The Vaping Thread: It's not smoke, It's Vapor

General Discussion
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I know a lot of you smoke, my area of expertise is Vaping/Electronic Cigarettes. My job is to help people live longer and get them to stop murdering their own lungs with regular (analog) cigarettes. The number one question I get from FGC members or anybody that walks into one of the stores I help manage is, “There’s so much stuff, I have no idea what I’m looking at or what to buy, can you help me? I am so sick of smoking.” Well, this community I believe is big enough for me to want to reach out and help some people on SRK.

An electronic cigarette, e-cig, personal vaporizer or mod, is a smoking cessation device, even though we can’t call them that right now because of the FDA not having their regulation and final decisions made up. I was a pack a day smoker for 6 1/2 years of my life or so, since I was about 13 years old, it was disgusting, destroyed my health in five years time, smelled like shit, tasted like shit, and was a pain in the ass in the winter. I haven’t bought a pack of cigarettes in about a year and two months now, and I’ve fallen in love with the technology that we have to play with and stop smoking with. Let’s get to the basic terminology and use of such items.

http://i.imgur.com/ko5h0Mf.jpg

This is your battery. These are typically called “mods”, as they come in different sizes and form factors and effect the way your vaporize your liquids. Notice that you don’t see a little stick with a light on the end of it that looks like an actual cigarette. That’s because those are shit. Don’t even bother, waste of time, money, and frustration, this is my opinion though, as others have quit smoking successfully with them. Those were dark times. I’ll go over a few in this picture. Note that all of these batteries are rechargable and come in different form factors.

The first two are what are called “ego batteries” these are small, very light, and the absolute bottom line that I would recommend someone starting out with. They will need to be charged every night, the battery isn’t stellar and there’s no way for you to vape at more advanced levels with this battery.

The bigger SS tube is a variable wattage/variable voltage single battery mod.(you adjust the amount of power) As is the one on the far right. These offer the ease of being able to carry extra batteries and to swap them out freely throughout the day and will typically be used for intermediate setups and comfort enthusiasts. These are going out of style to things that you see in the middle, the box.

Box mods are the current direction of vaping innovation and flow, smaller, more life, more power, make it. Is what the industry is thinking. They offer superior battery life in most cases. (You can charge an iPhone twice through the passthrough connection of the box shown on a full charge, for instance), and they offer the same, if not vastly more options for power than the variable tubes.

So what do all these mods do at the end of the day? Heat up electrical coils, that are surrounded by wicking material, and soaked in liquid that is then boiled off and inhaled. What do we keep this liquid and these coils and wicks inside of? Atomizers. Atomizers are assemblies that contain usually a tank section to hold liquid, and an electrical coil assembly that screws into your battery. From left to right; Coil head that contains your electrical coila nd wicking material, adapter ring (not always used), base section that you get airflow from and screw into your battery. The tank section, and the drip tip, for mouth comfort.

http://fumodirect.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/aspirenautilusmini1.jpg

Your atomizer sits on top of your battery, and is heated using a switch that’s wherever the hell it is on your battery.

Here is the setup that I highly recommend to anybody new to vaping or into light intermediate use.

This battery. http://www.vapordna.com/iSmoka-Eleaf-iStick-20-Watts-Ultra-Mini-Mod-p/ik0002.htm&Click=770

http://cdn3.volusion.com/myrsg.dceqt/v/vspfiles/photos/IK0002-2T.jpg?1414199813

And this atomizer. http://www.vapordna.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ASB002

These were both released this year and have blown me away in terms of entry level vaping and how efficient and satisfying it is to a new and even an advanced user.

Let’s talk liquid now, the final component, don’t buy crap liquid, it will make your entire experience crap. I’m sure if you watch tournaments you’re seeing Steam Co. ads everywhere you look, I haven’t personally tried them, but I’ve heard it’s tasty, as a new user in the FGC or whatever I’d probably buy some. If you’re a pack a day smoker, you want a higher nicotine content like 12mg or 18mg. If you’re a casual smoker you might not even want nicotine in your liquids at all, or small amounts. If you’re looking to blow huge clouds of vapor, next to none is highly advised.

