My latest order, due sometime this week, contains a mixture of tobacco, apple, cherry, vanilla and peach flavoured cartomizers for my E9.  I will be checking these out and reporting my personal favourites to you next week.  Currently, I have a stack of both Menthol and Grape.  I’m not really that impressed with the grape…  not really enough flavour.  The Menthol are still my current favourites.  But I expect to find some of the other flavours to my liking.  Stay tuned for more on that. 

And finally…  It seems that e-cig.com have upgraded their order processing system somewhat.  I was quite impressed with the process, and with the emails that I’ve received – especially the order summary.  It’s in a nice format like a real shipping invoice, and carries a far more professional look than before.  They are growing up as a retailer as much as they are as a manufacturer.  I know I’ll be sticking with them for now.  At least until something as good can make the shipments to me here in Canada.  Someday perhaps.

Happy Vaping!

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!

I started out with the E8 model starter kit Type C which comes with 2 batteries and 43 cartridges (cartomizers) of your choice in both strength and flavour.  While the website could use some tweaking to make selections easier, they do offer a text comment field on the forms that you can fill in with your special combinations of flavours.  In my experience with the starter kit, they really did read the comments.  Of course, when you order more cartridges, you will just order the quantity of each flavour and color you want and order multiple times to ensure that you get the right product.

The first thing you have to know is that you WILL burn a few cartomizers as you learn how to vape properly.  You’ll puff away like a fool for a while, and you’ll over-puff on a few until you get that rank taste, and you’ll end up throwing away a few of your first shipment before getting the full benefit of the contents.  This is QUITE normal.  So I’m happy to see my first kit with 43 cartridges lasting a little over 3 weeks (24 days is the current trend) and even happier to see that my refill order of cartridges is going to arrive a few days before they are needed.  I fully expect that my second order will last a full 30 days, but of course I’ll be ordering more well before that time to make sure that I have a continuous supply.  I’ve also determined that the strong cartridges (16mg) are plenty for me – with no real need to go to the x-strong ones except for the slight chance that I will vape less and get even more time out of the stronger cartridges.  I don’t actually think that this would be the case, but the 16mg ones are plenty it seems to feed my cravings as they come.

The batteries appear to be holding out quite well.  I know that I reported that the batteries are terrible, and still the short version of the battery is prone to flashing LED syndrome a fair bit quicker than the longer version, but it still delivers more than enough actual use time to recharge the second battery before it runs out.  So… as long as I have home, car and laptop chargers on hand I’m good to go.  With my second order of cartridges, I also ordered a spare long battery and a second USB charger adapter so I have one at home and one in the car at all times.  I did – just once – run down both batteries before getting to a charger.   Good thing I was able to get enough charge on the small battery in just an hour to be able to get going again – then it was bedtime so I had the longer battery charging overnight.  One warning I’ve seen more than once – DON’T leave the batteries on the charger once they are fully charged for more than a few hours.  Now this is not normally an issue, but as you acquire more batteries, you might be prone to leaving one on the charger for extended periods.  This can kill the batteries.

Another item that I’ve learned from experience is that the cartridges really DO need to be stored cool.  I’m even thinking of putting them in the fridge and only carrying a few spares with me.  I had a few get warm in the car on a sunny day and they tasted terrible.  Keep them in a cool and dark place as best as you can until you need to use them.

Smoke production and effectiveness of the cartomizers seems to vary a bit from day to day, but this could be more in my usage patterns than in the device.  I find that some days I will vape far more frequently but in smaller doses, while other days I’ll actually take a ‘smoke’ break and have the equivalent of a full smoke.  The E8 seems to prefer shorter sessions to longer ones, and I’m still wondering if I should get an E9 or even a larger model for those heavier days.

The other item that I’m learning is that public use of the E-Cig is more likely to generate interest than tension.  I had a situation just today in a shop where I forgot that I was holding my E8 and walking around with it.  I actually popped it into my mouth, took a long double draw from it, and exhaled.  Moments later, I was stopped by a store clerk and when I explained what it was and why it was ok for me to be using this in his store, he promptly asked for information on where to get them for the other staff (several smokers) that need something like this to make their lives easier, more productive and of course healthier.

