non-smoker needs recommendations

[tapar]

Howdy!

I am a non-smoker who stumbled onto the existence of e-cigs this morning. I have been reading up on e-cigs for about 5 hours now and really think they sound amazing. My mother has smoked for 51 years now and my sister has smoked for a very long time as well. They both want to quit and have balked at the increasing price of normal cig's.

I think this might help them quit smoking, or at the very least help them smoke healthier and cheaper. I want to buy a setup for my sister to try and see how it works for her. I figure then she can help me figure out what my mom's preferences might be and we can get her hooked up too after we know more.

I am a bit overwhelmed by all the info and choices though, especially as a non smoker. I have no idea what type to get or what flavor of e-juice to get. I know my sister likes menthols but doesn't smoke them all the time. I don't even know what brand she smokes.

It sounds like atomizers die out, and cartridges need to be replaced or re-filled. I know that there is a direct drip method where you drip some e-juice into the atomizer (I think) and skip the stuffing to get better and more vapor. I don't really have a handle on how often you have to do that though, after you drip in a drop or two do you have to vape it right away or is it good for the day? That all affects what would be a good starter kit for my sister. One place mentioned 2-3 weeks for replacing atomizers, but I don't have a clue if that is a how things work for real.

I also run into a bit of problem not knowing how current info is, but I am learning more and more. There really is a ton of info here! I don't care about the initial cost so much as the ongoing cost, also the hassle level of setting things up day to day. I figure the easier it is the more likely she is to do it, and that is even more the case for my mom.

I am going to keep researching and trying to figure things out but if anyone has any suggestions about what to start my sister off with that would be a huge help!

Thanks!

 

[Vapulicious]

Where to Start, Firstly, you probably either need to buy a kit or 2 (i prefer the 510) along with a bottle or two of some juice, or buy prefilled carts, almost all the kits you buy online will offer prefilled carts with them, buy a simple usa(marl)mix and and a mentol variety for Sis and see if they like it enough to commit. Everyone is diffrent, some people use both e-cig and normal cigs. I used ecigs to get off the analogs 6 weeks ago and havent looked back, everyones needs and experiences are different, so outcomes will be as well.

You can purchase all your ecig equip through online vendors and its much cheaper than your local tobacco store or truck stop (many can be found here on ECF). KITS typically come with 2 batteries, 2 atomizers, charger, and prefilled carts. I got my first kit thru ZigCigs, you'll probably be looking at about 120 dollars maybe a little more with juice for 2 kits. After i got comfortable with the method of the madness with my new ecig, i made a 250 dollar order with Health Cabin and stocked up on supplies. (short term expense, but long term savings). Read the posts for e-juice reviews and the particular type PV (personal vaporizer) you want to get. theres pros and cons on all of the models 510/kr808/dse901 as well as mods.

Maintenance is required but not dificult, keep threads clean on battery and atomizers, paper towels are a must as well as q-tips, blow out the atomizer and stand on end overnight. Periodically rinse them out and let dry before use and you should get weeks and weeks on a 510.

Good Luck on your vapor journey!

 

[Upinthehills]

Hi Tapar! Welcome to ECF. I'm very impressed that you are going to this much effort for your sister, I admire that. I know it's all very confusing at first. I would go to the very top thread in this forum and watch Mistress Nomad's videos. She does a good job of explaining the two most popular models for new users and the differences. Either choice, a 510 or a kr808 is a very good choice for a beginner. Mistress tends to lean toward the kr808 and I lean toward the 510. Both are good choices, though.

 

[Automaton]

Cheers Upinthehills.

Links to my vids are in my signature - "Click me for newbie tutorial videos." Or, look in the stickies.

Basically, everything in e-cigs dies eventually. No avoiding it. And still cheaper than smoking by miles.

But the 510 and the Kr808 are the most popular and consistent starter models.

The 510 produces more vapor, and has a softer throat hit to me. It typically comes with atomizers - more fiddling, but a "cleaner" taste. A menthol smoker might dig it.

The Kr808 has a stronger throat hit, and the vapor production is good, but not as impressive as the 510. It comes with cartomizers - less fiddling, and a "richer" taste. As a former full-flavor smoker, that's my thing.

Dripping into atomizers is quite fiddly. Many people do progress into it, but for a newbie, it's a lot of chew.

 

[Darkwitless]

Tapar: Have you considered telling your sister about the site? What you think she is looking for in a PV and what she would actually want may not be the same. I thing part of the success for many of us has been in getting the right (or close enough lol) PV to start with.

I know I never would have stuck it out the first week with a drip tip. And only tried my first mod to the cartridge (fille/blue foam/ darts) after I got the hang of my 501. Well, that a couple of mouths full of juice from overfilling! lol

Let her know you're prepared to spend up to _____ to help her get started if you think that would help!

