What a hassle!

[mouldylocks]

​Hi all,

I've been 'vaping' for 6 months, and prefer it to smoking cigarettes, however the hassle of doing it is driving me up the wall. I'd be interested in your comments on my list of gripes.
I'm embarrassed by the word 'vaping' - it sounds rather juvenile. Don't ask me for an alternative, I don't know.
All the websites and You Tube vids assume a level of knowledge I don't have, and are not new user friendly.
'vaping' seems to have been hi-jacked by the men, who seem to be talking to each other and showing off. Mods, Tanks, Rebuildables, Bottom coils, etc. etc. why can't plain terminology be used?
The suppliers are unusually incompetent, sending out the wrong things after a clear telephone discussion regarding what is needed.
The suppliers are unwilling to accept their goods are faulty, even when they know by their sales records, and the items are returned, that they are unfit for purpose.
All I want is a peaceful, quiet life, with the ability to enjoy smoking in a less harmful way. I don't expect the supplies to last longer than advertised, and I follow all instructions and guidance regarding proper usage and care. And yet - and yet - half the time I find myself out of commission and have to substitute cigs for vaping, which I don't enjoy.
Can anyone tell me how to achieve my goal!!??

 

[MalkinMania71]

Ginger Booth wrote a digital book for Amazon on vaping - E-Cigarettes 101: How to Start Vaping. Very basic low level stuff that may be helpful to you. It helped me because I was like you. I wanted basic info not mods, dripping and all that stuff.

 

[Susan~S]

Hello and welcome!

I'm sorry you are having such a difficult time. If you tell us what type of equipment you are using and what problems you are having we will be able to help you out.

 

[Dampmaskin]

Some of these terms are pretty straightforward. A tank is a container for e-liquid. A bottom coil is an atomizer where the coil is sitting at the bottom of the tank, as opposed to a top coil, which is a tank with the coil at the top.

The best most hassle free vape I have had so far, is from the Kanger Aerotank line. Yes, you have to charge your battery. Yes, you have to fill the tank with e-juice. Yes, you have to change out the disposable atomizer head every few days, or weeks. Other than that, it's just vaping. (These are bottom coil clearomizers, by the way. Or glassomizers if you will, since the tank is made from glass.)

As for the battery, there are several hassle free options, depending on your budget. How much are you ready to spend?

 

[xklipx]

Much like anything somewhat technical there will be a learning curve. Stay with it! My dad had lung and throat cancer and got lucky that he only had to have a tracheotomy. I'm having troubles too but I have to keep reminding myself that nothing is worse than cancer.

 

[Chris Leckness]

@mouldylocks There seems to be a lot of Elitism in certain vaping communities. I have left many Facebook groups I joined to learn because of all that. I show off my stuff via Facebook and Twitter to get conversation going, but i don't belittle people for using lesser devices.

I also agree that the majority of sites assume that you know more...

Until I moved up to higher dollar stuff, I was having issues with taste, rebuilding, etc... It gets better. I promise. Although, I started with higher end stuff, I now relax on the couch with a 800mah eGo style battery with an aerotank mini pretty often.

Good luck and like one of the senior members here said, ask questions.

 

[Robino1]

The learning curve can be confusing and treacherous with failures. Once you DO get your setup figured out, it does become smoother sailing.
The first thing you should have are a couple of backup devices for those times when things go a little south.
I'm not sure what you have available in the UK and others may chime in for something that is available to you there.
If at all possible, try to join a group that is close to you.

Post your problems here on this thread and there are MANY knowledgeable people that can guide you through almost any issue you are having.
Take a deep breath, you will get through this and look back on it as a huge learning experience. Then you will be in a better position to help others that are going through the same things you are going through now.

A lot of us have started out this way.

Good luck

 

[supafuzz]

In its current state, to me, vaping or the E-cig market is kind of in a "wild west" stage. There is a lot going on as far as equipment and new innovations and you could probably drive yourself crazy trying to keep up with it all. The fact is though right now, its easier to pick up a pack of smokes and a lighter and smoke cigarettes than it is to use an e-cig device. They are sold practically everywhere and they are very user friendly. You have to make a commitment of some sort to be inconvenienced to a certain extent to use an e-cig. Now what level of inconvenience that is will vary from person to person. For me personally, I have found a system that has kept me cigarette free for 6 weeks now.

