A Newbie With An Ego

[Uma]

First off, I have never smoked/Vaped an electronic cigarette ever before. I am totally new to this. I am a newborn.

Second off, I love my new eGo. The Janty eGo too.

I watched videos, I read reviews, and How-to's, and met wonderful inspiring folk. I felt completely ready to order, assemble, and start vaping.

I have no idea if all e-cig company MANUALS are the same or how much they vary. But, even with my online education, I felt the company could have provided a better manual. I have memory/learning problems. I'm not alone in the world. I need pics. Every step of the way Pics. Please take note companies... I am not criticizing you or putting you down...I am requesting help/guidance.

Now, for the thoughts I've written down so far. I consider this more as a journal than a review. Feel free to yawn and disappear.

hmmmm, I'll start a 2nd post so I can delete it when i realize how stoopid it is.

[mcquinn]

The manuals do leave a lot to be desired. http://www.e-smokers-forum.com/e-cigarette-tips-tricks-how-tos/258-e-cig-trouble-shooting-guide.html has some good info for every vaper

Edited January 16, 2010 by mcquinn

[Uma]

Change. 1. Already things have changed around the house. Now instead of running and hiding or calling 911 when I go into a couphing fit.... my family breaks out laughing hysterically! 2. Instead of wrinkling their nose and turning away from me and making me go outside.... my family follows me around the house exclaiming how nice I smell.

Sweet!

Now, on to my chaotic notes I've jotted down since the pkg arrived. My apologies if they don't make sense, are too confusing, or just plain too dumb for you.

January 16 and 17th.

Ladies: you won't mistake it for your mascarra if

set side by side, because it's smaller and thinner.

(at least with my brands of mascarra).

yuban coffee with coffeemate tastes great with

Janty eGo prefilled Ry4 carts, ... plus primer from

a previous dumb mistake.

Went 2 hrs without analog even while enjoying my

morning coffee. Normally, I would have puffed at

least 8 analogs by then. (sad but true).

With primer from a previous dumb mistake, and

the Ry4 , my analog (2 hrs later!!!!) tasted the

same. Just a tad bit "fuller" because I'm a 2

second vapor inhaler so far and not a 5.

Found myself at the door with analog in one hand

and eGo in the other. Left, right, left, right... and

laughed so hard! I lit the analog out of "habit",

not out of desire, and I didn't even realize I had lit

it. It tasted like my eGo! Couldn't wait to

extinquish it and sit back down comfortably in the

house and vape.

A manual with pictures would be helpful for brain

dead newbies like self. (also for gifts we give to

others who know nothing. Not everyone has a

computer believe it or not). I knew what to

expect... 2 batteries, 2 attys (i had purchased an

extra in case i destroy my first in my learning

curves), 1 attty cover, 1 wall charger + the usb

charger. Yet, when I opened box... I went blank.

It was all "too new of an experience". I forgot I

had an extra battery and therefore I tried to figure

out how to attach a battery to a battery and where

in the hell does the cart go... thank goodness our

youngest has a brain. He figured it out. Note: the

attys were in little boxes, I "knew" those were the

attys... yet... I went blank. I am not unusual.

There are many people like me, with one disorder

or another. People like us need walk through

pictures.

The battery came mostly charged, only took 1/2

hour to top to green. Note: The green is on the

battery end of the charger... the wall part stays

red. I didn't "know" if the wall part turns green

too or not. Would be nice if instructions were

more precise for non techies like self.

The manual is itsy bitsy.. need a youngster or

reading glasses. It also only skims the info ...

which is great for experienced vaporers but not so

great for newbies like self.

LED lights up finger, as stated by others, in a neat

red glow. But in daylight it's difficult to see even

when cupped with other hand. If one has a

hearing problem, it might be difficult to learn the

"feel" when outdoors. Practice indoors until you

know the "feel"... and there really is a "feel" to it.

Getting fewer gurgle noises already. (means I'm

dragging it better).

Love the way it stands straight up on the

table/desk.

My priming mistake mentioned a few times

earlier? I remembered to blow out the atty first

onto a papertowel until the paper was dry. But I

didn't realize that the cart inside it was holding

the primer juice. Thinking the cart was a

"prefilled cart" I lit it up. Not too bad though

believe it or not. Lots of vapor and a whopper

couph too. An hour later, it vaped less so I

opened it and added 3 drops of ry4 liquid. Tons of

vapor. Then it wouldn't vape... it turned blue light

right away. So I opened the cart and tried to add

more but couldn't really see inside with our dim

lighting. So we got the flashlight out and lo and

behold there was no stuffing in it! It was empty

completly. That's when it hit me.... d'oh,... that

was a "primer cartridge". Okay, I got it now, I

understand now.

