Hey guys, I'm sure these questions have been asked before, but this site is so large and the people seem nice, so I am going to ask them again! I am looking to purchase my first e-cig. I am trying to do my research to get the best quality. I am looking for one that is the size of a traditional cigarette. Also, some I have seen require you to push a button when inhaling. Is this called manual? I am not looking for one of those. I have heard talk of e-juice. How does this work? Do you not have to buy additional cartridges after they are used. Can you simply refill them? This all seems so daunting. I appreciate everyones patience with my questions!
Yet another newbie with questions!
- Thread starter jaguar843
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I think the people here would want to know,
How much do you smoke?
How long have you smoked for?
What do you smoke?
Answering these questions will help experienced folks point you in the right direction.
Good luck!
I smoke almost a pack a day for the past 7 years. I smoke Marlboro Smooth (menthol). Thanks so much!
I am personally a fan of the 510 (mainly being I only own 2 types and the 510 is the best of the 2). Great reason to get a 510 is that they are interchangeable with other types and vice versa. You can get a joytech 510 which is roughly the size of a cigarette and if you like that can move on to bigger batteries of the ego/riva/volcano once you get sick of recharging the batteries all the time.
Welcome aboard! These two links will help answer your questions and get you started without breaking the bank. Some of the info in Mistress Nomad's videos is a bit dated, but it's still relevant. I highly recommend reading The Wonderful World of Vaping in the ECF Library. It's six parts, but there's a wealth of knowledge there.
Mistress Nomad's Videos for Newbies
ECF Library
Mistress Nomad's Videos for Newbies
ECF Library
okay... imma try my best to answer your questions...
i would reccomend a joye 510 (actual it would be an ego... but they are fatter like a cigar, the 510 is more like a cig). manual (push button) actual have an improved battery life over an automatic (just inhale to activate) and runs less risk of destroying it with juice leaking into the battery.
a standard ecig comes in three parts.
1. battery
2. atomizer or atty (heating element)
3. cartridge or cart (hold the juice)
another thing is a cartomizer or carto which has both the atty and cart in one (i dont use em, but some people swear by em).
carts are very easy to fill and im sure mistress nomad will be along and can give a link to her videos which are very very very helpful.
e-juice is the liquid that burns up in the atty to product the vapor. you will not be able to simulate actual cigarette taste even if you buy newport or marlboro flavors... butif you like menthol you can get menthol ultra from freedomsmokeusa.com and thats actually very nice to vape.
the base of ejuice is vg or pg (i can never remember the actual names of it... vegetable glycol and something glycerin i think) but i can break it down. higher vg is more vapor and higher pg is more throat hit and flavor. a 50/50 ratio is good for me but everyone is different. As for nicotine content that is also a personal thing... i do with 24mg and smoked about a pack a day or more and also used skoal or copenhagen. you might need more or less. I strongly urge you buy small bottle of ejuice when your first order (5ml or 3ml) in different flavors and nic strengths (smaller bottles eliminates wasting money on big bottles of too strong or weak nic strength or flavors your dislike).
pardon my spelling and grammer (I was in the Marines, haha). This is all stuff i know and what i know is decent enough to get people going but i am not ecig guru
i would reccomend a joye 510 (actual it would be an ego... but they are fatter like a cigar, the 510 is more like a cig). manual (push button) actual have an improved battery life over an automatic (just inhale to activate) and runs less risk of destroying it with juice leaking into the battery.
a standard ecig comes in three parts.
