pre-filled carts vs dripping

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newuser76

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Feb 19, 2011
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The pre-filled cartomizers give you an idea of what the liquid will taste like, but cost close to what 30ml does. With that being said, it's more economical to buy the liquid and blanks and fill your own. The problem is...knowing what you like which takes a little while.
The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to read a lot of reviews, try a bunch or different flavors and then start picking out the juices. I received my first order about two weeks ago, but have sent 4 friends to V4L to get orders also. We get together and try all the samples and let each other know what we are ordering so we don't get duplicates. When we get together on the weekends, we trade and test some, then order the juice if the taste is appealing. I actually received a vanilla cartomizer as a sampler and then went right back to the site and ordered the 30ml bottle since my girlfriend and I both liked it. We did the same with mint and took a gamble on Kamel which is what i use most of the day.
The condoms are just the plastic caps that come on the cartomizers.
PS. you can also rinse, dry out and reuse the cartomizers several times.
 

GitMoe

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Mar 3, 2011
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Definitely try out as many flavors as you can afford or find between local vapers. I just ordered 25 flavors and so did a friend of mine who is starting to vape. Between both our orders I think we'll find enough we like to place bigger orders of just a few juices. Juice is definitely cheaper than throwing away cartos. Check youtube for how to refill cartos. Its really easy. Check out V4L for cartos and juice for sure...
 

DawnsFolly

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The 30 ml of juice is very cost effective. You figure that a cartomizer holds about 1 ml of juice. The prefilled cartomizers cost only a little more, are easy to refill and already say what they are right on the label. Some people like the blank cartomizers and fill them with any juice of their choice. Some people don't care about saving money or don't want the hassel of refilling their cartomizers & just throw them away when they're done. You didn't say how long you've been smoking or what type, but the Sampler Packs of Vapor King Cartomizers are the best value if you don't know what you like yet and your tastes will probably change alot. When you find a flavor that you really like then buy the juice and maybe a drip tip (if you like them they make it easier to put a few drops in). Don't forget that you should start off a freshly filled carto on a manual battery or pass thru if you use automatic batteries. In the meantime save your empty cartos if you are thinking about refilling.
 

SnowDragon

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So twiddy please tell us a little bit about yourself and how your vaping experience has been so far. Did you decide to vape to get away from smoking? Do you think you have dialed in what level of nicotine works best for you? This forum can be a great resource for new vapors, but many of us like to get know new members a little to give them best suggestions.

As was noted by newuser76, condoms are the rubber end caps that come with your cartomizers. Sometimes the Cartomizers will come with a small plug in the battery hole, these are called .... plugs (I know, juvenile terminology). They both come in handy if you ever plan on trying juice so you may want to keep a couple around instead of throwing them away.

I'd really enjoy to hear about how your new experience is going.

Welcome to the forum twiddy!
 
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NoMatches

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Feb 4, 2011
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Twiddy, I'm a newbie. Bottom line is that I've blown some money on some falvors I just don't care for. Unfortunately, that is something that I think everyone has to go through before they find the right nic level and the flavors trhat will work for them. It's the nature of the beast. But, having tried many flavors and nic levels, I pretty quickly settled into what works for me.

LOL, someone called me the mocha man in a thread I started, and it's true, any mocha flavor tickles me to death. The fruits, berries, drink flavors, menthols and mints and most of the desserts aren't on my hit parade, but I had to try them first to know.

