Vaping stories from the good old days

[Ed Brown]

I stopped in my regular vape shop on Thursday to see what's up. There was a picture up on the wall with a group of people posing with their vapes. I recognized that one person in the photo was actually in the shop. So naturally I had to ask him about it. The photo was from 2015 and they had cloud competitions at that place back then. He liked that I was toking on an RDA on a mech mod, so we had a pretty interesting conversation. Unfortunately I didn't enter the vaping scene until about 2018-2019 and missed out on the good times. I would love to have a social outlet about vaping. Fortunately the ECF is that social outlet for me.

I'm sure that some of the old timers on this forum may have some interesting stories from the good old days of vaping.

Anyone?

 

[DPLongo22]

This could end up being quite fun. Thanks, @Ed Brown !

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[Katdarling]

I'll make the

 

[Coyote628]

Why, back in the "good ol days", we just got a bunch of rocks hot by a fire and spit tobacco juice on the rocks. Then we would inhale the vapors produced.

 

[ppeeble]

The excitement of a variable voltage eGo spinner battery becoming available -'you turn this knob and the voltage CHANGES' ... The unbelievable exhilaration of purchasing a mod with a screen and buttons. No matter the screen was the size of a corn kernel and the buttons had extra built-in rattle... The world-shattering and pant-wetting excitement of a device that automatically converted the power output reading to WATTS (sometimes 15 of them) - 'look at me and weep you voltage primitives using your stone-age circuitry'...
The 'cotton as a wick, what sort of heresy are you talking you dolt. Silica wick will always be the king of flavour' debates (to be honest, not that many debates)...
All these things that made the journey the roller-coaster ride that we all knew and loved. Probably.

 

[Territoo]

I'll start. 2009. After fumbling around with cigalikes and pen vapes with their promises of cartridges that would equal a pack of cigarettes but in reality only lasted an hour, I got a Puresmoker Prodigy, but was still messing around with cartridges, trying to find the best way to refill them and get the the most out of them. Using tips from ELR, I tried the coffee stirrer method, the Lipton teabag method, the blue fish aquarium filter method, but in reality cartridges sucked. I also was tired of constantly having to recharge batteries, so got a Puresmoker pass-through. I finally gave up on the cartridges for dripping straight into my 510 atomizers, which were disposable. Without the cartridges, puffing directly on the atomizer, aka stovepiping. Thar is, until some genius person invented a drip tip, a mouth piece to go on the atomizer which you can drop through. I started out on 24mg/ml and with each order of nicotine I made, I lowered the nicotine content until I was finally at 0mg/ml. At that point, I just lost interest in my vape, so I quit vaping without even trying. I was vape free for a couple of years, until a fateful day when paying for my gas at a truck stop, I noticed a colorful display of 0mg/ml disposable vapes. On a whim I bought one and didn't figure on enjoying it as much as I did. Later that night, I went to a gas station to see if I could buy another, but all they had were the cigalike kits, so I bought one. The next day, after work, I was in a vape shop and purchase an eGo. I messed with the egos for a couple of years, before I decided I wanted more vape, and ordered a small (I forget the name) mod with my first subohm tank. This does me for a while, but then I want more. I order a Smok Mag 200w, and I also remember ELR as the place for the best advice. I wish I had remembered that before I bought the Smok. By this time, I'm DIY my own juice, but with single flavors, no recipes. Once on ELR, I learn of the (then) upcoming Deeming, the need to start stocking up, and I basically catch shinyitis, although I have been able to avoid going for the newest and.brightest shinies. My credit card wouldn't allow that. I've tried my hand at mixing a few recipes. I'm stocked up for the Vapocalypse and have nicotine supplies that should outlast me. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[rosesense]

I think the first squonk type device. I can't remember what it was called, made from a plastic case, everything glued with superglue. It fell apart in like 3 seconds and that was after a wait list to get it that took weeks. I remember it cost 35.00. Put me off on squonkers for life, I think.

ETA: it was called the Mr Puffer, anyone remember it?

 

[ArdentHope]

I think the first squonk type device. I can't remember what it was called, made from a plastic case, everything glued with superglue. It fell apart in like 3 seconds and that was after a wait list to get it that took weeks. I remember it cost 35.00. Put me off on squonkers for life, I think.

ETA: it was called the Mr Puffer, anyone remember it?

OMG yes! I remember! As I recall, most who purchased were quite disappointed and were trying to get their money back. It was scandalous.

 

[rosesense]

OMG yes! I remember! As I recall, most who purchased were quite disappointed and were trying to get their money back. It was scandalous.

I was one of the lucky ones and got my money back.

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

Mr Puffer was before my time and even if I was a full-fledged vaper back then I would never have bought a box mod let alone a squonker. I fought the box mod really hard, I only wanted small stuff like a ciglaike and it had to be auto draw. I even fought the ego battery because it was huge to me. But when VV egos came out, I made the switch completely and never looked back.

