New To Vaping - Just Ordered a Volt Starter Kit

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moonwalker777

Full Member
Jul 27, 2012
5
2
Canada
Hi All,

Currently a pack a day smoker. Total vaping newbie. After lurking on this forum for a bit, I ordered the deluxe Volt starter kit from Smokeless Image. Just wondering what the transition from cigarette smoker to e-cigarette user is going to be like? Do you guys find vaping more inconvenient? I plan on quitting regular cigarettes immediately upon receiving my package. I'm basically going to be using my e-cig to stay sane.

Any advice or wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! :)
 

Vapoor eyes er

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Sep 13, 2011
11,028
8,945
Toronto, Ont.
Congrats and welcome to ECF. After 5 posts wait 1 hr and you can request a Cdn Vendors list:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...w-nic-supplier-list-via-pm-only-part-2-a.html
After receiving your Volt you can also post your pic here for a neat freebie:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-your-freebie-faces-volt-smokeless-image.html

Remember to drink lottsa water as vaping dehydrates. I drink 1 1/2 liters per day. The first 2 weeks may be a little rough because there are alkoids other than nicotine that we withdraw from. Don't worry about how much you're vaping. If you feel the need for an analog go for it. I believe vaping should be a healthy and happy stress free alternative to smoking. Some quit immediately while others cut down on their analogs and then one day they wake up and find they prefer vaping over smoking.
Cheers and Good Luck.
 

hnyb0210

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jul 12, 2012
314
120
PA
Congratulations on your decision!! I just made this transition recently (it took me about a week to put down the cigarettes completely, but I had no firm plan on this & had no idea what to expect.) I also got a Volt & it's kept me off the cigarettes for what, nearly 3 weeks now? The best part is that I have ZERO desire to smoke. My husband just started w/a Volt as well & he's on day 3 of no smokes :)

For me personally (& this is probably totally different for everyone) after a few days I found that the smell/taste of cigarettes was something I suddenly didn't want to be anywhere near (PAD smoker more or less for 24 yrs). The smell of it on my husband started to really bother me; I didn't want to even look @ that nasty ashtray, etc. I have the occasional twinge (I won't even call it an urge) for a cigarette, but it only lasts a few minutes - I vape myself happy :laugh:

I had some of the usual suspects as far as symptoms go, like extremely dry mouth - drink TONS, TONS, TONS of water! Everyone drilled this into my head & they were right. Drink so much you think you will start floating & then drink some more! Vaping seems to dehydrate you - I don't know why & I don't care as long as it keeps me off the smokes. I had some mild "withdrawal" type symptoms, which surprised me since I was still getting the nicotine, but perhaps there is some withdrawal that goes along w/coming off all the other ugly chemicals in cigarettes. Nothing so troublesome that it would cause me to go back to smoking, though; nothing you can't power through, and nothing anywhere close to the hell one experiences when quitting smoking w/o the help of vaping.

I started w/a strong menthol (18mg nic) as I was a menthol smoker & still vape that a lot, but I'm experimenting w/a lot of flavors, etc. Don't limit yourself - vape whatever makes it work for you. My husband HATED menthol cigarettes, but is now happily vaping a very strong menthol (I can't believe it!)

Since I'm so new to this, I don't have a lot of great advice to give you, but that's my two cents. Congratulations again & happy vaping to you!
 

cskent

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Jul 24, 2010
3,698
477
Ohio
Hi and welcome to ECF. I don't find vaping inconvenient at all, in fact I think it's much more convenient. I don't have to go outside to smoke anymore and can vape in the house whenever I feel like it. There's not really any smell from vaping so I get no complaints about it. I don't stink of cigarette smoke anymore so my wife is happy. And I'm not running to the store to buy smokes every few days since I'm stocked up on vaping supplies.
 

mostapha

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Jun 26, 2012
1,228
664
Atlanta, GA
My advice, if you don't manage to just plain quit cigarettes, is to track how much you smoke. Write down a tally mark or there are apps for iPhone/Android if you have one. Actually keeping track of things like that will usually lead to a reduction in use with nothing else.

