The high cost of vaping. Better not to start or even quit?

[Doug_Dread]

Talked my wife into giving me an M201 for Xmas, so if we're looking at my costs, it adds nothing.

If we're looking strictly at vaping costs, which I suppose I should, it adds R700, putting me R959 in the vaping red. I've also ordered RY4 which should arrive next week which will add to the cost. Not giving up on going green in month 4 yet though.

 

[Vaporista]

What's your tally to date Doug?

 

[Doug_Dread]

Month 3 and R656 in the red, but I may need another 30ml RY4 before end Feb, so projecting a break-even instead of in the green at the end of month 4 (February).

What could extend the 'going into the green' to month 5 would be if a forum member does as we discussed and orders me a 510 conversion for my Stick with his order. 510 adaptor, atty and carts will be about R140.

In the meantime, I got a brand new Stick body, atty and bat yesterday, exchanged under warrenty. Also, somehow, during the various warrenty exchanges over the last 3 months, I seem to have acquired 2 spare atties and a spare bat. Testing and stripping 2 Sticks side by side, changing parts and testing again can be confusing, so sometimes I get extra spares when I get it back. Aside from a possible experimental 510 Stick conversion, my hardware is well sorted for some time.

I underestimated the software usage, I reckon I'll be using 90ml/month or R300, but one months analog cost will blitz this immediately.

Not bad, seeing that the early projections were based on only one device, the Stick, and I'm pretty much still on track but have another device too now, the M201.

 

[Aucorium]

What could extend the 'going into the green' to month 5 would be if a forum member does as we discussed and orders me a 510 conversion for my Stick with his order. 510 adaptor, atty and carts will be about R140.

If you get stuck on the adapter let me know, I ordered a "spare" (im a +1 person) last week so should be here within the next few weeks. Shame i'm in CT but i'd send it up whatever it cost me + postage.

 

[Doug_Dread]

If you get stuck on the adapter let me know, I ordered a "spare" (im a +1 person) last week so should be here within the next few weeks. Shame i'm in CT but i'd send it up whatever it cost me + postage.

You sir, are a gentleman! The other forum member says he'll be placing the order this week, but if the wheels fall off, I'll be sure to knock on your virtual door. Many thanks.

 

[Doug_Dread]

Maybe of interest. My daughter took my advice and got an M201 starter kit + spare atty + 2x 10ml juice (menthol high & menthol medium), in mid December. Last week she got another 30ml menthol medium-high mixed by the dealer (likes the 2 mixed, high too high, medium too low). Don't know exact cost but I reckon about R800. She smoked 1.5 packs a day of cigs cheaper than mine, say R900/month.

Looks like she could go into the green in month one. Could but won't though, she's still in the vaping/smoking in parallel phase, but has cut down the analogs radically.

 

[77fro]

ok well this is how i c it first smoking can kill u and shorten ur breath. also i find vaping a lot more enjoyable. and another we have all tryd to quit smoking it doesnt work once ur hookd on nic ur stuck pretty much. and at first vaping is expensive cuz u have to buy ur starter ur juice then a mod a passthrough. and so on. but after u got all ur stuff u need it is a lot cheaper so ull be saving money in the long run. and if u buy in bulk from lets say east mall or whatever it is really cheap u get 100mil of juice for 35 to 45 dollors wich should last you over a month lets say a month thats 45 dollors a month. compard to 5 to 8 dollors a day for cigs. even if u through in 4 attys a month ur still saving a grip of money. and getting a much better life saving alternitive so u have 2 choices quit all nic in general or vape?????

 

[Splat]

ok well this is how i c it first smoking can kill u and shorten ur breath. also i find vaping a lot more enjoyable. and another we have all tryd to quit smoking it doesnt work once ur hookd on nic ur stuck pretty much. and at first vaping is expensive cuz u have to buy ur starter ur juice then a mod a passthrough. and so on. but after u got all ur stuff u need it is a lot cheaper so ull be saving money in the long run. and if u buy in bulk from lets say east mall or whatever it is really cheap u get 100mil of juice for 35 to 45 dollors wich should last you over a month lets say a month thats 45 dollors a month. compard to 5 to 8 dollors a day for cigs. even if u through in 4 attys a month ur still saving a grip of money. and getting a much better life saving alternitive so u have 2 choices quit all nic in general or vape?????

what you are missing here, 77fro, is that our analog prices in South Africa are MUCH lower than in the US, UK or Europe. We pay around $3 for a pack of 20 so, when you consider that against the cost of vaping, there is a big difference between south Africa and other countries.

