Day One - Vaping

[sheandlifex]

At midnight I quit smoking. I have a Fresh Cog starter kit with 30ml of 16MG cappuccino flavoured liquid. It's not the best - USB charger and only cost £30 but it seems to do the job.

Im completely new to vaping. I enjoy it but it's nothing on a cigarette. I seem to be vaping non-stop too as I REALLY want a cigarette (have been smoking for ten years, on tobacco for the last five). I don't understand all the terminology and things you can buy - to me it's battery, liquid, mouthpiece.

I want to be completely nicotine free in a year when DP and I start trying for baby #3 so any help or advice is very much appreciated. I'm at home all the time (chronic illness, DD1 off from school with bad tonsillitis & work from home) so I'm not used to going without.

Really well done you!

It's normal to vape a lot, especially at first - you don't get as much nicotine per draw from an ecig as you do from a cigarette. You might want to start off with a higher nicotine content than 16mg too - maybe a 24mg liquid?

Hi sheandlifex, and welcome to the club.

One thing to remember is that vaping has some differences from smoking mainly due to the delivery method and the body absorbing nicotine differently. So what may feel like constant vaping isn't like chain smoking - honest! I find that I vape much more frequently than I used to smoke, but rather than non-stop for 5-10 minutes (life of a burning cig) I take fewer drags but more frequently - say half a dozen every 10-15 minutes on average. And you're actually absorbing less nicotine and slower uptake with vaping, so that can make a difference.

You're pretty much right in that you have battery, liquid, mouthpiece. The mouthpiece (tank, clearo etc) is actually a bit more than that - it contains the atomiser (aka vapouriser) that heats the liquid and turns it into the vapour that you breathe in. The kit you've bought (assuming it's the eVolve from the price) has a CE4 type tank/clearo so when the atomiser part packs in (they usually last for between a few weeks to a few months) then you just throw that one away & get a new one. Some of us have slightly different clearos that have replaceable atomisers which works out a bit cheaper but slightly more hassle .

A couple of things to look out for that are normal aspects of giving up smoking:
You may find you notice gums bleeding. Cigarette smoking hides any symptoms of gum disease so when you stop these symptoms appear.
After a while you may find you're coughing up a bit of gunk. That is your body getting rid of the crap that's been settling in your lungs for all the years you've been smoking.
You may find your skin & hair feel greasier/oilier. Cigarettes can dry out the skin and hair and it takes a while for your body to adjust to the change.

In addition, many new vapers get a really dry mouth for a while - just keep water next to you & sip it, this tends to go away after a few weeks.

Lastly - NO QUESTION IS TOO BASIC in this forum. we all started from the same level of ignorance & found out things by asking

Can I use any type of liquid in the eVolve kit? Will I have to buy Fresh Cig's atomiser or can any one work?

I've noticed the dry mouth. At first I thought it was something like nicotine poisoning (!!) because yes, I am a bit of a twat. I've used about 3.2ml of the liquid today since midnight - how much did you use up in the early stages? Wondering how much it'll actually cost me & trying to work it out per week!

Any liquid should be able to be used in any tank/clearo. Buy any brand you fancy (other threads here will give you a good idea of good suppliers & flavours).

According to the Freshcig website the clearo (which contains the atomiser) is a standard CE4 type. This means you can use any clearo that fits Ego style batteries (aka 510 thread), and also means the battery must be Ego style so the clearos are useable on most standard batteries.

This is A Good Thing, as if you manage to stick with vaping you're pretty likely to have a bad attack of the other side effect I haven't mentioned yet - shinyitis. This is an acute condition that luckily usually only lasts a few weeks, and the symptoms are browsing as many different suppliers for pretty new batteries, coloured clearos with all kinds of different coils (atomisers), carry cases, lanyards etc, and having shopping accidents on a regular basis. Usually peaks with a couple of visits to the Fasttech site (incredibly cheap, takes literally weeks to arrive) then dies down when you realise you have so much kit you won't need anything for about 5 years .

