As I Stumble Through The Vaping Experience

I was in a bar / restaurant a couple of days ago and noticed another person vaping (guy looked to be in his late 60s). The guy was using what looked like a non-adjustable EGO style stick battery with what looked like an 'old-school' Kanger T3 clearomizer on top.

I struck up a conversation with him for just a moment and asked him what type of juice he was vaping ... The guy never told me the brand or flavor, but said it was 0mg Nic when I asked him.

That was basically the end of our conversation.

My question to you folks is this .... Why would anyone keep vaping if they had no nicotine in there juice? For me, the reason I vape in the first place is to keep off cigarettes. I am obviously addicted to nicotine, and have replaced the nicotine from cigarettes for the nicotine found in my juice.

If I could wean myself completely off nicotine, I think at that point I would just give up on vaping altogether. Someday I would like to be nicotine free, but for now, I just can't see it in my future.

BTW .... I have not smoked a cigarette for 15 months, but I am still vaping on my fairly strong 16mg Nic DIY juice.  

Or maybe even a heretic, or a blasphemer?
I like mini tanks and small batteries. My favorite setups are mini protank version 1 clones with 650mah basic ego style batteries. Stainless steel finish, no funky colors or designs. Single bottom coil on the tanks, no air flow controls. Standard voltage batteries, no twisty things on the bottom, no usb passthrough, no digital displays, just a battery. I like the ego style because the protruding button is easier to find and helps keep them from rolling around. The lack of features I don't need means the batteries are small. I like small, sleek, simple.

I have a nice big fancy Smok vv/vw battery. If I cut my juice in half with VG I can blow some massive clouds without knocking myself out. I found this to be mildly amusing for a short period of time. I also found out that with my regular mix when I dialed around for the "sweet spot" I ended up at 3.7 volts...

The mini tanks don't hold a day's worth of juice, and the 650mah batteries don't last all day. So what? Tank gets low, twist it off and pop another on. Battery light flashes, same thing. I've got a battered old EGO case from my first starter kit, it holds four tanks and batteries and a bottle of juice with room to spare.

I got my first mini pro tank from a vape shop. I just assumed it was a Kanger, but there was no mention of Kangertech anywhere on the packaging or tank. Whatever, I really liked it. I figured the real deal would be even better so I ordered one online. Kanger had discontinued the version 1, so I bought the "new, improved" version 2. It was good, but I liked the clone version 1 better. The clone tanks are polycarbonate rather than pyrex, but I don't vape plastic eating flavors, so that's a non-issue.

Now I'm not knocking all the cloud chasing, coil winding, wick trimming gear heads that seem to dominate these forums, but if there's anybody else out there who enjoys vaping with a nice, simple, inexpensive setup, I'd like to hear from you.  

I popped in here a few weeks ago for the first time in months. I was shocked to read about the vape shipping ban that is quickly approaching. And I am in panic mode! I’ve just been happily vaping away for 8 years now and was totally oblivious to all this. (I am already stocked up on nicotine and have a lot of learning to do there with mixing my own juice. But that will be future posts) For this post my question is about stocking the batteries I currently use and the shelf life I should expect.

I have used Halo Triton with clearomizers for most of my years vaping (after moving up from G6) and loved them! When I found out they were no longer being produced, and the stock I had on hand ran out, I switched to Kanger eVod Twist VV and am pretty happy with those.

3 years ago I also had to find something similar to my Tritons, but only in auto battery because I was having surgery on both my thumbs and would be unable to use them to press a button on a manual battery. So I came upon the V4L auto Zeus with smilomizers. And I love those also, and continue to use those along with the Kanger eVod.

I know I’m old school, but I would like to use these 2 setups as long as I can before switching to and learning how to use external battery mods. (I am going to purchase and stock up on those within a week or two but that will be another post too! will need help! )

SO my question is…..how long of a shelf life would be expected out of a new Kanger eVod twist and new V4L Zeus batteries? I realize I really have no idea when they were actually manufactured, but if they were with in the last say 8-12 months or so, what kind of shelf life would they still have left? I would like to stock up on some to go a little longer before changing over to mods!

THANKS!  

