Vaping, am I doing it right? IDK

[enVmyIX]

Hi guys, I just received my KR808 yesterday after finding this forum last week, I am super excited to get into vaping, but I have a concern/question on how its supposed to feel. I would like to preface that I used to smoke about a pack a day for roughly 10 years and I have not had an analog since I got my PV, which is amazing! No cravings for an analog, the PV takes care of it beautifully.

Here is my question: I am getting a harsh TH while vaping, harsh enough to make me cough sometimes - my fiance tried it and coughed instantaneously even after I told her to draw very slowly. I did some reading this morning and everyone says that you cannot smoke it like an analog and that you have to inhale slowly and for a prolonged time. I am following this advice to the best of my ability and I still get the harshness from it. Is this how its supposed to be? I mean, I can ease off on it a little but then I don't get much vapor at all. I have seen a bunch of online reviews (mostly grimmgreen) and I see these huge plumes of vapor coming out, but no sense of harshness.
I am using a 2ml cartomizer with a whistle tip that came with the kit with some RY4 from cigeasy (there I baught my elite 808 kit from) and it is 24mg strength juice. I believe the strength is spot on because i get a good little buzz and have no desire for an analog. Is this something I just have to get used to maybe? besides analogs I also burn other "things" but I never have to urge to cough... please help. Is it the juice? The flavor? The nic strength? Or am I still drawing it incorrectly?

 

[Eclipsed1770]

I think it's the nic level. I went through that with a friend in the office. She coughs on high nic levels, we originall thought it was the PG/VG mix. It might actually be both. I would suggest getting an 18mg bottle and mixing a few ml of the 18 and 24 together to get 21mg and try that. You can try 18 and see if you still cough but I think the 18mg might not be enough to fight off the cravings.

 

[Chief---P-V-Puffer--]

It sounds like your hitting it right. your nic level is a little high which in my opinion increases TH, also a juice with a higher level of PG increases TH. I would suggest trying juice with higher VG ratio and bringing the nic level down abit.
Hope this helps and CONGRATS on trying to quit smoking.

 

[enVmyIX]

Thanks for the quick reply guys, I unfortunately ordered a good amount of juice yesterday because of Gourmet Vapor's 50% off sale in 24mg strength(assuming 24mg will be fine for me), oops... but I did get a mix of 80/20 PG/VG on all the flavors. Is there a way to "cut" the juice that I already ordered down to a lower nic strength without ruining the flavor?

 

[mostlyclassics]

Definitely reduce the nicotine level by diluting with a weaker eliquid of the same flavor! You also get much more pseudo-smoke with a higher VG ratio.

But a big part of successful vaping is learning the technique. Really, the only thing vaping and cigarette smoking have in common is that they both involve nicotine delivery via your mouth and lungs. And vaping devices are not nearly as forgiving as just sticking a cigarette in your pie-hole and firing it up. For me, at first, it was like inhaling a porcupine before I got the technique down.

Take a long, slow draw of vapor into your mouth. Hold it there for two seconds (think to yourself, "one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand" to count off two seconds). Then inhale. Works for me, but your mileage may vary . . .

 

[x-smok3]

I see you are using the cartomizer which could be a source of irritation if they are burning. In other words if they are getting too dry. This will create a wicked nasty throat irritation and cause coughing every time (for me). Had one Boge 2.0 that was nasty right out of the package and I almost gave up on carts thinking they were all like that. Tried another and a whole different world.

 

[enVmyIX]

Definitely reduce the nicotine level by diluting with a weaker eliquid of the same flavor! You also get much more pseudo-smoke with a higher VG ratio.

Can I get a flavorless juice with a lower nic level to reduce the strength, I ordered like 9 different flavors lol, foolish i know...

 

[Boodle]

I had the same situation. I thought it was the nic so I lowered the level. The cough persisted. It wasn't like a smoker's cough, more like a tickle/choke cough if that makes sense. I finally realized it wasn't all the different juices or PG/VG mixes it's the filler in the cartomizers. They make me cough. I use them (very) occassionally when I can't drip. Dropping my nic level increased anxiety. I was vaping non-stop. I went back up to 18 and 24 with no coughing issues and drip with a LR 306 atomizer almost exclusively. I've bought various tank setups with no filler but haven't found one that doesn't leak yet. Good luck!

 

[helmar]

Like people said it could be the nicotine amount although I think personally that being a pack a day guy you should be able to handle it oh and don't burn the carto, trust me refill it more often then not, better safe then sorry, they like to be wet. Other thing I think might be the deal or at least something I personally noticed is I coughed alot first of when I started and yea I used 24 mg and I was a pack a day smoker. I remember when I was smoking often when I went into a water sauna, or well steam sauna I would start coughing like crazy and when I started vaping I got a similar cough going on but I quickly got used to it. So try and give it a day or two and see what happens.

 

[mostlyclassics]

x-smok3 could be right also. Nothing seems quite as acrid as what comes off a dry cartomizer!

Filling technique with cartomizers is important. Fill them until the filling looks "slushy." Then, and this is critical, give them a good time to sit before vaping. They need anywhere from ten minutes to a couple of hours for the eliquid to permeate the filling, depending on model of cartomizer and thickness of eliquid. Of course, this doesn't apply to the tank-type cartomizers: those you can pretty much vape right after filling.

