I'm by no means an expert and have only been doing this for a few months but I think I have a pretty good handle on things so I thought I'd share what I've learned in the hopes of helping some of you new guys out. This whole thing can be pretty confusing when you first stumble into it looking for easy answers, I googled "long lasting e-cig battery" 3 months ago and got sucked down the rabbit hole and just started clawing my way out so I figure I'll give those that're going the other way a few pointers while I'm at it, hopefully it'll make it all a little easier. (Maybe a mod wants to move this to another section idk, not gonna request a sticky that'd be presumptuous but if this is in the right section or not idk...anyway...you guys do a great job so I'll leave it to you).
First some advice on making the switch from analogs (must we rly call them that? lol):
IMO mindset is everything, if you go easy on yourself you'll have a much better chance of succeeding, giving yourself deadlines is a good way to set yourself up for failure. My advice is when you decide you're ready to quit go and buy 3 packs of cigarettes and a couple disposable e-cigs from the gas station (actually I recommend a 21st Century kit from Rite-Aid for $20 you get 3 cartridges, a battery and a charger and the throat hit is excellent on the menthol flavor) and tell yourself you'll give the e-cig a shot to try it out but smoke cigarettes whenever you want. Do this and I guarantee you by the time you're on your 3rd pack you'll be lighting them and putting them out immediately (and probably frantically googling "best e-cig" and "e-cig long lasting battery" etc lol). But if you force yourself to ONLY smoke the e-cig you'll fail 99% of the time.
The only issue I had was my first full day w/o a pack and around the 5th day but by then it was only after a big meal (and every time I spied my lighter - hiding it is a good idea especially if you use the same one everyday like a zippo cuz when you see it you'll start craving) and it wasn't that bad. Here's the thing, just know that you WILL get cravings and they WILL suck but as soon as they hit just shove the e-cig in your face and they'll go away VERY quickly. These things work almost too well...I didn't even set out to quit and I did within 3 days of buying my first one (I was a pack to a pack and a half a day smoker btw). This is what I mean about mindset, don't go into it forcing yourself to quit and you'll be able to. Telling yourself things like "this is my last cigarette forever" will make it much harder, all you'll want as soon as it's gone is "just one more", so keep a pack around for awhile if you need to and cut yourself some slack and quitting will be a lot easier than you ever thought it could be. I was shocked how easy it was for me to quit/switch.
The biggest thing you'll miss is the taste and unfortunately there's just no substitute for the yummy taste of burning tar and chemicals so just know that going in, you will not find a substitute for that taste and you'll do a lot better. The best you can hope for is to find something you like enough to smoke (vape...whatever) all day, I just found my "all-day vape" 2 weeks ago and I quit over 3 months ago so don't stress good flavor is out there you just gotta be willing to hunt it down and try as many flavors/juices as you can afford is my advice, don't get hung up on trying to replicate a cigarette cuz it'll just lead to disappointment.
Now, on to the fun stuff... (if you've quit analogs and like vaping then read on for recommendations on equipment, juice, etc - like I said though the best way to start off is w/ a cig-a-like, the rest of this thread is for those who've already switched)
Keep in mind this is just my view, others will disagree of course and I urge you to do as much research as possible before spending any serious $ on anything. These are my suggestions...
- Don't buy a kit. Some are OK but most are a waste of $ and you'll wind up w/ at least 1 thing you'll never use (and probably 3 or 4). Buy only what you need separately. I recommend Vision products for newbies, Vision stuff is easy to use, clean and mantain and if you get genuine products you'll rarely have an issue. So, to find authorized dealers visit this page and only buy from someone listed there -
News Details - Vision High Technology
Suggested starter kit (for those on a tight budget like me):
- 1 Vision Spinner 1300mah battery ($25) - this will last the entire day if you're a PAD smoker and you can just charge it overnight.
- 1 Riva (eGo) 650mah battery for backup - get one for $11 here
E-Liquid and Electronic Cigarette Shop - Category Listings. If you have the $ just grab 2 spinners btw - read below on how to use it properly - the Riva's a great lil batt for those on tighter budgets though.
- 1 Cheapie eGo charger - I got mine for $4 here
Welcome to Hoosier E-Cig - The Best E-cigs, Juices, and accesories
- 1 Vivi Nova 2.5ml tank (you don't need 2 to start with, see if you like it first then you can get another one - I'd go w/ the 3.5ml - and replacement heads you can get once you figure out what ohm you like)
- 1 306 bridgeless dripping atomizer for testing flavors (2 if you want to have a backup) - these are hands down the best I've found (and I've tried dozens and destroyed most within a week, these last well over a month and the throat hit and flavor is awesome)
Vape - SmartVapes 306 1.8ohm E cig Dripping Atomizer. Also get the extended tip for an extra $1 or whatever, the tip that comes w/ it is very short.
That's all you need IMO. I'd urge if you have the $ to try everything that's out there though as far as delivery devices go (atomizers, etc) as everyone is diff't and you'll have to do some experimenting to find what works best for you.
Personally I can't stand cartomizers btw, they taste horrible to me and 2 out of 5 are always DOA (boge, etc doesn't matter -every 5 pack I've bought half have wound up in the garbage). These are my recommendations when first starting out cuz it's all simple to use and clean and the whole setup will only run you about $55 total. (I wish I had bought only this stuff in the beginning, would've saved me at least $100...)
