Posting a picture of my set up for today got me thinking as it featured my oldest original well used, worn, scratched and faded iStick 30w which has served me so well and has far outlived its projected lifespan.
A lot changed for me back in October 2015 - my grown up daughter and her husband had switched to vaping as they couldn’t smoke even in the grounds at work and had taken to vaping.
They liked it and gave me an e-pipe, tobacco flavoured vape liquids, a couple of 18350 batteries for it and a Nitecore Charger.
I thanked them, said I’d give it a try - with my fingers crossed and the thought in my mind, “Aye that’ll be right, I’ll stick it in the drawer and phone you in a few weeks saying it broke and I’m really sad about it.”
A week later my conscience got the better of me and I tried it on a Friday morning ( the 17th of October ), was amazed that I got through a day on it without a craving, thought I’d try it over the weekend, did, and have never smoked in the four years plus since. Amazing since I had smoked for more than 50 years previous to that.
I took the e-pipe to Spain with me for the Winter and while there bought a couple of the old style Ego batteries and plastic tanks with their trailing glass fiber wicks “just in case.”
The 18350s need constant charging, the juice soon destroyed the threads of the pipe’s plastic tank and the back up devices gurgled badly and so I went down to Fuengirola where there was a big vape shop and asked could they recommend a better tank - they suggested a Nautilus Mini and when I asked about a battery for it ( I didn’t know they were actually called “Mods” then) they gave me an iStick 30w … and the rest is history.
I joined this Forum about five weeks after I switched to vaping. In those days MTL was THE thing, the setup I’d bought was “flavour of the month” along with the GS Air Tank and one by Kanger. I learned a lot on ECF in a very short time, and I’ll always be grateful for that.
I tend to be a bit of a stick in the mud when I find something I like and my motto tends to be “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!” I’ve experimented with mechs, squonkers, drippers, and coil building over the years but always come back to my old faithful Nautis and iSticks - simply because for me they work and they work well.
Having found kits that worked, I dropped out of the Forum for a few years until in Spain over the Winter gone I thought my Nautis were failing me or giving up the ghost ( in actual fact as I discovered when I got back to the UK I had had a batch of really really bad coils ) and started reading ECF again and found that the new best thing for MTL was the Zenith, so I gave it a whirl.
I was slow to take to the Zenith I have to admit - while it made my batteries last longer for some reason and was super easy to refill on the go, at first it vaped too dry for me, seemed too airy and the drip tip didn’t initially suit me at all but I persevered with it ( them) and now keep a set of seven for use outdoors or for when travelling or for when I simply feel like a change.
Here’s the Old Soldier!
Anyone else still using old kit?
Last week on a road trip with my motorcycle club, I had to go back to the “ash tray”. It’s to dangerous on the road, on “two wheels” with these constant sneezing attacks. I bummed cigarettes, then bought cigarettes. There’s thousands of road miles planned this summer, I’m leaving again next weekend. I love to ride, hate cigarettes, the taste, smell and cost but vaping will surely kill me!
There isn’t much of anything here or on the WWW about my issue with sneezing attacks. Not just a little sneeze but 4, 5 6 or more with an irritable urge, watery eyes and nose. When I put down my vape for an hour, it goes away, when I hit it, it starts back. Allergy medicine doesn’t stop it and makes me drowsy. This just started about 3 weeks ago, it’s like I’m suddenly allergic to...?
I’ve been vaping since 2013 when my lovely 77 yr old Aunt shared her vape. I had tried everything on the market including prescription drugs and hypnosis to put down my 20 year pack a day stink habit. For 5+ years I’ve been using an RTA and DIY juice. I’ve been using the same DIY products from Nicotine River (fresh frozen) since Dec 2019 as well as same flavors, TFA, LorAnn, Capella and same recipes. using a VG 70/30 @ 8+ Nic.