1. battery
2. atomizer or atty (heating element)
3. cartridge or cart (hold the juice)
another thing is a cartomizer or carto which has both the atty and cart in one (i dont use em, but some people swear by em).
carts are very easy to fill and im sure mistress nomad will be along and can give a link to her videos which are very very very helpful.
e-juice is the liquid that burns up in the atty to product the vapor. you will not be able to simulate actual cigarette taste even if you buy newport or marlboro flavors... butif you like menthol you can get menthol ultra from freedomsmokeusa.com and thats actually very nice to vape.
the base of ejuice is vg or pg (i can never remember the actual names of it... vegetable glycol and something glycerin i think) but i can break it down. higher vg is more vapor and higher pg is more throat hit and flavor. a 50/50 ratio is good for me but everyone is different. As for nicotine content that is also a personal thing... i do with 24mg and smoked about a pack a day or more and also used skoal or copenhagen. you might need more or less. I strongly urge you buy small bottle of ejuice when your first order (5ml or 3ml) in different flavors and nic strengths (smaller bottles eliminates wasting money on big bottles of too strong or weak nic strength or flavors your dislike).
pardon my spelling and grammer (I was in the Marines, haha). This is all stuff i know and what i know is decent enough to get people going but i am not ecig guru
You should take a look at the new Members sticky threads, mainly the videos and the thread with Library in its name which leads to a multipart guide.
What you are asking for is the probably the least satisfactory kind of ecigarette - an auto super-mini. PV's are not like cigarettes - they are not making vapor all the time just waiting for you to suck it in. An auto requires extra dragging to get the atty warmed up and making vapor. Also, most autos can turn on by accident from wind or vibration (tricked into thinking you are dragging on it). Manuals are generally recommended for anyone who does not have to vape hands-free.
Super-minis have the shortest battery life (probably especially an auto since with a manual you can let up on the button before you finish dragging out the end of the vapor). Expect 2 hours or less battery life with a super-mini the size of a king cigarette. Super-minis often also have the most tiny and most annoying cartridges, many requiring a paper clip to push up a tiny inner cart for filling. You are also not going to get huge hits off a super-mini because their attys are small. And if you want to use cartomizers, there seems to very little selection of cartomizers for superminis and they may only exist for the two units below.
If you really want a super-mini, check out the M402 and M401 (see MyPVShop.com or LiteCigUSA.net) and the Joye 306 which I believe is the Janty Mini Fogger on the Janty site. The Mini Fogger may be a bit thicker than a cigarette. I do not know if the carts are less annoying.
I've used an M402 since I started but lately I've switched to the M401 batteries (210mah for longer battery life) which make it the size of a 110 cigarette (and technically a mini) instead of the 100mm size of the M402. I was a lights and ultralights smoker and a slow easy dragger, and the Mxx is definitely in the lower range of what I want out of a PV. I don't think it would be enough for someone who smoked full strength cigarettes. And the carts are definitely tiny and annoying. But it's compact to bring to work and the flavor is pretty good. I'm not looking for a big hit and it work for me and I can screw with the carts (frequently topping off) at my desk. One reason it works for me is because I really do not want to increase my nicotine habit, so drags that are just enough for me are what I want.
What you are asking for is the probably the least satisfactory kind of ecigarette - an auto super-mini. PV's are not like cigarettes - they are not making vapor all the time just waiting for you to suck it in. An auto requires extra dragging to get the atty warmed up and making vapor. Also, most autos can turn on by accident from wind or vibration (tricked into thinking you are dragging on it). Manuals are generally recommended for anyone who does not have to vape hands-free.
Super-minis have the shortest battery life (probably especially an auto since with a manual you can let up on the button before you finish dragging out the end of the vapor). Expect 2 hours or less battery life with a super-mini the size of a king cigarette. Super-minis often also have the most tiny and most annoying cartridges, many requiring a paper clip to push up a tiny inner cart for filling. You are also not going to get huge hits off a super-mini because their attys are small. And if you want to use cartomizers, there seems to very little selection of cartomizers for superminis and they may only exist for the two units below.
If you really want a super-mini, check out the M402 and M401 (see MyPVShop.com or LiteCigUSA.net) and the Joye 306 which I believe is the Janty Mini Fogger on the Janty site. The Mini Fogger may be a bit thicker than a cigarette. I do not know if the carts are less annoying.
I've used an M402 since I started but lately I've switched to the M401 batteries (210mah for longer battery life) which make it the size of a 110 cigarette (and technically a mini) instead of the 100mm size of the M402. I was a lights and ultralights smoker and a slow easy dragger, and the Mxx is definitely in the lower range of what I want out of a PV. I don't think it would be enough for someone who smoked full strength cigarettes. And the carts are definitely tiny and annoying. But it's compact to bring to work and the flavor is pretty good. I'm not looking for a big hit and it work for me and I can screw with the carts (frequently topping off) at my desk. One reason it works for me is because I really do not want to increase my nicotine habit, so drags that are just enough for me are what I want.
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I personally like cartomizers (cartos) and started with 808s because I was like you -- I wanted something that looked like a cigarette and I also wanted convenience. I didn't like the idea of the 3 piece 510 and wasn't looking to drip or anything else. Even now, dripping while trying to drive or out and about is a pain and, personally, I haven't found dripping to be better than cartos.
Like dlbald said, you might get disappointed in the battery life of an e-cig that looks like a cigarette. I was that way and moved onto the 901 Riva pretty fast (works with 808s perfectly, it's sold by CigEasy as the Elegant and Vapornine as the Defender). The 901 Riva is still pretty small -- I can palm it. Now, I'm using a Buzz. I basically tossed the idea of looking like a cigarette. I have friends, though, that won't touch anything that looks like a cigarette regardless of the battery life issue (they'll do the XL batteries and drip tips, but that's it). So, it really is a personal preference.
If you want a really good quality automatic battery that looks like a cigarette, I would say the GreenCig (not to be confused with Green Smokes). It's expensive, but the four I originally bought are still going strong and I have friends who have standard 808 batteries die on them constantly (won't charge, won't hold a charge, just break, etc.) Both NHaler and LeCig sell the GreenCigs, they look like a cigarette, work with standard 808s, and the LED is green, so people don't freak out as bad when they see it and think it's an analogue. They have a kit with a nice PCC, too (which is definitely necessary, as dlbald said, if you go with that type of e-cig).
On the e-juice, that's an option. You can buy pre-filled cartos, but you can also buy empty ones and fill and re-fill yourself. That's usually better and more economical, IMO, and gives you a lot more variety in terms of flavors, brands, etc. I just buy blank cartos and fill them myself with my favorite e-juice, topping them off periodically, and the cartos last a long time. When they start tasting funny, I'll wash them out and can usually get another run out of them.
Good luck.
Like dlbald said, you might get disappointed in the battery life of an e-cig that looks like a cigarette. I was that way and moved onto the 901 Riva pretty fast (works with 808s perfectly, it's sold by CigEasy as the Elegant and Vapornine as the Defender). The 901 Riva is still pretty small -- I can palm it. Now, I'm using a Buzz. I basically tossed the idea of looking like a cigarette. I have friends, though, that won't touch anything that looks like a cigarette regardless of the battery life issue (they'll do the XL batteries and drip tips, but that's it). So, it really is a personal preference.
If you want a really good quality automatic battery that looks like a cigarette, I would say the GreenCig (not to be confused with Green Smokes). It's expensive, but the four I originally bought are still going strong and I have friends who have standard 808 batteries die on them constantly (won't charge, won't hold a charge, just break, etc.) Both NHaler and LeCig sell the GreenCigs, they look like a cigarette, work with standard 808s, and the LED is green, so people don't freak out as bad when they see it and think it's an analogue. They have a kit with a nice PCC, too (which is definitely necessary, as dlbald said, if you go with that type of e-cig).
On the e-juice, that's an option. You can buy pre-filled cartos, but you can also buy empty ones and fill and re-fill yourself. That's usually better and more economical, IMO, and gives you a lot more variety in terms of flavors, brands, etc. I just buy blank cartos and fill them myself with my favorite e-juice, topping them off periodically, and the cartos last a long time. When they start tasting funny, I'll wash them out and can usually get another run out of them.
Good luck.
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