Questions before I start

[DawnjJones]

I am looking to make the switch from cancer sticks to vaping and curious on what starter kit to start with: 

Iam a 1-2 pack Marlboro Light smoker for 20 years, my husband just got the Smok H-Priv Kit. We are wanting at least something somewhat compatible (batteries ....) but not necessarily the same. I have tried his, with his settings and found it a little harsh. Though I know it can be changed and is a preference thing.

Also, supplies? We are in a rural community so online shopping is our only real option. Reason why we want ours to be compatible and why I have concerns. I am mechanicaly stupid, he is not. So "user friendly" is a must because I don't think he wants to do everything for me... lol

Thank you in advance for the advice.

Favorite newbie ejuices can be in included too 😂

[Tam]

If you're wanting to start simple and then work up to a more advanced system, I'd suggest getting a couple of Vision Spinner batteries. They are more the pen style with built in batteries, variable voltage so you can easily control the amount of power by turning the round bottom, and are very simple to use. These are inexpensive and are perfect for a beginner who is not mechanically inclined.

If you want something a little more advanced, you might look into other mods that are variable voltage/variable wattage. Since you say you're not mechanically inclined, I would suggest getting something with internal batteries so you don't have to mess with dual battery combos where you need to keep track of married pairs of batteries for safety reasons.

We each have our favorites and you'll probably get many recommendations here. Me personally, I prefer the internal batteries even though I have more advanced set ups. It's the ease of use (user friendly), simplicity, and convenience factor for me that has me buying Eleaf iStick 50W. It's 4400 mAh, this means the battery has such a large capacity that I only have to charge it once every 3 - 5 days but it's not overly heavy. It fits well in my hand and has a nicely rounded form factor.

Add to that an Aspire Triton 2 tank with a 1.8 ohm coil and I have a great set up that works for me.

Vaping is a very subjective, personal thing so you'll have to find what works for you. What works well for one person... won't for another. Same thing with juice flavors. To one person the juice will taste like it's the best thing ever! While, to another person, it will taste like how wet socks smell. Seriously. 

Ask questions. We'll answer the best we can. Good for you to make the switch, you'll be glad you did.   

[Bebop]

Tam is wise. Her set up is perfect for you.  Your husband's kit is way over powered for a beginner and that is likely why you find it harsh.  

With the set up Tam describes you can go from a lighter touch to begin with but can easily ramp up to higher powers if you need to and it's simple to set up and operate.  The Triton 2 tank can use a variety of pre-made coils that you will quickly find what works for you. Remember, with higher power you need less nicotine.  If I were you and using these modern tanks I would start around 12mg nicotine in your juices and adjust up or down from there. 

Congratulations on your new choice of vaping.  You won't regret it and you will soon learn to love it.  Good luck!

[Tam]

Oh... I don't know about "wise" although I have been called a wise@$$ at times.    

The lovely thing about the Triton 2 is that you can use it for either mouth to lung (where you first draw the vapor into your mouth before inhaling) or direct lung (where we draw the vapor directly into your lungs). Most smokers go mouth to lung (aka MtL) at first to mimic their smoking habit.

Bebop is also giving you some great advice about starting with lower nicotine levels with these types of set ups. I, too, was a pack to two pack a day Marlboro Light smoker (38 years). With the set ups we had when I first started vaping, there wasn't a whole lot of choices and the equipment had me using 24 mg of nicotine. In today's tanks, with the more advanced coils, 12 mg of nicotine is easily as "strong" as 24 was back in the day. You may want to get a variety of different nic levels in your juices. More nic in the morning and use less nic juice at night a few hours before bed so you can ramp down to get some sleep. Be sure to drink lots of water! Vaping dehydrates you so you'll want to double or triple your water intake. Don't drink more coffee, tea, juice, or soda... stick with plain water. It also helps to flush all the carcinogens and toxins in your body from smoking cigarettes.   

