Noob from Loserana with noob questions because I'm too lazy to search. Lol

[LegendarySquirrel]

I've "only" been smoking cigs for about 4 years. Not a long time by any means, but any length of time smoking is too long imo. I'm not necessarily trying to quit cold turkey because lets face it, tobacco smoking is just as much a social activity as it is an addiction. Maybe more addiction than social but thats besides the point. So like many smokers, I started out smoking socially (when drinking). My problem is I go out for drinks 4 or more nights a week. And with that, I went from smoking only when drinking, to smoking every couple hours every day. So I am now a pack a day smoker. Sucks. Not just because of the toxins I'm inhaling & disease risk, but $5+ a day adds up quick. What I'm looking to do is save some money while weening my way off of nicotine alltogether. I quit cold turkey last year; was only able to hold out for 6 months before being in bars full of cigarette smoke had me bumming like crazy and eventually buying pack after pack once again.
So here I am. Glad I found this site before buying. Searching google for "e cigarette reviews" brings up pages and pages of faux review sites, most of which seem to all say either blu or v2 are the bestest evar. I'm way too tech savvy to be fooled by that crap. The key is to search "e cigarette user reviews." Guess what the FIRST search result was?
Anyway, what I'm looking for is places to buy. I know there is a vendors section with reviews & whatnot... I'm lazy. I've already gone through the reviews forum and while there seems to be loads of good choices, I have decided to try joyetech starting out, though I'm still open to suggestions. Seems like a lot of y'all like their products and their prices won't destroy my wallet. I like the idea of buying juice and filling cartriges myself with whatever flavor I want. I'm a menthol smoker so I'll be looking for a good light minty fresh flavor starting out.
So any help, suggestions, etc. Feel free to school this noob.

 

[r77r7r]

Starting with Joye is good enuf to start. Get a starter kit and play with that awhile?

 

[redbucket]

Welcome! I loves me my vape, hope you do too. It's a much less unhealthy alternative to smoking, sounds like you have the right idea.

I'd recommend starting with an eGo-style battery and the stardust type clearomizers. Seems to be the best bet for easy, breezy enjoyable vaping. I live near Freedom Smoke USA, so that's where I will pick up my next stardust. But the ones I'm using now are from http://www.mtnvapor.com/

 

[Dana A]

Welcome to the ECF and congrads on your plan.

 

[expat007]

A Joye is o.k.. That's what I started with. But they didn't have the e-cigs back then that they do now.
If I had it to do all over again, I'd get a kGo starter kit with cartomizers. Hoosierecigs and Sweetvapes have them. A complete kit will run you under $50. Add some juice, an atomizer, some extra cartomizers (2.5ohm), and a drip tip, and you'll be under $100 for a kit that you'll be happy with for a long time.

For about the same money, you can get an e-Power kit. The difference there is that the e-Power has replaceable batteries. When the battery dies, and they all do, you can just replace the battery for $5-7, instead of replacing the whole unit.

Either of them make a great starter kit that is heads and tails better than any of the skinny battery type of e-cigs.

 

[bnrkwest]

Welcome! If you are looking for an ecig that resembles a cigarette, you can try the KR808 1 style at Smokeless Image called Volt. Get the sealed batteries for easier use. They work well and gives you that "smoking" sensation since they resemble a cigarette. bnrk

 

[expat007]

Another thing you can do is go to Youtube. Look for reviews by Pbusardo. Most are for juices, but he's also got some reviews of the eGo/kGo/e-Power types of PVs. He's probably the most detailed, accurate and unbiased e-cig reviewer out there. He's not selling anything and he'll pretty much give you the straight story. He also tries to orient his reviews to what a noob would think. That means he's not very tolerant of products that need tinkering with. If it doesn't work right out of the box, he'll let you know.

 

[T-Mac]

Welcome and congratz on taking the first step towards vaping. Joyetech is a good brand IMO, are you wanting a analog look alike or something different?

 

[LegendarySquirrel]

Doesn't really matter to me one way or the other if it looks like a real cig. function > form.


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[Stosh]

Doesn't really matter to me one way or the other if it looks like a real cig. function > form.

Welcome to ECF !! and good attitude the function of your purchase is to give you the nicotine without other crap, and slim cig styles don't have the battery size necessary. A sharpie marker size is about the smallest viable for a pack a day smoker.

 

[elfstone]

LS, it's fine that you're too lazy to search, but I'm too lazy to read your whole post so sorry if this is not addressing your question.

