Newbie's view for veterans to consider

[Duster6524]

Howdy all!
I've been reading alot of info and watching a whole bunch of videos trying to figure this vaping thing out, and wanted to give a 'newbies' perspective on some things.

First, a little background...I've been smoking 1-1 1/2 PAD for about 35 yrs. Over the last few, I've been feeling like I really should at least cut back and then work on quitting 'analogs'. A couple of times in the past I've heard about or seen ads for e-cigs and researched for more info, only to be let down because there wasn't that much to find. And what I did find was that it would be very expensive and may be a "pita" because of problems with systems
that were available. What a difference a few years make!

Now there are almost unimaginable numbers and types of systems out there and it seems a lot of the problems have been worked out (not all, Murphy's Law sees to that!). With that in mind, as someone trying to figure this out, it is VERY overwhelming! And add to that the uncertianty of spending money on something that may or may not work for someone "hooked" on cigarettes, and probably someone that does not have the extra money to take a chance. They are most likely gonna have to take 'cig' money (for something they know will settle their nerves or get them through a day) and take a chance on an unknown and possibly add extra tension in an already tense life (if it doesn't work, or they don't like it, etc.). I counted myself in this group.

Then I got what I feel was "my chance" at a new life. My local gas station had had a display for Smoke51s (or whatever the name was) that I had researched and found most people had given a thumbs down on, changed to a new display for Mistics. I reasearched this brand and the reviews were a little better but still mixed at best. Alot of what I read was to not believe the manufactures claims of 2 day batt life and 1 cartridge equalling a pack of cigs. I also felt that with alot of the thumbs down reviews to not fully believe them either because of such a desparity of batt and cartridge life compared to manufacture claims ( 2 hrs or less and maybe equal to a fourth a pack). Well I took that into consideration and figured if I could get at least half of the manufacture claims that it would be a good value. (never fully believe what anyone that is trying to 'sell ya something' claims!)lol

I have to tell ya, due to so much 'slamming' of mall, gas station, corner store e-cigs I almost didn't try them. I understand these have a bad reputation from the past but I wonder how many of the thumbs down are based on past issues and not on more recent equipment. Things change over time. It would be more helpful if some info was given that was current, and stated the 'pros and cons' so as a consumer I could make a choice. Not just being told to "not buy
that junk", without some good qualifications as to why. Not everybody can or should start with a "Ferrari"! (the car, just in case I missed some outfit that's called the same! lol ) Some of us have to start with a "Chevette" and work our way up. Not all "Chevettes" are junk just because they're cheap or some people had issues with them. (I had a hand me down "Shovette" from my lil sister that was a very good car until it finally died of natural causes!)

I decided, "well, it's a new display so everthing should be fresh and working, this must be my chance". The setup was charged and ready to go outta the box so all I had to do was give up 2 packs of smokes to try it. I figured I could 'streach out' my smoke supply to cover this amount so I got a kit with 1 battery and 1 cartridge. No charger, cause if this didn't work I don't think I could have come up with more money and give up more cigs to try more. And if it did work, I could go right back to the station and get more stuff. That made it sooo much easier to make the decision to try it because if I'd of had to wait on ordering more I'd probably not continued.

I am so glad I did! My experience so far has been very good. My batts last at least a full day and so do the cartridges. I get plenty of vapor and TH, maybe not what I'd get from a "Ferrari or Corvette" but more than those thumbs down claims and certainly enough to start down the road to no more 'analogs'. And that is the important part, not whether I'm getting "Cheech and Chong" vapor or "Melt the back of my throat" TH.

I'm only into it about a month and half and I'm already starting to mix my own juice and cleaning and refilling my cartos. The idea of tinkering with flavors and controlling my nic levels (to one day being at 0 nic) is very appealling to me. I have a new hobby!! And soon better health and more money to tinker with!

It is easy to look back and say "why didn't I do this sooner" now that I'm on this side, but you have to remember, it is very scary to take that step because if it didn't work, more stress is what you'd get, not less.

I guess what I tried to say in the above rambling is, Please consider all sides and situations when offering advice on equipment and supplies and while sometimes you do get what you pay for, sometimes that is exactly what you needed at that time.

Thanks for listening and VAPE ON!!!
Duster
p.s. LOVE this forum!! You guys ROCK!! Thanks ECF!!!

 

[SpicyMcHaggis]

More than one way to skin a ..... Happy to hear it's working well!

 

[kalifornia]

congrats you have won a provari for the longest post award. glad you're here!

 

[dejavoodoo]

Bravo! I always preface any criticism of a cig-a-like with the statement that MANY of us started that way and we seem to have a love/hate relationship with them.

DH and I are on a tight budget and it was very scary spending money on those for the two of us. We spent too much on them and justified it cos starting up with them was somewhat more affordable than the bigger kits--which we ended up with shortly anyway

But while I despise them for mostly inaccurate claims of duration and overpricing, some even price-gouging, they serve a purpose. They are easy to buy, non-intimidating, and most importantly they proved to us that vaping in some form, was indeed an answer for us. They were my training wheels and while I regret the money I feel I wasted on them, it was really an investment.

