So many options.. confused.

[MortTheBeast]

I guess I should start off by saying that I am 48 and been a moderate to heavy menthol smoker for roughly 30 yrs. Now I use to buy by the carton, but about 5 yrs ago I ended up trying out rolling my own and been doing so since then and saving a ton. Figure even the cheapest carton was running me somewhere about $45 (5 yrs ago) and since rolling my own it's cut down to where I'm now able to spend about $23 for 1 LB of tobacco and 2 boxes of tubes and it's lasting me 1 1/2 months.

As for vaping... I have to be honest I really don't know anything about it, but I am at a point in my life that I would like to quit, but I'm not completely ready and from what I understand with the little I have read and the few Youtube videos I have watched... is that vaping is a better alternative since there are very few chemicals involved with vaping versus several thousand with traditional smoking.

So with that... I did watch a handful of videos and was thinking of trying the eGo One 2200mah. I understand the initial cost is a little high, but not quite sure where the cost will be after that. I know you have to buy liquid and I believe you also have to buy replacement coils? Aside from that.. anything else that needs replacing on a consistent basis?

Other questions:

So how often are coils typically needed?

How expensive is liquid and are there any reputable low cost places to purchase liquid? (I'm in the U.S. - Pennsylvania)

PG vs VG? Which should I start with or what mixture?

How much liquid would it be to equal a pack of cigs? Trying to figure out the cost for vaping vs the cost of standard cigs.

What level of nicotine should I start with?

Any other helpful info, links, suggestions etc etc?

Thanks in advance

 

[ej1024]

Welcome my friend, this will be a lengthy thread FOR SURE, I'm not gonna start since I was never a heavy SMOKER, I can't really relate to you, but one I will tell you, VAPING is Better alternative, t
Im not gonna lie, its too soon to tell what are the complications or side effect of vaping but quitting the stinkys is the best thing to do for ur self and for your family....
I will let others answer all ur questions,you will hear from me very soon when ur ready to buy ur first...good luck
BIGBOYVAPER

 

[Huckleberried]

Hello MortTheBeast. Welcome to VU.

I was a 30 year smoker. About 1.5 packs a day, some days more. Menthol was my style, too. I started out with just a basic ego with a plain Jane clearomizer. Not as powerful as what you're looking at. I don't have any experience with the Ego One, but I do hear good things about it.

I started out with 18mg nic juices. I tried very hard to find a menthol that I liked, but never ran across one I was crazy about. I didn't like tobacco flavored juices much, either. I ended up going to "flavors". Flavors are what got me to stop smoking. 18mg did ok for me, but I jumped up to 24mg for a little while. I'm approaching 2 years off cigarettes, and am now to about 12mg, but the next batch I have mixed up at 10mg. Going to see how that does for me.

There's a great Ejuice section here that could offer many avenues of pricing and what people are into. I started making my own a little over a year ago and am having a lot of fun with that for now, so my recommendations for juice vendors wouldn't help, lol. When I was buying liquid, I was getting a 30ml size bottle, it would last about 2 weeks and I was paying $15 for it back then. WAYY less than my tobacco habit. I was spending about $200 a month on cigs.

Coils. Well, I swap them out when I notice the flavor not quite as crisp and yummy tasting. Kind of muddled. Depending on the type of tank you end up using, most coils can also be rebuilt. Not something you necessarily want to jump into, but also not very hard to do at all. I'm a month from 47, have carpal tunnel and my eyes aren't as great as they once were. If I can do it, most people can.

PG/VG. That's different for everyone, so you'll have to find a preferred ratio. I use 80pg/20vg. Some say PG is a better carrier of flavor. I do agree with this. VG is a bigger "cloud" producer. Thicker vapor than PG. It's also a bit sweeter, but not "candy sweet". You could start with a 50/50 mix, middle of the road and tinker from there. PG does have a harsher throat hit than VG, so if you want a smooth vape, then you'd want a higher VG. With that said, VG is also thicker, which makes it a little slower to saturate the wick. Many vendors will customize your juice to your preferred ratio, so that's a big bonus.

