The Captain's Guide to Vaping
An Introduction to Electronic Cigarettes
I get a lot of questions and comments about my electronic cigarettes and I think it's about time that I put some information out about my experiences vaping and quitting tobacco.
I smoked cigarettes for 14 years... a pack or two per day. I smoked Marlboro reds for 11 years and then I switched to making my own with a table top injector... higher quality tobacco and much cheaper... better experience. Still, I felt like shit all the time.
I quit tobacco and started using an electronic cigarette about 6 and a half months ago as of the time of this writing. I never missed tobacco or felt like I had quit... it's more like I changed the way I get the experience.
What is an electronic cigarette?
How I got started
Placing my first order
Thoughts about our first liquids
Afterthoughts about my first order
Switching from cigarettes to vaping
Is it really like smoking?
Do you inhale the same and does it feel the same?
Can you breathe like a non smoker?
Will your senses of taste and smell increase?
Do you feel better overall?
What to buy to get started the right way
What you should order
What you should order if you're on a budget
The super low budged last resort list
Charge your batteries
Primer fluid
Blow out your atomizer
Assembling your e-cigarette
Your first vaping experience
Topping up your cartridge
Join the community
Shuffling Batteries
Preparing your supplies before an outing
Cleaning the filler material
Cleaning a cartridge
Cleaning your atomizer
Enjoying e-liquid
Altering your nicotine levels
Devices other than standard e-cigarettes... aka mods
Alternative filler materials
Other types of chargers
Vaping in public
Stealth vaping
Making your own liquid
Be a dripper!
Dripping basics
Trimming a cartridge and drip tips
Staying Steady
Troubleshooting your e-cigarette
My ecig makes a gurgling sound
My ecig leaked
It tastes burnt or metallic or weird
My ecig seems weak
My battery isn't lasting as long as it's supposed to
My atomizer is cloggy
What is an electronic cigarette?
An electronic cigarette uses an atomizer to produce vapor from nicotine liquid... you inhale it like smoke.
Here's the basic design... this is a joye 510:
On a standard set up the cartridge is filled with polyfill that is saturated with liquid.
The atomizer has a piece of steel wool type stuff (it's called the bridge) makes contact with the polyfill when you insert the cartridge into the atomizer.
As you use the vaporizer the steel wool bridge wicks the liquid from the polyfill down to a coil within the atomizer.
When you press the switch the atomizer coil heats up and vaporizes the liquid that has been wicked to it.
You puff the vapor as you press the switch down. That's all there is to it...
This whole thing is powered by the battery which screws on to the atomizer.
This will make more sense out of what I just wrote....
How I got started
In the beginning...
One night I came home from a gig and Amanda was watching a youtube video of this British dude (Scott Bonner aka igetcha69) ... he was reviewing electronic cigarettes. I had never seen one in action and I was blown away by how much it looked like smoke. We watched some more of his vids and I knew right then that I would switch to e-cigs.
I began to research vaping some time around the first week of November 2009. I found some online forums and began to study... there are lot's of different types of e cigs and lot's of opinions about what's good and what's not. It seemed like a pretty big learning curve at the time... now it all seems so simple.
I also discovered that different vendors had huge price differences on the same gear... one place would have a starter kit for $80 while another place would have the same kit for $35...
My initial research was mainly just me trying to figure out how it all worked and if I could really switch. I read lot's of peoples real experiences with e-cigarettes and quitting smoking.
During this initial research I realized that if I had the right gear and the right strength nicotine liquid then it wouldn't feel like quitting but instead like switching to a better tasting cigarette. I was convinced. Amanda was too.
My second phase of research was simple: what type of e-cigarettes should we get, which liquids should we try and who should we buy this stuff from. It turned out to be more complex than I expected... there were all sorts of devices and all sorts of opinions about what was the best.
Eventually I narrowed it all down to the Joye 510 model e-cigarette. They were fairly new on the e-smoking scene and all of the experienced vapers (e-smokers) loved them. I also discovered that it was important to get the "manual" version which has a button... automatics are wind activated and the batteries are known to fail easily.
Through my research I also learned that cignot.com had the best prices in the US for what I was buying at the time (cheaper from china but shipping is expensive) and they also sold a nice variety of liquids and accessories and all at extremely competitive prices.
Placing my first order
My first order was for 2 people... Amanda and me... so I bought everything I thought it would take for two people to start vaping.
The most important thing is that you have backup supplies and liquids at all times... you can't really run up to the corner store and buy e-liquid.
You can not just buy a kit by it's self. You have to buy some spare parts and some extra e-liquid.
