E-cigarettes: research - experiments - ideas

what is the difference between vape juice/liquid and a booster?
A booster has a higher nicotine content than a standard liquid. It is intended for dilution according to individual needs.

In Europe the term booster is a bit misleading as the max. nicotine content allowed is 20 mg/ml. In other countries the nicotine content can be much higher.

The main difference between a booster and a nic salt is that the latter is smoother, probably by adjustment of the ph value.
 
My vape kit, Geekvape Wenax Q- 0.6/1.2 Ohm MTL, arrived since around a week. It´s a simple kit with air and heat regulation and works fine with me.

Since starting to vape, I have not smoked one cigarette - after 4 decades of smoking. I am very impressed and already feel the benefits of vaping. So far, I seem to have more overall energy and concentration and less burning in gums and throat.
Thank you all so much for the research and detailed recommendations. :flowers:🥰
 
What I still have to figure out are which nic salt liquids to use. I started with nic salt, 20mg/10ml 50 VG/50 PG. I noticed from some products, I felt a little sick or dizzy - with other nic salts not. I got the impression there might be quite some differences in purity in nic salts.

One vendor in a shop told me, that nic salts for vaping are mostly produced from companies with rarely science educated staff. Also labeling shows minimum information. So I searched the internet, what are production standards and how nic salts for vaping are produced.

I found an interesting pharmaceutical nicotine producing company. On their website, that seems scientific in its approach, they claim to be the only pharmaceutical company on the vaping market and to set the industries purity benchmark on deriving nicotine for vaping. They write about interesting topics on pharmaceutical nicotine and vaping, also the many possibilities for impurities in the production process.

ALCHEM NicSelect
From their website:
  • staff with PhD’s, experts in nicotine, industrial and organic chemistry
  • Ultra-clean, ultra-pure Nicotine 3.0 as the industry’s benchmark
  • proprietary distillation and purification to remove the compounds that can negatively influence
  • zero impurities, exclusive profiling technology
The following information was all new to me. Please correct me, if some of it was posted here already.

Further from their site:

Synthetic Nicotine
Nicotine exists as two enantiomers: (S) -Nicotine and (R)-Nicotine. In natural nicotine (derived from tobacco), the ratio is 99% (S)-Nicotine to 1% (R)-Nicotine, when nicotine is synthesized in a lab, it is a 50:50 racemic (S):(R)-Nicotine mixture.
As only (S)-Nicotine is bioavailable and bioactive in humans, Alchem NicSelect™ employs novel technologies to isolate and purify (S)-Nicotine to our NicSelect™Nicotine 3.0 purity standard and achieve the cleanest synthetic nicotine available.
Many companies claim to offer synthetic nicotine, yet often, they provide tobacco-derived nicotine or racemic mixtures. The only reliable method to distinguish between them is through laboratory tests.

There exists a variety of nic salt for different requirements:
Nic Salts
[the Company offers] techniques and reactions to ensure that nicotine salts are fully bound to the nicotine without excess free acids. ... [and] that nicotine salts are not highly oxidized and are smooth and stable [...]
Nicotine Benzoate (Smooth Salt): Our top-rated nicotine salt delivers a smooth vaping experience with a fast and notable nicotine hit.
Nicotine Levulinate (Velvet Salt): A great balance between smoothness and hit, with minimal flavour influence.
Nicotine Lactate (Silver Salt): Delivers a moderate nicotine hit, while offering a delicate throat hit and a neutral taste.
Nicotine Ditartrate (Rush Salt): Considered the fastest and most intense among nicotine salts, with a ligh taftertaste. Can be hard on coils.
Nicotine Salicylate (Chill Salt): The most delicate of our nicotine salts, with a smooth and cool feel, minimal aftertaste and a pleasing nicotine hit.
Nicotine Malate-Benzoate (Hybrid): A new nicotine salt for the industry specialists. Balances smoothness and hit while enhancing the characteristics of specific flavours to obtain a unique base.

As their focus is on vaping, I wondered, what the specific medical properties of each nic salt are, eg. antimicrobial, antiviral, cleaving? Maybe others here, know more and can add information.

On impurity:
Does the quality in Pure Vapes and white Pouches matter?
[...] Impurities are important not only for toxicology and safety, but the defined and total impurities are related to the organoleptic properties of nicotine [taste, color, odor, and feel of a substance or drug that stimulate the sense organs] for vaping or for nicotine pouches.
Some compounds also indicate that nicotine is oxidized or undergoing oxidation. Oxidation is like a runaway train: once started, it picks up speed and accelerates exponentially, but if you start with low levels of oxidation products, the oxidation process is inhibited and slowed. [...]

