What got you started vaping?

[DigiTechDude]

I'm curious as to how people here got started. How you learned about vaping, what got you interested. What got you guys started vaping? Did you read about it? See someone else vaping? Something else?

For me, several years ago when I was still in school I was outside smoking and a friend of a friend came out, vaping an auto battery cig style carto jobbie. I was intrigued. He explained briefly how it worked, and said it was a healthier alternative to smoking since there was nothing burning. I took a couple drags on it and was pleasantly surprised. This planted the seed for me, as I had never heard of them previously. Within a year I got a similar cheapy auto batt cig style setup and used it off and on for a while. It wasn't very satisfying but I took it as a proof of concept and figured there must be something better. Eventually I got a Silver Bullet and used it more, then recently learned about carto tanks and that was what did it for me. The large tank setup with a big battery made vaping simple and hassle free and I've completely given up cigarettes.

 

[Xaria]

Saw them in my local cigarette shop. They was way overpriced, and I just knew I could find them on the internet cheaper. Well, not only was they cheaper, there were much better devices. I lurked around ECF for information for about a month, then took the plunge.

 

[Tersur]

Trying cotton candy flavor off a mall type vendor drew me in. Baught his crappy kit. Quickly upgraded.

 

[leftfeild]

My partner switched to vaping after a campus smoking ban about a year ago, and introduced me to them. I got one a month later and here I am c:

 

[jamesthompson]

A few years ago I was at a poker game with a friend. She said she was at the mall and they had these electronic cigarette kits and talked about how great it would be to be able to smoke and play poker at the same time just like the good ol days. I broke out my smart phone on the spot. (Wow it was a first generation android)... Then ran into this forum. Started reading found out exactly what I needed and placed an order at ones of this forums vendors.

Fast-forward to today I am no a supplier here! I sell ecig supplies on the national level and promote smoking electronic cigarettes everywhere I go. I always respect business owners and rules at home games which the largest one decided to not let me vape for some reason... Not a smoker in that room no one that understands the need for a nic fix! LOL.

Vaping is the second best thing that ever happened to me. When my daughter told me I no longer smell like smoke and said she wanted to hug me again. That had to be the moment that sealed the deal for me. I have been happily vaping now for a very long time.

 

[mekakeisei]

Well I, like most people, needed a alternative. I was tired and frustrated about waking up every morning not being able to breathe, probably didn't help I was a clove smoker (man those things are brutal!) was trying the gums and the mints but they weren't helping at all, sometimes it seemed like they made the cravings worse and I'd usually end up smoking right after. A friend of mine had gotten a hold of a blu and of course the techy in me was instantly in love with it, but the thoughts and ideas that came flooding into the steampunkian side is what really pushed me over the edge and I knew I had to have one. Like most I did some research and browsed and read and hunted, and finally ended up with one that was great for a couple of weeks but quickly slid into nothing but a $50 headache. That's what got me to this forum, ran into so many helpful people and a few of them got me on the right track with a ego kit and some juice. It would have been so easy to just to give up and go back to cigs but I'm so glad I didn't.

 

[Dieseler]

Saw an electronic device at a 7-11 and it perked my curiousity but i did not buy it.
Went home got online and bought a device that looked like an analog the one that glows red some glow blue on the ends.
Well i noticed my urge went away that day as i was feeding my brain receptors the needed nicotine.
Mind you those receptors work hard cause i "was" a pack a day fanboy for a whole lot of years it was the thing back in the day orry to say it was just normal to smoke .

Anyways i liked that feeling no analogs at first but the doggone batteries kept dying on me and the wifey yes i got her into it with me as well even though she enjoyed the analogs i was fed up with them though and nothing worked for me.

Long story short i looked for something with a longer battery life and quickly bought an ego set up for the Misses and i and never looked back.
Since moved on to a mod and the Misses that stubborn ole gal loves her Ego still but now uses the "c" type ego.
I still use that trusty ego each day though when im out and about .

Digi glad to hear you completely given up the analogs its a fight and were some of the many wearing championship belts.

 

[Nodnerb]

Saw someone else post about it on another non-vape related forum. Since I smoked a pack of captain black cigars a day and inhale I know my health is bad. Smoked about 20 years on and off, 90% on. I figured, what have I got to lose. It's been a few weeks since my last cigar. Problem is I vape steady now. lol But I like vaping and it's certainly better than inhaling cigar smoke.

 

[redgirl]

I was listening to Elliott in the Morning, a Washington D.C. based morning radio show, and they had a local vendor on and they were trying different flavors on the air.

 

[BloodWolf]

Really wanted to stop smoking,had just really had enough of it all. But I knew quitting would be very difficult if not impossible... as I had tried so many times before. Knew about ecigs through the TV commercial and thought it was brilliant, but had serious doubts it would work for me. Early November I got online and researched which one was best. Bought a Bloog starter kit and that night registered on this site. The information and the people on this site have been far beyond helpful in my journey to stay cigarette free. It is a debt I can never repay,I can only try to pay it forward and educate other smokers about vaping.

 

[Dougiestyle]

The ability to get my nic fix anywhere, regardless of smoking bans. The sensation and action of smoking. The embarrassment of my smell with cigarettes. The free trial at the mall. The cost saving (um... about that... hehe). The health and quality of life improvements.

These were the reasons I started. I guess I had heard about e-cigs somewhere. I found out about a cig shop at the mall that would let you try one. That sealed the deal. I've actually bought a couple things from the vendor at the mall, knowing full-well that it's overpriced. My purchases have been from gratitude for opening my eyes to the system.

I lurked on ECF for about a week. The forum is based on the VBulletin layout that I'm familiar with, so I registered and stuck around, because the community is so inviting and kind.

