the26thdoctor

Yeah, I'm up there with Chris and Grimm. Whilst it may not be my position to do so, one thing I would also like to reiterate is Chris's request to send out a note of thanks. Everyone likes positive feedback and it'll show the CA State Department that the vaping community is made up of caring, "quality" people... which has certainly been my undoubted experience of it. As for the SJR8, what concerns me is the statement "found to be safe"... should it not be a "a proven reduced-harm alternative to cigarettes"??? (which has already been effectively proven, bar the fanfare). Due to the nature of Nicotine itself, e-cigs are never going to be considered what is generally interpreted as "safe". Manageable, and less likely to illicit an adverse effect on health compared to cigarettes... most certainly... but "safe"??? Er, no... It's that "bias" which concerns me because we only have to look at the excuse the FDA used to get imports banned. However, as us users KNOW, they are a far better alternative to burned tobacco... which is a most positive step in the right direction. Good things! Ta ta J

Hi Prof, I've just signed up! I really would urge others to do the same because A) It is an independent set-up and B ) After the success of getting Sentate Bill 400 vetoed (with humble thanks to Governor Schwartzeneggar), we need to do all we can to keep the ball rolling and gain even more momentum. Good work Prof! J

Hi Guys, Thank you so much for the positive feedback. I totally agree with you both... Garry really is a truly nice guy in his own right. To put this into perspective... He knew that I had a mate who was really down on his luck, so he sent me a pcc to give him. When I wrote to Garry to tell him how much his kindness had been appreciated by my friend, I got the simple reply "Better to give it to someone who will use it, than to rip it to bits for profit". I feel like Lister in Red Dwarf regarding Ace Rimmer..."What a guy!" I am also the lucky recipient of Garry's Titan Pass-Thru battery box mod. Of all the toys I have at the moment, this is by far my favourite... even though it doesn't have an LED! lol! (Lisa knows how much I love my blue lights!!!). Unfortunately, Garry no longer lists these on his website, or I would have posted a review about this too. I think you'd like one Prof because you can use it like a Janty, or an e-cig, or like a pipe too... just for those "Gandalf" moments I'm prone to having. It really is one versatile piece of kit with a decent battery life. "I loves it!" (he says, with a "Sméagol" voice) Arrivederci per ora (or bye for now) J

Hiya all This is my first independent product review on this forum. So, here goes... General Impressions This is the only pass-thru Ive ever owned and, if Im honest, I didnt know what to expect. BOOM! This thing is a gargantuan volcano of vapour! I purchased the e-cig-city 510 pass-thru and this thing does not disappoint! Its hand-built and, unlike some pass-thrus, this has a proper USB II power cord which delivers the maximum voltage from the USB-powered device. Its not battery powered itself, so it can only be run directly from the USB socket on your pc (or from an appropriate power supply, like the proporta portable power-packs). This thing produces vapour in spades... and I still cant quite believe it! From the USB socket of the PC, this thing runs at 5V. For the 510, I reckon this is a little on the high side and, having used the one atomiser with it for a couple of weeks now, I still get tons of vapour but noticeably more throat hit. I will put my hands up here; Im not a big fan of throat hit because I prefer what I call lung tug (where the diaphragm muscles contract when taking in a big lungful of vapour), which this beast manages to achieve every time. With the Proporta 3400mAh 3.7v battery power pack, the vapour it produces is still in bucket-loads... but throat hit is noticeably less pronounced because of the decreased voltage. Personally, I prefer it this way because I still get lungful upon lungful of vapour without the raspy burning in the back of my throat. I dont mind being seen in public walking around with this and it can get me through a days worth of vaping before I even need to think about giving the power pack a recharge. This combination has taken away a major source of stress when out and about... I just wish Id thought of it sooner! Doh! In terms of durability; I do reckon this thing will last me longer than the 12 month warranty that comes with it. In fact, its so well built that I cant see myself needing another for a very long time. Whilst the warranty is generous for this type of product, I am pretty confident that Garry knows there wont ever be too many warranty claims on this line of his products. In many ways, Im glad I chose this as my first model because this thing will save me money; as it has certainly been built with reliability in mind. Pros Tons of vapour and exceptional throat hit if used with a PC power source Good emergency device, if used with a decent portable power pack that has sufficient amperage to power it Being a manually operated pass-thru, there is no cut-off point, so you can inhale as much vapour as your lungs can manage in one sitting! Very well built and comes in a variety of atomiser types Sealed, for direct dripping Exceptional customer service and cheap postage costs... wherever you are in the world Unbelievably cheap! Cons Er???... I really will have to think about that... Er... Sorry... Er... No... I cant think of anything at the moment. Oh well! Overall Experience I really enjoy using this device and I wish Id purchased one sooner, as it would have removed a great deal of anxiety about not having enough charged batteries. Because it can be powered from a USB device of your choice, consistency of vapour production is simply not an issue. These devices produce tons of vapour because they have good internal wiring and deliver the voltage straight to where its needed... rather than simply lose it en route. If I purchased another one, I would probably opt for a 901 or 801 model because I feel they can cope with higher voltages slightly better than the 510 models can. As for the build quality and price; I honestly dont think you could get a much better model for your money. It would be inappropriate for me to quote the prices here but I would invite you to take a look for yourselves. E-cig-city could teach the mainstream manufacturers a great deal about robustness because these things are solid. If you are interested in an e-cig city USB Pass-Thru, you can find them here e-cig city Ta ta J