Nicotine impurity profile:
nic.JPG

In addition, the Alchem NicSelect R&D team carried out experimental tests to compare NicSelect Nicotine 3.0 and Standard EP Nicotine (see Table 1) and identified a series of components (see Table 2) which, when present in amounts greater than 0.3% individually or added together in amounts greater than 0.4%, cause or accelerate oxidation or an unpleasant and pungent odour.

nic2.JPG

I wonder what toxicity effect these "undefined" components have besides causing bad odor? Also all other components, as the toxicity of a substance is to be evaluated as the sum total of all impurities. After reading through some of these articles, it seems to me, for health reasons, there are several aspects to be considered on finding clean vaping liquids.
 
I finally got my Luxe XR Max today ... I bought some MTL pods and some pre made e-fluid (nic salt 50/50 tobacco flavour 1 x 50mg and 1 x 30mg) to try out. (I've started with the 30mg)

Well so far, I'm not liking this too much haha ... I figured out that the device came with a DTL pod, which I changed, then the coils are not great for MTL, and the ones recommended ( .08 and 1.2) are not available ..sigh.. I'm using a 0.06
I have tried lower the wattage down but due the the coil i am using it recommends that the lowest wattage is 26, so I am sticking with that. I think I might buy some non flavoured juice as the tobacco flavour is, well, weird haha. The other thing that was said on the yt vids (and they are harder to find as yt doesn't promote them) is that it's "normal" to cough at first when switching form tobacco to vape as the tobacco being combustion suppresses certain things in the lung so it's easier to inhale where as the vape juice doesn't, but it's supposed to go away after a day or so.

I did some research on youtube about which coils are nest for MTL and how it all works, from what I've seen, the 1.2 and 0.8 are best for MTL and are designed for it while the other ones are supposed to be used with DTL. I have also found a site that sells vg and pg by the litre and I can get 100% nicotine from the pharmacy vender so I may try and make my own, but before I do that I want to see if i like this vape thing

anyway it's early days, I am still smoking tobacco, figure I'll have one or 2 before work and maybe a few at night and just vape at work and see how I go

here's one of the vids on coils for anyone that's interested, but it's age restricted so you'll have to be signed in to view it
 
I finally got my Luxe XR Max today ... I bought some MTL pods and some pre made e-fluid (nic salt 50/50 tobacco flavour 1 x 50mg and 1 x 30mg) to try out. (I've started with the 30mg)

Well so far, I'm not liking this too much haha ... I figured out that the device came with a DTL pod, which I changed, then the coils are not great for MTL, and the ones recommended ( .08 and 1.2) are not available ..sigh.. I'm using a 0.06
Mate, I feel for you. First, I spent nearly 3 years trying to find a tobacco flavour vape that actually tastes like tobacco smoking. There are none, and believe me I tried literally dozens of them. The closest I got was one that tasted somewhat like a menthol cigarette, but I was never a menthol fan so I didn't persevere.

Second, IMO Vaporesso is a vape manufacturer which really focuses on DTL rather than MTL. I also bought a Luxe device and tried the MTL pods and coils - you can source the 1.2 ohm coils in NZ. I just could not lock down the airflow to a level which came close to replicate smoking. Even with the airflow turned off, it was still a loose draw. I ended up disposing opf the unit and am currently using a Caliburn X pod system. Not perfect, but I can get a tight draw from it. I have ordered an Innokin EZ-Tube which should arrive this week. It uses Innokin Z coils which have ratings from .15 ohn up to 1.6 ohm, so great for MTL. I will post how it goes in due course.
 
First, I spent nearly 3 years trying to find a tobacco flavour vape that actually tastes like tobacco smoking.
I bought some Virginia Blend from Blacknote.com, it tastes similar to my RYO tobacco leaves. Pretty good, better than Coastal Cloud tobacco flavor (that one is a heavier tobacco taste, like a Marlboro red probably) in my perspective. I don't know if they ship to NZ. Also I have Luxe X Pro 40W vape, and with a MTL pod, 1.2 ohm coil, and the air intake turned off as much as possible that draw is similar to a cigarette in my perspective.
 
Mate, I feel for you. First, I spent nearly 3 years trying to find a tobacco flavour vape that actually tastes like tobacco smoking. There are none, and believe me I tried literally dozens of them. The closest I got was one that tasted somewhat like a menthol cigarette, but I was never a menthol fan so I didn't persevere.

thanks mate, there is only a few different flavours we have access to here in AUS, bascially, mint or tobacco, I might try another variety of tobacco and maybe a mint, although I think I read somewhere that the menthol/mint have something in them that is not that great for you? Just out of interest have you tried flavourless?

