My e-Cigarette Experiences…

Posts Tagged ‘E-Cig information’

It seems that there is a down side to the whole e-cig thing… for me anyway.  I’ve noticed that I am actually experiencing some weight gain.  Now…  before you run out and buy a pack of analogs keep reading!  In the past year and a bit, I’ve been able to restore myself to my target weight range, and this for the first time in nearly twenty years.  So I can’t say for sure that this weight gain is entirely due to the change in my smoking habits, but I have historically gained measurably when I’ve quit or tried to in the past.  So it’s a logical thing to assume that this gain is related.  But the other thing to note is that after a whole month away from tobacco, I’m usually somewhat heavier than I am this time, so the gain is not that severe.  In fact, so far, I’m only up ten pounds which is a great deal less than I’ve gained in the past.  So I’m going to take some measures to attempt to lower that weight gain and get back into the target range that I’ve set for myself… and lose that ten pounds again before this gets to be a bigger problem then it needs to be.  But I feel you need to know this part of my experience as well as the good stuff, so that you’re prepared if you’re still burning tobacco and thinking about going over to the e-cigs.

The action plan that I have at the moment is a short (5 day) juice fast to cleanse and purge the system and hopefully shift the scales back in my favour once again (pun intended).  For those of you that have made the switch, I’d be interested to know if you’ve also gained, and to what extent compared to your past experiences with other methods of tobacco reduction.

As always – there’s more coming soon so be sure to stay tuned.

Happy Vaping!

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Well… I’ve done something that I’ve only been able to say a few times in the past 30 years…  I’ve not have a full tobacco cigarette in three weeks!  Sure… I’ve tempted fate with puff or two here and there, always when surrounded by a mass of smokers, but it’s just not the same anymore.  In fact, even the treat that I’ve enjoyed from time to time in the form of a Captain Black Sweet cigar is no longer the same pleasure.  They all taste terrible!  I really have to wonder how we ‘train’ ourselves to find pleasure in that experience to begin with?

So at three weeks, I no longer carry a lighter with me.  Food and drink taste better.  I can walk MUCH further without feeling like my chest is compressed.  I smell better.  My skin looks better (so I’m told).  And I am actually saving about half of what I used to spend on tobacco (perhaps more).  So I have to say that it’s been a great experience so far.

And a quick suggestion – whatever brand you’re going to buy – I recommend that you get a different color for each flavour if it’s possible.  With the E8/E9 from e-cig.com you can get a variety of different colors for the cartridges, and I find that having a black Menthol and Brown Cherry makes flavour selections much easier especially in the club or on the run.  And of course, since both of these use Cartomizers (disposable atomizers that are built into the cartridges) you can change flavour quickly by just changing the cartridge. 

Vape On!

As the three week mark approaches, I feel that the time is now for me to conduct a more complete review of the E8 model electronic cigarette starter kit that I ordered from e-cig.com.  After a lot of consideration of various models, and a number of false starts, I was finally able to get a product that sounded good in principle, and could actually deliver to my Canadian address.  I’m even happier to report that it looks like my second order will make it through Customs as well, having released this morning, and I expect it to arrive tomorrow (August 13).

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Yes, I got the confirmation and tracking number today via email, telling me that the order I placed on Thursday night (Friday Morning actually) is already processed, packed and on its way from China.  Another great performance from my vendor.  And while I’m bragging about them, I’d like to point out a couple of VERY important things that seem to have been lost in translation in the short history of my e-cig blog.

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Yes folks… 16 days since my departure from the use of analog (tobacco) cigarettes.  That’s about $144 ago, and I’m still working on my $150 starter kit.  Tomorrow at noon, I’ll have reached the point where my smoking habit would have cost what my starter kit did (with 43 Cartridges) and I still have 10 full cartridges left which I now estimate will last me about 8 or 9 days.  I’ve also placed my second order from my supplier (see link on the sidebar) for another 40 cartridges, or about 32 to 35 days based on my current usage, for a total cost of $90 CDN landed!  It works out to about $3 per day compared to $9, or a 67% savings over analogs.  And it’s healthier!  So what’s this about the Dressage show? 

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On my 11 day post I commented on a lesson I had learned.  Here I am two days and two (yes, only 2) cartridges after that lesson.  I have noticed that a soft draw, and less frequent draws, helps to keep my E8 working very nicely.  I’ve been enjoying the flavour more, and have no more problems with ‘burnt’ tastes.  And…  both of my batteries are running far longer than it takes to charge either of them.  So it really does come down to how one uses the device when we are measuring performance, and the kicker is that many of the reviews I’ve seen and read are based on situations like mine, where I’ve gone from analog to e-cig and reported bad results after short term use.  I suspect that many of the problems people are having is as much user error as product failure.  It DOES take time to adjust to these, but they still feel like smoking!

