Newbie

[Sagittarius1]

Hey everyone I’m new here I’m 27, a Sagittarius ️ and smoker for over 10 years. I’m really over cigarettes. They are dragging me down, I’m tired of smelling like them, my car smelling bad, and ash, and just disgust me. However I’m hooked on them and I like to smoke. I tried vaping recently and loved it! It was amazing and I knew I wanted to do it and quit cigs. I have tons of local vape shops near me so will be hitting those up to find me a starter kit. Just thought I’d pop on here for any recommendations on a good starter kit for someone totally new to it. The plan is to get a kit ASAP and get off the cigs. My co worker vapes too and quit cigs he has a box mod though. Ideally I don’t want to spend over 50 bucks on my first one. I do like the pens I’ve seen, I don’t really have any clue what I’ll get yet. I know I usually smoke anywhere from half a pack to a pack a day. And driving is the worst, I chain smoke in the car. Are individual vape hits more satisfying? I def think it will help too with the social aspect because several co workers smoke and I tend to smoke a lot more around them than I otherwise do. Hopefully when I get a pen or whatever that will help me in those situations too. I want to completely give up cigs.

 

[djsvapour]

Most pens are not that great. The shops will often try to sell you overpowered, unreliable models, so be careful.
Just in case you don't know... the e-cig review industry is full or crooks and people who just want commission. Also, the supposed 'top' brands are mostly NOT the top brands.
Products which 'win' certain categories of product are often the expensive/rip-off brands.
So - don't buy Halo, or Blu or Vaporfi. You can buy all these products for much less money from the original Chinese manufacturing brand like Eleaf, Kanger etc.

I'm fairly sure you don't want to spend your $50 on a $12.99 e-cig.

 

[Winchester]

Howdy! Welcome!
I think if buy your new mod on-line. I think you will get more bang for your buck. Brick and Morter stores have a big nut to crack every month which is not to your benefit. You can get a lot good advice here from people who have already been there and done that. For example you can buy a Joyetech eVic-VTC mini 75 watt box mod at Fasttech with a Tron RDA for about $40.00. On top of that you are going to need batteries and a charger. I would say that will cost you another $30.00. I have had my eVic-VTC for about a year now and I use it everyday at work. But ask other people here too. Have back-ups for everything!

 

[Sagittarius1]

Thank you for the responses! I think for my first one I’ll just get one in one of my b&m shops cause for something like this I like that personalized tutorial but yea I’m def not going to be spending more than 50 on one I’m not a cloud chaser or anything like that I just like the act of it without the nasty smells. Yea I know to avoid those cheap e-cigs. I hope to find a decent kit under 50. I like keeping things simple.

 

[suprtrkr]

Hi and welcome and Merry Christmas. If you really want to stick under 50 bucks, an "all in one" system is probably your best choice; something like the Joyetech eGo AIO. It comes with the Cubis tank and has coils available for both MTL and DL vaping. Another option is a pod system of some sort, but I don't know anything about them. If you're just quitting, you will probably start MTL (mouth-to-lung, as you would smoke a cigarette; draw the vapor into your mouth and then inhale it.) Assuming so, one of the Nautilus tanks and a small mod like a Pico gets you into removable batteries, which I prefer. The problem with all-in-one kits is once the batteries go-- they all do sooner or later-- the whole mod is trash as they are not replaceable.

My favorite system to recommend for just-starters who do not yet know their preferred style of vaping is the Kanger Subox or Topbox mini kits. These are removable battery systems, good up to-- if memory serves-- 70 watts, which is pretty powerful. Moreover, the tank has a wide variety of coils available so you can switch around and find what you like best. It is one of the most versatile small mod kits around, if not of surpassing excellence in any particular area (as is true of anything designed to be so flexible.) However, this will exceed your stated budget: a Topbox kit runs about $70; a couple of good batteries-- always buy good batteries, it's important; talk to us before you order, please-- is another $10-15, and about the same as the batteries is a decent stand-alone battery charger. That's going to about double your budget to a Franklin before you buy any juice; but FWIW, I think you will be better served than by a all-in-one.