I doubt I'll ever buy another sampler pack, but I have probably tried them all. I like the coffees, the mochas, and need some of the tobaccos, 555 and Dunhall for change of pace vapes. Once I figured it out, I bought juice, and it's great. Having juice around to top off cartos is actually sort of fun to do. Like a sort of hobby. Then I have refilled some pre loaded cartos with another flavored juice, and had some pleasant surpruises doing that too. Have some fun with it.
 

twiddy

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Mar 5, 2011
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Hey thanks for all the feed back. I just got my starter kit of short manuals on friday. I purchased this to get me off of analogs. I just finished my last analog last night and hope I don't feel the need to get more. I have been comparing e-cigs to analogs and there is a buzz difference, but I like that I don't smell like smoke and that I am not getting all the nasty crap in my lungs. I just ordered some more prefilled cartos all with 36mg of nic (Menthol sample pack, 555, and clove). I first purchased Kants (11mg) and Kamel Menthol (18mg) but felt that they were too weak. I want to start filling with juice as soon as I find my favorite flavor.
 

keelalagirl55

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Jan 25, 2011
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Twiddy....I found that the strong coffee flavors are what got me to kick the regular cigs....I did not find (until recently...like lol...last night) a tobacco that compared to the "real thing". It wasn't until I got my kit from V4L that I was able to drop the smokies......yep...that's right....I was still on the smokies till....wait....this PAST Friday....only been a weekend free. Best of luck to you, and try some of the other flavs...you'd be surprised at what actually satisfies you enough to rather pick up that e-cig over a smokie and lighter;)
 

SnowDragon

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Right on twiddy! 36 is a real .... kicker, if it's too strong you'll notice it right away as your sinus' will start humming and you'll get a little dizzy. Short batteries are totally sweet, did you happen to get a Passthrough with your kit? If you didn't you might want to think about getting one along with 12v adapter for the car. I was never a Greenie type of a guy over my past 33 year career as a pack-a-day smoker, but I really enjoy Wow Nuport. 555 is also an excellent vape and is always in my daily rotation.

IMO going with Juice is a triple win, you save money, extend the life of your cartomizers, and I believe it offers better taste and vaping. Your very smart to do what you are doing right now which is dialing in your nic level and trying new flavors before buying juice.

Thanks for sharing, look forward to hearing how the next couple of weeks go for you. Just keep drinking lots of water to stay hydrated and speed up flushing out your system, the next 3 weeks will be the proverbial hump. As well, if you keep feeling like you forgot something everytime you get in the car or keep finding lighters in your pocket, don't worry, that will pass too. :p

Welcome to the family tweedy, every hour without a smoke is a victory! :headbang::2cool::headbang:
 

hlpt

Full Member
Feb 24, 2011
20
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Texas
Thanks for starting this thread!! I'm about a week into vaping and loving it so far. This thread answered a bunch of questions I had and I was becoming a bit overwhelmed with the sheer volume of info on this site while looking for answers. I'm still in the process of finding a flavor/strength that I prefer, but the waffle and vanilla are early favorites. I'm waiting for some champagne carts and more vanilla carts to arrive today :) I'm so happy to no longer smell like an ashtray--especially having a toddler in the house. The vanilla reminds me of the Sweet Dreams vanilla cigarettes I smoked before they were taken off of the market :(

I'm grateful to everyone who takes the time to post their experiences, tips, etc.
 

Lmaiuri

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Feb 11, 2011
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oh how I wish I wouldnt burn all my cartos so I can re-use them...I've put back several that I haven't burned, but I threw out a whole baggy full. I opened them all up to see if they were burnt. Sure enough, they were. I know they say to top them off throughout the day, but I'm always working, driving, ect. It's so hard to know when to stop vaping one before it burns on you. Anyone know any tricks for that? Soon as I taste that burned taste, I know its over for that cart. I just ordered more juice and have very few carts left that hasn't burned. I'm going to be more careful so I can re-use them.

well darn, I just tasted burn, pulled it out of there, and yes it was burned and was still very wet with juice.
 
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Lmaiuri

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Thanks for starting this thread!! I'm about a week into vaping and loving it so far. This thread answered a bunch of questions I had and I was becoming a bit overwhelmed with the sheer volume of info on this site while looking for answers. I'm still in the process of finding a flavor/strength that I prefer, but the waffle and vanilla are early favorites. I'm waiting for some champagne carts and more vanilla carts to arrive today :) I'm so happy to no longer smell like an ashtray--especially having a toddler in the house. The vanilla reminds me of the Sweet Dreams vanilla cigarettes I smoked before they were taken off of the market :(


I'm grateful to everyone who takes the time to post their experiences, tips, etc.

