A little Vaping Humor

Anyone who has ever ordered anything on the reliable, but oh so ... slow boat from China can empathize with this hilarious caption.

Rebuilding Replaceable Heads for Attys and Tanks

Want to really save money vaping? Well DIY liquid is one way (an important way for sure), but there's another way too... rebuilding attomizers. There are specially made attomizers that are obviously rebuildable, but there are also many called rebuildables that require you to purchase the new heads each time you want a new wick. While those heads aren't exactly expensive, they can end up getting pricey if you think about them in terms of a weekly purchase and if you use more than one clearo or tank a week. I often have three or four a day that I interchange using. That means using about a box of heads (5 in a package) per week. Still not a huge expense compared to smoking cigarettes, but hey, I'm a proud card carrying member of the $1 a day vaper (and I prefer that to be pennies a day instead of a dollar). So I want to rebuild those heads too. YOU CAN. In fact it's sinfully easy.

MadVapes (madvapes.com) has an AWESOME video that shows exactly how to do it. Now before you shake your head and say that's way above my ability. I am BRAND new to building coils and I did this last night for my Vision Vivi Nova tank with replaceable heads (not the tank in the posts below that is a rebuildable). It took about 5 minutes. It was EASIER than the actual rebuildable tank.

Here is the video from Madvapes (thank you guys, you're wonderful... they are also a fantastic vendor to get DIY supplies, hardware and juices!)

DIY E-cig Wraps

I got the idea for making my own wraps to add a little designer look to my more bland steel e-cigarettes from a blog post on the E-cigarette forums here: MVP DIY WRAP MATERIAL.  That post was geared toward a specific box mod type e-cigarette, but I figured why not try the same thing with my cylindrical ego style e-cigarette? Well, it worked great.

I'm thinking it wouldn't really have to be 3M material. It could probably be any type of contact paper, wall paper style paper in a color/pattern/design of your choice. I selected a flecked gold for this one.

BBC E-Cigarette Safety Test Report (Passing with Flying colors)

Blueberry Cheesecake 100% VG E-Juice Recipe

I made my first actual recipe for e-juice today. I've been making single flavor juices, and of course, they are recipes, but they are very simple recipes. Today, for the first time I delved into a dual flavor mix. Here is my 1st attempt at a double flavor recipe:

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE E-JUICE
12mg Nic, 10ML bottle

VG based Nic (24mg): 5 ML
Unflavored VG: .5 ML
Distilled Water: 1.5 ML
TFA Bluberry: 2.0 ML
TFA Cheesecake w/grahm cracker crust: 1 ML

(The distilled water helps thin down 100% VG mixes to make it wick better.)

The taste is good, but mild, fresh. I am going to steep this for a few days to see if it gets bolder.

Vivi Rebuildable Tank (not from Smoktech and not Vivi Nova)

I got the Vivi Rebuildable Tank from GotVapes.com. It is an attractive, and fairly easy to use and rebuild tank that I felt would be a good 1st tank for a newbie rebuilder. The coil is a loose wrap around the wick, so there isn't the need for getting a tight wrap or threading the wick as in the more advanced types of rebuildables.

This is also a good tank for people (like me) who are using ego type batteries with them.

First Impressions

Having just started using this, I am giving my initial experiences with the device at this time. As time goes on, I will update with information on actually rebuilding the coil, and any other information I determine along the way.

On first use, the draw was like pulling up a lung, but it did get a little better after it warmed up a bit. However, it never really had a nice easy draw, and the vapor production isn't that great even with the 100% vg juice I use. The air intake is at the base and the holes are extremely small. Perhaps blocked a bit by the ego threading.  I would prefer side air vents, but this is a fairly simple and low-level rebuildable so that's probably a lot to ask for. Becuase the air vents the same as in an ego cart/atomizer, do not get too much liquid in the atomizer area or it will leak horribly. The tank itself didn't leak though.

(Not a great shot of the atomizer base. The tall post on the left is the fill hole post.)

Refill hole

There is a fill port on the top of level of the atomizer. This is an improvement over the reviews I've seen of the Smoktech version of the Vivi rebuildable. There are good and bad parts about this fill hole.

The Good: It is capped by a long rod that screws into the deck instead of a screw. The rod is easily grasped by two fingers to turn it to remove it, so no screw driver needed to fill up the tank.

The Bad: The hole is SMALL. A blunt syringe tip does not fit into the hole. (Edit, after several tries, I finally found a syringe tip that fit into it. The downside to that is it is an old - still sterile and unused - real needle I used to use to give puppy shots to the dogs. Very thin gauge. Not sure if the standard blunts sold by DIY shops come thin enough. None I have from DIY supplies are.) I don't have a syringe tip bottle with the rubber hose type syringe to try and see if that would fit into the hole. Because the hole is so small, filling takes a LONG time drip by drip. TIP: loading the top area of the tank and letting it drip slowly into the holding tank area is a bad idea, a lot of fluid drips down the atomizer post and leaks out the base of the unit.

