Hundreds of vipers vaping in our fifth thread!!

[magimedi]

Here we go! Thread five! Thread four filled in one month!

Here is a link to thread four & you can work back from there.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2017939-Nest-of-Vapers-we-continue-to-not-BU-to-carry-on-vaping?pg=1

We are all always happy to answer any question. No question is too daft or unreasonable! We all know what a minefield of terminology it is when you first take up vaping.

Here is Allergic's great summary for anyone who is starting vaping:

""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."

Lora, a passthrough is a battery you can use while it's charging. Instead of screwing the business end into a charger, it charges via a micro usb socket in the base so you can carry on vaping.

What brand are your liquids? Some, like hangsen and dekang, are mixed and imported in huge batches and so have had plenty of time to steep. Others are mixed fresh to order and tend to taste better after the flavours have had time to meld. There's no need to wait an hour after you've filled your clearo though, just a minute or so to make sure the wicks are well soaked.

Garlic, the mah rating on the battery relates to how long it will last between charges. As a very rough guide, 100 mah = one hour, so a 1100 mah battery will give you a couple of hours longer than a 900. The 900 is plenty to start with though.

I've been using the same liquid in an iclear16B for a couple of weeks without cleaning it. I have to draw really hard to vape it and it doesn't taste sweet enough.

I've changed the coil and tried wiping the wick with a dry cloth and tipping the liquid out but it's still crap. I'm going to have to properly clean it aren't I?

Garlic I think you'll be surprised to find how easy it will be to get used to that shape on the end .

Don't worry about getting spares or upgrades yet, you need to be sure that this really is for you before spending TOO much on kit. Of course after a short while you'll probably be getting shinyitis & having shopping accidents like the rest of us

Plenty, you'll have to LTB unreasonable behaviour that is!

Found this site but haven't got beyond the pic - if that's an ecig I WANT IT!!!!

Oops - ecigssavelives.co.uk/

Couldn't possibly leave him now, there'd be a hideous custody battle over the nitecore charger I got for the vamo batteries. I haven't tried it yet but it looks the bollocks. It charges all sorts of different sizes and types of batteries - all at once!

I have had a reply from ebay customer services

Back in a bit.

Wow that is pretty Cantabile. It's a good site too there's some very interesting stuff on there.

Oh my Cantabile - Steampunk E-cig! Love it love it love it!

That is beautiful, Cantabile!

Thanks for that link, Maggie. I bought the C4 starter kit and some liquids. I liked that they recommended strengths by the nicotine content of your cigarettes - all the others went by how many you smoke a day, which strikes me as irrational! Shame they're closing down.

Would these 'dust covers' work to smoke through? I'm still fretting about the mouthpiece shape.

Wow at the e cigs

Garlic no, those dust covers stop dust getting into the mouthpiece hole.
Really don't over worry about the mouthpiece. I've been vaping for over 2 months now. Changed over from rollies, so different size and weight. Thinking about it there's a few differences, all positive. No ash trays, no scrabbling for a lighter that works, no running out to the shop for more baccy/filters/papers, no stinky hair/clothes/breath. I haven't yet forgotten to charge my batteries and find it really easy to order liquid on line. I still get my nicotine hit and the hand to mouth/sucking and blowing action .
I started by thinking I'd just replace a few rollies and see how it went. Was fully vaping after half a day. There's still tobacco in the house as DH still smoking, but I'm just not bothered or temped by it. I had a drag of a pals' fag a few weeks ago and it tasted foul.

And I was a proper, fag first thing in the morning smoker.......

Oh, OK, Peri, I won't buy those, thanks! Am still very at the mouthpiece thing. Why the hell don't more of them come in tube shapes?!

Are you going to give it a try too, Sole?

All of my clearos / tanks have tubular mouthpieces - haven't seen any flat ones. Do you mean like nicotine inhalers? They are awful, I agree.

I just sent this:

Hi XXXXX,

Firstly, let me assure you that as I am not myself a seller, I will not be listing any e cigarettes or components on eBay.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a long and detailed response to my query. Sadly I am still confused by much of what you have written:

'we don't allow E-Cigarettes and any item related to E-Cigarettes (such as cartridges, atomisers, liquid refills, vaporisers, batteries and shells) because these items are not approved by FDA. Please understand that E-Cigarettes or related components can't be listed on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie until these items get approved from FDA.'

E cigarettes are not approved by the FDA because the FDA does not have the authority to regulate them. They have been told this by two courts of law. The FDA are currently proposing to create a new rule which would allow them to regulate the sale of e cigarettes as tobacco products. However this is still at the proposal and consultation stage and has been since 2011. Any such new rule is likely to be strongly challenged by the flourishing e cigarette industry in the US which is somehow managing not only to survive but to grow rapidly, despite the lack of FDA approval for these products.