So - depending on how much hassle you want (absolute minimum or just a tiny bit) get on line & order either CE4 clearos (disposable) or GS-H2s (cheap & cheerful replaceable atomiser) from e-Bay. I'll try to dig up the link to the e-Bay supplier who I've used a few times & seems to be reliable & sell original kit not clones .

Here you go sheandlifex - this is the e-Bay vendor I've been using lately. Damn linked him enough times maybe I should demand some commission

Shinyitis is a real thing...
5 days in and i have about 10 different liquids, and have just ordered a Rainbow spinner and a mini pro-tank 2.....
Plus i have about 10 of the multi coloured GS H2 tanks :)

What you didn't get a load of spare coils for the GS-H2s at the same time ineed? Amateur!

Slowtech Fasttech is the cheapest for those, if you don't mind the interminable wait for Singapore Post to do their thing. And the opportunities for shopping accidents are endless, especially when you remember you have to spend at least $20 to get tracked post for free.....

i got 5 spare coils with my starter kit :)
But i will definitely order from Fasttech, thanks for the tip!

what is the difference between CE4 and GS H2s?

CE4 is top coil, not replaceable. GS-H2s are bottom coil, and you can replace the coils. You fill CE4s through the top, GS-H2s you unscrew the coil housing & fill through the bottom. Fractionally more hassle, cheaper as you only have to replace the coils not the tank part. And I find I get a better vape through the GS-H2s.

ah i see! i think i'll stuck with the GS H2s :)

How would I know when the coil is gone? How would I replace them and fit with either a CE4 or GS H2?

i think when it starts to taste a bit burnt..
I know people re-build coils, but i just unscrew the bottom metal coil part and screw in a new one. But thats for the GSH2's. I keep the same plastic tank part.
I'm not sure what kind of tank you have?

When the coil is completely dead, it doesn't heat the liquid at all and produce vapour. However when it's on it's way out, you'll tend to get a burnt taste when you vape. Always worth checking that the burnt taste isn't just that the wicks need a bit of a clean (loads of instructions & vids on line on how to clean various different clearos).

When the coil is gone in a CE4, it's literally a case of bin it and use a new clearo. For a GS-H2 you can either replace the entire clearo (neither type is expensive) or take the bottom off, unscrew the coil, & screw a new coil in.

Have a look on the clearos thread for more info

Thank you! I think it's a CE4 as I can unscrew the clearo from the atomiser and battery. I'll pop in to my vape shop tomorrow and get clued up on prices, buy some liquid & spares etc.

Feeling a bit rough now. This is my settle down time and there's no tobacco in the house so I can't be tempted. DP is in work with it until 2am so hopefully I'll be asleep by the time he comes in.

According to the Freshcig web site it IS a CE4. All clearos do screw off the battery, the atomiser is actually in the clearo not the battery - if you look closely at the clearo you'll see a sort of mental post going down the middle, and either side of that you'll see the wicks (one each side) dangling down. These wicks are attached to the coil in the atomiser part, which is what vaporises the liquid that the wicks have soaked up.

Oh and an incentive you can use that might help - put the money you've saved by not smoking into a jar or something, and save it up for a treat. Or maybe towards baby costs for DC #3

DP came home and smoked two cigarettes. I didn't give in or ask for one. Proud but struggling. It's hour 28 without a real cigarette, I'm up with DD1 who has tonsillitis and will be awake now until going out food shopping at 11am. Starting to have negative thoughts especially since there's tobacco in the next room now and the only battery I have is on charge.

Trying to keep busy. Don't have food as a substitute either which is both good and bad. How long will this last? It's so natural for me to smoke now that my thoughts are all about either smoking or not smoking like I hear peoples do on diets when it's all they can talk/think about.

shandlifex some people give up the very moment they start vaping, for others its much harder; I "dual fuelled" for a long time when I started vaping. I started out with a "cigalike" which helped me to halvew my cigarette consumption from 30 a day to around 15, then as soon as I got my decent tank & battery kit I cut down within a week or so to 2 a day. And there it stuck for a good 2-3 months. I just couldn't psychologically lose the first cig of the morning & last one at night.

