Any e-cig users?

[OneSickPsycho]

Tried out a friend's White Cloud e-cig the other night... loved it.

I used to smoke, but now I think it's nasty... still love nicotine so I'll smoke every now and again when drinking, will dip if offered, and smoke cigars from time to time. REALLY thinking about taking up e-smoking as an every once in while sort of thing...

Can someone school me on these things? I know the basics, but if I'm going to drop a bunch of money on one, filling my own cartridges, etc... I'd like some first-hand knowledge to help me make my decision.

[shmike]

Tried out a friend's White Cloud e-cig the other night... loved it.

I used to smoke, but now I think it's nasty... still love nicotine so I'll smoke every now and again when drinking, will dip if offered, and smoke cigars from time to time. REALLY thinking about taking up e-smoking as an every once in while sort of thing...

Can someone school me on these things? I know the basics, but if I'm going to drop a bunch of money on one, filling my own cartridges, etc... I'd like some first-hand knowledge to help me make my decision.

Is Krabill still around? I think he owns an e-cig shop.

[Rangerscott]

Dont let it explode in.your mouth.

[goof2]

I tried them as a replacement for cigarettes. They were OK for a while but it didn't last for me. The biggest issue was they seemed to lose their effectiveness over time. Even with new cartridges (also cartomizers) and new "juice" I had to keep on increasing the frequency I was using it, how long I would use it for, and the concentration of nicotine in the juice. Since your use would only be occasional that shouldn't be an issue for you. The other hassles in my case were the equipment you need to bring with you. Batteries, cartridges, juice, charger, etc. That was kind of inconvenient, particularly dealing with the juice because it is a bit of a mess being vegi oil based. It ended up that cigarettes were just more convenient and effective for me.

[Krabill]

Oh yes, I'm still around. My store is doing very well. If these things didn't work, we wouldn't have as many return customers as we do. People come back and buy them for their family members, friends, co-workers, etc., because they work so well.

There is, however, a technique to it. It isn't exactly like smoking a cigarette and you have to change your routine, but once you get it figured out, they are actually much more convenient than regular smoking. No more lighters, no more finding a place to smoke, no more stopping what you're doing to have a cigarette, and of course, no more stink, no more ashes, etc., etc., and much less expensive than smoking. Pull it out of your pocket, take a drag, slip it back in your pocket. I don't understand how smoking a cigarette is easier than that.

The most popular starter kit we sell is the Ego DCT - http://www.designatedvaping.com/index.php/shop/starter-kits/dct-ego-starter-detail

It uses a 900 mah Ego battery that is good for about 8-9 hours of constant use and a cartomizer/tank delivery system. The cartomizers will need to replaced every couple weeks, but other than that you only need to top off the tank every once in a while.

A bottle of juice will last about 4-5 days if you vape a lot.

To start and have about a month's supply on hand, you'd need:
1 - Ego DCT starter kit
1 - 5 pack 1.5 ohm DCT replacement cartomizers
5-6 bottles of e-juice in your favorite flavor

After that, monthly maintenance is just:
1 - 5 pack 1.5 ohm DCT replacement cartomizers
5-6 bottles of e-juice

There are of course a whole bunch of options and higher performance e-cigs available (that I'd be happy to tell you about if you're interested), but for someone looking for a simple e-cig that just plain works well, you really can't go wrong with a good old Ego style and a DCT system.

[OneSickPsycho]

Good info...

Now, a couple of questions...

I know the harshness/throat hit is determined by the type of juice used... vegetable or whatever... What type is yours? I prefer little to no harshness, but I'd like to see if I can get my folks to try it and I think given their current smoking routine, they'd probably want it.

There's a bunch of options for starter kits... all with similar prices... Is there enough of a difference to dig into all of them or should I just take your recommendation?

How do you know when the cartomizer needs to be replaced?

Do you do sampler packs of the juice? I'd like to try several to see what I really like... plus the wife has different tastes and my folks would want something that tastes like Swisher Sweets or comparable cheap mass mfg cigar...

Discounts for forum members? :rockwoot:

[Krabill]

VG juice - thicker, less throat hit, less flavor, more vapor
PG juice - thinner, more throat hit, more flavor, less vapor

My juice is 100% PG based. I have many reasons for carrying PG juice, but better flavor and the fact that they don't clog up cartomizers as quickly as the thicker VG juice does would be among the biggest reasons.

Along the lines of the more/less throat hit - the amount of nicotine plays a huge part in that. The higher the concentration of nicotine, the harsher it is. 0 and 6 mg are completely smooth. 11 mg has a slight increase. 16 mg is right about where a cigarette would feel. 24 mg is pretty harsh.

