ddavelarsen

Ok - so here it is! I have to say this was a much bigger PITA than it thought it would be. Other than re-attaching a wire on some of my kids toys, I've never soldered before. My soldering iron is several years old and I'm pretty sure I need to replace the tip. I goal for this project was to just get one built and working. It's not pretty. I didn't cover or seal any of my connection and didn't use any JB Weld or Gorilla snot. However, it's together and it works! I learned a lot doing this so hopefully next time I can put together some instructions. Pretty sure I'll get some 4 battery cases instead of using the 3 batt cases. It was just to tight for my liking. I also left out LED just because there was so little room and I was getting a little frustrated.

General Questions:
How long have electronic cigarettes been around? They've been gaining popularity over the last few years, not sure when they actually hit the market.
How safe is the vapor? (How easy is it to overdose on nicotine?) Vapor is pretty safe, using an e-juice 24mg strength or less makes it fairly difficult to really over do it and make yourself sick. That's not to say you couldn't do it, but you'd have to really be chain vaping and then you have no one to blame but yourself.
Why does Firefox think vapor is not spelled correctly?! (well that one is a little off topic :/) My Firefox is cool with it
How long have you been vaping? Been analog free for over 70 days now, but I had tried the e-cig before that, I just didn't by any spare atomizers, when my only one burned out I went back to analogs for a little bit, now I'm back on track, and I have plenty of spare atomizers at all times.
Did you start vaping to quit smoking, or for just a "safer" switch? I started vaping because I did want to quit smoking, and it worked well. now that I have made the initial investment I'm not in a hurry to quit. It's much less expensive, less damaging to my health, and I enjoy it immensely.
Did it work? Hells yes.
How long did it take you to quit? Took me maybe 24 hours, but took my wife a couple weeks to totally quit. A buddy of mine just quit after 2 days with his first e-cig ever.
Can you give a good reason too start using an electronic cigarette other than health reasons? You'll save money, smell better, and you can use them indoors (most places).


Choice and Price:
In your experience, have you actually saved money by switching? Definitely, and the savings continue to get better after you make the initial investment.
Compared to cartons of cigarettes, what was your start-up cost? You can get a good 510 starter kit for around $50, plus some extra juice, you're lookin' at about $80-$100
What is the difference between a 510 and a pen-style? (Man I hope that's not the same thing) They are just 2 different models of atomizers, 510 is more compact.
Is there a comparison chart for all the brands and/or models? ??? You'll find 510s and 801 penstyles are favorites here.


Usage:
On average, how long does a bottle of juice last you? When I'm at home using my 5V passthrough all day I can go through 3ml in a day. At 3.7V maybe 1.5ml-2ml
On average, how long does a battery last before you have to buy a new one? The manual batteries tend to hold up longer, but I'd recommend buying a mod unit that uses cheaper batteries.
On average, how long does a vaporizer last before you have to buy a new one? Most atomizers should last around 1 month, anything after that is a bonus in my mind. But with good care they can last much longer than 1 month.
Compared to smoking a normal cigarette, do you have to reload (rejuice) your e-cig? If so, how many times? When direct dripping I'd say it's pretty close to about 1/2-1 cig every time I add 3 drops, with a cartridge you get more time between fills.
Compared to smoking a normal cigarette, is smoking an e-cig as satisfying? For me it's more satisfying in many ways, but there is an adjustment phase.
Once the juice is loaded into the cartridges how long does it take to evaporate before it's unusable? Left open to the air I wouldn't leave it more than 24 hrs, but I really don't know, i prefer to direct drip myself and fill cartridges (if I'm using one) right before I use it.

Those are just my opinions and experiences, so keep asking around and you'll find all the answers you need. Welcome to the forum.

Welcome vBear! You have found a good place. You'll see.
Ok, I heard about this electronic cigarette from a co-worker. However, I have yet to see one other than photos on the web. I started doing some research and found this forum, after viewing some youtube videos. I have been reading these forums for a few hours and have noticed that are a lot of good folks here willing to spend there time answering questions about this whole e-cig craze that seems to be getting started. I have to wonder why? Are you guys and gals selling this stuff? If you are just hanging around here answering questions and not making a profit off of selling this stuff then people are really jazzed about this whole concept.
The people posting here only care about helping new vapers find their way and getting their own learning curve reduced. We exchange a lot of experience which helps everyone to be more successful and happier in their new life. Several excellent and trustworthy suppliers frequent this forum. They are our friends, in that they also care about our success. Customer Service is generally unsurpassed anywhere compared to the suppliers at VT.

I have very intrigued and seriously considering getting into this. But first I have a few questions of my own. I am just going to lay them out there.

