Newbie Needs Help

[Whatevs]

hi


my name is lisa and i'm a newbie here and i want to give e cigs a try. i don't have alot of time or money to waste experimenting with different brands and models so i thought i'd join a forum to see what veteran ecig smokers have to say about which brand and model would be the best choice for a beginner.


i smoke Marlboro Ultra Lights 100's Non-menthol (now known as Marlboro Silver Pack 100's). I usually smoke about 10-20 cigarettes day, never more than a pack a day except on rare occasions.


Smoking has gotten in the way of making some of my career goals come true. I used to be a massage therapist and I would try my best not to smoke at work but eventually this became very difficult and I quit working as a massage therapist. I loved being a massage therapist so this was quite a disappointment for me. I now work in the medical field and I'm hassled alot of the time by coworkers to quit smoking (yes I know my choice of career fields all involve being healthy but i love working in these fields so it makes being a smoker suck that much more).


I've tried everything to quit smoking and nothing's worked so far. If e cigs would help me to not smoke "real" cigarettes at work this would be a huge help. It would be great if e cigs helped me to quit but cutting down would be better than nothing.


Any help would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions that could help in figuring out what the best e cig to start off with would be please let me know. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you!

 

[Huffelpuff]

Hi. I'm so glad that you came here first. There are a lot of companies out there charging a fortune for ecigs when you can get them relatively cheaply.

You will get all sorts of advice here for buying your first ecig. My first ecig was Riva E Cig Kit | Riva SLB Online | Riva Kit

Not a bad deal if you are looking to go economically. You will need nicotine juice and a cartomizer or atomizer to go along w/ a new ecig kit. You can choose nicotine strength. There are lots of videos on utube for how to fill cartomizers (which I believe are superior to atomizers for someone new).

Doormouse and some other vets will check in to respond to your post and can give you more detailed information than I - just offering my personal experience and thought that the Riva beat all for being inexpensive and versatile.

Good Luck, Welcome to the ECF - make sure to check back in a while when some vets answer your post. Switching to ecigs is so much easier than using the patch or gum - 25 year PPD+ smoker here stopped immediately w/ ecigs.

 

[frosting]

Since you are in Hawaii, I want to suggest to you Liberty-Flights

http://http://liberty-flights.com/product.asp?id=40

That happens to be a link to an eGo, they also sell the Riva that is a clone model of about the same thing but is about 10 dollars cheaper when the upper left 20% off coupon is clicked.

I recommend them because they are the only vendor( someone tell me if there are others!!) that have a 2 month warranty on batteries for such low prices. Better for you, they are situated out of California. I wouldn't recommend their juice but for a good starter kit they are the cat's meow. Not sure about the best juice vendor for you with your location. If you don't care how long it takes VaporGod.com(in PA) has really good prices some juices can be misses, while some are fantastic. Read the juice reviews on their site and ECF for sure!

As for an eGo or Riva, I'm not positive if that would be for you. I smoked menthol mostly before I switched to vaping and can say it got me to quit a 1-1.5 PAD habit. I only smoked 8 years though.

So, having not been a light smoker but a smoker at that I do want to mention in my opinion your attitude is what will help you most. A lot of people myself included didn't think of it as giving something up. Some thought of it as "switching brands" instead of quitting smoking. For me I was to the point I hated cigarettes. The day I got my eGo I happened to buy two packs of cigarettes before it arrived. When I tried to get my money back for the pack I had bought, the lady told me "Just smoke it. Its just a pack" That ...... me off and really added fuel to my fire. I thank her for that because two days after using my electronic I quit cigarettes entirely. The biggest thing is that you want it, and you are positive about it. Seeing it as fun, a new hobby, a world of flavors may help a lot. Best of Luck and welcome to ECF!

Also, be sure to check out this article as well as others above the New Member boards-- http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...234-im-new-what-e-cigarette-should-i-buy.html

 

[Whatevs]

Thanks Huffelpuff! I was doing some searches online and the amount of information about e cigs made my head hurt! I was trying to find some unbiased information on e cigs since some of the reviews online and on Youtube seemed to be done by people who were getting paid to do them, so it was nice to find this forum. Thanks again for the info and the warm welcome!

