JohnnyFog

I'm new at this concept of vaping, the equipment, and the 'culture' of it all. I'm learning about it as I go. This forum is introducing me to a lot of new 'culture' and concepts. My visits to my local vaping shop is helping also.

As a person who started vaping to replace cigarette smoking, I'm seeing some things that simply strike me as 'extremely different' in the technique of 'smoking.'

As a smoker, I would simply take puffs from a cigarette into my mouth and then inhale the smoke. I never took long slow drags from a cigarette directly into my lungs. I never really noticed if my fellow smokers were doing that either when smoking together. In the vaping community (I first noticed this on my visits to the local shop) it seems that the long slow direct inhale technique that produce these huge clouds of vapor on the exhale is the norm. When I go into my local shop, there are usually 3 or 4 people in there and it's literally like a fog bank inside the store and since the weather is cold, the shop storefront windows are usually fogged over!

The more I read here about 'mods' and special builds on the battery equipment, I think the huge vapor cloud is the main objective. Maybe someone can educate me on the differences or gains to be had with this technique? I have experimented with these long direct inhale drags on the vaporizer, but just being a week or so off regular cigarettes, I can still gag myself with the vaporizer...

I just wanted to add my 2¢ to the "to chuck or not to chuck" topic of recent debate.

IMO, whichever style of vaping you choose, whether it's mouth-to-lung or direct-to-lung, it should be the one that satisfies you the most. I see nothing wrong with either style, and both have their benefits.

If you enjoy a vaping style that feels the most like smoking an analog, then mouth-to lung (slight to moderate air flow restriction) is probably the way to go. If you enjoy "chucking" huge clouds, then direct-to-lung (sub-ohm with low nic & plenty of air flow) might be for you. Granted, cloud chucking is mostly performed as spectacle, but I see absolutely nothing wrong with a little showing off every now and then, if that's what you're into.

Basically, there's no "rule book" on the correct way to vape (that I know of), so it's up to you. I typically vape mouth-to-lung, but I occasionally like to show off to vaping buddies with a Mount St. Helen-style eruption of vapor. Just remember that filling a room with dense clouds of vapor can be a little off-putting to some people, so "vaping etiquette" dictates that you use a little common sense before doing so.

Also, I've heard many times that cloud chasers experience little to no flavor in their vapor, but I've found that this is definitely not the case for me, as the juices that I use provide plenty of flavor from both methods.

Lastly, vape safe...know your equipment and its limitations, and however you choose to vape, do it because it makes you happy.

Healthcare and the "industry" has gotten nuts over "tobacco" recently... and since e-cigs have evolved into mainstream, even your health-insurance and most employers are no longer asking "do you smoke?", they are asking "to you use nicotine?", which is absolutely absurd, since nicotine is a naturally occurring substance in nearly every plant and fruit on the planet! But, the health-industry MUST classify e-cigs as a "tobacco-product" in order to fit the dialogue and mantra so the FDA, healthcare, and big-tobacco can control the industry (and impose taxes to fill everyone's coffers).

I actually called-out my health-insurance agent recently on the double-standard... They impose a $50/month "sin-fee" on smokers, and have for the past 5 years... this year they included the language to include "nicotine use" in the fee. I pointed out the hypocrisy that our health-plan pays 100% for nicotine patches, nicotine gum, chantix, et-al to aid in helping someone quit (and they are not imposed any fees if they use a patch/gum), yet those of us that have kicked the nasty habit of smoking by using vaping are still included with "smokers"!

She looked at me long and hard... started to say something, then stopped herself... then she leaned in close and said, "check the box for non-smoker, AND check the box for no-nicotine-use"... she agreed it was a rather stupid and condemning double-standard... and just a way to generate revenue!

As for your stealth-vaping in the bathroom... yeah, if you get caught they'll probably crucify you... you'd probably have more luck getting away with dissecting a live patient in the lobby....

I think I'm good to go! It's been a week since I smoked a regular cigarette. I didn't have any cravings today at work but I did run into an issue that I wasn't happy with the e-liquid I had in my tank. For what it's worth, I don't care much for Space Jam's "Starship 1" e-liquid. The only e-liquid I have found so far that I'm STOKED with is the Suicide Bunny "Sucker Punch." I'm really looking forward to formulating some of my own e-liquids in the very near future.

I sorta anticipated this type of issue when I got started vaping. It took me 3 attempts to find the 'right' vaping product in terms of equipment. The blu e-Cigs were pretty much a joke for me. I upgraded to this electronic cigarette called the SmokeStik Ultra and I ran into problems getting replacement coils for them locally. When I finally found a 'real' vape shop, I got hooked up with the Eleaf iStick and an Aspire Nautilus Mini tank. I am so happy with that setup that I bought another set of the same stuff along with an extra 5-pack of the coil replacements.

Since I got setup on the current hardware, I have managed to not have a regular cigarette. That started for me on Thursday of last week.

TODAY I have had some interesting cravings for a regular smoke... I have fought it off so far...

Congratulations! Welcome to VaporTalk...I just got a Nautilus yesterday for my vision spinner.keep it up man!

Welcome aboard! I have the iStick, too. I picked it up as a backup to my Vision Spinner 2. This is a great place!

The Istick / Nautilus Mini is a great combo! Welcome to Vapor Talk!

if needed something that was going to work for you and have any replacement supplies I might have readily available.

hi hello! this is elmo, i feel all your sentiments about smoking habit..

Sounds like you did all the right things Johnny! Enjoy the forum, you will find lots of useful information here!
Deanna

Welcome! It sounds like you have made quick progress on the learning curve of beginning to vape. Already seen the need, and purchased a backup was absolutely the right thing to do! Congrats on great start to your journey. Having a trusted local Vape shop is fantastic. You may find that online prices may be better for many items. Let us know if we can help with anything.

Welcome to Vapor Talk JohnnyFog! I have also been running the iStick/Nautilus Mini setup. It is a good one!

Sounds like you got yourself a winning combo in the Eleaf iStick and Nautilus. Those two are very good together. Don't try to go down in nic too fast, give yourself time to let your body heal from the cigarettes you used to smoke. Trying to cut the nic too fast could have negative consequences like going back to analogs. We have a good bunch of members here who are very helpful. You could also find it's a pretty neat hobby once you get used to all the sheer amount of "stuff" that goes with vaping.

Welcome to Vapor Talk.

Nice story, keep up with the progress and welcome to V|T. We have a lot of good people willing to help if you have problems.