still a smoker, want to switch

[ZeroOhms]

Sounds like what you are describing isn't a throat hit generated by nicotine, but specific chemical formula in Virginia Slim. It would be good to set a right level of expectation and try it vaping in a right way.
There is a difference between quitting smoking versus replacing it with something else. There wouldn't any juice that will match the complex chemical reaction provided by the cigarette. Hence, if vaping is used to assist in curving the craving of cigarette while trying to kick the habit, you will have better chance of success. If you are expecting vaping to give you the same experience as smoking, the disappointment will easily set you back.
One method that seems to work is to put your mind in a "discovery" mode and try something that your body hasn't experienced before. When I initially started vaping many years ago, I started with Blu and only vape tobacco flavor. I thought to myself why would anyone vape any other flavor if they are trying to mimic smoking. I failed pretty quickly and smoked for few more years. When I tried second time, I went to a local shop and got lots of help. Armed with good gear, I was determined to give vaping a fighting chance. Within a few days, I realized vaping wasn't smoking. It was totally different experience. Initial thought of "replacing" smoking with vaping quickly faded away and I was vaping because I wanted to vape. Not only I quit smoking, but I "forgot" about smoking. Sitting in a comfort of indoor and enjoying clean vapor that was full of my favorite coffee flavor. This came with added bonus of my body feeling great and my clothes not smelling. After this experience, I couldn't go back to smoking.

So, when you are visiting the store (which I think is a great idea), don't try to look for something that will replace your cigarette. Keep your mind open for new discovery. Think of your favorite desert and try that flavor. And vape slowly and comfortably. Enjoy the experience.

Good luck!

 

[Ladiekali]

Well said......

 

[AndriaD]

Well, I guess that sounds like good advice, since I can tell already from those disappointing disposables that it's somewhat different; but after smoking for 39 years, with no expectation of ever quitting until they kill me as they killed my dad but no desire whatever to experience the hell of quitting I experienced once for 3 months (craving a smoke every single day until I finally gave in and started smoking again), at this point I really am thinking "replacement." I've tried cold turkey as I said, for 3 months one time, and it was just hell. I've tried the patch, several kinds, and they provided no help whatever for the cravings but did make my heart palpitate wildly. I also don't want any weight gain, as I'm already about 10-15 lbs over what I consider ideal for me, and with diabetes GALLOPING through my family, weight gain might be more dangerous for me than continuing to smoke -- which actually proved to be the case for a good friend of my family; he smoked for probably 50 yrs, decided to give it up, gained about 50 lbs, and had a fatal heart attack. Given my extreme need to quit (long history of smoking, asthma, emphysema in my family), finding something to replace that addiction might be my only shot at a healthier life. I guess you could say that at this point I'm willing to try pretty much anything, and give it a real chance, instead of just blowing it off after a few unsuccessful tries (hence my research to find this forum and keep trying with this e-cig idea, despite my 3 previous disappointments).

I looked over a few of the suggested sites with e-cig/vapor type supplies; I can't get excited about the idea of sucking on something that looks kinda like a futuristic magic marker, but at the Halo page, I found the "G6" stuff, and they actually look like cigarettes (like the cig-a-likes I've tried), and they also sell blank "cartomizers", so if I can find some liquid whose taste suits me, I could fill those myself. Being a housewife rather than a woman-about-town, I have plenty of time for "fussing," so doing it that way wouldn't bother me, if I could just find some taste/sensation that is at least similar to what I'm used to -- as I said, the Njoy disposable is *almost* right, but the taste is just too sour, too "halls cough drop" (IMHO, *bleah*).

Maybe if I can get started with this, after a while the "futuristic magic markers" won't seem so odd to me. I don't really care if it looks like I'm smoking or not (and the G6 kind apparently have the blue-glowing tip, so that's a giveaway right there that it's not a real smoke); right now (and for the last 17 years!) I go outside to smoke rather than stinking up my house, and with this colder-than-the-last-30-years winter we're having, it would really be nice if I didn't have to go freeze my numnums off everytime I have a craving -- although it sure has cut down how much I smoke! From a pack a day to barely half a pack, when the daytime high barely goes over freezing!

