Nicotine Strengths

[Wes Fazzani]

Hi guys
Before yesterday I paid very little attention to the amount of nicotine in the juice I was using simply opting for the highest strength I could find. Having spoken to a guy at Liberty Flights I discovered I should be using .6mg Max in my .5 ohm coil. This was nice and smooth, and I went from thirty real cigs to only three yesterday! Having checked my cigarette packet I discovered that the menthols I often smoke only contain .5mg of nicotine anyway, and my other cigarettes had .9mg though both had 5mg tar and carbon monoxide. If this is the case why do juice with 2.4mg of nicotine, as obviously for most people his could be almost three times the amount they consume regularly? Just a thought.

 

[Katya]

Per Rolygate, "It's a waste of time trying to numerically compare the nicotine delivery in cigarette smoking with vaping. There are just too many variables."

Electronic Cigarettes yield 90.5% nicotine vapor compared to traditional cigarettes. | Page 2 | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[Izan]

Hi guys
Before yesterday I paid very little attention to the amount of nicotine in the juice I was using simply opting for the highest strength I could find. Having spoken to a guy at Liberty Flights I discovered I should be using .6mg Max in my .5 ohm coil. This was nice and smooth, and I went from thirty real cigs to only three yesterday! Having checked my cigarette packet I discovered that the menthols I often smoke only contain .5mg of nicotine anyway, and my other cigarettes had .9mg though both had 5mg tar and carbon monoxide. If this is the case why do juice with 2.4mg of nicotine, as obviously for most people his could be almost three times the amount they consume regularly? Just a thought.

Welcome,
The rules are not hard and fast. There is no "Supposed to". You can vape what you like as often as you like. Nicotine is self titrating.

Cheers
I

 

[bwh79]

Not disregarding the above, there are a couple rules of thumb you can use if you absolutely must insist on comparing apples and oranges.

If you smoked -- try using:

1/2 pack a day -- 6mg
1 pack a day -- 12mg
2 packs a day -- 18mg
3+ packs a day -- 24mg

Ultra-lights -- 6mg
Lights -- 12mg
Mediums -- 18mg
Full-flavor -- 24mg

...it's not perfect. For example, it doesn't really help you decide what strength to use if you smoked, say, half a pack of mediums, or 3+ packs of ultra-lights per day, but that's partly why they say these sorts of comparisons are meaningless. At the very least, it can help to give you some idea of where to start, and from there you can let your body be your guide. If you start to feel sick (headache, nausea, racing heartbeat), there's a good chance your nic level is too high; if you find yourself vaping all the time and still craving cigarettes, maybe kick it up a notch. Your own body is the best expert here; it will let you know when you've had too much, or not enough. Just watch out for the warning signs, and make sure to drink plenty of water.

 

[Katya]

Not disregarding the above, there are a couple rules of thumb you can use if you absolutely must insist on comparing apples and oranges.

If you smoked -- try using:

1/2 pack a day -- 6mg
1 pack a day -- 12mg
2 packs a day -- 18mg
3+ packs a day -- 24mg

Ultra-lights -- 6mg
Lights -- 12mg
Mediums -- 18mg
Full-flavor -- 24mg

I agree. But this is really, really just a very general rule. This recommendation was pretty accurate when we used cigalikes--with maybe 10-20% absorption rate. For people who use second and third generation devices, this math is useless and may be seriously misleading, considering that high-wattage (sub-ohm) PVs increase nicotine absorption rate 4-fold, up to 80-90% compared to cigalikes.

And since the OP is using a .5Ω coil, I'd say that LF's suggestion to use 6 mg/ml juice is spot on. Some sub-ohmers even vape 3 mg/ml.

 

[CloudyWithChanceOfVape]

I smoked 40 cigarettes a day, I started at 24 mg on an EGO.

Now that I have started Sub-Ohming, I immediately had to go down to 6mg, it was plenty.

Two months later, I am at 3mg nicotine and very satisfied.

 

[Matty316]

When i smoked i went through a 50gram pouch of tobacco a week so when i quit i felt like i needed 24mg liquid to ease the cravings and stop me going back to smoking. I was vaping this in a kanger T3s and it did the job.
slowly over the space of about 6 months i got some rebuildable tanks that performed better felt i no longer needed so much nicotine so reduced it to 15mg.

