Nicotine strength questions

[Gerry H]

Hi everyone,

I have a question that I'm sure has been covered here, somewhere, but I haven't found quite the answer I'm looking for. I'm pretty new to vaping (5 weeks) and I'm trying lots of flavors, all of them tobacco based. I've found a couple that I really like with the latest being Hurricane Vapors Sunset Cavendish. A 15 ml bottle came in the mail today and after reading that it doesn't really need any long steeping I filled a tank and I'm still enjoying it in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

My problem is that I ordered the 18mg strength and because I enjoy it so much I've had quite a nice little nicotine buzz all night. Probably why I'm still up and writing this I was a pack a day smoker before I quit but it seems that I can feel the buzz a lot more with vaping. OK, my question. Do you lose a lot of flavor and strength of the inhale when you go down to say a 12 or even a 6 mg strength? I'm also concerned that if I go too low, at least this early on, I'll be chasing that "high" that I'm still addicted to obviously.

Any thoughts and help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[Relaxed99]

The throat hit will most likely be reduced as you decrease the nicotine. One thing to consider is ordering a sampler pack. Some vendors for instance allow you to order a sample pack of three 10 ml bottles. Order the same flavor in 18, 12, and 6 and see how you do with each one?

Also, how manly ml's did you vape?

BTW: At 5 weeks, I was smoking just tobacco flavored liquids and then I tried a Vanilla. OMG, it was so good and since then I have branched out to liking different flavors too. I still enjoy a tobacco flavored vape though.

 

[Rickajho]

When you start, one of the hardest parts of this is finding the right nicotine level.

First, you have to shift expectations. A big part of Vaping 101: vaping is not smoking. If you chase after a cigarette type buzz out of vaping like you can get from a cigarette you can make yourself sick in the process.

While lowering the nic level can impact the amount of throat hit you feel you can also compensate for that by choosing liquids with a high PG ratio. To a lesser degree lowering the nic level can impact flavor, but since the amount of flavoring in your liquid doesn't actually change when you drop the amount of nic in it that impact is only marginal.

Try dropping your nic level and vaping at a more consistent pace.

 

[Relaxed99]

That's excellent advice Rickajho, about liquids with a higher PG level. Higher PG levels typically give better throat hits. I totally forgot about that.

 

[Gerry H]

I'm using a 70/30 PG/VG blend. I did get a 50/50 sample in 6mg that I haven't tried yet. I was thinking (hoping) that if I went to a 12mg I wouldn't have to worry so much about getting too much nicotine and could enjoy the flavor more. When I first started I went with a 24 mg from the local store. I had to go back and get a bottle of 12mg and mix the two to bring it down to 18mg because it was just too much. Right now I'm only using 2-3 ml/day...closer to 3 on the weekends and less when I'm working.

 

[szot]

Hi everyone,

Do you lose a lot of flavor and strength of the inhale when you go down to say a 12 or even a 6 mg strength? I'm also concerned that if I go too low, at least this early on, I'll be chasing that "high" that I'm still addicted to obviously.

Any thoughts and help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

Absolutely NO change in flavor or inhale with different nicotine strengths (although a too high nicotine may cause coughing and throat irritation)....the "high", well if U want a buzz , then lower nicotine won't give you that..

click on this nicotine chart to see it bigger and better and how vaping nicotine strengths compare to tobacco cigs...

 

[Gerry H]

click on this nicotine chart to see it bigger and better and how vaping nicotine strengths compare to tobacco cigs...


View attachment 369913

Yes, I've seen similar guidelines and it's what I went by when I first started. According the chart I should choose 24mg since I was a PAD Marlboro Red smoker but I found that it was way too much. It might be true that the math works out as far as nicotine per cig/dose but I think vaping somehow delivers more nicotine and you don't really need the higher strengths.

 

[Shirtbloke]

I read some medical data a while back that said to get the same amount of nicotine as you get from a single cigarette, you would have to vape 18mg for 35 minutes.

This is why we chain vape.

 

[XBarbarian]

I started with 24, quickly went to 18. a week or so.. 12. I started dripping occasionally around then, and 6 was plenty in a dripper.

9 weeks cig free with vaping.. I'm mostly 6 now.. and when I chain vape.. I still get a uncomfortable buzz

Im really just chasing flavor now.

 

[Lilvapie]

I smoked about 5-6 cigs a day. I vape 24mg liquid and its just not strong enough at all. The whole "24mg is like 1pack and a 1/2 a day" is "bro" science. I am ready to make my own e liquid because the shops have a bunch of flavored garbage e fluid.

Don't get fooled by the marketing of low nicotine e fluid. Just go high nic and fewer puffs.....think about how much money you are wasting.....

 

[Lilvapie]

I read some medical data a while back that said to get the same amount of nicotine as you get from a single cigarette, you would have to vape 18mg for 35 minutes.

This is why we chain vape.

Yup. Even the 24mg is a joke. I HATE ordering stuff online, but i may have to pick up some nicotine and grab some pg and vg and mix up some 36mg or even higher e liquid.

The lower the nic, the richer they get.......

 

[DingerCPA]

Welcome Gerry.... The one thing in particular that I notice about higher nic in my juices is the "peppery-ness" of the hit. More flavor will come through with less pepper on lower-nic juices. Good luck in the hunt

 

[EricTheViking]

informative thread. I just asked basically the same thing in the noob section.
ive been on a steady diet of 18mg, may have to check out a lower dose just because n see how that agrees with me.
ive been mixing flavors, as one flavor doesn't seem to give enough of a throat hit, and another gives too much.

 

[Shirtbloke]

For anybody interested in further reading about nicotine levels there's a good pdf leaflet from the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT) in the UK.
Well worth ten minutes of your time.....
http://www.ncsct.co.uk/usr/pub/e-cigarette_briefing.pdf

 

[Gerry H]

I smoked about 5-6 cigs a day. I vape 24mg liquid and its just not strong enough at all. The whole "24mg is like 1pack and a 1/2 a day" is "bro" science. I am ready to make my own e liquid because the shops have a bunch of flavored garbage e fluid.

Don't get fooled by the marketing of low nicotine e fluid. Just go high nic and fewer puffs.....think about how much money you are wasting.....

I haven't had a very good experience with the local shops around my area either. The e-juice is just tolerable but I used them at first because they still satisfied my nicotine cravings. The problem I had is when I found a liquid that I really enjoyed and wanted to vape it more but I could tell that I didn't need any more nicotine. So I'm not getting "fooled by any marketing" and my whole point was that I actually wanted more puffs...not fewer. But to each their own as they say.