Newbie overwhelmed with eliquid choice

Dubwat

As the cliche goes, long time lurker, first time poster... There's a huge amount of advice and support on here so thanks for that!

About to take the plunge and get my first ecig starter kit but I'm a bit confused about which eliquid to start with.

Thanks to all the advice on here, I think I'll get the Aspire Zelos starter kit. This link has been mentioned a few times - https://vapewild.eu/aspire-zelos-50w-vape-kit/ They're a good bit cheaper than other shops but they don't sell eliquids above 12mg.

I'm smoking about 20yrs+ and on about 25-30 cigs/day so I think I'll be starting on 18mg.

Other threads have said that tobacco-flavoured liquids are not nice and maybe a menthol-flavoured one is a better bet to start with?

So I guess my questions are;
1. What eliquids would you recommend?
2. Do I just need the starter kit and a bottle of eliquid? Or anything else?
3. Am I better to pay a bit extra and buy from a physical shop the first time rather than over the internet? I'm based in North Dublin.

Thanks in advance.

grindle

Dubwat wrote: »

Other threads have said that tobacco-flavoured liquids are not nice and maybe a menthol-flavoured one is a better bet to start with?

Naturally extracted tobaccos are lovely (El Toro Puros and Cigarillos were all the rage here a few years ago), but they wreck coils so I wouldn't recommend unless somebody's comfortable with rebuilding.

Dubwat wrote: »

1. What eliquids would you recommend?

Totally depends on your taste. I love Halcyon Haze's Gin's Addiction and Northern Lights, those are my go-to when I'm too lazy to DIY (seemingly always).

Dubwat wrote: »

2. Do I just need the starter kit and a bottle of eliquid? Or anything else?

Spare coils for the tank & a warehouse of kitchen roll.

Dubwat wrote: »

3. Am I better to pay a bit extra and buy from a physical shop the first time rather than over the internet? I'm based in North Dublin.

Only if you prefer having IRL people to talk to about any possible issues.
The Vape Club, Smoke Different, The Vape Escape and Ecirette are all on the Northside. If you mean north of county rather than within the M50, The Vape Escape probably suits best.

Dubwat

@ grindle - thanks for the quick reply

I'm Dublin North, inside the M50 and The Vape Club on Manor St would suit me perfectly. But a quick look on their site and I couldn't find any 18mg liquids. I'll look again tomorrow. A lot of sites (that I've looked at randomly) seem to stop at 12mg?

LOL, there should be a liquid called 'newbie 18mg 1st eliquid!' They all have weird names...

I'll have a look tomorrow for your "Halcyon Haze's Gin's Addiction' and 'Northern Lights" suggestions.

Thanks again.

grindle

Dubwat wrote: »

...a quick look on their site and I couldn't find any 18mg liquids. I'll look again tomorrow. A lot of sites (that I've looked at randomly) seem to stop at 12mg?

LOL, there should be a liquid called 'newbie 18mg 1st eliquid!' They all have weird names...

I'll have a look tomorrow for your "Halcyon Haze's Gin's Addiction' and 'Northern Lights" suggestions.

Ugh, yeah - the TPD regulations coming in and the raft of high-power devices nowadays has lead to the death of higher nic juices. Even those Halcyon Haze ones only go to 12mg. Pain in the díck.Dear EU, go fúck yourselves and your idiotic misapprehensions.
Anyway, they carry those juices in VapourPal - there's one in George's Street Arcade.

E-SmokeIreland in Palmerstown have their own lines and definitely still do 18mg for that range. Always great service from them and a very decent selection.
If you have a crazy sweet tooth then 'Swedish Fish' is great.

Dubwat

I went out to e-smoke Ireland in Palmerstown today and got the Aspire Zelos Kit. The nice salesman suggested I go with 12mg instead of 18mg so I went with the 12mg Extreme Menthol. My interpretation of what he said was that 18mg might be too strong and put me off. With 12mg, it's easier to 'learn' with and I can always go up in strength. The bottles are only about a fiver.


Thanks again to grindle and others for all the info posted over the years

Phill_M

Don't worry about being on 12mg as opposed to 18mg. Your body will naturally crave a certain level of nicotine, so if 10 puffs of 18mg liquid would have been satisfying to you, then you might find that 15 puffs of 12mg will have you feel the same satisfaction. That's not the exact maths of course, just an example. Another thing to keep in mind is that it takes a bit longer while vaping to get the nicotine hit compared to smoking, but you'll asjust quick enough.

