Newbie e-cig vaper

[GSHARQ]

Since I have to start on this board, I thought I'd make my presence known.

I am new to e-cigs starting this week. I received my first e-cig, the SS Choice No. 7 Micro this week. It came with high-strength cartomizers which were too strong, so I sent them back and am waiting for the company to send me replacement cartomizers in a lower strength.

I also ordered a Vapor King eTank series which I am hoping will arrive today. I got it on sale for $59.95 and it includs 2 free bottles of eliquid.

I hope to share my experiences in the days to come. Maybe I can post some reviews if anyone is interested.

This is the only e-cig forum I could find and it seems to be pretty active so I'm glad I found a place where I can get advice if needed.

 

[WillieB69]

Welcome, GSHARQ! (How do you pronounce that??)

This place is chock full of good information if you spend a little time looking around and asking questions.
There are other vaping forums but I don't think you'll find another with the amassed amount of knowledge this one has!

Congrats on your decision to ditch the analogs and start vaping!

 

[GSHARQ]

Thanks. The name is meant to be pronounced as "gee-shark" which is short for a name I often use on other forums, GAMESHARQ.

I am hoping that by switching to e-cigs, I can give up analogs for good. Based on what I've read on this site already, it seems to work for a lot of people. The weird thing is that I don't recall ever seeing anyone else smoking an e-cig in public, so it will be strange being the only one in my area doing it.

 

[Renzuli]

Welcome GSHARQ , You may be surprised at how many people are using these things . They just don't do it openly as yet . There are people at Home Depot , Lowes , and Walmart , vaping as we speak . They may well be stealth vaping ( hiding the vapor ) but vaping , none the less .

 

[ColKurtz]

I'm going to give some advice that I wish I had taken...

What you appear to have purchased is your standard e-cigarette. Looks like some variation on a 510 or 801. That's fine, and what most people start out with. However, there are a lot of limitations, due to the size of those small "cigarette-looking" batteries.

As crazy as it sounds, I would highly recommend spending the money up front on a variable-voltage (VV) mod. I tried vaping a couple of years ago to quit smoking, but it was short-lived. The main reason was I did not like the taste of any of the juices I tried. I read all the posts about VV mods, and just assumed those were for vaping geeks... sounded complicated. I just wanted a pacifier to help quit smoking. So I got a bunch of those 510 batteries like you got, and then a bunch more eGo batteries (just a larger version of the battery, which will last longer between charges).

$250+ into batteries that have limited lives like yours/mine, I picked up a cheap VV passthru, which immediately changed my opinion on VV. Some juices simply have no flavor or throat-hit (the physical feeling in your throad/lungs that mimics smoke) at the standard 3.2v -- if you're lucky -- batteries. I just spent another $70 on an eGo booster... an adapter than turns standard eGo batteries into VV mod. But this only made financial sense b/c I had like 8 eGos sitting around. I wish I could go back 6 months and pick up a Provari or a Darwin. I would have saved a lot of money.

Since flavors were the biggest issue for me, being able to change the taste has completely changed my opinion on some juices, and allowed me to find 4 or 5 that I can vape on a consistent basis.

The VV mods are expensive. The Provari is probably the cheapest of the quality ones, and it's around $200. But the batteries are standard, not proprietary, and replaceable, and you'll probably spend that much on underwhelming disposable batteries.

Moreover, go search in the classified swaps for Provaris, Darwins, etc. You'll notice they usually sell for 80-90% of their value. Essentially you can "rent" a high-end vaporizer that will give you the best vaping experience and higher chance of adoption, for like $20 by selling it off if you don't like it or end up quitting nicotine.

Just some advice from some lessons learned. Good luck!

 

[GSHARQ]

Welcome GSHARQ , You may be surprised at how many people are using these things . They just don't do it openly as yet . There are people at Home Depot , Lowes , and Walmart , vaping as we speak . They may well be stealth vaping ( hiding the vapor ) but vaping , none the less .

When you say there are people vaping at Home Depot, Lowes, and Wal-Mart, do you mean customers? Can I just walk into a major department store and vape while I shop?

 

[GSHARQ]

I'm going to give some advice that I wish I had taken...

What you appear to have purchased is your standard e-cigarette. Looks like some variation on a 510 or 801. That's fine, and what most people start out with. However, there are a lot of limitations, due to the size of those small "cigarette-looking" batteries.

As crazy as it sounds, I would highly recommend spending the money up front on a variable-voltage (VV) mod. I tried vaping a couple of years ago to quit smoking, but it was short-lived. The main reason was I did not like the taste of any of the juices I tried. I read all the posts about VV mods, and just assumed those were for vaping geeks... sounded complicated. I just wanted a pacifier to help quit smoking. So I got a bunch of those 510 batteries like you got, and then a bunch more eGo batteries (just a larger version of the battery, which will last longer between charges).

