Brandon

Good luck with that PonyBoy. It's still a bit of a challenge for me, b/c when I smoked analogs and drank, I chain smoked. And as the night would progress, and the beer/shots went down more smoothly and faster, I'd usually have a cigarette burned down to the butt in one hand, and an unlit one in the other poised to take it's place. But I've got some new juices since my first drinking encounter, and it has gotten easier. Menthol or something with a really strong throat hit seems to do the trick. Really helps to take away the analog urge, but I still end up chain-vaping But I'm fine with that. As far as throat hit is concerned, the juices I've tried with the best throat hit so far were from WordUpECig. The guy really knows his stuff when it comes to kicking it up a notch. Specifically, "Jeff's Mix" was the strongest throat hitter, with "Balanced Blend" and 555 coming in a close 2nd and 3rd.

I got waaaaay too many new liquids today (and the BB from AltSmoke), but for now I'll stick with the one juice I have the most experience with. EliquidPlanet's "Essence" clove flavor. Touted as coming as close to a tobacco/clove cigarette as anything ever tried by the VaporCast crew. My impressions of the flavor: way too strong on the clove and anise flavor. Not near enough tobacco (in fact I can't even detect a hint of tobacco). No where near the clove cigarettes I used to smoke, and even though I wouldn't say this is a very good flavor for me, I still have to say that it's quite interesting and I've not stopped vaping it. Perhaps the shear uniqueness of the flavor is what's driving me to continue. Very unusual indeed. The juice is very thin also, much thinner than normal PG liquid. But it produces vapor like a champ, with a good throat hit also! Such an unusual combination of properties. But here's the kicker. I emailed Rich at EliquidPlanet to ask if they carried or could custom make any of their Essence line of flavors in VG instead of PG (b/c I'm just a tad sensitive to it, and my wife can't handle PG whatsoever). Here is Rich's response: Well, the offer to refund my money 'no questions asked' actually sold me on the idea of trying it. DISCLAIMER: I don't want to give the impression that Rich offers this to all his customers because I just don't know. Your mileage may vary. And sure enough, my wife can actually vape it with no problems at all! Very strange, b/c even with some pure VG liquids, she still goes into a coughing fit immediately and her throat and lungs get irritated very badly. But not with this Essence clove. I do know that with even some VG liquids there is actually PG in the flavoring or in the base used for the nicotene. A fact that not many websites publish, but I did find at least one that is completely honest about it (anyone interested feel free to PM me; I don't feel mentioning another vendor on this thread is polite). So perhaps that's why my wife is still sensitive to some alleged VG-only liquids. So I've got to say I'm very impressed with this fact alone, that my wife can handle this pure PG liquid while nothing else seems to work for her. The flavor is strong and very pronounced, but still leaves your mouth and throat clean and fresh. Not sticky and heavy like other strong flavors I've tried, and is much easier to vape the flavor out of your atty than all the other strong flavors from other vendors too. While I'm not necessarily a big fan of this flavor (even though I'm continuing to vape it even now), I'm a big fan of the Essence line. So, I'm ordering some more in other flavors as per my wife's request The liquid comes at a premium price, $1 per mil which is the most expensive I'm seen to date. But if my wife can handle it, and the other flavors end up being as unusual and interesting as this one, then I'd probably pay even more than the asking price. Recommended? You betchya! http://shop.eliquidplanet.com/Essence-Eliquid-USA.htm;jsessionid=F5814E3A2F4C419AC018C079BC3E863A.qscstrfrnt01

Unfortunately at that price it's going to be out of my range for awhile But hey what's this? Edit: Also noticed that their description is very vague and there's no internal picture. Wonder why they're not really pumping it up???

A subject I'm very interested in.... I'll chime in with the little bit that I know. Shielding is indeed highly underrated; it's needed in pretty much all devices nowadays due to all the EMI and RF garbage we pump into the atmosphere. But there's a unique problem here. Most PC speakers inherently suck in this department even though the signal cable itself may be well shielded. The problem is that the drivers (cone/voice coil/magnet assembly; just commonly called the "speaker"), the crossover (if there is one) and amplifier are *not* shielded. Not having the drivers and crossover shielded is not that big of a deal, case in point your main entertainment center's drivers and crossovers aren't shielded and you probably don't get any interference there (though if you live very close to a transmission tower, you can have problems. I've seen it firsthand). So the main culprit is the internal amplifier. If you're lucky, the speaker enclosure is made of wood (MDF to be exact), but most PC speaker enclosures are made of plastic. In either case, this is nonconducting material so it won't provide any shielding. I saw a nice mod over on the PartsExpress tech talk forum once a couple years ago. Guy had your exact same problem, so he shielded his speaker enclosures. Aluminum flashing cut to fit and glued with epoxy to all sides (and as much of the front as possible). Of course you have to actually ground it to earth too otherwise it does no good, so he made his own AC plug for the PC amplifier and soldered a wire from the aluminum shielding into the safety ground of the new AC plug. Painted the boxes flat black powder coating and viola! They looked great and cut out ALL interference (even the handshake protocols from his cell phone; and we all know how annoying it can be to have your cell phone really close to your PC). I think the project cost was somewhere close to $15 total, but of course it would take quite a bit of time. A perfecct DIY project if you're into that thing EDIT: I forgot to mention that if the AM station is coming in that strong on your PC speakers, you're in a prime position to get *EXCELLENT* reception on a crystal radio!

