e-cigs -- request for recommendations and anecdotes

[Kvlt]

I've tried the e-cig. It's simply a horrible experience.

Snus would be better for when he doesn't feel like going outside.

[The Wiz]

papawinkle.....Sorry I have been away for a week or so and did not see your post until now. I have been using e-cigs for almost a year now,and they are an excellent alternative method for cigarette smokers. I see that a couple of other e-cig users have posted here with comments and suggestions(which were quite informative IMO). Your situation differs from mine as it seems you and your family are not "hard core" smokers as I once was. Nicotine levels CAN be controlled with e-cigs...down to(and including)0 nicotine use. Some will vouch(including myself)that smoking addiction can be as much "Hand to Mouth" as the actual nicotine itself. I frequently use snuf and snus in my daily routine and have reduced the amount of e-smoking by half....but still have that urge and desire for the "throat-hit" that cigaretts gave me when I smoked. Tropical Bob(who was mentioned in this thread)can vouch for need to incorporate other nicotine products into his daily line-up. I think the choice of the 510 is a good move for a new e-cig user,as I own one myself. We are fortunate to have all of the smoking alternative products that are available...between snus,snuff and E-cigs,there is something for everyone....and all are far better for our health than cigarettes!!!Good Luck! The Wiz!

[The Wiz]

I've tried the e-cig. It's simply a horrible experience.

Snus would be better for when he doesn't feel like going outside.

Kvlt....Just as I would encourage a smoker to try snus instead of smoking...I would never discourage a smoker to try e-cigaretts either...Different strokes for different folks! I use both e-cigs and snus inside wherever I am at!! The Wiz!

[TropicalBob]

As the Wiz said, I use everything. Why not? What law says I have to choose one or another of the alternatives to inhaling cigarette smoke? I've been off cigarettes more than two years -- snusing for the entire time and using e-smoking products since January 2008.

E-smoking is the future of smoking. I've said it before and nothing will change that. A proven safer way to satisfy tobacco addiction must be the goal of every smoker now. Snus is a way. Snuff is a way. E-smoking is a way.

The problem with e-smoking at the present time is that the practice is in its infancy. It will evolve and become mature, but right now it has to become a hobby for those who practice it, like myself. We spend a great deal of time futzing with devices! I relish the effort, as I would a hobby of making miniature airplanes. It's my passion.

Note that I don't rebel against society by "vaping" in a crowded restaurant. I pop in a snus portion, or a Java Stonewall dissolvable, and use it. Forget "smoking anywhere". It's asking for trouble.

What I have found is that e-smoking greatly helps the psychological part of quitting smoking, the hand-to-mouth part. And it provides nicotine, just not enough for me. So I use snus at the same time. And I sniff nasal stuff many times a day. And, oh yes, three pipes a day.

I don't put down anything except inhaling tobacco smoke and chewing tobacco. Those two we know are clearly hazardous to our health. But as for the other alternatives, including e-smoking: Try 'em. Use the ones you like. Rotate among them, grabbing whatever the moment's whim dictates.

There is a great deal to this hobby that I won't expand on here. At present, I love to vaporize a Wine&Dine snus portion that I soak in Bickford Kahlua flavor and use instead of a polyfil core in my e-cig. I even did a YouTube video on the method. Yes, the vapor has plenty of nicotine!

Snus or snuff? E-cig vaping or puffing a pipe? Nah. All of the above.

[The Wiz]

Thanks TB.....I was feeling alone in this important thread!!E-cigaretts are what led me off the path of smoking.The snus and snuff I now use are going to ensure that I never travel back down that road! Going on one year smoke free for me....I have never once had an urge to smoke a cigarette!! The Wiz!

[justintempler]

I don't put down anything except inhaling tobacco smoke and chewing tobacco....

I'm not a dipper, but I think the dip has come a long way improving their products to make them less dangerous and wouldn't discourage anyone from switching from smoke to dip.

[TropicalBob]

I would. But that's based on a fella I met at a "stop smoking" hypnosis session.

He began using dip as a child. A friend's father owned a drug store and the two boys would steal chewing tobacco and use it.

He's 33 now. Smokes cigs and chews. He has 3 teeth left .. and the dentist told him those will come out this year. His wife is expecting their third child. He was a sad, defeated man during our talk that night.

No question what dip did to him. He knows. I could see it.

That hardened my position. And with snus as an alternative, why would anyone shove high-TSNA tobacco into their mouth, to rest it against their teeth, for hours every day? No. It's personal, true, but I'd never recommend dip even to a cigarette smoker.

