Trial and Error

[Greenscaled]

Hi all,

A close friend introduced me to vaping and I got my own Aspire a couple of months ago. It was a bit of a learning curve but I'm starting to get the hang of vaping and its various quirks, ie, I just recently switched from the 1.8ohm coils to 2.1ohm only because I couldn't find anything around a 2.5 that was compatible (and also I'm scared I'll screw something up if I try to cross brands) because I finally realized those low ohms just aren't for me.

I've been lurking in these forums for a while now trying to get answers to my problems when they've popped up, so I look forward to actually being a part of ECF, and hopefully answering questions like "Why do testers at vape stores all taste the same" and "Why did I let that bottle of Banana Runts get so dark" and "Why do they even bother with no-dropper bottles".

Thanks guys! Hope I get to know you all soon!

 

[DreamWithin]

haha, so many things about getting into vaping are trial and error, just be patient and keep trying different things ;-)

Welcome to ECF!

 

[smittytoo]

A lot of the trials and errors have already been made by the folks here at ECF, so just keep
reading and asking questions. That makes the road a little less bumpy, and welcome.

 

[Greenscaled]

Yeah, I do try to make it a habit to search before asking something that's probably been asked a million times. It's amazing how much fun it is to try new flavors! Now when I hang with my friend we swap flavors and stuff. He's the reason I decided to switch coils - his vape is always so cool and yummy and mine gets just too hot. Totally ruined my Eggnog experience.

 

[Greenscaled]

Also even my nonsmoker husband is thinking about getting into vaping 0s. He's too picky though, he wants some crazy Gandalf epipe that seems to only come by making it yourself.

 

[Steelgirl]

Major trial and error. And it never ends! I've been at it almost a year, and I'm still asking questions. A few times I thought "why do I bother?" Would be so much easier to just go to the store and buy a pack. But then it started getting fun. Fun trying new mods, fun trying new ejuice, fun trying my hand at DIY, coil building. Most ppl are way ahead of me on the learning curve. But I'm just going at MY pace.

Congrats on joining the cool folk here at ECF. Tons of info here. Take a tour of "Beginners Start Here" on home page. Really good info there. Even for a seasoned vaper such as yourself.

 

[Lurch]

I usually do a search here and on YouTube for answers. I learn much easier via the visual stimulation versus reading about it. I don't think I have come up with an issue that I haven't found some answers using that method...

 

[Greenscaled]

A few times I thought "why do I bother?" Would be so much easier to just go to the store and buy a pack.

If it wasn't for the guilt of spending money for a setup I don't think I could have gotten through the rough first week. I had such a hard time trying to get a decent draw, I just wasn't doing it right. About 3 weeks in I hit a problem that almost put me off it for good - all my coils were tasting like nothing but melting plastic, even after soaking overnight. Finally I learned it's a good idea to put a drop of juice in the coil and suck without firing a bit and I haven't had a problem since. But man, that was a rough week.

 

[KaraDC]

Also even my nonsmoker husband is thinking about getting into vaping 0s. He's too picky though, he wants some crazy Gandalf epipe that seems to only come by making it yourself.

I am a nonsmoker too and use 0nic 100% VG. I figure once I work out the basics (like actually being able to taste the juice and how not to hold the battery) then I can get to what I really want to do and start playing with the hardware. Even my spouse, who is also a nonsmoker, took a try to see what it was like.

 

[Mike Literus]

Yeah vaping more than just a addiction it's a hobby for most people trying out new juices builds devices never gets old IMO

 

[edyle]

Hi all,

A close friend introduced me to vaping and I got my own Aspire a couple of months ago. It was a bit of a learning curve but I'm starting to get the hang of vaping and its various quirks, ie, I just recently switched from the 1.8ohm coils to 2.1ohm only because I couldn't find anything around a 2.5 that was compatible (and also I'm scared I'll screw something up if I try to cross brands) because I finally realized those low ohms just aren't for me.

I've been lurking in these forums for a while now trying to get answers to my problems when they've popped up, so I look forward to actually being a part of ECF, and hopefully answering questions like "Why do testers at vape stores all taste the same" and "Why did I let that bottle of Banana Runts get so dark" and "Why do they even bother with no-dropper bottles".

Thanks guys! Hope I get to know you all soon!

1:
Instead of having to pick and choose what ohm coil to put in your tank, your next upgrade is going to be
- a vv battery, so you can adjust the voltage instead of having to choose the coil ohms
- a vw mod, so if you change out the coil to a different ohm, you won't have to change the volts; the mod adjusts for it.

2:
why do vape store samples all taste the same at the same vape store?
Because the samples come from the same base liquid, and the base has a taste.

3:
Why'd it get so darK?
Nicotine in eliquid tends to get darker with age; no harm.

4:
cause you lazy like me too

 

[Susan~S]

If it wasn't for the guilt of spending money for a setup I don't think I could have gotten through the rough first week. I had such a hard time trying to get a decent draw, I just wasn't doing it right. About 3 weeks in I hit a problem that almost put me off it for good - all my coils were tasting like nothing but melting plastic, even after soaking overnight. Finally I learned it's a good idea to put a drop of juice in the coil and suck without firing a bit and I haven't had a problem since. But man, that was a rough week.

