Very new and wanting to quit.

[Honigschmidt]

Hi all, and thank you,

To start off: I am sure you guys get these kind of first posts all the time and I apologize if this has all been said before.

I just turned 40 and have been smoking since my early teens. I've been smoking for well over half my life.

My wife and I just had our 15 year anniversary (October 31st) and she took a few pictures of me. It was a happy moment for both of us, but when I looked at the picture I could see my Very dark brown teeth and stained fingers. Makes me wonder how my wife could ever kiss me with a mouth like that.

I tried quitting around 10 years ago and never wanted to try it again. The withdrawals were too much for me to handle at the time and after a few months of the cravings not ending... I gave up.

I'm getting to an age were the smoking is hitting me physically, emotionally, ascetically, and spiritually. I really need to quit before I fall apart at the seams.

I ran into a lady at a Walmart who was smoking her E-cig in the parking lot and she was kind enough to fill me in on how much it has helped her. I gather she smoked a pack and a half a day, but is now down to a cigarette every two weeks.

I have been smoking non filtered cigarettes for a long long time. A pack will last me 2 and a half days, but it is very constant. Usually broken in half and smoked every hour and half or so. (I think I learned this in High-school were I needed as much nicotine as possible before the next classes.

I would love some advice of what kind of E-cig to get. I've been reading a lot on these forums and never imagined there were so many options. I was hoping someone who also needed that very harsh feeling a non filtered can give you would know where I should start.

Thank you again all.

 

[CaptainMauzer]

You really cant go wrong with a "fat" battery (google Joyetech Ego and you will get what im talking about) They are small, dependable and last pretty much all day. However...since you are one of those crazy people that smoke unfiltered (i could not imagine ever getting used to that xD) you will probably want better throat hit. So maybe after a while look into getting a mod of some sort (would not really recommend getting a mod till your familiar with a normal e-cig). Also, i would recommend starting with a higher level nicotine juice (18 or 24mg/ml) this will help stave off most of the withdrawal symptoms, and after a while you can easily drop down to lower levels if you choose.

Edit* also...never ever ever ever ever get an automatic battery, get a manual one (it has a button you have to press). The button will kind of be a weird thing to get used to...but trust me, you will be happier with it in the end when you are not frying the automatic batteries because a drop of juice got into it.

 

[Beans]

Welcome Honig, and congrats on your decision to give e cigs a try. I was right where your at not too long ago, hitting 40 and desperate to stop smoking. I know you can do this. Here are a few tips that I hope will help you.

Don't approach this as a quit, for a lot of people planing a quit stirs up too much anxiety and stress. Try first to look at it as if your changing brands. Stressing yourself out will never work, be kind and if you feel the need to smoke, do it. The quit will happen on your time line, no one elses.

As for kits, I'm a huge fan of the eGo, the price is right, it's easy to use and works great. I know you'll get many different PV advice....The eGo worked great for me. Good luck and keep asking questions. Were happy to help.

 

[dormouse]

Welcome!!

So you need something strong. The strongest and simplest slim mini (9.2mm diameter) would be something like SmokelessImage or Vapor4Life (they can use each others cartomizers) and for the best hit I recommend manuals which are what most people here use and recommend. manuals make it easier to get a good hit and are harder to damage or kill with juice leaks. You keep the cartomizer damp with eliquid so it doesn't singe and you can get 4-7 days use out of each cartomizer. I recommend PG juices with 10-20% VG (they use 80PG/20VG). The SmokelessImage models is rubberized with a bit longer charge and a more sealed end on the manuals but a fairly short 5 second cutoff. If you are a hard dragger instead consider the Vapor4Life.com manual model (same threading) which allows longer drags (10-13 second cutoff vs 5 second, since with manuals we press the button in 1-2 seconds early to have vapor ready when you start your drag). They can use each others cartomizers. I recommend the standard aka 78mm battery size for a 120mm ecig (has longer charge than the short size)

Or you could skip right to the big battery units for more battery charge and the option of greater heat with low resistance parts. These would be a bit more complex, using blank cartomizers like Boge and others. For this consider the Joye Ego and Riva 510 models at Liberty-Flight.com (first press 20% off upper left front page then shop at the lowered prices). The Riva 510s at this shop are 3.7v (hotter) and for Riva 510 consider the SE kit that says it has 3-click disable for safer pocketing.

