Noob Vaper having troubles

[Eldublee]

Hey guys,

Iv been wanting to quit smoking for quite some time and I have been reading up on vaping and thought why not give it a go and like some other people in the forum I have tried some of the cheaper pen style E-Cigs and found they werent powerful enough, or kept breaking in my pocket and things like that. Now I have seen people at work with boxes vaping away and the 2nd hand vapor smells amazing!

So I went and bought a e.max 50w battery (basically identicle to the e-leaf 50w) and a Kangertech sub mini tank and some cheap E.max 12mg liquid all in all about £40 from the local market.

Iv been doing some reading and all the equipment gets fantastic reviews, however I cant seem to get the hang of vaping without either a head buzz, no vapor or a burning throat,

Iv looked online and cant see any website from the manufacturers of the e-juice, nor does it say the % of PG to VG. could the cheap liquid be a contributing factor to my lack of success? or could it be too strong ( i usually smoke richmond superking menthol which is approx 1mg nic per cig)? and when I have tried to look up the right nic strength for me the websites state high nic ejuice is best (12-24mg) so Iv opted for the lower end of that spectrum.

As for the settings on my battery, I have found 15w is comfortable for me but doesnt generate that much cloud.

Any advice is welcome and how long does it take before the coughing per drag stops? I really wanna vape instead of smoking but im struggling to get it right.

 

[Chuck64]

Welcome to ECF! I'm fairly new so don't have a lot to offer you yet. Everyone starts with the search for what works and we all take different paths yet have the same goal. Good luck and I'm sure someone with more experience will be along to help.
BTW, Merry Christmas.

 

[MyMagicMist]

You can find a few links to information in my signature line. Merry Christmas.

 

[Stanley Churchill]

From my experience........it could be a combination problem. Cheap ejuice and too high a nic level. Although I shouldn't use the word cheap. Inexpensive would be a better word. I found when I was first starting out that the inexpensive ejuices usually(though not always) have a VG to PG ratio of 50/50. Depending on the coil you are using in your Subtank Mini, you are running a borderline "cloud chaser" rig. Which means you need to drop your nic level down to 3-6 range and you VG to PG ration should be 70/30 down to 90/10(depending on the flavor). I had this same problem when I moved from cig alikes and pen combos to slightly more advanced systems.

 

[Tony16]

I'm with Stanley Churchill. Which coil do you have in the sub tank mini

 

[KayP]

Hi Eldublee,

Welcome to ECF. I too am a noob vaper, in fact, I just started 4 days ago. Now I do admit it is still early days; however, I no longer crave for a cigarette. I bought the Kanger Subox Mini starter kit and some 12mg nicotine juices. Currently I am using a boring 0.6 ohm coil at 7-8 watts.

On my first day I had an extremely difficult time vaping. All I could get was harsh, dry and burning throaty vapes. I was also trying different watts, all the way up to 20 watts. I coughed a lot. I received some exceptional advice on this forum and discovered that even though I was doing a lot of things right, I had been burning my cotton by not priming my coils and cotton in the correct manner. I was being impatient by not leaving the coil in a tank full of ejuice for 5-10 mins. Simple really. I also received tons of other great advice, one of which was to start at low settings (7 watts). Ultimately you'll have to take baby steps and give time for your lungs to make the transition.

Today I am still vaping 12mg nicotine juices at 7 watts; however, I have moved to the tank's full mouth to lung setting and I am now getting very satisfying vapes with nice clouds. It is not award winning in any way; however, I am now able to replicate what I wanted in a cigarette.

Regretfully I am not experienced enough to give advice regarding your particular mod and settings; however, I felt I should share my experience thus far. In fact, I am pleasantly surprised that I am now enjoying a comfortable and fulfilling vape this soon. I believe if you keep at it, you will too.

Treasure the advice you receive at ECF, they will prove invaluable. Don't give up on your attempts to kick the smokes. I wish you a 2016 without the stinkies. I'm aiming for it myself.

 

[djsvapour]

Welcome

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

I'm 'doing' spuds, but will come back later.

yes, your liquid could well be an issue... I've never seen a decent liquid on sale at a market. Liqua, iBreathe - there are plenty of high PG liquids out there. Best avoided.

15w should be making some vapour, but subtanks are subtanks and the coils get into top gear higher than 15w.

I coughed solidly even on E-Lites, then JacVapour. Nasty (maybe even pointless) e-cigarettes.

I got the hang of it about 2 weeks in. The dry mouth/throat stopped after about 2 months.

- - -

Just to say; please ask about e-liquids. Google is NOT our friend in these matters.
Paying £4.99 for Chinese liquid is just rubbish, especially when you can get the top brand (Hangsen) for 75p per 10ml if you want to order from China. (yes, it's the real liquid, and it's also tested).