Good to meet a fellow home agent/entrepreneur/ or whatever you happen to be. It took me a looooooonnnnng time to get used to working from home, but now that I've adjusted to it I really count myself as a "lucky few". I'm with you on the pass through comment. I've avoided buying any cheap Chinese pass throughs b/c I'm holding my breath for the Vapor Talk store getting the VP TP back in stock (hint hint). As a DIY electronics hobbyist it's very easy to spot quality components, and the VP TP totally screams "top quality, top shelf components". C'mon Chris, I've still got some money left from my tax return burning a hole in my pocket!

Well ****! I wasn't really that interested in this device until I saw the internal picture. Room to store a 3ml bottle?!?! Geez man! That's just way too sexy! I mean seriously, juice storage plus a magnetic lock (neodymium magnet I'll betchya). Fan-freaking-tastic! I'll be keeping a close eye on this one. BTW: when I first started using my VP, one of the benefits that I happily touted to my wife is the fact that you can actually save money in comparison to analogs. But after I ordered the BB, she politely pointed out the fact that I've spent more on VPs and accessories the past 2 weeks than I did on analogs during the past month! I can see that this is becoming a hobby/lifestyle for me rather than just a smoking alternative But I'm okay with that!

Looks interesting. I've read lots about some vape meetings over there on the east coast, and would love to see some pics and vids of those get-togethers. Also good to put some faces to some familiar names from across all the VP websites. But at the same time, and I'll try really hard not to sound like a pessimist with this statement, I do hope that it's more than just vids of folks getting together and having a good time. I'm not really sure *what exactly* I'm hoping for, but just more than videos of meetings and parties... But this is definitely a step in the right direction: more media, more forums for disclosure, and more exposure for the general public to really see what vaping is all about. There are responsibilities that go along with that last part, as any added exposure we lend ourselves to the general public needs to be as professional, positive, and factual as possible. Case in point - That Rachel Ray segment posted by Jeffb. When I saw her frown in disgust as she picked up that e-cig, I really wanted to throw something at my monitor. But as her guest spokesman (a Dr of some sort) politely and professionally pointed out, vaping is indeed better than smoking... Ok, rant is done. Suffice to say I have great hopes for VapeTV, and if it's anywhere near as entertaining to me personally as VaporCast happens to be, then I'm definitely in for a treat. EDIT: I totally forgot to thank Jeffb for posting this. I fancy myself as being very internet-savvy and good at picking up the latest news. But Jeffb, you really have a knack for picking these things up as they happen and quickly spreading the word. Thank you sir! We're lucky to have such a dedicated member (and more importantly such a dedicated mod for this forum). Thank you for all your efforts sir!

I'm in total agreement. If guys like Carlos can make a self-feeding juice box and atty mod (no offense intended to Carlos; it's just that I know it isn't his profession), just think what those guys getting PAID to do R&D work could accomplish! WTF is the hold up? Obviously big battery mods are the first step b/c compared to designing an atomizer, it's *relatively* straightforward. But I mean c'mon, VPs have been around for like 5-6yrs now in Asia right? ...right...

Like Carlos' juice box mod? Or just a regular PV in a cool box? Oh, and that button is uncanny. Looks just like the button on altsmoke's BB.

Hi Hardwired. I'll go ahead and put my noob disclaimer out there; I've not been vaping long. But I've spilled plenty of juice on my hands, lips, and tongue over the past 2 weeks and haven't suffered ill from it (except that annoying burning/numbing sensation when it gets in my mouth). The general consensus is to wash it off as soon as you can, though honestly I'm not very good at that. I usually just wipe it off. But, I use low nic juice (11mg). Higher nic juice may have more of an effect in regards to skin absorption. Then of course there's the issue of accidentally getting it on your kids. Most folks are very VERY cautious about this point.

Holy smokes, good find Dr J! Honestly, I've never seen nor heard of this thing before... It's very interesting. I like the size and overall look. Heck, if they made it in black it would make me second guess my recent BB purchase (which hasn't arrived yet). I'll have to keep an eye on this thing. Very excited to hear about you ordering the kit! Keep us posted for sure.