 

[Brewlady]

Hi, Lisa

I smoked for 36 years, and was able to quit virtually overnight once I bought my first kit. I smoked Marlboro Menthol Lights, about a pack a day. I've been vaping over a year. If you really want this to work, it will. There's a vendor in Hawaii, Volcano. Their contact page lists their retail locations here Contact Us

Most people start out with a kit that has a cigarette-sized device. The problem with this is the battery won't last you an entire day, you'll need to carry spare batteries with you. Most people then step up to an eGo, which is somewhat bigger, but has a better battery life. The battery life becomes more important than having something that resembles a cigarette. If you haven't already read this, there's a pretty good page on ECF that you should read here Best E-Cigarette for a New User

Because there's so many different options, it can seem very overwhelming at first. I tried a bunch of different devices and liquids before I found the perfect combination. Don't order large bottles of liquid until you figure out what flavors work for you. There are some excellent vendors that sell small bottles so you can try different nicotine strengths. 18mg strength would probably be a good starting point for you. This thread has some good suggestions for vendors http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...endor-sample-pack-juice.html?highlight=sample

The members here are very helpful, so finding this forum should make your transition easier.

Good luck, and welcome to ECF!

 

[Whatevs]

Thanks Frosting! Like I said I don't want to quit smoking but if e cigs helped that would be a bonus! Mostly my reason for wanting to try e cigs is for work. But if I happen to like e cigs I would quit for sure Thanks for the welcome!

 

[Huffelpuff]

I felt the same way- wanted to stop for health reasons but not really - just loved to smoke. After a couple days of vaping analogs just taste nasty. Why would I want that when I can vape fruit flavors and yummy dessert like concoctions? It's funny how your tastes adjust. Don't worry about quitting the cigs too much it may happen naturally w/ vaping.

 

[Whatevs]

Thanks for the links Brewlady! I just checked out their website and they have a Volcano Vapor Cafe where I live! This would probably be a great place to check out e cigs and speak to some veteran vapers (still trying to get used to all the new e cig lingo ) They even have a lounge and serve coffee there! I will definitely check it out.

 

[Whatevs]

Huffelpuff - yeah I'm not too worried about quitting (I've pretty much given up after all of my previous failed attempts). After awhile it gets demoralizing getting your hopes up that you've finally quit for good and then ending up smoking again. Just cutting down would be great. I like what you said about "vape fruit flavors and yummy dessert like concoctions." Makes it sound like I'm going to a Baskin-Robbins!

 

[hairball]

Thanks for the links Brewlady! I just checked out their website and they have a Volcano Vapor Cafe where I live! This would probably be a great place to check out e cigs and speak to some veteran vapers (still trying to get used to all the new e cig lingo ) They even have a lounge and serve coffee there! I will definitely check it out.

I completely forgot they were in Hawaii. They have good kits and some great tasting juices. Go visit them and they will get you started in the right direction. As for quitting or at least cutting down, you'll be surprised that you may not want those stinky cigs anymore after a short time using a PV.

 

[frosting]

No problem Whatevs. I think many of us loved smoking which is what brought us to find e-ciggs because other methods just didn't help. You are going to Baskin-Robbins... you are... without the calories

Must agree with hairball, once you start using an e-cigg and sticking with it ciggs are going to taste nastier and nastier. Nothing quite like being able to vape mint chocolate. Ciggs just don't compare.

Be sure to buy at least 3-5 6ml sample juices! Last thing you want is if you get really into using your e-cigg and not having juice!

 

[Whatevs]

Thanks Hairball The also have disposables and express starter kits at cheap prices which sound great for a beginner who is just a bit hesitant to pay for a starter kit. I am going to go to the cafe tomorrow with my friend (who is also a smoker) to try these out!

 

[Huffelpuff]

Also forgot to add that many kids come with cartriges. I, personally, find them kinda gross and unsatisfying. When I first ordered thought that "cartos" or cartomizers were the same thing as "carts" or cartriges. Big difference. I was major league dissapointed until my order came it. Just an FYI.

 

[Whatevs]

You are going to Baskin-Robbins... you are... without the calories

Nothing quite like being able to vape mint chocolate. Ciggs just don't compare.

Lol this made me laugh because mint chocolate chip is my favorite Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavor! Yum

 

[Whatevs]

Thanks Huffelpuff. The Volcano e-cig comes with cartomizers so I won't have to worry about that. Can't wait to try them out tomorrow and see what they're like!

 

[frosting]

Thanks Huffelpuff. The Volcano e-cig comes with cartomizers so I won't have to worry about that. Can't wait to try them out tomorrow and see what they're like!

Nice, hopefully you'll enjoy them. From what I saw online 65$ a starter kit. Ouch. Seriously, Liberty Flights Even when you throw in a pack of cartomizers it shouldn't cost more then 50$ whether you pick an eGo or a Riva. eGo is 43$ after shipping, Riva is even less money.

