Please Help Frustrated Noob Who Needs A Choking/Coughing Hit

[Klueless]

First, I apologize for posting under another new member's thread. I do not know how to cancel that. Here's what's goin' on.

Have had the ego t tank type b lr for a couple of weeks and I don't like it. It is leaky and inconsistent and I am just NOT getting the kind of kick with throat and chest hit that I need. I am a female who has smoked heavy for over 30 years, and not so geeked up on voltage and ohms... but I really need something that hits hard. Seems everywhere I look the best units seem to be these gigantic hookah looking things with tubes or bicycle pump rigs. I can't be toting something like that around.

Three weeks absolutely smoke free as of yesterday. I'm getting my fix but am really starting to crave a smoke and I do NOT want to ruin my good progress. I want something that makes me choke and cough if I want to. Can someone please give me a few ideas and direct me as to what to do? I understand I can use this battery and modify with a different atty, don't really want to fool with cartomizers. LOVE the tank system just sick of the leaking issues. This thing has leaked about half my liquid or I am vaping non-stop just trying to get a thick, fat hit. Help please? Someone? Anyone who know what they're talking about? I want a cig right now. ARGH!

 

[elfstone]

Well... Welcome to the ECF!

Can you tell what kind you atomizer is: LR (low resistance) or SR (standard resistance)?

You can try one that is LR which should give a stronger vape: eGo-T Mega Type B Atomizer LR

I'm sorry, but you have to be a little open to "geekiness" in what follows.

Throat hit is a function of nicotine content, PG/VG ratio, and vapor warmth and volume.

Nicotine: you are a heavy smoker, but you didn't say what nicotine level you are using. Try using a higher level. Most heavy smokers prefer 24 mg, an you might even consider a higher concentration. In time, your nicotine need will decrease, but you may need the higher level to get you over the hump.

PG/VG ratio - can you tell what you are using? The higher the VG (glycerin) the lower the throat hit. So try lower VG mixes and even PG-only for a better throat hit.

Warmth/volume - depends on type of attachment and on the power.

Type - I'm sorry to tell you, but generally the Ego-T system is considered on the low side of throat hit. I'm not sure why you don't want to use cartomizers, but try low resistance Boge cartos. You may like them, and they have a stronger throat hit. A standard carto holds about 1.2 ml of juice, while there also are larger cartos. You can try the Smoktech XL aka Resurrector or even this one - this one gives even better throat hit and holds much more juice!

Power - as you said, depends on resistance and voltage. Since you don't want to go to higher voltage / variable voltage, then what you can do is lower the resistance by using LR atomizers or, much better, LR cartomizers.

Another way to go would be to try dripping on an atomizer, but I have a feeling you don't consider that right now.

Also, menthol adds throat hit if you like that. So do flavors containing "hot cinnamon" (the candy type as opposed to the baking type flavor)

 

[wv2win]

Part of your problem is that the ego is only a 3.4 volt model, the smallest "volt" battery on the market. Good throat hit comes from nicotine strength and warmer vapor which comes from higher volt batteries. I will suggest two things to help increase your TH:

1. Increase your nicotine strength. If you are not already vaping at 24mg strength, then move to that level. If you are already at 24mg strength, try 36mg strength eliquid.

2. Get a good 5 volt or variable volt or variable watt model. The best 5 volt model on the market (lifetime warranty) is the 5 volt GLV2. It will produce really nice warm vapor and great throat hit with the right strength eliquid and it fits in your hand quite nicely. Many women use the GLV2:

GLV-2 Electronic Cigarette [GLV-2] - $120.00 : Electronic Cigarettes and E-Liquid - Great Lakes Vapor

A small variable volt that allows you to vape between 3.7 volts and 5.5 volts is the Little Sister from Ken's Box Mods who is well supported on ECF. It is one of the smallest PV's on the market:

Little Sister Variable Vari-Cool - Ken's Boxmods

You could also move up to the 3.7 volt E-Power or Kgo which would be better than the eGo but considering what you stated about wanting good solid TH, I think 5 volt or variable volt/watt is your best bet.

 

[kia2]

Well, I'll address the choke/cough hit. It may be as simple as the flavor of cart or liquid you use, and not the nicotine content. I found flavors that I liked, but not the big hit, until I accidentally hit upon a flavor combination at ECBlendflavors.com. I put together wintergreen (a milder mint than spearmint or peppermint) along with vanilla to give it what I thought would be a smoother blend, but then I added extra flavor and their "cool hit." I made it 0 nic, and it worked great for my marathon vaping in the evening, and calmed my want of sweets. However, it gave me that choking cough that I was not expecting! So, you may just need to explore flavors a little, to see what might trigger that need for you. Find a place with inexpensive samples liquids and experiment until you find what you want. ECBlendflavors.com has 5ml samples starting around $2.50, and using their current coupon code of 10020 will get you 20% off your entire liquids order.