 

[hairball]

When you inhale, take some vapor in your mouth, then open your mouth and inhale. See if that helps any.

 

[mostlyclassics]

Can I get a flavorless juice with a lower nic level to reduce the strength,

You could do that, but then you're diluting the flavor in addition to the nicotine.

I ordered like 9 different flavors lol, foolish i know...

With regard to ordering a bunch of different flavors, that's part of the great fun of vaping! I must have about 40 different flavors in my stash. Every time I order more eliquids, I'll get several of my favorites in big bottles, then I'll get some flavors new to me but in smaller bottles.

I've found it's a lot nicer to switch around among different flavors during the day. At this moment, I have Dekane 555 (a tobacco-like flavor), MadVapes root beer, MadVapes Key lime freeze, and Liberty Flights menthol going in four different 1100 mAh batteries plus echo-e carto setups. I also have somebody's (forgot whose) spearmint in another echo-e on a pass-through hooked up to my computer and Liberty Flights Turkish-plus-USA blend (another tobacco-like flavor) in a Reo Grande.

Next week, when I change cartos, the list could be completely different as I give some or all of those flavors a rest.

 

[WVvet]

Try the altered inhale technique first. Order a bottle of PG or VG to dilute your juices - you get a big bottle that will last ages for less than $10. Different flavors have different amount of TH though - check them before you dilute!

 

[enVmyIX]

Thanks for all the recommendations everyone, I will have to just try and remedy this with one suggestion at a time.
I know that the carto is not dry since I filled a few last night (holds 2ml). I will try a blend of pg/vg and i will try a lower nic level. Since my order has not shipped yet, i sent customer service a request for 18mg.

About the inhaling method, i've been doing it just as everyone is describing.

 

[XaviorPenguin]

The type of ecig I have, it is a cartomizer and battery, nothing else. What model and such, I couldn't tell you, I will have to look for it later. I can smoke that like an analog but I prefer not to. I do like the little bit of a throat hit I get with this ecig.
For me, I inhale as normal, taking just a little slower than normal drag, wait for a sec and then exhale. It seems to work for me.

 

[dormouse]

KR808D-1 is a a real 3.7v mini, and quite warm vape with some cartomizers like Vapor4Life WOW cartos - heat enhances TH

Vapor4Life juices and any 100% PG 24mg juices you elsewhere can pack quite a TH in a hot carto on a KR808D-1

Some flavors add an even sharper edge to the hit.

Try lower nicotine. You will not have a nic fit. You will be able to take bigger drags easier

and/or

Try 80PG/20Vg juices - I won't use any more VG in cartos (can bog down the drag and wicking) but that bit of VG will smooth the TH a bit and dull the irritating effect of nicotine a bit. WIll also dull the flavor a little bit but add thicker vapor.

and

Try other juices

Definitely drag into your mouth first, then inhale. Also cartos have the strongest hit a. when new and b. when the battery is freshly charged (all batteries are slightly higher voltage right off the charger)


Meanwhile - if your juice is 100% PG - go to Michael's crafts and get a bottle of Wilton Glycerin from the cake decorating stuff, or go to Walmart and get the Humco Glycerin near the rubbing alcohol (USP does not mean all-vegetable but Humco said theirs is all vegetable and people have used it for DIY juices). You can add a bit of that to your juice (I would not add more than to make it 10-20% of your juice - it will dilute the flavor and nicotine of your juice and make the vape smoother)

 

[LusciousPuffs]

You can cut your liquid strength with pure VG from any local pharmacy (look around the rubbing alcohol, etc..) about $4 for a failry large bottle. I also use my VG to flush out/clean my atties.

 

[poetofisis]

Hmm... I started vaping with 18 mg and I had a few coughing spells. However I bumped it up when I ordered the volt as I was vaping nigh constantly and my gf wasn't getting getting it enough to lay off the cigs and noticed only a slight difference in harshness. A couple things I find that help are keeping my throat moist (I know that sounds a lil perverted and drag until I feel my throat tickle (even dirtier lol) then I let a little out of my mouth (bloody hell its hard to type this with a straight face) then inhale n blow out the plume. Oh and on the vids seems like they just puff into the mouth and exhale so the camera picks it up better. *shrug* works for me bud.

Edit: this is off my manual. My auto drags just like a cig. Very impressive!

 

[bp400]

you are in hollywood...there is a vapemeet in laguna beach on saturday. Plenty of experts there can help you first hand, just an idea. Oh but thats if youre in california, haha sorry

 

[Luvmydogs]

Another thing to keep in mind-you are not actually inhaling smoke-you are inhaling vapor. Even though e-cigs are drying-the act of drawing more moisture into your lungs than you are used to may well be setting off the cough-kinda like stepping into a steamy shower. My mother was a respiratory therapist for 24 years, and stopped analogs 2 years ago by starting e-cigs, and her first reaction upon seeing it for the first time was 'Boy, is this going to make me cough-it is sort of like a mini-nebulizer treatment.' If this is the reason for coughing, it should wear off shortly as your lungs 'acclimatize'.