I opened a RY4 cart, inserted it, and didn't blow

the atty because, well, I kinda like the primer lol,

and the primer makes the analog taste the same

which helps take away the craving for "better

flavor". (My tastebuds will improve in time, and

then I'll hate the primer like the experienced

vaporers do, I'm sure). It's been vaping nicely

ever since. There is a slight scent... probably

from the primer... and the family loves that scent.

No kidding.

Long story short: the eGo protected me from

ruining it. Sweeeet! But a manual, complete with

primer cart pics and stuff sure would be nice for

the next newbie.

It's very comfortable to hold. The button is

comfortable to press.... addicting to press....

We hooked up a black and decker inverter in my

jeep so we can charge the wall charger. The

pickup's cig charger will still charge the cell

phone for now. The eGo only takes 2 hours to

fully charge, so we should be fine battery/charge

wise for now. I'll know more at the end of next

week because a big storm is heading our way

today/tomorrow.

Need big pics... (1.) charge battery. (2). take atty

out of box. (3.) pull the primer cart off of the new

atty by holding each end of the long stem and

pulling. (4.) place a papertowel in your hand and

blow through the atty onto the papertowel until it

is dry. (5.) open your new PREFILLED WITH

YUMMY RY4 cart that you see in the clear

wrapping. (6.) Insert into atty. (7). twist atty

onto now charged battery (8). lightly twist the

cover on to it. (the cover is attached to one of the

batteries that came with the kit. unattach it,

charge up the battery). (9). Press the button and

prime puff without inhaling for about 5 times (like

a cig that didn't light right and you had to puff puff

puff to get it "going" so that you could then puff

and inhale. Well, except , with the eGo it WILL be

going... just don't inhale yet) .. and then take long

slow drags (no gurgle from device), let a little out,

inhale, then exhale. Start off with a 1 or 2 second

drag... increasing the length as you become

accustomed to the hit. Drag on it like a straw in a

milkshake, where you can still breathe while

drawing in the vapor.

I couphed with the first deep drags... (3 second).

I'm a 2 second dragger for now.

QUESTIONS: 1. how do i type one handed?

[dlynne]

I agree that the eGo could come with a better manual. If I had not already been vaping when I received the eGo, I am not sure I would have been able to figure out how to put it together.

That being said, I have always recommended Joye 510 starter kits to new vapers. If money is not an obstacle, I will now be recommending the eGo to start. I think the longer battery life, vapor production, and overall experience is a lot more encouraging and easier for new vapers with the eGo.

Good luck, Uma. Keep posting, as I am interested in your feelings about vaping and the eGo.

[Lordvapor]

wow lot of info....thanks for sharing..

Cant wait for mine

[Uma]

The manuals do leave a lot to be desired. http://www.e-smokers-forum.com/e-cigarette-tips-tricks-how-tos/258-e-cig-trouble-shooting-guide.html has some good info for every vaper

Nice! Thanks. I'll go sign up so I can read it.

[Uma]

Thanks guys! It's a big relief that it's okay enough to follow.

At noon, I went into a big couphing fit... the kind that twists your gut and cramps your whole torso. I've had these many times in the past, usually when I've tried to cut back on smokes. I went ahead and lit an analog, (sheesh, where's the vapor on those analogs???!), took an Alavert (allergy pill), and all was well in 2 minutes flat. Haven't had a fit since and it's now been 3.5 hours since an analog... and I'm not even craving one!!!

I can't believe this is me saying this. This has never been me. Nothing has ever worked for me.

Weird how my second post came out longform... I copy/pasted from my notepad. All is well that ends well though.

[TheGreen]

Yet another inspiring story that you can switch to a healthier alternative than smoking analogs.

[mcquinn]

My co workers like the smell of RY4

[Uma]

At 5:00 I topped off my cart.. dropped 4 drops into the cart individually letting each drop soak before adding another. I could still have added another, it was not puddled, just kind of damp looking. When my battery dies, I want to take the cart off, take the stuffing out, drop in 5 drops or so, then put the stuffing back in and top off as needed. I think Igetcha (Scott for Totally Wicked ejuices) has the video on that.

It's been 13 hours, and the battery is still going strong!

(10:00 pm -12:30pm last night) and 1 analog before retiring.

