What I wish I knew

[mrtuna]

I have only been vaping for a few weeks and had my first analog free day yesterday with only 1 or 2 cravings.
What I wish I knew before buying vaping gear:
1. Manual batteries work better.
2. You will go through like 5 batteries a day on a 510 if you vape a bunch.
3. Don't bother investing in a bunch of batteries- go straight for a battery mod that will get you through the day.
4. Buy small quantities of new e juice because you may not like that one.

Anybody have more they would add?

 

[davew]

When I tell people about vaping and they want to buy a kit I tell them to get the VK PT and a few carts. That seems to have been working out for them.

 

[FrogHat]

I basically did the same thing, as far as the juices go. I just gave it away and went from there..............no regrets.
I too went with the 510, then to mods. I don't regret that either because the 510 is still a good unit to have as a back up, or if you choose to go out and not want to carry your mod.

So I understand were your coming from, but I wouldn't regret it.

The juices..............I think we all learn the same thing.

 

[mrtuna]

No regrets just wish I knew about the batteries especially. It helps to know that when you are switching from analog because lack of charged battery could contribute to a slip.

 

[ddavelarsen]

The only thing I would add to your list would be "Check out e-cig forums." The forums have helped me immensely and I've noticed that those who visit forums before making a purchase start out much happier. That's because we've weeded out all the chaff; an internet search will only bring up the units that don't really work very well, and someone might get sucked into a monthly scheme they play hell getting out of. Send new recruits to a forum first.

Congratulations on your first smoke-free day!!! If you're having cravings, you might think about upping your nic level. I had a terrible time until I got to a level that sustained me. We don't absorb as much nic from vapor as we did smoke (at least that's what I think), and should compensate for that. In my opinion, one of the greatest disservices e-cig suppliers do is not offer high enough nic for heavy smokers. I smoked non-filters for 40 years and have to vape at a ridiculously high nic level to be comfortable. For what it's worth, I'm adjusting and am about to reduce the nic. But had I started out with cravings, I'd never have stuck with it.

Great thread, thanks.

 

[Lab]

to get a passthrough to start with..

 

[splunge2112]

passthrough first yes...good idea. and go straight for manuals

 

[mrtuna]

Good ideas. My PV replaces analogs very well. I just had to get in the habit of grabing it 1st thing in the morning. One day I vaped too much nicotine and got a headache and insomnia. I am sure that it is nothing compared to the 2000+ chemicals in analogs.

 

[Mop]

That you can buy liquid and refill your own carts. I know that's really basic info, but I impulsively bought my first model without doing any research after my friend recommended one, so I had no idea how it worked. I ended up buying a ton of prefilled cartridges, realized only a few days after my order arrived that I could buy ejuice separately.

 

[mrtuna]

I did not know that either. I actually found this forum after buying a smoking everywhere POS and spending a mint on Carts. I could have bought a serious battery mod for that much.

 

[5cardstud]

I got a passthrough to start with. I don't think I've used the batteries through 1 charging cycle yet. They just sit in the box.

 

[Bekinder]

I have only been vaping for a few weeks and had my first analog free day yesterday with only 1 or 2 cravings.
What I wish I knew before buying vaping gear:
1. Manual batteries work better.
2. You will go through like 5 batteries a day on a 510 if you vape a bunch.
3. Don't bother investing in a bunch of batteries- go straight for a battery mod that will get you through the day.
4. Buy small quantities of new e juice because you may not like that one.

Anybody have more they would add?

I think Lab gave you good info about the pass through, we all seem to have a bit of a transition when we start. First most new folks want one looking
like a cigarette; this puts them into the shortness of the battery life and constantly recharging. I think other than the pass through, having maybe something on the level of the ego or tornado would be another good reference to give.

I was also doing the normal transitioning period and the money/frustration it could have saved me, would have been great.

