I've dabbled with gig-a-likes and e-cigars in the past, but decided last week that walking around smelling of fags whilst clogging up my lungs with tar was less than sensible. Bearing in mind that I've been on a pack per day for years I wanted to make sure that whatever I chose would effectively satisfy any nicotine cravings in the early days so decided to go for a fairly decent 50watt vape mod (for anyone interested, I chose the Apollo V-Tube 5.0 with a Phazer sub-ohm tank). I got a few liquids to start myself off and am currently using Funky Monkey, which is a max VG with an apple & cinnamon flavour (well, that's what it seems like to me, anyway).
At 50 watts it's too much for me to handle, but set to 30 watts it feels about right. Currently experimenting with straight to lung v mouth to lung, and varying air flows, but it seems relatively straightforward and so far today I've not wanted a cigarette.
Anyone else made the change recently?
I have never smoked, (choosing instead to lay waste to my body by virtue of weekly Chinese takeaways and gallons of beer).
I kind of get the vaping thing but why don't they just make them taste of cigarettes? Do you enjoy the different flavours or does that take something away from it?
Interesting article on the beeb yesterday and associated programme on tomorrow night (Horizon).
I'm reluctant to try it - just in case I like it. I might have an average of 40 a year, whereas I'd probably vape every day if I liked it.
It's just a matter of time...
That’s a nice set-up!
As per the other vaping thread, I’m about 7 weeks in now, after a 35-odd year smoking career. I was never a 40 / day man (more like 15-20) but there were plenty of roll-ups along the way, and I was alway a “cig first thing in the morning” smoker, and thus a member of the group least likely to successfully give up.
In the past I tried:
- nicotine tablets: unpleasant, always ate too many of them, and still always wanted a cig.
- nicotine patches: gave me itchy skin under the patch, always wanted a cig.
- Champix: made me feel strange mentally - “not myself”, felt uncomfortable about continuing.
Like you I thought that buying decent kit to start with would optimise my chances of success, but in fact I was persuaded to go for a very simple mouth-to-lung set-up to start with, in order to more closely replicate the fags. The person that advised me was correct, as having bought more expensive kit since, it is still the Endure T18 that I go back to when I think I need more nicotine.
i think there are reasons why vaping feels more successful as a method:
1. I didn’t set out to stop smoking at any particular point. I just decided to give vaping a go and see how it went. In fact, once or twice, I have had a cigarette for old times sake and as a comparison. Let’s face it, with my smoking history, the odd one isn’t going to make a lot of difference. Each time, I have’t enjoyed the cigarette as I didn’t like the taste and it didn’t give me any discernible nicotine hit. So for me it helped to not have the pressure of a defined stopping date or a promise to myself to never smoke again.
2. With the right set-up and nice juice, inhaling the vapour is simply more pleasant.
I like your choice of kit. I have a Pico mod with the Melo 3 and Triton 2 tanks for direct lung and a Nautilus Mini tank for MTL.
Thanks very much for that considered response, Si, which I actually find quite encouraging. I've also been a first thing in the morning smoker for as long as I can remember, and that's actually the one I'm a bit worried about as it used to set me up for the day. Still, I intend to persevere and shall use you as a role model!
Funnily enough, I was saying to Bea a few minutes ago that I may get a vape pen for the MTL experience (although it can be achieved with the V-Tube) and also for when I just want something to slip easily into a pocket (particularly in the summer, when I might be out just in jeans and a t-shirt).
Thanks again, anyway.
I have been vaping for around 6 years now, and like to think what I don't know, isn't worth knowing,
I could bore you with lots of garbage, but for me there are a few basics that should be passed on to every new vapor,
never charge batteries overnight, or when you leave the house
you vape is as individual as you are, take time to find out what you like, this could take a year of hit and miss products.
use mouth to lungs as your default, lung hitting is good for a naughty night out drinking, but using it all the time can cause a dry oesophagus, and lead to aches in your chest/chest infections.
drink loads of water when you first start, sipping while you vape is a good idea, see above.
as soon as the flavour of your juice changes or the colour changes, replace your coil, your chest will be hurting like hell after a coil breakdown.
your brain will have its own preset nicotine level from years of smoking, higher nicotine content = less vapes, lower nicotine levels = more vapes, more vapes means drier mouth etc, either way, you will take the same amount of nicotine roughly.
