Vaping with eCigarettes

[Furiously]

Day 4 of only using my e-cig. I just ordered some more juice. I think I have a 901 from best-ecig.

I like Gulp am thinking I should get a second device cause I'm weak.
So for someone who has no clue on what the difference between a 901, a 501 or a bootcut pair of levis are, what gives good throat hits now?

[Big Gulp]

Day 4 of only using my e-cig. I just ordered some more juice. I think I have a 901 from best-ecig.

I like Gulp am thinking I should get a second device cause I'm weak.
So for someone who has no clue on what the difference between a 901, a 501 or a bootcut pair of levis are, what gives good throat hits now?

This is my go to ecig right now.  You can either go with USB where it hits at something like 4 volts, or plug directly to electric, where it delivers over 5.  Personally I prefer the USB route, because otherwise this fucker burns up your juice quickly (I drop directly onto the atomizer, though).  Fantastic ecig.  The only problem is it's not portable, so I keep my Janty Stick around for that.

[taleril]

Hope this isn't annoying or unfounded crap but I saw this article and remembered seeing this thread.  Just a heads up if you are trying to get nicotine out of an eCigarettes I guess.
http://www.dailytech.com/Study+ECigarettes+Fail+at+Nicotine+Delivery+No+Better+Than+Unlit+Cigarette/article17662.htm

The study hasn't actually been published yet so disregard this if it turns out to be total bullshit.

[MahrinSkel]

More FUD from our friends at ASH (Action on Smoking and Health, a cigarette industry front that is trying to discredit and ban eCig's).  The giveaway is the focus in the article on di-ethylene glycol (found in some imported Chinese liquid) and nicosamines (also found in Chinese eLiquid, but at much lower levels than in tobacco smoke).  The moral of the story: Don't use Chinese liquid.  There are now reputable US manufacturers (Blip Labs and My Freedom Smokes, to name two I've used), that use USP grade Propylene Glycol and scientific grade Nicotine (99.7%) rather than something produced by an anti-freeze plant (and thereby easily contaminated by ethylene glycol) and pesticide-grade nicotine (35% nicotine, 65% whatever else comes out of the leaves and is left behind by the extraction process).

It's also quite a lot cheaper, and doesn't run into customs barriers.  I have a 3 year supply in my freezer, cost me less than $400.  Another potential unknown safety risk is the flavoring, although artificial flavors are extensively tested for safety of ingestion, it's possible that boiling and inhaling them could be hazardous.  But it's considerably less likely than those of continuing to inhale tobacco smoke, or the known effects of menthol on the lungs.

As far as actual nicotine delivery?  Hell fucking yes there's nicotine getting delivered.  I started smoking at 13, smoked a pack a day *every* day, minimum, for 25 years.  I quit for 6 weeks of Air Force basic training, which lasted until the San Antonio airport gift shop.  I smoked my last cigarette September 2nd of last year, and have had a pack of cigarettes in my freezer ever since, untouched.  I did smoke 3-4 drags off of one Schild insisted I try, which did nothing for me and tasted like I was licking an ashtray.  If I chain-vape off a high-voltage mod, or vape the high-nicotine "mix" liquid straight without diluting it down, I can get a nicotine buzz just like when I first started smoking.

I suspect that the conditions of the study were rigged such that either the nicotine was being processed out of the blood by the body before the samples were taken, or the smoker's levels were artificially elevated by also detecting "nicotinoid" chemicals, where a molecule of nicotine is bound up with other biological elements, which doesn't have any of the neural effects of nicotine, but stays in the body much longer.  Suspiciously lacking from the testing is a group of tobacco smokers who vaped rather than smoked for the testing period.

--Dave

[Furiously]

They were probably using no nicotine e-juice...

I bought some Johnson Creek e-juice (Black Cherry). I'd avoid ordering that again. (They also supposedly use US suppliers and high grade chemicals, but I have my suspicions....)

I'm pretty happy I've gone 3 and a half months without a real cigarette.

[Furiously]

Follow up.. Got some cheesecake and Tropical punch flavored juice from Freedom Smokes and it's delicious (The cheesecake is amazing).

[Nonentity]

Bump on this - all of my current supply of eCig stuff is basically scattered to the wind after my move, so I'm looking to start from scratch again.

It appears that buying from someplace like Freedom Smokes would be the place to go for the actual quality liquids?

And I want something a little higher quality on the actual ecig front, something with a rechargable battery that has a longer lifespan then like, a month.

[Nerf]

I still  bliplabs for my liquid, even if their website sucks.

Buy a chuck or another mod that uses an 18650 and you'll be golden for the actual battery bit.

[Nonentity]

Buy a chuck or another mod that uses an 18650 and you'll be golden for the actual battery bit.

Yeah, I... um... what?

