Hello new user
First, the legal bit. DISCLAIMER: All medical and
scientific answers to the questions posed below have been sourced solely from
the internet, and as such, are subjective and open to debate. We therefore
accept no responsibility on the validity of any of the claims made below.
We will not be held responsible
for any Nicotine based products, and/or, Electronic Cigarette device or
associated products misuse, by any person or persons resulting in direct injury
or otherwise after reading this post. Use at your own risk.
OK, that’s all the nasties dealt with, on with the FAQ!
Q: Will
electronic cigarettes help me quit smoking? A: There is no scientific or
medical proof that they do, but from the testimonials of thousands of people
who have been using the e-cig in various guises for many years, say that they
have either completely replaced using cigarettes with them, or have stopped
smoking or vaping completely. So in a sense, yes,
they do help to a degree, but ultimately, it’s down to you wanting to quit.
Q: Are
electronic cigarettes safe to use? A: So far, there have been no
studies that I know of to say that they are ‘not safe’, but those of us
who do use them as a replacement for real cigarettes, cigars or pipes, view
them as a ‘safer alternative’ to smoking.
Liquid-nicotine in its pure form
is a rapid acting, extremely toxic poison, and to ingest pure Liquid-nicotine
will result in death. The mean lethal dose has been estimated to be 30 to 60 mg
(0.5-1.0 mg/kg) (Gosselin, 1988). Liquid-nicotine
quantities added to e-liquid for use in Electronic Cigarette devices and the
quantities ingested from using real cigarettes, is considered by some in the
Medical Profession to be no more additive than Caffeine.
Propylene Glycol (PG)
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG400) and Vegetable Glycerine (VG) are inert ingredients
that make up the majority part of the e-liquid used with e-cigs along with
nicotine and flavourings. On their own they are safe; there have been plenty of
studies conducted in the 1940’s and onwards to verify this. No one really knows
yet what the effects of inhaling the added flavourings are doing. As always, use
at your own risk!
Q: What
is a look-a-like? A: As its name suggests, it looks
like a real cigarette, it is white tube (battery) with an orange coloured tip
(cartridge/atomiser/cartomiser), and the end glows
red when you use it. Some look-a-likes have blue or green glowing end also and
come in many pretty colours. They usually have Automatic (Auto) batteries – the
switch operates by the strength of your inhale (it works when you take a drag).
Some, however, are Manual – they work when you push a button.
Q: I have
purchased a look-a-like from the supermarket/internet/stall/chemist/rail
station, but cannot get a decent draw out of it, and when I do, I get a throat
hit but there’s no smoke when I exhale, also, the battery wears down quickly
after an hour or two, what can I do? A: Using an e-cig is not like using a real cigarette, you have
to take long, slow, controlled draws to get anything out of them, most people
usually take between a 2 – 8 second draw before inhale, this allows the
atomiser to heat the e-liquid and nicotine and turn it in to vapour, the longer
the draw, the longer the atomiser has to heat up the e-liquid and nicotine to
create the vapour.
Most look-a-like e-cigs come with a battery of around 150mah to 240mah slightly
higher and will not last you all day unless you are a very, very light user. To
get round this problem, buy extra batteries and have them fully charged, or buy
a kit that has 300mah or higher battery for longer usage (you will still need
two or more batteries for a whole day). Some also come with a PCC (Portable
Charging Case) which allows a spare battery to charge whilst on the move.
A battery of 650mah or higher
will last an average user the whole day before needing a recharge.
As for your lack of ‘smoke’ or
‘vapour’ as its more commonly known, can be put down to a couple of things......
A, you are taking too short or too quick a draw/drag/pull on your e-cig
resulting in little feeling or nothing at all.
B, the pre-filled cartridges or cartomisers
are usually PG only based e-liquids. PG is known to give a decent throat hit
but produces very little vapour, to get around this, use a mix of PG – VG
e-liquid, you will then have the best of both worlds.
C, Your battery has run out of charge and needs replacing.
D, you suck at sucking! Remember, you have to take a long, slow,
controlled draw to get any vapour, flavour and throat hit.
Q: I used to smoke 10 – 15 real cigarettes
a day, what nicotine level should I start at? A: This is quite a loaded
question, and very subjective to yourself. It is recommend you buy some small
3mil or 5mil sample bottles of e-liquid of different nicotine strengths,
something like 8mg, 12mg, 18mg, 24mg and 36mg to experiment with, you will then
find out what ‘works for you’.
Q: I want
to buy some e-liquid that tastes exactly like my favourite brand of
cigarettes/tobacco, what do you recommend? A: Another loaded question and
subjective to you personally, what tastes good to some would most likely taste
like a cross between a ‘Maltese wrestlers jock-strap and a week old, soggy
ashtray full of dog-ends’ to others. Try purchasing some small sample bottles
of e-liquid and try for yourself.
Q: I’ve
had my look-a-like e-cig for a week/month now, and its
not really cutting it so I want to upgrade, what’s the best kit? A: Again another loaded question
(you're full of 'em ain'tcha)
and again, subjective to the user. What works for one doesn’t mean it will work
for all! The most commonly suggested PV is an eGo/Tornado/Riva
(Torne-Gova) based kit. It.s
worth looking at all the kits available, and contact the vendor directly to ask
for their advice. Most, if not all, will steer you in the right direction,
after all, they want your repeat business and won’t sell you any old thing.