understand VG/PG, have a google and read up, but in short if your having little aches in your chest from a 60%PG/40%VG mix (usual mix) reduce your PG level, I currently use 60%VG/40%PG
when changing coils, dont assume all is good, they can have a high failure rate depending on type, which can be a PITA if you change it before leaving the house, and discover it outside work 45 minutes later.
take time to understand watts to the ohms on your coils, there are many charts out there to calculate what watts you should be using, biggest mistake new vapours make is cranking up the watts and ruining their vape, being 5 watts out can make a lovely juice taste awful.
there is a little more, but its more about what you need to know, rather than trying to know it all,
and welcome to the club Tony, well done.
Last edited by soundood; 22nd May 2016 at 00:09.
It took me a few days or perhaps a week of vaping before I felt confident enough to not have a cigarette available for that first smoke of the day. I think success with that one is down to a) feeling sure, by way of a few days of experience, that you have the nicotine strength right so that you can have a satisfying vape and 2) having the e-liquid flavour and kit right so that it is actually more pleasant to have a vape in the morning rather than a cigarette. It didn’t actually take more than a few days for me to naturally come to realise that smoking a cig as soon as you get out of bed isn’t really a very pleasant start to the day :)
That sums it up actually: without having to force myself or kid myself, I have naturally come to prefer vaping to cigarettes. Making the switch hasn’t actually entailed much in the way of suffering.
One consequence of that is that I don’t actually have to worry too much about “cracking” or giving in. With nicotine tablets, for example, I had the feeling (and it was correct) that having a single cigarette after my stop date was essentially a fail, the slippery slope to restarting cigs. Over the past month and a half or so, I have had maybe 3 cigarettes. Perhaps at times when I hadn’t vaped regularly enough to maintain the nicotine levels, or perhaps just to remind myself what it was like, or to make a comparison with this new form of nicotine intake. Whatever the reason, on each occasion I have found the cigarette no more satisfying nicotine-wise and with lots of negatives that I hadn’t noticed before (e.g. once you are off cigarettes for a while, tobacco just doesn’t taste that great). The last packet of cigarettes I bought was about 2 weeks ago. I smoked one and gave the rest to some homeless guy.
Regarding MTL vs direct lung inhales, initially I really liked my sub-ohm kit and I still do use it daily. But I came to find it a bit embarrassing, to be honest, blowing these massive clouds when outside having a vape in a public place. And then as time went on I came to realise that in terms of nicotine intake, I just didn’t need it. So now what I do is take my little Innokin T18 to work (along with a bottle of juice - I can’t quite make a tank last through a long day) and I mostly confine the massive clouds to my back garden...I use 6 mg / ml for MTL, and 3 mg / ml for sub-ohm.
Lots of vapers do a mixture of both MTL and direct lung. That and swapping between flavours. It’s immaterial as long as it gets you off the cigs.
@ Jason - thanks mate. Some very helpful tips there (although I didn't quite understand the point about battery charging). I've not had any problems with direct lung inhales and actually find it a bit more natural with the mouthpiece I'm using. However, the likelihood is that I'll seek out a pen vape with a more "traditional@ tank/mouthpiece combo to take to work with me, and I suspect that MTL will then become more of a default.
@ Si - once again, thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. I've found your posts really useful, very reassuring, and indicative of my own thought processes (although obviously based on experience as opposed to conjecture).
I've been vaping for around 5 years. The aim was to give up smoking, that worked but I didn't expect to still be vaping all these years later. You've had some really good advice posted above, so not much for me to add.
Personally, I'm now very much in to rebuildable units and use mechanical mods. Most of my bits come from Fasttech in China. I build all my own coils and it keeps the cost down whilst increasing the vape produced and the flavour.
The positive news is that more research appears to point to the fact that it is indeed less harmful than cigarettes, plus you have the added bonus of not smelling like an ash tray.
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The battery charging advice is about safety, they can overload and cause a fire hazard, I think 3 hours max is the general advice.
