ArnieH

Sounds good. I'll try it! Thanks. I like banana and chocolate, wonder how the two would go together?

Umm, that link is apparently for South Carolina. I do remember seeing something for NC, but I cannot find it on the CASAA website.

Good to hear.

Welcome aboard. I'm just noobie here myself. But everybody is great here. Especially Ulma. I want to post a banner or something for this forum on my groups website.

Ummm, let me guess Orbtronic? http://www.orbtronic.com/ Btw, shipping is free. I would not buy these: http://www.amazon.com/UltraFire-Protected-4000mAh-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B0067XRH8W

My dear Ulma: OMG! The first things you learn, when troubleshooting, is: 1. Are your threads clean ? Clean threads make for solid connection/current. Yes, my threads are clean. I think you have this idea that my end cap is somehow hanging off the bottom of the mod or something. I have said repeatedly that what we are talking about is a hair's width. But any exposed threads, dirty or not, would not interfere with the connection/current as they wouid not be coming in contact with anything. But I could be wrong. 2. Is your connection clean and proper? does it need lifting or tightening? Yes. Certainly doesn't need lifting. 3. Is your switch clean? Yes. 4. Is your battery charged and at proper volts? Yes, my dear Ulma! 5. Is your mod turned on? lol sad but true. Unfortunately my mod does not have a main on/off switch. That being said, I do not store my mods with the batteries in them. Something I read sometime ago about there being some sort of nominal current drain (may or may not be true), like when you leave a wall adapter plugged into an AC outlet (particularly those that have LED's) without any device on the other end. 6. Is your atomizer reading properly? Clean and making proper connection? Yes. Yes, I have heard of mods where the battery is inserted with the positive pole facing downwards. But even so, there is only one top and one bottom and they are clearly distinguishable. If the terminals looked exactly alike people would be putting the darn things in backwards and such., Yes, you could be wrong Ulma. Even heroes (heroines) make mistakes. You have learned that you have been throwing out perfectly good batteries. But you know, it all comes down to what makes you as an individual feel safe. Do I think the onboard protection circuit on my battery is going to fail? Unlikely. But if it should, my fuse is there to protect me. And it makes me feel good. What's wrong with that? Don't ever, not ever never ever ever ever not EVER backhand compliment me again. My dearest sweet Ulma. How dare you accuse me of such a thing!

The first batch I made were a blend of various flavors (4), totatling arond 20%. The next thing I made, I went all out on flavor, with a total of around 45% flavor. I really like it strong. Still didn't take like much though. I have one blend, that I have let sit for a few days, and it does appear to be tasting better. Usually for the fruits and desert flavors I hear and see recommended percentages for each flavor running from about 5% to 20%. For the tobacco flavors around 1% for M-Type up to around 5%. I mostly use TFA, but bought some Lorann Naturals (Chocolate, Banana, Strawberry, Caramel). I have the following TFA flavors: Chocoloate, Bittersweet Chocolate, Caramel, Hazelnut, Hazelnut Praline, Vanilla Bourbon, Double RY4, Double Chocolate Clear, Cranberry, Juicy Fruit, Peach, Ripe Bananna, and a bunch of others. It's a little frustrating, cuz I am impatient.

This is all that really matters!

Ok, so I have just starting mixing. Started with some small batches. Noticed the flavors not really coming through after giving them a good shake and such. Will the flavors improve with steeping? and time? Fruit and chocolate flavors.

Thank you Ulma. Yes, the circuit would be broken. Please forgive me Ulma, and do not be mad. Your intentions were true and honest and I appreciate all your help. Oh, and if you get a chance, stop by our website, we have some people with questions that are in need of your expertise. You can find us here: Spammy link removed.

Ulma it does seem you are upset. I may have missed something, but when was it suggested that I use an IMR battery with a fuse instead of the vendors recommendation of a protected battery? Where are you getting this information, that if the end cap does not fit completely all the way that it will cause a performance loss? In my opinion if a person feels safer with a fuse, even added to a mod that has protection already built in, that is their decision and is not necesarilly a bad one from a safety point of view. Have I not made clear the importance of redundancy in safety applications? Yes, we learned from Mike, that their might be some resistance introduced into the circuit, but he also indicated it could be compensated for via a lower res atty. So yes, I appreciate the info you gave me, but I have to say that some of it was just plain wrong! For instance, this idea that one would cancel out the other and so forth. It is crucial that new vapers get proper information from the start. And yes, I know about the history of the batteries and what vaper's say you should or should not use. I did much reading on the subject before making my purchases. So Ulma, I am not trying to argue with ya. Did I not say you were my hero?