I do believe that it is worth a premium to vape rather than smoke (because of the personal benefits I reap) however many may not feel the same way.

 

[Walk Tall]

Hi there,
While this is my first posting in this forum, I have been reading and lurking for a while.

I have a "no name" e-cig that I managed to get from one of our local shops. I think that I will probably find I quickly get to prefer vaping to analogue. Using this, and reading this forum has convinced me that if I'm to carry on I'm going to need better equipment.

I have a few concerns tho - most not too serious.
First the reliability seems to be a problem, cleaning and preventing over-heating should go a long way to help here, BUT if my atty's could go t any time and Murphy's Law says they will all go at once there is a good chance that I'm going to be out of stock at some stage for a few days at least. Not good.

As market penetration, and local manufacture start to come into effect, I'm sure pricing will eventually be better - but at the moment it is not competitive.

But the BIG worry, is reliability of suppliers. I've phoned a few numbers here in RSA, left messages and NOT had the phone answered once, nor any messages returned.

At this stage I am going to leave things alone for a while and think it over again later.

 

[Doug_Dread]

Welcome Walk Tall.

What equipment is good is kinda personal and depends what you want it for. Most want to give up analogs for health reasons and your 'no-name' might do this for you, some just like vaping and want their own personal steam engines, so they get big expensive PV's. Note that all e-cigs are essentially 'no-name' devices from China until someone puts their own brand name on them, mostly to push up the price. W.r.t local manufacture, forget it, won't happen.

I HAD to stop smoking, but liked the idea of doing it in a 'smoking' kind of way by continuing to suck on something that produced a goodly amount of 'smoke', gave me nicotine when I inhaled it and a 'smoking-like' feeling in my throat and chest. E-cigs worked beyond my most optimistic expectations!

Yes, PV's are temperamental, but you'll soon learn to keep them going and 1 device with a few spare atomisers and batteries, and a good supply of liquids in the fridge, should maintain continuity and keep the analogs at bay. What's caught me out before is having 1 device but no spare atty, having only 1 battery charged and ready and, needing liquid and having to wait 3 weeks for my dealer to get my preferred liquid from China. Shouldn't take you long to figure this out and be prepared.

You being in Margate probably means you must depend on online purchases so sure, you will need a reliable supplier, or you can also order direct from China. W.r.t. China, read up about Chinese suppliers on this and the main forum to establish which to trust. For local SA dealers, be cautious, the e-cig's potential for a quick buck has created a potential for many fly-by-nights. My recommendation for a 110% reliable supplier and good prices is Cig-E who doesn't sell direct but through a series of dealers which can be found here: Cig-E You have the option of emailing him if his suppliers let you down and I'm sure he'll fix it.

Good luck.

 

[Aucorium]

I have a few concerns tho - most not too serious.
First the reliability seems to be a problem, cleaning and preventing over-heating should go a long way to help here, BUT if my atty's could go t any time and Murphy's Law says they will all go at once there is a good chance that I'm going to be out of stock at some stage for a few days at least. Not good.

As market penetration, and local manufacture start to come into effect, I'm sure pricing will eventually be better - but at the moment it is not competitive.

But the BIG worry, is reliability of suppliers. I've phoned a few numbers here in RSA, left messages and NOT had the phone answered once, nor any messages returned.

At this stage I am going to leave things alone for a while and think it over again later.

With regard to cleaning the attys I wouldnt get too hung up on it, just read up around the forum for different "theories", personally I only give my attys a clean if there is a problem, others have maintenance routines etc. Just make sure you have plenty of spares because they will pack up at some point and new vapers tend it get through them quicker!

I would be very weary of local suppliers and would do some research on models, the other issue is - different people like the vape from different models one person might like model x and another person would like model y.

These are the ones you should consider:
DSE801, DSE901, JOYE510 (known locally as Twisp DURA-C) and M201.

A mod is highly recommended and consider:
Twisp Stick (like a 801 but adapters are available for 901 & 510)
Screwdriver
Twisp EGO (supposed to be a v. good starter device and like the 510)

There are tons of others but these models seem to be around locally as well as available internationally.

 

[Vaporista]

With regard to cleaning the attys I wouldnt get too hung up on it, just read up around the forum for different "theories", personally I only give my attys a clean if there is a problem, others have maintenance routines etc. Just make sure you have plenty of spares because they will pack up at some point and new vapers tend it get through them quicker!

I would be very weary of local suppliers and would do some research on models, the other issue is - different people like the vape from different models one person might like model x and another person would like model y.

These are the ones you should consider:
DSE801, DSE901, JOYE510 (known locally as Twisp DURA-C) and M201.

