Vape liquids. Voilent coughing.

[FirstSpear]

Hidy.
Bought an Endura T18 recently, along with two bottles of liquid - both 18mg (Golden Virginia and Amber Leaf). I couldn't inhale. My lungs exploded, and resulted in furious coughing fits, no matter how small the amount inhaled. Went back and bought the weakest sold - 6mg. Exactly the same. I've been smoking for 50 years, and tobacco smoke does not affect me this way. Further, the liquids all have the same heavy flavour - (sweet citrussy/medicinal); which is not present, and has never been present, in my hand-rolled cigarettes, therefore, one or other of the ingredients must be responsible for this flavour, and for my reaction. I specified tobacco-only when asked which flavour I wanted, and all bottles list the same few ingredients - Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, and Nicotine.
So:
Have any of you experienced the same reaction?
Are mixtures available without either of these?
Can I simply dilute the liquid with water?
Do these things require acclimatisation / perseverence - just like smoking itself did way back then?
Answers hugely appreciated. This disappointed me greatly. Having smoked for so very long, I knew I'd need the inhale feeling, even if I used gum or patches, or whatever, to supply the bulk of the nicotine. (I've used both patches and gum on flights, but the first thing I do when leaving the terminal is light up - need that lungful, no matter how much nicotine is floating around inside.)
(The bloke in the shop filled it for me with Golden Virginia, as demonstration, but didn't turn it on, and when I got home nothing happened. I tried the spare coil, with Amber Leaf, which worked. I poured away the Amber Leaf before filling with the 6mg liquid, and have sucked (not inhaling, of course) it to the point where the 18mg Amber Leaf liquid should all have gone.)

 

[Baditude]

Have any of you experienced the same reaction?

Some folks take to vaping immediately. Others take some time to acclimate to vaping. Please don't get discouraged or frustrated. Although they share some simularities, vaping is different from smoking.

For optimal performance and best results, a mouth to lung inhale is recommended with this device. The Endura is not designed for full lung inhalation vaping. The Endura is designed to simulate a cigarette or cigar draw; for best results, a relaxed puff (slow, gentle) is recommended.

Take some vapor into your mouth, and hold it there for a couple of seconds. This allows the vapor to cool. Then inhale some into your lungs (small amounts at first). Understand that the nicotine in vapor does not need to be absorbed from the lungs; much is absorbed through the mouth and nose. Exhale the vapor through your mouth and nose.

When I tried my first ecig, I coughed. Two reasons. The nicotine concentration that I innitally chose was too high (18mg). In addition, it took a period of time for me to acclimate from smoking to vaping.

Nicotine is responsible for the "throat hit", or "harshness" that we experience from cigarettes. Some people seek this throat hit out, others try to avoid it. Too high of a nicotine level can cause coughing.

You may not remember, but the first few times you smoked you probably coughed. Once you got used to the smoke, you didn't cough. The same should be true for your vape. It will take a little time to get used to inhaling vapor.

Are mixtures available without either of these?

Propylene glycol (Pg) and vegetable glycerin (Vg) are usually mixed together in various ratios for e-liquid. Pg is often called the "flavor carrier". Vg is often called the "vapor" maker. Pg is also responsible somewhat for throat hit, so a higher Pg ratio may appear harsher to some people. There are some manufacturers who make a 100% vg e-liquid.

Can I simply dilute the liquid with water?

Yes and no. One can add up to 10% distilled water to thin a thick e-liquid, but water generally doesn't vaporize well in e-cigarette devices.

Do these things require acclimatisation / perseverence - just like smoking itself did way back then?

I explained about this above in my first answer.

I'll add that some e-liquid flavors need to "steep", or mature for best flavor. Steep times vary per type of flavor. Tobacco, coffee, and other "complex" flavors may need to steep for 2 - 4 weeks before vaping.

Some helpful reading:

Tips for Novices Seeking Tobacco/Cigarette Flavors

A Word on Vaping Technique

Smoking vs Vaping Differences

Vaper's Tongue: What is it and what can be done?

The Dreaded Vaper’s Tongue: What is it, what causes it and how to cure it



One unfortunate thing about your battery mod (Endura) is that it is not adjustable (variable wattage or variable power). If it were, you could experiment with the power settings to more easily find an acceptable vape experience. The tank also only takes a single resistance type of coil (1.5 ohm), preventing you from experimenting with different ohm coils.

 

[Train2]

Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, and Nicotine.

• That's what all juices are made from - that and a little FLAVORING. They're not listing details of the flavoring. It is POSSIBLE that some flavoring is horrible to you (I hate a few kinds). But that also may not be the issue
• Keep in mind - finding a flavor you love can take a bit of exploration. Also - just so you know - a LOT of people, more than you would EVER expect - begin their vaping experience planning to go with a tobacco flavor, and then are SHOCKED when the flavor that actually works and lets them kick smoking is something like "blueberry cheesecake" or "watermellon smoothie". Seriously. Keep an open mind and try a bunch of flavors!
• As an FYI in future liquid selection: VG is thicker, which might make "high VG" liquid difficult to "wick" depending on your tank type. VG is also responsible for making more vapor. PG carries flavorings and "throat hit" to simulate hot smoke a bit more effectively than VG does. Those of us who make juice typically have a preferred blend: 50/50 or 70/30 VG/PG.