The Tank Body

The tank body is plastic, but is strudy feeling. It screws on tightly to the base and tightly at the top. There is no rubber gasket at the top or bottom, however there is one at the middle where the atomizer base sits above the holding tank. I would prefer a bottom atomizer instead of the top. However, at least the tank body does come off so the screws are easy to access for rebuilding.

The Drip Tip

The tank has a nicely shaped drip tip with a large enough opening to make direct dripping onto the atomizer possible fairly easily. However... the drip tip is molded directly from the top of the tank, so you can not change it with a different type. I prefer to use my choice of drip tips. If I happen to like the one a tank comes with, great, but if not, I'd like the option to replace it. You can't do that with this. The drip tip is made of the same stainles steel metal as the top and base of the tank. I know a lot of people who use metal drip tips, but I prefer plastic.

Overall

It's a very nice vape. On the standard ego it vapes kind of hot at 3.8 volts. It is good, but I prefer it on my ego-twist where I can adjust the ohms down to 3.5 for a milder heat level. However, that makes the entire piece a very long and somewhat heavy device, especially when used with an inline tester (volt/wattage/ohm, great for using with egos that do not have a readout available). I like the feel, look and weight of the tank on the standard ego by itself better. Both are well within safety ranges.

NOTE: When using any device that includes rebuildable coils, always use an ohms checker to ensure proper levels to avoid overloading batteries that could create performance issues or be dangerous.

First Attempt at Snickerdoodle E-Juice DIY

SUCCESS - Heaven has a new name, it's SNICKERDOODLE.

I used to buy Snickerdoodle E-Juice from MrsT's, but the delivery time on their juices has gone through the roof. So I stopped getting anything from them, but have seriously missed the delicious flavor in my e-juices. So, I found MyFreedomSmokes Premium DIY flavor Snickerdoodle and decided to give it a shot. WOWOWOWOWOW... Delicious and I haven't even steeped it yet. It is a fresh mix, so, even though the flavor is a tad bit light at 15% of the mix, I think I'll let it steep a few days at least before upping the percentage. As the flavor goes though it is SPOT ON. Tastes just like a snickerdoodle cookie. Yum.

Android E-Juice Calculator Review

Name of app on GogglePlay market: E-Liquid Calculator
Name of developer: Alessandro Boggiano

I just downloaded this app and I LOVE it. I have been using a similar app online, but this will make it easier to create without having a big tablet of paper around and having to copy the amounts from the computer to the page, and then keeping all that paper to save the recipes. This calculator does all that and keeps it all stored on the phone if you want to keep the recipe. It comes with two styles of calculators, an advanced that lets you add one or several flavors and save recipes, and just a simple quickie calculator for single flavors without saving. It also has a handy calculator that I like and hadn't seen before where you can calculate the outcome of mixing two juices. I love this because there are times I do this just by "feel" with small amounts of leftover premixed juices either that I've bought or mixed myself. This way I'll know what the nic levels are and pg/vg percentages are after the mix. Love that a lot.

Organic No-So-Virgin Eggnog E-Juice Review

I picked up this delightful little juice when it was on a clearance at Virgin Vapor. Apparently it is a seasonal juice, but I wish they kept it year round. After trying it, it is just one of the nicest little flavors. It isn't overpowering. It's very smooth though. That's saying quite a bit since I ordered it in a high 18mg nic level at 50/50 pg/vg, so it's got that PG kick and a high nic level that I use for those times when I need a boost to get rid of a craving. Usually a juice at 50%pg with an 18 mg nic level will have a powerful throat hit. This one doesn't even when dripping it, which is the way I normally use it.

Virgin Vapor's Organic Not-So-Virgin Eggnog

The eggnog flavor is a little butternutty/eggy and very creamy. I really like it. I have used up almost all of the 1/4oz bottle and will keep an eye out for it when it comes back for sure.

Not Quitting

Someone on an e-cigarette forum I like to visit often asked if others were planning on ever quitting vaping. For many people the idea is that it is a stepping stone to quitting cigarettes. I get that, but... it can be a faulty reasoning.

I didn't really start vaping with any intention of actually stopping smoking cigarettes. That just happened as a result of loving vaping.

