Recent Lurker, New to E-Cigs

[Indigo-Shade]

Hi Folks! 6 months ago I switched from regular cigs to E-cigs, and haven't had real cig since. I was a semi-heavy smoker and the restrictions on where one could smoke was just one of many reasons I decided to switch to vaping. I got help making this switch because an older friend was told by his doctor to quit smoking or plan for major consequences in less then a decade.

Knowing that part of my addiction to smoking wasn't just about the nicotine made the e-cig choice the most obvious.

We both knew nothing about e-cigs and being newbs, we started out the way a lot of smokers do..by buying those horrible pre-packaged carts and batteries by Blu and Fin. In the last two months, the Blue carts we had been buying changed, and instead of a good 1.5 days of use per cart, they now only support vaping for about 8 hours.

We went to a local vaper store this weekend and bought new gear. It's an odd feeling, holding a bigger device, but the range of e-juice flavors is fascinating (the local shop makes their own), and we are pretty sure this will be cheaper then going the pre-fab route. And now I understand why some people actually enjoy non-nicotine vaporizers.

In any case, I've been lurking here since I switched to e-cigs, and am finally getting around to registering. In the months to come, I am sure to have lots of questions from all you long-term vapers.

 

[Requiem33]

Welcome to the forum! Normal progression from cigalikes to larger mods. Good to hear you've gone 6 months with no analogs.

 

[dice57]

Welcome and congrats on your vape. Lots of great info here, take a good look around and make yourself comfortable.

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

Congrats on making the switch and welcome to the forum

You'll soon be comfortable with the larger (and more capable) devices. For most, what starts as a smoking replication evolves into a different, better thing. Enjoy the journey.

 

[FigNewton]

Welcome to ECF!

 

[ccubed]

Hi Indigo and welcome to the wonderful world of vaping. And glad you found and joined ECF. This is a great community of supportive, friendly and knowledgeable folks. We are all in this together.

You've made a great choice to switch to vaping and I hope that the gear you bought and the juices you found work for you. I was overwhelmed by the lingo and options when I got here almost 4 months ago. Thankfully, the people in ECF provided support, encouragement and their experience. I was thrilled that people offered suggestions, not directives. And I'm grateful that folks here encouraged me to be open minded about juice choices because it really opened my vaping world to non-tobacco and non-menthol flavors that I enjoy (I'm vaping strawberry as I type).

When I got here people suggested that I up my water intake because juices that contain PG are drying agents, so the extra water was really important. They also shared their experience that having backups for my gear was important...and backups for my backups because I would hate to have a dead battery or equipment failure give me an excuse to go back to analogs.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Your willingness to change gear is really great. Keep sharing and keep the vape. Namaste.

 

[dripdaze]

Hello Indigo-Shade! Welcome to the forum and congrats on making the switch.

 

[Harlen]

Hello and welcome
This is a great site
Keep up the great work

 

[Indigo-Shade]

Wow, what a nice welcome, and thanks, all of you!

Because ccubed wrote a big reply, I'm going to quote....

And I'm grateful that folks here encouraged me to be open minded about juice choices because it really opened my vaping world to non-tobacco and non-menthol flavors that I enjoy (I'm vaping strawberry as I type).

It's funny you mention that, because as an analog smoker, I smoked ONLY menthols. The juice choices at my local shop (they make their own brand right in our state) were boggling, and I wimped out this first time. I'm plan to be much more open minded on my next visit.

When I got here people suggested that I up my water intake because juices that contain PG are drying agents, so the extra water was really important. They also shared their experience that having backups for my gear was important...and backups for my backups because I would hate to have a dead battery or equipment failure give me an excuse to go back to analogs.

Well I already drink a ton of water because a year ago I moved to a very arid state. I got a Brita in my home office, and I re-fill it twice a day. (Damn filters are $$$). However, I need to read up more on what is in all these juices, because I don't yet understand enough to make intelligent decisions (my purchase this weekend was not well planned).

As for backups, I got access to lame Blu carts, and have 3 Fin batteries that are my backups until I can totally switch out all this gear. This will take time because I don't make a lot of money.

 

[tnt56]

Welcome to ECF and a great Big CONGRATULATIONS ON 6 MONTHS. That's fantastic. IMHO. When you get questions. Well ECF is always here. (Get ready to break the plastic money). So many options to chose from.

 

[keonee]

Welcome Indigo-Shade to ECF. Congrats on quitting cigarettes. It's mainly trial and error for what an individual likes.

I started with the EGO-C and now worked my way up to the Vamo v5, Zmax Mini, SID and Provari.

I can say this forum will definitely help you out....great and knowledgeable members here.

Good Luck to You.

 

[Requiem33]

The array of juice choices is incredible. I just finished off a Tribeca from Halo and am now vaping a Belgian Cocoa from Halo... yeah Cocoa... haha.. so far one of my fav's has been caramel. Funny I never smoked anything but Reds and Camels and now I'm playing with lots of different flavors and sweet candies and other stuff. The gadget tinker in me is fighting for more gear but I'm holding it back as I'm still chasing flavors to find more flavors that I like. But one day that gadget demon will break free and my credit card and wife will be very unhappy

 

[Indigo-Shade]

Welcome Indigo-Shade to ECF. Congrats on quitting cigarettes. It's mainly trial and error for what an individual likes.