My first order was this (don't buy this... there is new and better hardware available now...):
* 2 kits - $35 each - $70 total
each kit contained 2 complete Joye 510 cigarettes (2 atomizers and 2 batteries), 5 pre filled carts(Marlboro High), 1 AC charger. This gave us the equivalent of 4 e-cigs and 2 chargers. The pre filled cartridges are for refilling over and over... you don't have to buy cartridges all the time... it's simple to drip some new liquid into them. I don't use cartridges the same any more... I drip now.... I'll explain that later.
* 3 extra atomizers $25
atomizers are the part of the e-cigarette that breaks most often. They last anywhere from a week up to many months... my experience is that most are good for a few months
* 3 extra batteries $35
the extra batteries are so that we could have extras when we were on the go and wouldn't be able to charge our batteries.
* 5 empty cartridges
we filled these with liquid to take with us when we were on the go or whatever.... at the time we didn't know but we didn't really need them.
* 1 PCC $25
this is a portable charger case... you charge it up at home and then it can recharge your ecig batteries up to 5 times... I figured I would need this on days when I was gone for extended periods. I could have went without the PCC but it was nice to know that I could keep a battery charged at all times while I was out... I recommend it for mental comfort if you have a standard joye 510... for newer ecigs with longer lasting batteries this is overkill
* Liquid (3 big bottles and 3 small bottles) $45
20ml of Marlboro flavor in 26mg strength
20 ml of something called RY4 which people on the forums really liked (ry4 is sort of like a caramel tobacco flavor) ... 26mg strength
15ml of Ecopure English Toffee flavor at 18mg strength.
5ml sample of strawberry at 26mg
5ml of menthol with no nicotine
5ml of Marlboro at 0mg which also means no nicotine
* 1 bottle of vegetable glycerine and water mixed
we got this is so that we could dilute the 26mg liquid if it was too strong for us but it wasn't
All in all we spent about $200. We ended up with enough parts to last months and enough liquid to last a few weeks.
Thoughts about our first liquids
I quickly realized that the 0 nicotine stuff was pretty useless for me... eventually I mixed it with other flavors.
The tobacco flavors don't taste like burning cigarettes... more like unlit cigarettes... in time I have come across a couple of flavors that taste like ash tray but I've been vaping for a while and it's gross. I guess even when I was a a smoker it was gross.
The strawberry was pretty nice... tasted kind of like roses too...
The Marlboro (aka USA mix) was great and so was the RY4... I liked usa mix the best and Amanda liked ry4 the best.
Afterthoughts about my first order
If I was going to go back and do it again I would have bought two more kits instead of the spare batteries and spare atomizers... it would have been $10 more but for that cost I would have received 1 more battery, 1 more atomizer and 2 more chargers... turned out that we use 4 chargers all the time so we always have fresh batteries available.
Out of everything we purchased the only thing that I would have skipped completely was the 0mg liquids... when you just came off of analogs (tobacco cigarettes) you need the strongest liquid that you can vape without getting a headache.
We don't use the pcc very often but in the beginning it was a great feeling to know that I had a portable charger with me. These days when I leave I just take 2 ecigs ... 1 with a sweet flavor and 1 with a tobacco flavor... if I'm going to be gone more than 5 hours then I'll bring one spare battery with me and every once in a while if I think I'll be vaping heavy I will bring an extra spare battery or the pcc so that I can recharge if necessary... I've never actually needed it lol.
Switching from cigarettes to vaping
Making the change...
Electronic cigarettes produce an experience that is superior to traditional cigarettes... when you first start out you may notice your cigarette triggers and look around like it's time to go smoke... that's when it's time to sit down and vape.
The day we started vaping we put all of our tobacco stuff up in a cabinet and we haven't touched it since.
I would notice myself looking around like it was time to go smoke... I'd vape... it tasted great... felt like smoking... awesome!
If I felt like I was really wanting some nicotine I would sit down with two e-cigs and "chain vape" for a while... just like those times with cigarettes when I'd sit and smoke non stop for an hour... same thing with vaping....
You must realize that the triggers aren't telling you to smoke... they're telling you to vape... your body and mind get to have all the same experiences with an electronic cigarette that they would get with an analog (tobacco cigarette) minus about 4000 other chemicals besides nicotine. LOL
Is it really like smoking?
Yes and no...
An ecig seems to deliver the nicotine a little bit slower than an analog so when you first start out you may find your self craving some nic... you have to sit down and vape for 5 minutes.... a few minutes in you feel it... 5 or ten minutes in you are just as satisfied as if you smoked an analog except the taste is still awesome and you haven't inhaled any tar.
With an analog you would have felt it a few puffs in... but 5 minutes later when your smoking a cigarette butt it's pretty gross even if you love smoking. LOL
The way to even it all out and make this ok is to vape a little bit all the time instead of waiting for a craving...