Also, another thing I have learned from being about 4 months in with vaping, is buying nicjuice in a rather
bulk form, my last buy was 250mg unflavored at 48% nic. I can now
add the PG & VG to bring that down to about 18-20mg nicotine and got
flavourart, cappella, and Lorannes to add for my own taste.

I really like the purity of the American made nicotine juices from some of the dealers here.
Also, there are plenty of tobacco flavors in Flavourart, and I am enjoying the Perique Black in my unflavored nic mixing at present. The 510 Atomizers is something you will likely need even in your mods, and they are pretty dependable IMHO. Happy Vaping to you!

 

[mojofunk]

Because I was lucky enough to stumble into this forum, I started out with the items in my sig, and never looked back - thanks for sharing, everyone!

 

[splunge2112]

i was not interested in juicing my own carts at first. then my second order came with empties and 2 juices. now i have over 30 bottles of different flavors and spend at least an hour a day mixing and dripping to see what tastes good. so far i have come up with something that tastes like a pb and j sandwich, wild cherry life savers, and a root beer float. i am a mad scientist of juice mixing

 

[Kurt]

At least you started with the 510, and not some ripoff mall brand. I blew $300 on Greensmoke crap before I found this board and learned about the 510. That money would have bought a lot of 510 gear, but live and learn. It did teach me a lot...he says trying to rationalize why he was so taken by GS. Wish I had known about ECF then...but then at that time I just wanted something good NOW, and I figured more expensive meant better. How wrong I was...

 

[CaptJay]

I've never got rid of any juice I bought because tastes change.
Also you can mix juices together to create something great or something ok and I hate wasting money
I wish I'd bought more juices (ie more differnt flavors and nic strengths) and spare attys to start with that's my only 'if I knew then what I know now' thing.

 

[513dvn]

spent 250.00 on smoke fifty one. found this forum,orderd a 901 and was blown away.only had the fifty one for a week and i cant even give it away,but im not mad.i try to keep it around in case someone is wants to see what its like to vape.

 

[Raven1]

Yes, I would add do not buy replacement hardware from different manufacturers unless you are 100% sure they are compatible. For example, different manfs. penstyle models and chargers do not always work together, even though they may look the same. This cost me time and money not to mention having to resort to analogues waiting on replacement parts!

 

[mrtuna]

I guess I left out the part of buying $250 of Smoking Everywhere from a Kiosk at the mall due to embarassment. My online order was kicked back and the stop day in my American Lung Association class was coming up and I knew Vaping would work for me so I had to grab something. I only used them for a few days because I found this board and ordered a 510 from Cignot and had it in 3 days. My wife uses it sometimes. She was an occassional smoker.

 

[AmyB66]

My first one was the ehealth cig. What a piece of crap, I had to exchange the first one because it was defective. I gave it to my kid and geared up with a 510 kit. My kid had to exchange it again and ended up returning it, cig store wouldn't give him his money back (the dang thing was 50 bucks!-way over priced) so the kid told him to give him a carton of analogs and call it even, worked out fine since hubby is still hitting those.

So I have three complete 510's, hubby has two and my kid has one and my pass thru.

I have several bottles of juice I detest but am able to mix some of them. However, I have several bottles of juice that I know will be a mainstay for me.

I have a five pack of attys (good deal, 35 bucks) and two more batteries in the mail.

Did I have some learning curves, Yes and I figure at the moment it will take me three months to break even but ya know, that's okay. I am working thru my first analog free day, will it be my last, don't know but will I go back to analogs full time, NOPE. Bottom line, it is still cheaper than chemo. I've lost several friends to lung cancer over the past few years, it is a horrible way to end ones life, so I don't feel bad about making a few mistakes with the digitals along the way.

My large investment in my 510 collection is okay. I am pondering on getting a little chuck so I can use my 510 parts and I'll still have the 510 batteries for use in places that the chuck might raise an eyebrow. Thankfully this place has some great members who are more than happy to help us along so we can reduce our learning curves.