I don't know what those phrases mean. I'm new. :(

[Nerf]

A mod is just a different battery holder with the connector from an e-cig battery on it, instead of using a 130mAh standard one you can hook up a lithium ion 18650 (18mm diameter x 65mm length) with a 2600mAh capacity.  2-3 days between charges, and a better more consistent vape while you use it.

[Furiously]

My freedom smokes just got in some low resistance 510 atomizers. It's amazing how much vapor you get from them.

BTW - if you have a high voltage battery, don't use them with it.

(Corrected since I put the wrong type in)

[Nerf]

I've got a shitload of low resistance 510 atomizers, and a direct line from China for more.  If anyone needs stuffs let me know.

[CmdrSlack]

So based on the current availability of a lot of different products, does anyone have a few recommendations for one of the current less-homebrew models?

I saw a starter kit for $65 the other day, at a store near my house, so I'm wondering whether the "you get what you pay for" adage is true of eCigs as well.

[Nerf]

If it looks like a cigarette its not going to perform very well, but if that's what you want go for cheap.  There are only a handful of manufacturers and quality difference is negligible between them. 

Get something with a bigger battery, a dse905, a chuck, an nhaler, etc.

[Furiously]

Or just smoke with a USB cord, or do what I do and carry around 2 spare batteries and have 2 chargers.

[MahrinSkel]

NHaler's X-Haler and XS-Haler (the mini version) are the best of the "pipe bomb" models available right now, from what I've seen (an XS Mini is my public vaporizer now).  The big difference over others of the type is the simplicity and robustness of the mechanical switch (it does add significantly to the length of the unit).  The NHaler line has contenders for best of breed in the "battery puck" and "fist pack" models, as well.

My own mods are all flatpacks these days, although I keep meaning to build a 3-NiMH battery puck model so I can have something I can use batteries from Wal-Mart in (I can use disposable CR123's for cameras in the XS, but they cost $5 for a day's vaping).

NHaler's juice is overpriced, though.

--Dave

[CmdrSlack]

Wow, jargon-heavy.

Meh, I'll just invest the 65 bones in the random store option and hope it helps me wean off hand-rolled smokes, which were meant to wean me off smoking.

Given the number of smokers in my personal and professional life, I guess I either need a) even more willpower or b) some kind of placebo/substitute

[MahrinSkel]

"Pipe bomb": Unit built around a cylindrical battery case (usually a piece of pipe or heavy tubing, although the originals were flashlights).

"Battery puck": Built around a rectangular multi-battery casing, generally with the atomizer taking up one of the battery slots.

"Fist pack": A large version of the battery puck, the extra space often used to add voltage regulator circuitry (NHaler's has four voltage settings), as well as using the extra large batteries to supply the higher power needed and still provide multiple days of use off one charge.

Most of these, especially if home-made, are not something you would want to take through airport security.  My home-brew mods (which are mostly based on Lithium Polymer "flat pack" batteries) tend to be much more compact and efficient (flatpacks have a higher energy density and need less battery to supply the needed current), but they also look even more like the product of a "mad bomber", so when I go out in public I use an XS-Haler, which is much easier to explain.  If I could find the source of the wooden boxes NHaler is using for one of their battery puck models, I'd love to build a flatpack into them (but I won't pay full price for the mod just to gut it).

Stock eCig batteries suck.  They have trouble providing enough current, don't last very long, and don't get many recharge cycles before they die completely.  Their only plus is that they look more like a real cigarette, which can be a minus (more likely to create a problem when using them in a non-smoking area).  The XS-Haler costs like $48, and $30 bucks at all-battery.com will get 4 batteries and a charger for it.

--Dave

[Furiously]

If ordering from E-cig and China scares you. Try Myfreedomsmokes.com - they have the stuff slightly more expensive. I never had any trouble from china, but I get my juice from them or make my own from the Bliplab's stuff. I've order a few things when they have had a sale on equipment.  It makes it fairly affordable when they do that. I'd get a 510 Joye starter pack and whatever juice sounds good to you.  (I'd also order a low resistance atomizer and use that with it because it makes the whole experience a lot better.)

[Stillwagon]

Anyone ordered recently from Blip?  I put in an order a month ago and after several weeks inquired about the status.  I was told that it had definitely shipped and that they would reship immediately if I hadn't received it.  On reshipping, I requested a tracking number which they provided.  So, now about 1.5 weeks later I still haven't received anything and the tracking number seems bogus.  I have no idea what happened as they were always reliable before now and it seems like I'm just getting jerked around at this point.

According to the Director of Blip (aka the guy who answers emails), they are in the process of selling their company and equipment to a larger supplier.  Perhaps this is why their operations seem totally unreliable at this point.  In any event, based on my experience, I'd say order at your own risk right now.  Also of note is that they are discontinuing all but the 7.5% W/V concentration.

