dlynne

First, Daydripper, congratulations on one month without tobacco. That, by itself, is an astounding accomplishment, and an accomplishment that only an ex-smoker can appreciate.

For me, it is inconsistent to expect the FDA to make analogs illegal, yet also insist that the FDA take a hands-off approach to e-cigs. Either we are free people to make our own choices, or we are not. I'm a lawyer who deals with a lot of government regulatory agencies, although not the FDA. I am, however, aware of how the FDA works. The FDA is like most other government regulatory agencies. It is a misconception that the FDA investigates the safety of drugs and drug delivery devices. The FDA has not done that for a long time. A very long time. (The issue of the source of hazardous food supply is a separate division.) Before a drug or device can be "approved," the manufacturer must submit to the FDA, first, its protocal, i.e., its method of testing for safety and efficacy. After the FDA approves the methodology, the tests are conducted, and results submitted to the FDA. The FDA then will review and usually asks for additional tests concerning questions that are raised by the tests, and the cycle starts over. Eventually, if the manufacturer answers all the questions and complies with all the regulations written "in the book," the FDA has little or no discretion to disapprove the drug or device, until or unless a danger to the general public becomes known after general distribution. The FDA will also approve the written warnings or cautions a manufacturer will provide along with its product. When a danger surfaces as to an approved drug or device, it could be that the manufacturer failed to disclose specific data from the FDA during the inital testing, and the FDA personnel did not know the right follow-up questions to ask. This is what was alleged in silicon breast implant litigation....that the manufacturers hid test results from the FDA, which disabled the FDA from knowing what follow-up questions to ask. Also, if a severe problem is only present in 1% or 2% of users, then the problem may not show up in a the sample limited number of test subjects, and will only show up when the drug is made available to the wider, general public. When manufacturers who spend millions of dollars on regulatory compliance and preparing reports for FDA review, they have to recoup that money before they can show a profit. When an alternative and competing device/drug appears on the market, it is only natural that the manufacturer will demand that the competing manufacturer go through the same, expensive process. After all, if I need to comply with the regs before selling a nictone inhaler, why don't you need to comply before selling a personal nicotine vaporizer? This stems from nothing more than wanting a level playing field in a capitalist market. Anyone who thinks that drug companies are in business for anything other than making a profit is dreaming. In my opinion, people should be permitted to take whatever drugs or use whatever devices they choose. After all, we are free people, in theory. However, people should also be free to decide if they want only to use "FDA approved" drugs/devices. There would be a good reason to want to use only FDA approved drugs/devices in many instances, because these things meet a least some minimum level of testing criteria. And, the FDA can have input into warning and safety instructions. I do not want to see the FDA ban the e-cig...as far as I am concerned, the e-cig is giving me a tobacco-free life, something I did not think possible until now. Having said that, I definitely have some concerns. As mentioned previously by someone, baby milk from China contained deadly substances, and now we are finding lethal components to dry wall from China. Much of our e-cig juice base components come from China. Yes, I do think about it. In theory, e-juice is safe, but we don't know the long term effects of inhaling e-juice. And, we don't know the purity of the juice when the base comes from a country with a history of selling contaminated substances. As far as the equpment, I had one mod come very close to starting a fire due to a defective design and button. As it was, it burned a hole in my $2500 purse. An electrical engineer I know look at it, and said it contained a design defect and I shouldn't use it. I passed this info to the modder, and suggested that he/she at least warn people to remove the batteries from the device when not in use. To my knowledge, no such warning is being given, although the modder was very polite and offered to "fix" the device at no charge. If the devices were regulated, my bet is that this particular mod would be recalled. At the very least, some strong safety instructions would be required to be issued with the device. I do NOT want the FDA to ban e-cigs and e-juice. But, if there was a choice between juice and equipment not approved by the FDA, and juice and equipment that obtained FDA approval, I would probably go with the FDA-approved merchandise, even though the cost would necessarily be higher.

There are so many good comments and observations on this thread. Over Christmas, my Dad's very sweet, but very Christian, girlfriend was dubious about my e-cigarette and wanted me to explain several times how it is that I think I quit smoking. I explained that I quit smoking tobacco, and the results are cleaner teeth, cleaner skin, more energy, deeper breathing...and, I hope, a better chance to live a longer, higher quality life. I am new to vaping, and I would like to get off the nicotine altogether at some point. However, I am first going to focus on feeling confident that I will never touch again another analog. When I am there, I am will turn my attention to getting away from nicotine. Schizo...I have several friends who are doctors and they constantly tell me that the human body's ability to heal and regenerate itself is amazing. You are young (I am in my 50's). I am confident that your ability to quit analogs will jump start your healing process.

