E-CIG information. Smokers ONLY.

reply to post by MeesterB


lol..

ok..Thanks my man...

I appreciate the honesty..

and the humor too..

I'm a girly girl, so I like fruit and chocolate flavors, so I'm not one to answer that. However, my husband says that the Dekang USA mix tastes as close to a cigarette that he's tried yet. The only tobacco one I have been able to use is DKTab. The others all smell like dirty socks and pee to me. So right now, i've got some homebrewed mint chocolate chip that I'm liking quite a bit.

Yeah, the flavors are plentiful. If you get really adventurous, some places sell bacon (which I am told is really Satan himself disguised as bacon ejuice) and other meat flavors, as well as even crab. Serous double

Funny review of crab juice


Juice reviews aren't really great because what you like may not be anything anyone else likes, so take them with a grain of salt.

reply to post by CoherentlyConfused


on Chocolate mint. Vaping some right now.
The worst flavor I've tried is cigar. You can imagine why.
Tell me, how do you personally go about homebrewing?

Edit: for those non-ecig users who get excited at the thought of smoking chocolate, It isn't quite the same. Sorry.

Mostly Propylene Glycol, a little bit of vegetable glycerin, some flavor and nicotine. Mix it all up and you're good. It's really easy. The hardest part is finding good flavors and mixing flavors. I have spent a small fortune on them and a word of caution, mix in plane PG or VG without nicotine in case your new flavor is nasty. And with most flavor concentrates, a little goes a long way. Extracts, like the cooking vanilla extract you get at the grocery store are generally too weak and have other ingredients that shouldn't be vaporized. Use pure flavor concentrates.

reply to post by CoherentlyConfused


Sounds pretty easy to me. I'm an undergrad Chem major so there is something about mixing things in proportions that gets me all giddy. I bet there was a lot of trial and error involved, but that's the exciting part. That and when you get your master blend just right, I assume.

Originally posted by MeesterB
reply to post by CoherentlyConfused

 

Sounds pretty easy to me. I'm an undergrad Chem major so there is something about mixing things in proportions that gets me all giddy. I bet there was a lot of trial and error involved, but that's the exciting part. That and when you get your master blend just right, I assume.

I went for blueberry and grew an extra nut!

Just kidding.

I'm looking at some online, but I wondered if the cartridges are interchangeable...If I buy one manufacturer's Ecig, am I locked with that brand or can I shop around for cheaper cartridges?

reply to post by ReluctantBlossom


Unfortunately, most are brand specific. Many brands might use the same type/size battery, but chances are they won't work together. I'd suggest getting any brand and messing around with the carto until you figure out how to refill it with the ejuice. "do not refill" is just a ploy to get you to buy more of that brand. There isn't a sanitary or mechanical reason.

Originally posted by Druid42


I plan on switching. I want more information about the mods. Here is a good place to place mods, a chit-chat forum, but I am interested in what and everything this tech is about. You order a 4.95 USD bottle of E-juice and it takes 3 drops to make a pack of smokes?

I'd really also like to see the websites you guys get your supplies from. Can you post links? This is chit-chat, and noone is advertising here, just giving preferences.

Awaiting your replies....

Congrats on trying an e-cig ! This may be the thing that saves your life and that's what it's all about.

Never trust the packaging on mall or gas station type e-cigs to be really truthful with you. They always say so much equals a pack of smokes and this is not true. It's a problem we are trying to combat in this industry. You have two kinds of people who sell e-cigs. People who want to make a fast buck and people who genuinely care about smokers needs and charge fair prices.

Your 14 dollar e-cig was not a bad price so that's a plus but don't think 3 drops will equal a whole pack of cigs. Most people vape between 3 and 5 milliliters of e-juice a day. Figure how much e-juice you have total and that will give you an idea how long that juice will last.