Anyway, I surely do remember very fondly the days of having coffee and a smoke IN the restaurant, or AT my own kitchen table, and it would be really great to return to that, without that horrible stench infesting everything.

Thx tons, y'all!!
Andria

 

[cowbooger88]

Well, I guess that sounds like good advice, since I can tell already from those disappointing disposables that it's somewhat different; but after smoking for 39 years, with no expectation of ever quitting until they kill me as they killed my dad but no desire whatever to experience the hell of quitting I experienced once for 3 months (craving a smoke every single day until I finally gave in and started smoking again), at this point I really am thinking "replacement." I've tried cold turkey as I said, for 3 months one time, and it was just hell. I've tried the patch, several kinds, and they provided no help whatever for the cravings but did make my heart palpitate wildly. I also don't want any weight gain, as I'm already about 10-15 lbs over what I consider ideal for me, and with diabetes GALLOPING through my family, weight gain might be more dangerous for me than continuing to smoke -- which actually proved to be the case for a good friend of my family; he smoked for probably 50 yrs, decided to give it up, gained about 50 lbs, and had a fatal heart attack. Given my extreme need to quit (long history of smoking, asthma, emphysema in my family), finding something to replace that addiction might be my only shot at a healthier life. I guess you could say that at this point I'm willing to try pretty much anything, and give it a real chance, instead of just blowing it off after a few unsuccessful tries (hence my research to find this forum and keep trying with this e-cig idea, despite my 3 previous disappointments).

I looked over a few of the suggested sites with e-cig/vapor type supplies; I can't get excited about the idea of sucking on something that looks kinda like a futuristic magic marker, but at the Halo page, I found the "G6" stuff, and they actually look like cigarettes (like the cig-a-likes I've tried), and they also sell blank "cartomizers", so if I can find some liquid whose taste suits me, I could fill those myself. Being a housewife rather than a woman-about-town, I have plenty of time for "fussing," so doing it that way wouldn't bother me, if I could just find some taste/sensation that is at least similar to what I'm used to -- as I said, the Njoy disposable is *almost* right, but the taste is just too sour, too "halls cough drop" (IMHO, *bleah*).

Maybe if I can get started with this, after a while the "futuristic magic markers" won't seem so odd to me. I don't really care if it looks like I'm smoking or not (and the G6 kind apparently have the blue-glowing tip, so that's a giveaway right there that it's not a real smoke); right now (and for the last 17 years!) I go outside to smoke rather than stinking up my house, and with this colder-than-the-last-30-years winter we're having, it would really be nice if I didn't have to go freeze my numnums off everytime I have a craving -- although it sure has cut down how much I smoke! From a pack a day to barely half a pack, when the daytime high barely goes over freezing!

Anyway, I surely do remember very fondly the days of having coffee and a smoke IN the restaurant, or AT my own kitchen table, and it would be really great to return to that, without that horrible stench infesting everything.

Thx tons, y'all!!
Andria

Hey! I don't know if I'll help, but I'll try

I was in the same mindset, I'm not quiting I don't want to quit I love to smoke.

But my step mom talked me into getting my personal vaporizer. I call it that because I now don't want it associated with a cigarette.

Now, I've only been vaping about 10 days. An yes I did try to mimic my malboro menthol, but that only screwed me because it wasn't the same and guess what? I started smoking my malboro again lol, this was last month. Well my paycheck didn't last as long as it should and I had different juices so I tried vaping again. This time no tabacco flavor. No menthol. Fruits like orange, and then some root beer float and gummy bear....lol I could go on. I'm not going to say I didn't want a cigarette for the first 5 days. I'm not even going to say a craving doesn't still cross my mind once a day. But I will say I was in a car with a hot box smoker yesterday and I definitely didn't want a drag (ok maybe a little one but then I remembered that my mouth taste good after vaping and that feeling went away quick)

I don't know if I helped any. But I mean I might only be 25, but I have been smoking 11 years so I have some insight

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[FloridaCracker]

For around the same price of an EGO kit, you can get the MVP 2 and you can recharge your cell phone, or laptop with it if needed, I went through 3 Ego battery's , before I got the MVP2. Could have saved me some $$$$. Keep on vaping and you quit the cigs.