$250+ into batteries that have limited lives like yours/mine, I picked up a cheap VV passthru, which immediately changed my opinion on VV. Some juices simply have no flavor or throat-hit (the physical feeling in your throad/lungs that mimics smoke) at the standard 3.2v -- if you're lucky -- batteries. I just spent another $70 on an eGo booster... an adapter than turns standard eGo batteries into VV mod. But this only made financial sense b/c I had like 8 eGos sitting around. I wish I could go back 6 months and pick up a Provari or a Darwin. I would have saved a lot of money.

Since flavors were the biggest issue for me, being able to change the taste has completely changed my opinion on some juices, and allowed me to find 4 or 5 that I can vape on a consistent basis.

The VV mods are expensive. The Provari is probably the cheapest of the quality ones, and it's around $200. But the batteries are standard, not proprietary, and replaceable, and you'll probably spend that much on underwhelming disposable batteries.

Moreover, go search in the classified swaps for Provaris, Darwins, etc. You'll notice they usually sell for 80-90% of their value. Essentially you can "rent" a high-end vaporizer that will give you the best vaping experience and higher chance of adoption, for like $20 by selling it off if you don't like it or end up quitting nicotine.

Just some advice from some lessons learned. Good luck!

I trust your judgment and I need all of the expert advice that I can get.

So what are the advantages to using a VV mod as opposed to what I am using? Stronger vapor and flavor?

Also, is there a particular site that you recommend buying a Provari or Darwin from?

 

[Renzuli]

I mean the customers , but you can't just walk in , vaping your brains out . That's what I meant about stealth vaping . They vape when no one is looking . So an empty isle , bathroom , changing room . You get the picture .

 

[ColKurtz]

So what are the advantages to using a VV mod as opposed to what I am using? Stronger vapor and flavor?

Being able to modify both the flavor and the throat-hit ("stronger vapor" as you put it). One of the hardest things about e-cig beginners these days are all of the different options -- low-voltage atomizers, dual/triple-coil cartomizers. You can visit vendor sites that have 5 seemingly-identical atomizers, the only difference is that some are 1.5ohm, 1.8ohm, 2.0ohm, etc. It can be overwhelming.

What you get with a quality VV mod is a fool-proof device to deal with anything that you buy. Higher voltage produces higher heat which is what changes the throat-hit and taste. By playing around with the voltage settings, you'll be able create the vaping experience that works for you.... some people like long draws with mild throat hits.... some like shorter tokes with big throat hits. You'll be able to figure out what works for you.

Unless you can vary the voltage, you're stuck with one level of taste and throat-hit.

My 3 cents.

Also, is there a particular site that you recommend buying a Provari or Darwin from?

The good mods are usually exclusive to a vendor.

Provari is sold by Provape
Darwin is sold by Nhaler.

Those are just 2 of the more popular. There are plenty others.

 

[ColKurtz]

When you say there are people vaping at Home Depot, Lowes, and Wal-Mart, do you mean customers? Can I just walk into a major department store and vape while I shop?

Yeah. I don't vape while I shop -- my nic fits aren't that bad. He might have meant people who work there. I work in sales and am often stuck at customer sites all day.... usually with security/badge-access that makes it inconvenient to say the least to head out and vape. So I'll head to the bathroom, and close the stall. But there have been plenty of times I just walk down an empty hall, vape and exhale it down into my shirt. Never been busted that I know.

 

[DAlberto]

Unless you can vary the voltage, you're stuck with one level of taste and throat-hit.

My 3 cents.

I wouldn't agree with that. I use my ego-t battery with 510 attys for dripping, regular and LR atties with a tank, mega cartos, xl clearomizers and mega dual coil cartos. Each give me a different vaping experience even when used with the same juice. For instance the xl clearomizers give a very warm flavourful vape with very little throat hit whereas the mega dual coil cartos give much stronger throat hit with the same juice and cooler vapour.

As for vaping in public, I tend to limit myself to areas where you would normally be allowed to smoke anyways. The last thing I need is to create bad feeling amongst the general non-vaping public and then having to explain what I'm doing. I've walked around chinatown in NYC vaping my ego-t so not really subtle at all and haven't had any problems.

Good luck and hope you like vaping!

 

[BardicDruid]

I wouldn't shell out $200+ for a variable voltage until you've learned how things work or you'll wind up with an expensive device your not able to vape. You would be a lot better off starting with a eGo or Riva starter kit and learning the ropes first before you wind up with something that just confuses you.