AIBU to carry on evangalising about electronic cigarettes? (Part 3).

[magimedi]

This is now our third thread.

Thread 2 is here - with lots of useful information:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1912752-AIBU-to-STILL-feel-positively-evangelical-about-electronic-cigarettes-thread-2?pg=1

[ilovesooty]

Thanks for this.

[magimedi]

And to get it going I'd like to quote *Allergictoironings" really informative post about the different sort of e cigs that are available.

"A very simple guide for those who have been a bit overwhelmed by all the variety discussed on this thread. Experienced vapers either ignore, or check for errors please!

There can be a trade off to be considered around cost, variety, overall experience and hassle.

The cigalike ones are the simplest to deal with in that you just unscrew one cart & screw in another. These tend to be the type that you can buy at the local market or shopping centre for a comparatively cheap initial purchase, but the carts they use can be very expensive and tend to be limited in flavours/strengths depending on brand. They can be useful in that they are small, look the most like "real" cigs, and are the most hassle-free, but the experience really isn't as good as other methods and the cost is higher.

The next step is to have a battery and disposable tank type system (CE4 in my case) where you buy the different liquids and fill the tank yourself. The batteries last a few months to a year (about the same or a little longer than the cigalikes) and the tanks (clearomisers) last anything from a couple of weeks to a couple of months - this can be extended by cleaning, but the coils inside do eventually pack in. This method is much cheaper and gives a much more satisfying experience, but has the added faff of unscrewing and topping up the tank rather than just chucking the

You can then go further and use tanks that have replaceable wicks & coils, can be stripped down & "serviced" etc. There's also a lot of variety and complexity available in the overall set-up e.g. variable voltage batteries. All these add to the hassle factor but allow the overall experience to be much better fine tuned to suit the vaper. Cost is a moot point here - you will save money using serviceable tanks, but people that get really into this can spend a fair bit on shiney new toys!

When it comes to the "juice" or liquid there's a hell of a lot of different things to consider - nicotine strength, flavour, the balance of "throat hit" vs vapour etc. But basically there are 3 ways to get the right juice which are buy ready made from a big importer (limited options), buy made to order from a smaller supplier (needs to steep for a few days), or buy the makings & mix your own (hassle, mess & steeping). These have been ordered from minimum hassle/maximum price to maximum hassle/minimum cost.

I'm a naturally lazy person and comparatively new to vaping, so I have a battery & disposable tank system, and am currently buying imported juice (Hangsen pineapple and Smartjuice Red tobacco flavour) which I know has steeped plenty while being shipped over and both brands have very good quality control. I will probably go directly to mostly mixing my own once I get a bit more money at the end of the month to buy all the bits & base liquids, though will probably continue buying the Smartjuice tobacco flavour because I like it so much! I doubt I will go down the road of serviceable tanks unless I get a nice glass one eventually."

[LedareAnsley]

Thank you magimedi and allergictoironing!

I have fixed the clearo by putting an extra rubber seal on top but upside down - an idea from the first thread

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

Yay! new thread! Thanks magi

Allergic, sorry I buggered off having asked you a question, I have flu and just flaked out for a few hours.

I've had a browse round and spending about half your budget I would get the following:

Vision Spinner 1300mah battery in rainbow - £19.99
This is a good make, is nice and blingy, is a large capacity battery and also allows you to play with variable voltage.

Evod 1000mah battery - £9.99
Another good solid fairly high capacity battery.

iclear16 - £3.49
This seems to be everyone's favourite top coil clearo.

mini protank 2 v2 - £9.99
A glass tank so you can use it with any liquid without it cracking. Removable drip tip in case you don't like metal ones (have a look on fasttech for a bewildering array of drip tips for less than £1. I use a pyrex one with mine)

6 x gs-h2 clearos - £7.99
Cheap and cheerful because you'll be tasting a lot of different liquids if you're going to be mixing your own.

Total: £51.45, leaving almost half your budget for mixing supplies - I think Queen is the resident expert on that.

