Skeptical smoker trying...

[Kurt]

As far as I know the filler in juice is either PG or VG.

Most juice is PG I think. Which is better I don't know though.

-Gooney0

Gooney0, welcome, and best of luck with the new ecig. FYI, PG = propylene glycol, VG = vegetable glycerin, which is essentially just glycerin, and somewhat different in vaping than PG (thicker, more vapor). Some people have a bad response to PG, like headache, nausea, but switching to VG often takes care of that.

As other have said, don't beat yourself up for still smoking analogs some. The cigarette addiction is much more than nicotine! Carbon monoxide and other added chemicals also can be part of it. No CO in the vapor though, and I do miss that CLUNK of CO sometimes. I am down to about 3 a day of analogs now, and plan to be off them entirely soon. If you are smoking less right off the bat, then you are ahead of the game all ready. Everyone's addiction to tobacco is different, as are sope of the withdrawal feelings. Some have quite entirely right away, and some have not. I works better for me than all the other nic products, like gum and lozenges (which are not bad). I do love the vaping experience...lets hope that initial honeymoon love wanes a bit!

I have heard good things about some tobacco flavors. I also have a greensmoke which comes with tobacco flavored carts. Not a huge fan, but in the right settings it taste is nice, like at a bar.

Get some samplers and a few other flavors and play around. Others do not smell the vapor much, so whatever works for you is what it is all about. If you want licorice (one of my faves), only you will know you are vaping it! Carmel apple is another one I like (I mix it myself)

Most important in the beginning is to get the hardware burned in and ENJOY IT! If you don't then this is likely not the way for you to quit analogs. Don't worry about nic levels in the beginning, IMHO you should make sure they are high enough to better kill the analog craving. 18 mg does that for me, but it is too high to vape on all the time for me.

Play around and let us know how you are faring. And explore here, as there is LOTS of info available for most questions you may have.

Dig the vapage!
Kurt

 

[gooney0]

Morning update time.

I switched to medium yesterday afternoon. I had to use the E-Cig like crazy and still felt like I was slipping. I'm also seeing how the carts become less effective over time and need to be topped off.

I had 1 cigarette last night to end the frustration. The first half was very enjoyable, the second half was not.

This morning I had the usual "lungs ache" feeling. I spent 10 minutes with the medium juice then gave up and had a smoke. I've switched to a high cartridge and am hoping to avoid the 2-3 more I'd usually have to start my day.

For those thinking of trying this I recommend the higher level juice if you're over a pack a day. Juice that is too low just doesn't satisfy.

A life saver is a little bottle of sample juice I got when I ordered mine. I can top off when I notice the vapor isn't as good.

I'm also going to take some advice on here about having 2 carts. I need one high powered cart for the morning / breaks, and a medium cart for pacifier mode.

Expenses so far: (only $4 a pack here in VA)

$50 - ($4 x 1.5) = - $44

Thanks again to the webmaster and posters for helping me. I'm hoping to pay it forward by guiding another smoker through this process with even more knowledge that I have.

-Gooney0

 

[dbell]

Wow those where fast replies. Thanks for the advice.

An idea:

Most smokers I've met are very loyal to a specific brand and would have some difficulty switching from Camel to Marlboro etc. etc.

Obviously taste is a matter of taste, but what if ex-smokers voted on which juice they liked best as a replacement for their specific brand?

Example: I smoke Marlboro Mediums so I'd be interested to see what other "mediums" smokers liked. What Camel or Winston smokers like is less relevant to me since we disagreed on taste to begin with. (Marlboros seem to have more added flavors than some other brands)

So juice "A" may be great for Marlboro fans, while juice "B" is better for Winston fans.

Same idea with menthol. Newport and Salem are very different (as I recall).

Your thoughts? I may be way off. Are e-cigs are just too different to compare this way or do birds of a feather flock together?