Excellent idea JOT! Sometimes I get so worked up and frustrated trying to blow out my attys that I end up seeing stars. I may look for something like this in stores. I can vouch for this. I've used a lot of vinegar lately b/c some of my newer flavors just will NOT leave an atty even after blowing them out and switching flavors for several hours. It seems to work very well. I put them in a small jar of vinegar for a few hours, swish them around really good about 2 or 3 times during the course of their soak. If you hold it up to the light while doing this, you can see the juice dissolving into the vinegar (it looks like heat waves, or convection currents floating out of the atty). Rinse them really well in hot water and let them dry overnight. Works like a charm, and the nylon fiber wicks coming down from the bridge come out pure white as if they were new. Vinegar can actually disolve zinc plating, so I'm not sure if this should be done with all attys. I only have Joye510s, and the vinegar has no affect on the brass threads or the steel insides. I'm not sure if other attys like 801s or something have zinc plating on any of their parts, but due to the relatively high heat generated by an atty, I seriously doubt that any of them do have zinc.

Thank you everyone for the confirmation that I'm *not* going crazy I appreciate that! I had asthma as a kid (someone with asthma taking up analogs, smart right?) and my parents used humidifiers on me when I was bad. So yeah, from my own personal experience I can't imagine anything bad happening from excess moisture (in the form of vapor or high humidity) in your lungs, though it is a good question nonetheless. Sean's videos were actually what got me into vaping. I was very curious about it, and when I came across his videos I watched everyone of them over the course of a couple days. The fact that a 20yr smoker turned vapor in just 1 day's time really sealed the deal for me. I need to thank him sometime.

Okay, this may sound pretty stupid but I've gotta ask... Fellas with facial hair, do you ever notice condensation on your mustache when you're vaping heavily and exhaling a lot out of your nose? I thought I was going crazy when I first started noticing it so I tested it out, and sure enough I get a tiny bit of condensation on my mustache when exhaling out of my nose after a good long drag. Could that be b/c I'm on straight VG instead of PG? What's the deal here?

Congrats Vapehottie, that's great news! I've not been off analogs much longer than you (tomorrow will be my 14 day mark), but around day 6 or 7 I noticed certain things tasting outragiously good. Cokes were the first thing that grabbed me. Even canned sodas tasted like they were fresh from a fountain drink stand. After that, cheeses and dark chocolates really seemed to be coming out more (I eat a lot of both). My sense of smell was really soon after that when I noticed my wife's favorite oil burner was really starting to overpower my nose everyday.... And I noticed the dogs really need a bath I haven't really started clearing anything out of my lungs yet, and who knows I may not ever. But just give it some time. Oh and about your attys, for me personally I like to really blow them out once every other day. Here lately though I've gotten a little more aggressive with cleaning them - soaking them in white vinegar for a couple hours. I really had to do this because some of the newer juices I've got recently are *very* strong, and never seem to fully leave my atty even hours after switching to something completely different.

Rock on Brian, that's great news! Still working on my wife but I'm hoping for progress soon. I'm planning on getting a BB mod (will order it tomorrow I think), and after I get it, I'll hand over all my 510 batteries (5 of them) and a fistful of attys and carts and tell her "go to town on that stuff".

I totally dig that. My wife is still smoking too (not in the house though) and I guess it's a good thing she's not the kissy-smoochy type b/c I just can't handle the leftover smoke-breath smell anymore.

I dig that. Chalk it up to OK always being a little behind the rest of the US on everything But that's allright, I don't mind being a pioneer of sorts. I've definitely got a long way to go in regards to building up my vaping experience and supplies. Heck, I haven't even hit my 2 week analog-free day yet! But I'm excited about my new lifestyle nonetheless, and totally agree with you that this has quickly become a new hobby for me. I've watched every grimmgreen video, Chris & Sean's, and tons of other folks. Oh, and I've listened to every episode of VaporCast. Good idea about handing out those business cards. I've got a couple that have come with the orders I've received (just got one from WordUpEcig today in fact). I like your idea of keeping them handy when someone asks! EDIT: 100% agreement about angling the PV with this mod. I quickly became conscious of the angle at which I held my 510 when I started dripping, but it seems more important with this mod. Mine's still chugging along like a champ!

Interesting Tektronik. I seem to get much different results... But I suppose with an atty mod this 'severe' variations are to be expected. I see you're a fellow Oklahoman. Do you know of any vaping groups, shows, get-togethers up there in OKC? I'm down in Ardmore, and from what I can tell, so far I'm the *only* person I know or that any of my friends/family know that owns a PV around here.

Actually I've found it's harder to flood the atty, strange enough. However, leaking seems to be a problem, at least for me with this particular atty (have only done it to one). I had my second leak tonight in fact. I went to my parents house tonight for our weekly sci-fi movie night and left my 510 in my truck while i was inside for a few hours. Came out to a completely sticky atty and battery. Also got a mouth full of juice on my first drag.... Needless to say the drive home was not pleasant, but thankfully not very long either. A thorough clean-up and I'm back on it again at this moment. I think I'll save this atty for chilling at the house, and just use a regular one for road trips.