Dubwat

Yeah, it's a strange new feeling. Don't really feel any different, apart from not coughing!

With a 'real' cigarette, it's X puffs over 5mins and you're done. With the ecig, I'm inhaling away and wondering if I've done enough. Haven't had any mad cravings, grumpy feelings or angry moments yet. Early days, I guess.

I was surprised to find myself *really, really* wanting a 'real' cig after eating.

Guffy

Dubwat wrote: »

I was surprised to find myself *really, really* wanting a 'real' cig after eating.

I get that the odd time. Im a month in and get a real craving for a real one when i get into the car. It passes. I had a drag of a real one sunday night and i thought i would physically vomit.

Tried a couple of times to quit with e-cigs and failed but found what got me over the hump was an "ice fruit" flavour. Now im happily trying them all.

Best of luck. 2-3 weeks and the taste of a real one will disgust you.

youdipstick

Nice one Guys,you will notice that your breathing & chest noises will disappear completely...

iamtony

Dubwat wrote: »

I went out to e-smoke Ireland in Palmerstown today and got the Aspire Zelos Kit. The nice salesman suggested I go with 12mg instead of 18mg so I went with the 12mg Extreme Menthol. My interpretation of what he said was that 18mg might be too strong and put me off. With 12mg, it's easier to 'learn' with and I can always go up in strength. The bottles are only about a fiver.


Thanks again to grindle and others for all the info posted over the years

if I were you with the aspire zelos kit I would buy a magnetic micro USB connector and leave it in the socket on the ecig. I went through 2 of those batteries because the USB port broke. First one happened after only a month and the second maybe 3 months but when I went back to the shop they were well aware of the problem.
The other thing I had a problem with was with the tank flooding with every fill up and the solution is it to tighten till it starts to grip the ó ring then turn it upside and finish tightening.
Only other complaint is you need to have a bit of tissue with you with every fill up and you always end up with liquid on the outside glass.
I didn't buy a third one I got an innokin kit and it had a little port for refilling which is very good and it charges really fast but this one fires too easy in your pocket, so much so that I burned out a coil on the second day.
Also I do t know if the shop told you but the coil that's installed has a wattage range wrote on it. You can see it through the glass and keep the wattage between those numbers, it's something like 12w-20w written on it.

Smart&Cool ® Gen3 Nylon Braided Super Magnetic Micro-USB Charging and Data Transfer Cable for Android Phone and Tablets (5 ft Twin-Pack, Gray) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077HWHZN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_7gnuBbF1FGWAD that's the cable.

iamtony

One thing I've noticed which I though was nonsense is how my sense of smell has returned. It's like hearing you don't know it's gone bad but now I can smell things on my hands like potatoes after peeling, even though I've washed them.

youdipstick

iamtony wrote: »

if I were you with the aspire zelos kit I would buy a magnetic micro USB connector and leave it in the socket on the ecig. I went through 2 of those batteries because the USB port broke. First one happened after only a month and the second maybe 3 months but when I went back to the shop they were well aware of the problem.
The other thing I had a problem with was with the tank flooding with every fill up and the solution is it to tighten till it starts to grip the ó ring then turn it upside and finish tightening.
Only other complaint is you need to have a bit of tissue with you with every fill up and you always end up with liquid on the outside glass.
I didn't buy a third one I got an innokin kit and it had a little port for refilling which is very good and it charges really fast but this one fires too easy in your pocket, so much so that I burned out a coil on the second day.
Also I do t know if the shop told you but the coil that's installed has a wattage range wrote on it. You can see it through the glass and keep the wattage between those numbers, it's something like 12w-20w written on it.

Smart&Cool ® Gen3 Nylon Braided Super Magnetic Micro-USB Charging and Data Transfer Cable for Android Phone and Tablets (5 ft Twin-Pack, Gray) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077HWHZN8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_7gnuBbF1FGWAD that's the cable.

It's strange how different Nautilus2's perform,I kept hearing about all these leak probs when filling,I bought 2 x Nautilus2's from Vapewild 2 months ago & never had a leak with either of them,never had to use a tissue,I always do the upside-down trick with no hassle.
The only pain for me is unscrewing the top cap,I have to use long nose pliers to loosen it.
My favourite way of vaping with it is DTL with all air holes open & using 6mg juice from Vapewild,I have to do a bit of slipstreaming (I think they call it Purge) while vaping.

