Unsure of what nic strength to step down to.

[EtrnLwanderer]

I started vaping on a very basic ego battery/T2 clearomizer a few months ago and the store that sold the kit to me put me on a 12mg nic juice. Since I was smoking about 40 analogs a day at that point, I found the craving to be unsatiated unless I kept vaping continuously, so I switched up to 16 mg. A few weeks back, I bought a SmokTech VV/VW battery and when I dialed up the wattage to abut 10-12 watts on the very same T2 clearomizer I had been using, I started getting dizzy, sweating, etc and I had to dial back to about 8 watts to keep vaping.

I have decided to get down to building my own coils and having a more advanced set up and have earmarked and iStick 50w paired with a Lemo 2 or similar tank and also a RDA like the Derringer ( I'm not a cloud chaser - I prefer the flavour side of vaping).
What's stumped me now is, I do know with the lower ohm coils and better battery/tank/atomizer I would need to drastically bring down the nic strength of the juices I will use with these set ups.

Being based in a country where I have extremely limited access to juices of any sort, I have to resort to buying juices either from the USA or elsewhere and get them shipped to me ( expensive proposition) and hence always buy the 30ml and bigger bottles rather than the sampler sizes, just because of the costing involved it getting them across to me.

I do know the 16 mg I use will be way too strong for a RTA/RDA set up, so could somebody please suggest a nic strength I should opt for when I start using a Lemo 2 or similar RTA/RDA?

 

[EBates]

The rule of thumb that I use is decrease you nic by 1/2. So 12 would become 6.
Buy a small bottle of you new lower nic to verify that works for you.

 

[Sir2fyablyNutz]

Hi Etrnl. I am new to sub ohm, but it is very normal to cut back 1/2 or more. I have seen people cut back 2/3's to 75% less nicotine. My suggestion is to buy the same flavor juice at zero. Then you can use what you have, mixing small amounts together at 50/50 to cut your nicotine level in half. If that is still too much you can add half again as much to reach lower levels. Once you find your comfort zone, then you can order the lower level juice. I hope this wasn't too confusing. Good luck.

 

[InTheShade]

Some tips for you. You can buy 2 X 15ml of liquids, one in say a 16mg or 18 and the other in 3mg or even 0 nic. Then by mixing them, you can pretty much get any strength you need between 3 and 16 by adjusting the ratios of each.

You could also buy some plain VG (usually available in most pharmacies) and just dilute your e-liquid down by adding it. This will of course change and weaken the flavor, but it's handy to take the edge of some liquids that may be a little to strong in nicotine and you don't have any other liquid to mix it with.

At a pinch, you can also add between 5-10% distilled water. This will also reduce the strength and flavor of your liquid, but it's handy for liquids that may not wick well if they are high VG.

 

[EtrnLwanderer]

Thank you, all.

@Sir2fyablyNutz: I like the suggestion of going with a 0 nic juice of the same flavor which will allow me to tone down the strength by varying the ratios with the stronger nic strength.

 

[93gc40]

Nic strength has NOTHING to do with the device.. Only how the device is use. ANY nic strength can be used with any device.

The amount of nicotine per ML get adjusted based on tolerance. People reduce nicotine when they go the an Rebuildable, not because of the atomizer, but because of how they are building the atomizer. They are atomizing more juice per puff, because they also increase POWER usage when they switched devices. If you are vaping more juice per puff, you are getting more nicotine per puff, therefore may need to reduce the concentration of nic in the juice to MAINTAIN the DOSAGE per puff. Same thing happened to you when you increase the wattage.

 

[Grimwald]

As I was stepping down, I went very slowly. First you will need some 0 nic to work with. BTW, I did this using T2 clearos. If you don't mind diluting the flavor, you can use plain PG/VG if it's available in your area.

I started at 24mg and stepped down by 3mg (21 - 18 - 15 - 12 - 9 - 7.5 - 6) over about 2 years. It was the 9 - 7.5 - 6 that was the hardest step...just could seem to go lower than 9 for awhile.

It really didn't seem to matter much with T2 vs. Evods...but the Kayfun seemed to deliver a bit more nicotine, but not that much different. My drippers definitely hit harder.

 

[Jimi D.]

A great way to lower the nic is. Order a nic free e liquid with the same flavor and pg vg ratios. Then you can decrease the nic to what feels best.

 

[WhiskeyTango]

In my Nautilus, I use 16mg liquid all day. Whenever I switch to any of my sub ohm tanks or RDAs, I step down to 6mg. It still gives me the same "fix" that I would get out of my Nautilus.

 

[kartoffelfaust]

I started at 24, and worked my way down to 12 on standard low-power setups. Then 3mg or 6mg on Lemo, and only 3mg in drippers.

For a while, I kept bottles of 0mg handy to help thin out what I had on hand.

 

[dripgoestheclark]

I agree with a couple other posts, buying a bottle of zero nic juice of something that mixes well is always a good option. When I started and was unsure, I would mix a measured amount of zero with the juice I already had until I found what strength best suited my needs (how much time I had to be vaping, how harsh, how it tasted, ect). If done right you will not have to throw out juices that are too strong either. Good luck.

 

[NancyB]

I too, began to lower my nicotine strength in small amounts gradually over time - and I found the first & second day on the lower was somewhat obvious, but with added days, it became very bearable when done in 3-4mg changes. I tended to keep a higher strength nearby IF I so desired it, just in case.
I've really so enjoyed this journey I've taken off cigarettes and onto vaping! I find that there are times I am better prepared for another lower dose than others, so be patient and understanding with yourself, striving eventually for that totally nicotine free place, and perhaps even totally free of vaping as well !? 2 yrs after quitting smoking, I'm now experiencing (long) times when I am not vaping either. So, to each along this path I'm walking, I wish you good health, funds to cover the costs of vaping, until you too have reached your goals! NB

 

[Fordzuki]

I started off at 18mg at the recommendation of the local smoke shop where I got my first vape pen, an ego-t, I continued with the 18 when I stepped up to a nautilus and vision spinner. I noticed after a long day I would get a nicotine headache, so I went to 12mg and could vape all day without getting a headache. Then I progressed to a mech mod and Atlantis and stepped down to 6mg without much troubles, but every once in a while I felt the need to drip a couple drops of 18mg down the tube and that satisfied any nic urges that I got. Then I picked up an atty dripper and stepped down to 3mg with the occasional few drips of 6. I've been pretty consistent with 3mg for about the last month, and have tried a few bottles of 0mg, but the taste is much different between 0 and 3 so I keep going back to 3. My eventual goal is to step down to 0 for a while then quit completely, but I've been pretty satisfied with my health and the way I feel that I'm in no hurry to get there.