If you're getting anything out of it but aren't satisfied, think about what's missing and ask for recommendations. I was on a cigarette look-a-like for a couple months and then kind of just stopped smoking one day when I forgot cigarettes exist.

Make sure you have enough juice and power, and be sure to carry more than you think you'll need for a while. And a charger.

Good luck.
 

kia2

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ECF Veteran
Mar 4, 2012
1,462
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USA
Hi, moonwalker777, and welcome!

First off, I hope you ordered a kit with two batteries. I also hope you ordered at least a couple extra packs of cartos. Then, after you get your kit, nab a photo of yourself with your new battery with the Volt logo visible (or the product box with logo visible) and post it in the Smokeless Image sub forum to get yourself a third battery for free.

The Volt kept me off cigarettes. It was the fifth mini I tried, and the one I was able to stick with. The batteries are excellent and will last about as long as any mini can in between charges.

Ritual was the biggest thing for me, so right off I wanted to try and make sure I'd use the e-cig whenever I would have used a tobacco cigarette otherwise. I would take my breaks outside, vape with my morning coffee, etc. With a strength of nicotine in the cartos enough to satisfy me after 6 or 7 puffs, I was doing ok. But, I do have my marathon vapes, too. At this time, they have kept me off tobacco cigarettes, and I don't plan on getting rid of my Volts anytime soon, though, either. I'm happy staying vaping with my Volts.

Make sure you have a charged battery at all times. Two batteries at a minimum is good, a third battery is best for "just in case." A few sampler packs will help you decide what flavors you want to try, then I'd suggest a couple more packs of pre filled until you feel ready to grab a bottle of liquid and refill your cartos. If you like the SI flavors, then refill the prefilled cartos instead of buying blanks, because the liquid is the same in both bottle and prefilled, and since the blank cartos cost the same as the pre filled, with pre filled you'll get 5 extra ml of vape for the same price.

If you don't feel satisfied and still get the anxiety of withdrawals that make you want to go and pick up a pack of smokes, then up your nicotine content on your cartos or liquids a notch. It's said the the most common mistake is getting too low of nicotine. It seems most are pretty happy with about 18mg to start. I used 12mg and am still using 12mg along with some 6mg and 0 nic liquids, now. If you get a head rush and/or headache or feel nauseous when you start vaping, that is a sign you're getting too much nicotine and you need to knock the level down a notch or so. Listen to what your body tells you.

Inhaling from an e-cig is different from that of tobacco cigarettes for the most part. Inhale like you would liquid from a straw and hold it in your mouth a second before inhaling. Most of the nicotine will be absorbed from the vapor in the throat area. Still, I managed fine before understanding this, as it was pretty much what I did with regular cigarettes. Life is good.

One thing I went through, and what my doctor told me to expect, was a few months of congestion caused by the cilia in the throat and lungs growing back and begin forcing the gunk collected up from smoking away and up from the lungs to be coughed out. You'll still have a smoker's hack for a bit. Eventually, as things start getting cleaned up a little, you'll go back to a full cough where you get rid of what needs to be gone right away instead of hacking about. During this time - and all the time - while you are vaping, drink lots of water. Vaping can dehydrate you, and all that gunk being loosened up from the lungs can use a little help up the "phlegm ladder" too. I found myself becoming dehydrated overnight and my throat felt like it had been glued shut sometimes. Water. Lots of water. It's good for you regardless.

Bump on down to the Smokeless Image sub forum after you hit 5 posts. There is a lot of information there about your chosen batteries and accessories, and a lot of good folks willing to share all they've learned and experienced, too.