 

[Della Cirque]

I'm a wuss and like just a little throat hit...nothing like an unfiltered cig. So I will let some of the others send advice your way.
I just wanted to say welcome and congratulations on your first step of putting down the cancer sticks!

 

[mynameisrob]

Check out the E-Power 14650. Its a eGo type mod but is very affordable and isnt a huge jump. I think its a really good PV to start with. Everything is replacable on the EPower and can be bought seperately so its very cost efficient. It is similar to an eGo but uses non-proprietary batteries instead. EPower batteries cost $4 bucks compared to eGos that cost $14-20, and the EPower batts last much longer before they need to be replaced. I get at least a full day out of a battery, if not a day and a half, and you get 2 in the kit so your set.

Ifyou are maybe considering the E-Power, read this: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/standard-e-cigarette-reviews/233335-anyone-considering-buying-e-power-14650-read.html

It will give you some info why the E-Power maybe is a better choice for you than the eGo. (Both are great PV's tho)
It will also tell you where you should buy it, CCV (Crystal Clear Vaping).
Youll get a FREE 5-pack of "Ressurector" Cartomizers, which are AWESOME and will allow you to try cartos for free
Youll also get a FREE 30ml bottle of juice of your choice.
And to top it off you get FREE shipping and if you put in "ecf5off" youll get 5% off the order. Its not a bad deal at all.

 

[CorTed]

Honig, welcome to ECF This is the place to come if you want the e-cig to succeed.
Listen to Beans. Take your time, and consider this a change of brands. I was a smoker for over 30 years and have tried so many times to quit. Now that I am on the e-cig I have not smoked a single Marlboro for a month now and its almost as if I feel I did not quit, the e-cig makes it that easy (at least for me)

I use an eGo-T unit with a couple of extra batteries and loving life.....
Get yourself some 24mg Tabacco juice to go with it and you will be on your way.

Good luck

 

[Trilly]

Welcome and congrats on making that first step. The peeps on here offer great advice (I myself was a light to medium smoker so afraid I wouldn't know what is best)

As many say, don't think of it as quiting, think of it as a change for the better and go with a high nic level to stave off the cravings.

 

[HeadLikeOrange]

There is a lot of information at first and it is very confusing. I will just tell you that most people on this forum got serious with vaping by using an eGo kit, and I've never heard a bad word said about the eGo. It is, by far, the most popular model going right now, especially for beginners.

Liberty Flights -- E-Liquid and Electronic Cigarette Shop - Category Listings -- sells a kit called the "Riva 510" (Dormouse mentioned this already). The Riva is an eGo clone, completely compatible (any part that will fit and eGo will fit a Riva) but delivers a slightly hotter hit and is a bit less expensive. I have both and recommend the Riva. IF you buy from Liberty Flights, be sure to click their "20% off" button in the upper-left.

In addition to the Riva starter kit, you will need some juice. I recommend about 40 ML to start, and get lots of 5 ML bottles of different flavors. 24MG nicotine level is probably good for you. Juices are based in either PG (propylene glycol) or VG (vegetable glycerin), or a mix of the two. Don't worry too much about this just yet, but most people wind up using 80+% PG with a little VG thrown in. A few people have reactions to PG and have to use VG, but this is pretty rare. PG is easier to work with in most cases.