[tiredoutgran]

I am loving my vaping kit! I used to have the 'e-cigs' and they were ok but the battery/tank combination really work for me. I didn't start it to stop smoking, just because I didn't want to have to go outside in the cold as often. I have gone from smoking 40 a day to only having between 6 and 8 tops, depending on whether I am working or not, I smoked 2 yesterday and have had 1 today. I do find that I am vaping almost continually though so suspect my nicotine addiction will have increased! I think next time I am going to get the lower strength liquids.

[Allergictoironing]

Woohoo thanks Plenty - exactly the kind of thing I was after. Lots of choice and variety, a nice blingy battery, won't break the bank. I gather they are all interchangeable (510 fittings)?

You go flake out! If I get flu I can't even focus on the screen let alone use my brain & type! No major panic to get stuff anyway, I have sufficient to survive & I'd rather get it right than rush. Plus I've gone & looked at that bloody Fasttech web site haven't I - sooo many shiney things to drool over on there, though it's a bit random how they have it organised I noticed, with the same types of items often under 2 or 3 different headings e.g. e-cig batteries vs e-cigarette batteries, same sort of thing but slightly different ranges. This is one I saw on there today that's taken my fancy a bit - anyone got anything good or bad to say about that one? I know FastTech take ages to deliver compared to the UK shops, but could be well worth it for the cost savings.

Tiredoutgran I think someone said that we absorb nicotine differently with e-cigs to normal ones, so it isn't as bad as it might seem. From what I can gather, a 20 a day addiction roughly translates to about 20ml of 18 strength fluid a week. If you were on more than about 30 a day, it's recommended that you start on the 24 strength fluid.

[LedareAnsley]

Well done tiredoutgran

I have now tried all the fixes and am convinced that my gs-h2's have either a design fault or a split in the inner tube

So I was very happy to see a link for iClears, which I have ordered.

Total spend (assuming a refund) this week on vaping equipment £7 - equivalent to a packet of Sterling Red at the Costcutters and no cigarettes smoked

[LedareAnsley]

And get well, soon, Plenty

[AmIIndecisive]

All my (evangelical about e cig) friends, swear by Vapestick, they don't look bad either!

[Allergictoironing]

Vapestick seems to come under my Category A (cigalike) from a quick glance at their web site - OK they do a decent sized battery but seem to use disposable cartomisers. Absolute minimal hassle, but a more expensive way to do things thank refillable tanks. Bit expensive to get started with too maybe?

[TooOldForGlitter]

I really want to give up smoking. I bought a vaping thing, one with a clearomiser that you fill with liquid yourself but I heard some stuff about the liquid being highly dangerous if spilled and I panicked about using it. I do admit I have anxiety problems but can someone reassure me here?

[littlemisssarcastic]

I have just ordered more ejuice and clearomisers. I am finding it difficult to tolerate the stink of smoking on other people now.
It seems to smell worse and worse every week.
I come across smokers at work, always have done, but OMG, I almost cannot bear to be near them, they really do honk. I hate getting in my car afterwards and knowing my coat, hair and clothes stink, it really is awful and I honestly don't think they have a clue how bloody awful it smells.
I always knew smoking smelt bad when I smoked, but I didn't realise I smelt that bad IYSWIM.

I have a couple of colleagues who insist on offering me a cigarette whenever they see me, one of them told me she felt sorry for me because I only have me Ecig. I have told her I am far happier with an Ecig but she laughs and doesn't believe me, so keeps offering me a real cigarette. Yuk!! I just say 'No Thanks, I'm happy with my Ecig.'

One of the things that keeps me going is how completely rotten cigarettes smell. I cannot describe the smell, so not sure if it smells the same to other people, but it is as repulsive as someone who hasn't washed in weeks.

How do you cope with the smell?? Does it make you feel sick too?
I'm amazed I didn't notice it before, or did I just choose to ignore it??