[papawinkle]

Just to wrap up this thread. E-cigs did not do the job, here. Thanks again for the help -- I think we used the best available options, as a result of this board's direction, but --

Wife (1/2 to one pack a day smoker, not motivated to quit): The novelty factor led to about two weeks of "I think the e-cig is helping me cut down," but three months in, it's all over for e-cigs. They are still used during all-day events involving asthmatic or allergic guests, but these events are punctuated by two or three trips to the garage for a real smoke.

Son (one pack a week "soothing nerves or commute boredom" smoker, motivated to quit): The novelty lasted a month or so, then another month of using them only at work, then... back to square one.

Me (snuser, a cig with morning coffee and maybe one after dinner or with the second beer): My, there's no cigarette nic hit, is there? (We sampled a medium-strength formula.) And the throatfeel (we're using an e-cig noted for having a hot-burning vaporizer, and a formula labeled "Camel") is just harsh. After the equivalent of two cigarettes, trying to find the buzz, I get a dry "emphysema" cough for an hour. It feels more potentially dangerous than tobacco.

The only person I know who may be using e-cigs successfully is a woman at work who was already down to five or six cigs a day before discovering an overpriced e-cig kit in a tobacco shop just before Christmas. She was enthusiastic ("it's that hand-to-mouth habit thing with me") but her vaporizer burnt out early in February and I'm not sure she's bothered to replace it.

[sagedil]

Thank you for the update papawinkle. Valuable contribution to the discussion.

[MrSnusNSnuff]

To rezz an old thread...

I recently purchased an Njoy ecig after a lengthy smoking relapse.

It wasn't so much the nicotine (apparently I can get that from many safer alternatives ), it was the ritual that pulled me back in.

Puffing on the cigarette, inhaling deeply and watching a cloud of smoke come out of my mouth - ah, that's what was a great stress relief. Rolling down the road, with my window open, taking a smoke break outside - pure ritual.

So, the ecig has filled this niche nicely. The NPro model I have is crap, and I'm planning on buying a 510 starter. And snus will fill void when I feel the urge to dip.

Ah, nicotine addiction. So completely ridiculous, yet so enjoyable.

[ladysnus]

Puffing on the cigarette, inhaling deeply and watching a cloud of smoke come out of my mouth - ah, that's what was a great stress relief. Rolling down the road, with my window open, taking a smoke break outside - pure ritual.

So, the ecig has filled this niche nicely. and I'm planning on buying a 510 starter.
Ah, nicotine addiction. So completely ridiculous, yet so enjoyable.

yes, the ritual! That's what made me take a look at ecigs and I had already quit smoking with snus.
I spent tons of time on the ecig forum. Ended up with 4 different models, lol. The buying part was addicting for me :wink: The Puresmoker was awesome with throat hit and a good American made product. From everything I've heard, the manual 510 is good.
I don't use them much anymore, but I have found,,,that while I think I am home free and not "a smoker",,, there is something that kicks in now and then and I have this horrible desire to smoke....so, I whip out an XTRA STERK or the ecig, maybe even both.

[Whitak3r]

I had a e-cig infatuation a while ago. I still kind of want one. I did a little reading on them. The main reason why I didn't pick any up was the price, and because I had little cash at the time. I was going to go with Blu E-Cigs, because of the price: http://www.blucigs.com/ . I read good things about them, but other then reading about them, I know very little. The money I spent on snus in the last week I could of got a decent set, but I feel like snus is for me. There are a lot of good companies out there that sell e-cigs, some more expensive than others.

[G_Jones]

E-cigs are awesome. If using the right kind, they provide a far superior experience to smoking. The 510 is an excellent model.

People ask if I'm using them to quit smoking, I have to answer that I don't smoke and have no intention of quitting anything. Same with snus, who'd want to quit? Can't think of any compelling reason, such as with cigarettes where your body tells you outright that you need to stop.

[Tristik]

~~
The gas station down the road started selling disposable Gammuci models. They had menthol, and non, for 15 bucks. Supposed to last "375" puffs. I've been wondering what these things looked, and felt like, so I bought a menthol.

Interesting. Pretty harsh on the throat for someone who hasn't inhaled anything like that for over a year. Reminded me of a stale Pall Mall menthol.

That being said, once I had a beer buzz the other night at home after work, I was taking quite a few puffs. I probably won't buy another one after this, because I'm worried these things could actually make a long time smoker like me go back to smoking cigarettes. Smoked since middle school and haven't one in 1.5 years. (I'm 31 now for reference)
~~

[StuKlu]

The e cig has worked wonders for my wife who has smoked for a long time. She had tried the gum, patches and pills in the past. She would have nothing to do with the snus unfortunately. Got her a 510 last week and so far she loves it. I am fairly confident that she is going to follow through this time and will remain smoke free.