Smoking & ecigs

[Supracentral]

So I stared smoking a very long time ago. I've varied anywhere from a pack a day to three and a half packs a day over my lifetime. I smoked for 27 years straight before I quit the first time. Since then, I've quit a couple of times, but it never seems to stick.

It seems that something will stress me out, or I'll be at a party or something and I'll grab a cigarette and then right back to it the next day. I've stayed quit for anywhere up to a year each time I quit. I've got willpower. I can drop them cold turkey, but I get complacent, pick one up at some point and start all over again.

The problem is I really enjoy it...

This time I decided to try something new. I bought one of these:

http://www.volcanoecigs.com/v-kit-standard-1.html

I haven't touched a normal cigarette in over three weeks.

In the normal psychotic, obsessive, hyper focused way that I tend to do anything I enjoy, I've gotten really into this. I've done a lot of research, looking into the pros, cons, science, pitfalls and traps and I'm pretty happy with it.

In fact, that small kit that I started with has evolved into this:

That pic is actually a couple of weeks old. Everything I have at this point doesn't fit into that box now. I think it may be time to upgrade to a fishing tackle box... :nuts:

I'm currently testing a new model for the company as well:

Anyone else out there given them a try?

Since this is a habit/hobby/obsession that's likely to stay, I've started a completely new forum just dedicated to these things:

http://www.ecigboards.com

If you're already into these, or if you're a smoker who might be interested, stop on by (My username is o13102 over there - SC didn't seem to fit..). I'd appreciate a few new users and I've become sort of a subject matter expert on this stuff in a pretty short time, but I'd rather answer questions over there so SM doesn't get overrun with a lot of traffic on this topic.

And no, I'm not fishing for profits or starting an ecig business. This is something I enjoy and I wanted to see if anyone else shared it.

 

[adampecush]

As a non-smoker (aside from a good cigar every so often), I don't have much of an interest in this, but I am curious...

How similar is it to a cig?
Does it vaporize just the nicotene or other chemicals (flavor, obviously)?

 

[Supracentral]

As a non-smoker (aside from a good cigar every so often), I don't have much of an interest in this, but I am curious...

How similar is it to a cig?
Does it vaporize just the nicotene or other chemicals (flavor, obviously)?

The base for the liquid is primary one of two substances, propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin. Most 'pre loaded' cartridges are propylene glycol. There's a huge modding and "do it yourself" crowd of people who mix and load their own cartridges. (I'm one of them.)

Propylene Glycol is the same substance used in smoke generators (at concerts for example) and in some medical inhalers for lung therapy drugs.

There's no real "smoke" - what you wind up exhaling is water vapor. It's basically an alternate nicotine delivery system. No tar, no measurable carcinogens. There's very little in the way of medical studies on the health impacts of them, however based on my research, it's nowhere near as bad for you as inhaling all the crap that comes out of burning tobacco and chemicals.

Unfortunately, like anything new, there are a lot of unethical people in the industry who make claims they can't support. Hopefully over time these folks will get pushed out.

Speaking of cigars, they have flavors that simulate cigars pretty well. I did two reviews about them here:

http://www.ecigboards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19
http://www.ecigboards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20

Last night I tried cherry cheesecake

http://www.ecigboards.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=21

Theresa tried it too - it really does taste exactly like cherry cheesecake - LOL.

One of the nice things is they don't smell, or if they do it's very faint and generally smells good. Theresa hates the smell of cigarette smoke, and would complain how I smelled after smoking. I have not smoked indoors in my houses for many years. I do this on the couch, next to her. The only comment I've gotten from her was when I was "vaping" a vanilla one and she said "Damn that smells good". The vapor (smoke) dissipates just like steam does.

 

[Shaz]

Once a smoker always a smoker. As a semi-heavy smoker Mike, I think it's something that you might be stuck with for life, my dad has quit hundreds of times but still has the odd smoke off me.

 

[Supracentral]

Once a smoker always a smoker. As a semi-heavy smoker Mike, I think it's something that you might be stuck with for life, my dad has quit hundreds of times but still has the odd smoke off me.

That's why I'm doing this. Regular cigs taste like shit after smoking these. To me it's a replacement.

 

[IJ.]

Are there any side effects/downsides?

 

[kwnate]

So you still get the nicotine?

 

[Murd]

Buddy of mine is really into these. I pointed him to your new site. From a non-smoker stand point these things are AWESOME!!! I used to get slight headaches visiting smoker buddies (no I never told them, it's thier house, thier rules) And would have to wash my cloths that I wore the same day and take a shower to get the smell off. Now going over doesn't bother me at all! The only time I ever smelled ANYTHING resembling a cigarette was when one of em was trying to prove to me they didn't smell and basically blew it in my face, at which point I didn't knock the shit out of em but wanted to. There is a smell if you're THAT close to it. But I believe it was a "marlboro" flavored one. The other flavored ones don't really smell at all unless up close.

 

[Supracentral]

Are there any side effects/downsides?

Not that I have seen. In fact all of the effects of quitting smoking start happening when you switch to these. No coughing, can taste again, don't smell like an ashrtay, easy to breathe, etc...

So you still get the nicotine?

You can get cartridges in varying strength from no nicotine all the way up to 36mg/ml, which is about twice the strength of a regular cigarette. Some people have used it as a way to get off nicotine by slowly lowering the levels. Me, I like nicotine. I just would prefer to get it without all the other bad shit.

Buddy of mine is really into these. I pointed him to your new site.

Thank you!