Q: I keep
seeing these numbers on various web sites and forums, 510, 901, 801 and others,
what are they and what do they mean? A: These are the thread sizes that various components come in.
510 is the most common size made, and as such, are the most widely used. The
different threads are NOT compatible – a 510 fitting won’t fit on a 901
or 801 but will fit a TorneGova – but
adapters are available to get over most of these.
Q: What
is a PV? A: A
PV or Personal Vaporizer is just another name for an Electronic Cigarette.
Q: What
is an atty? A: An atty or Atomiser/Atomizer is a
small electronic heating element that connects to the battery by way of a
‘screw thread’; when the battery button is pushed, the heating element will warm
upt and heat the e-liquid enough to create vapour, These are generally used with a cartridge or drip tip for
direct dripping. Before using, don’t forget to prime it first with a couple
of drops of e-liquid. These are considered to be a disposable item
with a user life of ‘between’ 1 day to 2 months (this is subjective to you and
your usage/abusage of the atty).
Q: What
is a cart? A:
A Cart or Cartridge is a small plastic tube with a cap on one end that has a
hole in it, the other end is open. The cart is filled with a kind of wadding or
sponge that soaks up the e-liquid. It takes on average, 12 to 15 drops of
e-liquid to fill; this is then put on to an atomiser ready for you to vape, They are generally made out of ‘vegetable graded’
materials. These are considered to be a disposable item. They should last
months or longer - it's the wadding/polyester wool that needs changing - about
once a week. You can also use the Blue Foam and Fluval
(fish tank pads) as suitable 'wool' replacement.
Q: What
is a carto? A: A Carto or Cartomiser/Cartomizer is an ‘all in one’ steel, tubular combination of
an atomiser and cartridge that’s filled with a kind of wadding that your
e-liquid soaks in to. They come in different ohms (LR or low resistance, SR or
standard resistance and HR or high resistance), lengths (Standard size, XL, XXL
etc) Single coil, dual coil (DCC), triple coil, clear, punched (for use in
tanks) and un-punched (used directly on to your PV), skirted/flanged and bottom
coil. They are generally made out of aluminium or stainless steel. Some can be
refilled many times before disposal, making them a very economical alternative
to atomisers.
Q: What
is a clearo? A: A Clearo or Clearomiser/Clearomizer is made out of vegetable grade plastic or
polycarbonate. They do basically the same job as a cartomiser
does. As with the carto, these are also considered to
be disposable items.
Q: What
does direct dripping mean? A: Direct dripping is a process where the user drips 3 to 4
drops of e-liquid directly on to the atomiser through a mouthpiece called a
‘drip tip’. There are some that will swear that dripping is the only way to ‘vape’ as you get a good throat hit, flavour and vapour.
Q: What
is a drip tip? A:
A drip tip is a hollow tube mouthpiece that can be attached to either an atty (see above) or a carto or clearo (see above). They come in various shapes, sizes and
colours. They are generally made out of ‘vegetable graded’ materials and are
widely used by many vapers.
Q: What
does LR, SR, HR and VHR stand for? A: LR or Low Resistance, SR or Standard Resistance, HR or High
Resistance and VHR or Very High Resistance refers to the ohm-age range of any
given atty or carto/clearo.
As a very rough guide:....
LR up to about 2.6 Ohms SR 2.8 –
3.8 Ohms HR 3.8
– 4.8 Ohms VHR
LR is generally used at a voltage
of between 3.2v to 4.2v. Most people who use LR components usually say the best
voltage for them is 3.7v – which is the range most starter kits fall into.
SR is generally used at a voltage
of between 3.7v to 5.0v. It will be subjective to you as to what voltage suits
you best, but a lot agree that attys/carto/clearo’s that are in the
2.0ohms - 3.0ohms range work best at 4.2v.
HR is generally used at a voltage
of between 5.0v to 7.4v, although some SR components do also work up to those
higher voltages.
VHR use at your own risk!!!
Q: What
is a mod? A: A mod or modification is a PV that uses a bigger battery,
they come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from a plastic box to a stainless
steel telescopic tube, some mod’s, or modified PV’s, also come with variable
voltage which you can change to suit the atty/carto/clearo you are using at the
time and or the ‘Hit’ you want.
Some mod’s
take different sized batteries and some can take two, it all depends on the
mod. The most common mod’s only take one battery, these are called ‘mechanical
mod’s and are usually set to 3.7volts (actually 4.2v when freshly charged, at
3.7v for the majority of there charge cycle, before
dipping again before they’re fully discharged), some are geared up to take two
smaller batteries for 6.0v vaping.
Q: What
is a variable voltage mod? A: A VV or variable voltage mod is as the name suggests, you
put a single 3.7v battery in to a tube mod, or box mod, you set the voltage to
your liking and away you go, delivering for you a consistent Voltage for the
batteries life cycle, or the option to change it depending on the Atomiser/Cartomiser/Clearomiser (-Miser)
or the liquids (juices) flavour.
The box mod’s that take two 3.7v
batteries are usually made for the ‘enthusiast vaper’, It’s recommend that
you get used to what you have first.
Q: I’ve made
up my mind that I want to buy a mod, but don’t know what one … help? A: This is a loaded question and you will receive many
suggestions on what to buy. It’s
suggested to buy a cheaper mechanical mod, buy some LR atomisers, cartomisers or clearomisers and
fill with your favourite e-liquid. If you want a Variable Voltage mod, then it
is entirely up to you as to how much you want to spend, but if you can afford
it, then go for the best.