-Gooney0

Interesting thing for me, is that when i got my first e-smoke device ( a few weeks ago), i was convinced that i was going to get and like only tobacco flavored liquids. For reference, I have been a marlboro 72 lights smoker for a couple of years and mediums for years before that. I have tried three different tobacco flavors (janty camel, Johnson Creek Tenessee cured, and Janty MLB). None of these honestly taste like analogues to me, or really tobacco at all for that matter. Could just be me. I ordered a sampler for JC and I have found much to my great surprise that I enjoy the non-tobacco flavors even more. Many liquids don't strike me as tasting what I would expect based upon the name and description (could be 25 years of destroying my taste buds??). I think my favs are janty vanilla and JC Peach and Mint Chocolate of the about 15-20 different brands and flavs i have tested. The one I have found that might tast closes to the analgue experience is the Totally Wicked liquid, but honestly I am not a fan. I have a large bottle of it and i have taken to putting a drop of it on my cart with about 4-5 drops of another flavor, because I am bound and determined not to let it go to waste (silly i guess).

 

[Pawpaw]

gooney0,

You may be "over thinking" this. I discovered, by accident, that you don't need a plan to change over.

I used both my e-cig and analogs for about a week. I didn't pay much attention to how much of either I smoked, but I did notice a big reduction of how many analogs I was going through.

Late one night I wanted an analog and couldn't find any at home. I decided not to go out to buy any. I haven't had an analog since.

On a side note, three days later I found the missing analogs... 2 packs. One is still at home and the other is in my glovebox. Both are unopened and they're my trophies, as it were. It feels good knowing that I own them instead of the other way 'round.

 

[gooney0]

I've made it about 3 hours so far today.

Now I'm out of the house until this evening. Hopefully my 2 batteries and 2 carts will hold out. I'm bringing "plan B" with me as well.

I am finding this 510 more enjoyable today than yesterday. I don't think its working any differently just that I'm getting used to it. Seems more enjoyable and less of a chore to use.

-Gooney0

 

[Robert]

I've made it about 3 hours so far today.

Now I'm out of the house until this evening. Hopefully my 2 batteries and 2 carts will hold out. I'm bringing "plan B" with me as well.

I am finding this 510 more enjoyable today than yesterday. I don't think its working any differently just that I'm getting used to it. Seems more enjoyable and less of a chore to use.

-Gooney0

Get a PCC for your 510 and you can go 23 hours with 2 batteries

 

[gooney0]

Well I made it yesterday. I had a cigarette on the way home (#2 for the day) but no troubles with the E-cig.

I was indoors most of the time. The trouble with the E-cig is my juice is too low in nicotine for me. If I wait too long I can't seem to catch up.

This morning I ordered a 16ml bottle of juice, an extra battery, and a PCC for the 510. It just realized I should've ordered more juice than that since I've been using at least 1ml a day.

The juice isn't that expensive, but shipping really ups the cost. It would make sense to buy several bottles at once.

I should get the new stuff on Wednesday, but I don't have enough juice to last until then

I still have 5 1/2 packs of cigarettes I just hate to walk backwards.

-Gooney0

 

[sstambo]

Wow Gooney0! Your thread is so interesting! I just started vaping today myself. I have had to have a few reg. cigs too. It seems you are bound & determined though, Keep it up. I am pulling for you as well as for myself.

 

[gooney0]

sstambo,

Thanks. I was hoping my journey would be useful to others in a similar situation. Most of the forum is for people who already crossed over. I wanted to add a current smokers perspective and give an honest opinion of the process. (good or bad)

As of this evening I'm out of juice until Thursday afternoon. I need my carts nice and full to the effect I'm looking for. My kit only came with 2 "high" carts and a 3ml bottle of 18mg juice. Low and no nicotine is not very useful at this point.

I'm back to plain old smoking for the next day and a half. I already miss the E-Cig. I actually like the e-cig BETTER than real cigarettes now. The real thing makes me feel crappy and is too hot and harsh.

As the thread's title suggests I'm a very conservative guy. I expected to feel foolish and ripped off honestly. I'm against diet coke, 2% milk, fake butter, sugar substitute etc. etc. I don't even like front wheel drive cars.

Fortunately I became curious about E-cigs at exactly the same time I became tired of smoking. What others said here is dead on.. everyone else I've told about it is positive.

I hope you like it as much as I do sstambo. If you can work it into your routine you can at least replace a good number of cigarettes.

If you asked me to keep only cigarettes OR the E-cig I'd choose the E-cig as of today.

By all means feel free to post your questions and opinions. As you can tell I've gotten a lot of excellent personalized advice in this thread. I'd like to pay it forward soon.