Oh and I did go the early stages of trying to quit, w/ Joy and the Blue and couple I can't remember the names , terrible taste.

As you keep vapeing you will come to several lows with very little taste, stick with it. It is still better than Tobacco taste. Your taste buds are going to go through changes. Over time you will find that some of the flavors you didn't like will become flavors you do like. Good Luck and don't give up.

 

[cheezwiz]

I was completely wedded to my 2-1/2 packs a day of Benson & Hedges Premium Gold, which got a lot harder to find as most stores in my area either stopped carrying them or raised the price by a dollar or two, which leaving the lights at the regular price. So my "true love" got to be kind of a pain. At a certain point I decided to give vaping another try (last time was 2009) and to give myself a fair shot at it, I decided that I would give up the B&H for a week and just have some Marlboro Lights around if I chose to smoke. So, I was vaping some, but was down to about 3/4 of a pack of the Marbs per day. After a week, I said the heck with it and bought a pack of my dear B&H. Lit up and got a major headache & a sick stomach!! That was the end of my 30+year love affair with B&H!!

The short story is that after that, I was a lot more open to trying a lot of different flavors, since I no longer cared to come as close to the old tobacco taste. Liked coffee flavors, went fruity for a couple week and now am into the dessert flavors. After a few weeks, I had a day when I only smoked 4 cigarettes, as opposed to 15 the day before. Couple more weeks, it was two. I find I'd rather vape, especially now having some experience of what a smokeless mouth feels like. As many folks on this forum have said, just let it happen. I didn't think it would, but it did.

As for weight gain, I've had none. Just before I started vaping, I'd lost 17 pounds and didn't want to re-gain. What helped with that is that I used to smoke heavily while having a couple beers each evening. I was afraid that if I drank beer, I would want a cigarette. So, I replaced my beer drinking with a really good decaf coffee. So now my evening ritual is "coffee and dessert vape!" I figure I'm saving about 250 calories on that switch and maybe that offsets the metabolism change that happens when you kick the butts.

As for the "magic marker," that bothered me too and I stuck with cig-a-likes from my 2009 try in the beginning. However, the convenience factor became very important, so I tried an Ego-CC with a clearomizer. At first it felt like it was the size of a horse's leg, but I got used to it in a couple of days.

I hope something in my experience helps you out. For me it's been a process rather than a single decision. Ymmv

 

[Kangeroo]

Hello Andrea. I understand what you're asking pretty well. I went through this about a year ago and I'd honestly recommend you start looking at some online suppliers. Almost all of the stuff you'll find in those gas stations or liqueur stores will be complete junk. You might be able to find some decent things in smoke shops, however you'll probably pay more than you have to there. The njoy kings tasted and felt awesome, but they aren't worth the price at all, they stop working after just a few uses and it's really due to the battery life on them being total crap.

For starting out though, I wouldn't even go with an eGo. You'll probably eventually want to step it up, but just starting out I know that carrying around something that looks like it could be a freakin flashlight is not ideal at all. The kr808d-1 is what I ended up with, and what I still use more than anything. I've had an eGo type that I got from a smoke shop for about 70$ and it just felt ridiculously big and felt like a hassle by pushing a button every time I wanted to drag off it and filling a tank was so weird. I got mine from myvaporstore.com as a starter kit that had everything needed. Though, you should shop around and find a place that offers the best deal for you. Goodluck!

Edit: I forgot to mention with that style, you have the option of getting manual (pushing a button to vape) or automatic (like a normal cig).

 

[Ladiekali]

hi andrea again.
i love my halo products but i wouldn't recommend the g6 kit for you.
not for the price and its limitations.

i think this will work for you... and i have in fact bought them and they work just as well and are cheaper. the replacements are cheaper too.
Panda Evolve Battery - E-LIQUIDATION SALE
USB Charger for Panda Evolve Battery/Standard 510 Battery
Micromizer
Vision Nano Clearomizer
Buy a variety of E-Liquids
Cartomizers

the kit together...
Panda Evolve Starter Kit

 

[Completely Average]

I looked over a few of the suggested sites with e-cig/vapor type supplies; I can't get excited about the idea of sucking on something that looks kinda like a futuristic magic marker, but at the Halo page, I found the "G6" stuff, and they actually look like cigarettes (like the cig-a-likes I've tried), and they also sell blank "cartomizers", so if I can find some liquid whose taste suits me, I could fill those myself. Being a housewife rather than a woman-about-town, I have plenty of time for "fussing," so doing it that way wouldn't bother me, if I could just find some taste/sensation that is at least similar to what I'm used to -- as I said, the Njoy disposable is *almost* right, but the taste is just too sour, too "halls cough drop" (IMHO, *bleah*).

