Getting a little discouraged

[loneranger721981]

I have been vaping for about 3 months I think. I have risen from an ego battery with a vivi nova to an e-vic with a davide and 2 rba's. The thing I am getting discouraged at is I cant seem to get the performance I would like out of my equipment. I dont know if it is something I am doing wrong, or what I have is not capable of doing what I want.

All I want is to have huge thick vapor and great flavor. Everything I seem to try starts out well, but falls short really quickly. I have tried cotton wicks, stainless mesh and cable, silica, micro coils, nano coils, and everything between. I just dont seem to get the results that I want. I know im probably basing this off what rip trippers has done because that is where i leaned a lot of my stuff about builds is from.

The other problem I think i am facing is that my e-vic is not capable of handling the power needed to get the results that I want. Maybe I will sell it or trade it for a mech or something, who knows. I think another is that my wife tells me I spend too much on vaping and wants me to quit.

Sorry to rant on here, but this community actually cares about vaping and the things that relate to it. My friends could care less and tell me to stop sucking on a phallic looking device and get over it.

[Patricia]

I am so sorry you don't have a good support system at home but here, in this community, you will have lots of support. So when they start spueing all those negative words at you just tune them out and come here to talk like you did today. I admire your courage to quit smoking the stinkies and picking up vaping. I can tell you that I just recently changed to a 1300 Vision Spinner with a Mini Davide and I could not believe how much more vapor and flavor I am getting. I think it has a lot to do with getting your juice at a good juice store too. One where you can choose extra flavor, the PG/VG ratio you want and the nic level you want. I really hope you find the perfect set up to satisfy what you are needing. Just keep trying different things until you find it. I think of it like this, if I were smoking analogs I would be spending about $200.00 a month so if I spend that or less on vaping then I have no loss I have the gain of my good health.

[bcartervol98]

Well I assume you were smoking before you started vaping so the money you are spending is recouped quickly. Happy my wife Vapes too but wish she would take care of her own stuff. In 6 months she has filled 1 tank, while camping with her family and I was at work. She broke one T3S and just wrapped it up in a paper towel for me to "deal with" and just this morning she discovered another leaking where the plastic meets the metal and did the same lol. Good thing she is hot.

Gonna give you my honest opinion and mean no offense but I find some people have unrealistic expectations. Not saying you do but I am sitting here with a Davide Mini with 1.8ohm coil of my morning flavor on top of a standard non VV Ego battery and am blowing clouds bigger than I would ever have gotten off an analog. I did nothing other than buy quality liquid and drip it into my tank. Don't make it so complicated abd if you want big clouds but some 65-70%vg liquid. Fuzion is my favorite overall and find 65vg 35pg to be my sweet spot. The clouds are so big I get concerned it is too much at work since I am in plain view in a large glass office. No complaints in overv 6 months so I guess it's no big deal.

That's why I do not get all the wanting huge clouds personally. This is, to me personally, about maintaining a healthier alternative to smoking or tobacco products not setting a world record for a cloud of vapor. I would remind the wife and friends if you made a healthier choice that was at least same or most likely lower cost than the unhealthy choice you were making previously, like jogging vs getting stoned and eating whole pizzas, they would be proud and happy for you. How is this any different?

Edited November 1, 2013 by bcartervol98

[Proetus]

Please don't compare the vapor clouds you see on YouTube videos to what you get at home. A lot of those aren't daily vape devices, they're drippers etc. Lighting seems to have a huge effect of perception as well. You can get nice thick, tasty clouds out of a basic boge Carto and stick battery. You are correct that the Evic is limited in power. It tops out at 5v/11watts.

Try this, find my post regarding micro coils and cotton wicks. Build 1.3-1.5ohm micro coil on a bed of cotton. See how that works for you.