Different types of starter kits . . . I wouldn't recommend anything less than an Ego size battery as it is the minimum size required in my opinion to mimic smoking. The little pen/cigarette size batteries just don't cut it.

After that, you just have to decide on a delivery method. They'll pretty much all fit on an Ego battery.

DCT - Dual Coil Tank - uses a cartomizer inside a tank. This is by far my favorite. You can vape it right side up, upside down, sideways, and anywhere in between. The fluid in the tank keeps the cartomizer wet with fluid so you aren't re-filling constantly. It's what I use and what we sell the most of in the store.

Mega cartomizers - just like the name implies. They are just a huge cartomizer. Dead simple to use. Get the packing material inside the cartomizer wet with e-juice (it holds almost a half a bottle), and go. No leaking, no dripping, no flooding. We sell a lot of these to older folks who do not want to mess with carto/tanks (DCT).

Clearomizers - (redux on my website) A coil/wick system. It uses a wick to pull the e-juice up into a heating coil. They are re-buildable. You have to spin and twist them to keep the wick wet, and they like to leak/flood if you turn them upside down. If you vape heavily, they dry out quickly and you'll get dry hits often. Used gently, they work fine, however.

Vivi Nova - works the same way as a Clearomizer with the same upside/downside to them.

As far as knowing when to replace a cartomizer, it will either start to taste funny, or start to get really hard to draw through as the packing material will slowly clog up over time. They'll typically last a couple weeks, but I've seen them go bad anywhere from a week to 4 weeks depending on how much they are used.

Unfortunately, we do not do sampler packs. We have samples in the store, but that doesn't help you if you're ordering online.

The most popular:

tobacco - Red USA
Menthol - Portal Blend
Havana - tastes like swisher sweets if that's what you're looking for.

Flavors:
- cheesecake
- blueberry
- blackberry
- pomegranate
- watermelon
- peach
- coffee
- black tea

We sell a lot of all of them, but those are probably the ones we sell the most of.

Discount - type "adv" in the coupon code area for a 10% discount on everything.

[OneSickPsycho]

Ok, good deal. Now as far as nicotine levels are concerned, how are those measured? I mean, I understand the measurements themselves, but how do those compare to cigarettes... like how many hits do I need to take of what strength to reach the strength of say... a Camel Light?

[Krabill]

A typical cigarette has 1.3 mg of nicotine in it.

Translated over to the way we label e-juice, this would be 13mg/ml. Since your body doesn't absorb nicotine as easily through an e-cig as it does a traditional cigarette, the 16mg e-juice is just about the same as a 1.3mg cigarette. When I was trying to quit, I tried the lower nic e-juices first, but it didn't "stick" until I started using 16mg. I slowly lowered myself down and am now using 6mg and have no desire for a cigarette at all that low.

I don't have any plans to drop to 0mg, but if you would have asked me a year ago, I never would have thought I'd be at 6mg now, so I guess we'll just see.

[OneSickPsycho]

How many ml are the juices you sell?

[Krabill]

10 ml bottles. A bottle will last about 4-5 days with an ego.

[goof2]

Oh yes, I'm still around. My store is doing very well. If these things didn't work, we wouldn't have as many return customers as we do. People come back and buy them for their family members, friends, co-workers, etc., because they work so well.

There is, however, a technique to it. It isn't exactly like smoking a cigarette and you have to change your routine, but once you get it figured out, they are actually much more convenient than regular smoking. No more lighters, no more finding a place to smoke, no more stopping what you're doing to have a cigarette, and of course, no more stink, no more ashes, etc., etc., and much less expensive than smoking. Pull it out of your pocket, take a drag, slip it back in your pocket. I don't understand how smoking a cigarette is easier than that.

In my case a large part of it may have been the technology available at the time. The most recommended kit at that point was the 510 with 1/3rd the battery capacity of the Ego you recommend. When I stopped using it cartomizers had just been introduced. The method I used up till then was the separate cartridge filled with cotton (or something similar) that was pressed on to the atomizer. It would work good for about 3 drags before it lost effectiveness. There was certainly nothing like the tanks or batteries available now.

Good to hear your store is doing well. If I go down that route again I'll make sure to buy through your site.

[OneSickPsycho]

10 ml bottles. A bottle will last about 4-5 days with an ego.

Order placed. Thanks!!!!