 

[trouble2k]

It's pretty difficult to advise a non-smoker about how to get their smoking friends or family into e-cigs. It's like asking you to go out and buy a bra for me.

Sometimes, all you can do is the best you can. You say that each one of them wants to quit. Then, why haven't they looked into this themselves? (or, at least your sister). Make sure you don't want them to quit more than they want it themselvses.

If you just want to introduce them to this new adventure into quitting, but don't want to overwhelm them with all of the technical gadgets that abound....then, I (this is not from an expert by any means) would suggest finding a kr808-d1 (automatic) kit with cartomizers. The reason for this is because one of these units seem to resemble an actual cigarette more than most.

I'm a long time, heavy smoker. The one thing I was looking for in an e-cig was something that looked and seemed like a cigarette as I could get. After a few weeks, I realized I wanted (needed) more, so I upgraded to a unit that I fill my own carts an larger battery life.

 

[Right Winged Extremist]

I like the 510 with the cartomizers from dietsmokes. They seem to last pretty much all day.

 

[SimpleSins]

As with everything posted here, it's just my opinion, but maybe you could get her a disposable (or two, one menthol, one non-menthol) to try and see if she even likes the idea of vaping. Then, if she thinks it might work if the flavor was better or the equipment lasted longer, etc., then embark on finding the right starter kit for her. Madvapes has them for only $10, and it might be a cost effective way of giving it a try without investing too much in equipment that might not be right for her.

510 DISPOSABLE E-CIG KIT with Blue LED

If you decide to go this route, the $10 ones are automatic and come with a charger. There is also a $7 manual one that does not come with a charger, but the info states it can use the charger that comes with the $10 automatic. It would be a perfect opportunity to see which she prefers as far as battery style. Get a $10 automatic menthol, a $7 non-menthol manual, and see which she prefers.

 

[Lisa B]

First I want to say that you have stumbled into the right place, my husband works at a casino and found out about e-cigs from a player and came home to tell me about them. I did searchs and found suppliers but made mistakes, I had been vaping for several months before finding this forum. There is a lot of good information on here and first thing I would do is share the website with your sister and mother. For me I made the big mistake of ordering a "Free Trial", do not do this, they are rip offs. I am using a 510 now and like it very much but I am disabled and at home most of the time so the short battery life is not a problem for me as I am home to recharge batteries but I am going to be ordering the eGo which basically is a 510 with better battery life. For people on the go or for me that I don't feel anxious about dead batteries when I do go out, I think this is a better option. As for juice, I fell into the old mind set that I wanted something that tasted like a cigarette but after trying different kinds I find myself liking sweeter flavors like chocolate, strawberry, coffee and such. These for me was where I found that I no longer wanted my old analogs. But do remember just because someone tries vaping doesn't mean they will just give up smoking, for some that is true but others alternate both. No one can "make" someone want to quit, that is a very personal decision. I think you should share this site with your sister and if she is interested let her know that you will pay to get her started. That in my mind would be the ideal way for her to start her new adventure and go to a site like FreedomSmokeUSA and order some sample flavors to try, to find out what types of flavors she likes.

 

[Saintscruiser]

My mom died of lung cancer a year ago. I've been smoking for 42 years. I thought I was doomed to walk in her footsteps. I was able in July to get off of tobacco through an e-cig. I was completely amazed and wondered if Mom wouldn't have been helped by one. I had no idea there were any such thing. My sister said she did and she asked Mom about it and Mom said no.

Get what kits you can afford. I have a Joye 510 and it works nicely for me. I didn't mean to quit, but on the 2nd day, I only smoked 2 analogs and I thought, "Hey, if I can smoke only 2 analogs a day, I can quit." This website encouraged me a great deal as well. If I can do it, and I was unapproachable about smoking, anyone can.

 

[cskent]

I would agree with SimpleSins, try a disposable. That should last a week or so if you get a bottle of juice or 2, one menthol, one regular. It's a cheap experiment. If you get the 510 disposable you can use the atomizer on a regular 510 if you decide to go that route. Ecigs are not really that much trouble, although it seems like it at first. Once you get into the swing of it, it's actually less trouble, less stinky, less expensive and less messy than tobacco.

 

[Xanax]

Jesus Christ....

 

[cruisedoc]

Start with a 510 kit - it most closely resembles cigarettes. 2nd, I think you have to be motivated, willing to try something new, and learn. E-cigs havee an 83% success rate for quiting analogs. Patches, mints, gums, and pills have about a 15% success rate. You may have to buy it, help her do it, keep learning, & let her know how important it is to you for her to quit. E-cigs are a crutch, but the only way many of us were able to quit smoking ....they really do work.

