For the Neophyte/N00b Vaper

Just starting your vaping journey?

Recently switched from traditional, analog cigarettes?

Don’t know where to start?

Will this guide teach you how to start vaping?

Nope.

It’s just Chuck Testa, with another realistic mount.

Just kidding.

We will go through these questions for ya.

What Electronic Cigarette Terminology do I Need to Know to Start Vaping?

To start with, you’ll need a battery (to power the electronic cigarette), e-liquid (this is the liquid that contains the nicotine) and a clearomizer (where the e-liquid goes). Don’t worry, this e-cigarette terminology will be second nature to you after a while.

The battery is the device that, quite literally, powers the electronic cigarette. It pump out a little energy into the clearomizer, heats up a metal coil, and turns the e-liquid into vapor, which you then inhale. All of this goes on behind the scenes – all the user has to do is press a button and inhale, and they get their nicotine fix.

The Kanger Evod Kit is an excellent kit to start with. A link to it follows later on in this post.

What Milligram Nicotine e-Liquid Should I Start With?

If you’re just starting vaping, a good rule of thumb that I use to decide what milligram nicotine fluid to use follows.

Use this milligram fluid if you’re smoking this many cigarettes per day:

6mg – Less than a half pack per day

12mg – Half to a whole pack per day

18mg – Whole pack per day

24mg – Over a pack a day

Where Do I Get an Electronic Cigarette?

A great starter kit is the Kanger Evod Kit – Read our review of it here, and buy it here.

Secondly, you’ll need some e-liquid. Check out the Dekang & eLikWid e-Liquids offered at FlavorPuff here.

Third, to get the best flavor out of your e-juices, you’ll need to steep them. Check out our post about steeping e-liquid here.

Equipped with this information, you’re in a much better place to start vaping than I was. I was shooting in the dark when I started on my electronic cigarette journey – I had no idea what I was doing, nor did I realize that there was a wealth of information out there about all of the different juices and devices.

My Question Wasn’t Addressed Here!!! Wahhhhh!!!

Then, simply sound off in the comments below, and I’ll get back to you ASAP! I’m here to help you onto a healthier way of life. Booyakasha!

#teamvape4life

To Steep, or Not to Steep? That is the (e-Liquid) Question…

What’s up crackerjacks?

Today, we’re going to visit an issue that can be hotly contested in the e-cig world – steeping e-liquid, verses not steeping e-liquid.

I’ve had a good bit of experience in this area. I’ve steeped juices, I’ve watched juices getting made fresh, I’ve ordered juices from the mail… Basically, everything except making my own juice. From personal experience, I can say that steeping does indeed make a difference in some e-liquids, whereas a negligible difference is noticed in others.

I recently had the pleasure of purchasing some e-Liqwid brand e-liquid from a friend of mine in West Palm Beach, Florida. They sell American made e-liquid that’s really high quality. Check out their juices at FlavorPuff.com. It was made for my order, so it was very, very fresh. Upon tasting some of the flavors, I found that they were not complex and developed as I would have liked. Think eating a pile of flour, egg, and butter whisked together versus eating an actual cake. That’s what I mean by not developed.

I let the bottles of e-liquid sit for a couple of weeks (and shaking them once a week or so), and then sampled them again. Booya. The Pink Starburst (or Pink Candy, your call) tasted like pink starburst now. The flavor profile had developed to a level where it was an absolute pleasure to vape on it. I’m guessing this is due to

• Giving the liquid a couple weeks to mix on it’s own
• Shaking it a couple of times over those weeks
• Keeping it in a dark place so that the components of the liquid don’t break down

I’ve also heard that some flavorings can use alcohol as their means of transport. Ethyl alcohol is used as the medium for the flavors; this can end up giving one a disgusting, perfumey-alcohol-y vaping experience. To solve this problem, simply open the bottle (don’t shake it – the alcohol will naturally rise to the top), and let it sit in a dark place for a while. The alcohol will evaporate, and you’ll be left with the flavors, PG & VG. Boom.

Shoot me a message in the comments and let me know what you think of the different steeping methods. Too much? Too little? Just right? Holler back!

Hangsen vs. Dekang e-Liquid

Tupac v. Biggie

East Coast v. West Coast

Big L v. Ja Rule… wait. That one doesn’t count.

There are some eternal battles that heads discuss all of the time. Sometimes, they even play the Devil’s Advocate and fight for the other side, just for the fun of it. When it comes to e-Liquid, there may be a health reason to pay attention to which of the two largest Chinese e-liquid manufacturers make what you’re pulling into you lungs.

There has been some controversy in the vaping community over the best Chinese made e-liquid. There are some very solid USA e-liquid manufacturers (read: The American Made eLikwids brand, which is made in West Palm Beach, Florida, has some solid flavors in their arsenal), but many people who vape use Chinese made e-liquids. There is good reason for people to be conscious of what e-liquid they’re putting into their electronic cigarettes. The two largest players in this game are Hangsen and Dekang – Both make quality liquids, but which one is the best?

First, let’s take a (virtual) tour of the Hangsen e-Liquid plant in China. Pretty spiffy, right?

Next, let’s take a tour of the Dekang plant…

Well, what do you think? That one wins out over the other? Not quite yet. Both manufacturers have seen an increase in counterfeiting, so they’ve response with individually sealed bottles, lot numbers, and other security measures for their e-liquid.

In the past, some have criticized Chinese e-liquids as being inferior to USA made e-liquids. This is a very USA naturalistic view of thought that has no real basis in reality. The quality of Chinese e-liquid, which is produced in major production plants, is parallel or higher than USA made e-liquid. However, let’s not forget the off chance of inadvertently purchasing counterfeit e-liquid, as has been known to happen. In this case, I would say the USA made e-Liquid is the way to go.

So, if you’re looking for someone to tell you DEKANG is the best! Or, HANGSEN is the best! I’m not going to do that. I’ll leave it up to you, dear reader, to figure out which one you like the best. I will say that my favorite e-cig shop on the internet, FlavorPuff.com, has Dekang e-liquid in stock right now, and I highly recommend them on the basis of their service and professionalism.

In summation, the age old question of “Which Chinese e-liquid should I buy?” has as much of a clear answer as “Who was better, Tupac or Biggie?”. The answer is in the eye of the beholder.