Maybe if I can get started with this, after a while the "futuristic magic markers" won't seem so odd to me. I don't really care if it looks like I'm smoking or not (and the G6 kind apparently have the blue-glowing tip, so that's a giveaway right there that it's not a real smoke); right now (and for the last 17 years!) I go outside to smoke rather than stinking up my house, and with this colder-than-the-last-30-years winter we're having, it would really be nice if I didn't have to go freeze my numnums off everytime I have a craving -- although it sure has cut down how much I smoke! From a pack a day to barely half a pack, when the daytime high barely goes over freezing!

The G6 can be a very good starting point, and if you start with the G6 and want to upgrade to the magic marker then the Triton is compatible with all of your G6 parts. (Except the battery charger, the Triton comes with it's own) You wouldn't even need to buy the full Triton system, you could simply buy their Variable Voltage battery and the USB charger and make the transition that way. The battery would last longer and the VV would allow you to adjust the voltage so you get the best balance between vapor and taste out of your liquids.

 

[djsvapour]

the kit together...
Panda Evolve Starter Kit

$40. ??

Is that a good price?

All the prices listed as "liquidation" or "now only" are still more expensive (or the same) than mainstream UK?

and I though the US was cheaper?

 

[Ladiekali]

the problem with the g6 is that you are limited to cartos and mini tanks only.
the triton is a little better, but still limited, no bottom coil designs which are imo better than wicks.
although it is a good looking set. i returned mine for partial credit after 5 days.
got the triton, used it maybe two weeks and here it sits.
i couldn't even get it sold on the classifieds.

i understand wanting the cigalike.

ooooh Andrea why didn't i think of this sooner!!!
have you heard of white cloud?

they were the best tasting tobacco flavors i have tried.
i stay stocked on their disposables.
they also have the rechargeable batteries...
the only problem is not being able to use different companies juice.

but the flings are great. they have excellent customer service as well.
they exchanged flavors, nic strengths, and even sent me postage paid stickers to send it back.

the more i think about it, the more i think this would be great for you.
try out some flings in different flavors and strengths.

they also have awesome cigarette cases and lanyards.

check it out just google white cloud cigarettes!!!

i always have a couple white clouds in my car and my purse.
sometimes i want that cigarette feel. especially around other smokers.

good luck!

ps they have sales every other month or so, knocks $10 off the battery kits.

 

[Ladiekali]

$40. ??

Is that a good price?

All the prices listed as "liquidation" or "now only" are still more expensive (or the same) than mainstream UK?

and I though the US was cheaper?

silly the battery is $8
and then there is a variety of tanks to choose,
the top coils the bottom coils or the cartos
they are also 510 connections so you can get clears from anywhere...

and they've been this price since at least september when i got mine.

 

[Ladiekali]

even the kanger esmart is better than the g6.
i bought 4 for my mom and she is loving them.

i bought those from desertvapes.com

510 Manual Batteries
Innokin Dual Coil CE5 Rebuildable Clearomizer

its all about knowing your options and being able to make a decision from those options.

 

[zoiDman]

... I really need some help here; after 39 years of smoking cigarettes, I really need to knock it off, and e-cigs are the first thing I've seen that's given me some hope of maybe getting off the cigarettes.

Thanks much!
Andria

Don't get Discouraged. You'll find the Right e-Liquid.

And don't Feel like you need to be in a Rush. After 39 Years of Smoking, a coupe of Weeks finding the Right Set-Up really Isn't going to matter.

Just keep Plugging Away and Keep Asking Question. You'll get there.

 

[djsvapour]

silly the battery is $8
and then there is a variety of tanks to choose,
the top coils the bottom coils or the cartos
they are also 510 connections so you can get clears from anywhere...

and they've been this price since at least september when i got mine.

what's silly? The whole site is riddled with "apollo" style was $x now $x....