Thanks Brian! Post edited to include Roor.

Roor and Brian mentioned this atty mod in another thread somewhere so it's definitely not new information and definitely not my idea. I just thought I'd report my experiences with it... This is the "removing the bridge and wick" mod, for drippers only. Here's the original video instructions by Phee303: I've been using this mod since about 7pm last night and I've just got to say it really does work as advertised! More vapor production, stronger flavor, little more throat hit, warmer vapor (not necessarily a good thing). It's actually pretty amazing to me, and this is what I imagine higher voltage vaping tasting and feeling like. So for now, this is the closest thing I'll have to that experience. If you've got a really crappy atomizer that's soon headed for the trash, try this mod. Honestly, what do you have to loose? I accidentally did it with my best atty instead of my worst one (got them confused somehow), but I have no regrets. The cons I've noticed are that you run through juice faster, which makes sense when you think about it, b/c you're vaporizing the juice more quickly. Also, I had my first juice leak after doing this. Yup, even though I started dripping on day 2 of my new vaping life, I hadn't had an atomizer leak until I tried this... But, it just happened once now that I've figured out to let the atty cool down a bit between vaps. Just remember this is a permanent mod, and once you start there's no going back to the way the atty was before. Be sure to check out the comments on youtube for Phee's video. Seems like lots of folks like it.

Guess I'm very late jumping on this topic, but I'll put in my 2 cents. Lots of comments made here that I completely agree with... And having just recently quit smoking analogs, I find myself torn between 2 worlds. On one hand, I'm just stoic by this proposed tax hike. I've seen lots of tax increases on cigs over the years, and every single one of them caught me by surprise and really hit my pocket hard. But at the same time, I always thought to myself "Hell, I'd do the same thing if I were a non-smoker". So I never really got too worked up about it b/c I could always see the logic in it. But on the other hand it's very concerning to me. My wife is still on analogs (I'm still working on converting her) but that isn't really the point. My main concern is that this next tax increase is just a gateway to causing us vapors even more trouble, and possibly the US public in general. Eventually these tax increases will become counter-productive, and all the extra government income generated by it will begin to slack off and eventually fail. When that happens, they'll look for other things to tax to make up for the difference. E-Juice? Caffeine? Alcohol? Property taxes? Income taxes? Once the big tobacco-generated government revenue is cut off, *something* will have to make up the difference. For now, they're claiming that the increase in the country's overall health and fewer dollars spent in health costs to counteract tobacco (and also all those anti-tobacco advertising campaigns) will more than make up that difference. But, eventually even that will peter-out and we'll be left with a government needing to pick up the slack by taxing something else. Dang.... I really didn't mean to sound so preachy..... Anyway, it just makes me feel that vaping is more at risk now than it ever has before. More eyes will be turning our direction and the microscope will really come down. I think the vaping community as a whole should really start thinking about becoming more organized. Eventually we'll have to fight for our right to party, er um, i mean to vap.

Mcquinn that makes perfect sense. Exactly what I imagine happening when I turn mine 180 degrees around. Most certainly Wannavape, there are several vendors carrying VG-only juices in lots of flavors and all of them have at least 1 tobacco flavor. I've only tried VG from one vendor, Rath's Juice from www.electronixstix.com. I have on-order 5 different tobacco flavors from WordUp e-cig's store (haven't received them yet). So far, in regards to VG juices, they seem to have the absolute best variety b/c every flavor they sell can be had in pure VG, pure PG, or a 50/50 mix. They seem to get good reviews, though I honestly can't comment yet due to not having received my order. www.wordupecig.com In my search for more VG vendors, I've found a few others. But since I haven't actually ordered from any except the 2 I mentioned above, I can't comment on their product or service. But if you're interested, PM me. Also, Brian seems to know much about VG vendors as well and I believe he's received an order from WordUp. But in regards to flooding your atty, just give it some time and you'll find your rythm. And don't forget to blow that thing out at least every-other day.

I'm even more of a newbie than you, Wannavape, so take this with a grain of salt. But I've settled into a 95% predictable routine for every drag. Your mileage may vary, b/c I'm now using nothing but VG juices instead of PG, but here's my method that's become fool-proof for me: 1 drop of juice, take 3 full and long drags with the PV held in the horizontal position. By drag 3, I can tell I'm nearing the end of the juice. Then move the PV into a more vertical position (with the battery end pointed down) and twist it 180 degrees then take 2 more drags. By the end of the 2nd drag, I can start tasting that smoky carmalized burnt flavor meaning it's time to re-drip. Really, this is foolproof for me now. Took me a long time to get to this point, and VG juices seem SO much more forgiving than PG.