firemarshalmike

First off, I'd like to thank you for your service to your community! I have family and friends on our local FD and I know how much courage it takes to do what you do.

I think if you bought the istick you would be happy with the performance as well as the size (to keep things out of sight). Although I don't have one, the nautilus mini or full size seem to get great reviews from a ton of ppl.

I also agree with the "stealth vapeing" idea. The best part is for you, if you are off duty/home you don't have to. It changes nothing other than what you or others see as far as the vapor is concerned.

Bottom line, go for it! Good luck sir!

If you want a workhorse that has some umph, I'd go with a Vision Spinner II. Yes, it's a one-trick pony (variable voltage only), but it just works. Out of all the APVs and mechanical mods I own, the batteries that get the most use are my Vision Spinners. Even my Provari (the Lamborghini of APVs), sits to the side while I grab my Spinners.

I believe the Vapor Talk store has the best/lowest prices on Spinners that I've seen. You'll want at least two to start so that you can use one while the other charges. Three or more is preferable so you have back ups of your back ups. We stress that here. You can never have too many back ups. Ever.

As for tanks, I'd go with a Kanger Pro Tank 2 (KPT2) or Kanger Pro Tank mini. The regular Pro Tanks are bigger around in diameter than the Spinner. The mini has the same form factor. Add some 1.8 ohm coils (1.8 ohms will give you the biggest bang for your buck and are the most versatile), and you're in business once you decide on the juice.

Ask questions, you'll get lots of good advice and suggestions here.

Welcome to V|T!

I remember family members who were Fire Fighters 20-30 years ago... and they were ENCOURAGED to smoke, to condition their lungs to tolerate the environment of their jobs... oh, how times have changed

Tam's info is really good... you just have to try a few juices to find what you like, and what suits you. Tobacco blends of e-liquid do not "smell" like traditional cigarettes, because the nasty smell of those is from BURNING of the plant material (and the 4000+ added chemicals). There are some juices, however, that will have a very good "taste" of tobacco... again, flavor is subjective, so one that I think is "good", you may think tastes like wet socks Another thing to consider is that as you vape, your taste and smell receptors will HEAL, which means you will begin to taste/smell things you forgot existed... and foods/drinks will all taste differently next week, the week after, and perhaps in 2-3 months, you'll regain 99% of your pre-smoking taste-buds.

Equipment is subjective too, and you'll have fun trying different devices... TRUST ME! As for something pocketable and stealthy, you'll probably want to go with an iStick (the new iStick mini is due out any day, too), or an eGo-style battery (stick-battery with button near the top) in a 650mAh, 900mAh, or one of the XL's in 1300mAh (fatter, but same height as 900mAh battery). Higher mAh just means more puffs between charges... higher the better, but that also means more size

Tanks, also subjective... but most will agree you can't go wrong with Kanger tanks (best prices), Aspire Nautilus-mini (or full-size), Davide tanks, and there are a few other preferred tanks, too... Kanger, Aspire, and Innokin tanks are probably the most readily available from your local shops, though...

Feel free to ask more specific questions... we all have opinions, and are happy to share

When I first started vaping like everyone else I thought I needed a tobacco flavor and found a pretty good one for me at Sweet-Vapes. Before I could go through the 120ml I bought I no longer wanted tobacco and started experimenting with flavors and ended up with a flavor from Fuzion I still vape almost exclusively. Nothing smells as bad as cigarettes. If anything people say my office smells like scented candles. Most people think they like or need tobacco flavors at first but when your tastebuds start to heal you will most likely find you want something different. Most do, some continue to vape tobacco its an individual decision.

I know nothing of the IStick. I have always used Vision batteries and will most likely never switch. Solid performance and all the features I want for around $25 each. I use Davide tanks but only with single coils.

That "inhale feel" you're talking about is referred to as "throat hit" in the vaping world. While vaping will give you a similar sensation, it's not going to be exactly the same as inhaling on a real cigarette.

The amount of vapor you get depends on several different factors. You can lessen the amount of vapor with your e-liquid ratios. Inside e-juice, you have the option (with most vendors), for how much nicotine, PG/VG ratios you want. Here is a rough breakdown for you, it's not exact but will give you an idea of what does what.

higher nicotine = more throat hit

If you smoke full flavored cigarettes, that's about the equivalent to 24 mg of nic. Lights are 12 mg, ultra lights are 6 mg. Keep in mind that when you start vaping, you're going to be getting off of a lot of things other than just nicotine. Many of us on the forum will recommend you start at around 24 mg of nic to get you through the cravings and withdrawal from the 4000+ carcinogens that your body got used to smoking cigarettes that you'll no longer get with vaping. You can work on lowering the nic level later when you're totally off the analogs. Here's an example: When I smoked, I used to go through a pack of Marlboro Lights per day.When I took up vaping I started with 24 mg of nic in my juice. That got me through and within a few months I got a few other lower nic juices and bounced around a bit. Even now, two and a half years later, I keep everything from 24 mg (when I can't vape as often), 12 mg for my "normal" vaping, some 6 mg and even 0 nic for when I'm chain vaping and/or an hour or two before bedtime. With nicotine being a stimulant, I don't want my sleep disturbed because I'm hyper on nicotine.

PG is propylene glycol. This is the flavor carrier in the juice and also gives you that throat hit.

Higher PG = more flavor, thinner juice, more throat hit, less vapor

VG is vegetable glycerin.

More VG = thicker juice (can gunk up coils faster), slightly sweeter flavor, more vapor, less throat hit, not a good flavor carrier

Keep in mind that, although you want less vapor, if you're wanting to get off of traditional cigarettes, seeing the vapor is part of the psychological "satisfaction" we get from smoking/vaping.

Most people start out at a 50 PG/50 VG ratio and go from there. If you inhale and hold it for 10 seconds, you'll see a noticeable decrease in the amount of vapor that comes out no matter what your PG/VG ratio. That's how we "stealth vape" in situations where we're not supposed to be vaping.

Ask lots of questions. We have a wonderful group of friendly and informative members here. Welcome to Vapor Talk.

Absolutely most of your standard setups with higher PG ratio liquids will put out less vapor than a cigarette does smoke. There is also very little lingering smell. It is something constant I battle with since I use a higher VG blend. I use standard tanks, single coils and Vision Spinner 2s. I hold it in longer when I want less vapor. Just holding your draw in for 10-15 seconds will reduce the vapor exhaled by 75+%. I vape about everywhere I go and never have had a issue when holding it in and being discreet.