Ive been vaping a year now and wouldn't go back to ciggies, its taken a while to find the right kit, my prob;em right now is my local vape hope has discontinued my flavour! Im struggling to find an alternative I can get into, not so keen on the fruity ones, still experimenting to find the one. My first vape of the day nearly feels as good as that first cigarette . Im on 12mg liquid, a lot of mates that have tried vaping dismiss it, ask what they have tried and its usually a shop bought stick and some low mg liquid and thats not the best introduction, I think you did right in going for decent kit to start with.
I do however vape a lot more than I smoked, a vape 'hit' is a lot less long lived than a cigarette, I will never go back though.
Funnily enough Tony just like yourself I had had enough of smoking, albeit more socially so had tried ecigs and vapes for a few months but they just made me consistantly cough when used which defeated the whole object of what I was trying to acheive!
Jump forward to Friday where a mate had recommended me a new vape shop and I came away with a small Joytech eGo AIO and juice with 70% VG and my troubles are now behind me. Fantastic piece of kit which I chose as I didn't want to carry anything big when out on the motorbike or down the pub etc. lovely smooth draw, simple and small. Highly recommend when out and about.
Enjoy!
I've no experience of vapeing as these products weren't around when I decided to finally quit smoking around 14 years ago. I dealt with it by going a bit nuts with exercise. I just wanted to say that giving up smoking is about the best thing anyone can do and I count giving up as one of my major achievements in life so all the best to you in your endeavour Tony!
One thing that helped me was taking it a day at a time, even a few hours at a time during some really challenging bits. Giving up smoking is an elephant task so breaking it down to smaller manageable chunks seemed to help me. I would say to myself that I won't have a cigarette for the next two hours then when I got there, rather than grabbing for a fag, I felt empowered to continue to 'not start again' for the next block of time etc.
Anyway, all the best.
PS - To date based on a very conservative estimate of £5 per day I have 'saved' over £25k!!!!!
Thanks all, for both the advice and the encouragement. I guess in these days of vaping we have the option of step changes when giving up smoking - retaining the nicotine intake whilst getting rid of the tar and other toxins, with the additional option of stopping vaping thereafter. I feel very motivated, anyway, and from past experience that's the mental state you have to be in (as opposed to just responding to the hounding of nearest and dearest!).
2 1/2 years vaping like others have had to learn along the way i stick to a 40 w variable battery abd a nautilus tank set it at 11w and all is good !
I haven't had a cigarette since but do I want to give up vape yes eventually
I get my uk liquids for just over a £1 when I purchase 20 bottles a time but I know this will be going up once the UK gov start taxing it !!!
Im down to 6mg I've tried 3mg but not ready for that just yet !!
Done great advice above and actually it really does depend on the user as everyone has different taste
What I have noticed bigger battery and bigger tank do not equal more enjoyment!!
Once you enjoy it stick to it ! Otherwise you'll spend more & more $$ trying to get what you already enjoy !!
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My set up !
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Been an on again / off again smoker for years and had gradually whittled down the consumption level to just a few rollies a day.
I made a change about 6 months ago; I stopped smoking completely when I understood deep down that it is crap, looks naff and had absolutely no benefit to me:)
Exercise helps.
Good luck to all.
Very similar to my set up Russell, I used the Nautilus for ages but have swapped to the new Aspire tank ( can't remember the name ) which is similar and uses the same coil but is top fill which is easier to use.
Not being a smoker myself - but I did notice a few news stories whilst being in New York about the fact that they were going to enforce the FDA rules etc on the vaping products - and so they would need to be able to meet all the Federal standards. I think the gist of it was that they expected alot of the small companies behind vaping products to fold due to the costs of being compliant.
I just wonder if the Gvmnt will try the same thing here (and also from the news stories it seems the biggest pushers for the law chnage were the tobacco companies - funny that!)
Anyway - a question from me - do not you worry that though the vaping is better than cigarettes (in terms of all the other chemicals in them) that you might become more accepting of more concentrated nicotine over time?
Cheers
Matt
Im sure you are right Matt, there is a lot more legislation on the cards, and yes, nicotine 'acceptance' is possibly an issue, but the health benefits of vaping against smoking must far outweigh that possibility.
What would annoy me enormously is if they tax vape products so heavily in the future just to recoup the tax lost by less cigarette sales. The government should be embracing the technology as it clearly helps people turn away from harmful cigarettes and the knock on health problems and costs.