For starters if you are trying to quit smoking, that has to be the ultimate motivator. If you really want to quit using an e-cig you will find a way. For me I started with an ego kit (EVOD-2). It was great, but then I had to deal with replaceable coils. Saving money for me was also a motivator so the thought of having to deal with trying to keep supplied in coils made me rethink. I was now having to run to the local B&M a couple times a week instead of the gas station 1/2 a mile from my house. Some research and experimentation and I found with a $4 bag of sterile cotton balls I could remove the wicks in a stock kanger dual coil and rewick with cotton and completely eliminate those trips and save that money. Eventually I damaged one of the coils while rewicking and again a little research and experimentation and a $5 100 ft roll of kanthal I found that I could rebuild the coils myself. Curiosity and the knowledge that I could rebuild the Kanger coils lead me to buy a Kayfun and to upgrade to a MVP2.

This is where my comfort level and level of commitment to stop smoking put me. I have since upgraded my EVOD2's to a couple of aerotanks (mega and mini) but I still rebuild the coils for them. The underlying theme though is to find your level of commitment to stop smoking and then don't worry about trying to keep up with everything else. If you are happy with an ego and an evod and you don't mind buying coils every few days then you don't need to fret about rebuilding or mech mods or dripping. If you feel you want to try rebuilding or rewicking coils, try it. There isnt a lot of damage you can do trying that out. Read, watch videos talk to other people, try to learn everything you can. It will seem overwhelming at first but as with anything it will eventually start making sense. For me it was when I actually started to get more hands on the equipment that the pieces to the puzzle started to line up.

Good luck on your journey

 

[realsis]

I understand it can be quite overwhelming in the beginning. However I found if you make a small effort to learn what the terms are, it's really quite simple and straight foward. If your interested, their is, on this forum, a glossary of terms that clearly explain what each term means. You might find it extremely helpful. Once you understand what is meant by the terms being used, I think you will find it quite simple. A example would be like a RBA , that's simply a rebuildable atomizer. It's not nearly as complicated as it seems. Remember we all started out not knowing what these terms mean, but with a little effort we came to know the tearms.their are not many alternative words used to describe the items. That's what they are called. It might be a great help to look over the glossery.don't let the terms discourage you. It's not nearly as complicated as you may think. I hope this helps a little and wish you the very best.

 

[mouldylocks]

Thanks all for your help and encouragement - I WILL keep going, but look forward to when its a mass market and any idiot can do it!

 

[Maverickdrinker]

I'm new to vaping as well and, for the most part, I see it as a new adventure/learning experience.

What I've enjoyed the most so far has been trying different eliquids and learning terminology. It's much like learning about wine, scotch, bourbon and cigars. Trying new flavours at different strength levels to get your own opinion of what you like/don't like.

I'm sure that taste will evolve over time and learning about RBAs and DIY juice making will be something to look forward to. For now, it's all about learning for me.

Best is to be patient, ask questions and enjoy the ride...

Hope this helps

 

[odoyal63]

My best recommendation is to find a local vape meet if possible. When I first started I used to go every month and I met so many nice down to earth people that were willing to sit with me and answer every question I could come up with. Also I was able to meet local suppliers who were more than happy to help me a long by trying different setups and juice until I was able to find my go to setup.

 

[Keeferes]

Perhaps this link could help you. I compiled alot of information in one place when I was starting out. It can be very frustrating and confusing at first, but before you know it all the terms and what not become old hat. Biggest thing I found when starting was there is so much information and so many device choices, it's hard to land on any one thing to be the "catch all" for everyone. I swore I'd never need high wattage and didn't think I would ever want to build coils or make my own juice. Here I am now 8 months later vaping at 15 watts or higher sometimes, building my own coils, even for tanks that you don't have to, and making some of my own juice. If you don't take anything else away take this. Progress as slow or fast as YOU are comfortable with. If you have a question, ask it. Just try to give as much detail about the problem as you can. Include what you want it to do that it is not as well as including what it is doing that you don't want it to.