If you can refill those cartridges you have a choice to use pre mixed e-juice complete with flavor and nicotine, or you can get the DIY e-liquids and mix them yourself. I do both. If your on a budget, The DIY is cheaper but sometimes the pre-mixed can be tastier. ( better recipes)

The best advice I can give anyone is to do research on the E- Cigarette Forum (ECF) www.e-cigarette-forum.com... and CASAA, The Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association. casaa.org...
Together these are full of information that is backed up by science. They have health and medical sub forums and legal sub forums. They do not sell any products. They do not push any vendors. The ECF keeps listings of reputable suppliers that are known to have fair business practices. Some are more expensive than others, but none are rip-offs like Mall type e-cig vendors.

ECF is an invaluable tool to use because you will want better bigger e-cigs till you find the right one for you. The kit you got is a starter kit. these are great and I used one for my first 3 months before trying something bigger, but, you will have problems and the ECF forums are the best place to get answers aside from the vendors forum.

Originally posted by Druid42
I'm also curious about a hit to cigarette ratio. The cartridges tote a 1 pack ratio, but what is the e-cig hit to cigarette ratio? Is 2 hits equivalent to 4 cigs? What's the math here?

No math. Listen to your body. You know that nic'd out feeling you get when you smoke too much? Well you get that with e-cigs too. Nicotine from e-cigs do not absorb as fast as smoke and most of it gets absorbed through your mouth and throat, not your lungs and everyone is different. People inhale more deeply than others or exhale faster, they use varying strengths of nicotine from 0 to 12 to 18 to 14 to 36 milligrams per milliliter and anywhere in between. People vape between 2 and 5 milliliters a day depending on what their smoking habits were. Listen to your body, and in a week or two you will have an idea how much you vape on average.

I've been using an e-cig for about 2 yrs now, tried a few kinds... I don't really like the atomizer type since they seem to burn your throat or taste like something burning. I found a company in China that sells e9 cartomizer cigs for a great price... it may cost me $40 for 5-6 months, but I also found to save even more money they have USB cords that you vape directly from your computer power (these are $12-$14) and you save your batteries!! I don't like their juices so I buy from a local store (online) called Word-up E-cig, you have a huge variety of flavors... and I get a 50ml bottle with 36mg nicotine that usually lasts me about 3-4 weeks. Right now I'm trying butterscotch (it's ok) my favs have been egg nog, pumpkin pie, cinnamon fireball, and pinacolada... they also have nutty flavors, tobacco flavors, fruity flavors, soda, and alcohol flavors.

About the post concerning pneumonia... I usually get bronchitis every year a few times... and since I started the e-cigs I don't even cough (unles I choke on the vapor LOL), I have no build up in my lungs to cause that!

Originally posted by MeesterB
reply to post by ReluctantBlossom

 

Unfortunately, most are brand specific. Many brands might use the same type/size battery, but chances are they won't work together. I'd suggest getting any brand and messing around with the carto until you figure out how to refill it with the ejuice. "do not refill" is just a ploy to get you to buy more of that brand. There isn't a sanitary or mechanical reason.

I figured the "do not refill" is a disclaimer to prevent liability from the idiot who makes a mess of the carto and wants to sue. Could very well be to improve sales as well.

I also like your 8 hit on an e-cig to 1 cig analog ratio. Seems to be around there.

I AM the type to play around with something till I figure it out. Where's the best place to get e-juice at?

Originally posted by CoherentlyConfused
Mostly Propylene Glycol, a little bit of vegetable glycerin, some flavor and nicotine. Mix it all up and you're good.

It's really easy. The hardest part is finding good flavors and mixing flavors. I have spent a small fortune on them and a word of caution, mix in plane PG or VG without nicotine in case your new flavor is nasty. And with most flavor concentrates, a little goes a long way. Extracts, like the cooking vanilla extract you get at the grocery store are generally too weak and have other ingredients that shouldn't be vaporized. Use pure flavor concentrates.

I am a far cry away from mixing my own e-juice, but I can definitely see myself doing it in the future, and becoming a pro at it. Where's the best place to get supplies from? Also, mind if I ask you for recipes down the road, like some interesting flavors to try? Bacon flavor? OMG. I'll just have to try that one!