Liquid is broken down into 4 ingredients; Propolyne Glycol, a agent used to make anti-freezer safer should it be consumed, used to clean surgical rooms as well and in asthma inhalers, it bonds with flavorings and the nicotine itself very well and transfers flavor very easily. The downside of PG heavy juices is that they add “throat hit” or that simulated kick in the throat when you smoke cigarettes, the more PG, the harsher that throat hit will get and it’s very thin liquid, which means the vapor production is minimal. There’s Vegetable Glycerin, which is a skin care product, it’s also used in almost any processed food product we consume, as embalming fluid, and as the base for fog machines. VG is very thick and syrupy, which makes big, thick, dense clouds of vapor, it doesn’t carry flavorings as easily and takes longer for the liquid to mature if it’s a complex flavor. These are all trade offs and personal preference. I would suggest starting with a 50/50 blend and working from there on what you like.

A lot of my personal favorite lines can be found at www.giantvapes.com and www.thevapeshack808.com

This is a very simple starter guide at the moment to answer those newbie questions that I get hit with a lot. If you’d like, I can also get into why I personally continue to vape, which is cloud chasing. Feel free to ask any questions in the thread and if they’re frequent ones that I’ve forgotten I will periodically update the OP. Smoking is dead, vaping is the future, and the future is now.

http://i.imgur.com/Zm1M7ND.png

Photo credit to my friend Leo Lee

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Someone’s gotta say it.

Don’t hawk your overpriced vibrators here go PM raz0r for that.

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It can cause allergic reactions though. My lymph nodes swelled and harden, and my veins would either enlarged or shrink. I also hear that pro long use can cause arteries to harden aswell. Not to be a buzzkill but this isn’t for everyone. I have a rebuildable I’d be willing to sell if anyone is interested:

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You have to take into account what the allergies are to and what you can do to prevent that. Some people are allergic to propolyne glycol and can only use 100 percent VG juices, like my sister for instance.

My habit is pretty absurd, I go through about $20 in liquid a day, that normally lasts your “quitting smoking” user about 3 weeks plus,

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Good looks on the thread, Skinsuit.

I smoke about half a pack of Camel menthol a day. Getting a Kanger eVod for Christmas. (Which I know wouldn’t be your first reccomendation.)

When do you know to stop? I know that seems like a stupid question. I think I take about 16 drags off a cigarette. Should I anticipate more or less drags from a vape every couple hours?

My friend pointed me to seducejuice.com Any impressions?

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I’m still not sold that vaping is somehow perfectly fine for you, especially considering its not regulated at all. Not that the FDA is the peak of morality, but just sayin. I know a 1 year old recently died from injesting too much “e-fluid” from some families e cig. It wasnt a lot, 1 year olds couldnt handle what an adult could, and it was an accident, but eh, that throws up red flags for me. Before someone brings up alcohol. Yeah, i know a 1 year old cannot drink alcohol and not die, and i also know that i drink it with knowledge its not giving me super powers, or making me feel grand in the morning.

I pretty much trust no new trend. Like all the hipsters smoking american spirits because theyre cheaper and “all natural”, as if the issues with nicotine are soley from the additives that companies put in, and nothing from the plant itself.

Vapes are huge where i live now, and ive never seen anything like it, to the point that i was like, wtf did i miss the memo. I had a few e-hookas a bit ago when i lived in san diego, and it was fine for me, but it fucked up my girls throat something serious, and we smoked regular hookah pretty frequently then with little to no issues with her.

So yeah, i guess its better then smoking a newport, but i dont know how much better, and no one seems to ever address any negatives of it, as if they dont exist.

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If you think it takes too long then bump up the nicotine, basically… me though? Like 6-10 pulls. I’ve had one SeduceJuice and it was Dooodooo baby. Apple Raisin Sinfully Grody juice. lol

@Jimmy1200 Do you let your kids play with liquid nicotine? No? Those parents did. Don’t be fucking retarded and let your kids play with liquid nicotine, sound good? And about the health concerns. I don’t have a single one personally, a year and a few months chain vaping hours on hours on end a day, and I can skateboard and vape at the same time no problem. Lung capacity has increased greatly.

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Yo I heard about a kid stabbed himself with a kitchen knife. Shit’s cray.