It's nothing like quitting on the patch or gum or any of that joke-ass-shit... with ecigs you get to smoke... as much as you want... you don't have to cut down unless you want to... you're not quitting the hand to mouth, you're not quitting the lung and throat feeling, you're not quitting the cigarette - you're quitting the tobacco.
The important thing to take from this is that when you first switch you need to vape a little bit all the time and also have vaping sessions where you stop and vape for 5 or ten minutes straight.
Do you inhale the same and does it feel the same?
Sort of... most vapers softly pull the vapor in to their mouth for about 5 seconds and then inhale it in to the lungs. This method produces a sensation very similar to tobacco. The key is slowly drawing the vapor in to your mouth so that the atomizer can vaporize the liquid efficiently.
Some people like to do a lung hit... For a lung hit you inhale with the lungs instead of drawing with the mouth. This pulls the vapor directly in to the lungs. Lung hits can feel a little bit harsh but some people like them a lot.
I generally do a mouth inhale but I also do the lung hit sometimes too.
Can you breathe like a non smoker?
Yes! After a week of vaping most of the morning congestion that I experienced as a smoke was gone... I felt like a completely different person. Now 6 months later I can exercise without losing my breath... I can sing better... I can breathe like a kid again. It's awesome.
Will your senses of taste and smell increase?
Absolutely. I noticed a difference within the first week but after a couple of months it really became intense. Food has a whole new layer of flavor that I wasn't getting... wine is so much more complex... all perfume is strong! It's wonderful.
I guess one of the only bad things about vaping is that when I go to the grocery store I can smell smokers from 10 feet away... I can't believe we smelled like that.
Do you feel better overall?
Yes, I am able to exercise regularly and actually enjoy it... as a smoker it was painful to exert my self. Now it's exhilarating.
I am much less fatigued now too... especially at the end of the day... as a smoker I would feel worse and worse as the day went on... this doesn't happen with ecigs.
Less fatigue + more energy + more stamina = awesome!
What to buy to get started the right way
You will see kits online... they are only part of what you need to start vaping...
What you should order to get started (aka the first list)
A newer model is out now called eGo... it's slightly wider than a tobacco cigarette but it's not awkward in public and it doesn't feel bulky.
The eGo battery lasts much longer than a standard joye 510 battery... a standard 510 battery lasts an hour or two when vaping heavily... the ego battery lasts 6 hours or more when vaping heavily. If I rotate two devices I can go all day without changing batteries. With the standard 510 this was not possible.
The standard 510 can leak from time to time... the eGo has a cone that screws on to prevent the liquid from escaping. This is a huge improvement.
The eGo uses joye 510 atomizers which most people consider to be the best atomizers available right now for general use.
The eGo is more expensive than a standard 510 but for a beginner it's the best set up on the market right now... I will talk about the budget route later... but anyway...
Take a mental note about this: You should absolutely buy "manual" batteries and a kit that comes with "manual" batteries. There are two types of batteries... automatic and manual... with a manual battery you press a button to activate the battery which is ideal and gives the best vaping experience. The other kind, automatic batteries switch on when you suck air through them... this sounds good on the surface but they are prone to failure and can activate on accident. So yeah, be sure to buy manual batteries and a kit that comes with manual batteries.
I buy all of my hardware from cignot.com but you can search the forums and look for deals if you want to.
Here is exactly what you should order:
1 Joye eGo starter kit "manual" (2 atomizers, 1 atomizer cover, 2 manual batteries, a charger, 5 pre filled cartridges, box, manual) $75-80
3 spare atomizers $25
1 spare battery (manual) $22
1 spare atomizer cover (sometimes called a cone) $7
1 usb charger $8
1 usb ac adapter $5
20ml of tobacco flavored liquid with PG base $9-15
20ml of tobacco flavored liquid with VG base $9-15
5ml fruit flavored liquid $3-5
5ml other tobacco flavored liquid $3-5
5ml anything you want flavored liquid $3-5
USP grade vegetable glycerin (in case you want to dilute your liquid) $5
*** get high strength liquid (24-26mg) for all of those unless you were a casual smoker like 1 pack per week etc.
*** be sure to select manual batteries and a kit that comes with manual batteries
What you end up with is 2 working e-cigs, a battery on the charger, backup parts and liquid.
This whole set up is about $190 ... it's a few weeks worth of liquid and many months worth of spare parts... prices are based on what reputable vendors are offering at the time of this writing.
After the initial investment you can expect to spend $30-$50 per month on liquid. You will have to buy spare parts here and there but the cost is relatively low. $25 every few months or something.
There really isn't much room to cut corners here...
You could skip the extra battery and only use one of your eGos at a time but it is a much nicer experience to switch between a couple of flavors throughout the day and you can also go all day without a recharge if you use two.