Originally posted by JohnPhoenix

Originally posted by Druid42


I plan on switching. I want more information about the mods. Here is a good place to place mods, a chit-chat forum, but I am interested in what and everything this tech is about. You order a 4.95 USD bottle of E-juice and it takes 3 drops to make a pack of smokes?

I'd really also like to see the websites you guys get your supplies from. Can you post links? This is chit-chat, and noone is advertising here, just giving preferences.

Awaiting your replies....

Congrats on trying an e-cig ! This may be the thing that saves your life and that's what it's all about.

Never trust the packaging on mall or gas station type e-cigs to be really truthful with you. They always say so much equals a pack of smokes and this is not true. It's a problem we are trying to combat in this industry. You have two kinds of people who sell e-cigs. People who want to make a fast buck and people who genuinely care about smokers needs and charge fair prices.

I concur with your statements. You seem to be a member of the latter, even if you are not a vendor. Curiously enough, how many people have you helped getting their feet wet in the e-cig realm?

Your 14 dollar e-cig was not a bad price so that's a plus but don't think 3 drops will equal a whole pack of cigs. Most people vape between 3 and 5 milliliters of e-juice a day. Figure how much e-juice you have total and that will give you an idea how long that juice will last.

I also can buy re-fills at that location, but I realize vaping is more along the fact of learning the DIY method. At least, that is where I want to take it.

If you can refill those cartridges you have a choice to use pre mixed e-juice complete with flavor and nicotine, or you can get the DIY e-liquids and mix them yourself. I do both. If your on a budget, The DIY is cheaper but sometimes the pre-mixed can be tastier. ( better recipes)

It's logical for me to start with the pre-mixed, then evolve to the DIY uber-knowledge you guys and gals have achieved. Where is a place to order e-juice that you'd recommend? There are hundreds of sites I've found, so do you have a reputable place to order from? That'd save me the trial and error method of figuring out who to deal with.

The best advice I can give anyone is to do research on the E- Cigarette Forum (ECF) www.e-cigarette-forum.com... and CASAA, The Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association. casaa.org...
Together these are full of information that is backed up by science. They have health and medical sub forums and legal sub forums. They do not sell any products. They do not push any vendors. The ECF keeps listings of reputable suppliers that are known to have fair business practices. Some are more expensive than others, but none are rip-offs like Mall type e-cig vendors.

ECF is an invaluable tool to use because you will want better bigger e-cigs till you find the right one for you. The kit you got is a starter kit. these are great and I used one for my first 3 months before trying something bigger, but, you will have problems and the ECF forums are the best place to get answers aside from the vendors forum.

Ok, thanks for the links, and I'm off to do research.

I don't know how many people I've helped, because I do not know if they all stuck with it, but I do know my sig file here gets me a lot of PM's and I direct them to ECF and CASAA. I'd say at least 50 total in the past 6 months that I know about from all forums and other places.

I post about e-cigs a lot on other forums too because for me they are life saving game changers. I know I have helped several people in a few other countries too, even one fellow who smoked 70 cigarettes a day and get this - I helped the husband of a No Smoking Forum Moderator who could not quit any other way until I got his wife to get him to try e-cigs.. Now this No Smoking Forum advocates the use of e-cigs to their members as well as traditional NRT's. . Yeah, I get a kick out of that. We all get a kick out of seeing others make the switch but I try not to make this about me.

Conspiracy wise e-cigs are very appropriate on ATS for discussion. There are tons of real conspiracies surrounding them. There are coverups, misinformation and downright lies done to protect special interest, money power and greed.who seek to control us.

I don't buy much pre-mixed juice. I have a couple of favorites like Wyatt Earp a tobacco flavor from FreedomesmokeUSA www.freedomsmokeusa.com... and Pineapple Milkshake from Zombie Juice zombie-juice.com... some flavors from The Flavors Apprentice shop.perfumersapprentice.com... ( they are the cheapest). I'm on a tight budget .