What I am actually saying here is that 3 days ago I was shopping for another model of e-cig and ready to toss my E8 in the trash.  Today…  I just ordered another 40 cartridges from e-cig.com to go through to September.  And I have ordered Cherry and Menthol cartridges mainly – they offer a nice flavour and a smoother taste while also leaving a very subtle scent behind them that people around me have described as pleasant.

Oh…  and I’ve almost forgot to share something important with you.  I’ve actually vaped in a couple of pubs and malls!  It certainly draws attention but once people realize what you’re doing they want to know more.  So setup that affiliate account with your vendor of choice and get some cards made up to send people to your link.  You might as well join in and make some little bit of money helping people get healthier!

Well…  the trip to the asylum is seemingly shorter with each passing day.  I was reading some of the recent news and discussion around e-cigs and found a number of choice articles out there in the recent news.  One reports of legislature pendingthat will force e-cig users (vapers) to join analog smokers in designated smoking areas.  So…  it’s better for all parties if we take those of us that are trying to avoid tobacco smoke and put us in right back into the second hand smoke of a smoking pit?!  Or the article that reports that PayPal are dropping accounts of vendors that are selling e-cigs in the US.  Or my personal favourite - this one you just HAVE to read!  I don’t want you thinking I’m crazy when I tell you that seven of the loudest and most widely recognized anti-smoking associations are actually telling people to use analog tobacco cigarettes over e-cigs – even with clear evidence of the existence of 57 KNOWN DEADLY substances in tobacco smoke that ARE NOT FOUND in e-cigs!  But please… don’t take my word for it!

On the upside of this though, I did find an article that speaks in favour of the e-cig, and speaks of results of a small study into the effectiveness of e-cigs to quit smoking. At least there are some studies starting to show results out there, so there’s certainly hope that we’ll continue to see e-cigs grow in popularity.  Meanwhile – I KNOW they work and are healthier than analogs.  I’m vaping and I’m finding that I don’t get winded as quickly, and I still get my nicotine when I need it.  I feel great and I’m happy… what could be better!?

Well, I’ve crossed over 11 days without Tobacco!  Well..  OK, I’ll admit that I’ve had a couple of analogs during the past eleven days, but actually didn’t enjoy either of them.  I think it was more to see how I reacted to an analog after a period of time on e-cigs.  It was NOT a craving!  So I am now fully convinced that the e-cig is taking care of my nicotine needs, and that the action of using the e-cig really is emulating smoking enough that I don’t miss any part of it.  Of course, there are still a couple of weeks to go to be 100% certain, but I’m not struggling at all at this point, which has been a point of failure so many times in the past.  I can’t recall ANY other method where I’ve gone two weeks without serious cravings.

Now the lesson part.   In a recent post I was commenting about a taste that I don’t like.  Well I’ve solved that mystery, and perhaps the battery issues I’m having as well.  It seems that these E8 e-cigs are rather efficient at airflow, and if you draw too hard through the device, you’ll actually draw out some un-vaporized juice, and if you puff on them you’ll overheat them somewhat and the cartridge won’t have a chance to catch up to your demands and you actually start to burn dry wick – and it doesn’t taste good.  So no more priming except for the first time I load a new cartridge, and I allow the device to sit for 30 seconds or so between puffs.  This method seems to produce a good vapor, a nice flavour and so far no problems.  So I’ll keep you posted as I run down to the end of my current cartridge.

Stay tuned!  More to come for sure.

that I’m more than a little disappointed in Blu.  If you’ve seen their website today you know that they have opened their system to taking orders once again.  The downside is that they are actually warning clients that they are looking at 4 to 6 weeks to SHIP the order.  The upside is that will only reserve a one dollar pre-authorization on your credit card until they are able to ship your order.  Now… I appreciate the honesty here folks – really I do – but it just seems pointless at this stage to proceed.  I might be wrong – and hope I am – but I don’t see a bright future here. 

Further – by the time things are all smoothed out at Blu, and perhaps a few other sellers of e-cigs online in the US, the rest of the world will already be using the 3rd or 4th generation of e-cigs.  I’m finding that I really like the disposable cartridges.  But I do need to find something better than the E8.  I’m watching my short battery die already (yes I’ll be testing their Customer Service!) and I’m also finding that there is a slight taste of burning plastic when I hit the end of a cartridge.   So I’ll be trying something else for the next round.  More reading to do this week!  Stay tuned for what I buy and from where as we go further down the road to find the perfect solution for my needs.

Cheers!

Reader Glenn has brought another blog to my attention, and most specifically an article that gives more information on the recent announcement by the FDA warning of the existence of nitrosamine in e-cigs.  Yes…  there is nitrosamine found in the e-cig cartridges tested by the FDA – but it’s the amount in comparison to other products that are currently approved and available for purchase that’s the interesting thing.  Read more here!