I understand that the smaller companies have 1 year to sell there current products without tax in the uk so I'm going to suggest I stock up for about a year to ensure I'm not hit !!
I think the tax will definitely go up to save revenue cost and they will always suggest it's to pay for smokers treatments
I have seen many pros and cons and definitely more pros to vaping
Fingers crossed my plan is to stop so if it gets to expensive that will be the push I need I suppose
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This should make interesting viewing:
Horizon. E-cigarettes: miracle or menace?
Tonight at 21:30
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07c6ll4
I read in a preview of the show somewhere that one of the interesting points mentioned is that nicotine by itself may not be very addictive. It’s only one of many issues covered, the main one being the safety of vaping, so I’ll be watching / recording.
Hi soundoodOriginally Posted by soundood
I am extremely wary and careful in regard to charging, battery output ratings and safety, but there is one aspect that I remain uncertain about. I have read reports of some devices having faults so that they “auto fire”. Do you have concerns about that? Sometimes I wonder if I should take batteries out of my devices overnight.
My batteries are all built in I charge it via my laptop which closes after 3 hrs so I would do it any longer !!
But I have heard of no cases on the streets as it were of exploding batteries the one I was told about was listed in the sun newspaper which obviously you can never be sure !!!
I have had a unit start to auto fire but I then removed the batter in the vape shop and they disposed of it !
yes I also have concern about this, and when I go to bed I leave my vape on the cooker hob, that way if it does go up, the cooker and hood should take most of the hit, also the heat/smoke detector is above that, so I should get some warning.
its a great piece of kit vape, but having three kids in the house, means some caution is in order, a bit like leaving your lighter out of sunlight/reach of children etc.
I’m still undecided about the Nautilus Mini. I’ve tried mine with both the standard BVC coils and the Clapton coils from the Triton Mini (not a lot of difference) and I don’t get great flavour from it. I also notice that it can get far too hot, even at the lower end of the specified range. I honestly get a better MTL vape from my Endura T18 starter kit.
My next purchase is going to be a better MTL tank. Not sure which one, though, as most of the reviews seem to rate the Nautilus Mini very highly.
Not to mention precautions with the e-liquids themselves. Reading around, the toxicity seems to have been overestimated but I have no doubt that there is enough in a bottle to make a child feel decidedly unwell.
Funny enough I often leave my kit on the cooker hob too.
I've tried kangatech had a few of the larger tanks and smaller tanks I think I have now 6 tanks 4 batteries and I have found my set up easy to use cheap to run, good flavour and less puff / smoke in which I can use it anywhere without people commenting : including trains offices planes pubs shops anywhere really !!
The only place they weren't keen was my Gp surgery !!
It can become obsessive to get the right mix for you but I know I won't buy anymore until this one has crashed beyond repair !!
Well, I've been vaping for several years now and I had no idea there was more than one way to do it!
What's all this "mouth to lung" versus "lung hitting" stuff? Aren't you just supposed to smoke them like you would a fag?
Well overall a well documented presentation on how it does help improve health from that of a smoker !!
Long term risks better but some questions over flavours
Does it stop smoking yes people are better at succeeding in stopping if they use but "ideally" not long term use !
There's always some catch but I think overall it showed it is definitely better to use than to smoke !!!
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The programme was pretty good. Obviously he can’t carry out proper studies but he does make an effort to give a balanced view.
It pretty much accords with my own views on vaping, i.e. that it is much too early for it to be possible to know the long term effects of inhaling this stuff, and that more research is needed urgently, particularly in order to develop vape-safe flavourings. I welcome some aspects of the TPD / FDA controls that are coming in - I think it is perfectly reasonable to expect manufacturers to provide a full list of contents, to use batch numbers and to make some sort of effort. After all, the profit margins are colossal.
As a method for getting away from cigarettes, though, I think it is unbeatable, and I am as certain as I can be at this stage that the risks are low.
I thought the bit where the vapour chamber was shown was a bit odd. The experimenter expressed surprise that the levels of aerosols were much higher than previous studies. But the test subjects were beardy, cloud-chasing, smoke-ring blowing sub-homers and I’d be willing to bet that the previous studies involved basic mouth-to-lung pen vapes.