Ultrasonic bath! You can probably get one off fleabay, or similar, for about $40 / £20. They should clean the coil and the wick too. I'm waiting to buy one now. The best chemicals to use are actually petrochemical solvents and I simply wouldn't want to vape with an atomiser after using anything like that. The next best would be those chemicals that are highly acidic or very basic (alkaline)... but they can leave a really bad aftertaste too. Using a "green" sonic bath surfactant will ensure that no nasty chemicals get inside the wick to give you an unpleasant surprise (they're primarily coconut oil, amongst other things) and they're usually employed at very low levels anyway. Jeso from Vaprlife uses one, I believe, to good effect with his atties! I hope that helps Ta ta J

Hello Darth, I thought you'd been mooching around on here too sir! So is the Prof and Kitsune! Result! I got mine from Fleabay mate... Here's the link Ted Baker Chargers. Take your pick Guv'. It's not bad at all and comes with a few goodies, like the USB cigarette lighter socket for the motor. I'm pleased with mine! Hope that helps! Ta ta J

Hi Chris, This truly isn't a flippant statement... Those are the words of a true statesman; spoken by someone who is clearly very observant. It's funny how the US has once again fallen into the same type of "hands" it fought so desperately hard to get away from. I, for one, totally agree with everything you've said! As a species, we are very slow to learn from the mistakes of our forefathers! And so it is likely to be... Cheers J

Hiya Guys, The power packs really are a very handy little thing to have around. I have a proporta version (3400mAh) and it can recharge up to 13 (510) batteries from one charge with the native USB charger. Mammoth! They're also good for pass-thru's too (if the mAh is above 2000); especially if away from a mains (or car battery) supply for any length of time. In terms of size; they're a bit smaller than an Apple i-Touch Phone. They're certainly not big, anyway, and I certainly can get mine in my pocket (along with the pass thru) without it looking too much like I'm "pleased" to see absolutely everyone I meet!!! lol! Hope that helps... Ta ta J

Hiya, If it helps, the following link is to a supplier I have used just recently for obtaining a pass thru. Speaking from direct experience; his products kick out the vapour like a steam loco! Honestly; they're awesome, and I use mine constantly when at home (or out and about with a power pack). It's almost made some of my other gear redundant (although I can't wait to get my VP1 ). The bonus is; they are cheap, they come with 12 months RTB warranty and he ships to the US for peanuts too. He also does a good range in different types of adaptors. e-cig-city You can also check out some of his inventions on youtube. The man (Garry) is a genius! Cheers J

Lol! I reckon... but only if the profits of the "higher powers" that be aren't being negatively impacted by the marketing, or that public safety doesn't become a real issue, sir! One only has to look at how many adverts there are out there (UK included) with all manner of outlandish claims that are simply a complete and utter nonsense; like... "Mr Musleator... This device can pack 50 rock-solid-pounds of muscle onto your frame in just 3 days!". Er, yeah... right! lol! By creating a climate of fear, I suppose people can be manipulated into buying a product that is no more or less safe than its competitors. I'd sack the marketing people though! lol! If they were going to pick on an ingredient, glycerin was one of the least worrisome to choose (as a number of tests have now picked up that acrolein production isn't likley to be an issue either). It says plenty about the research that went into making these statements, doesn't it!?! he-he-he 'tis lovely to know that you are around Prof; you forum "tramp" you! All the very best to you sir