8:00am - 6:30pm and still going strong. I topped off cart at 5:00 when I craved an analog. All better from the topping.

Edited January 17, 2010 by Uma

[Uma]

It's now 8:30. I did a no no and babied the last of my cart. The vapor slowed down a bit, I knew it needed a filling. Sure enough, after checking, the fluffy stuff is now white. With a pair of tweezers I pulled the fluffy stuff out of the cart, and squeezed it onto the paper towel until dry. I then grabbed my other flavor, APPLE, and dropped 10 drops into the empty cart. Next I gently shoved the fluffy back into the cart and topped it off one drop at a time as it soaked each drop. It took 10 more drops! (maybe my drops are smaller than your drops, thinner, thicker, I don't know, but I do know that that's how much it took of my Appla ejuice from Jantyworld). I then put eGo back together again and wow is she vaping powerfully again. The Apple is a bit lighter funner flavor, and I can drag a 3 second pull now. I'm sure now I'll go through that battery and possibly cart faster. We'll see.

Battery still strong... cart refilled.... longer drags now being taken... (but certainly not long as in 5+ second drags).

[Uma]

It's now 9:30pm and the battery has left the building. But not to worry, it's on the charger and the next one is on my atty.

If I added right, that's a total of 15 hours. Light, 2 second drags. (avg.. sometimes heavier).

Not too shabby!

My RY4 is the 18mg and is strong enough for me at this time. I don't know what strength the prefilled carts are, but probably the 18mg. I almost wish I'd started with an even lighter mg. Tomorrow I might wish it were a stronger mg.

The Apple I got is a 36mg and the kick feels lighter than the RY4 18mg. Weird! Probably because of the light flavor of the apple itself. Kind of refreshing.

I wonder what strength I should order the Cappuchino in.

[ddavelarsen]

I'm enjoying this Uma, keep it going! I hope your storm doesn't cause any havoc. Vape on!

[Uma]

Thanks Dave, me too... but it looks like it'll be a series of woppers... which means I'll see ya all again next summer sometime lol. Here's the backwoods bible: http://www.weather.gov/ahps/ (Noaa's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service). We'd be stranded without their predictions. (which are usually pretty darn close to what happens).

It's now 12:30 noon the next day and I've had only 3 cigs again. Usually it would be at leas 20 with my morning rituals. (4-6 per hour). The only reason I lit up the first one was because the ecig was actually too strong at first. For those worried about mellow yellow, put your worries aside honey.

I travelled with it today, and didn't need a real cig at all the whole time! I even learned how to use it more comfortably on our bumpy dirt/mud/rut/ road. (just needed to puckerup first thing)

Last night I finally got the 3-5 second drags down pat. wow. With a fresh filled cartridge, the excessive vapor (for me, a beginner) was delightful, amazing, yummmy, but also kind of wasted. In time I'm sure I won't waste a single cloud.

For me, at this point with the 3 second toke), the fully filled cart's GRAND vapor will be for an hour or two, then the next 2 hours or more are more like the regular types of vapor puff that we see on many videos. yeah. That nice of a cloud at first.

Imagine how a direct drip would be!

The battery does indeed charge in only 2 hours, just like the posters have mentioned.

All in, it's everything everybody has said about it. For reviews, be sure to check the other posters out. My thread is a learning curve thread only.

Notes: Trying to vape right has been interesting. Then I remembered that funny guy... Mr. Smokes(?)... and I pretended I was him.. and voila! lol. Play with that milkshake straw my friend, and the right vape sip will happen, it really will.

edited to add a PS.

P.S. Even at the last of the battery life/charge I get a FULL cloud of vapor as long, of course, as my cart is fresh full... a regular cloud if cart is used.... a small wispy cloud when empty and time to refill. (but still a cloud, just a thin wispy one).

Edited January 17, 2010 by Uma

[Uma]

aha, here's the funny guy.. Mr. Smokification1 ...

[Uma]

Today--the battery lasted for 11 hours .. consisting of 3 second drags on avgerage, with a few 5's and a few 2's. I also refilled the cart completely 2x.

How many hits per hour? I couldn't tell you at this point. A cig is 15 hits x 50 per day on avg which equals 750 hits per day, or 300 puffs per pack.

I am averaging ... hit hit hit, pause 3 mminutes, hit, pause 1 minute, hit hit, pause 10 minutes, hit hit hit hit hit, hit pause... lol. I have no clue as to how many hits per cart nor how many hits per battery. That will be a fun challenge for another day... or for someone else altogether. OHHH, you can post here if you'd like!! It'd be fun to see the stats from various styles of vaporers.