So after 19.5 days since my last analog – where am I on e-cigs?  I’m in full support of these amazing little devices that have already made me happier and healthier.  I enjoy tasting the full flavour of my food again, and I really like not getting in and out of a car that stinks of ashtray every day.  I enjoy carrying my camera gear down a trail to a beach and not having to stop for a breath every two minutes.  And I really enjoy the fact that I can take a puff or two while watching a movie in my own living room without getting the family all upset that I’m smoking in the house!  There are a lot of other things that I enjoy, but I don’t need to bore you with the fine details.

If you’re still sitting on the fence here…  the time is NOW to make the move and order your kit.  Each and every puff of an analog is giving you the same levels of certain toxins as – you ready for this? – a full WEEK of vaping (at normal rates for the pack a day smoker).  So a single regular strength tobacco cigarette is the effective equivalent of using the e-cig at full 16mg strength for TEN WEEKS!  A full pack of Marlboro’s will have the same negative impact as up to 4 YEARS of e-cig use!  Granted these numbers are still to be confirmed true, but there’s certainly already evidence that shows they are pretty close.  So just think about that…  for each DAY you delay, you’re doing more harm to your body than you’ll do in the next  3 to 4 years…  can you really afford to delay any longer?

Here’s to your future!

The first thing I need to remind everyone of is that I WILL NOT recommend a product, or link to a product, and most certainly NOT offer an affiliate link to a product that is not up to the task.  I’m not here to make a buck…  I’m here to share my experiences, and yes, if I can cover some of my costs while recommending a product that I WILL OR DO USE, then there’s no harm done.  But if I won’t or can’t use a product, for any reason, then I certainly won’t suggest that you do just so I can make a few dollars on your orders.  The key example here is that I AM A BLU AFILLIATE – but I’m not promoting that link.  I could be making some money off Blu, but I feel that it would be wrong of me to chase that 20% in light of the fact that they appear to be having shipping issues to the US (4 to 6 weeks to SHIP an order), they appear to have an inferior product from the comments I’ve read from real Blu users, and of course the fact that they CAN’T ship to Canada.  So no… I won’t be recommending Blu to anyone. 

I DO recommend e-cig.com and I do so in good faith and in good experience.  I’m using their service for my own personal use.  I’ve received product – and while I had problems at first – I’m enjoying them now.  They have a GREAT Guarantee – just go there and read about it!  Shipping is Guaranteed.  Delivery is Guaranteed.  Product is covered by a great warranty and their pricing is Guaranteed!  How can you possibly go wrong?!

Another thing that I want to clear up is that I am just a small timer here.  I’m a one man show that happens to have a website and blog for my business (njw.ca and blog.njw.ca) and when I learned about e-cigs I decided to put it all down as a journal of my experiences so that I could share this with family, friends, co-workers and more, and do so in a simple manner.  I am not getting free product from anyone (not that I would turn down the chance to try another product or two to compare to my E8) and while there are some great affiliate programs offering 20% and more, I’m making about 5% on orders that go through my affiliate links.  So it’s pretty small stuff really.  Further, e-cig.com is a real leader in the Electronic Cigarette industry, holding a list of patents and being the leading source for many of the other e-cig stores that are popping up all over the world.  When you look at the products they offer, and know that they will do branding and custom packaging, you start to see that there are quite a few stores that are offering the same thing.

What it really comes down to is honesty, integrity and trust.   I don’t want people thinking that I am just here for a fast buck.  I’m here to share my experience in the hopes that you can make a more informed decision.  I know what salespeople are like – I’ve been one – and I know how hard it can be to filter out the noise.  So let me help you to filter it out.  Now that I have that out there in the open, let’s move forward until the next time I have to remind everyone of these little facts and likely more.

Get out there and start Vaping – and I DO recommend you try the E8.  It’s easy, affordable, and really emulates an analog quite well.  And it’s working for me!

Cheers to all!

njw

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!