You could skip one of the 20ml bottles, however.... there are two different base liquids... Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerin... some people are allergic to one or the other... most people can vape both... unless you are absolutely sure that you aren't allergic to either then you should buy both or else you could end up having to order more liquid and wait etc etc. Most likely you will be able to vape both and you'll be glad you have the spare 20ml of liquid.
What you should order if you're on a budget
Just get what I said above... the first list is where it's at... it's not much more $$$ than a month's worth of analogs (tobacco cigarettes)...
If you insist on cutting corners here is what you should order:
1 Joye eGo starter kit "manual" (2 atomizers, 1 atomizer cover, 2 batteries, a charger, 5 pre filled cartridges, box, manual) $75-801 spare atomizer $10
1 usb charger (just in case) $8
1 usb ac adapter $5
20ml of tobacco flavored liquid with PG base $9-15
5ml fruit flavored liquid $3-5
5ml other tobacco flavored liquid with VG base $3-5
5ml anything you want flavored liquid $3-5
*** get high strength liquid (24-26mg) for all of those unless you were a casual smoker like 1 pack per week etc.
*** be sure to select manual batteries and a kit that comes with manual batteries
This comes out to about $130
You end up with 1 eGo working, a battery on the charger, spare parts and liquid. You can buy another atomizer, battery and cone later to get a 2nd setup going.
Be sure to get one of your small liquids with VG base... just in case you are in the tiny fraction of people that can't adjust to Propylene Glycol
You may also want to purchase some extra atomizers which I left off of the list to keep the price down. Atomizers are the most disposable component of a 510 and the more you have the longer you can go without buying more hardware.
What to order if you don't believe me about the eGo (the standard Joye 510 setup)...
This list is not the eGo.. it's the standard joye 510... it's leaky sometimes and the batteries have to be recharged a lot but it's still an awesome ecig...
Don't do this... unless you aren't hearing me when I say order the first list or if you really can't afford the second list... or...
If you are really stuck on getting an ecig with the same size as an analog (tobacco cigarette) then this list is for you, however, I absolutely recommend the eGo kits above because the eGo is a greatly improved model.. but anyway...
If you want a plain 510 and not an eGo then order this:
2 joye 510 "no box" kits $35 x 2 = $70
1 extra battery $8
20ml of tobacco flavored liquid with PG base $9-15
5ml fruit flavored liquid $3-5
5ml other tobacco flavored liquid with VG base $3-5
5ml anything you want flavored liquid $3-5
*** get high strength liquid (24-26mg) for all of those unless you were a casual smoker like 1 pack per week etc.
*** be sure to select manual batteries and a kit that comes with manual batteries
This set up comes to about $95
** You may also want to seriously consider adding a PCC (portable charger) to the list because it takes a lot of the work out of keeping your batteries charged while you're away from home. Otherwise you'll be carrying an AC charger with you.
If spend time at places without available AC outlets then you * MUST * get a PCC charger. The cost is between $15 - $25. The only reason it's not on the list is to keep the price below $100.
You may also want to purchase some extra atomizers which aren't on the list. Atomizers are the most disposable component of a 510 and the more you have the longer you can go without buying more hardware.
The 510 is a great e-cig but as you vape more you'll wish you had purchased the eGo... what you can do is buy an ego battery, charger and cone later... they are compatible with any joye 510 atomizer so if you really want to cut corners you can just get the plain 510s and upgrade to the ego later.... I do not recommend this... the eGo is a much nicer experience... scroll back up and consider buying the first list.
Vaping for beginners
Getting Started
So you placed your first order, it arrived, you are excited and you're ready to vape... awesome!
Hold on...
There are some things you should know before you start...
Charge your batteries
A lot of the manuals say that you should do an initial 8 hour charge... this is outdated... the lithium-ion batteries that you received with your kit do not need this extra long initial charge.
Plug in both of your chargers.
Screw the batteries on to the chargers and wait for a light to turn green... could take 20 minutes... could take 2 hours.
Be sure to screw them on... I read the experience of someone that received their first kit and just inserted their battery without screwing... they waited and waited and waited... needless to say they eventually figured out that they had to screw the battery in.
When you take a battery from the charger put another one on. Batteries are your new lighters.
Primer fluid
Atomizers ship with generic primer liquid in them to keep them moist.. it's safe to vape but it tastes like shit.... you need to blow it out...
Blow out your atomizer
To get rid of the primer fluid you can blow out your atomizer... hold the non threaded end and with a paper towel and blow in to the threaded end of your atomizer until no liquid comes out.
Once you've blown out your atomizer drip 2 drops of your tobacco flavored liquid directly on to atomizer bridge (the steel wool thingy). Adding these drops is sometimes called priming the atomizer and sometimes we put 3 or 4 drops... just do 2 at first so that you don't flood your atomizer... I'll talk about that later...
Now you're ready to put on one of the pre filled cartridges that came with your kit.