 

[DPCardoza]

I tend to agree with the OP but like anything you just figure things out. The Internet is your friend. So are these forums. Every forum I belong to has some form of "xxxxx for noobies" thread. At first I felt like Marty McFly telling doc all he needs is 1.21 gigawatts to get back to the future. WHAT THE HELL IS A GIGAWATT!!!

 

[dice57]

I feel your pain mouldylocks, every single one of us have been exactly where you are at and felt exactly the same farking way. well in all honesty what you and all of us wanted is impossible to deliver. Heck vape has exploded and evolved so much just in the last year, it is totally astounding. New terms are being made up daily, and one must pay attention or be left behind in the vape.

All I can say is it gets better and easier the more you know. All the information needed is here in these pages. All at your finger tips. I can walk into any vape shop now and more than likely have more knowledge and skill than the owner or clerks. Just the nature of the Vape Beast.

The best and most trouble free vape is the hardest vape to acquire, mainly because it lies on the path of mods and re-buildable atomizers. Takes time, research, study, practice, time, and practice to become a knowledgeable and competent builder vaper. But once there, I can now build and wick a coil, then only have to fill it up every day, and that's it, usually get a month or two before having to do any maintenance. And that usually is just breaking down the atomizer, pulling and cleaning wick, dry burning coils then putting wick back in, assemble and fill, and good for another month or two.

Apologies, that can't be of any real help or sympathy. but stick around long enough and this too will pass, and you'll be the one saying, tough nuts buddy, welcome and start reading.

Vape long and Prosper.!!!!!

 

[Miata GT]

Because I guess i could be considered a hobbiest I trolled threads on ECF looking for any and all info I could find.

 

[CMD-Ky]

I think this is an excellent idea. Maybe I would have saved enough money using my "go it alone" trial and multiple errors to buy a Jaguar. Some one with experience can save you from a bunch of stuff collecting dust.

My best recommendation is to find a local vape meet if possible. When I first started I used to go every month and I met so many nice down to earth people that were willing to sit with me and answer every question I could come up with. Also I was able to meet local suppliers who were more than happy to help me a long by trying different setups and juice until I was able to find my go to setup.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

There's a lot to learn when you first start! I know it can seem overwhelming, especially if you aren't tech savvy to start with. There is also a feeling in certain forums and groups that tend to make newcomers feel unwelcome. I haven't seen it much here though, so I tend to stick to this forum. Just take your time, and you'll get the hang of it!

May I ask what kind of equipment you are using now? Once we know what level you're on, we can help you out with recommendations on vendors and other equipment. There are a lot of vendors looking to cash in on a growing industry, but there are plenty who honestly want to help others. Some may cater to the more advanced vapers out there, and some may cater to beginners and mid level.

 

[dice57]

... At first I felt like Marty McFly telling doc all he needs is 1.21 gigawatts to get back to the future. WHAT THE HELL IS A GIGAWATT!!!

well, let see, um now by my calculations, if I was pushing an 0.02 ohm build a 6 volts that would be, hmm, 1.8 gigawatts, so at so dial it down to just under 5 and would be at around one gigawatt, a tad more.

no my bad, that's only a kilowatt, need to crank it up some more, hmmm, one, kilo, mega, giga ohh a billion watts, need more juice,hmm, crap, need over 4400 volts, um yeah, frak over 222,000 amps, yeah, ain't happening in my lifetime.

 

[patkin]

I can't disagree with any of the points you've made. I consider myself fortunate to have started vaping a couple of years ago for mainly two reasons: Basic stuff was discussed much, much, more than it is now. #2 ECF had a different search engine than it does now which was of enormous help to me.

You've been given good advice and all I can add is to use the Google search engine with your query preceded by the key word "ECF" and google will search for your string of words. I use that now with good results saving time and reading extraneous stuff. Also, there used to be a gal on youtube (she doesn't do videos anymore) named "steeljan" and I found her videos most helpful in the beginning. She's left most of them up so you might want to check those out. In fact, not to sound sexist, there are a lot of female youtube vaping educators/reviewers. It is true that males and females tend to have different approaches and I find the female ones most helpful to me. If you want the names of more of them or links to those I subscribe to PM me.