One of the self-proclaimed "top brands" in the UK (which is just a bunch of arrogant businessmen) says on their website..

"expect to pay £4-5 (10ml) for UK made e-liquid". They charge £4.99. Surprise.

How comes some of us pay about £5-£6 for 30ml then, using Pharmaceutical grade Nicotine and tested flavouring?

- - -

Good luck.

 

[Eldublee]

I'm with Stanley Churchill. Which coil do you have in the sub tank mini

I have the stock occ that was installed when I purchased it, it has 0.5ohm/ 30w coil with japanese organic cotton in it, but I have the option of switching to the 1.2ohm OCC and the 0.5Ohm Rba that also came with the subtank mini

Im thinking of waiting until I get a better liquid to try the 0.5 RBA though, I have heard on reviews that this is a little smoother than the prebuilds and I dont wanna waste it on a high PG liquid

 

[Eldublee]

Thanks guys, I think im going to head out to Manchester tomorrow to see if I can find some better E-Liquid, I did get 3 bottles of the cheap stuff but I may just keep them for if I ever run out, I get a small amount of vapour of it but I would like a smoother tastier vape and Im hoping a better quality liquid will help me do this.

I will come back once I have tried a different liquid and let you know how I go, so far I have seen quite a few reviews on the kangertech subtank mini and they all seem reasonably positive, therefore im thinking my issue is A the liquid and B my technique lol

I gotta tell ya though although iv wanted a smoke, by vaping iv been able to avoid cigarettes altogether. I know its only day one but for a 12 a day smoker I would say thats a pretty good start. Thumbs up and il let you know how I go with the new liquid either tomorrow on sunday.

Thanks for the first bits of advice guys and if any of you can recommend a liquid that can be bought online, feel free to let me know

Merry Christmas all

 

[djsvapour]

Thanks guys, I think im going to head out to Manchester tomorrow to see if I can find some better E-Liquid, I did get 3 bottles of the cheap stuff but I may just keep them for if I ever run out, I get a small amount of vapour of it but I would like a smoother tastier vape and Im hoping a better quality liquid will help me do this.

I will come back once I have tried a different liquid and let you know how I go, so far I have seen quite a few reviews on the kangertech subtank mini and they all seem reasonably positive, therefore im thinking my issue is A the liquid and B my technique lol

I gotta tell ya though although iv wanted a smoke, by vaping iv been able to avoid cigarettes altogether. I know its only day one but for a 12 a day smoker I would say thats a pretty good start. Thumbs up and il let you know how I go with the new liquid either tomorrow on sunday.

Thanks for the first bits of advice guys and if any of you can recommend a liquid that can be bought online, feel free to let me know

Yes, good luck finding something.

AAE-C UK has a map. (I hope this works)

New Map of UK & Ireland e-cig Shops & Market Stalls | ALL ABOUT E-CIGARETTES UK

It might be worth trying the 1.2ohm OCC. Are they the new vertical coils? Look down into it, the old coil is horizontal and the new ones, like a, um... helter skelter?

Just remember to prime the heck out of it (they can take a lot)... and sit it in the tank afterwards... and start it low (10w)...

I get quite a few liquids from here.

LT Ecigs

Caramel Deluxe (30ml, always) is my favourite, ever. I also enjoy the Caramel Custard.

The tobaccos are, well, typical Inawera (good, but not amazing). I'd rather vape Hangsen RY6 (or RY4) really.

I don't know what you will find out there in shops, but should you come across "Royal Vapor" or "Witchcraft" they are high VG liquids and will be a) smoother and b) more cloudy.

Just watch out for the pesky "brand" shops. They are universally... well... either expensive or cr*p.
Liberty Flights, ecigwizard - sure they do some decent stuff (not all by a long shot) but the prices are too much.

Vapouriz? VIP? Apollo? Vapestick? Vivid? Nope. Never.... and Blu over my dead body. Blu are supporting the 2016 regulations, so we are forced back to single-use products.

I'll have a look over that map.

Dave.

 

[Eldublee]

hey guys right ok so i have good news and bad news;

Good News : I bought some really nice 80/20 eliquid and it vapes a million times better, no harsh burns no yucky burning taste, quality vaping and now running on day 4 without a smoke. Love this setup and keep annoying my other half when playing console games, take a big poof and blow in his view of the tv to give me the advantage, (SMOKE SCREEN) its super funny.