 

[Stef64]

Welcome to ECF. For a first time vaper I would recommend you look at the KR808D-1 models if you want something in a cigarette size. If you don't mind something a little larger (cigar thickness) look at the eGo or similar fat-battery PV's (Riva, KGo, ePower). IMO the fat batteries are a lot better because they give you signifacantly more time between charges and also allow you to use low resistance atomizers and cartomizers. Since throat hit is important to you, I would recommend you go for a 3.7V device or better (KR808, Riva, KGo, ePower). The eGo battery will only deliver 3.2-3.4 volts resulting in a cooler vape and less throat hit. A fat battery combines with a low resistance atomizer/cartomizer will deliver the most amount of vapor and throat hit. After you decide on the PV to use, make sure you get several different types of juices to try. Most people try several brands before finding the juice that works for them.

Good luck on your new journey.

 

[brianishiwa]

I feel like for all the replies I've ever given on this forum, this is thus far the most passionate I'm going to be for one. Honigschmidt, I know where you're coming from. I'm glad you're here now.

I, too, was not a "heavy" smoker per se, but the alarming regularity of when I needed to smoke became a problem. It was wake up, smoke, brush teeth before preparing breakfast for my daughter & taking her to school, smoke, shower & brush teeth again before kissing wife goodbye, smoke, brush teeth before clocking in to work, eat lunch, smoke, brush teeth before clocking back in, clock out, smoke, drive home with windows open to hopefully 'air out' enough before I see my family, eat dinner, smoke, brush teeth before I kiss my daughter good night. Terrible.

People used to always say, "You smoked less than half a pack a day, you're not that addicted!" You & I both know that it isn't how much we smoked, but it's the fact that it was that large a part of our day that that's the addiction. I'm in the private sector (read: terrible, cheap privately paid insurance) so it had been a while since I saw a dentist. When my wife finally found a job that offered family health coverage, I saw a dentist & that was the final straw. Despite pessimistically buying a pack of cigarettes the day I bought my first e-cig, I never ended up opening it. Vaping has been nothing but a blessing.

That doesn't mean to say it was a perfect experience from the get-go. I purchased an nJoy nPro (think cheap, mass-market generic e-cig), which gave me my nicotine fix & despite the bad things most people will say about it, it was responsible for validating to me that I could use e-cigs to get me off cigarettes. It was extremely lacking though in the other things I enjoyed about smoking, most notably "throat hit" & the general "feel" of the "hit" that a cigarette provides. I found this forum & its wealth of knowledge. It is extremely overwhelming once you realize the literally thousands of options out there, and the fact that you are looking for members who "needed that very harsh feeling" tells me we are on the same page. I hope I can offer some insight after what I went through.

In search of the perfect substitute for the throat hit & vapor warmth I wanted, I started off with a Riva 510 SE from Liberty Flights. It came with everything I needed to get started, but I also bought cartomizers after reading how much better they are than what came with the Riva (cartridges which plug into a seperate atomizer). Cartomizers themselves can make your head spin because of how many different ones there are, but I went with the Boge LR (low-resistance 2.0ohms). This combo worked out well. It was miles better than the nJoy, with amazing vapor production & a noticeable increase in throat hit & warmth. It still wasn't perfect though. I then bought Smok dual-coil 1.5ohm cartomizers, which garnered positive reviews as well. They held more juice and offered a very small but still tangible increase. This ended up being my regular "good enough" setup for a while. Until...

I decided to buy a 6v setup to see if I could find that perfect "hit" for me. In my opinion, this is it. A 6 volt setup coupled with a 1.5ohm dual-coil cartomizer gives me insane warmth of vapor, an extremely strong throat hit, and is exactly what I was looking for. This is not hyberbole. A lot of people will say this is too "hot" for them or that it tastes "burnt", but this has just as much to do with how well you maintain the setup, i.e.-your cartomizer must stay moist with juice, and the juice is just as important because some simply taste terrible being vaped at this high a wattage. All I know is I wanted strong cigarette-like hits and this is the business.

This is my setup: Prodigy 3.1 Full-kit with 510 threading, Smok Dual-coil 1.5ohm cartomizers, and these spare batteries. There are more affordable options as well, namely the $45 Maxi Roughstack V2 or the $25 Shine Mod. I'd bet that if you enjoy that "harsh" draw like I do, you'd really like this setup. You could try lesser volts with the more common "fat batts" like the eGo/Riva/kGo/etc. batteries or get a variable voltage mod, but after doing all that myself this is where I found vaping bliss. With the Prodigy or the other mods I mentioned, you could even drop down to 3.7v or 5v with different batteries.