 

[hnyb0210]

Thanks for posting this - only being a month or so in myself, you have many, many valid points.

If it hadn't been as easy as picking up that Blu disposable @ Walgreens, I probably never would've given vaping a try. Was it a Chevette? It sure was, but it showed me that I could make this work, and I could finally really change my life & rid myself of the analogs once and for all. Watching this experience was also enough to convince my husband (and that is really saying something!) and my sister-in-law that it could work for them too. Thank God for that Chevette, I say

It also taught me that although I was definitely ready for a Ford (a Volt), I do not need/want (nor will I probably ever need/want) a Ferrari; that I'm just fine & dandy with my Ford, thank you very much. I'm having so much fun trying out juice flavors, and I know this will keep me occupied for a long time to come.

Best of all, that Chevette probably saved my life and that of several people near and dear to me.

Congrats to you & keep vapin' on!

 

[Smoot]

Good post!!!
I like the automotive analogy here. I have often though that vaping is more of a personal choice of both looks and performance as to that persons needs.
It's like going to a automobile forum and asking "I want a new vehicle. What should I get??"
Some will say get an old pinto, others a Ferrari some say a big ol'e truck.....then arguments begin on what type of wheels, engine, paint color........
This is a tough thing to get into and some are fine with the cheapo gas station e-cig's and others have all the nice pretty toys. I would never push what "works for me " on others, Cuz they are not me. I will tell them why it worked or why it didnt work for me and maybe that will be a factor for them. That's how I learned....

 

[Iusedtoanalog]

Hi Duster. Welcome to the ECF. The initial spike of getting into vaping was my biggest hurdle that I personally had to overcome. I smoked from the ripe old age of 14 to 36. The latter 6 years I was at or above two packs per day. I knew something had to change, was ready to quit analogs but just couldn't quite justify(in my addicted state) pulling the trigger on that eighty five dollar starter kit that was right there in my local tobacco shop. Every week I kept passing that option up for two cartons....... I finally decided enough is enough, rather than picking up those cartons I purchased the starter kit took it home and charged it up. The next morning I had my final cig, packed up my mini kit and headed off to work. I had the worst quits for quite some time but was determined to get my dollars worth from this kit. In my mind if I made it one week then I hadn't wasted that money and could decide what to do once I was finished with my week. Then week one turned into a month, then three months then six.... Then one day I was looking for replacemet parts for my trusty e-cig and stumbled in here....... The light came on and I realized that I wasn't the only person who had left analogs for "vaping" didn't even realize what I had been doing all that time had a legitimate name..... Since that day I have tried most everything that I could screw a battery into or even for that matter almost every battery I could screw something into.....I still own that first "expensive" unit, still have a brand new atty for it and I even still have some filled carts to go in it. It was worth every penny to not have the heavyness of breath, constant habitual sickness, not smell like an ashtray and in general to not be chained to cigaretts any longer.

Isn't it great to be able to say we all have won, even if just for deciding to venture down this path, however long and winding it may be? Best of Luck to you and those around you. Happy vaping.

 

[jonnypanic]

Welcome Duster.
I'm certainly not a veteran, but I have been vaping long enough to have formed some opinions.
I personally don't trash e cig look-alikes, that's how I got my start. I do however tell people my experience with them and how I wanted something more less than a month after spending too much money on a kit. I just couldn't deal with the short battery life and lack of a good, powerful hit. I have been helping a friend out who wants to start and I suggested that he skip the look-alike and go straight to something like a Twist - so many of us could have skipped that step. I paid almost the same for a Twist kit as I did for a look-alike kit.

I'm glad that you have a set-up that works for you and totally agree that nothing should be bashed if it is helping someone stay off the smokes.

 

[NancyR]

While I am glad they worked for you, there has been just as many like my sister, who had bad luck with one from the local gas station and now refuses to try them again. So while it did work for you, as I have said many times there is no one size fits all for vaping.

Luckily for me, I did try them again only with a bigger and better set up, even with that it took me over 4 months to completely break my 3 pad habit.

 

[AZ_Butterfly]

I started with the Blu @ Walgreens. I thought it was ok, but just that. The cost was a bit for me and it wasn't just totally what I was looking for. Thankfully today a friend helped me get started with something else. I can say I LOVE what I have now. I excited to try different flavors and such. I can't be thankful for my friend more. It came at a very great time.

 

[tj99959]

WOW, wall of text!
However I couldn't agree more, there is, and never will be, a one shoe fits all. Whatever got you off cigarettes is the best PV on the planet in my book.

 

[vsummer1]

If it wasn't for the Blu, I would still be smoking. Do I use it now? No, because once I found out there was more to be had (more battery life, more hit, more flavors) I wanted to move up.