Ha. Regarding urine, alot of the e-liquids have that yellowish hue to them. Maybe the vendors are just pissing in bottles and sending it to us to vape. Just kidding of course!

ECBlend has great selection, excellent custimization options, and very good prices. One thing though, when I asked about percentages by volume and so forth regarding their "regular flavor" "double flavor, extra double flavor, and sweetener" I received no reply. It would be good to have a baseline frame of reference. Since I have no idea how much flavor=regular flavor, Thus I have no idea what double flavor really means. This info may be listed on their website and I could just be overlooking, or else it is something the company considers proprietary info (trade secrets).

Education is the key, Medical professionals, law makers, the public, etc. One thing I'd like to note, and I am not defending cigarretes, is that after an exhaustive search on the internet, I have never been able to locate a single document containing a full list of the "4,000-7,000) (the number varies) chemical compounds produced from the combustion of tobacco cigarettes. What you WILL find is a list of the 600 or so additives that have reportedly been used by a few of the tobacco companies in the US over the years, and it is unlikely that anyone cigarette contains all 600 additives. But of course this is only what has been disclosed by the participating companies. I would very much like to find this comprehensive list, as it would be great ammunition both for health agencies and the vaping community, Of course, it may just not be available online, or it may be located in some scientific or medical journal. But if this big list did exist, you'd think that people would post it. I am starting to think it is something of a boogeyman though. This of course does not diminish the deadliness of cigarettes. But I have stop referencing this number, until I actually see it.

Seriously, if I have to do any drilling, I am just gonna throw the darn thing in the garbage or give it to someone else and perhaps get a Bulldog, Phoenix, or something else. Or else stick with my regular tanks and clearos.

A note on redundancy and safety: When it comes to safety, redundancy is a highly desirable thing. Many safety systems are built with redundancy in mind. So that if one level should fail, there is a backup. Take your computer data, we all know we should have a backup (just in case), and better yet a backup of a backup.Most computers have built in restore points, and a backup partition on the hard drive. Lets use another analogy: Let us say you decide to build a wall around your village to prevent/deter attackers/invaders from getting in. While one may be sufficient, the building of another interior wall inside of the first one affords you double protection. Should the attackers break through the first wall, you have a second line of defense in place. Ulma has been great, her willingness to help newcomers to the site is extraordinary. Not saying she is always right, but her advice on battery safety is generally very sound. With regard to batteries, protected ones generally have higher capacities than IMR or hybrid types. Which is something I find most useful. For me, using a big battery mod is all about vape time.

Yes, Obrtronic and Panasonic are very good, high quality cells. I can tell you that Pbusardo, famous within the vaping community for his youtube vaping reviews, uses Orbtronic. The reviewer/tester in the battery test link here: http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650Summary%20UK.html where a large number of 18650 cells were tested summarized his findings on the exact same 2900 mAh battery I have: Orbtronic 18650 2900mAh (Black) Battery cell - Made in Japan (Panasonic) Protection circuitry - Made by Seiko Japan Over-current protection Over-discharge protection Over-charge protection Over-temperature protection Short-circuit DOUBLE protection Conclusion This battery uses a good cell, this secures many things: The batteries does match in capacity, i.e. they can be used in series. The battery is very safe. The battery has the specified capacity. All in all a very good battery.

Some of it has to do with the individual. Some people quit right way, other's continue smoking and vping for a while. Other's try vaping and it doesn't work for them at all, though a lot may have to do with the setup. It is important to get a good first vaping experience. My fiancee is currently working on switching over, she has cut down on the analogs, but still feels the need to smoke a few a day. For her, though uping the nicotine (which I sigguested) doesn't appear to be the answer. Indeed she feels anything over 18 mg is too harsh for her. In fact she is wanting to go down on the nic level. We both vape a 50/50 PG/VG mix. Works for me, but she might need less PG. I would certainly agree with the previous posters. Uping the nic level or increasing the PG content should give you a greater throat hit. And more of a cigarette like satisfaction.