But I kept at it, and eventually had my last cigarette on the 10 February which means I've been stinky fag free for 4 months today.

If you really psychologically need a fag, it may be worth having one so you don't resent vaping which would mean you'd end up hating it. Just limit yourself to say 3-4 a day & vape in between, and count the ones you HAVEN'T smoked; just never let yourself increase that number! Make sure your eVolve is with you all the time & the tobacco or fags are in a different room so it's easier to vape than smoke - and if the baccy is kept in another room that may help your DP to cut down too .

Once you've saved a bit of money by vaping instead of smoking, get yourself a second battery & a handful of spare clearos so you are never without the kit ready and charged.

hi sheandlifex, well done!

The early days can be tough because it's not just the nicotine in fags that is addictive - there are a whole load of other things your body will be screaming out for right now. In particular, there are certain chemicals in lit tobacco that act as MAOIs (a type of antidepressant). If you do end up having a fag or two it's no big deal, as Allergic says, just keep counting the ones you don't smoke.

Don't be afraid to get a higher strength liquid, you can cut down later once you are confident you are off the fags. Don't worry about having too much nicotine, when you've had enough you will just feel a bit sick and put it down, the same as you would with a fag.

I get most of my liquids from here - they do a massive range of flavours at £2/10ml. I saw on another thread that you are giving up 30 a day - if I were you I would get some 18mg and some 24mg and experiment. You can also mix them to get something inbetween.

I would also get a spare battery asap. these are £8 and you also get two rather good clearomisers (iclear 16) - very good value IMO.

Good luck for today and I hope your DD feels better soon x

Hello! I fell asleep at 8am and woke up at 2pm. Not smoked at all but I think it has everything to do with odd sleeping hours. Still vaping. Heading to my vaping shop tomorrow to get some higher strength liquid and will definitely look into that spare battery and clearomiser combination. I have money but not money to burn, if you get me?

I'm a bit scared of doing dual fuel just because I know if I'm smoking, that's it, I'm smoking. In my head I won't count the cigarettes not smoked and only the ones I have. I'm going to stick with exclusively vaping and see how I feel. I really want to get to 7 days smoke free as 18 hours is the longest I've EVER gone in over ten years.

Well done! That means you've already broken a lifetime record.

Regarding the money but not to burn - if you were on 30 a day, by the weekend you'll have saved 7.5 packs which would have cost you in the region of £55. You've spent around £30 so far, so if you spend £20 at the vaping shop (cheapish battery, couple of clearos, maybe another liquid) you'll STILL be a fiver up on the week with the weekend still to go!

I just spent £15 at the vaping shop. Got a clearomiser, a citrus liquid (10ml) and 10ml of 18mg cappuccino fluid to mix with the 16mg. Buying a new battery this week too. It's no more than I would have spent on something frivolous so well worth it.

Still waiting to find out how many ml's I'll use in a week. How many do you use?

Very hard for me to judge as I'm one of those people who has about 5 flavours on the go at any time (currently tobacco, apple, strawberry, grape & pineapple). So I'm constantly swapping clearos, tend to top them up frequently rather than when they are empty etc.

As a general rule most ex-20 a day people settle down to around 20ml a week of 18mg liquid, though this varies greatly between people and the kit used. It can also take a while for usage to settle with a bit more at first then slowing down after a while - I reckon I was vaping nearly twice as much at first compared to now.

I felt like I spent a fortune in the first month of vaping (trying out loads of liquids and upgrading my hardware) but now I'm nearly 3 months in it's costing hardly anything, so don't be too alarmed if you feel like you're spending a lot initially :)

Meant to add I get through approximately 15mls of 18mg liquid a week (I was a 20 a day Golden Virginia smoker before).