[Aquatroy]

Agreed with the above, don't worry what others think, do whats right for you, and let the rest **** off. And as for cloud chasers, well that's all fun, but really what matters there is relative humidity. When I am in NOLA I blow big clouds, but when in DRY Colorado, not so much. And some of those vids are done in a high humidity room, just for that effect. I'm leaving all that for the kiddos. I'm looking for the best flavor, with a mild to moderate throat hit, and with that comes a decent, but not epic vapor trail.....

[loneranger721981]

Thanks for all the replies. It really helps. Maybe ill try to simplify things and not go big. Sometimes you just have to start over at the basics. Maybe ill try a non micro coil in my rsst and see what happens.

[3Rutez]

I chased the clouds like you loneranger. Once I finally achieved them, the thrill was quickly outlived. The eVic isn't powerful enough to blow big clouds. Once you go the mech route, it's all about coil build and the type of juice used. Some juice just doesn't create big vapor. 100% VG in a dripper will get you huge clouds.

I quickly found out that I like my vision, and having a thick fog in front of my eyes, especially when driving, is no fun at all. Lol. While it can be cool to watch the vapor fall to the floor and engulf your feet, it is only for looks. We are no longer slowly killing ourselves with smoke and carcinogens, and that my friend is the best part of vaping. If you want to get your kicks and become a "cloud bender", then get a mech mod and a dripper, build your Tricro, micro, nano, tin man, etc etc.. and blow some clouds.

[Tam]

From my personal experience using the simple Vision Spinner (variable voltage only) and direct dripping with 50/50 juice, I get huge clouds of vapor. I wanted to get away from that a bit as the vapor does leave a thin residue of film on things so I went with a 60 VG/40 PG mix only to find that the juice is too thin for my atty. It's now back to the 50/50 mix.

If you're wanting a good mech mod, I would suggest trying a K100 (it's an Empire clone). I've been very pleasantly surprised at the performance of this over my much more expensive Evic. It may be that I haven't found the right combination of vv/vw, but I've been underwhelmed by its performance while the K100 really works well. And I'm still in love with my Spinners. Even with a mini Davide and 1.8 ohm coils I get plenty of vapor, throat hit and flavor.

You'll get all kinds of support here, Loneranger. I'm sorry you're not getting it from your immediate family and friends. Have you tried searching for a vape meet in your area? Those are great ways to find local support from people who really get it.

[Compenstine]

For me vaping was a way to get off analogs. I loved to smoke so in the past I always fell short of quiting. Vaping changed that for me. When my wife grumbles about what I spend on vape gear and supplies I remind her that I'm not smoking and spending $18.00 per day on analogs and spend maybe $0.00-$40 a month on stuff. That is less than what I spent in 3 days on analogs. She smoked too so I also added that card. It does cost a bit to get going then adding in playing and experimenting. I just figure that so long as I'm not spending more on vape gear than I did analogs I'm still saving, not just money but my heath as well.

I see people get all bent up about vaper production. Me I didn't get into Vaping to become a walking fog machine. LOL It is cool to see the huge clouds and all but I think for an everyday vape, I just want to emulate the best I can to an analog or just a bit better.

Don't loose sight of what you started vaping for. The big vapor clouds fall in that "Play" catagory for me and not why I started or continue to vape.

[Bebop]

lol, 6 months in to vaping and I'm starting to relax about it. I no longer have the frenzy I had going when I started out searching for the Holy Grail of vaping - amazing flavor and huge clouds. I definitely think my expectations were pretty high in the beginning.

I'm kind of a juice hound. I buy lots of different juices from different places. Some produce great clouds and some don't, and taste doesn't always correlate to vapor production. With a regular T2 and a fixed 650mah battery I get more vapor with some juices than I would have gotten on an analog.

Truth is, now I'm at the point where I can just enjoy the vape. ( think I'll make a t-shirt "enjoy the vape" ) A lot of times I just sit and relax and take mild pulls, while I'm reading or something, getting a bit of flavor and a little vapor and I'm totally happy.

I'm happy that I've saved $$$. I'm happy that I haven't smoked the over 4,000 cigarettes I would have by now. I'm happy that I feel better and I don't stink.