I agreed with Mosley’s suggestion that until more is known, it would be sensible to avoid consistently using any particular flavour for too long. Switch them around. And I think it would be sensible to keep direct lung inhaling to a minimum - 4 times as much juice for your lungs to deal with.
Overall, a reasonably balanced programme. The potential for public health improvement is huge, as long as there is nothing nasty 20 or 30 years down the line.
Just read this with interest. I don't know anyone who vapes and was only vaguely aware of what was involved. Blimey, it seems like a right faff! Think I'll continue my policy of avoiding deliberately inhaling fumes, irrespective of the source. Life's complicated enough as it is.
Fags, vapes, pipes … they're all titty bottles! I managed to quit the habit totally years ago by:
1) Telling myself every day why I should not smoke. I made a list which I read every day to convince myself to quit - and to quit on a nominated day several weeks ahead. The list included family members who died prematurely from smoking related diseases.
2) On the nominated day, having drilled it into my foggy nicotine filled brain, every day, over the preceding several weeks that I would be giving up on that day, I quit … no withdrawal symptoms, no patches, no more titty bottles.
If I'd continued smoking 40 fags a day over the last 26 years, in today's values it would have cost c.£180,000 i.e. c. £7,000 per year. And unlikely I would have been able to afford a decent watch.
Most smokers can quit without resorting to substitutes - think of friends who have managed it - you're just as capable as they are.
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Well, for what it's worth I'm now on day 10... haven't had a fag, and aside when I had a moment of profound stress at work I haven't wanted one.
I'm still playing with options in terms of tools and have just ordered a stupidly expensive box mod ( the YiHi SX Mini M Class, for anyone interested)... more due to my own character flaws than because I really needed it. That said, the box mods are definitely easier to carry around, and this one will give good cloud!
I also got around to watching the Horizon documentary last night, which was fairly comforting all in all.
Never been a smoker Tony but three close friends all switched to vaping around three years ago and, although still vaping, none have regressed.
As all three were pretty heavy and seasoned smokers I find that an incredible success rate.
Good luck with your journey.
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Ha ha...if it's anything like watches, it all downhill from here, soon you'll end up like me with a bunch of provari's, dicodes random boxes, mechs and over engineered tanks.
Although i've lapsed a few times, it's been a worthwhile change that's helped me cutdown overall since i limit my vaping to the same times as when i would have a fag (rather than having it in my gob like a dummy, too many people I know seem to be permanently attached to their e-cigs)
I've never smoked, tbh I don't really 'get' smoking at all, seems like a daft thing to do - and I never met a smoker who isn't trying to give up. So vapeing, if it offers a way to give up the habit is surely a good thing. However - sorry if this causes offence - but seeing someone sucking a little metal tube somehow looks absolutely ridiculous. Every time I see someone vapeing I can't help but chuckle. It's like they're pretending to be an extra in Blade Runner or something 😂
Yeah, sorry about that. The minute I pressed 'send' I wished I hadn't! I'm not sanctimonious about smokers at all, I've literally never bothered to try it - and I'm sure it will become the norm to Vape - but I still think it looks a bit odd when I see it 😏
To be fair, it probably does!Yeah, sorry about that. The minute I pressed 'send' I wished I hadn't! I'm not sanctimonious about smokers at all, I've literally never bothered to try it - and I'm sure it will become the norm to Vape - but I still think it looks a bit odd when I see it
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I've been on and off vaping for a few years now, currently on with the exception of a couple of fags first thing in the morning. Don't ask me why.
Been through various devices but currant hardware consists 3 box mods, Sigelli 75W single 18650, Smoke R200 twin 18650 and a Wismec RX200s triple 18650 coupled with either of the following tanks. Unwell crown, Aspire Triton or a TFV4 mini.
I like having the choice of devices/hardware, it helps me keep interested if that makes sense.
Previously when hen I have started vaping I have ditched the fags completely and have always drifted back to 1 or 2, then 3 or 4 and before I know it the vaping had all but stopped.
Currently doing well, well I think so which is what matters and considering I have been a 30-40 fags a day man getting down to a few a day is a big plus.
Good on you Tony, keep up the sterling workDay 30 without a fag. I wouldn't say it's been easy, but vaping certainly takes most of the pain away and if I could sleep properly (and didn't want to punch somebody) I'd be fine.
I now have a drawer-full of mods and liquids
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