****To get the correct voltage for the delivery device you're using all you need to do is double the ohms and you can add or subtract .4 on either side of that to get the sweet spot range. For example, the sweet spot on a 2.0 ohm atomizer is anywhere from 3.6 to 4.4 volts. Any lower will yield little to no vapor and any higher will run the risk of burny throat time (no fun) and burnt wicks, fried atties, etc. You won't hurt the batt btw, just whatever you're using on top of it. The Spinner only goes up to 4.8 volts but in my experience that's as high as you need when starting out anyway - just stay away from any atomizer that's 3ohm's or higher and you're good. Also I'd stay away from anything under 1.5ohms which may in fact hurt the battery. I don't like LR stuff anyway, buying regular resistance stuff will get you a much wider range to play around with, LR stuff tends to burn out quicker and is more picky imo when it comes to what voltage it likes to eat.****
Juice -
First off, don't mess w/ juice if you have an automatic battery. That said, the best thing you can do is try as many flavors as your budget allows. I must've tried around 100 flavors before finding one I really liked and could use all day. Get the sample packs from vendors - I recommend Velvet Vapors. HOWEVER what I very recently learned is this - buying juice from vendors is a gigantic waste of $ and a rip-off of massive proportions. All they're doing is basically what I describe below and marking it up 3, 4, 500% in some cases. Nothing against them, all power to em I suppose but I'd strongly advise DIY for those on a budget:
So this is the absolute simplest method of mixing juice there is and will save you about $40 per week over buying premixed from a vendor. Get the following (doesn't have to be from that site btw, just using it as an ex):
- Whichever mg strength you smoke (vape...whatever) to use as a base -
http://www.ecigexpress.com/nicotine-bases-1mg-24mg-bases-c-43_49_100.
- I'd start w/ 120ml just to see if you're comfortable w/ the whole thing. If you smoke mixed PG and VG then get one of each, I wouldn't get 50/50 mixed since you won't be able to play w/ the ratios at all. So, that'll be your base and now all you do is add some condensed flavor and voila! Your juice is ready (at 5 times less than what it would've been if you bought it already mixed).
- I like this company a lot, they make my fav juices by far (including my beloved Hypnotic Mist which I can no longer live w/o) -
http://www.ecigexpress.com/diy-flavoring-flavourart-condensed-c-16_29
- Also buy a bunch of bottles of various sizes, whatever you feel like, they're cheap so grab a lot cuz you'll need em - I recommend glass dropper bottles, the drams are cool too.
- A couple syringes, I use these -
http://www.ecigexpress.com/diy-supplies-mixing-tools-c-43_45/3ml-syringe-with-18-gauge-needle-p-688
Since your base is the mg you use already you don't need to figure out anything other than how much flavor to put in but this calculator will tell you how many drops to use in whatever size bottle you're mixing if you're not comfortable w/ experimenting (not always pleasant so maybe you should use it lol) -
http://www.ecigexpress.com/ejuice-calculator.php. For Flavour Art stuff a good rule is 5-15% of the mix. ecigexpress has really good menthol drops btw if you're into that -
http://www.ecigexpress.com/diy-flav...d-additives-c-16_42/menthol-select-size-p-621 - I get the premixed crystals in PG and just add it to my 100% VG juices to get a good 15/85 pg/vg mix and some menthol kick and throat hit.
Also, as far as mg strength goes converting from analogs it's diff't for everyone but a good rule of thumb is Reds and similar full strength smokers start w/ 24mg-36mg, Medium smokers (they still make those?)18mg and light to ultra light smokers 6-12mg. I smoked Parliament Menthol Lights and then Ultra Lights and started at 16mg (21 century kit) then went down to 12mg when I moved on to egos, etc. I'm still at 12 but will probably go down to 6 at some point soon.
So that's basically it, what I've learned over the past few months in the vaping world. Really hope this helps some of you. Not gonna get into mods here btw cuz that'll take up another 45 min and I don't wanna start another obsessing session right now, I've been known to lurk over the pics in the 'show me your setup' thread for hours and get all ...... at myself for drooling over stuff I DON'T NEED ANYWAY! Lol. Eh, I just bought a new PV yesterday but it was cheap and I researched the crap out of it so...ya
Cheers! And happy 'vaping' everyone!
But pls ppl stop saying it "hits like a freight train"... where's your imagination? How about "this appartus extrudes voluminous clouds of velvety steamvapor when I depress its tickle area w/ my appendage"...? Hearing this line used over and over is even more annoying to me than when ppl use 'epic' to describe everyday mundane activities and 'fail' as noun...
I'd like to thank dex and addies for making this thread possible 
****Quick edit I forgot to mention that a good drip tip can make all the difference in the world...spend $30 on a whole bunch and you won't regret it once you find that one that fits your lips like...nvm,..find a good drip tip - you'll know it when you find it and once you do buy at least 4 to put on all your favorite devices.****
Edit #2 -
How to properly use the 306 dripping atty:
It comes assembled, the bottom part w/ the threads (atomizer) can be removed from the plastic tip that's already on there and that's how you put the extended tip on (lots of ppl have trouble w/ this and don't get why it doesn't fit on there). Put 2 drops in and let it sit for a min, then put 1 more in and vape away. In my experience 1 drop = 2 hits. If you flood it and/or get a gurgling sound do the following - blow through the bottom (threaded part) towards the tip (always blow atties out the same way as the air flow goes when inhaling) into a paper towel, then stick the towel in the tip (like roll it up so it's elongated) - in one side and out the other - to get all the juice outta there. You'll probably have to do this every 10 hits or so w/ the extended tip cuz juice tends to buildup in there. To change flavors I'd recommend putting 1 drop of either flavorless or menthol, do a quick burn (or vape it if you want) and you're good to do w/ the next flavor. Easy...best flavor and throat hit there is IMO, def the way to vape if you're a purist (it's a pain in the **s sometime for sure though lol).
btw the reason these hit so much better than the 510 drippers imo is the 510's are connected to the tube and sealed w/ glue that collects gunk - a 306 is 2 separate pieces and is really the purest form of atty there is since the juice touches nothing but the coil and plastic cup, there's nothing else to interfere w/ flavor.