I am new also, and it is a little overwhelming. I'm still learning how to get around. Everyone is very helpful
 

Kanza

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Feb 19, 2011
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Welcome, fellow newbs, and may I say you are the luckiest people imaginable! You have become members of the most helpful community (of ANY type) I have ever seen. They will hold your hand every step of the way and never make you feel that any question you might have is ridiculous. They are genuinely interested in you and love hearing about your experiences and what you are considering trying next.

Right now my advice to you is NEVER throw anything away :) There is a "swap" thread here so you can trade your "mistakes" for something you might find you love. I took a gamble on peppermint (of all things) and there's no going back for me now! I am wildly in love with a flavor I hate in candy or tea ;)

Once you find your nicotine level - and that's by far the most important thing to reach in the beginning - start branching out into flavors. That's how I approached it - I found what I could tolerate first and then started looking for what I would love. I also keep a higher-than-usual nicotine cartomizer pack as "do this first" when I feel I absolutely have to have an analog and it seems to help. I dropped 2 packs of analogs the very first day I started vaping :)

Any problems you have, reach out to us! Any problems with an order, go straight to V4L and they'll make it right for you! I researched e-cigs for weeks and was at the point of abandoning hope when I stumbled onto this forum and found V4L and KNEW I had found the absolute right place!
 

Lmaiuri

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Feb 11, 2011
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Hey thanks for all the feed back. I just got my starter kit of short manuals on friday. I purchased this to get me off of analogs. I just finished my last analog last night and hope I don't feel the need to get more. I have been comparing e-cigs to analogs and there is a buzz difference, but I like that I don't smell like smoke and that I am not getting all the nasty crap in my lungs. I just ordered some more prefilled cartos all with 36mg of nic (Menthol sample pack, 555, and clove). I first purchased Kants (11mg) and Kamel Menthol (18mg) but felt that they were too weak. I want to start filling with juice as soon as I find my favorite flavor.

I've smoked for 40 years and this has worked for me so far...I vape 24mg right now. I can feel the buzz if I haven't been vaping for a couple of hours. That big buzz in the mornings on analogs is hard to give up, but believe me, in the beginning, when I was vaping all the flavors, I didn't want an analog. It is so nice to know we are not filling up our lungs with that all that tar and other poisons. Not smelling like smoke is nice too. And the house smells better for me....my smell has come back!
 

Kanza

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Feb 19, 2011
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Lmaiuri - I sorta judge by when the flavor begins to taste hot or the carto gets very warm to the touch - then I lay it down and either pick up another one or wait a few minutes before trying the original one again. My problem is I can't tell when the carto is dead just by looking down into it. They always look a little "burned" as far as I'm concerned...I mean there's always a little brownish tinge somewhere on them ;p
 

Kanza

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Feb 19, 2011
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ROFLOL ;p Yeahrightsure - OLD is a good description but don't don't about the PRO part :) Anyway, thanks for the vote of confidence...I try to give back the kindness and suggestions everyone gave me. I can't believe I am awaiting my 3rd order after what? a week? two weeks? And there's still so much for me to learn...but I immediately learned enough to know I was giving kits and carts and juices to everyone I know who smoked and that's what this order will accomplish! The gift of a new life and V4L for everyone! Yea! Cheer! <throws confetti>
 

DawnsFolly

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Oct 24, 2010
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I know exactly what you mean about burning through the cartos. There are some flavors I'm still bad about - Waffles & Cappucino and most especially in the morning. So I've got two batteries going at the same time of the same flavor & strength. Don't really go through twice as many, but keeps me from getting one too hot. Vape while I do everything, get distracted and zap - it's burnt. :facepalm: Try swapping between two or three batteries and one won't get too hot.
 
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