NJ - new to forum researching e-cigs

[Georgia Lass]

Yup....newbie here from NJ! Don't even have an e-cig yet although after weeks of research the hubby and I will most likely be ordering our Apollo Extreme kits this week along with a PCC! SO EXCITED!!!!! I just have a couple questions which I am sure I can get help with here since I found many answers here during my research:
1- Does anyone know of any place in South Jersey/Philly area that sells e-liquid that is made in the U.S.?
2- With the blank cartomizers, once you fill one with one flavor, do you have to refill with the same flavor? I have heard it might not be best to 'clean' cartomizers because mold can grow. Did I understand that correctly?
3- How would I know the right nicotine level when ordering our kits? Hubby is smoking about 1.5 - 2 packs of Marlboro Menthol lights a day and I dmoke about a pack of Marlboro Menthol 100 a day. Haven't been able to find a reliable source to give me the nicotine levels on these types of cigarettes.

Any suggestions or help would be great!!

Hope every has a nice week and thanks in advance for any help!!!

 

[unclestu]

Hi I am from NJ and I am a nube as well. I ordered some juice from MT Baker Vaper and the shipping was very fast. There juice is made to order and is made in the US. I ordered on Thursday and it arrived today.
I have a Provari and I tried the cartos bit didn't like them. I ordered a Kanger protank and I love it. Holds a lot of juice, and it is made of pyrex. I liked it so much I ordered two more. Now I can rotaate my juice during thee day from one flavor to another. Real simple to fill,use and enjoy as they do not leak.
Best of luck
Stu

 

[Georgia Lass]

Thanks Stu!! We are trying to also find a brick & mortar store that sells U.S. liquid so we don't have to always order online. Worried about the issues I was reading about the possible problems with the credit card processors. I did find a couple websites that just sell U.S. liquid, one of them was Viking Vapor. Just can't wait till we can order our Apollo Kits!!!

 

[Equus5O]

Welcome from Northern NJ

 

[Iusedtoanalog]

Hi Georgia. Welcome to the ECF.

There are many reputable vendors listed here Forum Suppliers List There are many more but any vendor listed here is known as reputable and you have a good chance of being treated as a customer that they wish to continue to do business with. I personally like Heather's Heavenly Vapes for well crafted liquids, as well as The Vapor Room , Vapor Renu, Good Prophets.... and so many more that do make good liquids. There is an entire sub-forum dedicated to liquids.

There is only so far I feel cleaning cartomizers should be taken. I have boiled them, blown them out and allowed them to dry, But as you get accustomed to filling and keeping them properly topped off they can last for far too long to make that a practical consideration. I have never had a mold issue, nor do I think that is something that is a likely issue of concern. When you are just getting started it is money well spent to invest in a simple atomizer(or two) with a drip tip for your device of choice solely for testing liquids you may want to dedicate to a cartomizer. This will keep you from loading a flavor you may not like into a carto just to have to clean it(or toss it).....

Question three is a little harder. I always suggest start as high as you think you will need and get one strength above that and one below that for each individual sample flavor you purchase. Also only buy small bottles to start until you find a flavor that you enjoy. This will prevent you from getting stuck with a bunch of un-vapeable liquids. I would think for both you and hubby your initial target should be about 24mg as your center strength. Having a strength above that and below that will allow you to decide what strength you can focus on as you get your bearings and begin to settle into a comfortable place for the both of you.

Good Luck. Happy Vaping

 

[techmatlock]

Hey Georgia Lass!

1. Unfortunately, I don't know juice suppliers over on the East Coast. There's plenty of great online suppliers made in the US. To list a few: MtBakerVapor, Heather's Heavenly Vapes, and Ahlusion. If you want to find a local electronic cigarette shop, check on Yelp or Google.

2. You can clean your cartomizer and use it more than once. If you're using the same flavor, it is unnecessary to clean you cartomizer. I just let my cartomizer boil in water and drain, repeating a few times. Then I dry it by blowing air through the cartomizer with my mouth and then take a hair dryer to dry the rest of the water out. Alternatively, you can just let it dry on its own on a paper towel for 24+ hours.

3. There's a great tutorial written by a member located here for the different nicotine levels and what is applicable for you and your husband.