Bad News : I found out the kangertech subtank mini that I bought is counterfeit and just an imitation. The tank wont fit the RBA that came in the box and the o loops have been leaking when the tank is less than 50% full. So not too happy about that but I bought it from a market, I should have known better. BUT its ok for the time being. I have bought some new O ring rubbers for it and it still vapes and I can only use the prebuilt OCCs for now. Eventually when I am truly sure that I can kick the smoking habit I will invest in the proper equipment from kangertech website etc.

Afterall Vaping is an investment not a short term fix.

All in all had a bit of a bumpy start to the transition and yes I am still wanting to smoke everynow and again, but im on the right track.

Thank you everyone that has helped with advice on certain things and pointing me in the right direction, I certainly feel alot more educated than I was last week. Anyways im off to go see if i can figure out the trick to blowing these vape O's compared to smoke O's.

Cheers all

 

[speedy_r6]

hey guys right ok so i have good news and bad news;

Good News : I bought some really nice 80/20 eliquid and it vapes a million times better, no harsh burns no yucky burning taste, quality vaping and now running on day 4 without a smoke. Love this setup and keep annoying my other half when playing console games, take a big poof and blow in his view of the tv to give me the advantage, (SMOKE SCREEN) its super funny.

Bad News : I found out the kangertech subtank mini that I bought is counterfeit and just an imitation. The tank wont fit the RBA that came in the box and the o loops have been leaking when the tank is less than 50% full. So not too happy about that but I bought it from a market, I should have known better. BUT its ok for the time being. I have bought some new O ring rubbers for it and it still vapes and I can only use the prebuilt OCCs for now. Eventually when I am truly sure that I can kick the smoking habit I will invest in the proper equipment from kangertech website etc.

Afterall Vaping is an investment not a short term fix.

All in all had a bit of a bumpy start to the transition and yes I am still wanting to smoke everynow and again, but im on the right track.

Thank you everyone that has helped with advice on certain things and pointing me in the right direction, I certainly feel alot more educated than I was last week. Anyways im off to go see if i can figure out the trick to blowing these vape O's compared to smoke O's.

Cheers all

If you are willing to do a little learning, those prebuilt coil heads are actually very easy to rebuild yourself(assuming they are the horizontal and not vertical).



Personally, I do 5 wraps around a 3mm drill bit with 24 gauge and it always comes out to right at 0.5 or 0.6 ohms. Obviously, you can use whatever gauge of kanthal you want(though I would recommend you stick with 26 or 28 until you are more familiar with doing so. 22 is too thick to fit, and 30 and 32 start being too thin and they will likely burn your insulator).

 

[chellie]

If you are willing to do a little learning, those prebuilt coil heads are actually very easy to rebuild yourself(assuming they are the horizontal and not vertical).



Personally, I do 5 wraps around a 3mm drill bit with 24 gauge and it always comes out to right at 0.5 or 0.6 ohms. Obviously, you can use whatever gauge of kanthal you want(though I would recommend you stick with 26 or 28 until you are more familiar with doing so. 22 is too thick to fit, and 30 and 32 start being too thin and they will likely burn your insulator).

I have never messed with the coils and just changed the cotton out because I could not get the step by step that I needed. This video is perfect and I am going to try it. Many thanks.

 

[speedy_r6]

It takes a little practice to get the amount of cotton just right, but once you do, you can normally rebuild one of the heads every 5 minutes or so. Give yourself an hour or two on one night and you will have enough coils to last you a couple months.

 

[KayP]

Hi Eldublee,

I'm sorry to hear somebody sold you a clone. I had not checked the authenticity of my subox, but after reading your message I just had to. Luckily mine is authentic.

If you are unhappy with the clone, you should be able to easily get the genuine product, especially online. It is a very popular mod and most online shops readily have them in stock.

I'm happy with my mod, enjoying both the flavour and clouds I get from it. More importantly it has been more than a week since I had my last cigarette. I did not the get "smoker's flu" so thankfully I'm not coughing my lungs out. I have quit cold turkey in the past so I know that horrible feeling; felt like the life was draining out me. In addition, it made me extremely cranky.

I hope you figure out a way to make the clone work for you, or get a new mod which will. E-liquid is just as important, I went with premium 12mg to 9mg nicotine juices just to ensure I didn't end up being unsatisfied and going back to cigarettes. I did a lot of research when choosing what to vape and what to vape with. The online forums are your allies, so is Youtube. Keep trying and don't give up!

 

[KayP]

I did try to use the 0.5 and 1.5 OCC coils at first; however, I think I burnt the cotton as I did not leave the coils to stand in the tank (filled with juice) for 5-10 mins. They gave me a lot of grief: Dry burning sensation in the throat and, lots of coughing and sweating.

Instead I have been using the supplied rba. It works a charm so I don't see myself replacing the other two coils.

 

[CasketWeaver]

Hey guys,

Iv been wanting to quit smoking for quite some time and I have been reading up on vaping and thought why not give it a go and like some other people in the forum I have tried some of the cheaper pen style E-Cigs and found they werent powerful enough, or kept breaking in my pocket and things like that. Now I have seen people at work with boxes vaping away and the 2nd hand vapor smells amazing!

So I went and bought a e.max 50w battery (basically identicle to the e-leaf 50w) and a Kangertech sub mini tank and some cheap E.max 12mg liquid all in all about £40 from the local market.

Iv been doing some reading and all the equipment gets fantastic reviews, however I cant seem to get the hang of vaping without either a head buzz, no vapor or a burning throat,

Iv looked online and cant see any website from the manufacturers of the e-juice, nor does it say the % of PG to VG. could the cheap liquid be a contributing factor to my lack of success? or could it be too strong ( i usually smoke richmond superking menthol which is approx 1mg nic per cig)? and when I have tried to look up the right nic strength for me the websites state high nic ejuice is best (12-24mg) so Iv opted for the lower end of that spectrum.

As for the settings on my battery, I have found 15w is comfortable for me but doesnt generate that much cloud.

Any advice is welcome and how long does it take before the coughing per drag stops? I really wanna vape instead of smoking but im struggling to get it right.

After further reading down the line - my suggestions would have been to get a bottle marked with the VG / PG (as I feel most REPUTABLE e-liquid manufacturers should have it marked) ratio or come down on your nicotine, just a smidge. But it also depends on the frequency / amount you smoked prior. I always say to people - 1/2 - 3/4 pack / day = 12mg. Your mileage may vary though. When I quit, it was 2.5 - 3 packs / day - so I opted for 24mg which hurt... but was better than smoking as it curbed the craving for a cigarette. After about a month or so, I dropped to 12mg, a few weeks after 3mg, and about 5 months after that... back to 6mg. Why the increase? Because... sometimes people can ween themselves off nicotine... but others aren't just vaping for the nicotine alone. Something else in the cigarettes has me craving them ... BAD. But I resist the urge by vaping higher concentrations to silence the beast.

Good that you finally found a bottle of 80/20 marked liquids too. It's a darn shame your Kanger is a clone. But don't worry - they are relatively inexpensive and can be found almost anywhere. My advice to you, as a new vaper... if the device you currently own drives you insane, DON'T GIVE UP! Ask around here on the forums and see what people recommend. I have AUTHENTIC Kanger tanks, and I have YET to have any issues with them leaking, flooding, etc. And it's cheaper to replace a problematic piece of equipment when the opportunity permits than to go out and grab a pack or carton of cigarettes.

 

[KayP]

From what I hear a lot of ejuice manufacturer's, even the premium ones, don't advertise the VG/PG levels. I simply used reviews left on Youtube as an indicator.

 

[sofarsogood]

If your just getting started the first priority is to get off cigarettes. If that works you might be living longer so there will be more time to learn about the fine points. I started my brother vaping a year ago. He finally stopped smoking last October (it took me 6 weeks). He still vapes 2 ml of 12 mg juice in a nautilus mini at 6 watts. Some times it takes a while to get used to everything. Bottom line, if don't stop vaping you will eventually stop smoking. BTW my brother's cost for a year of vaping was less than $200 for everything. It doesn't have to be expensive either.

 

[Eldublee]

Well, well well shortly after writing my previous post, the cloned sub-tank cracked, so I changed the glass part and again this one cracked in the same way, I didn't drop it or knock it over just general use. So i took it back to the market stall and demanded my money back. Both glass parts cracked in my hand, the RBA didn't fit and the tank was leaking all within a week of buying it. Not having it.

So I got my money back and determined to stay away from smoking I invested in a genuine tank, vapes a lot better and its genuine so therefore covered by warranty... happy days.

As for the E-liquid, I have bought 2 element liquids which are 3mg nic and 80/20 PG VG, a lot easier on the throat and chest to vape. Im running it on 13.5w atm because anything higher and it feels like liquids hitting my tonsils as I breathe out and end up coughing again. so starting off low and working my way up.

I love the element juice Strawberry whip is my favorite but iv got some frost which I tried in store (cigtronica in Manchester Arndale center) and WOW talking about a fresh hit. I can only describe it like the salesman did, like chewing airwaves and then taking a long drink of ice cold water. It really hits you so fresh and great if you have a bunged up nose lol. this will be great when I emmigrate to Australia in Feb.

Happy vaping now and almost been a week since felt the cravings for a smoke. Happy new years everyone!