Heres Johnny

I use that extreme menthol from e smoke Ireland in Palmerstown and its great. Mix it with another flavour called odins blood sometimes and it dulls the 'mentholness' for want of a better word. You can mix menthol with other flavours no problem.
It's personal taste really.

iamtony

youdipstick wrote: »

It's strange how different Nautilus2's perform,I kept hearing about all these leak probs when filling,I bought 2 x Nautilus2's from Vapewild 2 months ago & never had a leak with either of them,never had to use a tissue,I always do the upside-down trick with no hassle.
The only pain for me is unscrewing the top cap,I have to use long nose pliers to loosen it.
My favourite way of vaping with it is DTL with all air holes open & using 6mg juice from Vapewild,I have to do a bit of slipstreaming (I think they call it Purge) while vaping.

Yeah that's weird. No matter what I try, every fill, liquid on the outside of glass. At the start it was a nightmare but I got used to it. Hate when you try unscrew it and the whole thing comes off battery rather than just the top cap. That can leave you stuck being unable to fill.

Dubwat

Thanks for all the suggestions. I only have the starter kit 24 hours so it's all new to me.
I guess in a month's time, I'll be modding like mad so it's probably not the end of the world if this one breaks down.

iamtony

Dubwat wrote: »

Thanks for all the suggestions. I only have the starter kit 24 hours so it's all new to me.
I guess in a month's time, I'll be modding like mad so it's probably not the end of the world if this one breaks down.

Just make sure to charge it overnight, last thing you want is to give yourself an excuse to buy smokes cause the battery went dead when you were out. P. S dealz sell a menthol chill juice which isn't bad for 1.50 a bottle that comes in 1.6 strength. I don't like there normal menthol but the chill one isn't half bad.

Dr Bill V1.5

Dubwat wrote:

So I guess my questions are; 1. What eliquids would you recommend? 2. Do I just need the starter kit and a bottle of eliquid? Or anything else? 3. Am I better to pay a bit extra and buy from a physical shop the first time rather than over the internet? I'm based in North Dublin.

Next time you're in esmokeireland check out their Game of Clouds range, Highgarden and Castle Black in particular are excellent.

Dubwat

@ Tony - good point. Was puffing like mad today and when the battery level starts to drop, it seems to go quickly. Battery in it is supposed to be 2500 mah while my 4000 mah phone seems to last forever. Probably not comparing like with like.

@ Dr Bill - thanks. Will do.

Highgarden "Deep, dark and uncompromising. Highgarden boldly blends bourbon vanilla with roasted almonds and caramel with a hint of coconut."
Sounds interesting

youdipstick

Dubwat wrote: »

@ Tony - good point. Was puffing like mad today and when the battery level starts to drop, it seems to go quickly. Battery in it is supposed to be 2500 mah while my 4000 mah phone seems to last forever. Probably not comparing like with like.

@ Dr Bill - thanks. Will do.

Highgarden "Deep, dark and uncompromising. Highgarden boldly blends bourbon vanilla with roasted almonds and caramel with a hint of coconut."
Sounds interesting

You really need a back-up setup,treat yourself to something different,maybe something like a Pico which has an 18650 battery & can be charged with a micro usb.
Anything that interests you,always check them out on Youtube,that's where most of us go to see the reviews...

Dubwat

I'm still on my first bottle of eliquid so just thinking out loud... I'll be going for refills next week.

How do you guys manage your eliquids? Do you have a 'go to' liquid to get you through the working week and then other liquid(s) for the weekend? I got a spare tank with my Aspire Zelos starter kit. Do you just swap out the tanks for the new liquids?

The liquids come in 10ml bottles so I don't want to be stuck with it for a week if I don't like it.

LOL, I'm going through a movie phase at the moment so could imagine myself having 'extreme menthol' for the working week; then a fruity liquid if watching a rom-com; maybe something darker if watching a horror; maybe something tobacco-y for a war movie etc? Maybe I'm overthinking it

youdipstick

Dubwat wrote: »

I'm still on my first bottle of eliquid so just thinking out loud... I'll be going for refills next week.

How do you guys manage your eliquids? Do you have a 'go to' liquid to get you through the working week and then other liquid(s) for the weekend? I got a spare tank with my Aspire Zelos starter kit. Do you just swap out the tanks for the new liquids?