In any event, if anyone has successfully ordered recently, let me know and I will try to follow up with them yet again.  Otherwise I think it's time to contest some credit card charges.

Edit: Pre-emptive .  Within 10 minutes of posting this, I got an updated email from Blip saying that they had provided the wrong tracking number.  The new, correct number shows delivery to my zip code today though I haven't been home to confirm this yet.  In any event, I may have completely misplaced my nerd rage here...

[Stillwagon]

So, the Blip order did arrive today.  It contained an extra bottle of 7.5% to make up for the shipping incident, despite the fact that it seems that USPS may have been the actual culprit here (and even if they weren't, who am I to turn down free shit?).  Just figured I would clear the air in the event that anyone else is looking to order from Blip.

Actually, in case anyone is ordering, I would email them directly before ordering as they mentioned that they are discounting their existing inventory with the pending buyout.

[Furiously]

Hard to believe it's been a year of only using the e-cig.

It really has worked well and the amount of money I saved has been incredible. If anyone is still smoking tobacco, give it a try.

[Ookii]

That's great to hear, I officially quit cigarettes 18 days ago and I'm going strong with my ecig. I ended up getting this beast:



And I'm pretty happy so far. It's nice not having to worry about batteries at it has the biggest one in existence, although if I were to do it again I would go with the The BB instead as it's a bit smaller. The one in the picture is the Silver Bullet.

The biggest thing I would recommend to ecigers is to go with ZFM mod for your carts, instead of using filler the cart is empty and employs a cap with a hole. It's fantastic, no more burnt taste and filling up the carts every two seconds, or having to drip. I like the h-cut best, you can find them here. And I would always go with the 510, it's the best.

[Mrbloodworth]

I could not continue with the e-cig. It irritated my throat and nose and, did not scratch the itch. Could it have been the brand? Maybe. I'm thinking its just not for me, I should perhaps just look into quitting instead of replacing.

YMMV.

[Ookii]

I could not continue with the e-cig. It irritated my throat and nose and, did not scratch the itch. Could it have been the brand? Maybe. I'm thinking its just not for me, I should perhaps just look into quitting instead of replacing.

YMMV.

You're probably doing 100% PG which is quite harsh, you really want a mix of 50% PG and 50% VG. I would order from somewhere like vaporbomb where you can specify the amount of VG and PG you want in your liquid. They also have some awesome flavors to boot.

I just took a hit of a blend that is 80%PG and 20%VG and it is quite harsh compared to my 50/50 blend. Unfortunately ecigs are not something you can just enjoy right off the bat, you need to experiment a bit to find what you like. If I had to use a ecig with a normal battery and normal polyfil cart with 100% PG liquid, I would just go back to cigs. For me getting a custom mod, a ZFM cart, and 50/50 liquid did the trick.

[Mrbloodworth]

PG and VG?

No idea.

This is me here. I also use the nubs they sell. Its in my local mall, so thats where I go to re-up. The bothering of my throat was not from harshness, quite the contrary, that stuff is smooth as silk. But something was irritating my passages, including my nose.

[MahrinSkel]

I run 80/20 PG/VG, but I like the throat hit.  Anything less than 20% VG doesn't work at all, especially if you're running high-temp, because the PG flashes to vapor and you can't get the nicotine to stick in your lungs (if you're exhaling and there's no or nearly no steam plume, you're not getting any absorption in your lungs).  On the other hand, more VG means your atomizers clog faster (again, especially if you're running high-temp).

I also run fairly strong on the nicotine (2.4%, or 24mg), and mixed my own from 60mg base (a liter of base, a liter of PG, and half a liter of VG, after a year I've used up a bit more than half a liter).

--Dave

EDIT: PG = Propylene Glycol; VG = Vegetable Glycerin.  Both have low evaporation points, high solubility for the nicotine, and are mostly chemically inert.  Some people have allergies to PG and have to run 100% VG, which tends to clog the atomizers.  VG tends to rapidly form droplets when the vapor is cooled, which makes the visible "smoke" plume and increases the absorption rate.  100% PG is really harsh on the throat and tends to have little absorption into the lungs.

[Ookii]

PG and VG?

No idea.

This is me here. I also use the nubs they sell. Its in my local mall, so thats where I go to re-up. The bothering of my throat was not from harshness, quite the contrary, that stuff is smooth as silk. But something was irritating my passages, including my nose.

150 dollars? I hate those fuckers at the mall ripping everyone off, all you're getting is this with the addition of 6 'Ed Hardy Tattoos':

http://bestecig.com/products.asp?bid=9&sid=36

Actually, you get two batteries and two atomizers with this kit instead of only one each with the one you linked. And it only costs 25 - 35 bucks!