Gives the buyer the impression they get a good deal, when actually it's just normal e-cig hardware marked up and then down to look like a great deal.

What gives?

 

[AndriaD]

I'd honestly recommend you start looking at some online suppliers. Almost all of the stuff you'll find in those gas stations or liqueur stores will be complete junk. You might be able to find some decent things in smoke shops, however you'll probably pay more than you have to there. The njoy kings tasted and felt awesome, but they aren't worth the price at all, they stop working after just a few uses and it's really due to the battery life on them being total crap.

I got my Njoy a couple weeks ago, but haven't used it much, so it still works. I really liked the throat hit right away, I was like, yeah this might be the one, but then I got the taste/smell, and it's just... sour? Like a cross between eucalyptus and dill pickles, sorta... I used to get the elCheapo cigarettes at Starvin' Marvin before they went out of biz, but I had to stop because they started tasting sour like that; I think it's the "stale" taste, for tobacco. Instant tea also has a sour taste to me, very stale-tasting.

I have plans to visit a place here in Lawrenceville this week, payday is Friday, and I'm hoping to find something at their "try before you buy" that will be more similar to what I'm used to; it doesn't have to be exact, if it's *close* -- I can't abide a sweet taste; I drink hot tea with sugar all day and don't need anymore sweet or my mouth is just icky -- to me cigarettes are sort of a punctuation; after eating, to clear the food taste; after a sweet, to clear the sugar taste -- like that. And being that they're ultra-lights, and so are PRIMARILY "throat hit" with a very light, dry taste, maybe the plain unflavored nicotine would get the job done? I'll just have to see what I can find, when I visit this shop, and I noted from the list (for Georgia) that there are quite a few shops within 10-15 miles of me, so if this place doesn't have anything I like, maybe another will.

I probably should clarify that there's actually a logical reason I'm so darned picky; I seem to be one of those "super-taster" kinds of people, though with me, it manifests primarily as an eerily keen sense of smell -- I smell things that others claim not to smell at all, and I just can't figure out how they can be so "nose-blind," but I guess it takes all kind. Can't abide perfume of any kind other than lavender and musk, all the others just make my sinuses feel like they've got hot gravel inside them. So when I describe a "taste" as sweet, it might in fact be the smell -- to me, food is more smell than taste. People keep telling me that when I quit the stinkweed, my sense of taste/smell will improve, and if that's true, god help me; I may have to start wearing a mask just to protect myself, because smell is one sense you absolutely cannot turn off.

just starting out I know that carrying around something that looks like it could be a freakin flashlight is not ideal at all. The kr808d-1 is what I ended up with, and what I still use more than anything. I've had an eGo type that I got from a smoke shop for about 70$ and it just felt ridiculously big and felt like a hassle by pushing a button every time I wanted to drag off it and filling a tank was so weird. I got mine from myvaporstore.com as a starter kit that had everything needed. Though, you should shop around and find a place that offers the best deal for you. Goodluck!

Edit: I forgot to mention with that style, you have the option of getting manual (pushing a button to vape) or automatic (like a normal cig).

I appreciate it; not sure I need luck so much as plain persistence. I don't like the idea at all of the manual kind; that reminds of those goofy "childproof" lighters that were damned near impossible to light, having to hold a button while flicking it, geesh. I'm not nearly coodinated enough for that -- I might be able to learn to drive a stick shift, if I didn't have to operate a clutch at the same time! I also don't care for the "playskool" colors, and I would think that anyone with small kids might feel the same, it would be altogether too attractive to a child. I haven't been a child for lo these many years, so think I like the ones I've seen that are called "platinum," kinda silvery. (the G6's have that option) The white too obviously screams "fake cigarette here," and the black, well they're just not ladylike or something.

At some point I probably will buy online, but at first I really need to sample some different tastes, and just see what's available, I'm so new to the whole thing. If I do go ahead and go the G6 route, you get that "sample pack" of flavors, and I could try the different non-menthols they offer, or, I saw that Halo also offers the plain unflavored nicotine. I may indeed try that, if none of the flavors suit.