[Earthling789]

I'll second Tam's suggestion on the iStick 50W... it is simple to use and easily "grows with you".  Place it in Wattage-mode and you can start low (say 7W?) and keep bumping the Wattage higher until you find the heat and vapor production that works best for your juice and tank combo.  Some juice/tank combos will like 10W, some will taste best at 20W, even if it is the same juice, but a different tank or coil resistance.

For a beginner, I would suggest 1.5-1.8 Ohm coil resistances, and if you were a 2-pack-a-day smoker, 12mg nicotine may not be enough for you.  As Bebop said, with today's modern tanks, they require more power and put out more vapor (which means the nicotine delivery is more efficient) but you may want to also pick up some 18mg juices (or even higher) because you'll need the additional nicotine during the first few weeks of vaping... to curb the cravings for all the non-nicotine garbage you're missing from the cigarettes.  Your body has to detox from over 5000 chemicals in analog smoke, and nicotine is only ONE of those... but higher levels will help you pass the cravings faster.

Another tank to consider is the Kanger Subtank Mini.  There is a wide range of coils available for them, and they are IMO a perfect tank for beginner or advanced user.  The Triton 2 is a good tank too, but there are fewer options for coil resistance available (nothing in the 0.5-1.6 Ohm range), which is what keeps me from using one as my go-to tank, but my GF uses one daily, as well as her Aspire Nautilus tanks.  The 1.8 Ohm coil does provide a lot of vapor and flavor though, so don't think they are bad... I just think they should have more coil options available, lol.

[Earthling789]

Oh, one more thing to add...

When buying juices, try to get juices that have a 50/50 ratio of PG/VG, or as close to 50/50 as you can.  Juices with higher PG content have great flavor, but less vapor production and they tend to provide more throat-hit (TH).  Some people like the harsher TH than others, but I found that 50/50 ratio juices still provided enough TH to mimic smoking, yet also enough vapor production for the mouth-filling satisfaction and visual queue to make me "think" I was still smoking.  Also, the more vapor you produce/inhale will deliver more nicotine, which is why Bebop suggested a 12mg level for you... but I still say you should have some 18mg handy and try it, especially in the mornings and after meals, when your cravings for a smoke are highest!

A quick run-down on ingredients of juices:

• Nicotine - use lower with low resistance coils, higher concentrations with higher coil resistances...  an 18mg level with a 1.5 Ohm coil is relatively the same as a 6mg level with a 0.5 Ohm coil (relatively is the operative word).
• PG - Polypropylene Glycol is a flavor carrier and produces throat-hit.  It does not produce much vapor.  It is also a chief ingredient in cosmetics, toothpaste, medications, mouth-wash, etc.
• VG - Vegetable Glycerine is a vapor producer.  It is a sweet, thick liquid that is commonly used as a food/drink sweetener in diabetic-approved products.

[DawnjJones]

Thank you all for the great advice. I definitely have some great suggestions. I will keep posting when questions arise, because frankly the options out there is intimidating for the newbie.  Especially for me...seeing number number ohm.letter number and so forth. Looks like a terrible algebra equation...that =Don't blow your self up...lol.

[Earthling789]

7 minutes ago, DawnjJones said:

Thank you all for the great advice. I definitely have some great suggestions. I will keep posting when questions arise, because frankly the options out there is intimidating for the newbie.  Especially for me...seeing number number ohm.letter number and so forth. Looks like a terrible algebra equation...that =Don't blow your self up...lol.

That's one reason we suggested the iStick 50W... its a regulated mod that has a built-in battery...  Regulated mods are much safer than mechanical-mods, and built-in batteries mean you don't have to worry about buying external rechargeable batteries (or worry about getting a counterfeit/clone battery that won't handle repeated charging cycles or high-power).

For a noob, it can be overwhelming, but once you get started, you'll quickly pick up on the jargon and find what works best for you.  In a few months you'll be a pro at it

[DawnjJones]

Suggestions where to find istick 50w.....in stock? Every where I look it is out of stock. I can find the 75W. 

[Tam]

53 minutes ago, DawnjJones said:

Suggestions where to find istick 50w.....in stock? Every where I look it is out of stock. I can find the 75W. 

https://www.vapeshop.com/eleaf-istick-50w-battery/

I've bought from them before with very good results. 