I arrived home last night, with all of my e-cig equipment and juice intact...no incidents and no questions from tSA! Thanks to all for your advice, and I am a confident vaper. I was concerned because I travel a lot for business, but now I see there are no problems.

Hi, Tiki! We started about the same time, and "spoke" together on the noobie forum. Isn't is great! Your choice of words -- prisoner of tobacco -- is right on. It is wonderful to be free of that substance, and I am loving it! Congratulations to you!

Most success stories are preceded by "failures." Not just in transitioning to vaping from smoking, but in all areas of life. What we call a failure is really just the learning curve. I am sure you will be happy with the 510. Keep posting here and let everyone know where you are on the curve. Good luck to you,

I ordered the Sleepy Time Green Tea Lung Juice. At first, I did not care for it but the flavor grew on me. I now vape this flavor late in the evening before bed. I love the flavor now, it tastes like green tea and lemon. When I vape this particular Lung Juice, I sleep like a rock. I am not sure if this is because the nicotine strength is low (8mg), or because of the ingredients of the juice, but I do really sleep well after vaping it!

Liberty Liquid (my favorite chocolate e-juice) has the poiison label on it. Both Liberty Liquid and Nhaler juice carry the warning: "May be harmful or fatal if swallowed. Keep out of reach of children and pets."

All of these things are good ideas, and good advice. Thanks. I did go out and buy a new car adaptor for my passthrough. I had one, but it didn't work. Also, I am going cut off the part of the e-juice labels that say "Poison" on them. Merry Christmas to everyone.

I am flying home for Christmas tomorrow, and I am a bit concerned about getting my vaping equipment through security at the airport. Just to make sure nothing happens, I have sent ahead by fedex some extra vaping equipment to my Dad's house, in case anything gets confiscated as being a security problem. I had planned on taking a mod (the Protege) with me, for the extended battery life. However, the Protege is not useable now, and it is not an option. My other concern is whether or not my PCC for the 510 with hold out for the travel time involved. From my house to my Dad's house, it will be about 12 hours. I'll be renting a car at the airport, but haven't found a car/cigarette lighter adaptor yet that will let me use a passthrough in the car. Thoughts?

Thanks for this information, Christopher. I can't emphasize enough how dangerous this incident with the Protege could have been. There is no question that if I was not in my office, and this burned long enough, a fire would have started. If PureSmoker knows about this as a potential issue, the owners should not be selling the Protege until they are assured the problem is fixed. At the very least, they should send a written warning with the hardware if they know there is a potential problem with their unit. I am looking forward to receiving the Black Beauty, and I will order a Spade. I do urge people, though, to disconnect the units -- any unit -- when they are not in use, and especially overnight. It would be really ironic if a mechanical issue jeopardizes someone's life, when the concept and use of e-cigs is, in fact, saving lives.

I am fairly certain that the burning incident was not due to a pressed or stuck button. For now on, I will not leave batteries in modifications overnight, or if I am not using them. I will not be using the Protege again.

I bought a Protege from PureSmoker, and have had it a few days. I really liked it, until today. Late this morning, I noticed a bad smoke smell in my office. I look over at my purse on the floor next to my desk, and it was smoking really bad. I mean really, really bad. The protege was in a side pocket of my purse, and I pulled it out and dropped it on the floor. Using a cloth, because the casing was so hot, I unscrewed the bottom, and let the battery drop out. That solved the problem. My Chanel leather purse has a burnt hole in it, though. The cartridge is all melted down. I emailed PureSmoker, and they were very nice and said to send the Protege back and they would fix it. However, that is not the point. The point is that this could have easily started a fire. What if this happened in the middle of the night? The folks at PureSmoker said one reason for this is that the button could have been pressed down, but it was in a very loose pocket, and there is not enough pressure in this pocket to press on a button. My question is this: Is this a common problem in general with modifications? I have ordered a Black Beauty and am getting ready to order a Spade. But, I don't want to use a modification if these types of incidents are common. Thank you for your input.

After 8 days: 1. The skin on my face looks so clean and fresh! I have spent a fortune over the years on face creams, etc. Nothing has made a bigger improvement to my complexion than 8 days free of tobacco. 2. My sense of smell comes in spurts. Suddenly, and from time-to-time, I will notice something new, like the smell of coffee, or the smell of disinfectant when I walk into a building. My sense of smell is not consistent, yet, though. 3. I wake up in the morning full of energy. I jump out of bed and feel no cruddy hangover from....tobacco. 4. I sleep through the night like a baby. 5. I get tired much later in the evening than I did before. 6. After a few days of the sniffles, my smoker's cough is all but gone. Sometimes I cough from vaping, but it is a different cough, and I just drink some water. 7. I just love to walk and climb stairs. I can't get over the difference in 8 short days 8. I have a sense of wonder....is this really me? Wow! Keep with it, you will love it, and you will love the people in this forum. Keep us informed!