You'll likely get several replies here. This is just my own experience. I hope it's helpful to you. Cruise around the forum and just read, read, read. Lots of great information, LOTS of awesome people here. A few odd apples, but we're the fun ones.

Again, welcome! Have a great time and ask as many questions as it takes.

 

[dubya314]

As far as cost goes, I would say it's gonna depend on your personality and how far you want to take it. I have not been vaping that long, but I feel I have a very good situation to relate cost to. A buddy of mine at work and I both quit smoking and started vaping Jan 1. We both bought an istick 20w and a mini nautilus tank. Paid $75 for the combo at a local shop (much cheaper on line.) He still uses that battery and that tank. That's all he has. He goes thru about $20 in juice a month, and a coil or 2(couple more $ s). That's it that's his total cost, So he is saving a ton of money. I on the other hand can not seem to get thru one day without buying myself some new vape related toys. I have spent alot of money. But thats just me, who I am. And that's just him, who he is. But one thing we have in common, we would both tell you its the smartest decision we have ever made

 

[nightshard]

I started vaping in order to save money, ended up saving my health too, go figure

In order to save money I would suggest starting with a good setup and not an ego you will want to replace after a week.
I suggest an Istick 30 or 50 and a Subtank mini.

Once you settler down with good gear, the biggest expenses are the replacement heads and the e-liquid.
The solution is to DIY both, which lowers costs in a major way.
The Subtank allows you to use stock heads or to build your own (once you learn how to).
The Istick is reliable, relatively cheep and small compared to other box mods and is a few grades above egos.


There are no stupid batteries, just stupid people.

 

[AmandaD]

I agree with all the above posts! I was a pack-a-day smoker for 40 years, and I never touched another cigarette after I picked up a throw-away ecig!. I started on 18mg and quickly moved to 12mg. But it varies widely amongst different people, so do be prepared to move either up or down to satisfy any nic cravings. I also recommend the little Istick 30 watt and the nautilus with the new cotton BVC coils (I think the Subtank has too much ooomph for someone starting out vaping!).

It can be much cheaper than smoking, depending on how much stuff you buy (most of us buy way more than we need).

Good luck!

 

[UncleRJ]

Welcome to the Underground!

Before I go further, what are you willing to invest in your startup gear?

 

[MortTheBeast]

Thanks for the great responses so far peoples. Still feeling a little overwhelmed but I guess that's too be expected

$$$ is for sure an issue with me and to give you a quick background... I'm out of work and been fighting for disability for well over 4 yrs now and a buddy who I help out who is also disabled pays me for the help by buying my tobacco and tubes.

I guess after reading your replies, I should go ahead and point out that I don't plan in any way, shape or form of getting into this like a hobby. I strictly want it for getting away for the thousands of chemicals in "stinkys" I guess is the common term, get away for the ashtray mouth and the smell that lingers and people are disgusted by.

I would really prefer to just buy whatever I can if there are any places that are inexpensive, but with that I also want to be sure I'm dealing with a reputable company. I'm all about simplicity and having A.D.D. and Bipolar I really need to stick with things are aren't overly complicated. You know... kind of like Plug-N-Play

As for how much do I want to invest... I would like to able to spend around $100 and walk away with everything I need to keep me going for at least a couple months if thats possible. After that... I really need to keep it below $25 a month so hopefully thats do-able or I will have to keep smoking the "stinkys".

Sidenote: And here I thought computers were complicated, never would have known something like this would have my head spinning like in The Exorcist lol.

 

[RMarcusY]

Welcome to the VU

 

[Smoky Blue]

wow Motr.. I know exactly what you are going thru.. bipolar and adhd make for many many notebooks here at my house..
i'd suggest something low range.. I know a few members here have USA based websites, and the only one that comes to my mind atm is

http://www.angelcigs.com/

but that is mostly for advanced users.. hope they can pop up some good deals for you, and I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Angel Cigs]

wow Motr.. I know exactly what you are going thru.. bipolar and adhd make for many many notebooks here at my house..
i'd suggest something low range.. I know a few members here have USA based websites, and the only one that comes to my mind atm is

http://www.angelcigs.com/

but that is mostly for advanced users.. hope they can pop up some good deals for you, and I wish you the best of luck!

Thanks @Smoky Blue .