Assembling your e-cigarette
Now that you have a charged battery and you've blown the primer fluid out of the atomizer it's time to assemble your ecig.
Unwrap one of your pre filled cartridges (carts) that came in your kit, slowly take of the rubber cap (vapers call it a 'cart condom'). You should see some liquid saturated polyfill inside of the cartridge. It should look sort of like a polyfill slushy. If it looks dry poke it softly with a paper clip... if it still doesn't look like a slushy then you need to add some liquid.. One drop at a time... It should look like a slushy and NOT a pool.
Insert the cartridge in to the atomizer.
Screw the atomizer on to the battery.
If you were smart and you bought the eGo then slip the cone over the cartridge and atomizer and screw it on to the battery until it's snug.
*** Now that it's assembled you should take a few puffs without inhaling to vaporize whatever primer fluid might be left. To vaporize the left over primer fluid just hold the button, puff, and blow the vapor out of your mouth. After a few puffs if it tastes metallic, garage-ish, or burnt then there is still some primer fluid .... go back to the section above and repeat the steps to blow out your atomizer one more time.
It's odd that the instruction manual that comes with these things never mentions the primer crap or any of this... I learned it from ECF and I do this every time I open a new atomizer... I've tried vaping the primer fluid... wasn't sickening or anything... just not tasty.
For more tips about getting rid of nasty flavors read the troubleshooting section.
Your first vaping experience
Ok... its all assembled... the primer fluid is gone... awesome!
Put your lips around the cartridge
Hold down the switch (button?) on the battery while you slowlllyyyy draw the vapor in to your mouth for 5 or 6 seconds.
Immediately inhale the vapor in to your lungs.
Exhale... no need to hold it in.
Awesome!
Repeat that a few times.
Let your atomizer cool down for a few seconds.
Eventually you will vape up most of the liquid in your cartridge and the atomizer will begin to dry out... When you try to vape a dry atomizer it is called hitting atomizer... this is yucky... tastes bad and feels bad... you need to top up...
When the flavor begins to slightly change or fade then you can go ahead and top up so that you don't have to experience hitting atomizer.
Topping up your cartridge
To top up you simply pull the cartridge off of your device (no need to unscrew the cone on your eGo).
Add drops of your tobacco flavored liquid to the polyfill one drop at a time... after every few poke it with a paper clip...
You want it to look like a slushy and NOT a pool of liquid... if it looks like a pool of liquid then dab it with a paper towel... resist the urge to add that one extra drop to the cartridge....
Once your cartridge is topped up and looks like a nicotine slushy add 1 drop of liquid to the atty (atomizer) bridge and stick your freshly filled cartridge back on.
You are ready to vape again. Enjoy :-)
Over time you will be able to anticipate your atomizer drying and you wont get the nasty atomizer hit (yuck)... you can just top up ahead of time.
A freshly topped up cartridge can go a long time without a top up but many people like to add one or two drops after every 5-10 puffs.
You will develop your own vaping style over time. You'll probably end up direct dripping like me... I'll talk about this later... for now enjoy your newbieness.
Join the vaping community
When you first start out it's comforting to know that you have a 24-7 support team.... The vaping community is very active. People are always willing to lend their knowledge and kind words... or a little sarcasm if that's what you need.
Join one of the popular ecig forums and go introduce your self in the new members area.
Read about other people's experiences switching to vaping... there are some truly uplifting stories out there.
Maintaining your e-cigarette
Basic Maintenance
Now that you've started vaping you're probably wonder what comes next... There is some basic maintenance involved that everyone should know how to do. I'm not going to get in to anything advanced here... just the basics.
Shuffling Batteries
With a standard joye 510 you have to change batteries every couple of hours when you are vaping a lot. The batteries will last a few hours if you aren't chain vaping.
When I was using standard 510's I would take 2 with me to a gig... I was gone for about 6 hours... only once did I have 1 run out of battery power.... the other was still vaping strong. For a long day I always took 2 assembled 510s and 2 spare batteries. You can always take a charger with you.
Now I use an eGo all the time and sometimes I carry 510 with me too but mainly I just vape the eGo when I'm in public. With the eGo you batteries will last 6 hours under heavy use but I often go all day and night and then put the eGo battery on the charger while I sleep... I am generally getting a full day of usage out of one charge.
At home I often use my DIY 5v device... it uses two 18500 batteries... these things will last for two days under normal usage. Since I only vape it at home I seem to put the 18500 lithium-ion batteries on the charger about once every three days.
Preparing your supplies before an outing
Before you leave to go somewhere it's important that you have your vapor supplies ready... otherwise you will have to scramble to take what you need.