Thx!
Andria

 

[AndriaD]

the problem with the g6 is that you are limited to cartos and mini tanks only.
the triton is a little better, but still limited, no bottom coil designs which are imo better than wicks.
although it is a good looking set. i returned mine for partial credit after 5 days.
got the triton, used it maybe two weeks and here it sits.
i couldn't even get it sold on the classifieds.

i understand wanting the cigalike.

Yeah, one thing I'm looking for is something that won't be a great deal heavier than a real 120mm-length cigarette. If I went out more, the tanks would definitely make sense, but since I mostly stay here at home, the cartos would really suit me better because of small size/light weight = closer to what I experience now that I'm trying to replace. If I can just make the switch and get used to vapor instead of smoke, later I can experiment with different stuff; right now I just want to find something I can deal with, that will allow the quit of the real cigarettes to be as painless as possible.

have you heard of white cloud?

they were the best tasting tobacco flavors i have tried.
i stay stocked on their disposables.
they also have the rechargeable batteries...
the only problem is not being able to use different companies juice.

but the flings are great. they have excellent customer service as well.
they exchanged flavors, nic strengths, and even sent me postage paid stickers to send it back.

the more i think about it, the more i think this would be great for you.
try out some flings in different flavors and strengths.

Which of their non-menthols is the least sweet, do you know? I might seriously try them out, the mini-flings are small and probably light-weight, and the price is excellent; the cheapest disposable I've found in a store around here was the Njoy, at 7.99, and the Blu (blech, sweet pipe tobacco!) was a total waste of 9.99. I figure either the Regular or the Apache, but I can't figure out from their text which would be less sweet. It doesn't matter that the Apache says "bold taste", I'd order the "light" strength anyhow, being an ultra-light smoker.

Thx!
Andria

 

[alisa1970]

Hi Andria,

Welcome to ECF--love your dry sense of humor! I was a 30 year smoker, didn't intend to quit at all. My goal was "if it's as good as smoking, maybe I can be a bit healthier about a habit I love". I started off very much like you--a few disposables then looked for something more permanent, and hopefully better than the taste of those Blu's.

My search led me here, and I discovered that maybe I'd like to try lots of different flavors, so I decided that pre-filled cartomizers weren't going to work. At first I was ready to go with the Halo G6 because of the size. Then I started reading some more reviews about the kind of vapes we call "cigalikes" and found this thread:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/joyetech-eroll-mini/397579-joyetech-eroll-user-review.html

I decided to go with this one, because it had tanks and not a cartomizer (which I was worried about all the "dry hit" comments I had read) and because of the size. I was really turned off to the diameter of the Blus--they seemed like I was sucking on a large straw, not a cigarette.

Yes, they only come in black, white, or stainless. I got the black one. I quit smoking the day after I got that kit. The amount of vapor, the way it draws, and the size and weight were so much like a cigarette I was stunned that I hadn't had a craving for a real one in a whole day!

One thing that I think is very different about the eRoll from other cigalikes is that the kind of vapor it produces is very dry, and if you get a high nic juice (18-24 mg) that is a heavy tobacco flavor, it can actually taste very much like smoke from a cigarette. Something about the atomizer they use really tones down strong flavors and makes them almost "dusty". The amount of vapor it produces is about the same if not a little more than what a cigarette produces, too. I used that eRoll consistently for 2 months before I felt that I was ready for the bigger, "marker" style setups. I even learned how to "chain vape" with it which is something many think isn't really possible.

Anyway, whichever way you decide, I hope that you are successful and that the transition from smoking to vaping is much more seamless than you expect. It was for me and I can't think of a better way for people to enjoy a lifelong habit without worrying about dying from it.

 

[Courtnoodle]

I'm lucky to have a local shop (kiosk actually) that has a sample setup. Prefilled clearomisers and a bowl of rubber caps so that you can try before you buy. They make their own juice and it is good.

Ditto. Find your local vapor shop and check it out. Most places love to show us newbies around and help pick out juices! I switched from cigarettes to vaping and even though it was hard in the beginning, I love it now!

 

[gwillings]

I prefer mech mods and either my dripper or genny. Mech mods so I can go sub ohm. Sub ohm on the AGA T2 is like hell yeah.