Help for a new guy

[westcoastguy]

I tried vapping a couple of years ago. I liked it but never got the full satisfaction of a real cigarette. My biggest question is I was told one cartridge equaled about 5 cigarettes and I could only get about 20 puffs off a cartridge. So I guess 4 puffs equals one cigarette? Are there any longer lasting cartridges now or are they still the same? I'm used to getting at least 20 puff's off one real cigarette.

Also, I would get a purple/redish area in the roof of my mouth after vapping a few cartridges in a day. I went through the FAQ's section and noted some side effects. Mine wasn't listed but I guess side effects are normal sometimes?

I would really like re-trying vapping. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Westcoastguy

 

[Genericname]

How long a carto lasts you depends on how you vape it, for certain it will last you more than 20 puffs, you can refill them with your liquid of choice when they run low. as for the side effects it seems that the first step is to try a juice without PG in it and see if your symptoms clear up.

 

[Myriad Dark]

Good news, things have improved since you last tried vapeing. Cartomizers are commonplace now and hold more liquid than cartridges ever did and you no longer need to mess with atomizers since they are a built in part of the cartomizer. The general consensus seems to be cartomizers have almost no "fiddle factor" to them and provide good vapor quantity and flavor. Still not to the point of equaling a whole pack of analogs, but a standard size carto holds about 1ml of liquid. To put that into a little more perspective I used to smoke about 1.5-2 packs a day and now go through about 4ml of liquid a day.

As for the purple/reddish area that forms on the roof of your mouth, you may have a sensitivity to PG which is the common base ingredient in most juices. There are juice vendors out there that offer 100% VG juices that could prevent that from happening. You can also get different ratios of PG and VG which some people find helps them. It might also be a reaction to mild dehydration as vapeing is a dehydrating activity. If that's the case, drinking more water could be the solution. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[Benzin]

Welcome to ECF!
¿What e-cig did you use? only 20 puffs per cartigide sounds way too low!
I cant really tell you how many puffs you get off a particular cart as i havent really counted them, plus it depends in many things, but what i can tell you is that i was a 2PAD smoker (for 20 years), and when i started vaping with a KR808 type e-cig (V2 cigs), i used about 3-4 cartos a day. And i have never touched a cigarette again.
Now i have an Ego-C, and i use about 4 tanks (refills) per day.

About the side efects you mention, i dunno, maybe youre having some sort of alergic reaction? ¿what brand of ecig did you use? ¿what flavor and what level of nicotine?
I sugest you try out a refillable system, like a 510, eGo, KR808, etc. and try out diferent e-liquids to find one you like, plus you can try diferent concentrations of nicotine as well.

finally, i dont know if you read this allready, but if you havent, there is a lot of good information here

Best of luck, and welcome!

 

[westcoastguy]

I don't remember the name of the e-cig I used. All I remember is it looked like a real cigarette but had a red light that would come on when I took a drag. The little cartridges looked like cig filters and came 5 to a box. The e-cig came as two batteries and would last about 20-30 drags before I have to switch batteries. The packaging for the cartridges (filters) was in a small black and white plain looking box. I believe there were 3 levels of Nig.

What does PG and VG stand for?

Based on what you guys are saying, I have a feeling I was vapeing a cheap system. I currently smoke about 2 packs a day. Pall Mall Ultra Lights. But when I smoke, I really smoke. Usually 5-7 cigs at a sitting. That's why I was kind of turned off at the 20 drags per cartridge. It made me feel like I had to smoke all 5 cartridges at a sitting.

The flavor I tried was tobacco but it tasted more like burnt cardboard. I'm more than willing to try another flavor. I just want to get off these damn cigs. 24 years of smoking is enough for anyone.

Any advice and direction would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Westcoastguy

 

[bebowebb]

I'm too new to vaping to give much advice, but I can only imagine that you will be much, much happier with things now than they were a couple of years ago.

Best of luck!

 

[westcoastguy]

I'm too new to vaping to give much advice, but I can only imagine that you will be much, much happier with things now than they were a couple of years ago.

Best of luck!

Thanks. I appreciate the encouragement to quit cigs. My wake up call came when my 19 year old daughter started smoking. I'm so upset with myself over that. I'm hoping she'll vap if I do and we can both kick the habit - for good.

 

[Genericname]

If you smoke that much I would suggest a tank system or dripping. VG is vegetable glycerine and PG is propylene glycol, they are the main ingredients in an ecig, along with flavoring and nicotine. Things have changed a lot since you last tried vaping and I would say you probably had a set up that was well under par. You have quite a few questions already, you will have many more, and you've come to the right place! But we cant answer them all here, browse the forums and do your homework I'm sure you will find the answers your looking for. There is a set up out there to suit anyones needs

 

[Kijuro]

From what I tried couple years ago and what I discovered new a few months ago things are 110% better.
The questions you should be asking your self is what you want. are you willing to fiddle to get a great vape. do you want something small, something that lasts all day. Juices can give vapor, throat hit, and many flavors, what is most important that would make the switch easier.
There are a lot of options out there, and the people here can help narrow down what might be best.

Edit: Forgot to say Awesome you're from Cali, and welcome.