For 4+ years with zero issues I used the Lemo 2. Yes an oldie, but ya no how it is when you find a good combination. Until last year, I could get all the rebuildable supplies at Fastech. Since 2020 I’ve been buying and using different RTA’s, RDA’s Squonks, mesh coils, etc. searching for a “new love”.
My tanks are Profile Unity, Zeus Dual RTA, Creed RTA, Drop, Brunhilde and Dead Rabbit. JIC it was the new packaged supplied wicks & coils, I went back to my old wicking material which didn’t help. Tried 100% VG with VG Nic Salts, no change. I’m at a dead end, totally out of ideas, I give up, still hate cigarettes but...
Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
“I’ll NOT be doing THAT again!” - the famous Taurus War Cry was heard in our house this morning!
As happens to the aged, O500 hrs this morning found me suddenly wide awake for no good reason. As usual when this happens I got up, sat in my recliner office chair, drank a pot of tea, read for a bit, and visited forums until the rest of the world came awake accompanying all that with a vape.
However that vaping ( OK chain vaping for 2-3 hours ) was done with my new Feedlink Squonk, inadvertently loaded with 18 strength liquid, fired at 4.2 volts to begin with, through a 0.6 ohm coil.
Not good. Not good at all.
Having smoked since I was very young, inhaled even pipe tobacco etc I never reckoned I could get nic sic at this late stage … but OMG suddenly I got hit with the full repertoire, the sweats, the feeling of nausea, dizziness the restlessness where I couldn’t settle but had to prowl, the racing heart etc etc.
How did I manage to do it? Carelessness coupled with the old “it’ll never happen to me” routine basically.
I had grabbed a bottle of my old 18 strength Menthol Liquid, filled the squonk bottle without looking at the juice bottle’s label and chain vaped using what is in essence a protected mech mod with a new battery on a sub ohm coil.
I’m normally a tootle puffer with 1,6 ohm coils but OMG initially at least with the squonk I enjoyed trying DTL and blowing clouds … initially!
I’m sure the rest of you reading this will have more sense than to do anything like I did this morning, but trust me - I’ll NOT be doing THAT again!
So I’ve been vaping for around 7-8 years and in all that time I’ve never broken the glass on any of my tanks even though they have all been dropped several times on many different surfaces. Well that all changed today when I dropped the bulb glass on my Uforce T2 while cleaning it during a coil change. Sadly I only have one and the extra is a straight wall glass that reduces the capacity. So I’ve ordered a three pack of bulb glass in case it happens again. I haven’t started a thread in awhile and thought this was the perfect subject to share with my fellow vapers. My diary entry says...”Today I became a man” I know it’s kinda B.S. that in order for us guys to be considered a man in today’s society we cannot have an intact cherry. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them, and although I don’t agree completely, I do feel a little different afterwards. Dare I say, more like a man. Anyway for you ladies thinking of breaking your first glass tank, here is some musical inspiration courtesy of Neil Diamond.
This is what happens when I’ve been locked up in my house for too long, scared of the world around me. Things get weird man...
Cabin fever
Hi,
I just tried to TC vaping - and it’s awesome!
it was harder to build the coil, took me couple of tries, but once I reached R of 1.3, everything started to work.
I used 26awg wire SS316L (that’s what they had ready in the store).
I have no dry hits - at all, it’s just perfect. It’s like having on the fly automatically adjusted curve!
I do have one small problem- 1 out of 10 mod firing - (almost) nothing happens.
is it a problem (not good chip/mod, wire, else?), or is it intended? (Coil overheated, wick is dry, else?). But that’s a small nuisance - I wait 10 seconds and wape again no problem.
what I still don’t understand - why I was always told at the stores “don’t TC vape - it’s the old way, now VW is the way to go” without any explanation.