General Questions:
How long have electronic cigarettes been around?
Not sure exactly; 4-5 years? Gaining real traction in the last 2 or so years.
How safe is the vapor? (How easy is it to overdose on nicotine?)
Because there are no current scientific studies of the longterm effects of vaping, we say vaping is "far safer" than smoking analogs. The immediate health improvements that vapor realize is a good indication of that. Because I was a heavy smoker, the concept "overdose on nicotine" is a joke to me; I simply cannot imagine that. But I know that some people have in fact gotten too much nicotine for their comfort. My recommendation would be to start with a small amount of 18 or 24mg juice and adjust the strength based on your own experience.
Why does Firefox think vapor is not spelled correctly?! (well that one is a little off topic :/)
I had to teach my Mac how to spell our language. I'm still working on that occasionally.

How long have you been vaping?
Since November 1st.
Did you start vaping to quit smoking, or for just a "safer" switch?
Honestly, curiosity. Like everyone else I'd tried everything to quit. When my first not-quite-sufficient products actually did relieve some of the problems with not smoking, I got more curious and eventually found this forum. It's been all good since then.
Did it work?
Yes.
How long did it take you to quit?
About a month before I stopped buying analogs altogether, but my analog use tapered to near zero within two weeks after getting my VP2.
Can you give a good reason too start using an electronic cigarette other than health reasons?
1) Money. After the initial cost it's far less expensive than smoking, regardless your local tax structure. 2) If you're a gadget freak, you will be in hog heaven. 3) Vaping tastes so much better than smoking it will blow your mind; soon, smoking will be actively unpleasant compared to vaping.

Choice and Price:
In your experience, have you actually saved money by switching?
Not yet; I've only just begun. That part is more of a long-term issue. Keep in mind that our lifestyle choice is under attack by negative people and it seems prudent to "stock up" many of the consumable supplies.
Compared to cartons of cigarettes, what was your start-up cost?
I tell people it'll cost about $200 to get fully set up initially. Others don't stock up the way I have and will spend far less. Expect a minimum of $100.
What is the difference between a 510 and a pen-style? (Man I hope that's not the same thing)
Others have nailed this one better; essentially, size. Because it's larger, a penstyle (801/302) may dissipate heat better.
Is there a comparison chart for all the brands and/or models?
Yes, but I can't seem to locate it on my drive. I'm afraid you might find it as confusing and overwhelming as I did. Better, maybe, to just ask questions here.

Usage:
On average, how long does a bottle of juice last you?
I use about 15-20 ml per week.
On average, how long does a battery last before you have to buy a new one?
Dunno; haven't replaced any yet.
On average, how long does a vaporizer last before you have to buy a new one?
The standard answer is that an atomizer lasts a month. That is an average. Keep spares.
Compared to smoking a normal cigarette, do you have to reload (rejuice) your e-cig? If so, how many times?
I direct drip because I feel I get the most consistent vape that way. I drip 2-3 drops on the atty and get 3-4 good hits before dripping again. Don't drip and drive! Use a cart or have a friend drip for you when driving longer than a few hits will cover.
Compared to smoking a normal cigarette, is smoking an e-cig as satisfying?
Goes both ways. There is more than nicotine in analogs that we're addicted to, and vaping does not contain those potentially harmful substances. I've felt some dissatisfaction in that regard. This said, vaping feels and tastes so much better than smoke, and once you find a nic level and a device that provides the throat hit you like, you will never want to smoke again. There is a learning curve that includes adjustment to vaping in addition to finding what works for you.
Once the juice is loaded into the cartridges how long does it take to evaporate before it's unusable?
About a day. You may find that carts are not your favorite way to vape.

I smoke Pall Mall light 100's and smoke about a pack and a half a day. I smoke 4 or 5 before work, and one on the way to work in the car. I smoke one (sometimes 2) between morning and lunch, 2 or 3 on an hour lunch break, and 1 (sometimes 2) before I get off work. One on the way home, and about 10 to 15 in the afternoon. (Wow! I never wrote it all out like that before! I seriously smoke way too much!) I need something that I can take to work and not have to worry about fiddling with during the day. And I need a battery that will last all day. What would be the best "package" to start out with in a situation like this?
That's a tough one! This is where personal preference comes in. I'll describe myself and you can compare this to other's experiences. I smoked about 25+ Pall Mall non-filters a day; that wasn't enough to satisfy my nicotine urge but it was all the smoke I could tolerate. I loved the nicotine and the heavy throat hit. Today I find that 48mg juice and 5V of power lets me squeak by. I think this is about equivalent to normal "Full Flavor" analogs. I have not found the equivalent of non-filters. Many vapors were "Lights" smokers; vaping is more likely to work for them. Vaping can be a serious struggle for heavy smokers like me.

