Tootle Redux (FREE STUFF)

[OCD]

I have some 350mah shorty eGo batteries that go great with our 15mm cartomizer tanks for about the tiniest vaping package you can have short of a cigalike and certainly the smallest cartomizer tank available.

We will put together a package for someone with battery, charger, tank and cartomizers (sorry no choice on colors will be a get what we ship).

So how to get it? Post here a short (or verbose if you prefer) bit about your own story of vaping.

Mine was 37 years of smoking until January 7th 2012 which was the day we got our first cigalikes. We quickly moved to eGos then on to larger devices within 6 months or so. In that time we also decided we like the ease and experience of cartomizer tanks and decided we wanted glass ones.

Well, back then glass cartomizer tanks were nearly $100 for quality ones so needless to say I made our own. After showing them to some folks the first question was how much, when I gave them a price that was a third of what was the norm for this quality we soon found ourselves in the business of making tanks for many many folks.

Within weeks of making the switch both The Mrs and I noted great changes that came with no longer smoking and now going into four years of being not smokers we continue to enjoy much of life deeper than we had in the past. I have wrote about it before on the downward spiral and helplessness of being an addicted smoker, knowing the damage yet unable to effect change. Vaping has been the tool that allowed us to break from that path and now we continue to through our food and lifestyle to improve what every day offers.

Tootle Puffin and glad about it.

 

[Boden]

Well, it was summer 2010. A hot foggy morning here in Kentucky. The chickens were chasing the cat across the yard... While I was walking through the mall I saw a lady with a purple hat... Then to make matters worse my shoe was stuck to the floor... After climbing the hill to get a better vantage point I realized... This perplexed me, could she really be a man... But why would I need a cantaloupe, surely the doctor knew something he wasn't going to give up easily... Then I got a Provari V1 and an IBTank to go with my cartos... After That I realized why we needed the cantilope. It was for... And that's how I switched to vaping with this very setup. The End

 

[NancyR]

One out of every two smokers die from smoking related deaths. These aren’t just numbers these are real people. I was going to be that one, maybe you or someone you know is also going to be that one.

I lit my first cig when I was 14, just a few weeks shy of being 15. My grandmother was in the hospital, we knew she wouldn’t be coming home, my mom had MS so dad and I where shouldering most of the stress related to this. Then due to work my dad had to be away. I didn’t know what else to do at the time. We lived in another part of Cali so didn’t even have my friends close to talk to, and all of the adults I knew smoked to deal with stress. Goes to show how little we knew.

No one in the family knew I was smoking until I was 16. They all sorta had the same outlook, they had hopped I wouldn’t but they where not surprised. For Christmas that year everyone gave me cartons of smokes.

When I was 24 my ex’s grandmother passed away from lung cancer, that same year my father was diagnosed with it as well. He had part of his lungs removed, he continued to smoke until he passed away when I was 25.

At the age of 41 my story took a turn as I found this wonderful thing called vaping.

 

[Uncle]

I always love reading these success stories of people who have left the stinkies behind.

Well - Then I really dislike saying that I am still one of those who is a "Dual-User" and have yet to become a "Non-smoker" . . . Yes - I still smoke cigarettes, as I continue to cut back "My" Addiction of 46+ years (varying from 2-4 PAD - to approximately 1 1/2 - 2 PAD now) and try to become a fulltime Vapor to eventually quit smoking all together like so many other have . . . AND - Like "You" I do enjoy reading stories that tell of both those who continue their struggle with the addiction and those of other people's successes . . . Maybe - Just one of those stories of accomplishment might have an answer/solution that will work for "Me" too . . .

So - I will be continuing "My" Transition into the Vaping World . . . Just Sayin' . . .

 

[Lannie]

Wow, how can we ever hope to top Boden's story? LOL!

I started smoking when I was 13, like Redrebel, both my parents smoked (mom while she was pregnant with all five kids), and it was just what people did. Our family doctor smoked. It wasn't considered bad back then. Mom still didn't WANT me to smoke at such an early age, so I had to sneak around behind her back, but on my 16th birthday, she brought out a pack of her awful Kents, gave them to me and said that I could now smoke openly, but only in the house, NEVER on the street or out in public. (I asked if it was OK if I went and got my Marlboros, because her Kents tasted like cat poop! LOL!).

