Pre-Noob (LOL) here looking to start vaping in few days.

[TeePee1970]

Hi to all. I figured I'd start my membership by introducing myself before I begin to ask what will likely be very basic 101 questions.

I'm 44 y.o. and have smoked cigarettes for *gasp* 30 years, as has my husband (who is going on the vape-journey with me). I smoke 1.5 PAD of non-menthol ultra lights and he smokes 1.5 - 2 PAD full flavor menthols. Like a lot of people, we've "tried" a couple of times here and there to quit, but with no luck. I actually did quit for 2 1/2 years at one point and still ended up smoking again.

Our son and d-i-l have both somewhat recently quit smoking entirely and vape instead and after talking with some others who've done it as well, we'd really like to get on the bandwagon. Of course, health issues are our #1 concern, but saving even a little $$ wouldn't hurt, nor would not being the stinky social pariahs that cigarette smokers have now become.

So, yesterday I ordered two of the Kanger Evod starter kits, one for each of us, and two bottles of juice which hopefully will be here (in Ohio) by Thursday/Friday. I think juice selection is going to be one of the most difficult aspects because there are no B&M stores really nearby (Pittsburgh is about 40 minutes from me but with work, etc., trips there aren't super convenient) so sampling and finding something we like might be very hit & miss.

Anyway, that's the short of it. I look forward to reading and learning more!

 

[Spazmelda]

Hello from a fellow Ohioan! It would probably be worth the trip to check out a B&M, but if that's not going to work, another thing you can do is order small sample packs from various vendors. Many vendors sell sample packs, and that's a great way to test out small amounts of lots of various flavors.

Good luck and welcome to ECF!

 

[MoDmAnDaN]

welcome to ECF and congrats on taking that step! I think the Evod kits are wonderful for start ups!

You are right about the juice and please don't let it discourage you. I've seen folks take an hour or so at their local store testing flavors until they find a few they like. Doing it strictly by mail order is even harder. You might try sites that offer sample packs. You can get 4 to 5 flavors for cheap that way.

 

[PennyLynn]

I buy all my juice through mail order, and you can find lots of reviews here and elsewhere. You'll need to pick a nicotine strength and also, the % blend of the two substances the juice is made of, which are PG and VG. Many sites offer a drop-down menu allowing you to select both of these things. BUT since lots of folks have a sensitivity to high PG, try for a 50/50 ratio in your juice.
Most folks start with tobacco flavors and then branch out into the fun stuff! I'm 7 weeks in, and I think I vaped my last tobacco flavor in the 2nd week.
Best to you in starting out! You'll be astonished at how quickly the cancer sticks become unappealing.

 

[Simply Red]

Something else to keep in mind...Some liquids, including menthol I hear, do not play well with polycarbonate tanks such as Evods. Glass tanks would be best such as Kanger Mini Protank, Protank II, or the Aspire ETS (my favorite ) just to name a few. There are several out there. Just my

Welcome to the forum, good luck and Happy Vaping!!

 

[drummerskey]

Other tips.......

If you plan to quit, have a back-up to your back-up. Have at least one extra battery for you and hubby, if not one each. If you have the means, buying something that has a pass-thru feature or is a pass-thru would be good. A pass-thru allows you to vape while the battery is charging

Your initial investment will seem like a lot. Most people here will tell you that they spent more than they thought they would initially but the savings does come; it just comes down the road a bit..........unless you want to upgrade.

Try different toppers, juices and batteries. Everything available to you is a preference. What some like, others will not. My wife and I have two completely different set ups.

Do some reading about how these products work along with nicotine strength, battery safety, maintenance, PG/VG, cleaning, shelf life of your products. Proper usage, cleaning and maintenance will get you longer return on your investment.

Buy some extra coils..............you are going to need them

Hydrate!!!! Drink a lot of water while vaping.

Personally, I stay away from tobacco flavors. I don't want to be reminded but if you are looking for/end up enjoying tobacco flavors; you likely won't find the exact taste.

 

[chimsweep]

Hi and welcome to you both. Actually posting early is a great sign. Shows you are looking for help and are serious about making this work. You'll find many on here that didn't have a B&M when starting...especially for juice. Like has been said, the tobacco flavors are a must for newbies, but you'll find that isn't the case as you go down the road. That's the mind telling you ...tobacco=nicotine. Your body will be getting the nic it craves, (make sure you start high enough 24mg for me and I was a PAD smoker) you can always cut the nic down the road. I vaped 24mg for 6 months before I even considered lower. Another suggestion is DON'T throw out your ciggies. I carried a half pack with me for the magic 6 months and a lighter.....security blanket. Much easier to avoid if you have them right there. Lastly, I am talking to you and your husband individually....don't be dependent on the other....you do this for yourself...and the same for hubby. It doesn't matter what the other does...it only matters what you do. Lastly, lastly....use the ECF Juice Awards 13 or 2014, look for the top 3 winners and give them a shot. Nicoticket juice seems all the rave about now, but I haven't tried them....yet!! I like Tasty Vapor, Copper Creeks house blend is fantastic and I believe you can get it in menthol. Remember your getting your nic.....don't need tobacco. Keep close to this forum and read and learn. Especially the success stories. I haven't picked up a stinky since I started....mind boggling to me. If you do, count the ones you don't smoke and forget the ones you do. Couple weeks down the road they're going to turn you stomach to smell. Good luck to both of you, sorry I rambled a bit. This is one of the greatest changes I've done for myself and I get a little excited talking about it.

 

[stylemaster2001]

Other tips.......

If you plan to quit, have a back-up to your back-up. Have at least one extra battery for you and hubby, if not one each. If you have the means, buying something that has a pass-thru feature or is a pass-thru would be good. A pass-thru allows you to vape while the battery is charging

Your initial investment will seem like a lot. Most people here will tell you that they spent more than they thought they would initially but the savings does come; it just comes down the road a bit..........unless you want to upgrade.

Try different toppers, juices and batteries. Everything available to you is a preference. What some like, others will not. My wife and I have two completely different set ups.

Do some reading about how these products work along with nicotine strength, battery safety, maintenance, PG/VG, cleaning, shelf life of your products. Proper usage, cleaning and maintenance will get you longer return on your investment.

Buy some extra coils..............you are going to need them

Hydrate!!!! Drink a lot of water while vaping.

Personally, I stay away from tobacco flavors. I don't want to be reminded but if you are looking for/end up enjoying tobacco flavors; you likely won't find the exact taste.

I can say from watching my sister quit now......that she neither wants the tobacco flavors. The only exception to that was a Peach Tobacco she liked when I took her to a vape shop, otherwise, she likes vapes with lots of flavor. Her favorite so far is Gentlemen's Reserve from The Steam Company. Also, her friend down in GA who is also quitting loved that flavor!! She was also a 1 1/2pad Marlboro Red smoker so I started her off on 24mg nicotine and she's done great with it. Good luck to you and your husband. And don't worry too much if you spend a little bit more than you thought in the beginning, once you find your good setup (with backups for your backups!!!) your money spent wont have to be too great.--remember, with two of you smoking what you would spend in one month on cigs, apply that to getting set up well!!!

 

[JaxMike]

Sounds like you're on the right track. Only thing I'd add is that many juices required steeping (aging) before they are good. Not all, but some. So if the juice you've ordered tastes or smells perfumey, chemical-ly (?) or just plain bad, don't pour it down the sink. Set it aside for a week or more (sometimes up to a month with tobacco juices) and try it again; if that's the case you may need to drive to the local shop to get some juice.

Good luck!

 

[twgbonehead]

Welcome to ECF, and good luck to the 2 of you! All the good advice has already been posted.....

The EVOD heads are a good starting point. Some find that they mute flavors too much, but they're not a bad starting point.

Make sure when you unscrew them from your battery you hold the head by the very bottom ring; otherwise you will likely unscrew the wrong section and have juice pour out into your lap! (And despite my saying that, everyone, myself included, has done exactly that multiple times!!!) Also, look up how to fill these; don't get any liquid in the center tube! Don't screw them back on too tightly either; firm but gentle is the way to go.

 

[halfempty]

Hello and Welcome!

Smoked a PAD+ for 39 years, and like you tried quitting a few times. Vaping is what let me do it successfully. I didn't think of it as quitting, it was more like transitioning my addiction. Lying to myself like that made it easier

The first week was a little difficult, the second not so bad, by the third week I was good. Like the others have said, have backups and a couple of different juices. This wonderful place will give you help and support when you need it. Hang in there and good luck!

 

[Caitlin Fenlon-Spence]

Hello!! I am also new to the forum as well as vaping. So far I love it!!!!! I am officially off of cigarettes for 31 days now and have been vaping for 30.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Baditude]

Welcome to ECF and congratuations on choosing electronic cigarettes to quit smoking. This can work for you! Next month will be 2 years smoke-free for me.

Realize that "vaping" is not smoking. You will need to make some concessions to quit smoking. You will not find an e-liquid flavor that tastes exactly like your cigarette brand. But, you should find something that you will enjoy using on a daily basis. Many of us find that switching between multiple flavors throughout the day adds to our enjoyment. The most convenient way to do this is to use a separate tank for each flavor.

The advice on having a backup battery and tank is a wise one. You can't vape if you don't have a working (charged) battery, working juice attachment (tank), or juice. Don't give yourself an excuse to have to buy more cigarettes because you forgot to charge your battery, the coil in your juice attachment just stopped working, or you ran out of e-juice.

Don't be put off by the initial high cost of getting a starter setup. Once you have a couple of batteries, a charger, and couple of juice attachments (tanks) - your recurring costs will only be replacement juices and replacement coil heads for the juice attachments. Remember how much you spent on cigarettes a month. One hundred dollars is nothing to a month's worth of cigarettes.

The nicotine in vapor is absorbed differently than the nicotine in smoke. Most is absorbed in the mouth, throat, and nasal passageways. So imagine sucking on a straw in a milkshake. Use your cheek muscles to get a mouthful of vapor before inhaling it into your lungs. When exhaling, allow some to go through your nose - you'll get still more absorbtion and be able to "taste" your flavors even more.

Some helpful links:

Vapor's Table

Proper Terminology for Juice Attachments

Good Starter Setup for a Beginning Vaper

 

[jstar]

I started about 3 weeks ago with the evod kit and love it! I've smoked 25-30 cigs a day for 30+ yrs and tobacco flavor juice can taste awful once you start ( can't believe this myself). I have to change my juice a lot, maybe 3 or 4 flavors a day. Try something sweet, something fruity, something tart, and your nicotine of choice. Your tastebuds go through weird changes! No harm in getting extra juices, one of you will probably like it! Order extra clearomizers and coils!

 

[jpwr25]

Welcome and congrats on starting down this path! The EVOD will be an excellent starting kit for you. I wish I had started with juice vendors that offered sample packs, it would have saved me a lot of time and money in the early days. Off the top of my head for mail order, heather's heavenly vapes and pink spot vapors offer great samplers, while mt. baker vapor sells their juice so cheap that your order might as well be a sampler. Good luck in your journey, you'll find lots of help here!

 

[TeePee1970]

Thanks everyone for the replies and suggestions/advice.

The Evod kit comes with two complete units, so while we're just getting started, I hope that's enough. If I wanted to add tanks that are glass (Pyrex? I think) will the Kanger versions screw right onto the Evod batteries and be flush?

Do you all who have a variety of flavors in rotation use different colored tanks to keep track of what's what? LOL.

 

[stylemaster2001]

Also, ...make it "fun". Take a day trip to different cities with your husband, go try some new vape shops, sample their juices at the juice bars they have set up, maybe buy some new flavors you NEVER would have considered buying reading about them online (tasting them makes a huge difference!!!!) and then go to lunch. That's what I did with my sister to get her started and off her habit and it's working great so far!!!


eta: I usually keep three flavors in rotation, changing daily or every other day according to my tastes. You can use different colors, but you will remember which is which usually...

 

[trentenmarschel]

Hi to all. I figured I'd start my membership by introducing myself before I begin to ask what will likely be very basic 101 questions.

I'm 44 y.o. and have smoked cigarettes for *gasp* 30 years, as has my husband (who is going on the vape-journey with me). I smoke 1.5 PAD of non-menthol ultra lights and he smokes 1.5 - 2 PAD full flavor menthols. Like a lot of people, we've "tried" a couple of times here and there to quit, but with no luck. I actually did quit for 2 1/2 years at one point and still ended up smoking again.

Our son and d-i-l have both somewhat recently quit smoking entirely and vape instead and after talking with some others who've done it as well, we'd really like to get on the bandwagon. Of course, health issues are our #1 concern, but saving even a little $$ wouldn't hurt, nor would not being the stinky social pariahs that cigarette smokers have now become.

So, yesterday I ordered two of the Kanger Evod starter kits, one for each of us, and two bottles of juice which hopefully will be here (in Ohio) by Thursday/Friday. I think juice selection is going to be one of the most difficult aspects because there are no B&M stores really nearby (Pittsburgh is about 40 minutes from me but with work, etc., trips there aren't super convenient) so sampling and finding something we like might be very hit & miss.

Anyway, that's the short of it. I look forward to reading and learning more!

Welcome to the community. i am still relatively new to vaping but i started with a lavatube v2.5 which is great. but i totally agree with you i don't have any local vape shops anywhere near by and don't have the gas or time with college to drive that far out of the way to sample e liquid so what i am doing is buying a few bottles a month until i find some keepers. just recently my first e liquid that i tried and likes was pineapple punch from volcanoecigs.com but there liquid is very pricy i will try to find the same flavor from a different site at the first of the month but i wish you good luck on your great journey to a cigarette free life.

 

[jpwr25]

Thanks everyone for the replies and suggestions/advice.

The Evod kit comes with two complete units, so while we're just getting started, I hope that's enough. If I wanted to add tanks that are glass (Pyrex? I think) will the Kanger versions screw right onto the Evod batteries and be flush?

If you mean the kanger protanks, yes they will screw on to the batteries. However, they will be larger in diameter than a standard ego type battery. I *think* there is a mini protank out there that might be closer to the same size.

 

[TeePee1970]

Thanks sylemaster2001! I'm hoping (once our weather improves - if it ever does) and we get the bike out, we can use vape shop excursions in conjunction with Harley road trips. We go to D.C. every Memorial Day for Rolling Thunder, so I've started scoping out possible vape shops to visit. LOL.