So I've been mouth to lung vaping since I started vaping. Started at 24 mg with the Halo Triton and when I upgraded to the iStick and the Nautilus I lowered my nicotine down to 15 mg. It's been fine.......getting enough nicotine so I don't crave analogs, not getting too much nicotine so that I start feeling sick. Throat hit has been fine and not uncomfortable.

Yesterday I started doing lung hits with the iStick and the Nautilus and with the greater amount of vapor I can produce, I stepped the nicotine down to 12 mg since I also started to get a little lightheaded (I suppose with the greater amount of vapor I am also taking in more nicotine, even though nicotine absorption through the lungs is not supposed to be as good as through the mouth and nose). The juice that I am using is also a 70VG/30PG mix as compared to the 50/50 I was vaping before. However this morning I woke up with an irritated throat and the vape (even when switching back to mouth to lung) feels more harsh.

Do I need to step down the nicotine level even more to 6 mg? Is this normal when going from mouth to lung to direct lung hits? I'm not subohming, so I didn't expect that I would need to drop it down that much. I'm afraid that if I drop it down too much, then I'm going to have more cravings and will need to vape constantly.  

Greetings, while looking through my photo archive I found images that help show my beginning steps in vaping. I need to point out that during the work day I use losenges that I get from Costco so only smoked in the mornings before work and the afternoons after work.

Here's the first one taken July 6th 2015:


In March/April of 2015 the other half started complaining about my cigarette smoke. She had a eye issue that she found was sensitive to the smoke when returning from visiting her daughter. (she would get used to it but would complain when he first got back)

Looking to solve the problem possibly with Vaping, I picked up a Blue kit and some extra cartridges from (of all places Costco). It was not all that expensive and the batteries (or cartridges) did not last very long or put out much vapor. They did have a "coffee" flavor I did like. I continued smoking.

Next time she left for a few days with her daughter I dropped by a local vape shop and for ~$75-100 (I forget) they set me up with a iTaste CLK!, Aspire K1 (and Maxi) and 15ml of 18mg Strawberry juice. While it took 3 days to get used to the charging/refilling/exc of the setup I quit smoking with this setup. The 1.5ml tank and mere 800mah battery were the main limitations as well as "glassomizers" really did not put out much vapor.

With in a few days I'd upgrade the tank to a Nautilus mini and shortly afterwards I'd get Full sized Nautilus tanks and the Blue tube mod shown in the center. While this mod was a good match to the Nautilus tank, I grew tired of swapping 18350's so bought the other two tube mods to the right. One could take ether 2x18350's stacked or a 18650 and the Vamo v10 on the right could take a stacked set of 18350's.

By July of that year I had given up on "drop in coil" tanks (the store bought juice I was using was killing them in as little as a few days) and had decided to take the plunge into RTA's and into temperature controlled vaping.


At the time the two leaders in TC vaping was DNA and Yihi. I bought a SXMini ($200) and three different popular (at the time) tanks: Atlantis, SubtankMini and Lemo2. Two of the three could be used with factory coils or a RBA head, the Lemo2 had the unique feature of top fill. (I still use a Lemo2 today!)

Back in those days if you wanted to TC, you were going to do it with Ni200 wire. I decided I liked the 28AWG. A few weeks later I had added two more mods:


By this point in my vaping journey I was developing a few habits: I was 'marrying' a flavor with a tank, a tank with a mod and all battery charging was being done via USB port. I just cycled complete setups on two USB charge cords I had. Others liked complaining about the SXMini's battery door but I had no issue with it as I'd only used it once.

Sometime that summer (or was it fall?) I got tired of paying the outlandish juice prices and decided to make my own. Granted for YEARS I simply made 7mg or 18mg unflavored 100% VG juice but the cost savings allowed me to get dozens of different tanks and mods to play with and try out.

By April 2016 I took this image:


TC vaping had evolved from from Ni200 wire to Ti to NiFe48 and SS. Early TC mods only supported Ni200 (and some Ti) and newer ones supported SS. Mods I've bought had to have a user programmable TCR value. I've been exclusively using NiFe48 for years.