However, The MAIN reason I would not quit vaping (even if you took away the I love it factor) is I managed to quit smoking without e-cigs about 20 years ago for a period of time that lasted about 2 years! ONE lapse that came from a craving that was a result of a big stress period in life and I was back to full on smoking immediately (you start at the same level or higher than you quit at, not like starting over from a newbie smoker). So in order to never risk such a backslide, I will just continue to do what I consider to be a much healthier alternative. 

I know a lot of people are leery of saying it is a HEALTHY choice becuase of all the politics and bs going on nowadays, but I DO believe that. Even if it were still some risk, it's a hell of a lot less risky than those nasty coffin nails we KNOW are a big hazzard.

Creating an E-Juice Station

There are a lot of ways to enjoy vaping without going broke. One way is to learn how to make your own juices and to rebuild coils on RBAs. The other is to make what you can in terms of accessories. It's not always possible, but some things can be done with just a little effort and very few tools. The e-juice holder. I call this the e-cigarette station. All that was needed was a 2x4, a package of 1/8" to 1" blade drill bits, and an electric drill.

Cut the 2x4 to the length desired (one of the great things about making your own vs buying one, is that you can make it exactly the size you need, and have as many slots in the exact sizes you need.)

Determine how many of each size hole you will need, and drill them to 3/4 the way through the 2x4 (I went as deep as the blade area of each drillbit).

E-Cigarette Point to Ponder

Something to think on:

NOT Toxic---The Studies are Starting to Come in and Guess What?

Yep, just what we've been trying to tell the fear mongers all along, the juice we use in our e-cigarette devices is NOT toxic when used properly. Here is a new study that shows that there is hope on the horizon to battle the crazy media bashing frenzy and legislations on vaping:  http://www.ecita.org.uk/blog/index.php/how-toxic-is-e-liquid/

In Summary: European officials have been wrongly labelling e-liquid as extremely toxic. This is the view of ECITA, based on a report by toxicology consultants which has been verified by Professors Riccardo Polosa and Bernd Mayer, and Dr Jacques Le Houezec. The civil servants had been misclassifying e-liquid as either a CLP category 2 product, alongside strychnine, or a category 3 product, alongside formaldehyde. The new report demonstrates that the acute oral and dermal toxic hazards of the strongest consumer e-liquids only merit being classed as category 4 – along with washing-up liquid – while the vast majority of e-liquid (which has nicotine concentrations below 25mg/ml or 2.5%) does not require any type of formal hazard warning. ECITA will still mandate its members to provide clearly labelled e-liquid in child-proof containers

First Homebrew Juice!

Didn't think I'd be able to make my first juices until tomorrow, but the mail delivered my order a day earlier than the tracking page said it would be here. Hooooray! I got to play chemist today and had a nice time making my first e-juice at home. It seems scary when thinking about getting into DIY juice, but really, a little preparation, care and a love for measuring things out and it is really not a big deal. I used the ejuice recipe calculator that is found here: http://www.todmuller.com/ejuice/ejuice.php and made a small bottle of 6% nic blueberry and a small bottle of 12% nic orange dreamsicle. Both are 100% vg except for the very small percentage that occurs in the flavor addatives. They turned out pretty good on a first vape. I didn't let them steep, so after a few days they should be even nicer. They have a very mild, smooth flavor and the aroma is great. the taste is a little stronger in the orange dreamsicle than in the blueberry, but both should get a little stronger as they age.

Virgin Vapor's Organic Orange Creamsicle 100%VG Juice Review

Here it is, my first video review of a juice. Short and sweet. I have a few adjustments to make to the process, but it was fun.

Vea Canteen Tank System - Clearomizer Review

This is an unusual product. It's name implies it is a product specific tool, but this handy little clearomizer tank works just fine on any ego-style battery even though it is sold specifically by Johnson Creek for their Vea e-cigarette.

Vea isn't the only thing that is a little misleading about the name of this handy little item. It is called a tank system but it is really a nifty clearomizer. The differences are arguable. After all, a tank is meant to hold a volume of e-juice to feed to an internal atomizer right? By that definition, this is a tank, just a small sized one. The Vea canteen is a cartomizer sized  tank that holds a little less than an ounce at a time, but instead of that old cotton padding of the cartomizer, it has wicks that pull the liquid up to a top feeding atomizer.

These are disposables. They can't be cleaned or rebuilt, but they last a long, long time. At least the ones I've used so far. I bought my first box that contained 3 clearomizers last February and they are still doing well. They can be refilled, and the fact that I normally use 100% or at least a high percentage VG juice that tends to be thick and usually gunks up wicks and coils, these little canteens handle it in great style.

I just bought my second box as a reserve, but haven't used up the first ones yet.