Just a completly random review I found on what appears to be the kit you are considering. Whatever you are considering, someone here has probubly tried it here so it couldn't hurt to do a little search for reviews ! http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/standard-e-cigarette-reviews/233972-volcano-standard-kit-review-inconsistent.html

 

[Whatevs]

Thanks for the heads up Frosting! I guess it's a good thing they have disposables at their cafe that I can try. If I like the disposables I will definitely start thinking about which brand will be best for the starter kit I will want to purchase. This site is great for beginners who get easily overwhelmed by too much info, like me.

 

[frosting]

Thanks for the heads up Frosting! I guess it's a good thing they have disposables at their cafe that I can try. If I like the disposables I will definitely start thinking about which brand will be best for the starter kit I will want to purchase. This site is great for beginners who get easily overwhelmed by too much info, like me.

No problem. Its cool you get to try it before you buy it! I just went on faith and jumped in myself. We all get overwhelmed but I like to think it was a fun kind of overwhelmed.... Hopefully once you hit up the vaping cafe and talk to someone about it, they break it down for you, it will start to become simple.

 

[Whatevs]

No problem. Its cool you get to try it before you buy it! I just went on faith and jumped in myself. We all get overwhelmed but I like to think it was a fun kind of overwhelmed.... Hopefully once you hit up the vaping cafe and talk to someone about it, they break it down for you, it will start to become simple.

Well I went out to dinner with a bunch of friends one night and a friend of a friend who was there said that she had spent over $100 on a e cig kit and that she tried it and didn't like it and went back to analogues, so after I heard that I never thought about using them myself. But lately with all of the news about e cigs I've thought about trying them again. I've heard that tobacco companies are trying their hardest to get e cigs banned so they're using their media and government connections to try to do that (may be a conspiracy theory but sounds likely to me). I've also read news articles where scientists from prominent research universities and organizations are saying that e cigarettes are better and safer than analogue cigarettes so I'm willing to give them a try. It's hard to know who to believe nowadays with all the competing vested interests trying to tell you what is "true"!

 

[bikertrash]

I totally understand where you're coming from. This is a POOOOOL (OCEAN) of trial and error for sure.. But, I can say, and I seriously challenge anyone to disagree with me on the following .....

You can start with all sorts of, what seem to be inexpensive, demo's. You may or not fully experience what you're hoping to find. If you're persistent, as we were, you'll eventually end up with a great, satisfying solution. But, Many give up due to the poor quality, performance, taste, etc.... of the disposable, mini-mart, type products. I honestly would lump pretty much anything that is appx. the size of a real cig in this category. Or, they figure buying more 'experiments' isn't going to get any better. And, if you only surf the 'crap' sites trying to get you into the pre-filled route, I doubt you'll stay with it.

I wish more folks would simply take the leap of faith and get a 'real' e-cig product and not waste money on what are really toys.. Toys that WILL end up costing you more in frustration and probably tossing it all in the trash.

We went through all the garbage products due to a lack of local sources.. PLEASE, don't get an automatic! PUSH A BUTTON! You'll avoid that poor performance right off the bat. PLEASE, at least get an EGO and better yet, START WITH AN EGO-T (TANK STYLE).. MEGA TANK STYLE IS EVEN BETTER. The performance, taste, lack of maintenance, etc. etc. etc. will more than pay off.. They taste awesome, no filler material to mess with, easy to fill, ours hold about 3ml of juice and you can vape a long time... maybe a whole day on a single filling. It was a no brainer....

And, BUY THE LARGEST AMP BATTERIES YOU CAN. This will pay off in not having to charge all the time and carry a bunch of extra batteries. Just a thought, get a couple of EGO 1000mah Batteries, 1 Charger, a 5 pack of TANK STYLE Cartridges, 2-3 Attomizers and you will have built your own KIT and I guarantee it will cost less than buying a prepacked kit. Others in this thread have suggested sites and I'm sure they are all good for best prices.

I have to leave now but, I'll post another more detailed response with more specifics later today... The real trick will be finding a JUICE that YOU like. Thats really a lot of the FUN though.... I bet an 18mg NIC JUICE would give you a lot of what you're looking for... Once you find a JUICE you like, you'll have found a great solution. Later, you definitely want to experiment with CARTOMIZERs or CLEAROMIZERS which all have their own characteristics and 'taste'.. But, I'd say that when we discovered the TANK style EGO's, we knew we were on the right track... I really think that $50-75 should get you a great solution. But, when you factor what a couple of cartons of analogs run these days, you'll forgot about the initial costs to get something you can actually 'see' replacing an analog cig.

my 2 cents...

bikertrash...