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

Allergic, I'd risk that for £9

Ledare, if you haven't flung it in the bin yet, you could try adding a bit more wick (cotton wool would do). The wicking is a bit temperamental - too much and you get dry hits, too little and it gurgles. Also, check the metal post is pushed fully into the top of the atomiser. It's possible you have a crack somewhere in the tank. Shine a bright light inside it to check.

[Allergictoironing]

Hi TooOldForGlitter, welcome to the thread .

Nicotine can be considered a poison if ingested or absorbed through the skin in very large quantities, but that said I think "highly dangerous if spilled" is exaggerating just a tad! Yes if you have very high strength fluid, like those used as base and diluted further, you should be a bit careful & try not to get it on bare skin (and wash right after if you do). But the odd drop here & there shouldn't cause you any problems - the kind of amounts you need to ingest or absorb to cause real problems are massive.

Ready made fluid is usually sold in small bottles (10-30ml) with a needle tip so you can't easily spill it - my problem tends to be more that I can't get enough out at time & it takes me longer than I want to fill my tank up. The potential harm if you spilled a whole 30ml bottle on your hand then washed it straight off is probably less than the harm you do to yourself in a couple of weeks of "normal" smoking

[LedareAnsley]

God the amount I have ingested through leaky clearos. Although didn't Queen get some in the eye? Stung but no lasting damage. And yes, it only ever spilss / leaks in minute amounts.

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

This should put your mind at rest about nicotine, TooOld.

[TooOldForGlitter]

I am aware i'm being stupid but sometimes hard to see clearly when the anxiety demon nips away! Thanks.

[MaggieMcGill]

Plenty Do you realise that this time tomorrow we have both hit the 4 month mark? Ooh my fucking god! I seriously didn't expect to last a month. Well done to both of us sorry to hear that you have the flu. Would you like me to send you some cherry or black current tunes? Seriously, I do have these, was part of my Xmas pressie's from t juice but me no likey :)

My stats are...
122 days
2445 cigarettes NOT smoked (give or take a few when drunk)
£916.88 saved (I wish, it's defiantly not in my bank account )
And I've added 10 days to my life which is a bonus

I have to go for my annual health check on Monday. Normally it's drinks to much,tick. Smokes, tick, overweight, tick. I can't wait to say I don't smoke now

[TooOldForGlitter]

Link was helpful thanks plenty.

[kazzawazzawoo]

Has anyone tried the flavoured ones from smokers angel, brand name Halo? I think they have chocolate, vanilla and cherry. I am very lazy and also going zero nicotine, not fancying refilling tanks, so thought I'd try these.

[LedareAnsley]

TooOld, I'm the same about many things - crossing the bloody road for one, at my age! Anxiety is a bugger.

Plenty, thanks for the advice r.e cracks.

[LedareAnsley]

And congratulations to Maggie! Marvellous stats

[Allergictoironing]

TooOldforGlitter you aren't being stupid, just anxious and careful as there's no point in giving up one dangerous thing if the replacement is as bad or worse. Sadly there are an awful lot of people out there who mis-inform about vaping because they have this crusade where you have to completely give up every single aspect of smoking whether harmful or not; I think they feel that if we enjoy it, it's bad for us by definition!

So there's a fair number of urban myths and rumours doing the rounds about the dangers of vaping, none of which are backed up by any facts or research - the only research done to date seems to reinforce all the positive aspects you'll be glad to hear.

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

Wow you're right Maggie. That's 1/3 of a year! Well done us!

I bought some menthol with the aim of mixing it with cherry to make tunes flavour but dh has vaped all the cherry now I'm not actually bunged up at the moment, I'm just dizzy and shivery and my hair and clothes hurt and my brain has been replaced with jelly and feathers. Feeling quite a lot better for my sleep earlier though

122 days
1830 fags not smoked
£209.60 saved - still jealous of those giving up the tailor mades!

£916 + 10 spare days = rather a nice holiday

[LedareAnsley]

I wish we could put pictures in AIBU. I would post congratulatory fireworks