Out of Pod Experience

I was attending an addiction research convention last weekend, they talked very extensively about E-cigarettes.
Seems like the tobacco industry considers the whole field a complete new market and all the major corporations are rushing into it now- expect to see lots of E-cigarette related products in the coming months and a healthy competition that will drive down the prices.

Cig-alikes are alright but their battery life is awful. Use up your disposables, sure, but you'll be better off with a starter kit that includes a high-capacity battery (650 mAh or better, 1000+ will last you more than a day) and a clearo than with a rechargeable cig-alike kit that uses pre-filled cartridges with limited flavor options.

Here's a list of vendors: http://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/wiki/supplier_list#wiki_uk

I've created an in-game channel, EVEVapers. Feel free to join to talk about e-cigs, vaping or whatever, especially if you're curious about it.

Do they really feel and taste like Ciggys?

Cause that's what put me off them, I found they had no kick.

They feel and taste much better once you're used to them, IMO.
Probably not on your first draw though, you might need to give it a couple of hours of usage.
Not just that, but foods and drinks also start tasting better in a few weeks once your tongue recovers from the violence of regular cigarette smoke.

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If you're just starting up, try pure PG first.
At worst, if you can't find any pure PG liquids, at least try a liquid with a low VG content (I would stay away from anything with less than 80% PG).

You WILL cough as if it was your very first actual cigarette, if not worse. The throat hit slams you quite seriously if this is your first time. You get used to it a lot faster than cigarettes though, within minutes, or at worst hours.
If you're experiencing any actual pain or longer-lasting soreness, you might be one of the very few (unlucky ones) which have to use pure VG.

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Bases: VG = Vegetable Glycerin ; PG = Propylene Glycol
Both are widely used as additives in cosmetics, foods, etc.
Both are transparent, oily liquids, in which nicotine and flavours can be incorporated easily.
Both have a very long shelf life if properly stored sealed, and still a respectable shelf life even in less optimal storage conditions after opening.

Liquids use as base either pure PG, pure VG, or a mix of both (most common ratios of PG-VG in commercial liquids are 90-10, 80-20 and 60-40).
There are also a couple of less commonly used bases for the liquids, but I won't get into those much (I'll just briefly mention one, PEG = Polyethylene glycol).

VG

Advantages:
- plenty of thick vapour
- practically no chance of allergic reactions
- slight lubricative action (can also be a disadvantage, can lead to phlegm build-up for some)

Disadvantages:
- weak "throat hit" (can be an advantage for some)
- leaves a lot of difficult to clean up residue rather fast
- chance of phlegm build-up
- distinctive sweet-ish taste that slightly changes and/or masks whatever aroma you're using

PG

Advantages:
- low residue buildup, which is also relatively easy to clean
- does not affect the taste nor smell of whatever aroma you are using (it does have a hint of sweetness, but very different from VG)
- strong "throat hit" (can be an disadvantage for some, it can in some cases lead to some degree of soreness if abused)

Disadvantages:
- slight mouth-drying effect (easily manageable with a sip of water)
- low visual vapour production
- chance of (very) mild allergic reaction for a very small (low single digit) percentage of the population
- heavy use not recommended for people with pre-existing liver or kidney issues, since they risk buildup in case they can't properly metabolize or excrete it

I grabbed the basic BLU kit on a whim at a walgreens and was pretty happy with it, but as a pack a day smoker looking to transition to a healthier nicotine delivery medium, I quickly found out the batteries were ****.

That said, after trying some other brands I really did like BLU's juice, so I went ahead and got their premium 100 kit from their site and a buncha cartomizers. That kit has larger cartomizers and higher capacity/quicker charging batteries that you don't have to screw or plug in to anything, they charger is a spring loaded dealy in the pack that I've found to be pretty reliable and fast to use.

Vape snobs will tell you that branded cartomizers are inferior, you should make your own, etc. but I'll say that I've been using that BLU kit for about three months now and I've become accustomed to it in the same manner as I was smokes. I can change batteries mindlessly in the car, it's a thing to fidget with at my desk, and I can lazily use it so long as I remember to plug the charge-pack thing in every day or so, using the same micro-USB I use to charge my phone (less wires. Yay.)

Sure, I could probably get better vapor, lower cost, etc. going with one of the mini-hookah monstrosities, but it isn't nearly as convenient, and if there's one thing I don't want to expend extra effort for in my life it's a vice.

If you order in bulk-ish from their site (4+ packs of cartomizers at a time) it's a pretty good mix of convenience, price, and quality, with the added bonus you can buy refills at a lot of retail locations if you forget to re-order.

Actually, the vendor lock-in is one of the larger convenience things. It sounds stupid, but the fact is, if I **** up and forget an order, or don't bring extra cartomizers to work or whatever (and I do this, a lot) I can be at a retailer that has those vendor locked in cartomizers in a couple minutes. I haven't really experienced battery life problems with the setup I have now. Keep the "pack" charged and a fresh batt is ready to go when I've tapped out the one in use.

Not that its necessarily superior just that, from a certain perspective there are a few advantages.

So..just smoking my brand new e cigarette for the first time.

Two weeks ago I hurt my foot, one of my toes turned dark blue with a slight dark gray crust.
While the foot is still warm, I should be too young and I can still feel the pulses in my foot, there is still the nagging fear that it could be a smoker's leg nonetheless.
So, instead of brushing this all aside, I thought it might be smarter to flow with my fears and quit smoking as long as it scares the living daylight out of me.

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Holy moly, I think I overdosed on the nicotine oil....

but at least it's working

Haha, yeah, I figured that out myself now the hard way. 2-4 inhales are enough.
I was thinking of normal cigarettes and sucking on mine for 5 minutes straight, also expecting to "smoke" until the whole refill was used up- no wonder I had vertigo, headache and nausea.

I'm seriously tempted by e-cigs, I've tried to give up cold turkey and just couldn't do it. There's a vape shop in town, reading through this thread I may just pay them a visit tomorrow.

Some nice indepth info, thanks folks. I've just looked at the selection available locally, the CE4 looks to be pretty good, but I'd like some opinions from people more experienced with vaping before I splash out £40 on something that might not be any good.