 

[bebowebb]

Thanks. I appreciate the encouragement to quit cigs. My wake up call came when my 19 year old daughter started smoking. I'm so upset with myself over that. I'm hoping she'll vap if I do and we can both kick the habit - for good.

I could imagine!

My kids all range from 13 days to 15 years (7 total!) and I'm hoping that by showing them how hard it has been to quit, that they will not even try. So far, so good.

They do see me vape - quite frequently at that - but I've explained that simply because it's better for me does not mean they can try. Hoping to keep them nic free forever.

Confidence is key and I know you both can do it!

 

[chainsaw316]

The best thing I could think of for someone who smokes that much (because I used to do the same thing) is to get a Reo mod. Its a very simple mod to use and its great. They have a forum here so if you have any questions they will be answered.

Juice is a personal taste thing and I have some favs right now but there is so much out there to try that I don't want to recomend anything like that at this time.

Good luck to you, and like I said I smoked as hard as you do, so I know how hard it is at first but you'll come around to love it.

 

[Benzin]

I smoked about the same as you, 2 packs a day. And to be honest, the only reason i dint smoke 3 (in fact, i did smoked 3 packs a day a few years ago), was because i was constantly forcing myself to "smoke less" (or at least 2 packs a day).
Plus, i am an obsesive kind of person, im the kind of guy who cant ever buy a chocolate cake, because i know i will DEVOUR all of it in a couple of hours. If i want some ice cream, i have to buy small cones, and only one, because if i buy a gallon, it will be gone in 24 hours.
I am THAT obsesive about things i like, ¿can you imagine how obsesive i am about smoking?
Still, when i got my first e-cig kit, and after taking my first puff at it, i knew right there that i was done smoking for good. And in fact, i havent touched a cigarette since then.

Why im i telling you this?

Because i want you to understand, that no matter how much you like to smoke, you can quit smoking using e-cigs! and its not even too hard! hell, to be honest it is surprisingly easy!
I think the hardest part (at least it was for me), is finding the right nicotine level for you. Too little, and youll get some cravings, too much and youll get light headed and maybe dizzy.
Personally, i would recommend you try 12, 18, and 24mg juices in small bottles to see witch fits you best.
And just in case youre alergic to PG, get at least 1 small bottle of VG based liquid.

Dont worry too much with tanks, dripping, voltages and other technical stuff right now, just get something simple, functional, and tried, like a joyetek 510, some small bottles of e-liquid in diferent flavors and nicotine concentrations so you can decide witch you like, and take it from there.

I don't remember the name of the e-cig I used. All I remember is it looked like a real cigarette but had a red light that would come on when I took a drag. The little cartridges looked like cig filters and came 5 to a box. The e-cig came as two batteries and would last about 20-30 drags before I have to switch batteries. The packaging for the cartridges (filters) was in a small black and white plain looking box. I believe there were 3 levels of Nig.

What does PG and VG stand for?

Based on what you guys are saying, I have a feeling I was vapeing a cheap system. I currently smoke about 2 packs a day. Pall Mall Ultra Lights. But when I smoke, I really smoke. Usually 5-7 cigs at a sitting. That's why I was kind of turned off at the 20 drags per cartridge. It made me feel like I had to smoke all 5 cartridges at a sitting.

The flavor I tried was tobacco but it tasted more like burnt cardboard. I'm more than willing to try another flavor. I just want to get off these damn cigs. 24 years of smoking is enough for anyone.

Any advice and direction would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Westcoastguy

 

[Dana A]

Welcome to the ECF Westcoastguy! I am a newb as well but do know that most of the vets are probably going to recommend the E Power. It uses batteries that are cheap to replace and even tho I don't own one it was recommended to me time and time again. The batteries are cheaper than the cig look alike and perform circles around the little cig look alike ones.I had irritation problems with to high of nicotine when I 1st started vaping so watch out 4 that as well as the PG%.If it is important to you that you have a cig look alike then you will have far less battery life and higher cost in replacing batteries but even that ends up being cheaper than cigs. You can try different liquids untill you find out what works best for you but DON"T buy a kit that has pre filled cartomizers cause if you don't like the flavor you may not be able to get it out. Buy the smallest bottles you can get of different flavors from several different vendors and keep buying till you find ones you like and then order those in larger bottles. Watch hours and hours of you tube videos and spend a lot of time here and you will soon begin to make sense of all the lingo and products. Ask questions on here and people will be more than happy to help you and explain things more than once if they have to(they did for me anyway)and just picking one thing a day to learn about will help you stay sane. Good luck and happy vaping

 

[Ladypixel]

Are you tied to the concept of having something which is identical in size and shape to a cigarette?

The reason that I ask this is simple: if you want something that is about identical to a cigarette sized model, you are stuck with limited options - the Joye 510, the Volt, and a handful of cheap manufacturers with various levels of complaint scattered around the forum here. A 2-pack-a-day smoker is going to find that all of the cigarette-sized models are frustrating because the batteries don't last long enough and the cartridges, refillable though they may be, need to be refilled too often.