I found for DIY e-liquids the best prices and thus my reason for purchasing from these are Liquid Nicotine www.voidmist.com... The PG and VG from Essential Wholesale www.essentialwholesale.com... and I get concentrate flavors from The Flavors Apprentice shop.perfumersapprentice.com... All are USP and or Kosher grade.

But there are many more great places to buy from. I just haven't tried them all because there are so many and i tend to stick with what works for me. You can check the ECF suppliers list and browse around: www.e-cigarette-forum.com...

For parts for e-cigs I like MadVapes www.madvapes.com...

For e-cig kits I like Liberty Flights. They have a UK branch: www.liberty-flights.co.uk... and a USA branch: www.liberty-flights.com... ( again these for best price)

The kit I started with was a Riva Special Edition 510 type ( 510 is the thread size and hence I only use atomizers with a 510 thread with these) from the Liberty Flights USA branch. www.liberty-flights.com...

With the discount code ( at top of page) my kit cost me about $37.50 U.S. with shipping minus the e-juice. It still works great. As you see these use whats called a "Fat battery" They do not look like regular cigarettes, and most e-cig users prefer a fatter battery for longer life between recharges - don't wanna get stuck away from the house with a dead battery.

That's another thing, Discount Codes. Many e-cig vendors use discount codes to give you a discount. before you order from anywhere, check to see if that vendor used a discount or coupon code. Madvapes and The Flavors Apprentice does not use one, but their prices are dirt cheap anyway. Some vendors ask you to sign up for their newslatter delivered by e-mail to find out about any discounts like VoidMist does. You can check the Master Coupon Code list here: www.e-cigarette-forum.com...

Hey, I just noticed - this thread / forum doesn't show up in Recent Post from the top of the page, but - the totally fictional Short Stories sub forum does - How fair is That - or am I just missing it?

reply to post by JohnPhoenix

Ahhah! It seems I've stumbled upon a warehouse of knowledge. I like the hint about matching the thread sizes. My USB charger is threaded, my atomizer/cartomiser (do I have the vocabulary right yet?), is threaded and so is the battery. Are you telling me it's as simple as that?

Let me quote my experiences so far.....

I went to bed last night after experimenting with hits from the e-cig, and smoking normal injected cigs with pipe tobacco, after my day of discovering and purchasing my first unit.

I woke up today, and took a few hits off the e-cig, had my cup of coffee, did my normal morning routine, and never lit a analog cig. To me, it was weird. I didn't want a cigarette. I hit the e-cig a few times more, shared it with my wife, and she wanted me to leave it at home with her so she could try it out. I had to extract another 8 pounds of honey today, and go to my daughters final soccer game of the season, so I was gonna be gone all afternoon, and wanted to take it with me. I deeply suspect she will want her own too, very soon....

Normally, I would crave an analog. I'd take 3 hits from the e-cig, put it back in my pocket, and be fine. This model has a 1.8% nicotine concentration.

I am fuddled about how that number is worked out. When mixing your own e-juice, how do you determine the concentration of nicotine you have? What's the ratio to follow? What's the formula? How do you guys do it?

I am fascinated by this. It is basically the digital version of smoking cigarettes, giving you a small amount of nicotine, yet TOTALLY removing your desire to light a smoke. I did read it takes 2-3 days to adjust, and that I am still doing, as I grabbed my lighter, grabbed my e-cig, and tried to light it three times so far. I haven't scorched the end really bad so far, but I also know this is my STARTER unit. While cleaning off the black residue from the end, I noticed the tiny air holes of each side of the glowing end. Hmm. I can't wait till this unit malfunctions to tear it apart and see how it works. I am supposed to get 300-500 hits out of it, and I've lost track, but it seems by simply recharging the battery it works like new again. The docs quote a 2 day battery life, but I've been charging it with my cellphone, and heck, the light turns green, just like my cellphone, and I figure that the charging circuit cuts out, so it doesn't hurt to keep it full charge. My smartphone charges USB, so does my e-cig, and I have a four port hub, so it's no inconvenience for me to hook them both up at the same time. I have to charge my SP everyday anyway. Used to that.