A simple check list might look something like this:
2 assembled ecigs
A bottle of liquid for topping up
Charged batteries (1 will be fine with eGo.... for a regular 510 bring a couple or a few)
The above should be all you need... ecigs, liquid and extra batteries - however - backup supplies should always be with you... purse, glove box, man bag ... somewhere safe that is always with you:
A Backup atomizer1 spare pre filled cartridge
1 charged battery (if you have one to spare)
The above lists give you everything you need to rotate your batteries if needed and will suffice for most outings. Notice that if you lose both of your assembled ecigs you still have an backup atomizer, a pre filled cartridge and whatever batteries you brought with you... in my bag I keep an atomizer, charged battery and a pre filled cartridge at all times. This way if I lose my ecigs, leave them somewhere, or if an atomizer goes bad I can assemble one on the spot. I've never had to use my backup supplies but they are always there.
A few additional items that you might want to have with you if you deem necessary are:
Paper clip
tweezers
a napkin
extra liquid
a portable charger (an ac charger is fine if you are going to work, someone's house or anywhere that you know you will have an outlet)
paper towel or wet wipes (in case you have a leak or spill)
These lists above should give you an idea of the basic stuff you can carry to insure that your vaping experience is always pleasurable. Definitely put together an emergency kit so that if you ever lose your assembled e-cigs you still have supplies.
I had a cute little caselogic case to carry my stuff in but once I started dripping (more on this later) I really just need my assembled devices, some batteries and some liquid.
Cleaning the filler material
Take the polyfill out your cartridge with a paper clip or tweezers.... rinse it out with warm water and dry it by squeezing it with a paper towel. Put it back in like it was before you removed it.
Cleaning a cartridge
With the polyfill removed rinse out your cartridge. To dry the cartridge blow through it a few times and then dry it with a paper towel.. you can pop the end cap out of your cartridge (paper clip in the little hole) and dry the inside also. There is actually a second cap within the cartridge that you can pop out as well.
Cleaning your atomizer
This is kind of a controversial topic... some people are completely against cleaning their atomizers and other people clean them all the time.
I've tried cleaning my atomizers with water which is the official process... I've also tried using crest pro health mouth wash... I would possibly try the water method again in the future... I didn't think either method was especially awesome.
The official way to do it is a water rinse and basically it goes like this: rinse the atomizer by running very hot water through it. Blow it out. Set it somewhere warm to dry for a day or two or use a hair dryer to expedite the process.
You can also try something called a dry burn... I DO NOT recommend this.... To do a dry burn you blow the atomizer out or clean it and then hook it up to a battery and activate it so that the coil heats up and burns off whatever gunk might be left over... My opinion is that any time you run an atomizer without a liquid you are shortening the life of the coil... I've done this but only as a last resort with a really bad tasting atomizer...
Becoming a vaper
Enjoying e-liquid
The most obvious thing you can get to enhance your vaping experiences is more e-juice.
E-liquid comes in all sorts of flavors. Many people stick with tobacco flavors like USA mix and RY4. There are also premium tobacco liquids like stuff made by Halo. There are many other popular flavors such as fruits, deserts, coffee, nuts and spices.
The juice mixed by specialty shops in the USA is far superior to most of the Chinese stuff that most people start out with. Some popular places to get the extremely flavorful stuff are DIY Flavor Shack, Ms T's Bakery and Tasty Vapor. The Basic line from cignot is also very tasty.
Altering your nicotine levels
When you first come off of regular cigarettes I recommend vaping some high milligram liquid all the time but as you being to forget about analogs and your triggers move from tobacco to vapor it becomes possible to enjoy different nicotine strengths at different times.
In the morning, before bed, after meals... whenever you want a strong nicotine hit be sure to vape some strong liquid.
While you just relaxing, chain vaping, not paying attention.... any time your are just vaping to vape you can use a lower mg liquid.
When you first start experimenting with this don't go for super low strength... that wont be satisfying. Instead just use one strength weaker than your strong liquid.
Right now I use 26mg for my strong vape and 18mg for my weaker strength and I'm satisfied all the time.
When I first started vaping I liked 24-26 mg liquid all the time.
Experiment with this and introduce it slowly in to your vaping style and you'll be able to lower your nicotine intake with out craving.
I'm in no rush to go down to 6mg or 12mg... some day for sure... someday I'll get to 0 nicotine and continue to vape the tasty flavors
I think it's always important to vape whatever is satisfying.
Devices other than standard e-cigarettes... aka mods
Another way to enhance the experience is to buy a device that uses higher voltage than a standard e-cigarette. Higher voltage devices produce vapor faster than a standard 3.7 volt ecig (3.7 is the standard). A 5 volt device can range from $50-100+.
There are also 6 volt devices but many vapers report that heat of a 6v mod heats the liquid too much and alters the flavor. People that love 6v love it... there are specialty atomizers for high voltage devices and from what I've heard the make the 6 volt experience much nicer. There is also liquid mixed specifically from high voltage but I haven't tried it.