The Volt is an 808 threaded battery. People may say you should go to an eGo (the Volt 78mm battery actually has equal to or better power than the eGo), but the Volt also has a mid-size battery, the X2, which is the same size as the Kgo and comes in 650, 900, and 1300 mah. Plus - and not many people realize this - in addition to the 808 threading on the X2 that still allows you to use all of your accessories from the Volt minis, the X2 also has eGo threading, and any eGo threaded accessories will also fit the X2. There is no need to be dumping all your gear when you make a step up to the X2, and if you so desire, you'll have the luxury of having some of the eGo accessories that a lot of people like as well. (fyi, eGo threading does not equal 510 threading. If you want a 510 threaded accessory, there is an inexpensive 808 to 510 adapter that is readily available from some vendors that will allow 510 accessories to be used with the 808 batteries.)

There are a lot of informational videos about the Smokeless Image Volt minis and X2 and their accessories. The recent ones by MrOutlaw (Outlaw Vaper on youtube) are excellent and provide a lot of good information on use, cartomizers and clearomizers, filling, cleaning, etc. You should go check a few of them out. This link should get you to his page and videos: outlaw vaper - YouTube.
 
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Scott Blake

Full Member
Jul 2, 2012
22
17
51
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
It takes a little more effort for prepping to vape, but the sensation of smoking, in my opinion, is much better. As a matter of fact, I have tried smoking since I started vaping and found the cigarette taste to be NASTY. There are so many options to try with e-liquids and flavored cartomizers that far surpass cigarettes. The process does take a little getting use to. It's not as simple as taking a cigarette out of a pack, lighting it up, and start smoking. You do need to keep the batteries charged (my suggestion is buy at least 5 batteries so you will never be without a vape), keep the cartomizers or clearomizers moist, and have a little "vaping bag" to carry your supplies. But I promise you this...you don't crave cigarettes, you won't smell like an old ash tray, and you feel better overall. I had a cough starting from smoking...since vaping, that has since cleared up. I wish you luck with your vaping and don't get discouraged. I feel you will also find it to be enjoyable and satisfying.
 

Vapoor eyes er

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Sep 13, 2011
11,028
8,945
Toronto, Ont.
WOWSER kia...if only I could give you 100 likes. An incredibly thoughtful and informative post.

Hi, moonwalker777, and welcome!

First off, I hope you ordered a kit with two batteries. I also hope you ordered at least a couple extra packs of cartos. Then, after you get your kit, nab a photo of yourself with your new battery with the Volt logo visible (or the product box with logo visible) and post it in the Smokeless Image sub forum to get yourself a third battery for free.

The Volt kept me off cigarettes. It was the fifth mini I tried, and the one I was able to stick with. The batteries are excellent and will last about as long as any mini can in between charges.

Ritual was the biggest thing for me, so right off I wanted to try and make sure I'd use the e-cig whenever I would have used a tobacco cigarette otherwise. I would take my breaks outside, vape with my morning coffee, etc. With a strength of nicotine in the cartos enough to satisfy me after 6 or 7 puffs, I was doing ok. But, I do have my marathon vapes, too. At this time, they have kept me off tobacco cigarettes, and I don't plan on getting rid of my Volts anytime soon, though, either. I'm happy staying vaping with my Volts.

Make sure you have a charged battery at all times. Two batteries at a minimum is good, a third battery is best for "just in case." A few sampler packs will help you decide what flavors you want to try, then I'd suggest a couple more packs of pre filled until you feel ready to grab a bottle of liquid and refill your cartos. If you like the SI flavors, then refill the prefilled cartos instead of buying blanks, because the liquid is the same in both bottle and prefilled, and since the blank cartos cost the same as the pre filled, with pre filled you'll get 5 extra ml of vape for the same price.

If you don't feel satisfied and still get the anxiety of withdrawals that make you want to go and pick up a pack of smokes, then up your nicotine content on your cartos or liquids a notch. It's said the the most common mistake is getting too low of nicotine. It seems most are pretty happy with about 18mg to start. I used 12mg and am still using 12mg along with some 6mg and 0 nic liquids, now. If you get a head rush and/or headache or feel nauseous when you start vaping, that is a sign you're getting too much nicotine and you need to knock the level down a notch or so. Listen to what your body tells you.