As for the tool for delivering that wanted hit, well I found that my 808 style Volts from Smokeless Image and their "big battery", the X2, both deliver hit from my blend and make me quite happy. I can use my cartomizers with either, and I can also use their clearomizers with either. I haven't had a leak yet, although I've heard that some liquid flavors can cause degradation of clearomizers in general. I have three, I haven't had any problems. I love both my regular Volts and the X2, and I use both models every day. I find the regular Volts will last me up to 4 hours, depending on my vape, and the X2 1300 up to 2 to 3 days before charging, dependent upon how fast and furious I vape.

I'm not wanting to get any further with "mods" and other battery devices. I like what I get from my vaping with these tools that I currently have. More vapor or throat hit will depend upon the mix of your liquid, too. I found that I like the 70PG/30VG mix works pretty well for me. I get plenty of vapor, but it's the flavor that I want the most of from my liquids. I also like my tobacco flavors, 555 and RY4 from Smokeless Image to be in the 12mg nic range, but my big hit and marathon vapes are either 0 nic or 6 nic. So, experimenting with liquids is probably your next step.

And congratulations of 3 weeks free from tobacco cigarettes!!

Life is good from here forward.

 

[wv2win]

Well, I'll address the choke/cough hit. It may be as simple as the flavor of cart or liquid you use, and not the nicotine content. I found flavors that I liked, but not the big hit, until I accidentally hit upon a flavor combination at ECBlendflavors.com. I put together wintergreen (a milder mint than spearmint or peppermint) along with vanilla to give it what I thought would be a smoother blend, but then I added extra flavor and their "cool hit." I made it 0 nic, and it worked great for my marathon vaping in the evening, and calmed my want of sweets. However, it gave me that choking cough that I was not expecting! So, you may just need to explore flavors a little, to see what might trigger that need for you. Find a place with inexpensive samples liquids and experiment until you find what you want. ECBlendflavors.com has 5ml samples starting around $2.50, and using their current coupon code of 10020 will get you 20% off your entire liquids order.

As for the tool for delivering that wanted hit, well I found that my 808 style Volts from Smokeless Image and their "big battery", the X2, both deliver hit from my blend and make me quite happy. I can use my cartomizers with either, and I can also use their clearomizers with either. I haven't had a leak yet, although I've heard that some liquid flavors can cause degradation of clearomizers in general. I have three, I haven't had any problems. I love both my regular Volts and the X2, and I use both models every day. I find the regular Volts will last me up to 4 hours, depending on my vape, and the X2 1300 up to 2 to 3 days before charging, dependent upon how fast and furious I vape.

I'm not wanting to get any further with "mods" and other battery devices. I like what I get from my vaping with these tools that I currently have. More vapor or throat hit will depend upon the mix of your liquid, too. I found that I like the 70PG/30VG mix works pretty well for me. I get plenty of vapor, but it's the flavor that I want the most of from my liquids. I also like my tobacco flavors, 555 and RY4 from Smokeless Image to be in the 12mg nic range, but my big hit and marathon vapes are either 0 nic or 6 nic. So, experimenting with liquids is probably your next step.

And congratulations of 3 weeks free from tobacco cigarettes!!

Life is good from here forward.

I'm sorry but for 99.9999% of vapers, 0 nicotine = 0 throat hit. Extra menthol, pepper, PGA, etc will provide throat irritation but not good throat hit. But I am glad it is working for you.

 

[Klueless]

Thank you both. Right now I am using the LR with 18 nicotine. Yes, I should probably go higher with the nic level but was trying to keep it moderate as I have smoked ultra lights for 20 years. I still got a better chest and throat hit from an actual cig though. I really don't mind the vape not being warm. It's tepid in my Ego t. What I have is just something to get me started, and now I need to jack it on up a few notches. I am not opposed to learning about voltage, ohms etc. If I mix and match parts that is something I need to know in order to have working vape equipment. Meanwhile... I shop, and shop, and search... My eyes are bleeding from weeks of reading, only have one working unit at this time while I wait for the other which was defective. Sad to say my only back up source should I blow this thing out (which could happen any minute the way I'm hitting it)... is Mistic. *gag

 

[kia2]

Well, I'm glad to be in the 0.0001% then. I wanted to go down in nicotine content to the point of no nicotine. I found a blend that hit it for me. I'm thinking it was the actual "cool hit" that put it over the top, but you're right, this worked for me, and may not work for someone else. It is something to consider, though. I should also mention that I found - through trial and error - that I preferred flavor over the throat hit, and I only have the one blend that produces the choke & cough. Everyone has their flavor/tool place of happiness.

Hang in there, Klueless. No matter what, you will find what makes the vape just right for you eventually. Don't let the tobacco cigarettes lure you back. There's a great support system out there, and you found it.