Tomorrow, I'll be gone, but I bet it'll be 5 second drags on avg, with an 8 hr battery, and 4 complete refills. Will see, but not tell, until ... summer when the weather lets up enough to let us drive on our road. lol. Enjoy the weather where you are, and stay safe.

PS. RY4 and Apple go good together. (my opionion today, but we'll see tomorrow).

[ddavelarsen]

This is cool Uma. I haven't had the guts to mix flavors together yet but it sounds like fun. I'm really glad this is working out for you!

[nana]

I've been watching the news and have seen what some of the weather is like in California. I was looking to see where you are, Uma, but haven't found the post, so I'm writing here to see if you're okay. I haven't seen you post here for a couple of days and I'm a bit concerned.

Does anyone know how Uma is?

[ddavelarsen]

I've been watching the news and have seen what some of the weather is like in California. I was looking to see where you are, Uma, but haven't found the post, so I'm writing here to see if you're okay. I haven't seen you post here for a couple of days and I'm a bit concerned.

Does anyone know how Uma is?

I wouldn't get too concerned just yet nana. Uma lives in the country, where God is her neighbor; she only gets into 'town' where they have electricity and stuff every so often. Uma knows how to live. I'm so jealous! Even weather in the mountains isn't always as bad as it seems from under a roof. One can hunker down and deal with it, grinning all the while. Mostly, anyway. She'll be okay.

[Uma]

Dave-- I thought I'd be scared too, but man that apple is so good I just had to have a drop... and that's how I discovered the two combine well. They don't really "mix" (as in combined and shaken well), it's more like being able to smoke my ciggy while eating a candy apple. Remember those awful times when you had to smoke even when you were eating lol. Well, now it's no problem, and of course, now it's not cig smoke.

Nana! You are the sweetest person ever to worry about another poster so. I am touched.

But, rest assured, we are fine, like Dave says (Very kind and sweet of you sir!) in your following post. We get stranded across a river because our river bridge is lower than the river when she rises. Hubby hikes out to go to work while I stay home and hunker down! (haha Dave is so right!) and read novels and do chores. All is well..when I have a good book anyway lol. Speaking of which.. The Last Olympian series by Rick Riordan is so awesome! A must read. They finally turned it into a movie and thankfully, with my new eGo, I'll even get to go watch it!! In person!! In real life!! lol, I'm so excited to be able to be a part of mainstream again. It's been a long time coming. and what better way than with The Last Olympian. Life is good.

[Uma]

P.S. Unless you count the 4 drags off a yucky yesterday, and the 3 puffs today, ... I am TOBACCO FREE!!!! I couldn't stand the yucky, had to put it out!! I love this. This is the first time since I was 10 years old, that I've been TOBACCO FREE!!! Sometimes I amaze myself lol.

Oh! and speaking of hiking to work... my dear sweet husband made an emergency ejuice order from VTS when we realized I wouldn't have enough to get through an entire week. I began pulling deeeper, longer on my carts and started refilling every 1-2 hours instead of hours and hours lol. Anyway, so he makes an emergency order on Friday night, had it send Priority mail, and then hiked the few miles out to pick it up on Monday. CHRIS ROCKS!!! He sent the pkg right out and saved the day. The only problem is, is that now that I'm healing from being off of analogs, hubby will probably make ME hike out next winter. lol I want my ciggys back... lol. Just kidding.

P.S.S. We also NOALOXed the eGo and now everything glides so effortlessly together. It wasn't a problem before, but we could tell it was metal on metal. Now it's like smooth as butter. (twisting the battery cover on and stuff).

P.S.S.S. Cleaning instructions. I got so excited, I almost forgot the reason for my thread. I wish the companies would also include Maintanence and Cleaning instructions! Dreadful when you're stuck without the internet.

Oh there's so much more to share, but I'll spare you all for now. Thanks for bearing with me and for encouraging me. It's all your fault! :P

[ddavelarsen]

Uma! We missed you so much! Dang, lady, if there's a downside to you living in the hinterlands, it's that we don't hear from you much. What a nice way to step back in though. I just woke up, so bear with my poor thought stream here, but Wow! so nice to hear from you.