 

[SouthernBliss]

2- With the blank cartomizers, once you fill one with one flavor, do you have to refill with the same flavor? I have heard it might not be best to 'clean' cartomizers because mold can grow. Did I understand that correctly?

Mold is an issue if you leave them wet. I soak mine in everclear grain alcohol, then rinse with warm water and then put a bit more everclear in them with a needle tip so that they will dry more quickly. Not everyone is a big fan of cleaning them though. I also swap flavors in them like a mad person. Some flavors "stay" forever like Cinnamon and cloves and others don't.

3- How would I know the right nicotine level when ordering our kits? Hubby is smoking about 1.5 - 2 packs of Marlboro Menthol lights a day and I dmoke about a pack of Marlboro Menthol 100 a day. Haven't been able to find a reliable source to give me the nicotine levels on these types of cigarettes.

I think the reality is that you just never know till after you have tried it for a bit. I smoked 1.5-2 packs of menthol 100's a day myself so initially I went with 24ml nic. The next day I turned around and ordered 18ml from Mt Baker because the 24 was clearly too high for me. I still use that juice though but not steadily. It will also depend on how often your vaping. I work from home so I don't have to wait for breaks and so forth. I suspect that is part of why I needed a lower strength. If I had it to do all over again that first order would have had a spread of nic strengths and pg/vg strengths (I think my body is not wild for the pg) rather than doing it so gradually. Oh and one more thing, it is possible that you and the hubby may need different strengths so be prepared for that.

I'm going to suggest Mt. Baker as well by the way. Low prices and fast shipping times. But do your research on what will need steeping and what should be ready to go day 1. The wait is just awful on the stuff that needs steeping and it can taste really vile when it isn't mature yet. You can always move to the more expensive stuff once you have some idea what you are going to like as far as the basics go. Though by then you may have a few faves at Mt. Baker.

 

[TyPie]

Greetings from central NJ.......

Others have already said it best (above). The only thing I might add, is that I found that the higher nicotine content liquids that I thought would be appropriate for me proved to be a little too strong. (Got a little woozy for a bit). I wound up going with a lighter nic content, which also allowed me to vape for longer periods. Keep in mind also that it took me a while to find flavors that I liked, and when I did, the flavors seemed to change----your taste buds (as well as the rest of your body) go through some changes, and so does the juice itself as it 'steeps', or ages a little.

Congrats on your decision to quit the analogs. Remember this: Just do it, and stay with it through the humps and rough spots over the first couple of days or so, which I can honestly say were not very many for me. Lots of support here for questions and answers along the way.

All the best.......

 

[Drebin893]

This site has a nice store and is based in PA Electronic Cigarette Supplies & Electronic Cigarette Refills for Name-Brand Electronic Cigarettes! E-Cigs from LiteCigUSA

 

[kabonk]

Hi Georgia. Welcome to the ECF.

Question three is a little harder. I always suggest start as high as you think you will need and get one strength above that and one below that for each individual sample flavor you purchase. Also only buy small bottles to start until you find a flavor that you enjoy. This will prevent you from getting stuck with a bunch of un-vapeable liquids. I would think for both you and hubby your initial target should be about 24mg as your center strength. Having a strength above that and below that will allow you to decide what strength you can focus on as you get your bearings and begin to settle into a comfortable place for the both of you.

Good Luck. Happy Vaping

this is really good advice because when you first make the switch your going to have those stress moments where you really want a smoke and a higher nic can get you through these times and you can drop down to a lower nic when the stress has passed

good luck on your vaping journey!

 

[qnguyen21]

Hi, from staten island ny. Just joined today as well!

 

[Top Jimmy]

Jersey Shore Vapors - Top Quality e-Liquid from the Jersey Shore!

 

[roonies]

Hi there and welcome! New Jersey here too.....usually live down the shore on LBI but due to Sandy I'm your neighbor in Westmont right now!! Can't add anything more to what you've already heard here and it looks like you got a good link above from a fellow New Jerseyian. I know of brick and mortars in Tuckerton and Tom's River. Don't have the info in front of me but you can google and find it easily. It's great that your hubby and you are doing this together. That should make it super easy for you. I still can't get over how easy it's been after decades of smoking! I think you're really going to enjoy it...and the people here are great!! Congrats!!