Finally by about 2019 I decided to get into vaping flavors. Knowing that RDA's or Squankers give the best flavor, I outfitted myself (Bullcity flavors) with a bunch of squankers and now have the option of vaping flavors. (many of my squankers are in my profile image)

NOTE: only one mod in the images I've shown is dead and no longer able to be in service.

These days I have mods scattered all over the house but in/for 5 main areas: morning coffee, home office, watching tv, night stand and to take with me in the car/truck.

Thats my story and journey - happy vaping!


g.  

Posting a picture of my set up for today got me thinking as it featured my oldest original well used, worn, scratched and faded iStick 30w which has served me so well and has far outlived its projected lifespan.


A lot changed for me back in October 2015 - my grown up daughter and her husband had switched to vaping as they couldn’t smoke even in the grounds at work and had taken to vaping.

They liked it and gave me an e-pipe, tobacco flavoured vape liquids, a couple of 18350 batteries for it and a Nitecore Charger.


I thanked them, said I’d give it a try - with my fingers crossed and the thought in my mind, “Aye that’ll be right, I’ll stick it in the drawer and phone you in a few weeks saying it broke and I’m really sad about it.”


A week later my conscience got the better of me and I tried it on a Friday morning ( the 17th of October ), was amazed that I got through a day on it without a craving, thought I’d try it over the weekend, did, and have never smoked in the four years plus since. Amazing since I had smoked for more than 50 years previous to that.


I took the e-pipe to Spain with me for the Winter and while there bought a couple of the old style Ego batteries and plastic tanks with their trailing glass fiber wicks “just in case.”


The 18350s need constant charging, the juice soon destroyed the threads of the pipe’s plastic tank and the back up devices gurgled badly and so I went down to Fuengirola where there was a big vape shop and asked could they recommend a better tank - they suggested a Nautilus Mini and when I asked about a battery for it ( I didn’t know they were actually called “Mods” then) they gave me an iStick 30w … and the rest is history.


I joined this Forum about five weeks after I switched to vaping. In those days MTL was THE thing, the setup I’d bought was “flavour of the month” along with the GS Air Tank and one by Kanger. I learned a lot on ECF in a very short time, and I’ll always be grateful for that.


I tend to be a bit of a stick in the mud when I find something I like and my motto tends to be “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!” I’ve experimented with mechs, squonkers, drippers, and coil building over the years but always come back to my old faithful Nautis and iSticks - simply because for me they work and they work well.


Having found kits that worked, I dropped out of the Forum for a few years until in Spain over the Winter gone I thought my Nautis were failing me or giving up the ghost ( in actual fact as I discovered when I got back to the UK I had had a batch of really really bad coils ) and started reading ECF again and found that the new best thing for MTL was the Zenith, so I gave it a whirl.


I was slow to take to the Zenith I have to admit - while it made my batteries last longer for some reason and was super easy to refill on the go, at first it vaped too dry for me, seemed too airy and the drip tip didn’t initially suit me at all but I persevered with it ( them) and now keep a set of seven for use outdoors or for when travelling or for when I simply feel like a change.


Here’s the Old Soldier!


Anyone else still using old kit?


 

I have been on and off for a few years, mostly off because hubby says the smell of some of my favorite juices is annoying. Well a short stay of me in the hospital changed his mind and he does not seem to mind the vaping as much out of me.

I feel like I looked down for a second and when I looked back up there is all kind of new stuff out there, the aspire esp, eleaf, etc. I switched from the store bought auto to the ego style battery (I always go passthrough) and had gotten up to Kanger t2 and protank for various types of juice. I am a basic person, I might be interested in getting into some of those higher powered mods later (the vapor production looks insane) but I basically want to just throw the tank on a battery and go. I like replacing the atomizers and am not sure I would want to build my own and such. Of the new stuff that has come out since the protank hit (was it a year or so ago?) what would you recommend to a basic vaper? I noticed ALL the ego batteries were out of stock at gotvapes so that got me thinking maybe the ego style battery may be on its way out. I was browsing some other equipment and I was looking at the Kanger IPOW 2 but like I said, I would rather not fiddle and I do want something that is a passthrough as well.