Have any of you experienced the same reaction?

• Vaping inhalation is DIFFERENT than smoking - and yes, a LOT of people initially cough. I don't know how to describe it, but I'm sure others will. Try a very slow and steadier "draw" at first perhaps?

Are mixtures available without either of these?

• You can get "mostly VG" or "mostly PG" liquid, but I would not YET assume that's the problem!

Can I simply dilute the liquid with water?

• Surprisingly, water doesn't make vapor well. If I want to dilute a juice because the flavor is too strong, I add VG.

Do these things require acclimatisation / perseverence - just like smoking itself did way back then?

• As mentioned above - YES. It IS different, and you and your lungs DO have to acclimate to drawing in vapor instead of smoke. But this can happen pretty darned quickly... If vaping causes a cough for more than a few days, then it may be an ingredient issue, and not just acclimatization.

 

[djsvapour]

Welcome.

Yes... I would have written something like this 4 years ago if I'd vaped on a modern device.
I suffered using a 5 watt device, so a 14 watt device is almost triple the power.
Where are you? (UK, US, elsewhere)... have you any idea who makes these liquids?

Some folk do need to acclimatize (I did), except when you say this on an enthusiasts forum, you might be in for some flack. It took me a year to get to 9 watts.

You can either give up trying or take it slow and believe.... I wanted to stop smoking completely and was not happy to compromise, so I vaped a little and topped up my Nicotine with patches.
After a while, once I could vape without coughing and had escaped the 1,000s of chemicals in cigarettes, I switched to 100% Vaping. It's a miracle... but not always an easy path.

Good luck. If you are UK, please comment on your liquids. That could well be relevant here.

 

[Grimwald]

You might try simple unflavored liquid.

 

[mcclintock]

The T18 is top coil, so there is almost no chance for the vapor to cool off. It is highly recommended for recent smokers, though, but maybe it pushes it too far for you. I didn't take off with vaping until going to bottom coil (and also better controlled power to it).

Or you could have malfunction, such as the wick didn't get saturated before trying it, and is now damaged.

Smoke causes tiny scratches in the throat which is irritated by the nicotine in vapor condensing in the throat. It gets a lot better if you can reach the point of smoking much less. I tend to find the first drag is the worst when my throat is sore, but it's not actually damaging anything so it gets better not worse like smoke. A good technique is to let some air in at the mouthpiece. This cools the vapor and the turbulence increases flavor.

There are hundreds of tobacco flavors for vaping. They are all somewhat different from smoking. Some taste/smell like old socks, some make smoking seem shabby by comparison, with true tobacco flavor. They do tend to emphasize throat hit so may not be the best thing to start with.

 

[90VG]

I had that also. I could barely vape at 5 watts. But I kept doing it carefully, almost carb'n it. I couldn't vape first thing in the morning either, took a few days of vaping mid day. Eventually I was smoking less and wasn't so irritated by the vapor. I stuck with it. See the signature below. I smoked for 25 years, 2+ packs a day. Now I can hit a dripper at 200 watts, but I rarely do.

 

[daviedog]

since this is an enthusiast forum, the t18 doesn't seem so potent. To novice it sure is.
try a crappy ciggalike till you equilibrate to moist vapor..

 

[r77r7r]

Anyone here know how to Prime these well, or a link to a video?

 

[BrotherBob]

Further, the liquids all have the same heavy flavour - (sweet citrussy/medicinal); which is not present, and has never been present, in my hand-rolled cigarettes, therefore, one or other of the ingredients must be responsible for this flavour, and for my reaction. I specified tobacco-only when asked which flavour I wanted, and all bottles list the same few ingredients - Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, and Nicotine.
So:
Have any of you experienced the same reaction?
Are mixtures available without either of these?
Can I simply dilute the liquid with water?

Welcome and glad you joined. To answer all your questions with one statement: Vaping is practically all scalable.
What ever bothers you can be fixed and at least, can be improved upon. Could do a little research and get back to the questions which have not been covered below (will help us help you).
Might like to read:
Learn About Vaping Here - Everything Ecigs - From Beginner To Advanced
http://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/a...tte-college-guides-tutorials-information.html
One Stop Reference Shop For New and Experienced Vapers
Beginner – Guide To Vaping
May 2016 / Smoking Vapor
http://onvaping.com/guide/beginners...cig-battery-basics-cig-a-likes-egos-and-mods/
(10) Advancing Up the Vaping Ladder with Egos and Mods | E-Cigarette Forum
(1) Proper Terminology - Is it a carto, a tank, or what? A Guide to Juice Attachments. | E-Cigarette Forum
(4) Good Starter Setups for a Beginning Vapor | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[FirstSpear]

Blimey. That's the most comprehensive response I've ever received to any question, any subject, anywhere. And all questions answered. Big thanks to all of you.
I'll view all the links and Vids, and in the meantime, will continue using the device, and I'll look for mixtures without one or other of the two main additives, beginning by talking to the bloke in the Vape shop over the road; see what he has in store or can get.
I'm in the UK. All the bottles bear the brand name Ezee-Quit.
Tons there to keep me busy this weekend.
Thanks again; very much appreciated.
F.