.

Yes, Good Post. Those are the tried and tested attys.
By the way I once dabbled in "cleaning" attys and honestly, there's no point in it. It will never be like new again, or even close, in my experience.
I might get an extra death rattle or two out of it then off it goes to the Great Atty Landfill. Rather save the hassle and get a new one.
I'm loving the big fat 4081 Cartomisers but these also have their tricks you have to learn.

 

[Vaporista]

Welcome Walk Tall.

What equipment is good is kinda personal and depends what you want it for. Most want to give up analogs for health reasons and your 'no-name' might do this for you, some just like vaping and want their own personal steam engines, so they get big expensive PV's. Note that all e-cigs are essentially 'no-name' devices from China until someone puts their own brand name on them, mostly to push up the price. W.r.t local manufacture, forget it, won't happen.

I HAD to stop smoking, but liked the idea of doing it in a 'smoking' kind of way by continuing to suck on something that produced a goodly amount of 'smoke', gave me nicotine when I inhaled it and a 'smoking-like' feeling in my throat and chest. E-cigs worked beyond my most optimistic expectations!

Yes, PV's are temperamental, but you'll soon learn to keep them going and 1 device with a few spare atomisers and batteries, and a good supply of liquids in the fridge, should maintain continuity and keep the analogs at bay. What's caught me out before is having 1 device but no spare atty, having only 1 battery charged and ready and, needing liquid and having to wait 3 weeks for my dealer to get my preferred liquid from China. Shouldn't take you long to figure this out and be prepared.

You being in Margate probably means you must depend on online purchases so sure, you will need a reliable supplier, or you can also order direct from China. W.r.t. China, read up about Chinese suppliers on this and the main forum to establish which to trust. For local SA dealers, be cautious, the e-cig's potential for a quick buck has created a potential for many fly-by-nights. My recommendation for a 110% reliable supplier and good prices is Cig-E who doesn't sell direct but through a series of dealers which can be found here: Cig-E You have the option of emailing him if his suppliers let you down and I'm sure he'll fix it.

Good luck.

Well In all fairness if we're going to recommend dealers on this forum all of them are good each in their own offerings (the ones who post). I've seen 10ml of Dekang Juice going for R60 and the same juice going for R40 but one dealer might have better delivery systems and better/easier/hassle free payment policies.
I can (and have) ordered a bunch of stuff from places like Eastmall but I can say that I still use local dealers because there's a bunch of Juice I ordered that I'm sitting on and no longer use because my preferences change and I get bored really fast.Example, I like Ruyan Flavour better than 555 now and I'm off 555 altogether and I've gone from 24 to 26 to 36g where currently I'm happy- but I may drop to 18 again in a blink. Even my e-cig preferences change from week to week depending what spares I have handy and I will support local dealers who have what I need in small quantities and who have consistent stock levels and who can get stuff to me within 24 hours and I don't have to worry about customs and tracking and what have you.
Sure all the Heavens Gifts and Eastmalls and what have you's are a great place to buy but you'll soon find out that your preferences change a lot faster you think and you'll spend a lot on stuff you find out you don't really need. Just look at the Americans and see how much stuff they go through!

 

[Vaporista]

But the BIG worry, is reliability of suppliers. I've phoned a few numbers here in RSA, left messages and NOT had the phone answered once, nor any messages returned.

.

You'd be doing everyone a favour if you listed those suppliers who don't respond and the brands they were selling. I can tell you many were only ever in it for the quick bucks and are no longer around very simply because once they sold their starter kits without spares (not even spare attys to be had) Many disappeared. BidorBuy and Gumtree is riddled with flim flam suppliers selling dodgy goods. Heck my own neighbour came before Xmas and had for sale the cheapest no name plastic e-cig you've ever seen in your life. It was packaged like a 5 year old kids toy and they wanted R450. They sold lots and guess what, that was the easy part. The hard bit came when all those people wanted their money back because they broke.

 

[Doug_Dread]

By the way I once dabbled in "cleaning" attys and honestly, there's no point in it. It will never be like new again, or even close, in my experience.

Seconded. Easy to get them squeeky clean with Vodka, surgical spirits and all the other muti people swear by. You may even get them going snap, crackle, pop, like a good atty should, but even if they give some vapour, they're going to decline quicker and taste crap afterwards. Even washing out with plain water, which is supposed to be neutral, leaves them tasting like siphoning out your dirty fish pond.

When they're losing oomph, just blow them through to remove excess and burned liquids and stick some paper towel inside to soak and wipe some more excess and burned liquids. This will get and keep them performing for quite a while and tasting good all the way through. When they don't want to come back, let them die with dignity.... yours of course.

 

[Hotncold35]

Sounds like a real bad situation. Maybe you should MOVE, or give up. Seriously, you are spending more money, you do not believe that any heath benefits will come of it, AND as you stated the damage is most likely already done, SO why bother?

As for me, I am saving a lot of money. I quit analogs when my VK arrived. I had a smokers cough that was awful and is now GONE! I guess that I am just one of the lucky ones.

 

[Vaporista]

Sounds like a real bad situation. Maybe you should MOVE, or give up. Seriously, you are spending more money, you do not believe that any heath benefits will come of it, AND as you stated the damage is most likely already done, SO why bother?

As for me, I am saving a lot of money. I quit analogs when my VK arrived. I had a smokers cough that was awful and is now GONE! I guess that I am just one of the lucky ones.

Welcome. Indeed an honour for us to have an American from the fine State of Colorado to make their first post on our humble South African forums. Ok sweetie, welcome to the wonderful World of Vaping. The intros are done and dusted, now grab a virtual chair, sit down and eyeball up.
Read the forums.
Then.
Read the forums again.
The answers you seek are all there.

But since I do hold Americans in high esteem, and I do know you can be a rather impatient lot, (I mean where else do you get drive-in wedding chapels, drive-in funeral parlours and drive -in liquor stores?)and I know reading these forums can be more complex and time consuming than reading "War and Peace" so I'll help you out; Well you did ask questions and the incredible search engine facility here qualifies for a disability handout, althought the mods assure me it's only temporary.

All of us who vape, who have posted here, have experienced the health benefits of not smoking tobacco. That is why we continue to plough enormous sums of money into our nicotine addiction. Unfortunately in our country, unlike yours, cigarettes are very cheap $2-$3.50 a pack and alternate tobacco products like snus are nearly as expensive as our cigarettes. Vaping is an expensive exercise as the bits and pieces all add up in the begining to costing more than our Previous cigarette habits.
It's the proportional cost.
Moving countries doesn't solve the problem.
The grass isn't always greener.
I don't speak for other people's desire to stop nicotine or not.
Personally, Vaping got me off tobacco and stopped a decades long cigarette addiction and when I'm ready, it will make financial sense to stop vaping. There will be further health benefits too, I'm sure.

I'm immensely proud I've reduced my carbon footprint and I've helped slow global warming by using only non flammable battery powered devices . I will be going fully Green when the day comes and I can haul my sack of e-liquids, batts and attys and bury them in the nearest bin.

 

[Walk Tall]

Thanks for all the advice. Using my cheapie no-name I have come to like vaping better than smoking in just a few days.

But thru other interests I have burnt my fingers buying over the internet, and as such not keen to name suppliers - but look in this forum and try phoning a few numbers, you should get the same response as I did (repeatedly).

So like I said it is probably not time for me to get involved with vaping just yet, but I will be looking in here every now and again - I like to see a forum where the inhabitants are not brain dead and can carry a conversation longer than two sentences of four letter words

Again thank you

 

[Aucorium]

Actually, I was quite suprised today. I previously had some silly notion that my vaping must be costing me less than smoking, especially as it isnt subjected to high taxes and low and behold after doing my calculations its costing me more 8-o

I am shopping around online and doing it as cheap as possible but still, I dread to think what I would have paid using a certain retailer in Cape Town, i'd be broke!

 

[Doug_Dread]

If you happen to strike the right PV straight away, savings would be achieved quicker but I ended up with 2 which cost me a whopping 2 month's cigarette money, then comes some liquid for them.

At the end of month 3 (January), I'm only R97 in the green. Still, all I'm expecting in February is a 510 conversion for my Stick and maybe 90 ml liquid, totalling about R420 and thus another R333 profit at end month 4, so the savings have started for me and can only increase from here. I forecast a regular monthly saving of R483 = 65% less than my smoking costs per month from the end of month 5. That's with buying liquids only, but with plenty of safety margin for buying an occasional atty or batt.

That "certain Cape Town retailer" actually helped me achieve my financial goal, I bought my Stick from their Gauteng agent for an admittedly high price, but their 3 month warranty allowed me to exchange 3 faulty Stick bodies, half a dozen dead atties and a dud batt at no extra cost.

So, if the primary objective is strictly to give up smoking and then to vape only as absolutely needed, you will start saving after a couple of months, (at South African cigarette and e-cigarette prices).

If the objective is give up smoking and then to vape for pleasure, trying out an endless assortment of PV's, liquids and accessories, then as the saying goes, 'shut up and pay up'.