Essentially the nubs are called cartridges or carts for short, and you can just refill them with liquid as opposed to buying pre-filled ones. The best filling material for a cart is currently up for debate (much like every aspect of ecigs), currently people are liking blue foam (which is here, you can find it at pet-whatever near you hopefully) or fluval fishtank canister filter material. If you get a pack of that and some 50/50 liquid from vaporbomb you might enjoy your ecig more than you have.

Also, like Skel said, VG makes better smoke while PG carries flavor better and gives you that nice throat hit. If you're done with smoking in general it's not worth getting into, but if you're still smoking analogs you might as well give it another shot.

[Nerf]

The new eGo from best-ecig is pretty nice, it's what I'm using right now.

If enough people want to throw in to get enough of an order, I can do another big wholesale order on atomizers/batteries/starter kits/whatever and probably save at least 10-20% off of what's listed on their website, and get the shipping down to reasonable levels with enough people. (It's like $17.50 for the first .5kg, and then $7/.5kg after that iirc)

Wow, they put out yet another version, eGo mega, with an 1100mAh battery this time.  At least they listen to me when I order shit.  The eGo with a 650mAh battery was *almost* there but head and shoulders above the standards, I'd imagine the mega is hot shit.  I'll see what my wholesale is on the $60 mega kit, I know it'll be under $50, just not sure how much under.

[Mrbloodworth]

PG and VG?

No idea.

This is me here. I also use the nubs they sell. Its in my local mall, so thats where I go to re-up. The bothering of my throat was not from harshness, quite the contrary, that stuff is smooth as silk. But something was irritating my passages, including my nose.

150 dollars? I hate those fuckers at the mall ripping everyone off, all you're getting is this with the addition of 6 'Ed Hardy Tattoos':

http://bestecig.com/products.asp?bid=9&sid=36

Actually, you get two batteries and two atomizers with this kit instead of only one each with the one you linked. And it only costs 25 - 35 bucks!

Essentially the nubs are called cartridges or carts for short, and you can just refill them with liquid as opposed to buying pre-filled ones. The best filling material for a cart is currently up for debate (much like every aspect of ecigs), currently people are liking blue foam (which is here, you can find it at pet-whatever near you hopefully) or fluval fishtank canister filter material. If you get a pack of that and some 50/50 liquid from vaporbomb you might enjoy your ecig more than you have.

Also, like Skel said, VG makes better smoke while PG carries flavor better and gives you that nice throat hit. If you're done with smoking in general it's not worth getting into, but if you're still smoking analogs you might as well give it another shot.

The quality of that device and the charger and such is much higher than the other devices that are cigarette like that I have looked at. Also, I have a lifetime warranty with them, if any part of it breaks, they will replace the entire unit. All of it, brand new box.

As far as everything else, I'm not one to want to mix my own, or rig up some sort of home brew device. Its an addiction, not a hobby :p

[Nerf]

Snicker, lifetime replacement.

Dude, I used to own mall kiosks, do you have any idea what the average lifespan of one of those businesses is?  As soon as the initial burst of sales from 'hey, new kiosk, new product!' dries up, they will pack up and move on to greener pastures and that warranty will be worth about as much as used toilet paper.

And yes, it's possible the kiosk could close and the company could still honor it, but it's owned by some guy living in an apartment in Maryland, and changes to whatever get-rich-quick scheme is fashionable at the moment.  Check out how it looked in '04 and '05 on the wayback machine:  http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://smokefreeonline.com

It's all the same shit, there are only 3 or 4 actual manufacturers of the products, and a bunch of people that pay extra to have it packaged in custom boxes or colors.
If you're willing to pay extra for the fancy box or colors, go for it, but don't expect any sort of actual customer service to be there when you need it.  I've seen hundreds of these companies pop up in the last couple years and just as many disappear without a trace.

Save money and buy straight from the manufacturer, when it comes to the quality of products and chargers and everything else, bestecig is top notch, and I've seen a lot of em.

[Mrbloodworth]

Not that worried about it. E-cigs just are not for me, I have settled on quitting using the patch or something. 

[Furiously]

Save some money and just smear some e-cig liquid on yourself.

(Note - don't do this)

[Nerf]

I'm putting together a big-ish order for a few folks on the gun forum, if anyone wants to piggyback and save money on shipping let me know.  I get the new 1100mAh eGo Mega kits for $35+shipping.

[Furiously]

I just picked up an Ego-T since I liked the idea of not having the mesh in a cart get all.... icky. And not having to refill a lot.

It's interesting to compare the vapor to my 510 low resistance atomizers. Seems much... wetter and not as hot but still gives a good amount of vapor.  The flavor seems to come through a lot more too. (I also got some black cherry juice from myfreedomsmokes and it's delicious.)

Seems like it would an excellent system to introduce someone to esmoking with. (Plus the 1100ma batteries should last a while).