I think that an Ego-style, preferably a true 3.7 V such as KGO is a good start. I'd point you to Hoosier E-Cig Supply or Dark City Vapors. The alternative is what's called an E-Power - this comes with the added bonus of using generic, swappable batteries. I would start with Boge LR (2.0 Ohm) cartomizers, and then explore everything else there is around, with a special interest in dripping atomizers, maybe the new(er) Vision Stardust clearomizer, carto-tanks (if you'll enjoy cartomizers) and... there's lots of options...

In terms of minty menthol, some of the best I've had so far came from Rawr Vapor (they are on a mission to mentholate the world) and Vape-A-Licious. These are not Tobacco Menthols, but rather light / fruity or minty alone. I can't advise you on tobaccos because I don't like tobacco juices. You can also buy menthol drops from some vendors and add them to any juice or, if/when you feel more adventurous, you can get menthol crystals and dissolve them yourself in PG. Be aware that menthol drops in an alcohol base add harshness to the throat hit, whereas PG-based menthol a less so.

 

[LegendarySquirrel]

Yea I'm not necessarily interested in them tasting like tobacco. I enjoy smoking hookah now and then so I'm definitely open to smoking something that tastes like candy/fruit/etc. over the pure crappiness of "tobacco" flavor.
Really, plain tobacco tastes like crap. I ONLY smoke menthols. I can't stand plain tobacco cigarettes or the "red" flavors or lights. Just about the only "plain" tobacco cigarettes I can stand are American spirit or camel Turkish silver. And i'm very picky about the taste of menthols. Anyone who has ever smoked Marlborough Smooths knows that only a very very fresh pack that hasn't been sitting on the shelf for a week actually tastes like mint chocolate. Otherwise it just tastes like stale tobacco and mint and usually makes you want to puke. I actually switched over to camel menthol silver just cause I almost never got a fresh pack of smooths.


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[LegendarySquirrel]

Also I'm the hands-on/tech savvy/DIYer type. And I like doing it right the first time. Meaning I'm cool with starting out with a style like the ego. Like I said I like function more than form and it seems as though most people who start out with the cig look-a-likes end up upgrading to the larger models. So I'd rather start out with what i'll eventually end up switching to.


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[Stosh]

Also I'm the hands-on/tech savvy/DIYer type. ....

If that's the case, this is what I've been using for over a year after my early experimentation....

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/battery-mods/105465-now-puck-cheap-parts-easy.html#post1587798

 

[LegendarySquirrel]

Also, how do I go about ordering juice? I have no idea what to select as far as mixture and nicotine strength.


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[MissEmma]

Hi Squirrel. I'm relatively new to vaping...3 months last Friday. Completely new to this forum. There is no formula for knowing your preferred nic strength. It's really trial and error. I would start with 3-4 different mgs and flavors. You have to try a few different things before you get what's right for you. Good luck and enjoy



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[expat007]

For a pack a day smoker, you should get along fine with 12-18mg nicotine. Choosing the right juice is the hardest part, by far.
Get as many different flavors as you can. Get small bottles and/or "sampler" packs. Get some on the high nic side, say 18mg. for those times when the cravings are strongest.

It's kind of senseless for anyone to recommend specific flavors. It's too subjective. Go to the vendor forum and look through their offerings. Check for coupon codes and sales. Start out with a mixture of VG and PG. Eventually, you'll decide what ratio you prefer. Some people have some degree of intolerance to PG. Personally, I can't handle more than 30% PG, but that's just me. Some vendors will mix it to order, but most have their own ratios, which is usually about 70%PG/30%VG. Don't sweat it for now until you know your preferences. Just look around and order what sounds good. That's really all you can do. There are very few vendors that are flat out terrible. Get maybe 3 or 4 flavors each from a couple different vendors in 12-18mg strengths. Figure you'll probably use about 3ml a day on average and get sizes from maybe 5 to 10ml, depending on what they offer. For the first few months, that'll be your biggest expense, but it'll settle down when you figure out what you like.

 

[bodrell]

I've only owned one real PV so far (only about a month into vaping) but I am so happy with it I bought a second last week - I got a KGO from Hoosiers:
KGO kit1100mAh by SLB
Along with BOGE cartos (also sold on that site) and some juice. Since then I've been experimenting with different juice flavors from several vendors including Hoosier and I have some different types of cartos on order to try...taste is a very subjective thing so you really will have to experiment for yourself. FWIW I smoked RYO euro tobacco and 24 mg strength is working fine for me, you might want to go a little lighter. TH is of maximum importance to me but not everyone has the same preferences.

 

[LegendarySquirrel]

Well I went with the e-power 14650 kit from sweetvapes with the 2.0ohm boge cartos. Can't really beat it for $41.95 +shipping. Most other sites charged extra for the boge cartos or didn't have the option to get them with the kit. Also ordered one of their candy shop sample packs.