You can also "dry burn" your coils after soaking to get rid of all the residual gunk. Then fill up your tank, take a few primer hits, and you're good to go.

 

[Greenscaled]

I went to Colorado over this past weekend to visit a friend I hadn't seen in over a decade, and I was totally apalled at the way vape is represented. No big brand name hardware, all just weird setups that made no sense. Also I guess I'm spoiled by knowing exactly how many mg of nicotine is in a bottle, and the PG:VG ration. Everything's just "has nicotine, whatever, have a nice day". My friend bought some vanilla "vape" and it must have been 100% PG because it was like being kicked in the throat. Since I couldn't find any aspire coils there (and I was bad and didn't buy any before I left) I wound up buying a whole new tank and wicked coils for my battery, and while I did enjoy the knucklehead tip, I didn't enjoy burning out of my wicks every 3-4 hours.

 

[Greenscaled]

1:
Instead of having to pick and choose what ohm coil to put in your tank, your next upgrade is going to be
- a vv battery, so you can adjust the voltage instead of having to choose the coil ohms
- a vw mod, so if you change out the coil to a different ohm, you won't have to change the volts; the mod adjusts for it.

Also can anyone share their experiences here? My knowledge of electrical applications starts and ends with "don't lick electrical outlets". Is this easy to use? Can I do it "wrong"?

 

[Jaylah]

My knowledge of electrical applications starts and ends with "don't lick electrical outlets".

Mine, too.

So I obviously don't know enough to fully answer your question. But this is what I do know. I'm using a battery called an "Itazte vv"

The "vv" part stands for "variable voltage."

And that means that it "senses" the ohms of the coil and adjusts itself automatically. And I don't think you can "do it wrong" or blow your head or your hand off with this. I just know that I sometimes have to make very small adjustments depending on which juice I'm vaping. If it's too low, you basically get nothing. If it's too high, you just taste burnt.

 

[Greenscaled]

For what it's worth I thought I'd share that my 2.1s came and they're perfect. I seriously used to burn my mouth on the 1.8s! I thought I'd feel like my draws were weaksauce, but it seems like they just got thicker. Now I just have to get over the disappointment that my "cherry slushy with vanilla" actually contains mostly tobacco (Try vaping on that when you don't expect it) and what I dreamed would taste like Nutella is more like a Starbucks frappuccino. I'm glad I got a big bottle of flavorless. Looks like you and me are gonna be it for a while, kid.

 

[DaveP]

ECF is all about sharing knowledge. If you post in the right forum with the right information there will always be someone who's been there and done that.

Voltage and resistance is a big part of obtaining a good vape. 6 watts is a good starting point and many of us just go there to start with. Lowering the resistance or raising the voltage ups the wattage. Past a certain point the juice starts burning or the wick can't keep up with higher atomization levels and goes dry. The sweet spot is generally trial and error.

Power = E^2/R or watts = coil resistance x coil resistance divided by the voltage.

The Ohms Law Calculator makes it easy. Just plug in the known values and click calculate. For instance, if I enter 6 watts and 2 ohms, I get 3.46 volts and a current at 1.73 amps. Most people vape a 2 ohm coil at 3.7v.

Ohm's Law Calculator

Or, you can use the chart.

 

[Greenscaled]

Ehm, okay, so you're saying that if I got one of those VV batteries, as long as I stayed within the green zone I wouldn't kill myself, be it literally (red) or figuratively (yellow)? I'm assuming with all the watts and volts you're talking about the part of the VV that you're adjusting is the voltage? I always got so confused when I saw people talking about adjusting watts, volts, etc because I had no idea VV was a thing. I have an aspire tank with aspire coils and a crappy clone (Kamry) battery that looks like an AA Duracell with a length-adjustable chamber which I love.

 

[sheerpoetry]

I had that problem with the testers, too! (Except for a random root beer that was just plan old gross.)

I want something with some real flavor that doesn't taste chemical-y! Can't wait to start looking for more juices!

 

[Greenscaled]

Except for a random root beer that was just plan old gross.

I've had a lot of disappointment lately. When my thing started where everything tasted like melting plastic (before I learned about coil soaking) I had also just bought some banana cream pie. I finally fixed my coils but then I realized, dude, my banana cream pie tastes like burnt coffee all by itself. The runts have disappeared from my banana runts, my strawberry bubblegum developed an aftertaste something like basil, I bought a Blue Slushy called Heisenburg (get it? haha) and while it does taste like blue raspberry, it has an aftertaste something like HAM. I bought Dr. Pepper which wound up tasting like too-sweet root beer, but in the end I started using it for a sweetener.

Either I have horrible luck with juices or I have the longest, nastiest case of vape tongue I just can't shake. Me and my bottle of flavorless juice are gonna become good friends.