One of your biggest problems getting and staying off the sticks is going to be juice; it always is. You need a flavor you like, plus the right strength nicotine to still the cravings-- this will vary with your style of vaping and your wattage-- and the proper ratio of VG-PG to provide enough-but-not-too-much throat hit and avoid "heavy lung". There's a learning curve. We'll talk you through it, but only you can tell when you get where you want to be.

 

[MJCSD]

Hello and welcome to ecf

 

[Letitia]

Hello and welcome. I agree the Kanger Subtank Mini or Toptank are one of the best first tanks. They are versatile and flavorful. Most shops will carry a Pico, I would advise you get the Pico 25. It will work with a larger variety of tanks. Buy 2 18650 batteries. You can charge your battery thru the Pico, but you should buy a charger at the first opportunity. I would buy a 12mg juice to start with and a 18mg incase the 12mg isn't strong enough. That way you can boost the 12mg as needed.

 

[miteret]

I started my vaping journey on a Kanger Subtank Mini. It’s a very forgiving mod/tank and not pricey. It delivered me from stinkies. Good luck.

 

[Sagittarius1]

Thanks a lot! Very helpful. As far as the juice itself, probably a dumb question but what do they contain as far as chemicals? I know there are two types of juice, but not much beyond that. I’ve smoked for over 10 years, sometimes full flavors, sometimes lights..sometimes regulars, sometimes menthols. Even so, I’m still somewhat nicotine sensitive, in that if I smoke a couple of cigs too close together sometimes, I still can get a little lightheaded at times, as weird as that sounds. Some brands are worse than others, like Marlboros, if I smoke two of those really close together, I can get nauseous, whereas Camels don’t affect me like that..when I visited a local vape shop recently, I sampled some juice not sure the strength of it, but it was very pleasant, I felt the gratification like with a cig, and buzzed, but a cleaner more intense happier buzz. Almost as if I smoked a strong cigarette, with no nasty side effects. It was very unique. I do remember I felt pretty buzzed for awhile after, and that night, I had trouble falling asleep, but it was definitely pleasant overall.

Regarding the juice, I know you can get it in different strengths, but compared to cigs, what chemicals do they have in them? Some cigs like American spirits claim to be all natural additive free, if I start vaping, just wondering what all is in it and how do you know there’s not like formaldehyde or something in whatever bottle of juice? Sorry if it’s a dumb question, I’m sure it’s all better than the chems in most cigarettes, and of course the combustion in cigs that make those more harmful, but just curious.

 

[bombastinator]

Do vaping reado less harm than regular cigarette?

Howdy! Welcome!
I think if buy your new mod on-line. I think you will get more bang for your buck. Brick and Morter stores have a big nut to crack every month which is not to your benefit. You can get a lot good advice here from people who have already been there and done that. For example you can buy a Joyetech eVic-VTC mini 75 watt box mod at Fasttech with a Tron RDA for about $40.00. On top of that you are going to need batteries and a charger. I would say that will cost you another $30.00. I have had my eVic-VTC for about a year now and I use it everyday at work. But ask other people here too. Have back-ups for everything!

Yup. I’ve heard 1/1000th and 1/5000th as bad as smoking. Plus there’s ample anecdotal evidence from various former smokers here. It’s dramatic enough that there are a known series of side effects people tend to have in their first month or so as their body readjusts.

 

[bombastinator]

As far as mods go the gold standard beginner mod for a while now has been the eleaf pico 25. It’s solid, cheap, compact, easily available, and fairly reliable.

As atomizers go there’s a choice to make: are you willing to go RDA or just get a coil cartridge system.

The pico 25 generally comes with a melo 3 which is a not too bad (for a cartridge system) tank. The advantage of cartridge systems is simplicity. The advantage of RDA systems is vastly lower operating cost and higher reliability. Coil cartridges can be pricey and tend to be somewhat fussy. They are very straight forward though. If you want a cartridge system I’d say go with a standard pico 25 kit

 

[OlderNDirt]

Welcome @Sagittarius1 ! Perhaps you have actually answered your own question.....