I've smoked 5 injected analogs all day. At the soccer game, I walked out of the stadium at half-time with the ex wife, she bought me a hot chocolate at the concession stand, and she asked if I wanted to go to the smoking area. I told her I brought my e-cig with me, and explained a bit how it functions, and we walked along and chatted while we waited for half-time to expire. I hit the e-cig three times, put it back in my coat pocket, and was fine for the rest of the game.

It definitely takes away cigarette cravings. It changes the way you think about smoking. Reading about e-cigs also exemplifies the dangers of cigarette smoking, but I can't say that ever really bothered me before. However, having a feasible alternative definitely leads me in the direction of learning more. It IS a healthy alternative.

Thanks for posting those links, I am going to peruse them carefully, and figure out what to order (yes, on a budget as well, meaning working class and no OT due to the economy), the most cost effective route to take. I don't have hundreds to spend, so I appreciate the approach to finding the best prices. Thanks for all your help.

That's it exactly. Thread sizes by and large are standard so any 510 atomizer will fit any 501 battery and so on.

You extract honey for a living.. no wonder you wear that mask... Kidding. Hope your daughters team won!

I use an e-juice calculator to mix my juices. ( it's free on the net, there are a few types, all basically the same) ejuice.breaktru.com... There is a formula if you want to do it the hard way but it's just easier to input your desired strength, flavor amount, PG and VG ratios ( most people start at 80 PG to 20 VG) and amount you want to make and the calculator will spit out the recipe in drops and also milliliters.

I could not tell you how they arrived at 1.8. I do not know the concentration of liquid nicotine they used, how much PG or VG or both is was mixed with before mixing the recipe, or the amount of dilution by the flavorings and extra added PG or VG.

My liquid nicotine is 60 % in a 60 ml bottle but it's not 100% pure - it's mixed with 100% PG for the remainder of the 60 ML's. ( that's how it's sold) I have to tell the calculator I use 60 % strength in a 100% PG solution. I like 24 strength nicotine, so where it asks I put 24 and 20 % for the flavorings ( which also is made with PG so it changes the overall PG ratio in the final calculation), and my extra desired PG and VG ratio. I use 75 PG 25 VG. The calculator will tell me that if I mix 5 Ml's of this I need to use 2 ml of nicotine or 40 drops ( from a dropper) and this is 40% of the total solution. That seems super high but it's not because remember it's already cut with 100 % PG before it's sold. Also we do not absorb all of this into our bodies. Only a small amount gets absorbed with each vape.

Most people consider 24 to be very high in nicotine strength and 18 more like a regular cigarette with 12 to 14 being Lights and 6 to 8 being Ultra Lights. Many folks have gone as high as 36 and 42 mg on the nicotine even if it's cut, but this is not advised.

Glad you made it through the game and I hope you can get the wife to try it.

Here are some FAQ's to read if you havent found this already. www.e-cigarette-forum.com... They contain good links to health and medical info as well as most things new vapors need to know about vaping and the side effects one may have when quitting smoking - that people mistake for harmful effects of using the e-cig. ( such as flu like symptoms the first week of vaping can be possible but it's caused by withdrawals from smoking not from e-juice or vaping)

Your welcome. Anything I can do, just holler. BTW I'm John Phoenix on ECF too so if you sign on and see me, say Hi.

I am interested enough on this topic that I just may have to sign in and say hi. Still researching.

Thanks for all your advice. I really appreciate it. It's people like you who make ATS a good source for information.

If I have any Q's, I will definitely u2u you.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


No, I don't extract for a living, just a hobby. LOL. My daughter's team lost, 1-3, but it's girl's Varsity Soccer, so aye, I like somethings in life with no order to them.

Thanks again for your help.