-Gooney0

 

[Applejackson]

Yeah for me, the ecig doesnt seem to cut it for me. I end up feeling like im sucking in steam or something and not smoking. It just does not seem to satisfy me like a regular smoke, unfortunately. But I am glad that it seems to work for the majority of people. Alot of my friends i know locally who have bought e-cigs from the local mall. think its smoke51. They too feel the same way. they liked it in the beginning cause it was a neat device, but almost all of them went back to smoking. I would think these things do not work, but the forum has proven otherwise. There are tons of people here who were successful.

Have you tried any high voltage devices? I find it works way better toward curbing a cigarette craving. Though I never really have cigarette cravings anymore, the vapor from high volt mods is much more akin to taking a drag from a cigarette.

 

[Pawpaw]

Also, you can get some higher nic juice. I've been using 24 mg or higher until now. It gives you a much more "true to analog" feeling.

I'm now in my first whole day of cutting back to 12 mg liquid. So far, I don't miss the higher nic juice.

Bob

 

[erik16]

I have used my electronic cigarette from Green Smoke since my friend gave me a coupon code DISC10-1947, I can honestly say that I haven't had a tobacco cigarette since Easter of 2009 and counting. I smoked for 10 years before I tried it. No turning back for me now!

 

[SusanB]

i am a newbie as well and have found these forums very helpful. i did not get suckered into the mall kiosk over priced version...but actually wish I had. I would have loved to be able to see one in person before i ordered one. it was a nervous process for me. I came across them when looking up other methods to quit smoking. i tried the patch....and had a reaction...the gum(even flavored) was horrible and made my gums hurt. so i was looking for something else. Once i found this forum i went to town reading as much as i could about e-cigs and was so excited to give them a try. I originally ordered the 901 based on some suggestions for newbie's and so far it is ok...but now im looking for a bit more vapor and just ordered a 510. I hope this is the right model for me. So far it hasn't been a perfect transition over to e-cigs...i still crave a regular smoke...but i am trying. Even if i never quit "vaping" i still think its a better thing to do for my health than regular smoking.

I think a list of brands that taste close to regular smokes would be a helpful list for newbies if anyone is willing to put it together. i like Newport and Marlboro Menthol..if anyone has e-juice suggestions that would be great. please email me.

 

[kristin]

Googny, a couple of things may help.

One, definitely get a PCC. It makes charging so much easier. You just keep exchanging the batteries as they die. You open the PCC, take out the battery, put in the dead battery, screw on the fresh one. No more effort than pulling out a cigarette, getting your lighter, lighting the cigarette, tapping off the ashes into the ash try, putting out the cigarette. It's just different movements you get used to. And now you don't have to go empty an ashtray or tap off ashes - you change batteries and top off cartridges instead!

Second, your liquid & filler makes a HUGE difference. A good liquid has better flavor and throat hit. You may want to consider going with a custom liquid, like the High Voltage at nhaler.com. You can buy the 60mg to add a little more nicotine kick, too.

But, you have to experiment. My husband started with a basic 18mg menthol from libertyecig.com. He still had cravings for analogs. I got him a few menthols, including the highly recommended Nuport from nhaler.com in 24mg. He ended up going back to the 18mg generic stuff because it gave him better throat hit. (I thought nhaler's was much stronger, but I use 11-12mg and don't like menthol to begin with.) So, I'm thinking of getting the High Voltage menthol for him, even though it's lower nicvotine, I think he may enjoy the throat hit better.

So, the moral of the story is, you MUST experiment with the liquids, because it's not always just the nicotine level or flavor that does it.

Finally, I also bought a BUNCH of tobacco flavor bottles. While it tasted fine (I liked the sweetness) it was so close to an analog, but NOT QUITE, so I found myself craving the real thing. The day I got nhaler High Voltage French Vanilla Coffee was the day I stopped craving tobacco and started craving vaping! (But that's just me.) So everyone is different.

The point is, don't think all flavors or liquids are equal and don't think it only comes down to nicotine strength.

It does get easier!! Welcome!

 

[gooney0]

Thanks kristin. I have a PCC in the mail.

Susanb,

What Kristin said about juice is what I've found and read to be true as well. There isn't really a one to one matchup of flavors. A lot of regular smokers like the mint or menthol juice and vise versa.

I've found with my 510 I need to top off the cartridge with juice from time to time to get a satisfying drag. It will last much longer if left alone, but it gets weaker.

I've also noticed the atomizer gets warmer as the cartridge get lower. This makes me think that topping off the carts will make the atomizer last longer as well.

It also seems true that you may not even want the flavor of your regular cigarettes. Many people here seem to prefer "strange" flavors. This makes more sense to me now. Vapeing is different than smoking, and there is probably a flavor you'd like better than "tobacco" or "menthol."

Tip: Since shipping is always going to be $5 its better to order more at once. Silly me I ordered 1 bottle of juice for $10. I should have ordered some little samples, or another bottle of a different flavor. Makes more sense to spend $30 + $5 than $10 + $5.

I need to keep in mind that the money I'm spending here is coming out of cigarette budget ($40/ week).

Time to do some math. Shipping is included in these numbers.

Spent so far:
$50 - 510 starter kit
$30 - PCC
$28 - 16ml jug of juice + 1 extra battery
-------
$108 total. Seems like a lot but...

September 2009: $160 in cigarettes.

For October I predict:

$15 worth of juice used
$12 - $20 in cigarettes

So my habit is now $35 a month + replacement parts that go bad. This is down from $160 a month.

I also feel better about giving my money to small businesses rather than Uncle Sam and Philip Morris. So far these vendors seem to be one man shows or "mom and pop" shops with good service.

I notice that some people on the forum are also "in the business." This doesn't bother me since they seem to have good motives and attitude.

This is easily one of the best decisions I've made in the last few years. Thanks for helping everybody!

-Gooney0

 

[kristin]

The other thing I forgot to mention is the filler material.

I don't use the filler that comes with the 510, I use shammy material or nothing at all and just direct drip. Others use the Lipton Pyramid Tea Bag material as filler. Some switched to brass screen material you use with regular pipes. There is also the straw modification. There are so many options!!

Check out modifying cartridge materials under #10 here:http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ed-questions-about-electronic-cigarettes.html

 

[rocketvapor]

Gooney0 - If you happen to be in the central Florida area, I'd be happy to loan you some juice to tide you over. I have about a million flavors!

Unfortunately, if you're not local to me, even if I overnight it to you, you're probably better off waiting for your shipment.

Let me know if I can help you out. Good luck!

 

[gooney0]

Rocketvapor,

Thanks for the offer. I used to live in Ft. Lauderdale, but now I'm in VA.

If I still lived in south Florida I just might drive the 2 hours. "Hey buddy can you spare some e-juice?"

I should be getting my juice, battery, and PCC today. "What a minute mister postman..."

You brought up an aspect of smoking that has not been addressed yet. How will people "ask for light" or "bum a smoke?"

I'm going to get a 510 kit for a friend of mine that way we can trade parts, and combine shipments.

-Gooney0

 

[jerrydon10]

I continued to smoke for a few weeks after I got my PV. But I smoked much less and began to feel better.

Then for a week or so I would have two analogs in the morning.

I don't think I even consciously quit smoking. Last week I found myself stumbling around the house smoking a Pall Mall looking for my 510!

It then dawned on me that my habit was changing in spite of me not consciously pushing myself to quit smoking. I was beginning to prefer the PV over the tobacco.

I'm now smoke free for about 4 days and I don't miss those stinking, dirty things that controlled my entire life.

Still got em. There's a full pack in my travel bag and a half pack on the kitchen counter. But I have a feeling that's where they will stay until I toss them over to the garbageman.

 

[gooney0]

Got my juice, extra battery and PCC!

The PCC is kind of neat. The quality seems good.

I wonder why its not plastic though. They should make a new version out of molded plastic with rounded corners. This would be lighter and fit better in a pants pocket. Its too heavy to go in a shirt pocket as is.

The carts and atomizer giggle around a little. Not a big deal though. Maybe a little felt liner or something would take care of that.

Its nice that you don't actually have to screw in the battery. It just works when you close the lid.

Nitpicking aside this should prove handy. If I also carry one complete E-cig, thats 2 batteries 2 atoms and 3 carts total. I like to keep my carts full so I'll bring juice first time out.

-Gooney0