[Krabill]

In my case a large part of it may have been the technology available at the time. The most recommended kit at that point was the 510 with 1/3rd the battery capacity of the Ego you recommend. When I stopped using it cartomizers had just been introduced. The method I used up till then was the separate cartridge filled with cotton (or something similar) that was pressed on to the atomizer. It would work good for about 3 drags before it lost effectiveness. There was certainly nothing like the tanks or batteries available now.

Good to hear your store is doing well. If I go down that route again I'll make sure to buy through your site.

I actually tried them when the 510 was the only thing out, too. Didn't work for me, either :lol:

It wasn't until the Ego came out that I found something that worked, and the Carto/Tank system just sealed the deal. It works so well, I've staked my financial future on them :tremble:

OSP - Your order is boxed up and heading out the door this morning. Let me know if you have any questions when it arrives.

[OneSickPsycho]

OSP - Your order is boxed up and heading out the door this morning. Let me know if you have any questions when it arrives.

Got the email confirmation... Trying to refer some business your way...

[Rangerscott]

Why not just quit?

[OneSickPsycho]

Why not just quit?

Quit 7 years ago...

[marko138]

Quit 7 years ago...
Clearly.

[OneSickPsycho]

Clearly.

Yep, have had probably 5 cigarettes in the past 7 years...

[OneSickPsycho]

Got the shipment today... Other than the lack of good instructions from the mfg and ONSSP over-tightening one of the carts, lovin these things.

Question... Can't the carts be safely stored when full... We have three flavors and three carts... Two used but I'd like to try the third but am hesitant because that would leave one loose...

[Krabill]

No problem storing them full. A lot of people keep a few tanks laying around with different flavors in them.

[OneSickPsycho]

No problem storing them full. A lot of people keep a few tanks laying around with different flavors in them.

Good deal... I think I have my boss convinced on buying one too...

[OneSickPsycho]

10 ml bottles. A bottle will last about 4-5 days with an ego.

Not for a non-smoker like myself! lol

I've been on one flavor since I got it a week ago. Used about 1/3 of a bottle and probably got another couple of days with my current fill.

This has not been without issue though... I think I may have a slight allergy with the PG. Scratchy throat and mild congestion after use that lasts a little while. It's not bad at all, slightly annoying at best. ONSSP has not had this issue (and she's allergic to EVERYTHING!)

Going to try some VG in the future to see how that goes...

[Krabill]

It is more than likely your technique than an actual allergy. They have been using PG in asthma inhalers for decades. I have asthma and am allergic to everything. PG has been tested over and over again for use in inhalers.

I'll admit I had throat issues when I first started, but it turned out to be my technique, not the liquid itself.

You do NOT want to draw the vapor straight into your lungs like you do a cigarette. You fill your mouth with vapor first, very slowly, then inhale that. More like a cigar than a cigarette. Pulling the vapor straight into your lungs can cause irritation like what you are describing. Try it a little slower before blaming the e-juice.

On that note . . . with more and more studies being done on e-cigs there is a constant stream of information coming out. There is one recent study that found trace amounts of formaldehyde in the vapor - but only from e-cigs that contained VG. None showed up in the samples that were pure PG. PG is a pharmaceutical grade compound. VG is extracted from vegetables and has had very little testing done on it as a vapor and its effects on people, whereas PG has been tested as a vapor product for decades in the medical field.

[OneSickPsycho]

It is more than likely your technique than an actual allergy. They have been using PG in asthma inhalers for decades. I have asthma and am allergic to everything. PG has been tested over and over again for use in inhalers.

I'll admit I had throat issues when I first started, but it turned out to be my technique, not the liquid itself.

You do NOT want to draw the vapor straight into your lungs like you do a cigarette. You fill your mouth with vapor first, very slowly, then inhale that. More like a cigar than a cigarette. Pulling the vapor straight into your lungs can cause irritation like what you are describing. Try it a little slower before blaming the e-juice.

On that note . . . with more and more studies being done on e-cigs there is a constant stream of information coming out. There is one recent study that found trace amounts of formaldehyde in the vapor - but only from e-cigs that contained VG. None showed up in the samples that were pure PG. PG is a pharmaceutical grade compound. VG is extracted from vegetables and has had very little testing done on it as a vapor and its effects on people, whereas PG has been tested as a vapor product for decades in the medical field.

That is my technique... and it's not immediate that I have that sensation... it's usually within a few minutes after hitting it...

I've actually experienced the same thing with fog machines... though I never thought much of it until I started researching reactions to PG and found out it's the same shit in fog machines.

[OneSickPsycho]

Boss just placed an order a couple of hours ago... :boobs: