This seems to be the place...

[Cuando]

Hello, all, brand new to the vaping scene here. I've been a smoker for 20 years, at an average of a pack a day. I've only been on the e-cig for about 4 days now, opting for a classic pen-style while I waited on an EVO.

I have to say, these things leave my throat a dried out wreck. At least last night and somewhat this morning. I'm also not really enjoying the liquid like I did the first day or two, and have had around 8 analogs over the last couple days, much to my dismay.

I also find that the carts do NOT give me a ton of hits, either. I seem to have to poke the wadding back down into the carts to bring liquid up, and then pull the wadding flush for it to make contact with the atomizer. I don't know if this is a sign my atomizer is weak, or if I'm simply doing something wrong.

Still, I do have to say I have hope for this technology. Nothing has ever worked half as well at keeping me off analogs, and I'm hoping to find an e-cig that will perform a little better. My plan is to gradually move down to zero nic liquid and eventually quit altogether.

Anyhow, glad to have found a board that seems to be well populated and chock full of good info and intelligent members. Sorry if I sort of rambled there, but I'm still getting my head around these fascinating electronic cigarettes.

 

[Steph2323]

I missed the part of your post that referred to the juice so my post makes no sense. Sorry. At the beginning, I got a sore throat too and I just sipped on more water and it went away.

 

[e-pipeman]

A sore throat is normal at the beginning. It's partly due too the e-liquid's humectant properties but alsoa symptom of smoking cessation for some. Plenty of fluids will sort this. Don't forget to add a little glycerine to your carts if you want plenty of vapour! Stick with it - penstyles are great, and I'm sure that you'll love your Evo!

 

[Cuando]

I actually used some Luden's lozenges yesterday, that seemed to help a bit. Today my throat has felt much better, though, but I seem to be getting some really harsh/dry vapor hits that honestly have little to no flavor. And I've been drinking tons of water anyway just to stay hydrated, but also in hopes of cleansing my system of as many toxins as I can.

I have to say that, overall, I feel much better the past few days, but it's hard to NOT vape all the time because it's so easy and new. I think I need to keep the pen somewhere else in the house versus in my pocket or right in front of me.

 

[ZambucaLu]

Did you say you topped off the carts? Did you try dripping? Might give you some relief from the cart problem and maybe it'll taste better....maybe.

BTW...the carts won't give you "a ton of hits". They'll dry out well before that.

Lu

 

[nicowolf]

In all my years smoking analogs I never once got that dry, hacking, nagging smoker's cough. My penstyle gives me that cough. After a few minutes vaping with my penstyle, I am coughing, then noticing just how much mucous I have been carrying around in my throat all this time. My 901 does not do this to me at all - it also does not have the same punch that the pen has. That pen can really hit good and hard with little effort from me. I have noticed that the hacking and coughing is better immediately after topping up, then reappears and worsens as the cart dries. Do not give up Cuando. There is a chance that your EVO will not have this effect.

Also, do not give yourself too much grief for the analogs, it took a long time to develop the size habit you had upon starting the ecig and it may take a while to adapt, replace, then wean yourself off. We did not start off smoking like chimneys or counting how many we smoked, it increased naturally, without our paying attention. It will decrease much the same way. Something will divert your attention away from many of your cravings - and you will find that the ecig becomes preferable to the analog quickly and naturally.

The answer to the question implied by your name is "en el momento en que crees que se puede"

 

[Cuando]

Lu-

What I've noticed, and this is on two separate atomizers, is that when a brand new cart starts to hit weakly, there is still plenty of juice in the cart. If I push the wool back down into the cart with some tweezers, a good amount will pool to the top. I can pull the wool back up and get more hits, but it seems pretty inefficient.

Am I just preaching to the choir or is there something faulty with my pen?

 

[TribbleTrouble]

Where did you get your penstyle?

 

[Cuando]

Hey, Tribble, my fellow New Mexican.

I got a black classic from Puresmoker.

 

[TribbleTrouble]

What Up!!! Well, as far as penstyles are concerned, you picked a good place to get it from. From the way you described how yours is working, it reminded me of the way my first NJoy pen worked. It was never efficient with the carts. You might have a poor batt/atomizer connection. Try a direct inhail to see if you get a good throat kick that way, on second thought, strike that. Let your sore throat recover first before you try that.

 

[BiscuitSlayer]

I have been puffing on my e-cig for several weeks now, and I have had a bit of a sore throat since I first started using it. When I first started, I would say that the first 5 days were the worst. The sore throat for me was almost more of an aching sensation rather than a scratchy/dry feeling.

My wife has been using the e-cig for about as long, but she didn't come off of real smokes as quickly. She is having a much harder time with the sore throat than I did. I have to admit though that I think I have a higher threshold for pain than she does.

My sore throat has weakened quite a bit, but a hint of it seems to remain. Some have suggested that it might be because I am vaping 36mg liquid, and they might be right. Unfortuantely, that is what I stocked up on and I don't have anything lower to try.

What strength are you using?

 

[Monie]

I'm well into day 8 and I haven't yet had a sore throat, but I'm using 11mg liquid. I also had eye surgery a few yrs ago and since then I have to keep myself well hydrated to be able to see.....so I made an extra effort to keep hydrated with a change in lifestyle. Try sipping water throughout the day and see if it helps. Wish you the best!

 

[Cuando]

Okay, let me say that using the 16mg Reg from PS.com has been less harsh on my throat than the Menthol/Arctic Mint combo (which I have been using exclusively the first few days). I have been drinking water non-stop, as I said before, and honestly, today has been better than yesterday. Some of that may have to do with the Luden's lozenges, though, also.

I think my next liquid purchase, which I'll most likely make ASAP, is going to be the lowest concentration next to 0. Is that 4mg? I think it is. I want to get off nicotine as soon as possible, and I have a good bit of 16mg juice in a couple varieties, so I was thinking I should make a drastic step down for my next purchase, as my goal is to quit entirely by summer.

Funny thing is, I do like vaping. More than smoking, in many ways. Maybe it's the gadget nerd in me, but I could see myself puffing 0 nic juice down the road. Maybe it's the fact I'm smoking off the high nic carts that came with my kit, though. I swear, wow, nicotine can kick your ... if you let it.

 

[Lika]

I've had some the same issues with dry/sore throat. It hasn't been too bad though and worse at times than others. I haven't quite figured out what triggers it for me yet.

I think, maybe when an atomizer isn't working as good as new might be causing it for me. When I've got a good strong vapor I don't have the sore throat problem. When the vapor is weaker which usually makes me want to suck harder it seems I get more of the raw liquid taste but not the juice itself. I'm thinking that may be what gives me the sore/dry throat feeling.

I know it's not the juice itself getting in my mouth. I've done that and it taste like shyt, lol. It also burns the hell out of your eyes - don't ask. hehe.

In any case, as others have said. Rinsing your throat by drinking water does seem to help. I'm just glad it hasn't been too bad for me because I'm really luvin my ecig

I'm puffing on a 901 and several Cash juices.... Still feeling out my fav flaves.

 

[Lika]

Oh, and my juices are 24mg. I wanted to start out high but that 36mg kinda scared me, lol. Eventually I will might work my way down in nic strength.

 

[ZambucaLu]

Lu-

What I've noticed, and this is on two separate atomizers, is that when a brand new cart starts to hit weakly, there is still plenty of juice in the cart. If I push the wool back down into the cart with some tweezers, a good amount will pool to the top. I can pull the wool back up and get more hits, but it seems pretty inefficient.

Am I just preaching to the choir or is there something faulty with my pen?

I have to be honest here...I haven't used a prefilled cart in ages. Now I use blank carts and fill them with my own juice (and now even use my own filler).

But my point is.....I fill a cart and use it until the vapor (or taste, actually) starts to diminish. I used to top the cart off and drip a couple of drops in the atomizer and found that was good for quite a few more hits. And I'll do that as often as I need too.

I now have it down to a science where I can top off the cart until there's a little pool there (but not too much or it will run over the sides down into the mouthpiece) and I can flip it over into the atomizer without spilling it. This took a lot of practice....and a lot of tissues...lol

Doing it the old way, I killed 2 batts right away, probably because I was dripping too much into the atomizer. But doing it this new way seems to deliver just the right amount of liquid to the atomizer, and I haven't had a dead battery since so I'm guessing it isn't getting down into the battery as it had been.

Of course, this is just my technique. I'm sure others do it differently.

I don't think the liquid (alone) in the carts gives a sufficient hit. The juice really has to be leaching down to the atomizer and the atomizer has to be kept moist to keep a good hit.

Lu

 

[Noga48]

Hi Cuando

I've been vaping for about 1 month with an M401. I've also been getting a terribly dry throat by the end of the day. I lost my voice and had a froggy kinda of voice for a few days. I hydrate often all day but I always did and it didn't seem to help. I use a throat lozenge at night.

The only way that I get a really good hit is when I soak the atomizer. It usually lasts for about something comparable to an analog but it's difficult to tell because I find that I'm reaching for the e cig alot more than I did for analogs. I smoked about 1 pack a day for 20+ years. Now I smoke about 3 analogs a day which is a great change. I can see myself quitting totally eventually.

I enjoy the e cig but it takes some time to get used to and find ways that work best for you. Everyone here seems to have their own style of getting satisfaction. I also find that my batteries last quite a while but when the charge decreases so does the vapor hit. It took awhile for me to figure out whether it was the atomizer or not enough juice until I figured it was a weak battery.

Stick with it. It's certainly better than analogs (health-wise we think). Try different combos of things. I was very anxious about the whole experience at the beginning. Afraid to ruin atomizers, burn out batteries, etc. But now I just soak my atomizer and continue to do that and use a blank cart. It can be as satisfying as an analog but you have to mess with it alot to get there.

My problem is that I don't know when to stop using the e cig, because it doesn't burn out like an analog, so I'm at it most of the time. I'm even getting good at dripping at red lights.


Good luck and enjoy