I tried vaping recently and loved it!

If you can, find out exactly what you tried vaping with. If not exactly, hit a few vape shops and find what looks like what you tried. Even if you are unsure, a decent shop should be able to help you find something to get you started. If a shop has juice testing, the gear they use for that may help you decide. While there, find a couple flavors you like. But buy in small bottles. Sometimes a flavor sounds and tastes good with a few testing hits, but loses its luster when hitting it all day. You can always stop back in and pick up more if it actually is a winner. And just an FYI, most shops in my area only use 0 nic juice for tasting. You might ask each shop what level of nic is in theirs.

Depending on the gear you start out with, a $50 budget could limit your options....especially if you are including your juice in that budget. You can get some "vape pen" starter kits cheaply enough ($15-$25), but if you go with one of those, I would highly recommend getting 2. That not only gives you something to vape on while the other charges, but you can have 2 different flavors loaded up and ready to go if you want a change. And back-ups are a very good thing! If what you tried and loved was a box with a sub ohm tank (or similar), all that could change as far as cost. Only you can decide if you want to increase your budget or try something completely different.

Juices contain propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine, and whatever is in the flavorings. Best way to ease concerns for what is in any of that? In 10+ years vaping has been in use, have you ever heard of any occurrence of illness/disease, hospitalizations, or deaths related to vaping? And from smoking?????

Good luck! Find what works for you and get off the smokes! Then you can expand and evolve your vaping experience when and how you desire.

 

[stols001]

More and more evidence is showing that e-cigs are less harmful than smoking by a vast amount. I will say that I also trust the evidence of my own body (and doctors). Not only are my lungs healing up, my bloodpressure is lower, and I feel overall SO MUCH better than I did while smoking, I have vast stores of energy, LOL.

If you want to purchase from a vape store, just know that your $50 may not go very far, compared to online shopping. If you want a basic starter pen, say so and hold fast to it. There are some decent AIO and pod mods as well, although IMO pod mods can be difficult to master initially but some folks really enjoy them.

As far as juice, it may be helpful to lean on the higher side at first, although it sounds like you weren't a heavy smoker and aren't seeking a huge nicotine buzz, though it may be worth asking the person who you tried vaping with what juice they use so you have a starting point. Hopefully, the vape shop will allow you to test some flavors as well.... You may need to experiment a bit to find the right strength of juice for you. Most MTL starting out vapers use at least a certain amount of PG (said to be a flavor carrier and more throat hit) and VG produces more clouds. Some folks vape in the 50-50 region or thereabouts, but you may find you lean slightly either way.

As far as vape chemicals, I am not going to say that all flavors are 100% safe, but they are used in minute quantities, and I haven't heard of anyone keeling over dead from flavorings, and most folks have been using flavors for years without incident. If you have concerns, you can certainly inquire whether dactyl is in any flavoring you buy, that tends to be the one ingredient that has been flagged as slightly unhealthy. I usually know if a flavor isn't agreeing with me because I get hoarse. It is possible to be allergic to a flavor, but it is fairly rare, and easily remedied by changing e-liquid.

Best of luck and welcome to ECF.

Anna

 

[tgs3]

Welcome! If you are looking for a knowledgeable and supportive community, then you are in the right place.

As I usually do, I recommend either the Innokin T22 or T20 for smokers who want to transition to vaping. The price of a T22 starter kit is well under $50 and you get a fantastic tank that can be used on more advanced devices.

I began that transition in August after 40+ years of smoking. The T22, bought on the recommendation of an ecf member, was a game changer for me. Until recently I vaped high nicotine ejuice - 24mg. Lately I have gradually reduced the nic level every time I buy new. If you want to avoid or minimize physical withdrawal symptoms, then don't start with liquids with too low a nic content.

Good luck!

 

[Baditude]

Do vaping reado less harm than regular cigarette?

CASAA statement on tobacco harm reduction

We need to define here that there is a difference between vaping nicotine and smoking tobacco. The big problem with smoking is the issue of combustion and smoke leading to cancer from burning tobacco leaves. With vaping there is no combustion or smoke, the nicotine is released into the vapor.