Hi Guys, Yeah, the flavourings do tend to get "forgotten" a little bit... but most (if not all) are approved for food use anyway (although, they are "untested" with regards to being inhaled). Some flavourists do go the artificial route because it limits the overall number of chemicals a user is exposed to in a formulation, believe it or not? Diacetyl (used in coconut flavourings, for example) which is known to cause bronchiolitis obliterans (or "popcorn lung") at high levels and frequent exposure, is only present at levels of ppb in some of these formulations. Enough to illicit an adverse effect on health? Possibly; but highly unlikely at these levels. As Keenan rightly points out; 4000 chemicals in a regular cig!!! A lot of these, as well as being carginogenic free-radicals in their own right, are simply down-right nasty for other reasons too... This is not to mention the presence of high levels of carbon monoxide in regular cigarettes either; which, although not carcinogenic (as is commonly believed), is an asphyixiant that is primarily responsible for causing some of the lethargy associated with smoking generally. Honestly; we are sooooooooo very lucky to be living in an age where these devices are available to us. They really are a God-send. Anything that reduces harm is a positive step in the right direction. I forced myself to smoke a regular cig just the other day; to remind myself how bad they tasted. After being physically sick (way tooooo much information) and getting a migraine for my "curiosity", I was patently reminded how disgusting and nasty these things truly are! As with all things, it pays to sensible. If you are concerned about the additional ingredients you're being exposed to; swap them around (different tobacco-types and fruit flavours), to limit exposure to some of the relative "unknowns", and watch the quantities imbibed. If a person does that, they're far more likely to come to less harm. Either way, Keenans comment about doing the maths definitely stands in this instance; just on numbers alone. As for the ban... Of course, it's all about the money. Some people, sadly, have no shame and abuse any "power" given to them... Oh well, such is life... Cheers folks J

Hi Prof! Fancy finding you here Sir! The claims made are laughable really, aren't they? I wonder if they got their information from questionable sources, such as the "dubious" scare-mongering videos off of youtube!!! lol Lovely to see you here anyway... that's brought a big smile to my face

I understand that fully Chris... and I share the sentiment completely; having worked with the FDA and the MHRA in the past. It's ironic though, isn't it, considering the test protocols they used for justifying their ban on imports of these products was based on very poorly written and fundamentally flawed protocols. They who live in glass houses, and all that! lol! To quote ECA chairman Matt Salmon's letter to Congress... "The FDA failed to present standard protocols for proper study design with regards to the testing of the referenced control devices. The chemical content of similar nicotine-containing, FDA-approved products was not completely described with respect to the presence of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) and other tobacco-associated impurities that have also been found in nicotine replacement therapy devices at similar, if not higher, levels. In the lots tested by the FDA, none of the chemicals of concern in the study were able to be quantifiably measured in the liquid of the device’s cartridges. Data presented in the report does not adequately support the opinion that users of the products would actually be exposed to TSNA’s and tobacco-specific impurities in the vapor phase during normal use and if exposed, that those levels would be a health concern as compared to other FDA-approved products" Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Make of that what you will!!!

I've sent one, making it clear that I'm a European citizen and that it would be a societal injustice if they were to ban e-cigs; as it condemns to death those that cannot stop imbibing Nicotine. I hope other voices from across the globe will help add a bit of weight and support to this issue because it should send out a positive message that people (world-wide) really do care about this "life saver". I wrote to the Presidential Office back in June too, but it was simply ignored As you say Chris, we've just got to keep plugging away, again, again and again. Looking on the bright side; if the safety trials in the far east should yield positive results... I wonder what excuses there'll be for a ban then???

And to add to that (in my humble experience), Vaprlife have fantastic customer service. Mary is an absolute pleasure to deal with and really helpful. I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooo looking forward to getting mine, I can hardly wait!