So far I have a feeling that it was done exclusively in stores interest:
- because they know it’s harder to built, so they didn’t want to have a complaining customer “it does not work”, because the mods for tc probably cost more so it’s tougher sell, and they wanted to sell me more coils, wick, juice...
are there other reasons against TC? (Safety, medical reasons (idk - SS wire releases particles or something - seems unlikely (I know with Ti and Ni you should be causious)), else?
I continue to research this topic as well, online, YouTube, etc, but so far I found nothing against, except what I already mentioned (mainly it’s a bit harder to build the coils).
Would appreciate your opinions!
regards,
Vadim
ps. I use EHPRO Cold Steel 100 mod, Siren 2 MTL RTA.
Bear with me all as I have to be a bit verbose.
I have a boxer bf mod
I have numerous Rda
I am vaping mtl a juice I’ve been vaping 5+ years.
I didn’t use my boxer or any rda for a while. When I did a rebuild as usual I noticed a “bad” flavour. Like most of you I went through a series of steps to no avail
I changed atomisers did a new build and soaked (vinegar, then retainer brite, baking soda and ultimately boiled) the other one
I confirmed if I drip the juice tastes as expected
I changed bottles and soaked (like above) the bottle
I took apart the boxer and soaked the 510 (as above)
Obviously these cleanings weren’t all at once. I tried vinegar. Then when that failed I tried retainer brite (great to remove discolouration but leaves a slightly mint flavour for a few draws),when that didn’t work I tried boiling.
At this point I’m starting to wonder if something is going on with the way the mod is activating. The only thing left I can think of is that for some reason (and I’m not sure why it would have developed) when the metal bar contacts the ring on the 510/feeding tube area there’s some kind of charge that’s happening and raining juice or melting plastic (which I don’t see). Either that or there is some mould or something deep in the 510 assembly.
Have any of you ever experienced this kind of flavour terrible all of a sudden? I have now tried 4 bottles with four tubes. I have cleaned every element at least five times. I have confirmed I’m not just tasting it wrong by dripping.
it’s clearly not the atomiser or build related. I have a hard time believing it’s bottle related after what I’ve done to them.
I just cannot figure this out. The next step of course is going to be to try and use the same bottles /atomiser on another mod but I thought I’d ping you all to see what your thoughts are - because in ten years of vaping I haven’t experienced this, and troubleshooting has taken hours so far.
Just a few final points
no shorting
Very minor sparks as you’d expect from this mod and the way it makes contact at an angle
Been vaping a very long time and building since almost day one
The rda’s are authentic, stainless etc I’ve tried 3 of them at least
It’s not wire or cotton
I’m stumped. Appreciate any thoughts.
Takes a different angle... it’s the metals which have caused irreparable damage on a woman’s lungs...
in California though
The article goes on to say;
“Professor John Britton, director of the UK Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies and consultant in respiratory medicine at the University of Nottingham, suggested that the conclusions were not all they seemed.
He said there was no evidence of any cobalt particles in the lung samples and that claims made about vaping were wrong.
He added: “There is nothing in this new paper that should change advice to smokers. If you smoke, switch. If you don’t smoke, don’t vape. And just as you wouldn’t buy unlicensed alcoholic drinks, don’t vape cannabis or other bootleg products.”
Dam, I have not been on this site in a minute! Was sitting around thinking about the beginning of all of this and thought; I wonder if ECF is still around? It is and my log in still worked! Seriously, super excited to see this fantastic forum is still alive and kicking! I learned literally everything I know on here and am looking forward to getting back to some straight up vape talk! I have truly missed this site. Help me jump back in here, how is everyone? Who’s who today? I’m listed as a vet (and that’s true for sure) but I feel like my first day on here back in 09! I don’t know anyone now.
