What newb mistakes have you made?

[kimmisc]

I was introduced to vaping when a local store began selling njoy Kings disposable e-cigs. For me, the realization that I could replace smoking with something relatively harmless lit a fire under me to research and get started on a more affordable solution asap, especially considering I've already had a run in with cancer this year (not lung cancer). I think I did pretty good. I found this forum, read and watched many videos, and ended up picking the Vamo with ego clearomizers. I'm not picky yet. Just ready to start feeling my lungs heal after years of abuse from smoking and elated that I can get satisfaction without the same (if any) harm.

I use to smoke about 30 cigs a day, Salem Slim Light 100s. In the past year I managed to cut back to between 5-12 cigs a day, depending on what I was doing.

First mistake that I've noticed..
The first juices I ordered with my device were 30 ml Vanilla and 15 ml Menthol, both Hangsen, both 18 mg. I love vanilla bean ice cream, so assumed vanilla would be my favorite. Wrong. I find it disgusting and will keep it as backup for times when I may run out and just need anything but a real cig. I should not have ordered big bottles.

The menthol is pretty good and more like what I'm use to. Do most newbs have to start off with flavors that are closer to the cigs they're use to? What mistakes have you made that wasted your money?

 

[Jarski44]

The only real mistake that I think I have made is running out of juice. Once you switch to vaping, this is truly the biggest mistake that can be made, especially if you live live someplace where no retailers carry it, nearest place I have found is over an hour away. I was able to cobble together some "rejected" juices into something I could vape. Learned my lesson, I buy in bulk, and keep a very close eye on my supplies, and if I even think there is a possibility of running out I order....

 

[DiNet]

Buying bad HW, buying bad liquids. Usual mistakes I guess...

 

[synthacide]

for me it was cheap Chinese Ejuice and Ego's... after suggesting to many people to buy one I've since repaired a bunch... I'm going to a better mod personally

 

[Off Topic]

I spent too much money on underpowered underbuilt devices.

I wish I'd started with my extended provari. It would have saved me a lot of money.

 

[Riff Raff]

I can't really think of any that I made. I had good advice, started with a big battery mod and had plenty of juices to sample and choose from.

You are off analogs and looking at it that way is there really any mistake? The only one I can think of would be picking up another analog.

Sounds more like you just hit a few bumps in the road.

 

[Baditude]

When first starting out with Smokeless Image Volt stick batteries, I had four and thought that would be plenty. Well, I'm not the most disciplined or meticulous person when it comes to immediately putting a spent battery into the recharger.

There came a point a couple of weeks into vaping when I realized that all my batteries were drained, and I needed nicotine REALLY bad. It's the only time since I quit smoking with vaping that I went out to buy another pack of cigarettes. While a couple of batteries were charging, I opened the new pack of smokes and lit one up. Ughhh! Terrible, terrible taste. I felt like I needed to gag and vomit. I put it out and waited for my Volt batteries to recharge. I haven't laid hands on another cigarette since then.

Moral to the story: ALWAYS have spare, CHARGED batteries available. As the saying goes here on ECF, "You can never have too many batteries on hand. Have backups for your backups, and backups for your ...". The same would be true with juice. Always have at minimum a week's worth of juice on hand (typical time period of order placed and order received).

 

[DiNet]

Sounds more like you just hit a few bumps in the road.

Like many did who purchased stuff before being introduced to this forum...
Juice from different vendors taste differently... one has horrible "rough" vanilla and other have it doen right and it tastes like vanilla ice cream...

I'm off analogs, but I acknowledge mistakes I made with acquiring HW and juices that almost cost me my cigarette abstinence...

 

[Thrasher]

What newb mistakes have you made?

2 actually -
the first was when i started and waited too long to order more juice when all the samples finally started running low, had to go to a B&M in town for 9 bucks a 10ml.

and second was constantly ignoring the advice of the good folks here at ECF and doing it my way, which ended up costing more then it probably should have, funny how when 50 people tell you something it might just be true.

 

[Asty]

buying cartomizer packs for £17 each every week. not cost-effective at all

 

[vsummer1]

I spent too much money on underpowered underbuilt devices.

I wish I'd started with my extended provari. It would have saved me a lot of money.

Darn it, that was what I was going to say!

 

[gamadnechmad]

Mistakes I would have made if not for reading here:
I would have:
-tried only regular tobacco flavors
-stuck to cig-type models (which would have left me with dead batteries constantly), not knowing there are other options
-tried to make myself go cold turkey instead of allowing myself to taper (& thereby succeed)
-tried to get through "the switch" alone instead of knowing that this is a huge community!!

 

[Perigwyn]

Not getting into this until a month after my boyfriend did, and was killing his batteries and he thought he had gotten bad batteries. Also, learning when you need to add more juice, cause I would go through the cartos like there was no tomorrow by burning them.

 

[nanovapr]

Hi Kim, welcome to ECF! Good suggestions from everyone here so far. Most that start vaping want it to taste like their old cigarette brand. Many can't duplicate it. Nearly everyone that gets their taste back in a few months explicitely do *not* want it to taste like a cig.

Don't buy a gallon of juice at the beginning. After your sense of taste and smell return, you may not like it.
Keep backups. Of backups.

For amusing stories along these lines, check out these stories on "Dumbest thing you've done with your E-cig" thread here. My favorite is the guy that threw it out his car window when done...

 

[El Che]

Im still learning but with my device everyday i am getting liquid leaking into my mouth and it causes a real painful burn.

 

[TH'er]

I'm so brand new to vaping, That the only mistake so far that I can see is "Not Starting Sooner" I'm sure that I'll make some along the way.

I am glad that I started here at ECF and picked up a Provari and received help from everyone on which tanks and such I should start with.

This way I wasn't spending foolishly to begin with.

 

[dub151]

I am curious what kind of device you are using? In my opinion you shouldnt be getting any juice in your mouth if all is working correctly. Sometimes condensation will build up near or in the mouthpiece or drip tip, I routinely wipe and keep this area dry.

 

[Rodderik]

ordering juice samples and forgetting to reduce the 30mg nic level it picks by default *waits for the mail man*

 

[kimmisc]

Im still learning but with my device everyday i am getting liquid leaking into my mouth and it causes a real painful burn.

I had that happen the first time I added juice to my clearomizer, before figuring out I needed to avoid getting it into the hole in the center. It spilled through the middle onto my pants, and got into my mouth the first time I vaped. Lesson learned there.

 

[kimmisc]

...Also, learning when you need to add more juice, cause I would go through the cartos like there was no tomorrow by burning them.

Interested in this... when is the correct time to add more juice? I haven't even emptied one clearomizer yet. My plan was to rejuice when it appears the wicks aren't saturated enough or the vapor tastes different. Would this be too late?