And even if that feels overwhelming, get the kGo or the Riva to start off with; the starter kits are pretty much plug-and-play & will be a nice intro to vaping.

Now juice, that's a whole 'nother adventure. I'm sure I've bored everyone enough already, but do yourself a favor & buy a lot of sample sizes to find what you like. The worst thing is buying a large bottle of juice that makes you want to vomit (I'm looking at you 30ml bottle of soap-tasting nic juice). Get juices that have 80% PG or so, as I find that too much VG reduces throat kick for me. Start at around 18mg of nicotine, & see if that's enough to curb your cravings.

Phew. That was a diatribe. Sorry folks.

And Honigschmidt, good luck. I look forward to reading about your experiences.

 

[Honigschmidt]

Wow. I went to take a bath before work, and I come back to so many well worded replies. I was not expecting this.


Thank you all very much for the welcome and the insight. Today is my day to make that choice and get started on the E-cig. It sounds pathetic, but it almost feels like I am losing a long time friend with the real cigs. My life has been scheduled so much around my smoking, it's hard to even imagine changing that up... but I bet ya that sounds familiar already for a lot of people here.

I put all the responses so far on a sticky notepad on my computer. You all have been so nice so far... thank you again. I'll repost with what I got.

Thanks again for the great insight all.

 

[jj2]

Welcome!!

So you need something strong. The strongest and simplest slim mini (9.2mm diameter) would be something like SmokelessImage or Vapor4Life (they can use each others cartomizers) and for the best hit I recommend manuals which are what most people here use and recommend. manuals make it easier to get a good hit and are harder to damage or kill with juice leaks. You keep the cartomizer damp with eliquid so it doesn't singe and you can get 4-7 days use out of each cartomizer. I recommend PG juices with 10-20% VG (they use 80PG/20VG). The SmokelessImage models is rubberized with a bit longer charge and a more sealed end on the manuals but a fairly short 5 second cutoff. If you are a hard dragger instead consider the Vapor4Life.com manual model (same threading) which allows longer drags (10-13 second cutoff vs 5 second, since with manuals we press the button in 1-2 seconds early to have vapor ready when you start your drag). They can use each others cartomizers. I recommend the standard aka 78mm battery size for a 120mm ecig (has longer charge than the short size)

Or you could skip right to the big battery units for more battery charge and the option of greater heat with low resistance parts. These would be a bit more complex, using blank cartomizers like Boge and others. For this consider the Joye Ego and Riva 510 models at Liberty-Flight.com (first press 20% off upper left front page then shop at the lowered prices). The Riva 510s at this shop are 3.7v (hotter) and for Riva 510 consider the SE kit that says it has 3-click disable for safer pocketing.

Dormouse is becoming our resident authority. No guarantees since we all like different things, but this is good advice.
And welcome to the forum.


Dormouse congrats on becoming a Vet---the title looks good on you!

 

[cobaltblue]

You aren't losing an old friend though...you're gaining a new one that tastes better. You've been given great advice. Enjoy the journey!

 

[JDidGirl]

All I can say (I'm new to this too... only been vaping for about 2 1/2 weeks now) is... good luck. It is a long tough road, but using an electronic cigarette is a blessing to have and makes cutting back & then quitting or quitting completely so much easier. Don't get me wrong... it's not the same as smoking, but it really is the closest you can get without actually lighting up. I was a pack a day... now down to 2 cigarettes a day and working toward it being zero. You just got to use the e-cig when you get a bad craving to help curb it and you will begin to see that it becomes easier and easier. You can do this.

 

[VapingRulz]

It sounds pathetic, but it almost feels like I am losing a long time friend with the real cigs. My life has been scheduled so much around my smoking, it's hard to even imagine changing that up... but I bet ya that sounds familiar already for a lot of people here.