And that was the beginning... I smoked an average of 2 packs a day for the next 41 and a half years, until 6 weeks ago. Two months ago, my husband had gone shopping and brought home one of those little cigalikes for me to try, because I'd expressed some interest in the e-cigs. I know they're mostly garbage, BUT, it kept me from smoking any analogues for as long as the battery lasted, which was about 8 hours of use for me. And I wasn't even using it right! LOL! The taste was awful, and I have no idea what the nic level was, but it let me know that THERE WAS AN ALTERNATIVE. Just in the back of my mind lately, I'd been bothered by occasional wheezing, and shortness of breath when I walked anywhere fast (you do that a lot on a little farm), and I was ready to make the switch. I never tried to just QUIT smoking, because I knew I'd fail (and I'm also a stress-smoker), so I just avoided those thoughts the best I could. However, when I thought there might be a chance of succeeding, I went for it.

We did a little research, and finally ordered a Kanger EVOD starter kit for me with a few bottles of juice, and once I figured out to soak the wick before I tried using it (YUK! DRY HITS!), I never looked back. I did smoke just ONE analog the next day, to see what I felt about it, and I didn't much care for it. I wanted to hurry up and finish it, so I could go back to vaping. Now I'm six weeks off cigarettes, and couldn't be happier. I'm just now learning to make my own juice, and I'm succeeding, so things will be even better (and cheaper! LOL!). The improvements I've noticed, not only in my breathing, but my physical stamina, now that blood is able to get to my muscles, is nothing short of amazing. Like a whole lot of other people, I kicked myself and said, "Why didn't I do this YEARS ago?" but then I remember, the equipment wasn't as good back then, and if I'd tried then, I might have failed and not tried again, so for me, the timing was perfect. Better late than never, right? Oh, and I almost forgot, UNCLE SENT ME!

~Lannie

 

[wvducklady]

I had been trying to quit on and off for years, and one day in 2013 my boyfriend brought me home a disposable cigalike. I really liked it, but it did not last half a day. Around June 2013 I met a woman through a friend who was using an EGO T CE4 setup, and she also sold them. Of course I loved it! I still could not give up cigarettes completely. The biggest problem was I had to drive about 40 minutes to get more equipment and eliquid, and paying $30 for 30ml, $10 for a disposable ce4 tank, and $28 for a 650mah ego t battery if needed seemed like too much after a while. I started searching around and found online vendors. I quit smoking and have not touched another cigarette since October 20, 2013 at 8AM. The key to how I quit is hazelnut eliquid, and being to buy tanks and coils in different varieties that lasted longer. I still mainly just vape hazelnut I love it! I will always be thankful to my boyfriend who sent me into the direction of vaping, and the woman who truly got me down the path

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk

 

[erratum]

Picked up my first cig 30 years ago. I started with Benson and Hedges Ultralight 100's...then Camel Unfiltered....& then a lifetime of Marlboro Reds. Went from a pack a week to, at the worst of it, 5 packs a day....then dropped to a pack a day when I picked up cigars & pipes on the regular.

About 4 1/2 years ago, I decided to try hypnosis. Told the guy I wanted to stop smoking cigs but not cigars or pipes. I left 1/2 a pack there when I left that office that day. The next morning, I bough a fresh pack of Marlboro Reds, but never opened it. I continued to smoke my pipes & the occasional cigar for the next 4 years, but no cigarettes.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago. Some things in my life went south & the first thing I wanted was a pack of cigarettes ... not a cigarette ... a pack of cigarettes. I smoked that pack in about 3 hours...bought another & was up to 2 packs a day in just a couple of days time.

I figured anything had to be better than this & I went to a local vape shop the next day. They sold me an Aspire clearomizer, a Kanger Evod VV battery & some 24mg e-juice. I smoked the last 3 or 4 cigs in the next couple of days & have not bought a pack since.