How do you know when your atomizer is dead? Is it when no matter how much juice you put into the cartridge, the pv seems to dry up after one or two puffs? Thank you.

I order Sleepy Time Green Tea Lung juice last week, and it arrived this morning. I will use it before bed tonight, and post a review tomorrow.

At 11 am today, it will be 8 days that I am 100% tobacco-free after 40+ years of smoking 1 1/2 packs of day (average). I have ZERO urges for an analog and I feel great. I am joyful this Christmas that I am finally FREE of tobacco, after trying to quit so many times over the years, all ending in a big fail (until now). I am joyful that I will be able to hug my father, niece and nephews this Christmas and not smell like a cigarette. I am joyful that my brothers (both heavy smokers) want to try the e-cig (starter kits are my Christmas present this year to both of them). I am JOYFUL that my New Year's resolution is to start working out on a more regular basis -- and NOT that I will give up cigarettes, as I have already done that, and my energy is increasing on a daily basis. I am joyful that I found this forum, and the good people who post here. Thank you, thank you! Happy Holidays.

I'm so proud of you, and happy for all of us.

Seriously, I think the federal and state governments ought to take some of that billion tax money they collect from the sale of analogs, and subsidize e-cig starter kits for smokers.

Thanks GDub! I am going to Target on the way home from the office today to get one of them.

I bought the passthrough for the Joye 510, and a car battery adaptor. The passthrough worked fine, both hooked up to the computer, and hooked into a US_AC adaptor. When I put the car battery adaptor into my car's cigarette lighter, and then hooked the Passthrough into the adaptor, it wouldn't work, and hasn't worked on my computer or AC adaptor since. Is the car battery adaptor intended only to charge batteries? Is it possible to use a passthrough on a car battery adaptor? Thanks.

Update on my progress with e-cigs...I am lovin' it! Still not one analog since I had my first vape on Saturday morning. Yesterday afternoon, I was stunned to suddenly smell coffee. I have always been able to smell coffee, but not the way I smelled it yesterday. I didn't expect any physical changes to my body or senses in such a short period of time. I am still waking in the morning with congested sinuses, but this morning even that seem to be less of an issue. I am buying starter kits for some family members. I've already told them about this, and they are really interested, and ready to try this. Thanks again to everyone on this forum. I am over the moon with this concept, and will become active in any movement to turn the FDA in the right direction regarding these e-cigs.

About 10 am yesterday, I received the 510 starter kit, passthrough, and PCC. After pluging in an AC adaptor and starting the charge on one battery, I then connected the passthrough to my computer, and started to vape. Unbelievable....28 hours later, I have not had one analog since, and there is no pain, anxiety, concern, or stress. I had a couple of wobbly moments last night watching a movie on TV, and this morning drinking coffee. But I just sucked on that e-cig, and all was well. On Thursday, I bought a carton of analog cigarettes, because I didn't want to put myself under a lot of pressure about quitting. I told myself that if I switch to e-cigs, great, but if not, that is OK, too. However, I cannot....at this moment....imagine going to analogs. I will probably give the analogs away next week if vaping keeps going like this. About 4 pm yesterday, I found myself clearing away all ashtrays and bic lighters, not because seeing them made me want an analog, but the sight of them did make my head feel that I should be clicking a bic lighter and lighting up an analog. Out of sight, out of mind. It's working so far. I slept extremely well last night, but woke up with what feels like a head cold and some congestion. It cleared up in about 3 or 4 hours, but I still seem to have a "runny nose." I wonder if that is my body starting to detox. My passthrough seems to be giving out a bit, but I have another one on the way that I should receive tomorrow. My encouragement to give this a shot came from everyone's stories on these forums. Thank you SO much! :P

Hi, Tiki.... I received my 510 starter kit yesterday too. In 50 minutes, I will have gone 24 hours without an analog! I am waiting until I hit that point before making my own "first impressions" post. I cannot believe that there has been no suffering on my part...no anxiety....no nothing. Dlynne

Oh, Sinikai...thank you so much. I took my Belkin Ipod charger, plugged it in next to my sewing machine, and now I'm vaping while I sew, instead of burning an analog in an ashtray.