1 1/2 pad, and a "smoke 'em to the filter" like I was 16mg isn't going to kill the craves.
There are many suppliers where you can choose the strength and PG/VG ratio, FSUSA
for example. If the higher nic carts were "prefilled" that could explain your burned throat,
I have never found any that where near the flavor of your own
juice. Also the higher the
percentage of PG the more TH you're going to get, even with
juice, VG will smooth it out.
p.s. I'm still cranky/irritable, but that has nothing to do with smoking....