I remember that feeling - I got it every single time I tried to quit. Until the ecig, that is. You're really going to be surprised when you start vaping because you'll still have your friend but s/he will be in disguise!

Also, you smoke like I used to and I'll second the recommendations of Brian: get a higher voltage ecig. Anything 3.7 or higher. Stay away from the Ego because it's only 3.2v. It may work ok for you but a higher voltage ecig will mimic the harsh throat hit better. Try a Riva or EPower or something like that. Good luck!

 

[Honigschmidt]

Thank you again all for the great words of encouragement and insight. I really had no idea about electronic cigarettes until I met that lady in the WalMart parking lot... but I am even more so surprised on how involved all of you are. Especially for people just starting out.

I ended up getting the Riva UNC to dive headfirst into it. Also got a few assortments of tobacco, cofee, and chocolate flavored E-Liquids. A lil over $42.00 at checkout.

What I really wanted was the one Brian mentioned Prodigy 3.1 Full-kit as it seems up to my habits of inhaling, but I'll have to work up to that. The price was a little high for me to do at the moment. A lil over 100.00 at checkout.

Can't wait to try it out.

 

[swedishfish]

Congrats! They ship quickly.

I'd recommend getting some cartomizers. Boge 2.0 is a good cartomizer to start with. They hold more juice and are easier to fill than the carts that come with your pv.

You can pick them up at Good Prophets (discount code TVCFriend for 5% off) or at Joogler (discount code ECF5OFF for $5.00 off your first order) you get a free bottle of juice with your order.

If you aren't crazy about the juice you ordered there are tons of great juice vendors out there. For tobacco juices, Vapor Station has great tobacco juice. Backwoods Brew does too but he's closed at the moment.

Good luck!

 

[brianishiwa]

Thank you again all for the great words of encouragement and insight. I really had no idea about electronic cigarettes until I met that lady in the WalMart parking lot... but I am even more so surprised on how involved all of you are. Especially for people just starting out.

I ended up getting the Riva UNC to dive headfirst into it. Also got a few assortments of tobacco, cofee, and chocolate flavored E-Liquids. A lil over $42.00 at checkout.

What I really wanted was the one Brian mentioned Prodigy 3.1 Full-kit as it seems up to my habits of inhaling, but I'll have to work up to that. The price was a little high for me to do at the moment. A lil over 100.00 at checkout.

Can't wait to try it out.

Great kit to start out with. Huge battery, nice high starting voltage (4.2v), which usually levels off to 3.7v for a good amount of time.

I know cost is an issue, but if you could spring ~$25 more for these, you'd love your setup. I know it's information overload & everyone is pinching pennies these days, but the cartridge system the UNC comes with isn't the best. Also, the atomizers are 2.2ohm, which will be a little (probably a lot) "cooler" of a vape, which I think you'll notice especially considering it sounds like we both like that harshness associated with burning leaves.

To save you from further searching, the cartridge system is prone to leaking & the stock polyfill they come stuffed with isn't the best at wicking your juice to the atomizer, resulting in less than optimal hits. There are a lot of "mods" you can do to them (blue foam, which wicks better than the polyfill. PTB mod, or pyramid tea bag mod which accomplishes the same, straw mod which allows a pocket of air above the fill to hopefully increase juice flow) but I think your time & money is better spent on getting into cartomizers. No frustration & they work amazing.

Otherwise, report back on your experience with the cartridges & we'll be sure to help get the best out of whatever you decide!

 

[mynameisrob]

I COMPLETELY agree with brianishiwa, you really should get a pack of the "Ressurector" Cartomizers. They are the ones that you get for free that I talked about earlier when I recommended the E-Power. They are awesome and will really make your Riva sweet. They hold 2ml of juice so you are good for awhile before you need to refill. Youll get a free syringe also with any carto purchase from CCV so they are a breeze to fill. If you buy a 15 pack you get a free syringe and a free drip tip too