The liquids come in 10ml bottles so I don't want to be stuck with it for a week if I don't like it.

LOL, I'm going through a movie phase at the moment so could imagine myself having 'extreme menthol' for the working week; then a fruity liquid if watching a rom-com; maybe something darker if watching a horror; maybe something tobacco-y for a war movie etc? Maybe I'm overthinking it

I'm vaping over 10 years now & I love vaping over 40 different flavours a day with different tanks & mods,I know it's a bit OTT but I love it that way.
Most of us get a disease called "Shinyitis" & end up with a huge vaping arsenal.

If you use only one eliquid all day & all week,you could end up with vapors tongue,you will lose your taste for weeks.
That is why I mentioned about another set-up.As you have another tank,fill it with a different liquid & you swap tanks whenever you like.

Dr.BILL recommended Highgarden & Castle Black,also Dragon Fire is very tasty as well,I love High Garden as an all day vape,meaning,my fav vape but still use others.

You can swap out some liquids using the same coil,never throw out a good coil,mix different liquids if you like,trial n error.

Hope some of this helps...

Dubwat

Thanks for the advice - it's much appreciated

40 flavours a day! Wow.

Think I'll start slow and work my way up Went back out to esmokeireland today and got HighGarden as well as Extreme menthol for stock. Was recommended Odin's Kiss as well but that was out of stock. Maybe next week.

Gonna be drinking beer tonight so I think I'll stick with what I'm used to - menthol. It'll be tomorrow before I try HighGarden.


P.S. I could see myself getting a different vape kit in the future. It's a bif of a faff remembering to plug in the kit each night, esp if the usb connection is so delicate. I see some of them come with special batteries (18650) that you can swap in and out. That might be a better bet for me.

youdipstick

Dubwat wrote: »

Thanks for the advice - it's much appreciated

40 flavours a day! Wow.

Think I'll start slow and work my way up Went back out to esmokeireland today and got HighGarden as well as Extreme menthol for stock. Was recommended Odin's Kiss as well but that was out of stock. Maybe next week.

Gonna be drinking beer tonight so I think I'll stick with what I'm used to - menthol. It'll be tomorrow before I try HighGarden.


P.S. I could see myself getting a different vape kit in the future. It's a bif of a faff remembering to plug in the kit each night, esp if the usb connection is so delicate. I see some of them come with special batteries (18650) that you can swap in and out. That might be a better bet for me.

You wont taste the beer if you vape that Highgarden:D:D:D it has a wonderful taste of coconut on the inhale & almonds on the exhale,I've tried it with a MTL set-up at 13.5w & I reckon it will taste even better with a DTL set-up at 40w to 60w,which is my preferred way of vaping.

18650 batteries are the way to go but you may have to buy a separate charger as some mods don't have a built-in charger.
These chargers will charge any size battery,so it wont go to waste.


PS: Don't forget to prime new coils...

Dubwat

Highgarden - Deep, dark and uncompromising. Highgarden boldly blends bourbon vanilla with roasted almonds and caramel with a hint of coconut. 10ml bottle. 60%VG

I've been trying the highgarden for the past few hours now and I'm not sure it's not for me. I'll keep trying it until tomorrow. Maybe it'll grow on me?

It reminds me of some sort of liqueur and/or toffee. I don't get a hit at the back of the throat (like the menthol) and I don't like the lingering aftertaste. Makes me think I should brush my teeth

Don't get me wrong. I kinda like it. But I'd rather a throat hit, a big 'hit' initially, and little aftertaste. Everything at the beginning, if that makes sense. The 'extreme menthol' does that. I think I'm still in the 'giving up smoking' phase so need a liquid to remind myself/my subconscious that I'm sorta smoking!

I'm using a 0.7ohm coil and 18W & inhaling MTL. I didn't use a new coil - afraid of breaking it! The tank was practically empty but still damp so I added a few drops of highgarden to the cotton wool and refilled the tank with highgarden. And let it sit for a few minutes. No metallic taste so figured it's ok.



My kit doesn't have a second 0.7 coil, only a 1.8 spare. And I bought a 1.8 coil yesterday by mistake Still, tomorrow (Wed) is day 7 so I should be ok for a day or two until I get another 0.7ohm coil. I've been watching YouTube videos so more confident now on 'messing' with the kit.