I’m a long time vaper. I have been vaping 83/27 PG/VG juice with 12-16 mg nic. I use an avacado tank with dual Clapton coils at .3 ohms and around 50-60 watts. With this config I can get my most desirable lung hit but only with certain juices and I tend to chain vape. Whenever the shop is out of my regular juice I’m always Leary picking something new because a lot of times even at the same nic level I don’t get the satisfying lung hit I crave and end up with a sore throat from hitting it so often. Soo... I moved to Hawaii and my system is all screwed up. The juices here are all 50/50 so super watery, the juice is also double the price, I burn through it twice as fast, the lung hit is barely there, and it pops and crackles really loud which drives my wife nuts and has cuased many arguments about my “stupid crack pipe”. So in an effort to make my wife happier, spend less money, and maybe vape less I decided to venture into the salts realm.
I started with a geek bar to test the waters and lung hit was phenomenal! But at $20 a pop and only lasting a day that just wasn’t going to work. So after much research I just picked up a SMOK NORD 2 and some 48mg juice. I set it for 50 watts and took my first drag. Good god almighty! One hit and I caught a buzz. I have NEVER caught a buzz from a vape before. After some messing around I dialed it down to 25 watts and so far seems like the sweet spot and I don’t have the urge to chain vape... so success? I don’t know yet? It’s for sure a lot quieter and 1/4 the size of my tank MOD. Does going from chain vaping 16mg to 48 salt nic seem excessive or about right? I may try the 24mg juice when this one is out but any other suggestions? I’m a little worried I’m going to give myself nic poisoning after that first drag lol
I’m curious as to why you shouldn’t do DL when using nic salts. I’ve got an Aegis Hero with a 0.6 coil at 15 watts. Even with the airflow closed off, it’s still to loose for a MTL. I keep reading and hearing I shouldn’t use nic salts for DL. The worst thing I’ve experienced so far is a mild headache. The nic salt is a 30mg.
Thanks in advance. ECF is my only true support group and I’m having a really hard time not smoking the stinkiest. Been back to vaping for about a month, and keep telling myself it’s all about baby steps. Not how many I smoke but how many I don’t smoke. I’ve got to quit for health reasons.
Hey Guys,
I have been wanting to use a mech mod for quite some time now. But I didn’t want to rush into things, given that they can be dangerous if not used properly.
To prepare I have studied ohm’s law and have a pretty decent grasp on it. And have a calculator app on my phone.
I have checked out Mooch’s battery recommendations and have a good idea of what batteries to use and which to avoid.
I still do have a few questions I was hoping an experienced Mech user could help me answer:
- What would be the “sweet spot” as far as resistance and safety go for a dual coil set up? Obviously I want to go as low as possible and have a hard hitting vape. But I also want to be safe. I plan to use a dual 18650 Parallel mod (The Clutch X18). I would be most likely be using Sony Murata batteries as I cant find any Samsungs where i live. I’m thinking somewhere around 0.17-0.2? Or would it be safe to go lower than that? I will of course test my build on an ohm reader and regulated mod before throwing it on the mech to be safe.
- Are there any other general safety tips? Ive heard that you want to screw the Atty down all the way first, before inserting the batteries. And then insert the batteries. And when removing the batteries i heard you want to slightly unscrew the atty first, and then carefully remove the batteries? Can anyone please confirm if this is correct.
- Is its safe to chain vape on a dual 18650 parallel mod? When I say chain vape I mean like maybe taking 5-6 big hits back to back. Then waiting 3-5 minutes, dripping some juice and then doing another 5-6 hits.
- Is there anything I should be monitoring while I’m vaping? Like the heat of the batteries? From what I’ve read, the batteries drain quite fast on a mech. And after some experience you will just kind of know when they need charging because the vape experience changes. Is there anything I’m missing? Or something i should be looking out for?
- I can only vape in my kitchen. And sometimes there might be a little bit of water on the counter from someone’s drink sweating, or drops after someone washed their hands etc. Is this a risk? I will of course do my best to keep all surfaces dry. I’m not talking about large amounts of water or submerging or getting the mod really wet. But just what one might find on a kitchen counter.
- Any other tips you could throw my way would be great!
Thanks in advance!