I agree, Once I got into clearomizers and tanks, cartomizers were like breathing through a wet towel or something, with all that soggy filler material in there. Never used the 3 piece system. That was really before my time.

I have my Igo-L in the mail. Wanted something for a noob, this was recommended. Hope I don't have to do any drilling, but then again, I like a good stiff/tight draw.

Thanks for relaying that info Ulma. Didn't mean to make you the go between. You really need like a magnifying glass to tell that the end cap is not tightened all the way, so it doesn't look awful by any means. I can provide a pic if you want. I am not sure what Griz/mike is thinking when he says "depends what you call top and bottom". As far as I know the top of the battery is always the positive pole and is clearly distinguishable even on flat top batteries that don't have the button. I have never seen a battery where both terminals look exactly the same, but perhaps he has, Not trying to nitpick or anything. I tested the resistance of the head right out of the box before use, so it wasn't your normal resistance creeping with age. Besides I've only had it a week or two and don't use it much. Funny you should say that Ulma, actually I do have an IGO-L on the way in the mail. I also have the Protank, and 2 other Pyrex tanks, a Vivi Nova and a T3. Also have two Evod's on the way, but I prefer glass to plastic. Thanks for all your help Ulma. You are my hero!

Ulma, please send my thanks to Mike for his help and answers. And thanks to you for posting this. If you wish please pass along the following responses: 1. "Using a second fuse in this case is completely redundant. The protection board is already providing that function" Thanks, This much I knew. But since when is redundancy a bad thing when it comes to safety? 2. "Both devices, and especially the resettable fuse introduce resistance into the circuit" This is something I DID not know. I should be able to test the resistance of the fuse with my multimeter correct? Assuming resistance is added to the circuit, I could compensate for it by just using a lower resistance attty, right? 3. "the little circuit board that sits on top of the battery does three things:" It was my understanding that the protection circuit board was located at the bottom of the battery (negative pole), not at the top. Please confirm. 4. "I wonder what resistance he's running at?" I was using a Vision Victory Tank Bottom coil clearomizer. The included head was advertised at 1.8 ohms, but upon testing with both the Vamo and my multimeter it measured around 2.4 ohms, Please note, I am not trying to be sarcastic, just trying to clarify. Thanks for your time and your responses.

I acutally liked a few of the Dekang juices, as new vapers, both me and my fiancee enjoyed the banana and the menthol (nport). I did not notice any chemical taste. Has anyone tried the Dekang RY4? I understand that it is not the original recipe which was supposed to have been really good.

This is a concern. I agree with the other posters, excerise discretion and be safe. BTW: And sorta off topic, I have a question for the vets here, really two. From what I understand, a battery will usually vent off gas first before any explosion might occur. And generally an explosion would only occur if that gas is trapped and pressure builds up and has nowhere to go (that's why we see vent holes in most mods). Also, I read that the stick batteries (808's,510's) and possibly some of the Ego batts, are built with a "blow out cap" located in the led portion, to prevent an explosion from the build up of gases within the cell. Can anyone confirm this? .

Thank you Ulma, you are most kind. I appreciate your concern. As vapers, I think we ought to be sticking together and looking out for one another, especially when it comes to safety issues. I want to clarify, that although it seemed to me that vapor production suddenly ceased, it may indeed have been trailing off, I just wasn't paying attention because I was so busy enjoying my quad chocolate blend (I really did vape the hell outta it!). I was also occupied on the computer. But I have pretty much put it behind me now. And am ready to move on. I will be monitoring the battery and vapor output in the future. I guess with a purely mechanical mod, that is the only way to prevent over discharge (I don't think any external fuse or onboard battery protection circuit kicks in at exaclty 3.2 volts, the threshold for my battery I believe is 2.75v before it trips. The good thing about those vapesafe fuses is they can also be used whilst charging your battery to prevent damage to the battery or other catasrophe. As far as a not totally closed endcap, I have heard it mentioned with other mods before. The mod fires fine with the fuse in there, and it is only fraction of a milimeter we are talking about. Almost a hair. Really, I am not worried about it any more.