New Vaper Looking to Learn More

[BRE_]

Hey guys!

I’m BRE, or Brad, and I’m a 23 y/o student from the UK. I’ve been smoking since I was about 18, and have on-and-off tried vapes over the years but always had issues with them & gotten back to the cigarettes eventually.

Two months ago I got a Smok BabyStick V8 and so far it’s been the best vape I’ve had. I’m down to only 3-5 cigarettes a day from 20-30, hoping to completely stop before the year is out and stick to vaping for a few years before I’m ready to pack that in too.

However, I’m having issues & unfortunately with so many products around & affiliate marketing blogs that give everything a 5* review, it’s hard to know what’s what in the world of vaping. I decided to join this community to learn more about decent vapes, liquids & coils.

It turns out I’ve always had Smok products, I can only remember my most recent product which is the Nord Smok, I had that last year before I got tired of it having too many issues.

While the V8 BabyStick is mostly good, I’m really really hating the coils and the tank size is irritating because of how much I like to vape.

Going to have a look around the forum over the next hour or two, and start asking questions in my journey to better understanding why I’m having problems & what brands I should look to move to so that I can escape Smok’s problems.

looking forward to chatting with you all!

 

[Storm52]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined us. Smok doesn't have the best ratings for QC or CS, so you'll probably read that several times perusing the pages

 

[BRE_]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined us. Smok doesn't have the best ratings for QC or CS, so you'll probably read that several times perusing the pages

Yeah, I’ve heard that through subreddits, which is why I’ve come here to try & get some education and recommendation on what products I should start going with.

Quick question - I have a 0.25 Smok coil currently in. Can I take it out & wash it to see if it’s burned or not? Will it damage it to wash it if I’ve literally only just installed it?

I’m skint until tomorrow, so I bought some £1.99 juice from the corner shop to last me. 85 % VG, when I usually get 50 VG, so I think it’s maybe stopped my coil from wicking correctly because I’ve been getting burned hits as soon as I tried, so I want to check if it’s burned or whether it’s just the liquid is awful.

 

[madstabber]

Yea as you may have found out Smok brand puts out lots of products but it seems they are more about quantity of products over quality of products. Some of the more reliable brands to look at are Vaporesso, Innokin, Smoant, Freemax, and Voopoo to name a few. These are obviously my opinion and brands I’ve used that have worked well over the years. This forum has all the information you need to make an educated choice on your vape products and plenty of members that are willing to help with any questions you may have so when you are ready ask whatever questions you have and they will be answered. Good luck to you and I wish future success in quitting the cancer sticks.

 

[BRE_]

Quick question - I have a 0.25 Smok coil currently in. Can I take it out & wash it to see if it’s burned or not? Will it damage it to wash it if I’ve literally only just installed it?

I’m skint until tomorrow, so I bought some £1.99 juice from the corner shop to last me. 85 % VG, when I usually get 50 VG, so I think it’s maybe stopped my coil from wicking correctly because I’ve been getting burned hits as soon as I tried, so I want to check if it’s burned or whether it’s just the liquid is awful.

Yea as you may have found out Smok brand puts out lots of products but it seems they are more about quantity of products over quality of products. Some of the more reliable brands to look at are Vaporesso, Innokin, Smoant, Freemax, and Voopoo to name a few. These are obviously my opinion and brands I’ve used that have worked well over the years. This forum has all the information you need to make an educated choice on your vape products and plenty of members that are willing to help with any questions you may have so when you are ready ask whatever questions you have and they will be answered. Good luck to you and I wish future success in quitting the cancer sticks.

Thanks for the welcome, just the question I asked to @Storm52 right now if you have any ideas. I’ve quoted it above to avoid double posting it. I can get into the other questions later.

 

[madstabber]

Yeah, I’ve heard that through subreddits, which is why I’ve come here to try & get some education and recommendation on what products I should start going with.

Quick question - I have a 0.25 Smok coil currently in. Can I take it out & wash it to see if it’s burned or not? Will it damage it to wash it if I’ve literally only just installed it?