I've never tried any of the commercial devices...
I built my own 5v device... I build guitar effects and I'm comfortable with a soldering iron so it was no big deal. Check out the modding section on ECF if you're considering building your own device.
My 5v devices uses 2 3.7 volt batteries and a 5v regulator to keep it at 5v. It works very good. I used an old cigar saver tube for the housing... the first switch I used broke and i replaced it with a guitar switch temporarily.. I need to order a push button switch for it because it looks funny right now lol.
I really enjoy 5v vaping... shorter puffs produce just as much vapor and flavor as long draws do on a standard ecig.
Alternative filler materials
Most ecigarettes come with polyfill in the cartridges however the vaping community has come up with some nice alternatives to poly (polyfill).
I drip all the time now but before I went to dripping only I was using Lipton pyramid tea bags as my cartridge material.
The pyramid tea bag mod is decent... has no flavor.. never melted on me... seemed prone to leakage maybe... would be great on an ego but I've never tried it.
Search the ECF or youtube for pyramid tea bags, blue foam 510, fluval mod, 510 zero filler, 510 cartridge mod and 510 cart mod... this will give you more information than you can digest.
Read on and learn about dripping because if you ask me it beats filling carts... tastes better and hits stronger...
Other types of chargers
There are a few options for charging your ecigarette batteries. The most obvious is the ac charger that ships with you kit. A regular 510 kit ships with an ac adapter. An eGo kit ships with a usb ac adapter and a usb charger.
A usb ac adapter plugs in to any electric outlet and has usb ports that you can plug any usb powered device in to.
A usb charger plugs in to a usb port and then you screw your ecig battery on to it.
You can get a usb car adapter too... this enables you to plug a usb charger in to it in the car.
You can also get a usb power pack which can provide a backup power source for your usb charger. The way this works is you charge the power pack and then it holds enough power to recharge your ecig batteries a few times. You simply plug your usb charger in to the power pack and screw on the ecig battery.
You can google this stuff if you are interested in learning more.
Vaping in public
In general you can vape anywhere that smokers smoke... if you ask nicely you can probably vape in non smoking establishments too. Always ask... or be stealthy... most importantly be polite
Stealth vaping
Vapor does not smell like smoke which means you can get away with vaping pretty much anywhere as long as no one sees the vapor.
Some vapers hold the vapor in their lungs extra long... not much comes out upon exhale when you do this.
If you blow the vapor out very fast it seems to kind of disappear too... try different things before you go out in to public.
Making your own liquid
It is very common in the vaping community for people to make their own eliquid. It's called DIYing or DIY e-liquid.
Since most USA made e-liquid only has few ingredients it's only a matter of knowing how much unflavored liquid, VG or PG, flavoring and sweetener to mix.
Unflavored e-liquid is available from many suppliers. You can get super high strength liquid (36mg nicotine or higher) and dilute it your self with PG or VG. Vegetable Glycerine and Propylene glycol are available from many sources. If it makes you more comfortable you can get a vapable strength liquid which has already been diluted with VG or PG such as 18 or 24mg nicotine so that you only have to add flavor. Unflavored eliquid is available almost anywhere that sells ejuice.
Flavorings are available from a few manufacturers. Some of the more common flavorings are made by LorAnn's, Bickford, Cappella, Fairies Finest and Flavor arts. Almost any water soluble flavoring will work but please do your research... read the forums. I'm not responsible for gunky or unresponsive atomizers lol...
Search the forums and check on google for more information.
The fine art of dripping
Be a dripper!
I'm a dripper... i think the vapor feels stronger and the flavor comes through better when you drip.
Dripping or direct dripping is the name for using your e-cigarette with out filler in the cartridge...
HUH??
Instead of using polyfill to hold liquid against the cartridge you simply put a few drops on the atomizer bridge and vape for a little while... then add another drop or two and vape for a little while...
Dripping basics
To try dripping simply drip a drop or two on to the atomizer bridge and then use an empty cartridge with no polyfill in it as a mouth piece. All atomizers come with an empty cartridge... use that one if you still have it. Otherwise read above about cleaning your cartridge.
Trimming a cartridge and drip tips
If you drip a lot it is possible to melt the edge of the cartridge because there is no filler with liquid to keep it moist.
The solution is to trim off somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch from the end of the cartridge that goes in to the atomizer.
I've always done this and I have never had to worry about melting a cart.
There are also "drip tips" available. A drip tip allows you to drip the liquid in without removing the cartridge. They come in different materials such as stainless steel or derlin and they are becoming popular among drippers everywhere. For the eGo most people like the drip tips made by super T manufacturing because it leaves space within the atomizer cover for air to flow.