 

[vmtorres1]

I had been smoking for 18 years (PAD) when out of a whim, my father-in-law kind of dared me to pick up an ego starter at the mall. I picked up a two pack (one for the Mrs.) and gave it a whirl. The first thing I noticed was that it was crazy expensive (stupid me, I got it at the mall) but I liked the taste of the blueberry ejuice... Anyway, my bliss lasted all of a week when the thing died. I was about to buy a pack of smokes when I noticed that there was a B&M right across the street of where I work... (I did not even notice the place until then) So I went there, and they set me up with an kangertech evod starter kit (very overpriced, but worth it). Kept on vaping blind, buying some jolly rancher juices (at 12 bucks for 15 ml) until a guy at work told me about ECF... I now own a CoolFire IV and an iStick 30, a genitank for my nic cravings and stealth vaping at work (at 12mg) and an iSub for home, got some increadible juice recommendations off here and have been getting into the custards and other more complex flavors. I still need a good stealth vape, because we are moving offices and going to a big old fishbowl (all windows)... I don't know how I will survive!

 

[redrebel821]

Started smoking at 16, was probably going thru nicotine withdrawals my whole life as both of my are parents were chain smokers, even through pregnancies. I tried every way to quit, because I didn't want my son to become a smoker (he was adopted so I can't be blamed for hooking him during pregnancy). Cold turkey didn't work, I moved on to the patch. Even wearing 2 at a time didn't help. Gum? Please...that's for rookies. Hypnosis and accupuncture failed. Tried the Wellbutrin when the hospital I worked at went non-smoking, but felt stupid running across the road on lunch break to puff. Tried patches again, seriously thought about putting the whole package on at once. Then my son started smoking...I felt like the worst mama in the whole world. Tried cold turkey again, no-go. Tried switching to lights, just smoked twice as much. Got kicked out of a stop smoking support group for lighting up on a break. I tought that was kind of rude...lol...was my first meeting! Then my horribly failed attempt with Chantix. BAD reaction, got head to toe hives. Figured I'd just quit "quitting". Last summer, my son came on break from college with a spinner and said I should try it to at least cut back on smoking. He was reducing his analog count by vaping on campus. Whatever flavor he was vaping tasted like what my garbage bin smelled like. Nope, no vaping for me! Then, in January, he came for a visit again and gave me my Christmas gift. My own little bright green (they were out of stock in purple, go figure) Kanger 650 starter set. I looked at those 2 tiny batteries as something foreign....lol...but this time, we filled the tank with Njoy Butter Crunch. Oh, my, I can still taste that buttery sweetness!!! We went to the vape store the next day, I sampled, I tested, I asked questions! Such yumminess I have never imagined. January 4, 2015 was my last analog. My son said if I could quit in one day, so could he. We are both now analog free!!! I tootle puff because it works!

 

[bwh79]

I smoked for 22 years, from thirteen up until age 35. Last year, I got a coupon in the mail; instead of the usual "$1 off 2 packs" or "$5 off a carton" that they usually send, this was for a free VUSE Solo cig-a-like kit and a couple extra cartridges. "What the hell," I thought, "why not give it a try?" They weren't very good, and the nic content was so high I couldn't inhale the vapor without choking on it, but they did taste better than cigarettes and it was enough to get me "thinking maybe I could actually do this, if only I had something better." I dual-used between the VUSE and my regular brand of smokes for about ten weeks, until I headed down to a local vape shop about seven months ago to get a "real" setup, in the form of an eGo battery and refillable EVOD tank. That's essentially when I "quit" smoking, although I would still have the occasional one here and there, when my battery was charging or just when I felt like cheating. Since then, I've picked up a couple other backup devices, so I no longer have the "it's on the charger" excuse. Since April 18th, I haven't cheated once, except for a couple puffs here and there when lighting a cig for my GF who still smokes, but also sometimes vapes when I have a plain menthol or unflavored liquid (she doesn't like any of the flavored liquids, says they all taste "like gum.")

 

[Fuzzy Thunderbear]

A long time ago in a land far far away...