Inhaling from an e-cig is different from that of tobacco cigarettes for the most part. Inhale like you would liquid from a straw and hold it in your mouth a second before inhaling. Most of the nicotine will be absorbed from the vapor in the throat area. Still, I managed fine before understanding this, as it was pretty much what I did with regular cigarettes. Life is good.

One thing I went through, and what my doctor told me to expect, was a few months of congestion caused by the cilia in the throat and lungs growing back and begin forcing the gunk collected up from smoking away and up from the lungs to be coughed out. You'll still have a smoker's hack for a bit. Eventually, as things start getting cleaned up a little, you'll go back to a full cough where you get rid of what needs to be gone right away instead of hacking about. During this time - and all the time - while you are vaping, drink lots of water. Vaping can dehydrate you, and all that gunk being loosened up from the lungs can use a little help up the "phlegm ladder" too. I found myself becoming dehydrated overnight and my throat felt like it had been glued shut sometimes. Water. Lots of water. It's good for you regardless.

Bump on down to the Smokeless Image sub forum after you hit 5 posts. There is a lot of information there about your chosen batteries and accessories, and a lot of good folks willing to share all they've learned and experienced, too.

The Volt is an 808 threaded batteries. People may say you should go to an eGo (the Volt 78mm battery actually has equal to or better power than the eGo), but the Volt also has a mid-size battery, the X2, which is the same size as the Kgo and comes in 650, 900, and 1300 mah. Plus - and not many people realize this - in addition to the 808 threading on the X2 that still allows you to use all of your accessories from the Volt minis, the X2 also has eGo threading, and any eGo threaded accessories will also fit the X2. There is no need to be dumping all your gear when you make a step up.

There are a lot of informational videos about the Smokeless Image Volt minis and X2 and their accessories. The recent ones by MrOutlaw (Outlaw Vaper on youtube) are excellent and provide a lot of good information on use, cartomizers and clearomizers, filling, cleaning, etc. You should go check a few of them out. This link should get you to his page and videos: outlaw vaper - YouTube.
 

Ralikar

Moved On
ECF Veteran
Jul 7, 2011
701
290
Kia said a ton there... Things I learned:
1) Backups! Of it all!
2) Amazon.com: Usb Hub Rosewill Rhb-330 Black 7port: Computers & Accessories
Get this! $14 on sale! you can charge 5 808Ds at once--save a ton in chargers and wall space (need the usb adaptors)
3) Throw away your PCC. Buy a 100s cigarette case and carry several charged batteries with you INSTEAD of a PCC. The longer you intend to go out the more bats with cartos attached you bring--one slim case will enable you to go to an all day event and never hassle with re-charging or worrying your PCC/bat blows up.
4) Get a pass thru for the car--will cover you in case of a power outage
5) As Kia said enjoy all your same habits and don't get low on nic
6) Juice is not all the same! Tobacco worked well for me but Chinese flavor juice -- Bloog/V4L tore up my sinuses and I blamed my body is changing--not all juice agrees with all people. Get some that works well for you.

I was up to 3.5 POD from 25 years of smoking and was off cigs in 3 days. It's not all that bad--you just need to enjoy that coffee, that phone call, that vape break--do the same things with a good amount of nicotine and the transition isn't so bad.

And, for what it's worth, my lungs were so bad that I couldn't hold my breath for 10sec--2 weeks later it was like 20years ago.
 
Last edited:

pir123

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Jun 1, 2012
109
42
Massachusetts
Welcome!

As a still new-vaper myself (since mid-May), here's a few things I've found for myself:

I'm a water drinker, have been for years, I noticed my water consumption *automatically* increased. Don't underestimate how much vaping can dehydrate. Stay hydrated.

Don't be afraid to try different devices. You can always sell or give away stuff that doesn't work for you.

Do your homework: read/watch reviews. Get a sense of what's out there, because there's a lot of good gear, and some not-so good.

Juice is key. I got lucky and found some I really liked on my second order, but have continued trying different vendors, looking for even better. Reviews don't help as much there, since taste is very subjective, and different juice will perform differently in different devices.