Now i mostly use rda's and for me 8mg seems perfect with them. I do still sometimes use my tanks and 12mg feels about right in them.
It's different for everyone just vape what ever strength you feel happy with.

 

[johnjuanb1]

Per Rolygate, "It's a waste of time trying to numerically compare the nicotine delivery in cigarette smoking with vaping. There are just too many variables."

Electronic Cigarettes yield 90.5% nicotine vapor compared to traditional cigarettes. | Page 2 | E-Cigarette Forum

What is a typical nicotine level if you want the same amount in a cigarette?

 

[hashtag]

What is a typical nicotine level if you want the same amount in a cigarette?

It all depends on your setup and the type of vaping/frequency of vaping. I used to smoke a little over a pack a day and 6 mg was always fine for me in a subohm setup. But I also tend to chain vape quite a bit so I assume even at 6mg i am pulling in a lot of nicotine over the course of the day.

 

[Katya]

What is a typical nicotine level if you want the same amount in a cigarette?

May I suggest you read the link I provided? Rolygate explains this at length,

Tobacco cigarette vs e-cigarette nicotine equivalency | E-Cigarette Forum

As hashtag noted above, it all depends on what kind of setup you're using, your wattage, your style of vaping, how much you vape, etc.

If you're using first generation devices like cigalikes and perhaps eGos and vape at 5-6 watts, start at 12 mg and see how it goes. You may need to go up or down.

 

[nyiddle]

I've always found the suggestions, "ie: you smoked 2 PAD, so you should vape x mg" to be a bit silly.

I was a 2 PAD smoker, and the first e-juice I had was 12mg in a crappy Evod plastic tank, and that was a bit too much for me. I quickly went down to 6mg and stuck with that, even when I switched to drippers.

Nowadays, having been vaping for about 2 years, I fall in the range of 0-6mg, depending on how I'm feeling.

 

[zoiDman]

Per Rolygate, "It's a waste of time trying to numerically compare the nicotine delivery in cigarette smoking with vaping. There are just too many variables."

Electronic Cigarettes yield 90.5% nicotine vapor compared to traditional cigarettes. | Page 2 | E-Cigarette Forum

I'm not sure I would go so far as to Say that (No offense against Roly).

But I agree that making a Comparison between Analogs and Vaping is not an Exact Science.

Because the Nicotine mg rating for an Analog is the Average Amount that the Average Smokers Body Absorbs when they Smoke 1 Analog. Whereas the Nicotine mg for a e-liquid is given by the Total Nicotine in 1ml.

Where the Problem lies is How to get from Total mg in 1ml of e-Liquid to the Amount of Nicotine that the Average Body Absorbs.

Dr. F did a study and come up with some Absorption Percentages of what Modern Atomizers at more Modern Wattages achieve.

I don't recall the Exact Numbers (maybe someone call Clarify this) but I believe the Absorption numbers were around 20 ~ 40%

So if a Person wanted to get an Idea of their Nicotine Absorption as compared to Analogs, they could use this Formula...

( Total ml per Day ) x ( mg/ml of the e-Liquid ) x ( .3 absorption ) = Absorbed Nicotine/day

... then compare this with what they Smoked.

It is More of an Exercise in Numerics though. Because it Doesn't mean that if you Follow this Formula you will Quit Smoking. Or Not Crave Smoking.

Some people will want More Nicotine. Some will want Less. And a Lot depends on How Long it has been since you Last Analog.

 

[Katya]

I don't recall the Exact Numbers (maybe someone call Clarify this) but I believe the Absorption numbers were around 20 ~ 40%

Roly provides all that information in the link posted:

Tobacco cigarette vs e-cigarette nicotine equivalency | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[zoiDman]

Roly provides all that information in the link posted:

Tobacco cigarette vs e-cigarette nicotine equivalency | E-Cigarette Forum

Yeah... Here is a Portion of that Post.

Since we don't have the most basic item of data we need: a reliable value for the quantity of nicotine in vapor - we can't run any kind of calculations. We can guess, but not state the result with confidence. The current opinion is that:
a. About 50% of the nicotine in the liquid is transferred into the vapor.
b. Ecig vapor contains between 10% and 50% of the nicotine in cigarette smoke.