I grew up in a smoking family, so I guess I have been smoking since before birth (if you believe the cancer associations). Every adult, relative or not, seemed to smoke (Lucky Strike, Camel, Marlboro, Pall Mall) and every star on TV smoked. The TV ads even claimed that four out of five doctors smoke Camels. It seemed to me, that if you wanted to be (or appear to be) an adult, you best learn to smoke. Mom kept her cigarettes (Mulebugger Reds) in the refrigerator door (she said tobacco was a vegetable ), so it was easy to kype a pack about once a month and she wouldn't miss it. I was 12 when I started doing that. But I don't count those years as being "a smoker" because, well, a pack a month isn't really smoking, and I only did it when I could hide somewhere and not get caught. I puffed in private for several years, but in public I appeared to be a non-smoker and rarely even admitted to smoking to my friends (except those who also smoked).

Upon high school graduation, Uncle Sugar's Army got it's hands on me (Vietnam draft). So I quickly went across the hallway and enlisted in the USAF instead, where I was sure I could continue my education rather than just having an M-16 shoved in my hands and be told to go shoot people. During basic training, when the marching stopped and we all stood at parade rest, the drill instructor said, "Smoke 'em if ya got 'em." Smokers could then relax and move slightly, while non smokers had to stay at parade rest. So I bought a pack of Camels and didn't stop. That was 1967.

We currently live out on the remote prairie of South Dakota and the nearest real shopping is over 100 miles from home (the "big city"). It takes $50 worth of gas and all day to do the whole month's shopping, so I only do that one day every month. Because we stock up on everything to make it a whole month without a trip to the store, I was buying six cartons of butts for Wifey (she's already told her story here somewhere) and five or six for me. I never smoked more than two packs a day; my average was one carton per week -- sometimes less, sometimes a wee bit more.

A couple shopping trips ago, after we had briefly talked about e-cigs, I bought the usual six cartons each at the .... store and also came home with one of those little cig-alikes. It was a "one use and throw it away" type - no flavor available other than tobacco. It said it was equivalent to 40 cigarettes, but my guess is it didn't last longer than about 8-10. But we both tried it. Wifey wanted to search out more information while I remained quite skeptical. She found this forum and, after talking with several of the fine folks here, ordered an EVOD online. I was still doubtful. Besides cigarettes, I also occasionally smoked cigars and a pipe, so I figured to enter this "vaping game" on the e-pipe end of things and ordered a 618 e-pipe online, which took over two weeks to get here from China. It did not have an "on" button like Wifey's new toy, but was suction activated, and, as I told someone else here recently, the suck required to turn that thing on could have ignited a ram jet. Needless to say, I was not having a pleasant vaping experience. I sucked it in front of the boob tube after evening chores, but the rest of the day, kept smoking cigarettes. Wifey was already a total convert. I needed more information (I'm a data junkie) and more incentive.

I also joined this forum and asked a bunch of questions and found some new friends. Between them and Wifey, I got convinced to buy the cheap iStick and when it got here, I quickly learned to enjoy the vaping experience. I didn't like the tobacco e-juice I had for the pipe (and Wifey claimed it smelled like burned maple-flavored bacon), so I mixed some other flavors with it and added a bit of straight VG and came up with something that would keep me happy.

I would like very much to be able to lie to you and tell you that I haven't touched a cigarette since, but the fact is, I tootle puff in exactly the same manner that I smoke and I am a major Scrooge about wasting money. I still have a ciggy .... or two every night, and will until the last of my butts are burned up. I refuse to throw away what I paid good money for. Wifey, on the other hand, quit cold turkey and still has five cartons on the shelf. I will not smoke hers, nor would I ever suggest that she finish them. She's extremely happy to be a tootle puffer, and in that sense, I'd rather have her here than back on the butts. And when I finish sucking my stinkies, I won't buy any more because I already know I don't need them. At 2-3 butts a night (while the iStick recharges), it will only take a year to finish what I used to smoke in a couple weeks... for almost 50 years!

Hogs & Quiches,
Fuzzy

 

[OCD]

Have to admit I am not a very structured individual, I do love being able to send out things to folks who will appreciate them so being able to do that here on a as it goes basis is almost too good to believe.

I will wrap this one up soon as I have an idea for the next one.

Do want to express my thanks for all you folks who have helped to make this work by offering your great stories, man I think back to our switch and how sure we were about becoming non smokers and from this vantage point of 3 1/2 years down the road it sure is nice to see the validation and feel the benefits of simply hooking up with something that worked to end our addiction to cigarettes.