From a non-smoker stand point these things are AWESOME!!! I used to get slight headaches visiting smoker buddies (no I never told them, it's thier house, thier rules) And would have to wash my cloths that I wore the same day and take a shower to get the smell off. Now going over doesn't bother me at all! The only time I ever smelled ANYTHING resembling a cigarette was when one of em was trying to prove to me they didn't smell and basically blew it in my face, at which point I didn't knock the shit out of em but wanted to. There is a smell if you're THAT close to it. But I believe it was a "marlboro" flavored one. The other flavored ones don't really smell at all unless up close.

Yea, I have some cigar flavored liquids that do smell like a cigar, but it's actually rare you can smell it - like you said, you have to be "kissing close" to smell it at all most of the time.

 

[Poodles]

Is it cheaper than cigs in the long run?

 

[IJ.]

Was thinking more medical sideeffects ie: NOT going to grown an arm on your forehead??

non smoker here but saw what it did to my parents and wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy....

 

[Poodles]

Not a smoker either, but my brother smokes.

 

[Supracentral]

Is it cheaper than cigs in the long run?

Yes, but due to the initial investment in the hardware, it takes about 40 days to break even. That's based upon analogs being $5 a pack and smoking a pack a day. For someone in NY for example, they would break even a lot sooner.

Overall it saves about $60 a month for me, if I'm not buying new stuff. However it's not about saving money to me. My hobbies/habits are something I'm willing to pay for. This is more about health, lifestyle and keeping Theresa happy without giving up my vices.

Was thinking more medical sideeffects ie: NOT going to grown an arm on your forehead??

The effects of nicotine are well known, and it's not the component of the cig that does the damage. As for the Polyethylene Glycol, it's been well tested by the FDA. What hasn't been tested is this combination and usage, but personally I think that's academic, and needs to be done, but I'm not waiting around for the FDA for 9 years for them to go through all the ridiculous protocols they have.

non smoker here but saw what it did to my parents and wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy....

My family has a long history of smoking and it rarely hurts them. I think some of it has to do with genetics, some to do with overall health and some of it is just the luck of the draw. I'm just sick of the side effects and the smell.

Not a smoker either, but my brother smokes.

Might be worth pointing him at the forum, he can at least learn and make an educated decision.

 

[spinyard]

how long have you been doing this?

 

[Supracentral]

how long have you been doing this?

About a month and a half. I've been researching it for considerably longer.

 

[grimreaper]

How does it feel taking a drag on this over a normal cig? I wish i could demo one. Im worried that it wont satisfy like a normal one.
Im fairly sold on it and so is the wife (HATES smoking!).

 

[Supracentral]

How does it feel taking a drag on this over a normal cig? I wish i could demo one. Im worried that it wont satisfy like a normal one.
Im fairly sold on it and so is the wife (HATES smoking!).

It's different. It's certainly not smoking. But I'm finding it more satisfying at this point. The first week can be a little frustrating. If you're a heavy smoker, or smoke strong cigs, I'd suggest waiting until Volcano releases the Magma to the general public.

On the left is the the Magma. It's the new product I've been testing for them. It's a monster - it hits just as hard, if not harder than an analog. It should be available for sale on their website this Friday.

The Blu is a competitor. It's the one in the middle. It's a similar product to the Volcano, however their customer service sucks and it often takes them a month to ship. I'd never buy anything from them again.

The one on the right is the original Volcano. The kit I ordered is here. This is a fun ecig, and it works just fine, but if you're looking for a real kick, wait on the Magma.

Both the blu and Volcano on the right are the same size as a standard cigarette. The Magma is a bit larger but there are advantages:

The normal volcano battery charge lasts about an hour, and takes about 15 min to charge. The kits come with two batteries so this isn't a problem. The packs behind the cigs are all "personal charging cases" and can recharge about 5 batteries before the case itself needs a recharge. They are all the same size as a standard pack of cigs. Everything is USB based so aside from wall chargers and car chargers you can charge all of these from your computers USB port. The Magma however lasts about 3 hours, and takes about 20 minutes to charge. Also the Magma pack has a cool battery display on the front and contains an LED flashlight. It's a work of techological art. Especially the microprocessor charging controls inside. It's pretty wicked.

The normal Volcano cartridges last for about "4 cigarettes worth" - they hold .3ml of ejuice each. The Magma cartridges hold a full ml of juice so they last a lot longer. Also the battery on the Magma is superior in it's ability to keep hitting hard up until it is dead. The smaller batts seem to fade over time.

Either way you can't go wrong. Volcano takes a maximum of 4 business days to get items to me, and they are in Hawaii and I'm in Georgia. Also their customer service completely kicks ass. Any problem you might have they will fix quickly.

If you want to learn a bit about them, check out the other forum, I'd appreciate some new users because it's hard to get people to join a forum when they think there isn't much going on. Once we get a nice chunk of users I'll bet it grows as fast as SM did.

 

[grimreaper]

Im guessing there will have to be new cartridges, batteries and case for the magma? Will any of the stuff for the volcano work on the magma?

Where are you getting your ejuice? What about the cartridges to refill?

 

[NashMan]

very diffrent

 

[Supracentral]

Im guessing there will have to be new cartridges, batteries and case for the magma? Will any of the stuff for the volcano work on the magma?

Unfortunately the Magma is 100% incompatible with the standard Volcano, so it's duplicate everything.

Where are you getting your ejuice?

I posted some reviews over on the other site. So far Eliquid Planet and American eLiquid Store. So far I'm pretty impressed with the products from both.

What about the cartridges to refill?

I've been refilling the factory cartridges after doing the Blue Foam mod. But I also use factory carts for convenience or when I'm feeling too lazy to refill.