Notice the little white patch at the base--I use liquid white out to make a little spot where I can write what flavor juice (usually just an initial, or in this case "dc" for dark cherry) on each clearo so I know what flavor to load it with so the taste remains pure since these can't be washed out.

The Vea canteen tank comes in two styles, clear which burns warm at 1.8 ohms, and dark glass that burns cool at 2.4 ohms. I can only comment on the clear 1.8 ohm version that I have used so far.

To my knowledge the only place these can be purchased is at Johnson Creek Smoke Juice and E-Cigarettes. Here is a link if you are interested:

http://www.johnsoncreeksmokejuice.com/shop/accessories/vea-trade-canteen-warm-coolhtml

Adventures in Chemistry---or--How to Not Blow Up the House While Making Juice

Actually, lol, I can't wait. I'm about to start on a new adventure in vaping--making my own e-juice. DIY has always fascinated me, but I've put it off. Finally I did it. I broke down and ordered the supplies I need for a healthy start into DIY liquid and it will be here on Friday. (Achy, achy waiting syndrome. As most vapers know, the worst part about vapemail is the WAITING for vapemail.)

For any little girl or boy who loved chemistry in school, or those fun blow the house up chemistry sets as a child, the idea of sitting in front of a plethora of vials and tubes and mixing up a batch of liquids is just fun. I am anxious to have fun doing it, because I was one of those kids who loved the thrill of science and chemistry back in the day, but I'm looking forward to it for a much better reason as well--$$$$$!

Yes, dollars! The cost of the bases, flavors and little bit of equipment necessary to start up is about $60.00 which will give me enough for 10 full 30 ml bottles plus enough of most of the ingredients for an additional 10, but I would need a second order of the nicotine base so another $8 or so. So let's figure a total of $68.00 would actually get 20 full 30 ml bottles. To buy that much liquid at even a lower priced vape store would be roughly $200.00! Where I usually buy mine since I prefer 100% vg based e-juice it would be a lot more--roughly $400.00!!!

That's a huge savings!

There's another good reason, although for the most part I think the average e-juice supplier is reputable. A little research will let buyers know if they are dealing with good ejuice providers. But making your own is a surebet way of knowing exactly what is in the juice you are using, and where it comes from.

Mostly it's about controlling my own flavors and money for me... oh yeah---and FUN.


(and yes, there's yet a next step--soon, on to mods and rebuildable coils for even greater savings and convenience.)

Back Again

Well, hello. It's been a long time. There's a reason for that. Let me tell you the tale of my stumble and fall, and then getting back up again.

 I began vaping in 2012 and loved it. I got off those nasty cigarettes instantly, and thought I'd found the healthy path. Well--I HAD, but... Isn't there always a but? For some reason the eye-twitch I mentioned down a few posts below this got worse. I mean it got so bad I couldn't concentrate on work. It was so distracting and irritating. I ended up giving up e-cigarettes and going back to smoking. BOOOOO I lapsed for quite a while. It wasn't until just recently, earlier this year that I decided to give it another try.

You see, I REALLY like e-cigarettes. I really believe they are a healthy alternative to smoking. I am a strong advocate for them. What I wasn't sure about was what exactly caused the twitching eye. I narrowed it down to 1 of 2 things--too high of a nicotine level or the PG (propolyene glycol) that made up a good portion of the ejuices, in some cases a large portion that I was using. I started out with a massive 24mg of nicotine in the juices I bought back then. I had a reason. I had been a heavy smoker, so I figured the maximum nicotine level was the way to go. I probably over-did it. This time, I started out with bottles of 8 and 4 mg each, and switched back and forth. No twitching.

 I also switched to 100% VG (vegetable glycol) for most of the juices, with a few that had low concentrations of PG just for a little change up now and then. The PG really carries the flavor of the juices better, so it's hard to resist a little of it. No twitching.

 I started back up in January of this year, going very slow, and not switching over completely. Rather, I used the e-cigarettes to cut down a bit on smoking, but I was being cautious. After several months of no twitching, I finally last month made the complete switch.

Bottom line--I do believe e-cigarettes are THE healthy alternative to smoking. I know that I am not alone in the fact that I've had symptoms of allergies when using e-cigarettes though, and that those symptoms have caused others to quit. What I'd like to convey here is that IF you have any allergy symptoms when using e-cigarettes, take a look at what you are using, and see if there isn't a trigger there that you can adjust to get rid of the symptoms without getting rid of the vape. Remember, ALLERGIES are a common thing. They don't make e-cigarettes bad!!! After all, lots of people are allergic to peanuts, but no one thinks peanuts are evil. The good thing with e-cigarettes is that if you are allergic to a certain element, or have made a mistake in using too high a level of nicotine in your juices, it is something that can be remedied!