To repeat: these are estimates based on anecdotal evidence.

Like I said. Since the time that Roly made that Post, Jan 2012, Dr F. did a Study which he Quantified Nicotine Absorption a little more Scientifically.

I'll poke around and see if I can Find it. I save Everything. But sometimes that Works Against me. Because I have like 3 Bazillion Bookmarks in Hundreds of Folders.

LOL

 

[Katya]

I've seen numbers as as high as 80-90% absorption rate with high wattage devices, but I'm not sure where. But as sub-ohm vapers have noted, in this thread and elsewhere, many of them have gone down to 3 mg/ml.

Anecdotal.

 

[Stew2k]

One thing to consider is taste. I like a strong nicotine level but find that liquids above 20mg tend to interfere with the natural taste of the base flavor of the ejuice. I've mixed tasty juice flavors at lower nicotine levels that just taste horrible once their boosted up to 24mg nicotine levels.

 

[zoiDman]

I've seen numbers as as high as 80-90% absorption rate with high wattage devices, but I'm not sure where. But as sub-ohm vapers have noted, in this thread and elsewhere, many of them have gone down to 3 mg/ml.

Anecdotal.

Yeah... I have seen Numbers that are All Over the Spectrum.

All I know is when I started to use my First Subtank (.9 ~ 1.2 Ohms @ 12 ~ 15W) that my D2D DIY 18mg/ml was Too Harsh.

But as soon as I cut it Down to 9mg/ml, All was One with the Universe.

I also Upped the VG to 80% from 70%.

 

[djsvapour]

Having spoken to a guy at Liberty Flights I discovered I should be using 6mg Max in my .5 ohm coil.

Don't take the advice of people selling you stuff. Especially not a greedy franchise outfit.

24mg (2.4%) liquid (or 36mg) is perfectly acceptable in low power kit, I have vaped 48mg.
Today, I even used 30mg in a cig-a-like.

Now, back on topic. The more powerful the device, the lower the nicotine you can use or feel able to use. Vaping 12mg (1.2%) in a 0.5ohm tank is possible, but quite high for some people, of course.
However, depending on how many times you want to puff 6mg might be plenty, but only you can tell, from your own response. If you drop the resistance or pump up the power, 3mg might do the trick as well. Personally, 3mg is no use to me at all. (I don't go much above 15 watts).

Rest assured though, you cannot just multiply the number on the bottle with the amount of ml's you have vaped. I smoked 15-20mg a day (according to the data on the packet, tested by yield machines) and needed about 2-3ml of 18mg a day to feel the same sense of satisfaction. For me, with that "old" equipment I was vaping what seemed to be 36-54mg of nicotine. Clearly, I didn't double my nicotine... if anything, I reduced it.

Anyway, I could go on and on.

If you smoked 30 a day and are considering using 6mg liquid because that's what someone says, then good luck. I wouldn't recommend that course of action until you have quit smoking, or you may never do it. You can vape 12mg at medium power (10-15 ? watts), or 6mg at higher power (15-20 ? watts), or 3mg at genuine sub-ohm power (25 ? watts up)- it's up to you. At 35 watts, I would be scared of 12mg liquid. However, I vaped most of the day using 12mg in a subtank using the 0.5ohm coil at almost minimum power.
Tomorrow, I shall probably go back to 6mg and turn it up again. Who knows. I go up and down in power and nicotine level all the time. Most of my homemade stuff comes out at about 9mg... that's fine between 12-18 watts but too much (I'd expect) if I had a 35 watt set-up.

 

[Katya]

Don't take the advice of people selling you stuff. Especially not a greedy franchise outfit.

24mg (2.4%) liquid (or 36mg) is perfectly acceptable in low power kit, I have vaped 48mg.
Today, I even used 30mg in a cig-a-like.

Ahem, the OP is using a .5Ω coil--advice given was the correct one, in this case.

Carry on.

 

[djsvapour]

Ahem, the OP is using a .5Ω coil--advice given was the correct one, in this case.

Yes... OK... so I made a mess of explaining.

To me (i.m.o.) the resistance of the coil is only half the question. I *think the rest of my post* sort of sums up what I was thinking, but it was late and I was tired.

* was it really that bad?*