Staying Steady
Some people in the vaping community have complained that dripping is messy or that they miss the bridge when they drip so here's a simple strategy to stay steady while you drip.
Hold your dripper bottle like a pencil and then rest your little and middle fingers against the device as you drip to steady everything out. Practice this a little bit and you'll hit the bridge every time.
Troubleshooting your e-cigarette
My ecig makes a gurgling sound
Most likely your atomizer is flooded. Blow it out as explained in the beginners section.
My ecig leaked
With a 510 this can happen... the eGo is nice because the cone holds any leaked liquid in. The atomizer cover on the eGo was a HUGE improvement over the standard 510.. leakage is a thing of the past with the eGo.
If you lay a 510 on it's side it seems to want to leak more than if you keep it upright. I use a shot glass to keep my 510s upright when I'm not holding them.
Also, holding the 510 where the atomizer and battery connect seems to promote leakage.
If your 510 leaks a lot then you are probably overfilling the cartridge... you want the poly to look like a slushy and not a pool... use 2 drops less than you usually do.
If you are using a different filler material than polyfill then adjust the amount of filler material or use less liquid when you fill your cartridge.
It tastes burnt or metallic or weird...
If your atomizer doesn't taste like your liquid... if it taste metallic, chemical or burnt...
Here's a process that I've come up with that seems to clear out any nasty flavors. The only time this hasn't worked for me is on an atomizer that I used at 5 volts a lot... i suspect that something melted to the wick or that I was just heating it up too much in general.
Anyway here it is.. it works for me..
1) Blow out your atomizer in to a paper towel... blow it out from both ends... First blow in to the threaded end. Wipe it off. Now blow in to the non threaded end.
2) Blow it out from both ends again.
3) Put 5 drops of pg or vg on to the bridge.
4) Puff 5 times without over heating the atomizer... puff, wait 10 seconds, puff, wait ten seconds... repeat until you've done this 5 times...
5) Blow it out again but only from the non threaded end (threaded end in paper towel).
6) Add 5 more drops of pg or vg to the bridge. Puff 5 more times like I described above. Blow it out again.
7) Add 5 more drops of pg or vg... this time don't puff... just blow it out from the non threaded end (threads in to paper towel)... this is like a final flush.
8) Add 3 drops of vg or pg.... puff it... taste it... if it tastes "clear" then you're safe to move on...
** if you can still taste nasty flavors then repeat steps 6-8 again... you are slowly diluting and flushing out the bad taste... **
9) Now add 4 drops of your e-liquid.
10) Puff 3-5 times and give it some time to cool in between each one.
Your atomizer should start to take on the flavor of your ejuice... everything should be nice.
My ecig seems weak
A few things can cause your ecig to seem weak... low batteries, flooded atomizers and faulty parts are the most common causes
First change batteries... wipe the atomizer and battery where they connect. Make sure it's all screwed together good.
If you've tried a fresh battery and it didn't fix the problem then your atomizer might be flooded but not leaking... Follow the instructions in the beginner section and blow out your atomizer.
If you've changed batteries and blown out your atomizer and it still seems weak then your parts could be faulty.
I would probably try to vape it for a little while and see if it "burns though the weakness".
You can use a multimeter to measure the ohms of the ohms of the atomizer put the black lead on the threads of the atomizer and the red lead on the center hole of the atomizer where it touches the center of the battery connection. If it reads higher that around 2.6 it's going to feel weak... open a new atomizer... save that one with a note about it's ohms reading... it will vape just fine on a 5 volt device so save it for the future when you have a 5v device to vape on.
My battery isn't lasting as long as it's supposed to
If you're not vaping heavy and your sure that your battery life is shorter than it was...
Order a new one immediately... If it runs out really fast and your battery is under warranty go ahead and return it.
My atomizer is cloggy
If your atomizer is cloggy you can start by blowing it out... if it's still cloggy you can check the forums...
Where to go for help
Most importantly.... don't email me LOL.... just kidding... kind of... hehehe
you should visit some vaping forums because they will provide help before I even check my email...
The online community
There is www.e-cigarette-forum.com which is the family friendly forum for vapers... it's the first place I found when I was doing my initial research.
There is also vapersforum.com ... and edgy forum with no censorship... it's like the wild west of the vaping community.
The tube...
www.vapetv.com is pretty new... a lot of people from the vaping scene are contributing... very cool
There's always youtube... there are tons of tutorials and reviews on youtube... when I tried the tea bag mod I learned it from youtube... I watch juice reviews on youtube all the time...
Goog
Google has a lot of answers too... i start with google and then search the forums...
you can also use google to search the forums... in google try typing like this...
site:www.e-cigarette-forum.com your search
or
site:vapersforum.com search term
OKBAI! HAPPY VAPING!!
~~~ THE CAPTAIN, CHRIS BROWN ~~~