 

[Caridwen]

I would try LR cartomizers (2.0 or 1.7) and some higher nicotine at least until you can make the transition. Some people only need high nicotine for a few weeks.

If that doesn't do it, as wv2win suggested, maybe look into higher voltage.

But some LR cartos and high nic might be a quick fix to keep you off cigs.

 

[Klueless]

Wait, will a warmer vape hit me better? And Kia, I will agree with you about the flavoring. I was never much for menthol, but have ordered some flavorings and did notice the menthol had a hella kick that did help. Had to mix it with something else to tolerate it, but once I got used to it... not too bad. (My "cold" peach was darn good!)

 

[sailorman]

Here's what i posted on that other member's thread when you asked about this:

Klueless, if you don't want to fool with cartomizers, the only thing you're going to be able to do is use a low resistance atty, something about 1.25 or 1.5 ohms and a drip tip, and drip directly into your atomizer.

I do that myself occasionally, but you might not like having to drip 3 or 4 drops into your atomizer every 5 or 6 puffs or so.

Other than that, you'll either have to go the cartomizer route, or get a higher voltage PV, or both. In case you're thinking that a cartomizer will give you the kind of results you've been getting from your tank, they won't. IMO, there are a lot of better cartomizers out there that will give a stronger hit than your tank system. Your fundamental limitation here is the battery in the eGo, which IIRC, is only 3.4 Volts. If you want something that hits really hard, there are 2 ways to do it. One is increase your nicotine content for more throat hit. The more significant way is to increase your wattage and that means higher voltage and/or lower resistance. Since you can't do much about your voltage, all you can do is lower the resistance. With a 3.4V battery, the best you can do is use a 1.25 atomizer (if you can find one) or a 1.25ohm cartomizer and that will give you 9.2 Watts. That's a pretty strong vape. Most people like between 7 and 10 watts. If you want something stronger, you're going to have to upgrade into higher voltage where you can achieve 12-15 Watts or more.

If you really don't want to use cartomizers, you're going to have to drip. Get a good 1.5ohm bridgeless atomizer, or three, and a drip tip. Or, better yet, get a HH357 or a I06 atomizer, built specially for dripping. Those will give you plenty of choke. Short of getting an new PV, that's pretty much all you can do.

 

[elfstone]

Yes... since you smoked ultralights, I am a little concerned that you may not tolerate nigher nic. BUT you can do what a lot of us do - keep vaping 18 mg for the most part and keep a 24 mg juice in reserve to use when you just need a stronger hit.

Seriously, try cartomizers. Reviewer after reviewer, and new user after new user here on the forum keep saying that the Ego-T system has poor throat hit (and it's a hassle with leaks and burned taste).

 

[sailorman]

Thank you both. Right now I am using the LR with 18 nicotine. Yes, I should probably go higher with the nic level but was trying to keep it moderate as I have smoked ultra lights for 20 years. I still got a better chest and throat hit from an actual cig though. I really don't mind the vape not being warm. It's tepid in my Ego t. What I have is just something to get me started, and now I need to jack it on up a few notches. I am not opposed to learning about voltage, ohms etc. If I mix and match parts that is something I need to know in order to have working vape equipment. Meanwhile... I shop, and shop, and search... My eyes are bleeding from weeks of reading, only have one working unit at this time while I wait for the other which was defective. Sad to say my only back up source should I blow this thing out (which could happen any minute the way I'm hitting it)... is Mistic. *gag

If you're not averse to learning a little about ohms and voltage, and you don't mind a slightly bigger device, you can get a Lavatube, or even a mini-Lavatube. You can run that from 3 to 6 Volts and I'll guarantee you that you'll be able to find plenty of atomizers, tanks and cartomizers that will make you cough your guts out. You can get a full kit, including batteries and a charger and some cartos for $60.

Here's one right here for $60 with 2 batteries and $1.99 shipping. Either mini or full sized:
The Knight Rider Starter Kit has a sealed 510 connector from 3 Volts to 6 Volts Variable Voltage of 510 atomizers and cartomizers.Variable Voltage.

I have one and I choke plenty with it.

 

[Caridwen]

I found the ego-T gave a cooler, slightly muted vape. I didn't mind it so much because I vape menthol.

Don't get caught up in numbers when you first start. Just because someone vapes a 12 mg or whatever doesn't mean you should. You need to vape the level that gets you off cigs. Once you do that, you can lower the nic level if you want to. Because you smoke light cigs doesn't mean you're less addicted than someone that smoked regular cigarettes.

Read this regarding nicotine and what to get.

Beginner Tutorial - 2

 

[Klueless]

Yes... since you smoked ultralights, I am a little concerned that you may not tolerate nigher nic. BUT you can do what a lot of us do - keep vaping 18 mg for the most part and keep a 24 mg juice in reserve to use when you just need a stronger hit.