I hope at least one person is willing to spend the time to answer these questions. I feel like it's a lot to ask, but there does not seem to be any one place to get all of these questions answered. If you respond, thank you very much!
vBear, far more than one person here will be willing to help you! That is why we're here. Good luck in your investigation. I hope you choose to make that healthier choice for yourself and your loved ones. And I want to congratulate you on your excellent series of questions; they really got to the heart of the issue. I wish you all the best.

So my wife made some typically superfine soup this weekend and naturally I looked forward to my lunches this week. Because I'm no power-mad suit carrying a briefcase, nor am I some sneaker-wearing parent with a ballistic nylon lunch kit, I carry my lunch and whatever to work in a plastic grocery bag. Suits my proletariat leanings quite nicely.

This morning I packed my lunch, the bills to mail, the "quick start" guide to my new Droid, some other notes of stuff I needed to do today, and my VP PT & juice in a trusty plastic grocery bag. And headed out the door. Before I backed out of the driveway I hooked the PT into the car's outlet and dripped some juice onto the atty. Dang thing dripped 'juice' all over my slacks! And had a really wet hit. Yuck, I thought, time to clean this atty. But there was sufficient vapor to get me to work. When I set the bag on my desk and started pulling stuff out of it I noticed ... everything was wet! And smelled like soup...

Rats!

Frantically I got stuff out of there and everything was covered in soup; notes, bills, vitamin jar ... PT. Cold and greasy soup. Sloshing around in the bottom of the bag. A 6 ml bottle of watermelon just below the surface of the little lake in there.

Sigh.

Okay, long story short I blotted all the paper stuff dry, took my PT to the sink and used damp paper towels to clean it off, stuck the corner of a paper towel into the atty, cried a little, and went back to my desk. I debated a moment to decide whether I wanted to risk a short pluging that thing into the company's computer, but I figured that was better than risking my own.

Hey! It lit up! So I screwed the atty on it, dripped some nice watermelon onto it ... Hey! It worked! Tasted a little bit like wet socks - actually, old wet socks - but it kicked out some vapor so I was heartened. To shorten this some more, the soup-flavored atty has finally come all the way back around. I'm certainly relieved.

Steppin up like a man, good for you. That's not the easiest thing to do. I don't know the story either, but if you ever care to get rowdy PM me; we'll have a ball.

I agree with Dave and BirdDog 100%. Slow down and get back to basics here. I was doing to pricing today and here's what I've found:

electronixstix.com - Starter kit = $51.99 (2 atty's, 2 batts, charger, 5 carts). Pack of 5 blank carts = $4.00. Two 15 ml bottles of juice = $19.98. That's a total of $75.97. Jason was running a 30% New Years discount with discount code "happynewyear". I don't know if this is still working, but if not then use discount code VTALK10 which will give you a 10% discount. With the 10% discount your total is $67.37. Orders over $60 ship free.

awsomevapor.com - Starter kit = $49.00 (2 atty's, 2 batts, charger, 5 carts). Pack of blank carts = $5.00. Two 16 ml bottles of juice = $20. Arno will also give you a 3ml sample with the starter kit and for each bottle of juice, so that'll give you an additional 9ml of juice free. Total is $74.00. I think shipping is $5.95. Arno ships free for orders over $80, so I'd grab an extra atty or bottle of juice which would make your order $84 and it would ship free.

wordupecig.com - Start kit = $58.99 (2 atty's, 2 batts, charger, 10 carts). Pack of blank carts = $2.65. Three bottles of 10ml juice = $26.97. That's a total of $88.61. They have a 10% discount code of "NewYears" which brings your total down to $79.75 and all orders ship free.


Hope this helps! My kids are fighting so I gotta cut this short, but I'll be back!

Exactly what rights did this bully violate? Was the bullied girl somehow prevented from blocking and ignoring the bully or forced to communicate with her? Who is responsible for the girls death? The girl killing herself out of her own freewill or the bully murdering her with words? If the bully is responsible then are the kids that bullied the Trench Coat Mafia responsible for the Columbine High massacre? If it turns out that the bully was bullied then is the bully no longer responsible? Is driving someone to commit suicide by hurting their feelings murder? If you hurt someone's feelings but they don't commit suicide is it attempted murder? If you legally are only allowed to say something nice or nothing at all then do you really have free speech? Where exactly is the fine line between used in other means than its intended purpose and used as intended?

Hey dave, there is a plus & minus symbol on the bottom right of each post. You can rate the post up or down. You are always welcome to rate my posts up. If you don't like my posts then please keep your opinion to yourself.