I started with the EGO-C and now worked my way up to the Vamo v5, Zmax Mini, SID and Provari.

I can say this forum will definitely help you out....great and knowledgeable members here.

Good Luck to You.

My GAWD. I checked out the Provari because it was linked. I don't understand this "variable voltage" thing, but I so dig the digital display. The price..not so much. Yikes!

For all of my adult life I've liked the smell of cigars and cloves (smoked cloves briefly, then heard how bad they are switched to normal cigs). Then in like the last 3-4 the whole vaping thing really exploded, and I've heard of people young and old doing this with non-nicotine juices, which just boggled me.

Now that I have this bigger battery and a totally different flavor vapor, I finally understand the appeal and reason why some people go all out with this "hobby". I've got a bit of a collector bent to me, so I'm sure in the many months to come a lot of my disposable income (not that I have much) will go to better gear.

 

[Buggainok]

Wow, what a nice welcome, and thanks, all of you!

Because ccubed wrote a big reply, I'm going to quote....



It's funny you mention that, because as an analog smoker, I smoked ONLY menthols. The juice choices at my local shop (they make their own brand right in our state) were boggling, and I wimped out this first time. I'm plan to be much more open minded on my next visit.



Well I already drink a ton of water because a year ago I moved to a very arid state. I got a Brita in my home office, and I re-fill it twice a day. (Damn filters are $$$). However, I need to read up more on what is in all these juices, because I don't yet understand enough to make intelligent decisions (my purchase this weekend was not well planned).

As for backups, I got access to lame Blu carts, and have 3 Fin batteries that are my backups until I can totally switch out all this gear. This will take time because I don't make a lot of money.

Hey there, welcome to the forum and congrats on switching! I understand the financial angle about getting backups. I'm retired and on a fixed income myself.

Maybe you and your friend could split the cost of a starter kit that has 2 of everything, and then you would each have a back up. Here is a link to a very nice Kanger Evod kit that I got for my granddaughter. It's a reliable seller who ships quickly. If you enter the code ECF at checkout, the price is only about $30, and shipping is free:

Kanger EVOD eGo Full Kit - Vaping Me

 

[ccubed]

Wow, what a nice welcome, and thanks, all of you!

Because ccubed wrote a big reply, I'm going to quote....



It's funny you mention that, because as an analog smoker, I smoked ONLY menthols. The juice choices at my local shop (they make their own brand right in our state) were boggling, and I wimped out this first time. I'm plan to be much more open minded on my next visit.



Well I already drink a ton of water because a year ago I moved to a very arid state. I got a Brita in my home office, and I re-fill it twice a day. (Damn filters are $$$). However, I need to read up more on what is in all these juices, because I don't yet understand enough to make intelligent decisions (my purchase this weekend was not well planned).

As for backups, I got access to lame Blu carts, and have 3 Fin batteries that are my backups until I can totally switch out all this gear. This will take time because I don't make a lot of money.

I was a menthol smoker and was convinced that I would only vape menthol type flavors. Surprise, surprise, here I am tonight rotating between strawberry, mango and chocolate chip mint ice cream.

And I understand the money part. I work for a non-profit social service agency. Let's just say I'm not in it for the money.

 

[BCRich2204]

Hi Folks! 6 months ago I switched from regular cigs to E-cigs, and haven't had real cig since. I was a semi-heavy smoker and the restrictions on where one could smoke was just one of many reasons I decided to switch to vaping. I got help making this switch because an older friend was told by his doctor to quit smoking or plan for major consequences in less then a decade.

Knowing that part of my addiction to smoking wasn't just about the nicotine made the e-cig choice the most obvious.

We both knew nothing about e-cigs and being newbs, we started out the way a lot of smokers do..by buying those horrible pre-packaged carts and batteries by Blu and Fin. In the last two months, the Blue carts we had been buying changed, and instead of a good 1.5 days of use per cart, they now only support vaping for about 8 hours.

Wow... 6 months on carts & nary an analog. That's amazing. I guess Blu & Fin aren't all that bad after all.

What strength nicotine are you using now?

 

[Indigo-Shade]

Hey there, welcome to the forum and congrats on switching! I understand the financial angle about getting backups. I'm retired and on a fixed income myself.

Maybe you and your friend could split the cost of a starter kit that has 2 of everything, and then you would each have a back up. Here is a link to a very nice Kanger Evod kit that I got for my granddaughter. It's a reliable seller who ships quickly. If you enter the code ECF at checkout, the price is only about $30, and shipping is free:

Kanger EVOD eGo Full Kit - Vaping Me

Thanks for the welcome! In fact, my friend and I bought a full kit and shared some of the gear. I had to buy a couple of items and juice. I'm a bit annoyed I didn't write down what we actually bought based on the receipt, because he paid on his card and I gave him cash. Needless to say, I KNOW that my next purchase is going to be my own, based on what folks here recommend. I just gotta come up with the right questions, and I won't have money for another 15-30 days prolly. Ah well.

 

[Indigo-Shade]

Wow... 6 months on carts & nary an analog. That's amazing. I guess Blu & Fin aren't all that bad after all.

What strength nicotine are you using now?

If I understand things correctly, .18

As for the 6 months thing, it was really hard for like 3 weeks. And sometimes I get the urge to smoke an analog, but it's not a very strong urge.

I seriously suspect that having nicotine, something to hold and "put in my mouth" is really the main addiction I have.