Perhaps most importantly: I didn't start vaping for the express purpose of stopping smoking. I just wanted to see what it was all about. I did have some withdrawal symptoms for a few days, though nothing big, so I ended up not smoking at all. I smoked a cigarette just to see what would happen about three weeks in, and discovered that I actually liked vaping more than smoking. Though I still have my tobacco pouch as a "backup of last-resort" -- and could smoke a cigarette any time I want to. I just don't want to. I like vaping more.

Vaping, for me, is a bit fiddly (though MUCH less so after the first month) -- but I like fiddling with stuff, so it's kind of become a hobby. I don't think of it as inconvenient at all. There are "simple" ways to vape and "complex" ways. If you stick with it you'll find a balance.

I find that I have spent more time and money on vaping than I did on smoking, during the first couple months, though that's really toned down now, since I've settled on "The" equipment I'm using, so I'm not trying all kinds of stuff anymore (except juice). I figure I'll break-even money-wise in a couple more months, and then I'm all but certain that I'll spend less money on vaping than I did smoking. I was a RYO smoker, so smoking was pretty cheap for me (less than $50/mo) so even with a little extravagant initial spending on equipment, it seems most smokers do save money pretty quickly when switching.

Good Luck!
 

ancfm95

Senior Member
Aug 2, 2012
70
36
California
The Volt is an 808 threaded battery. People may say you should go to an eGo (the Volt 78mm battery actually has equal to or better power than the eGo), but the Volt also has a mid-size battery, the X2, which is the same size as the Kgo and comes in 650, 900, and 1300 mah. Plus - and not many people realize this - in addition to the 808 threading on the X2 that still allows you to use all of your accessories from the Volt minis, the X2 also has eGo threading, and any eGo threaded accessories will also fit the X2. There is no need to be dumping all your gear when you make a step up to the X2, and if you so desire, you'll have the luxury of having some of the eGo accessories that a lot of people like as well. (fyi, eGo threading does not equal 510 threading. If you want a 510 threaded accessory, there is an inexpensive 808 to 510 adapter that is readily available from some vendors that will allow 510 accessories to be used with the 808 batteries.)

There are a lot of informational videos about the Smokeless Image Volt minis and X2 and their accessories. The recent ones by MrOutlaw (Outlaw Vaper on youtube) are excellent and provide a lot of good information on use, cartomizers and clearomizers, filling, cleaning, etc. You should go check a few of them out. This link should get you to his page and videos: outlaw vaper - YouTube.

OMG Thank you! I hadn't even thought of re-visiting my old friends at Smokeless Image instead of being hell bent on an ego-c twist and getting my chonis in a bundle trying to figure out what cartomizer (or what have you) to use with it!
 

mostapha

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Jun 26, 2012
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Atlanta, GA
trying to figure out what cartomizer (or what have you) to use with it!

I thought that was half the fun……………but, no, I get it. I have a pile of smoktech cartos that I vape "when I have to" because they seem to only give me a few days of use in a tank before they start flooding.

I'm really starting to think that I just want to know what something's probably failure modes are like before I buy. If it's gonna flood or burn and be unusable and take a couple ml of juice with it, I probably don't care if it's a decent vape. If it's going to die and lose a couple drops…………that's awesome. If it's going to crack and leak all over my jeans pocket……who cares what it tastes like? If it'll keep working for a few days longer (while more come in the mail) and just taste worse……I consider that a win.

Unfortunately, "our failure mode is better than theirs" won't sell too many supplies to anyone but me.
 

dragonbone

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May 21, 2009
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OMG Thank you! I hadn't even thought of re-visiting my old friends at Smokeless Image instead of being hell bent on an ego-c twist and getting my chonis in a bundle trying to figure out what cartomizer (or what have you) to use with it!

Good choice! You can always go bigger in the future if you want to. I have been vaping for a long time and have lots of gear, but still often use my mini 808's.
 
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