Here's the Mr Puffer...

 

[englishmick]

I kept a daily diary when I quit smoking. Just took a look at the first entries. I had a couple of Pro Tanks and Spinners at the time. Found this entry from a few weeks in.

- Ordered 3 more Pro Tanks and two Spinners. Now I won't have to buy gear any more my only expense will be juice and burners.

Didn't quite work out that way.

For some reason I called my setups smokers, burners was my name for coil heads.

Before that I used cigalikes for several years. They were called E-Light Elite, made in Chicago. They came in 3 parts, battery, coil, and juice holder. Nobody told me the coil section had to be replaced regularly so I used them forever. Just bought new juice sections. Then they changed the design so the coil and juice came together in one part so my coil got changed when the juice ran out. That was much better.

Always kicked myself for not keeping one of those E-Lights, just to hang on the wall or something. They got me started.

 

[rosesense]

Mr Puffer was before my time and even if I was a full-fledged vaper back then I would never have bought a box mod let alone a squonker. I fought the box mod really hard, I only wanted small stuff like a ciglaike and it had to be auto draw. I even fought the ego battery because it was huge to me. But when VV egos came out, I made the switch completely and never looked back.

Here's the Mr Puffer...

Oh, the memories. I think that is the only mod I ever hated. It came apart at the seams, was just junk.

 

[Technonut]

Speaking of early squonkers, anyone remember 'Missy's Wet Box' ? Lol!
IIRC, it came out not long after I joined in 2010...

EDIT: A quick bit of Google-Fu found this review thread:

Missy's Wetbox

 

[rosesense]

Speaking of early squonkers, anyone remember 'Missy's Wet Box' ? Lol!
IIRC, it came out not long after I joined in 2010...

EDIT: A quick bit of Google-Fu found this review thread:

Missy's Wetbox

I remember it but never owned one. $50.00 back in the day.

 

[rosesense]

Remember those wars to get drip tips and tanks? We paid as much as $65.00 for just one.

 

[Koolkiz]

I started out with a ego kit back in 2010. It seemed like I was chasing the perfect vape for many years. I settled for mostly Aspire Nautilus stuff after 2014. I did waste a ton of money chasing the perfect vape up until a few years ago. I always thought something was "better". It never was. For mouth to lung its about rinse and repeat (my viewpoint). I do feel like I always need to buy something but deeming has curbed my appetite for wasting money.

 

[rosesense]

I loved the Ego and still like them, actually.

 

[Northernshrink]

I remember my first big mod after the cigalikes and battery’s the Buzz Pro with the carto tank. You had to punch a hole in the carto it’s no wonder I kept going back to stinkies. It seemed like everything leaked back then never left home without a wad of Kleenex

 

[Technonut]

I started out with a ego kit back in 2010. It seemed like I was chasing the perfect vape for many years. I settled for mostly Aspire Nautilus stuff after 2014. I did waste a ton of money chasing the perfect vape up until a few years ago. I always thought something was "better". It never was. For mouth to lung its about rinse and repeat (my viewpoint). I do feel like I always need to buy something but deeming has curbed my appetite for wasting money.

Never considered any vaping expenditures "wasting money" since converting from cigs / cigars in 2010, no matter the purchase, if within the monthly costs of combustible tobacco spent prior to vaping.

To this day, close to 12 years later, I still budget the same monthly amount of $$ spent on tobacco in 2010 towards vape gear. I rarely spend the full amount of said budget these days, and transfer it to other living expenses. I never kid myself into believing that if I were to stop vaping today, that within a short period, I wouldn't be right back at my local smoke shop buying cigs / cigars at even a higher cost than close to 12 years ago, because I know I would be.

The loads of vape gear accumulated which I haven't sold or moved on in some way certainly beats the pile of burnt ashes / butts I would have had otherwise IMHO...

 

[tj99959]

Ya, I still remember the day that I discovered the only vape shop in the state of Utah at the time (Electronicstix), and stood in line to be waited on. I bought an eGo that day, and they even had those magical little things called "drip tips". That marked the day that I smoked my last cigarette. (couldn't let it go to waste)

The fun we had standing in those lines, the conversations we had, and seeing people trying out all the new stuff. They even had Silver Bullets!! But they were "expensive". (or so I thought) Now I have three of them.

Times have changed over the years. Vape shops started opening up on every corner, and the waiting inline was gone. Vaping became commonplace. And, as a result, I haven't set foot in a vape shop for over 5-6 years. I don't need them anymore. I just sit at home and make anything I need instead. I already have a lifetime supply of mods & RDA's.

I can't even imagine a world cluttered with disposed of Pods & stuff. Ya can't "field strip" a Pod!!!!!
My total donation to the land fill (dump) is nothing more than a couple of inches of wick & wire/month.
I never liked seeing cigarettes crushed out on the sidewalk, and I would HATE seeing e-cigs laying around everywhere!