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To my knowledge no info has been released on whether they let the kid play with it or it got into the childs hands in some other way, so i cannot comment on that really. Kids find their way into all kinds of shit, whether a parent is being retarded or not. Ive babysat my cousins (3 of them at the same time) during their terrible 2s, 3s, and beyond, and while not a 1 year old, people who actually have kids, or have watched young kids for an extended period of time are shocked how easily they get into shit, and how easily your attention can be taken away, forgetting your original thought, just so you can make sure theyre not doing some other more harmful, dumb shit to themselves. Meanwhile they got their hands on some other shit you were about to put away, use, or whatever, and now theyre dead from injesting e-cig juice. Playing devils advocate here, but just sayin. Its easy to be like, stupid dumb parents shouldnt have yada yada yada, meanwhile a 2 year old will grab a cig out of your bag and start eating it while you take 20 seconds to run to the kitchen and put ketchup on their hot dog, only to come back to them doing some outlandishly stupid and harmful shit to themselves.

Anyways

**Again, thats fine that it works for you. My question isnt about how YOU feel, its about objective concerns about vaping, e-cigs, e-hookahs, and the unregulated liquid inside them, along with possible long term effects, even now from someone whose “area of expertise” is in vaping/e smoking. I spent a few years skateboarding/hopping random fences around las vegas during the fucking summer, while smoking black n mild filter tips, and that was after drinking a couple beers (Steel reserve) with my boy at the apartment. Just because i felt i was fine, didnt really run out of breath, and was still strong enough to hop 8 foot brick walls on the first try (thats not a superhuman feat, im just sayin though) doesnt mean i was fine, or that i would recommend that frequent activity to anyone else. **

Could you imagine if i was the owner of an organic brewery, and someone asked me how better this actually is for you then “normal beer”, and my response back was, it works fine for me. LOL so what. Although craft brew is generally better for you, that doesnt make it too much less harmful for you in the long run, as your body wasnt adapted to handle alcohol in the amounts that many people drink it in, even if only on the weekend. Nor is it adapted to take the abuse of not just college years, but likely the rest of your life until you are too weak to pick up a can.

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…A KITCHEN KNIFE!

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There seems to be some delusional thinking that the only problem with cigarettes was the smoke, ignoring that on it’s own nicotine is plenty bad for you.

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Yup. Even homegrown tobacco rolled up in the hippiest of hippy papers is still not good for you. It’s simply not good for you to smoke nicotine in general, and especially not on a frequent basis. As a man who indulges in his cigarillos and cigars once every 4-6 months or so, for about 2 weeks max, im not preaching, im just saying, cmon son, lets be honest with ourselves.

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Smoke is a huge risk, it doesn’t fuck around at all. But then there’s 4500+ other chemicals in a cigarette. There’s 4 things in e-liquid. Nicotine is as bad for you as caffeine. Really.

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our shit

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I’m not gonna lie. Typically i wouldnt have cared to start anything in a thread like this, but the “its not smoke fuck cancer” part in the title just rubbed me the wrong way. It was too absolute, too cocky. If this was just a vaping thread in general, i would have had more product questions, considering its popularity where i live, and less questions about how is this actually good for you.

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Ah shut the fuck up jimmy.

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I’m cool with people vaping so long they don’t get me involved or don’t blow towards me. I do have a problem with people masquerading as completely harmless or benign. Saying antifreeze is safe to drink? ooookaayyyy. Again, you want to drink it, fine with me, but if you start advertising it’s safe to drink or completely benign/inert. Nope, that’s not right.

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Motherfucker I never said antifreeze was safe to drink. I said that Propylene Glycol is used in antifreeze so that you have time to even get to a hospital if you ingest it.

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Not really. Nicotine (not I didn’t say smoking) is linked to increased tumor growth, hardened arteries, heart disease, etc… and it’s bad enough that it’s considered too harmful to use as an insecticide. In contrast, caffeine (via coffee) is directly associated with living longer.

Not knocking your habit, but don’t lie to folks (and yourself).

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@thurst‌ caffeine in pretty light moderation is linked to living longer possibly? I don’t know, I do know that drinking a pot of coffee a day is not healthy for you though and certainly not good for your heart.

I didn’t make this thread to fight the political and scientific/health merit of electronic cigarettes, I can say that without a doubt it is stupid healthier than smoking, I am not saying that vaping is safe, perfectly healthy, or that everyone should do it.