 

[djsvapour]

Blimey. That's the most comprehensive response I've ever received to any question, any subject, anywhere. And all questions answered. Big thanks to all of you.
I'll view all the links and Vids, and in the meantime, will continue using the device, and I'll look for mixtures without one or other of the two main additives, beginning by talking to the bloke in the Vape shop over the road; see what he has in store or can get.
I'm in the UK. All the bottles bear the brand name Ezee-Quit.
Tons there to keep me busy this weekend.
Thanks again; very much appreciated.
F.

I'm afraid to tell you the basic range from them is Chinese liquid. Hangsen (China) will be quite harsh. It's high PG and they don't exactly hold back on unusual ingredients/flavors. The base liquid in Hangsen uses extracted tobacco, they basically put this is all their 'cigarette brand' style liquids. The have a grassy and herby quality and considerable harshness too.
Now, I'm not going to run the brand down, as it's honestly selling some UK made higher VG liquids too for a very fair price. I like a bit of Hangsen even 4 years down the line... and £2.99 is better than the £4.99 some shops used to charge... I buy 30ml for about £2.50, so there's still a whacking profit in selling 10ml for £2.99.

 

[medleypat]

Your device isn't helping IMO 14 watts is a little high might look at something with adjustable watts

 

[FirstSpear]

Thanks again.
djsvapour. Actually good news. Means that there is hope using different brands, which I'll pursue. Any you can suggest?

medleypat. OK. I'll look into that.

Cheers.

 

[Smoke_too_much]

Hi & welcome mate.
I also smoked almost 50 years and coughing comes from lungs which just don't like "hits" any more. Train2 pretty much addressed it all. Go with max VG with a juice that has no perfume/alcohol/citrus in it, something smooth like say strawberries & cream. Start with 3mg nic in it, you can up the nic when you are actually ready to quit the analogs. Get a variable power mod so you can adjust the power to the coil, get a tank/RDA/RTA/RDTA that has a good adjustable air flow, and have patience. Get used to the vaping while smoking at the same time. You will learn a lot about vaping and you'll get comfortable with it. You will probably end up owning more than one device and when it is going good for you you will likely find you are enjoying vaping more than smoking. You will know when you're ready to tackle quitting the cigs and at that point you'll likely find it a very easy thing to do.
Good luck with it and enjoy.

 

[djsvapour]

Thanks again.
@djsvapour. Actually good news. Means that there is hope using different brands, which I'll pursue. Any you can suggest?

Harshness is (presumably) a mixture of power, atomizer, nicotine content, flavoring.
It's not easy for me to hit the bulls-eye for you, as there are so many different liquids.
A 'soft' liquid would be high VG, lower nicotine, no unusual additives (the Chinese use botanical ingredients, I guess herbs/spices but am no expert...)
If you are keen to stick with tobacco (tobacco style) for now you might like to consider.

L&T ecigs (50% PG)
Tobacco - L&T

DripDrop Vapour (60% VG)
Tobacco | DripDrop Vapour

LiQuid (£1 e-liquid)... ratio changes according to strength.
£1 E Liquid | Buy Tobacco Flavoured Nicotine 10ml E Liquid UK | Cheap Tobacco Vape Juice

Most of those are mild. The Virginia has the grassy ashtray additive.

Royal Vapor Mystic is 60% VG and rarely high in throat hit, but that's a £10 gamble even on sale price.

Mystic Juice 30ml SALE

I'm thinking more laterally though. What you need to try is some liquid (high VG) that I would consider as gentle as possible but with enough nicotine to work for you. Throwing money at it might not work...
Let me think.

 

[FirstSpear]

Keep thinking, by all means, but that lot gives me some good starting searches, and each response makes the previous responses make more sense. Never thought vaping would be this complicated, but with all the help so far from this forum, understanding is building.
Much appreciated. Ta.

 

[FirstSpear]

Smoke_too_much
Ahh, me poor old abused lungs. All is not lost, though. This summer I bought a bike; first since I was about 18 (65 now). Very little huffing and puffing, except for getting oxygen to my aching legs, and that passed very quickly.
Will look for device with those abilities, and seek less harsh liquids; high VG, as suggested by others, too.
Much appreciated.
Cheers.