There are many things for sale on eBay that do not have FDA approval because this would be entirely inappropriate, for example, 'electronics, cars, fashion, collectibles, coupons and more'. E cigarettes currently fall into the same general consumer products category as all of these, and always have done. There is no legal reason why eBay should not permit their sale.

If you would like to learn more about e cigarettes and the law in the US there is a very clear summary here: changelabsolutions.org/tobacco-control/question/are-e-cigarettes-regulate

There is also a downloadable leaflet with a handy chart detailing the current law and its implications here:
changelabsolutions.org/sites/default/files/E-cigarette_FactSht_FINAL_%28CLS_20120530%29_October21_2011_0.pdf

The sale of items containing nicotine or tobacco related product is prohibited on eBay, owing to the adverse effects of their consumption on human health.You can refer the FDA’s safety warning for e-cigarettes at the following link:

^www.fda.gov/newsevents/publichealthfocus/ucm172906.htm^

Thank you, that is the third time I have been given that link and I have already read that page which does not link to any research to substantiate its claims. I understand your concern with regards to lit tobacco products such as cigarettes, pipe tobacco etc. However, none of the risks of combustion apply to e cigarettes and all the research to date indicates that they are likely to be about as safe as any other product containing nicotine but not tobacco, such as lozenges, gum or patches. I notice from your policy pages that you permit the sale of NRT products.

If you would like to learn more about e cigarettes in terms of health, risks and benefits, I can recommend this very thorough review of all the research to date:
taw.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/02/12/2042098614524430.abstract
(you will need to create an account to view the full paper, which is then free to access)

Or for an easier read, the American Council on Science and Health have produced an excellent paper which you can access here:
www.scribd.com/doc/195347257/Nicotine-and-Health

I am happy to provide many more references to research and policy material from organisations such as ASH UK and the Royal College of Physicians if you feel that would be helpful.

In regards to listing e-shisha or related items on the site, I’m glad to inform that you may list only the shisha/ sheesha flavour or e-shisha/ e-hookha related items, which are Nicotine/ Tobacco free. However, you must provide the same information in the listing as well that the item is nicotine-free. In addition to that, listing e-cigarettes or related items on the site and describing them as e-shisha or parts is not permitted as it would be considered as circumvention of our policy.

This is where I become really confused. Are you aware that there is no difference at all between an e-shisha device and an e-cigarette except for the liquid that is put into it? What criteria do you use to judge whether a device that is advertised as an e-shisha is in fact an e cigarette? The item I bought contained no nicotine or tobacco and was advertised as such in the listing. It was a clearomiser. If I put an eliquid in it that contains nicotine, it's an e cigarette component. If I put an e liquid in that contains no nicotine, it's an e-shisha component. I am sure you can understand my confusion.

Thank you for the link to the suggestions page, I will certainly share my thoughts there in due course. Meanwhile, thank you once again for the time you have taken on my query and I look forward to your response.

With very best wishes,

Garlic, really don't worry about the mouth piece. If you don't get on with whatever you buy, one thing you could do is get a tank with a removable drip tip and then hit Fasttech

Haha, very good, Plenty!

Why is ebay worrying about the FDA in the UK & Ireland, anyway? (Sorry, you've probably covered that.)

BlueSky, the mouthpiece is shaped like the teat on a water bottle. I have just requested a C4 to 510 adaptor along with my order, in hopes of widening my options. (I see how this gets to you, I've had to stop myself ordering all sorts of extra bits before I've even got the thing!)

Next newbie question: Can you use a drip tip with a clearomiser? Or are they only for, er, dripping??

C4 tip.

xposted, Plenty. Yes, I am getting rather silly about this aren't I?!

Oh I see what you mean. The only thing I couldn't stand was a metal tip so have ordered a replacement.

Diagnosis Shinyitis, garlic, I'm afraid.

Plenty - that was masterful

Excellent, Plenty. It is nice to see that the art of very politely telling someone they are an idiot is still alive and kicking!

Garlic, give it a go with the mouthpiece which comes with it. I started with a flattish mouthpiece and thought I would never like it, but when I first started using the round one some months later I hated them! Now I am happy whatever shape and I don't mind plastic or metal either, it's amazing how quickly you get used to things.

Could anyone help me figure out why im getting a burnt taste? Im using pineapple 24 pg in a (I think) ce4 clearomiser. The wick should be well n truely wet because its on its third re-fill and I often lay it down just to make sure the bits get wet.

Does it need a clean? How long have you been using it? If it's on a vv battery, maybe turn it down a bit?