I had to go look up The Last Olympian - hadn't heard of it. Now I have, I'll be watching for the books and possibly (here in America's armpit, we don't get many movies; they even closed about half the theaters a few years ago) the movie. Let's hope I can track that down. I'm more a hard-science SF kind of guy, but given the reviews this might be worth digging into. Heaven knows I read faster** than my authors write...

I'm sure glad the storm caused you no harm. While I'm confident you guys know your stuff, nature can be a real beast too, sometimes. I'm not sure the geography of where you live naturally, but California doesn't exactly have the best track record for weather safety.

Chris sounds like such a super man. I really wish I could meet you two, you just seem so squared away. My son would love you too, you guys live exactly the way he wants to. Some day we're going to build a big straw-bale house and all live in it by the woods. Grow stuff and eat it. Meanwhile you guys can be my proxy for living well.

Guess that's all for now. Thanks for the wonderful update! (And yeah, I know exactly what you meant about smoking while you're eating!) I'm so happy that vaping is working out for you. Vape on!

**Yet I'm a remarkably slow reader - maybe 10 pages a day if I really get rolling.

[nana]

It's so good to hear from you again, Uma. I'm glad you're safe and sound - and still vaping. I missed your posts, too, and can't wait to hear the rest.

[Uma]

Uma! We missed you so much! Dang, lady, if there's a downside to you living in the hinterlands, it's that we don't hear from you much. That is exactly how I feel about you guys here!! What a nice way to step back in though. I just woke up, so bear with my poor thought stream here, but Wow! so nice to hear from you.

I had to go look up The Last Olympian - hadn't heard of it. Now I have, I'll be watching for the books The Last Olympian is the last book in the first set of the first series. (he's working on his next set now). It's supposed to be for kids, a good kid's read, but us adults have taken them over lol. Even Uma Thurman... yep. and possibly (here in America's armpit, we don't get many movies; they even closed about half the theaters a few years ago) the movie. Let's hope I can track that down. I'm more a hard-science SF kind of guy, but given the reviews this might be worth digging into. Heaven knows I read faster** than my authors write... Movies never do the books justice anyway don't you think? Speaking of which, even though I know full well that Hollywood carried Spiderman, Batman, Avatar, Harry Potter, etc, off so well, I still can't see how they can possibly pull this story off. I hope it'll be amazing.. it sure is an amazing book (series). P.S.S. Pierce Bronsan plays Chiron!! Uma Thurman plays Methusala?... etc. Great cast, great story, great director (same guy who directed Harry Potter)... lol, on and on and on I go. Sorry! Just kind of excited about it.

I'm sure glad the storm caused you no harm. While I'm confident you guys know your stuff, nature can be a real beast too, sometimes. It's the trees that don't bend that we worry about....and the branches flying off... and so forth, but all in all, we're pretty much okay. I'm not sure the geography of where you live naturally, but California doesn't exactly have the best track record for weather safety.I fully understand the worry. Just like we out west folks woorry whenever we hear about hurricanes and tornadoes and fires and floods... and your worry is very appreciated. My hopes is that you all can relax when I'm gone... and not fret. I hope I didn't sound like I was dismissing or undervalueing ... it's just that I'll be gone for long stretches of time in the winter and can't bear the thought of folks worrying about me while I'm hunkered down reading a good novel.

Chris sounds like such a super man. I really wish I could meet you two, you just seem so squared away. My son would love you too, you guys live exactly the way he wants to. Some day we're going to build a big straw-bale house My fave!! We want one!! and are hoping to go that route. Lovely homes. and all live in it by the woods. Grow stuff and eat it. Meanwhile you guys can be my proxy for living well. haha, will do. I might even toss in a good boot kick now and again to help you get to planning for such the life.

Guess that's all for now. Thanks for the wonderful update! (And yeah, I know exactly what you meant about smoking while you're eating!) I'm so happy that vaping is working out for you. Vape on! yeah, it's the bliss one gets from a cig right after a good meal or desert or both, except it happens oftener with vaping. Bliss.

**Yet I'm a remarkably slow reader - maybe 10 pages a day if I really get rolling.

[Uma]

It's so good to hear from you again, Uma. I'm glad you're safe and sound - and still vaping. I missed your posts, too, and can't wait to hear the rest.

I wish there were an Enoticons for a big bear hug so I could give you one. I miss you guys so much when I'm gone. Speaking of which, the next high water phaze is expected Thursday/friday... I don't know for how long. I've been so encouraged and inspired by you guys and you've really helped me to quit tobacco. (a miracle for me!). I really miss reading all the posts here in the forum. Can't wait til we can get a laptop!