 

[Vchick]

I wasn't looking to quit, did it on a whim after the neighbors told me they were going to try it. Fast forward 5 years and haven't looked back. It's been an amazing ride after 30+ years of moking!

Thanks for the contest!

 

[redrebel821]

What an awesome list of accomplishments! You have got to be all smiles when you talk about it all!!

I think I'm the luckiest mama ever!!! I got to raise this awesome child to be a wonderful young woman, and now I get to watch and see what an amazing man he's becoming. I get the best of both worlds!!! AND...we it each other to quit smoking!!! WIN-WIN all the way around!

 

[OCD]

Uncle, I always say count the ones you dont smoke so yes you have left stinkies behind... maybe not all of them yet but any at all count as wins.

 

[Ladybear]

Started smoking at 13 .... A pack a week shared among 5 girls....cigarettes hidden in the park to be picked up the next day for our walk trying to be grown up . parliaments with the recessed filter. We never smoked on the streets just on the hiking paths. Well that led into my long life of smoking ... 45 years later I'm chewing nicotine gum and thinking about cig everyday ..I couldn't talk on the phone, drink tea, drive the car without craving a cig...I was downright miserable and crabby. Tried the cig a likes and they made me happier but it wasn't until a b&M vape shop opened in our area and I timidly walked in and talked to the girl in the store about what I would need. At the time, I thought it would cost me at least $100 to get started. She hooked me up with an ego clone, a tank, and 2 small bottles of juice for $30 and I never looked back. I am now a happy vaper!!

 

[mac63]

I tried some cigalikes about eight years ago and went thru a few different kits as time went on. None of them did the trick. A year and a half ago I looked into refillable setups - found some decent gear - that setup help me cut down on the smokes. Got a better setup that eventually worked well enough that I was able to quit.

Thanks for the contest!

 

[Krisma]

Let me take you back.

It's the 13th October 2011 just before 10.30am and I am sitting at the kitchen table waiting for the postman. I heard him before I saw him and raced up our steep driveway (huffing and puffing) to greet him. Dancing around while he fumbles with his little scanning machine I sign for it and have to stop myself snatching it from his grip. It's here, it's here............... My Eliquid containing nicotine has arrived.

I am all prepared. I have two little 510t that I have been practising with for a couple of weeks all charged with 8 spare little batteries and I have my ashtray and ciggies next to my hand (just in case). I mixup the Eliquid give it a shake and let it steep for about 2 seconds. Load up those two little tanks and I vaped properly for the first time. I had my last cigarette during that 2 sec steep and over 3.5 years later I have not had another since.

You hear these stories all the time and I luv reading them, they are a credit to the faith in vaping we have. I try to revisit my story every so often as the memories of the poor health and the anguish over the hold those cigarettes had on me diminishes over time.

I started smoking at the ripe old age of 13 and 35 years later I was smoking 50-60 a day...... It ruled my life. I had tried everything to quit the habit and failed at every method so I was gobsmacked at how vaping made sense to my brain. I probably went through withdrawal during my practice period but it was never out of hand and I have had those days when nothing worked or tasted good but you know....... I worked through them.

I will be forever grateful to vaping and the wonderful vaping community. It has given me back my health and happiness and best of all I feel it has given me back my life with more time to get out and experience it.

Just to add a little snippet. I found carto tanks very early in my vaping journey and today they are the mainstay of my vaping arsenal. IMO Even in this age of complex choices..The best no fuss, no mess tootle puffing setup you can find.

 

[rbeckys8]

smoked for 44 years and tried an ego and quit..never went back to smoking and it's been over 2 years now

 

[liblue1]

Thats Cool Lilblue... Last smoke was at 9:00AM for us then we went to the post office to get the cigalike kits we ordered and that was it on making ashes for both of us.

My time was more later in the afternoon as I had to drive about 15 miles to the B & M, so maybe around 3 pm....all the way home and in the evening I played with it and watched videos......I had been suffering with chronic bronchitis for weeks prior to that day and within 2 weeks I was better than I had ever been my whole life...
BTW it only took 2 weeks to be able to blow huge vape rings........
..........................I will never go back to smoking again!.........