 

[Steakpak]

I agree with the above posts on getting a disposable one. If you would rather go with a kit, cignot has a 510 kit for $35.00. It comes with a wall charger, but no USB. Still a good deal.

 

[HyOnLyph]

You are going to get a lot of different opinions... so I'll give you one more. I'm a non-smoker too.

My wife and I have a home for women and we introduced e-cigs for those who smoke. We are having the most success with the easy to use items.

SmokeStik has been the most successful for us. SmokeStik has tobacco flavor or menthol. Easy to replace cartomizers. (atomizer and cartridge in one)
And batteries are GUARANTEED FOR LIFE as long as you purchase $50 worth of carts or other stuff every 6 weeks. Great accessory case for ladies too. Not an auto-purchase. Just sort of honor system. It's a beautiful cig, great tasting and very easy to use. Great vapor. They have a sub-forum here in the Forum Suppliers section.

Oh, and they have a diposable one if you want to try that first.
Talk to LoriKay13 at the SmokeStik forum....
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/smokestik/

 

[tapar]

Thanks for all the tips I appreciate it! I found the newbie videos form Mistress Nomad to be very helpful. I really liked the idea of getting a variety of the small bottles of juice and let my sis/mom experiment and find what they like that way. It had also not occurred to me that the amount of nicotine preferred might not match up with the analog cig smoking regime. I will definitely point them both to this site, it seems like a great community and a wonderful resource.

I am not trying to push quitting on them, I know how annoying that can be. They have both tried quiting recently on their own via patches and they both resent the insane cost for analog cigs these days. They have helped me out quite a bit over time so I don't mind getting them a starter kit to see if this is something they might like. I figure I can't really go wrong because even a less than perfect choice will be enough to show them if they want to continue or not. If they get into it then they can explore more options and will have some ideas where to start from.

I am a gadget fanatic so this stuff seems really cool to me, I am positive that if I smoked I would be totally into it. I think my sister will like it too, but I kinda think she would need to try it out before she cared enough to read up on it. I am less certain about my mom though. She likes some gadgets and technology, but others not so much. In her case I think it will come down to the effort needed to refill and maintain the e-cigs. I figure if she doesn't like it then my sister can use the parts. lol.

 

[humarock]

Howdy Tapar,

WELL, how very thoughtful you are to be thinking of this for your Mom and your Sis.....I am a 40 year smoker and am now 2 weeks and one day free of analog cigarettes....It is a 'change' of sorts, and I wanted something I could just 'pick up' and go with. They ARE a tad of work, trial and error, BUT this is the place to be to learn.

My advice would be to sit with them and steer them to this site! It is all about personal preference with the E-cig. Some might like and EGo some might like the kr808 some like the 510....I know right? Lots of choices, But they might like to read up and see the positive results on here too to get them 'charged' to get going. The fear point is you buy them, they are nervous not knowing about them and don't use them. If they log on here, talk to people on here, they will get helpful tips, learn about the E-cig and decide which is for them.

I started with one model and a week later upgraded to another....so it might be more helpful for them to jump in here, meet us all and read up on it...

BUT you love your family enough for wanting to help them.....The benefits are amazing, in 3 days my breathing was SO much better, no hacking up a lung stuff....and I just feel better cuz I KNOW I smell better...LOL...

Much success to you and your family! Great Job starting here!

 

[tapar]

I just placed the order. I went with a 510 starter kit, added the USB and car adapters. I also snagged a few empty carts and cartomizers, then I added an assortment of cartomizers with flavor added. I figure that way there are some spare parts and some flavors to try. The process got me thinking that if she does get into it she should probably order a second unit anyway. That one can be tailored more towards her individual tastes. I was thinking that it would be really awful to quit smoking and switch to e-cigs then have a hardware problem and have to wait on a replacement delivery.

The 510 should get her started and let her show it to my mom without putting too much pressure on her. I can't wait to hear how it goes for them. When the parts get here next week I will definitely sit down with my sister and give her an information dump about all the stuff I have been reading. That should give her a good head start for easing into it. Thanks again for all the feedback, it was very helpful.

 

[Vini]

skip "wrong first ecig" step and get her pink Ego or Riva + some juice + some cartomizers.

In my research I found best [IMO] place for Riva: The Riva (Pink) [VJK005] - $49.95 : VaporJunction, E-Cigarette Supply

And best [IMO] place for Ego: Joyetech EGO Kit in Pink


BTW, now I'm using box mod [ http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/requests-opinions-reviews/119638-em-riva-vs-3-7-box-mod.html ] , it could be fine for brother, but sister/mother probably needs some lady's gadget.