Vaping replicates smoking, but in a less harmful manner:

You get nicotine replacement for the physical addiction to tobacco via vapor.

You get the hand-to-mouth behavior replicated like a cigarette.

You get the visual satisfaction of inhaling/exhaling vapor just like a cigarette.​

 

[djsvapour]

Regarding the juice, I know you can get it in different strengths, but compared to cigs, what chemicals do they have in them? Some cigs like American spirits claim to be all natural additive free, if I start vaping, just wondering what all is in it and how do you know there’s not like formaldehyde or something in whatever bottle of juice?

E-liquid is made from PG, VG, (+ water) and flavors. Those flavors can/will be made from a variety of known chemicals, of course. There is not formaldehyde in liquid as an additive but formaldehyde can be produced vaporizing e-liquid (the PG) under certain circumstances. Abusing an e-cig coil (over-power, dry hit) can produce high levels, but nobody would normally vape that.
Cigarettes knowingly contain chemicals which are carcinogenic, some only under combustion. There are often over 40 known cancer agents.
The brands with less additives may not contain lead, acetone, arsenic, benzene etc., but they do produce tar and carbon monoxide as the natural byproduct of burning tobacco. Exposure to these toxins can result in serious chronic diseases.
If a 'natural' tobacco is a few % safer and an e-cig 95% safer, the choice is easy.

 

[Baditude]

I have tons of local vape shops near me so will be hitting those up to find me a starter kit. Just thought I’d pop on here for any recommendations on a good starter kit for someone totally new to it. The plan is to get a kit ASAP and get off the cigs.

You are lucky that you have multiple vape shops to visit. You will get to see and feel a variety of setups first hand to see which you will be most comfortable with.

Familiarize yourself with vaping terminology, therefore you can be a more informed consumer and not be pressured by a salesperson to buy something that is totally out of your realm.

Be aware though that way too many vape shops are more interested in "the sale" than they are in helping you to quit smoking. If they don't ask you a bunch of questions about your smoking habits, but immediately show you a couple of setups right off the bat, be skeptical of that shop. A reputable shop will have much more than just mech mods and RBA's. A reputable shop will cater to the beginner, the intermediate, and advanced vaper.

I agree with folks saying that finding an e-liquid will be the toughest decision to make; finding reasonable gear is the easy part. Finding a flavor we truly like to use daily and settling on the right nicotine strength as an individual will take some time as well as a little luck. Finding a vape shop that allows customers to sample flavors before buying can really help.

Most of us veterans end up with several setups along the way. It takes a while to find out what our individual preferences are; and sometimes our preferences change over time. Luckily, there is a wide variety of gear available to suit almost everyone's needs. There is no one particular setup which will suit everyone's needs.

Good Starter Setups for a Beginner Vaper
Advancing Up the Vaping Ladder
Proper Terminology: Is it a carto, a tank, or what? A Guide to Juice Delivery Devices​

 

[Eskie]

All good advice. First, yes vaping is safer than smoking. It appears to be safer by a considerable degree. You have a big advantage over most of us, you're smart enough to get off cigarettes early. Many of us waited far longer. Whether you will vape for another 40 years with the same degree of harm reduction remains to be determined. You can deal with that issue after being off cigarettes for several years.

As to a good start for your price point I'd second, third, or fourth, didn't count them up, the Pico 25. Solid mod, decent starter tank, easy to add a different tank if you prefer down the road, and meets your price point.

Good luck!

 

[djsvapour]

All good advice. First, yes vaping is safer than smoking. It appears to be safer by a considerable degree. You have a big advantage over most of us, you're smart enough to get off cigarettes early. Many of us waited far longer.

This is an important comment. I remember a smoker saying to me "wait until you are 40 (years old) and see how bad you feel" as a warning. So much depends on how many pack years you have smoked but essentially, most smokers cannot stop soon enough.

 

[Sagittarius1]

Well hit up my local vape shop and got me a Smok Stick V8. With some house juice 8mg. I love it