Just a few tips on the iStick 50W that you want to make sure to follow for safety's sake: Take the tank OFF before charging. Clean the area where the tank connects both on the tank itself as well as the iStick. Keeping the connection area clean to make sure full contact is made is a good idea with any tank/battery combination. Turn off the battery before charging.

NEVER leave a charging battery unattended -- this means you don't let it charge while you're sleeping or going out of the house. These are lithium batteries and you don't want to take any chances.

Follow these steps and you shouldn't have any problems. I never have and I'm rotating through six or seven of them. You might also want to buy two so one can be charging while using the other. Since the battery capacity is so large, it takes a good five hours or more to recharge. You don't want to be without for that long. We stress buying back ups and back ups of back ups. You can never have too many. 

[Earthling789]

1 hour ago, Tam said:

We stress buying back ups and back ups of back ups. You can never have too many. 

AMEN!! 

And when you think you've left the house with plenty of backups, one day you'll find yourself pulling back into the driveway with 5% charge left on your 4th back-up battery, the last of 3 coils (which is already starting to clog), and the last drops of juice (even though you left with 30ml)... and you've only been out for 5 hours! ....  Been there, done that, got the T-shirt

[strangebrew]

Another option involving e-liquid; read forums concerning DIY mixing.

There is a great cost savings in DIY over pre-mixed, with some out of pocket start-up expenses.

[Tam]

7 hours ago, Earthling789 said:

AMEN!! 

And when you think you've left the house with plenty of backups, one day you'll find yourself pulling back into the driveway with 5% charge left on your 4th back-up battery, the last of 3 coils (which is already starting to clog), and the last drops of juice (even though you left with 30ml)... and you've only been out for 5 hours! ....  Been there, done that, got the T-shirt

Most new vapers think we're nuts about having LOTS of back ups so they only get two or some other small amount of stuff... until something happens and they need more back ups than they have. Then, they have to wait on the mail and/or payday to get more. After that, we hear, "I thought you guys were kidding about getting serious about the back ups..."

We've seen it time and time again. Don't you let yourself get into the same situation. Personally, I once went through four batteries, three coils and two tanks while away from home for just a few hours. I was so glad to have had barely enough back ups with me.  

[DawnjJones]

I am seeing the need for back up. My husband is cranky cause his batteries died and has to wait for it to charge. Lol. Unfortunately it is definitely something I need to start small and add too.  Considering pen style starter, juice and coils. Then work on getting the istick 50 and build from there...

[Tam]

If you're getting the pen-style, you'll definitely want at least two to start. Don't forget to get the proper charger for it! Don't skimp on the charger. Getting the wrong one can cause catastrophic damage.

[Edna]

Hi,

They're right! I have learned the hard way that back ups are good.

Good luck and congratulations on quitting smoking! Vaping was the only thing that worked for me.

I quit a couple of months ago and I couldn't be happier. I like the mods that have changeable batteries because I just carry an extra or two in a case in my purse with an extra coil and a bottle of juice. so far so good. When I first quit I tried the "pencil/stick" type... I found that it didn't last long enough and that it ran out of power at the worst possible times. so I quickly switched. I'd take the eleaf 50 or something with a single 18650 where you can change it out before the pencil though. Everyone is different and the folks here have been a huge help though.

Edna

 

[Adversarious1]

On 8/2/2016 at 5:24 PM, Tam said:

Most new vapers think we're nuts about having LOTS of back ups so they only get two or some other small amount of stuff... until something happens and they need more back ups than they have. Then, they have to wait on the mail and/or payday to get more. After that, we hear, "I thought you guys were kidding about getting serious about the back ups..."

We've seen it time and time again. Don't you let yourself get into the same situation. Personally, I once went through four batteries, three coils and two tanks while away from home for just a few hours. I was so glad to have had barely enough back ups with me.  

For the record, a lot of us probably ARE nuts, but we aren't nuts because of lots of back ups.