean you will be satisfied with its performance. The bells and whistles are nice, but they don't necessarily make the device work better.

 

[insomniacasaur]

Hey guys, didn't want to multi quote and keep blowing up the thread so here goes nothing. First off, I want to thank everyone for being so kickass about helping me figure out what is right for me.

Correct me if I am wrong but... the bottom 'half' is just a power unit; and as long as you don't buy a cheap knockoff toy, there isn't much difference (besides variable power models and manual/automatic controls). It seems to me the real difference is is in the 'mouthpiece' (cart/atty/clear etc) correct? if I have that all correct. I guess this isn't taking tank models into consideration wither - there sure are a lot of options out there.

From the research I was doing, (I think) I need a debridged and dewicked dripping atty. The 510 piece I want to use is 2.4 ohms - I called and ask. The reason I want to shy away from any kind of filler or wick is that the juice I want to try gets thick when it's not hot - like bearing grease, but turns to liquid when heated so I am worried about waste and clogging with a filler. I would rather drip a little at a time. I guess due to lack of a wick or bridge, I am also now worried about leakage after the unit has been freshly used; but then again, traditional ejuice is a thinner liquid to begin with so maybe not.

So my needs are a manual power supply capable of 2.4 ohms and I've been looking at drip tips and that's about where I get lost. To debridge, to dewick, to do both or none. Is dewicking completely removing the entire wick including the part the coil wraps around? I was originally thinking that is what debridge/wick was - leaving nothing but a heating element, but I just read if your drip tip is gurgling and not producing vapor, it means the coil is too wet...

Sorry for all of the questions. I really am learning a ton.

 

[kiwivap]

You're right - the bottom half is the power unit - basically the battery holder, although some do variable voltage, and then if you go to APVs or mods - variable wattage and variable voltage.
For straight dripping just pick up some atomizers.

KGO users seem to prefer lower ohms than 2.4, and for standard egos I'd say 2.0 ohms is better for an atomizer, but you could use 2.4 ohms. Egos are 3.3-3.4 volts. Its easier to match the ohms to the battery, rather than starting on set ohms. Your basically deciding what watts (power) you want - so saying you want 2.4 ohms doesn't mean anything by itself - ohms are a measure of resistance, not power.

There's a short thread here on bridgeless atomizers:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...s/288819-what-bridgeless-atomizer-better.html
You can get debridged atomizers at 2.0 ohms:
510 Bridgeless Atomizer - 2.0 ohm

Some people vape 100% VG e-juice, which is pretty thick. I don't see that you'd be too different to that.

I suggest you get yourself a couple of batteries, a few bridgeless atomizers, and try them out. Then you have something while to look at other stuff you might tinker with.
You'll get more options if you buy a Vision Spinner or Ego twist with variable voltage - you can change the voltage and may find that better with resistances at 2.4 ohms or higher. The Vision Spinner goes from 3.3 to 4.8 volts:
Vision Spinner Variable Voltage Battery

 

[DontBurnIt]

Cost savings come later, after you figure out what you want. In the start, you'll be doing a lot of sampling. No one can tell you the ideal setup. You'll have to try various things, but you're doing well to research and try to make informed decisions. Still, it'll be hit and miss most likely.

If you don't have cash-flow problems, I'd allow myself to spend every dollar I used to spend on cigs, at least in the beginning. It won't take long to zero-in on your preferred setups,make smart purchases, and start realizing some financial savings. I wouldn't make that a goal in the beginning though.

You will always need a good backup device, both battery and atomizer(s). Hardware fails, and you don't want to be left without options but running down and buying cigarettes again.

I think a decent pass-thru is a smart purchase. It is a battery, so it's mobile, yet you can also plug it in anywhere and vape without waiting for it to charge. They're cheap: $20-$30, it'll get you started vaping, and will be a reliable backup. IMO