I fell in love with a wondeful woman (we're engaged, now) who gave me a new reason to live, and I wanted as much of that life as I could get to spend with her, so quitting smoking was a good start to extending our love affair. *insert "Awwww"s and all that stuff, ladies lol

 

[rustybikes]

My first exposure to eCigs was with the Smoking Everywhere kit from the dreaded mall-kiosk. It was, as we all know, an overpriced, underperforming rig, but I did try - I think my total after swapping out dead atties, and getting more of their prefilled carts (not cartos) and whatnot, my total was around $300. At the time (2007, maybe early 2008), I was unaware of the technology at all, and it didn't even cross my mind to ask internets about it. Instead, because it didn't even come close to helping me quit, I boxed it all up and put it in the upstairs closet. I remember thinking that it was an interesting idea and that I might have to try again in a couple years.

Flash forward to February/March of this year. A coworker of mine is on the cusp of dealing with COPD, and on his latest visit with his cardiologist, got that news (things aren't going the right way), and that he must quit smoking. His cardio hooked him up with a kit (KR808-D, I think) for an apparently reasonable price. So, he brought it into the office to show off his new toy, and had high hopes that this would do well for him. I could see that the tech had evolved/improved in the past few years, and I should do some research. We don't really talk any more (different story), but I did learn that he hadn't stuck with the rig and was back on analogs. It did plant the seeds of curiosity.

I started poking around, asking Google about eCigs, trying to see what the current state of the art was. It didn't take long to be directed here, where I discovered several things - One, the kit he had wasn't even close to a solid performer. Second, the price he paid (~$50) wasn't outlandish, but certainly higher than can be done online. I did several weeks of reading, researching the current models and finding out what I could get for a reasonable price, and most importantly, what other folks were using and liked.

So, after lurking here for a month or so, I stepped up and ordered an eGO-T kit from Cignot, had it in a couple days, and quit smoking accidentally (I realised the next afternoon that I'd forgotten to smoke). I figured it would help me cut down, but it did even better than that. After a month or so with it, I went ended up with a Darwin. It helped me understand, in practical terms, the ideas behind VV and the impact of heat at varying levels on my favourite juices. I've built several mod-boxes to play with the idea some more, and eventually settled on my target wattage for my daily-vape (Dekang RY4). I discovered, with some delight, that I could hit my target of between 7 and 8 watts with a 3.7v device. So when a REO Mini made the classies at a very nice price, I decided to give it a go.. For SCIENCE!!

It's not been quite a week with it, but I can see it becoming my daily-driver (sorry Darwin). The size and form-factor is perfect, and I'm now a big believer in the wonder of bottom-feeders.

All of this has given me a terrific support-network for quitting smoking with these things (ECF), as well as a new and very interesting hobby. Cigarette smoking is simply no longer an option.

Anyway - Congrats on your quit! It's a wonderful life-changing journey to find eCigs. Once you find the gear and juice that works for ya, it gets better and better..

 

[Optimo]

The health risks of smoking cigarettes was killing me, literally. I got started by watching all the reviews on YouTube and it inspired me to become a video reviewer myself.

 

[Pissy]

A co-worker showed me hers and I wanted to be able to get my nic fix at work (have to go into the bathroom for it, but that's ok). I also wanted to cheapen up my addiction! Not buying every new gadget out there and diy'ing most of my own juice has saved me a lot of money.

 

[Rickajho]

Simple: A zero tolerance smoking policy went into effect in my apartment building. It was either quit smoking or try to find a smoker friendly property owner in what is becoming one of the most .... cities in the nation. "Just don't do it while you're saying no!"

I had already seen the "As Seen on TeeVee" ads and knew better than to get suckered into anything that "free." Googled something obvious - electronic cigarette - which led me to ecf. And a much smarter purchasing decision in the process.

At the very least, that junk advertised on TV is raising awareness of e-cigs. Just don't buy it!

Rick

 

[jamentertainment]

was at the mall, tried one...he told me the price...i told him to stick it up his a@@...found the blu online..bought it...used it for a couple weeks, went back to smoke cigs... ummmm, bought a ego, liked it..burnt foam taste i puked, went back to cigs, bought a ego t "no filler foam crap"...loved it..bought a provari loved it more...never looked back

 

[Lethalp]

My husband kept telling me about these fake cigs. I think they were smoke 51? But then I was lucky to have a green smoke store open up in a town close to me. I didn't know the first thing about them or ecf. I bought 2 packs of cigs, then I went into the store and bought a starter kit. After 2 days I had smoked my last cig, it was honestly the easiest thing I had ever done. I am still amazed at how lil I miss my cigs and how much I enjoy vaping. I have not saved any money yet, but I am still hopeful I will, lol. I have a vv box mod now and am happily vaping away! -

 

[Telynau]

I never planned on permanently switching from cigis to PVs; only using the PV as an alternative. Yes, I do have a 4081 "SmokeFree" from the Mall ;-) which I still use every day. My husband bought me the 4081 as a present. He was the one who wanted me to quit smoking. From that humble beginning...

The obsession has grown to include: 808s, 510-Egos, a whole case of niquids from assorted vendors, and _just_ "discovered" DIY niquids. Who knows what's next =}.

 

[Glam]

A pop up add on my Yahoo home page made me curious. It was what started me vaping....you people here are what has kept me vaping.

 

[EmmaJo]

Back in March of this year a friend of mine told me about her co-worker trying it and was down to only 4 or 5 cigs a day. so I contacted her, she gave me the website address and I started reading. I ordered a 510 in March then in April all heck broke loose and ended up running out of e-juice and went back to cigs. I picked it up again on October 14 after ordering a tornado-t, got down to having 1 or 2 cigs a day and now as of yesterday I have not had a cig for a week and a day. I physcially feel sooo much better. Still coughing up crap but am hoping that will go away soon.