Seriously, try cartomizers. Reviewer after reviewer, and new user after new user here on the forum keep saying that the Ego-T system has poor throat hit (and it's a hassle with leaks and burned taste).

Yes, I have read that over and over. I have actually been doing my own form of dripping by using a syringe in my old Mistic carts to refill them. It works quite well for now and delivers as good a throat and chest hit as my Ego. (Sometimes) Not totally opposed to cartos..... My icky cheap Mistic is what got me started vaping, and what is holding me through while my Ego T is charging. Oddly, they seem to hold more juice than my Ego-T.

 

[kia2]

Wait, will a warmer vape hit me better? And Kia, I will agree with you about the flavoring. I was never much for menthol, but have ordered some flavorings and did notice the menthol had a hella kick that did help. Had to mix it with something else to tolerate it, but once I got used to it... not too bad. (My "cold" peach was darn good!)

I never smoked menthol cigarettes, but I did find menthol to be tolerable in e-liquids. However, I like other flavors better. I did order that "cool hit" (not a menthol flavor) with some other flavors, but I actually like flavors without, it was just a matter of experimenting - while my taste buds "grew" back! I like fruity flavors like pear and peach and watermelon, and they are "warm" vapes to me. What I thought I wanted at first wasn't what I ended up liking. It took about 6 weeks before my tastes actually emerged, as I was learning how to taste flavor again, instead of just tasting smoke. When I get a hard craving, I'll go to my 12mg 555 or RY4, but I am not needing a big choke and cough anymore. Eventually, I hope to be 0 nic on everything, all of the time.

 

[Klueless]

Caridwen, thank you for the link to the tutorial!

 

[Klueless]

Ironically you mention. Have been studying on that one today. Looks a little um.. big and ugly, even the mini... but if it does the trick. I have to laugh and say I am so grateful for all this help and the understanding of actually wanting to cough and choke. Oh, the insanity of it all. But? That is the feeling I am accustomed to, and I am very serious about not having another analog. They were killing me. Within only three weeks my oxygen supply has more than doubled, and I DO feel so much better! Thank you for your help.

If you're not averse to learning a little about ohms and voltage, and you don't mind a slightly bigger device, you can get a Lavatube, or even a mini-Lavatube. You can run that from 3 to 6 Volts and I'll guarantee you that you'll be able to find plenty of atomizers, tanks and cartomizers that will make you cough your guts out. You can get a full kit, including batteries and a charger and some cartos for $60.

Here's one right here for $60 with 2 batteries and $1.99 shipping. Either mini or full sized:
The Knight Rider Starter Kit has a sealed 510 connector from 3 Volts to 6 Volts Variable Voltage of 510 atomizers and cartomizers.Variable Voltage.

I have one and I choke plenty with it.

 

[LabLover]

I was a heavy smoker (3-3.5 packs a day of ultralights for 29 years). Just recently quit and didn't want a big ole thing either. What I found was that I needed a much stonger battery to get the right feeling from vaping. (I've only been vaping for about a month, so I am green, green, green and not that knowledgeable with tech stuff.)

What I found that works for me is a passthru on my computer and a Provari for when I'm not on the computer. The variable voltage on the Provari is super simple to use. Certain liquids taste and feel better at different volts. If I need more throat hit, I crank it up a bit. If I'm chain vaping, I reduce it a bit. I moved to a large capacity clearomizer that holds 3.5 ml, so I don't have to fill it up all the time. (I'm vaping about 10 ml a day.) I bounce between 12-18 mg of nicotine. Sometimes at the end of a day, I'll vape 6 mg. So far, it's been working great. I would seriously consider a variable voltage device. They seem scary, but take it from a non-tech person that they are pretty dang easy to use. (Thank goodness!)

Congrats on 3 weeks! Hang in there.

 

[sailorman]

Well, besides the pricetag that's 1/3 of a Provari, one of the things that makes the Lavatube good for non-techie people is the interface and built in protections. You could get along fine with it even if the screen blacked out permanently. Only the remaining battery voltage would remain a mystery. A newbie can just push the + button for a stronger vape and the - button for a cooler vape. You don't have to know what resistance anything is or what voltage you're using. If you push the + buttons too many times, it doesn't matter. You can't burn out an atty with it and it won't stop working and blink at you until you dial in the right voltage. It just takes over and you keep on vaping. Of course, techies and people who vape by the number don't like that, but it makes it perfect for those who aren't in the least bit interested in if they're vaping with 5 watts or 12 watts as long as it tastes right.

 

[bnrkwest]

If you want a good TH and gag yourself try Tiramisu eliquid at 18 nic- I can barely handle 12! LOL It is strong and when I am really craving that womp of a harsh hit I get the Tiramisu out. It is an Italian coffee cheese and cake type thing but all I tastes is strong I love the stuff. bnrk