I do realize there is a lot of variability, and the reason the more customization and adjustable stuff has come out is because everyone has different tastes, but I really would like to hear what everyone thinks for getting back into vaping.  

I hope my naivete amuses you. Lol.


I recently graduated from a 600-ish mAH ego battery to a variable voltage pink Vision spinner ego thats somewhere in the neighborhood of 1100 mAH. I am finding out that I prefer a "sweet spot" of around 4.5 v, but that it varies depending on the eliquid's nicotine content, flavor, vg/pg ratio, & even brand. I found out that certain fruity flavors can melt a plastic clearomizer. I had the Kanger T2 2.2ml plastic clearomizer and a 6mg nic 80vg/20pg cherry ejuice from Mt Baker Vapor. The cherry juice melted TWO T2 clearomizers. The drip tip melted right off the top washer/band of the clearomizer, and I'd gotten a mouthful of juice. Gross. Quickly rinsed my mouth out. Now I'm using the Kanger glass pyrex 2.4ml? Protank, and it's a better vaping experience. Heavier than the T2s tho.

I've also discovered that I REALLY like the 80vg/20pg ratio better (even though, honestly, the cherry tastes like Robutussin). The texture is noticeably thicker. It hits my throat well, but I like the moderate lung hit it gives me. I am also liking the bigger clouds that more vg and a higher voltage give me.

The downside of the ego manual batteries, for me, is that it doesn't give me enough of a hit before the led indicator light flashes several times in quick succession and it quits until I release the driptip from my mouth and exhale.

I'm glad I found my husband's spare ego usb charger (he's deployed), because I'm going through 2 of the smaller ego batteries AND draining the Vision vv.

Just for the record, I quit smoking. I'm down from the 36mg nic. ejuice to the 111-12mg, & now I'm trying 6.

One thing more I learned: change out a wick more often than once yearly.

Have a good ya'll.

--mamma from Tacoma  

I've tried to quit smoking using vape stuff many times over the last two years or so. I've made it two weeks twice and otherwise have not made it long enough to remember. I had a dream last night that I was vaping. When I woke up I got excited about that (that I wasn't smoking in the dream). I went back to bed and woke up this morning in the middle of a dream that I was smoking. Ahk!

I know that I cannot ever have another puff if I want this to work. There is a thread about how gross smoking tastes after vaping. It's true that for me, smoking is sort of gross and leaves a nasty taste in my mouth, but clearly I like it no matter how disgusting it is.

Around February, my boyfriend said he wanted to quit smoking in the spring. We quit on the same day (last Monday). He uses nicotine gum and I have my vaping. He enjoys taking a puff off my equipment. But a "puff" has turned into about as much as I use it. Last Saturday he said he only had one piece of nicotine gum because he vaped most of the time. I'm trying not to be annoyed, but it kind of irritates me a little. Mostly because I chain-vape and don't want him to take it from me. A few days ago, I noticed he kept adjusting the voltage and handing it back to me without changing it back to where I had it! I made sure he stopped doing that.

Last night he asked me what stuff I buy (the battery, clearomizers and liquid- sorry, I don't know the correct terminology for everything). He was reading up on vaping. I am hoping he's considering buying his own stuff.

I'm thrilled that he quit smoking and want to be supportive of him regardless of how he does it but I sort of want to say, "get your own!"  

Because it has a coil? Because it has a tank that contains VG or PG? Because the user expels vapor that looks like smoke ? Because it has a battery? Because the tank holds liquid that contains nicotine? What if the tank does not contain nicotine? Is it still an E-Cig?

These are my burning questions for tonight while watching Modern Marvels on H2 (History Channel 2)

That and I really need to know what exactly constitutes an E-cig. I've been tobacco free, smoke free for almost two years. Vaping exclusively. I'm close to zero nicotine now. Will I still be an E-cig user when I go to zero? Obviously yes, but why ?

I really dig vaping a million times more then I dug smoking. I hated smoking. Just did it for 40 years 'cause I couldn't get off the stinkies til I discovered E-cig (24 mg/ml when I first quit smoking) almost two years ago. Still can't believe I've been smoke free for so long.

Hope you weigh in on the subject of "What constitutes an E-Cig ?"