I’m skint until tomorrow, so I bought some £1.99 juice from the corner shop to last me. 85 % VG, when I usually get 50 VG, so I think it’s maybe stopped my coil from wicking correctly because I’ve been getting burned hits as soon as I tried, so I want to check if it’s burned or whether it’s just the liquid is awful.

You can but usually if there is burned cotton in the coil chances are it will be trashed.’priming you’re coil with juice when putting in a new coil is very important to avoid this. Just put some drops of juice directly on the coils and letting it sit for a little while after filling should help. If the coils are a problem for you Freemax makes great tanks and their coils are some of the best I’ve used. They last long and provide great flavor.

 

[BRE_]

You can but usually if there is burned cotton in the coil chances are it will be trashed.’priming you’re coil with juice when putting in a new coil is very important to avoid this. Just put some drops of juice directly on the coils and letting it sit for a little while after filling should help. If the coils are a problem for you Freemax makes great tanks and there coils are some of the best I’ve used. They last long and provide great flavor.

Yeah, I learned about that after the first time I replaced a coil & it instantly burned. I’ve primed them ever since & let them sit to wick & not had many problems. Usually my coils last anywhere between half a week to 2 weeks, which I’ve heard is standard for Smok for it to be so inconsistent.

I ran out of liquid today from the usual shop I get it from, can’t afford anymore until tomorrow so I went to the corner shop and picked up some cheap £1.99 liquid. Changed my coil & primed it and all that jazz, but it’s giving me massively dry/ burnt hits. My girlfriend has exactly the same vape, using the cheap liquid also & while it’s gross it’s not burned like mine is. That’s why I was going to check by washing the coil since If it’s giving me burned hits it’s likely messed up anyway, what’s the harm in trying I guess?

As I said, usually get 50 VG/ 50 PG but this liquid is 85 VG. It’s quite dark & seems quite concentrated so I think it’s just not allowed my coil to wick correctly. Very irritating, probably gonna have to share my gf’s vape with her until tomorrow when I can get to the shop and buy some more proper liquid.

Thanks for free max rec, I’m looking into getting new vapes soon.

 

[Mordacai]

I'm UK based as well @BRE_, but I'm not a fan of SMOK mods after a rather expensive Procolour decided to play up on me after just 1 month.

But there's plenty of choice on the market, recently saw a great deal on a Pioneer4you V-IT mod in Bargain Bin Treasures!. Less than $20.

Here's the direct link.
Pioneer4you IPV V-IT 200W TC Box Mod

It's worth a look as it has a decent YiHi chipset.

For tanks with drop in coils, you can't go wrong with Freemax. Fireluke 22, Fireluke 3 and M Pro 2.

If you have any more questions, just ask.

 

[Mordacai]

@BRE_, washing or trying to clean coils doesn't work that well. But if you must, cheap and cheerful Vodka may be an option, as boiling with tap water really gives coils a bad taste.

And for liquids, you could try DIY. You can get base easily and cheaply enough, one shots are flavor packs that you just mix with base and then there's individual flavorings. And you mustn't forget sweetner of course.

I only started DIY liquids myself this year and have had limited success, but each time I've mixed up a batch I've improved. But I have been doing things the hard way and experimenting with flavours and coming up with some interesting ideas.

But for cheap nic shots I have found out that you can get discount on bulk purchases from Creme De Vape.

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Welcome to ECF, Brad.

 

[Daniel Forsyth]

Welcome to ECF

 

[r77r7r]

Welcome. Part of my priming process is to also turn the wattage Way down to start. Maybe also buy the coil that the minimum wattage is close to where you like.
Great to hear you and your girlfriend are getting off cigarettes at such a young age!

 

[Katya]

Welcome to ECF, Bre!

 

[BrotherBob]

I’m looking into getting new vapes soon.

Welcome and glad you joined.
Best of luck.

 

[MJCSD]

Hello and welcome to ecf

 

[vaper1960]

Great to hear you and your girlfriend are getting off cigarettes at such a young age!

Good for you. Hello and welcome!
Any advice I would give has already been mentioned. That's very high VG juice so might be the problem. You can actually just mix some distilled water in it to thin it (very small amount like 5 %) It works great. Here in the US, you can get it at the grocery store for just over $1 a gallon. Forget saving that coil.