I was a pack and a half a day smoker, sometimes as much as two packs a day. What I personally use right now is a battery that is in the class known as kgo/Riva/ego, and which with a cartomizer on top is about the size of a Sharpie marker. I also have a variable voltage mod, but as it's larger, I find myself using the smaller batteries for portability while on the go, and the mod while either at my desk at work or while at home.

The setup which worked for me the best is a cartomizer (it's a combination of an atomizer and a cartridge all in one single unit) which is refillable, plus one of the kgo/Riva/ego-size batteries. I also sometimes use a cartomizer that has a small hole in the side, with a tank overtop of it that holds more liquid, just so I don't have to refill the cartomizer as much - it fills itself automatically through the hole.

There are different lengths of those batteries. I have all three lengths - the 650mah battery, which has the shortest battery life, is about 2 1/2" long. The 900mah battery's about a quarter-inch longer than that, and the 1100mah battery is about 3/4" longer than the 650. The higher the mah, the longer the battery life before it needs to be recharged. I recommend personally 900's or 1100's, but I still use my 650's, too.

You can either have multiple cartomizers with you that you filled up in advance, or you can use one cartomizer and keep a bottle of liquid with you. If you do the latter, have a backup cartomizer with you too, just in case you find that somehow, you burned out the one you're using -- it can happen. Either way works just fine.

I tried using the cigarette-sized options, but between the batteries losing power within an hour or two at most, and the fact that I was constantly filling them, it was a real hassle while on the go. I don't have that problem now.

You absolutely can quit using these. It takes a little getting used to the verbiage, but once you've got it down, it's a world of difference... and then it's all about the flavors you pick!

 

[yardbyrd]

I tried vapping a couple of years ago. I liked it but never got the full satisfaction of a real cigarette. My biggest question is I was told one cartridge equaled about 5 cigarettes and I could only get about 20 puffs off a cartridge. So I guess 4 puffs equals one cigarette? Are there any longer lasting cartridges now or are they still the same? I'm used to getting at least 20 puff's off one real cigarette.

Also, I would get a purple/redish area in the roof of my mouth after vapping a few cartridges in a day. I went through the FAQ's section and noted some side effects. Mine wasn't listed but I guess side effects are normal sometimes?

I would really like re-trying vapping. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Westcoastguy

I've just orderd a tank mod but so far I found success by dripping 2-3 drops of e-liquid at a time while stationary. I use the boge 510 cartos when I'm mobile. The first time I dripped some 36mg tobacco flavor it was so close to smoking a cigarette I haven't looked back. Somewhere, on one of these fantasticly informative posts, I read that I could just drip 2-3 drops directly on my atty and then put on the drip tip and go! I used to smoke 2.5 pad and have been analog free since 3/25/12. Oh yes-I bought a Riva 510 SE starter kit.

 

[MickeyRat]

The first thing I'll say that if you can't get over the idea that it needs to look like a cigarette, you are limiting yourself unnecessarily. There are some pretty scarey looking mods out there. I use one but, I'm not recommending something like that. Devices in the ego class, around the size of a sharpie provide a lot better experience than the cigarette sized in the long run.

Vaping is not smoking. Switching to vaping is the easiest way to quit smoking but, it's not effortless. You're still getting nicotine but, there are a couple thousand other chemicals in cigarettes. You have probably developed a dependency on some of those and some of them enhance the addictive properties of the nicotine.

It's hard to say what caused the reddish purple mouth without knowing what you used. Two things come to mind coloring in the juice and a sensitivity to PG. You'll just have to try things and find out.

If you want this to work for you, it will. You'll have to find the right gear and the right juice for you. Once you do, it works quite well but, don't give up while you're getting there.

 

[Retriever]

Welcome back to vaping. Yes, a lot has changed, and things seem to keep evolving. Try the suggestions others have mentioned and you should have some luck. Glad you are here.

 

[bikerdudejl]

ya know its funny that you say that you had that feeling, for a while when i was on a straight PG blend I too had a weird reaction. I actually had a sore throat almost like strep, stopped vaping for a bit and it went away. I ended up getting some blended PG/VG and have not had a problem since!!!! if it doesnt need to look like a real cig, smoking that much a day maybe a cheap juice box would work for you, I have seen dencent things about the Boge Rev 2.1 sucker has a 1400 mah battery and a 10 ml juice bottle, about the size of a small walkie talkie so it wouldnt be bad for sitting in front of the TV or Comp for a nice Vape, pretty cheap to start i think its about 40-50 and it comes with the carts (5 back if im correct) give it a look on youtube and maybe it might be something that interests you! good luck!!!

 

[lxrubin]

I don't know about cartriges, but Using a 510-T, I go through just 1 tank a day. I only got mine a few days ago, but it feels like this 30mL bottle will last at least a few weeks. I got a high strength 24mg (you can get 36mg in some places too) bottle and every hit I take feels like its really hitting the spot. The flavor isn't that good for me, but I just need to figure out what I like more. Maybe I'll be going through the tanks a little faster if I find something I really like.

As for fiddling with the atomizers, there's nothing to it. You just need to rinse them with some alcohol, rinse with distilled water, and dry. Takes like 2 minutes and less than $10 worth of supplies that will last me an eternity.