I definitely had periods where of ups and downs, where everything was awesome and then it wasn't and they were rought to get through. honestly, I still have meh days where it's just not hitting the spot for me but I just keep moving on because my life isn't just about vaping.

Yes things are much calmer now... lol,

[spydre]

I tried to chase clouds in the beginning, too. Especially after hubby got his Provari, and I still had the eGo 900 mah, and we were vaping the same juice, and I would see bigger clouds forming with his. He swore that I was getting about the same size that he was getting, but I wasn't....but I started getting bigger ones when I got my Zmax. (I loved that Zmax, I miss my Zmax, and if they had fixed the button problem, I would have another Zmax).

But basically, I look at the reviewers on the interweb (Pete Busardo comes to mind), and I have to wonder what ratio he's pushing to get clouds that huge.

[loneranger721981]

Well I took everyone's advise that they graciously gave me. I went back to basics. I took my micro coil build off my rsst and replaced the coil with a 8/7 wrap of 28g kanthal that came out to about 1.2 ohm. Its a little off what i am used to at 1.8, but oh well. It is not a micro coil, just a normal one wrapped around a 5/64 drill bit. I did however take my SS rope and line the top with just a little cotton. When I dry fired it the coil lit up right away at only 3.2v. I put the juice to it and oh my god. the flavor I am getting is nothing compared to the micro coil I was using all this time. I thought you had to use a micro on a rebuildable, but i was wrong. I have very acceptable levels of clouds and juicy flavor.

I guess vaping and firefighting have one thing in common now. sometimes to break old habits and realize what you are doing is not always the right way you have to return to the basics.

Now if i could only talk my wife into getting me an I taste for christmas lol. When I asked for vaping toys for the holidays she gave me this analogy. "buying you vaping crap for christmas is the equivalent of getting an addict supplies as a gift". Oh well. I guess I will just buy my own stuff.

Thanks again everyone for the words of wisdom. It is very much appreciated. Vape On

[Tam]

*laughs* The KISS method works very well for me, it's just hard to remember that from time to time. Glad 'getting back to basics' worked so well for you.

[Aquatroy]

I tried to chase clouds in the beginning, too. Especially after hubby got his Provari, and I still had the eGo 900 mah, and we were vaping the same juice, and I would see bigger clouds forming with his. He swore that I was getting about the same size that he was getting, but I wasn't....but I started getting bigger ones when I got my Zmax. (I loved that Zmax, I miss my Zmax, and if they had fixed the button problem, I would have another Zmax).

But basically, I look at the reviewers on the interweb (Pete Busardo comes to mind), and I have to wonder what ratio he's pushing to get clouds that huge.

They always look bigger when it's blown at you....instead of away!!

[Grant951]

They always look bigger when it's blown at you....instead of away!!

He did mention bobas bounty in a video which he seems to use in quite a few is a 100% VG blend.

[Bebop]

The clouds are always bigger on the other side of the fence

[thvapor]

Lone I understand what you're saying.. To me trying different forms of vaping helps find your sweet spot.. The great thing about a micro coil is great flavor and the clouds.. If you're doing mouth to lung, you won't produce that much clouds, Switch it to lung to mouth and it's a different experience all together.. I notice the flavor is stronger too.. the neg side of micro coil is the constant dripping to keep the wick wet.. I usually take a tank carto or atty for work or daily activities.. When Im at home, that's usually the time I open the vape lab and start experimenting on different setups .. the skys the limit bro enjoy w.e you want

[HelloMiakoda]

Maybe I'm imagining it, but I get a bigger cloud if I click the button a couple of short presses before I press it to take a hit. I'm not after a huge cloud, but sometimes it's fun to watch it bounce off my phone screen - so I do the click click hold.

[3Rutez]

You are heating the coil with the first couple clicks. By the time you click and hold, the coil is 3/4 of the way lit. This is much more noticeable with a thicker gauge wire, as it takes longer to heat up.