Blu got me off cigarettes and will always have a soft spot for them. Would I recommend them now? No. And it has only been a month for me since I bought that Blu kit! But I had tried all the other things out there to quit, and this is the only thing that worked for me.

Those cig-a-likes perform a valuable service, they get people off cigarettes! If it works for you, then that is all that matters.

 

[Buggs5347]

You make some valid points. I'm 3 weeks into this and started with a Blu disposable and then a Blu Premium 100 kit and still like it. Love it, actually. Would love it even more if the battery life was just a little longer, but still, it fits my needs and my goals, for now. My curiosity sometimes makes me think about buying something bigger for at home, but then I think about my goal, which is to get down to 0 nic and to eventually nix the entire habit and I think practically that I should not even consider buying anything else. Time will tell where I go with this. I reserve the right to change my goal. Sometimes the physical and psychological habit is harder to break than the addiction to nicotine. I'm doing great on reducing the nic, not so good on the other, yet. I think because I enjoy the taste of vaping a lot more than I ever enjoyed any cig.

 

[Dr. Phill]

Awesome to hear your story. I got an e-cig sold at the mall for 150 bucks, however a co-worker of mine had bought it and never used it so she sold it to me for 50 bucks! (Lol, yea I know that sounds crazy now that the gas stations sell em for about 25 bucks) I was pretty happy, then put it away and forgot about it for nearly 8 months lol. Anyway, been using it and a rechargeable Njoy from Wal-Mart since May and haven't had much of an urge for the real thing at all ever since I started vaping.

 

[Seawolfe]

yeah whatever works! I got lucky because some people I respect in another forum started talking about how much they love "vapping", and they got me started on an eGo C. I had tried a disposable e-cig a month or two ago for a road trip in a friends car, but it tasted icky. But last week the light clicked on that I could do this with something that tasted good!

 

[Rinkles]

I like the blu disposables you find at the corner store. Not nearly as much as i do my current PV, but i do keep one handy to puff on once in a while for a nice change. And they do come in handy when you're with those friends who hog your PV and drain your battery. Especially when out drinkin'. .......s.

 

[Nomad]

I totally agree. Also those big companys do alot of lobbying and spend a lot on litigation to help defend the cause of vaping.

 

[AutumnWolf]

I think when we are giving recommendations to newer vapers - we just want to make sure they do not fall for any of the many scams that are out there. And they ARE out there. There are a lot of people I know who had no knowledge of e-cigs and spent hundreds of dollars for a kit. And the fact that there are scum out there who only want to take advantage really ticks me off. Big I digress...anyway - whenever I give advice, the best thing I can say is DO YOUR RESEARCH! You have found ECF so use the wealth of knowledge that is available here. Thats what I did - I myself started out with a $35 KR808-D1 kit a year ago when I quit. So really, for about the cost of a carton of cigarettes, I was able to start and that kept me vaping for about the first 3 months or so (I bought cartos too, but still spent less than when I was buying cigs). And like many people, I soon found out the battery time sucked and that I wanted something better. But you may not - everyone is different.

Its only been recently that gas stations, Walgreens, Walmart and more have been offering some quick and fairly cheap e-cig choices. If that is what gets you started - even though it is more expensive than some deals you could find - I say great! Whatever keeps us from smoking! However you do it or get into it doesn't really matter - if you are not smoking THAT is all that matters!

So all you newer guys in this thread - congrats and good luck to you!! Keep up the good work

 

[18SixFifty]

I just posted on a thread that was h8ghting on the mall shops. Yes they are expensive and overpriced and they do make some claims that are overboard. But when I first tried an e-cig. That was just about all there was. This was before there was even such a thing as a 510!!! When the 510 came out it was amazing. Then they came out with mega 510 batteries and cartomizers and Low resistance atties. Then the EGO's by then I was already making mods.

I am not going to dog on the malls or the gas stations or whatever, but I will also say that if someone comes on this site and asks for advice they should be given better advice than to hit the mall. I wouldn't even advise someone to buy an EGO. But they work for lot's of folks.

 

[imsoenthused]

We get passionate, I won't lie. You make a point. All I can do is give people recommendations based on my experience, and it may not hold up for them. I regularly try to guide people, both on these forums and in real life away from what in my experience are sub-standard setups, and I can see how that might potentially put some people off. Sometimes it's hard to look back from the perspective down the line, and realize that telling someone they need to spend $120 bucks or so for a good starter setup can be a deal breaker. I don't think that makes it bad advice, as much as untimely. I'm honestly glad that there are cheap and easy kits out there. I think they serve an important purpose by helping to educate people about the possibility of the idea. I'm still not sure I can just smile and nod my head at someone talking about buying one though. I figure, even if my advice goes unheeded, and someone tries something I've recommended they don't, at least the fact that I told them that has made them aware that if what they tried didn't work there are much batter options available. So, maybe recommending things discourages some people, but maybe it's the difference between someone who tries an inferior product and gives up and someone who tries one and decides they need to do more research and try again.