Second, IMO Vaporesso is a vape manufacturer which really focuses on DTL rather than MTL. I also bought a Luxe device and tried the MTL pods and coils - you can source the 1.2 ohm coils in NZ. I just could not lock down the airflow to a level which came close to replicate smoking. Even with the airflow turned off, it was still a loose draw. I ended up disposing opf the unit and am currently using a Caliburn X pod system. Not perfect, but I can get a tight draw from it. I have ordered an Innokin EZ-Tube which should arrive this week. It uses Innokin Z coils which have ratings from .15 ohn up to 1.6 ohm, so great for MTL. I will post how it goes in due course.

Yeah that makes sense, I found a few vids talking about the best MTL devices and none of them mentioned Vapresso, there they did mention the Innokin EZ Tube Zenith Minimal, but the only one that they mentioned that I have access to here is | Voopoo VMATE Pro, so I might give that a go. I think the other thing is I might have to adjust my expectations and just let the vaping thing be the vaping thing and stop trying to compare it to tobacco, it's different, so let it be, I'll give it some time.


I bought some Virginia Blend from Blacknote.com, it tastes similar to my RYO tobacco leaves. Pretty good, better than Coastal Cloud tobacco flavor (that one is a heavier tobacco taste, like a Marlboro red probably) in my perspective. I don't know if they ship to NZ. Also I have Luxe X Pro 40W vape, and with a MTL pod, 1.2 ohm coil, and the air intake turned off as much as possible that draw is similar to a cigarette in my perspective.

Yeah unfortunatley I don't have access to anything other than a few that are on the pharmacy website, but thanks for the heads up, maybe I can find a way of getting something through alibarber etc

I looked into it, and all the Luxe X products have the same pods, so I could grab a fixed pod like the one you mentioned and it will work with the XR Max, and I just had a look and they do have some in stock. So while I wait for the coils to come in this may be a good solution, thanks!
 
thanks mate, there is only a few different flavours we have access to here in AUS, bascially, mint or tobacco, I might try another variety of tobacco and maybe a mint, although I think I read somewhere that the menthol/mint have something in them that is not that great for you? Just out of interest have you tried flavourless?



Yeah that makes sense, I found a few vids talking about the best MTL devices and none of them mentioned Vapresso, there they did mention the Innokin EZ Tube Zenith Minimal, but the only one that they mentioned that I have access to here is | Voopoo VMATE Pro, so I might give that a go. I think the other thing is I might have to adjust my expectations and just let the vaping thing be the vaping thing and stop trying to compare it to tobacco, it's different, so let it be, I'll give it some time.




Yeah unfortunatley I don't have access to anything other than a few that are on the pharmacy website, but thanks for the heads up, maybe I can find a way of getting something through alibarber etc

I looked into it, and all the Luxe X products have the same pods, so I could grab a fixed pod like the one you mentioned and it will work with the XR Max, and I just had a look and they do have some in stock. So while I wait for the coils to come in this may be a good solution, thanks!
I bought the Ex-Tube from here. Perhaps worth a try?
 
I bought the Ex-Tube from here. Perhaps worth a try?
Thanks mate, I see they have the coils I'm after too, will be interesting to see if they can deliver, might just try some coils first, that way if they don't make it, it's no biggy.

I like the idea of a tank device more than the pods as the pods can be out of stock and then you're out of luck, where as the tank you just need the juice to go in it. the only tank devices listed are VOOPOO ARGUS PRO 2, VOOPOO DRAG S2, GEEKVAPE L200 Classic, VOOPOO DRAG X2 and the VAPRESSO ARMOUT MAX.
I will wait to buy one though as I'm still not sure I am going to follow this vape path, so please let us know how you go with the EZ Tube.

I see that the Caliburn X pod system you are currently using is available here, so that may be another option for me as it sounds at least like it does a reasonable job and when I looked at the voopoo vmate pro you can't buy the pods for it!! hahaha what a joke, why sell a device that you cant buy the pods for, great work Aussie!!
 
Thanks mate, I see they have the coils I'm after too, will be interesting to see if they can deliver, might just try some coils first, that way if they don't make it, it's no biggy.

I like the idea of a tank device more than the pods as the pods can be out of stock and then you're out of luck, where as the tank you just need the juice to go in it. the only tank devices listed are VOOPOO ARGUS PRO 2, VOOPOO DRAG S2, GEEKVAPE L200 Classic, VOOPOO DRAG X2 and the VAPRESSO ARMOUT MAX.
I will wait to buy one though as I'm still not sure I am going to follow this vape path, so please let us know how you go with the EZ Tube.

I see that the Caliburn X pod system you are currently using is available here, so that may be another option for me as it sounds at least like it does a reasonable job and when I looked at the voopoo vmate pro you can't buy the pods for it!! hahaha what a joke, why sell a device that you cant buy the pods for, great work Aussie!!
Tanks are inherently less leaky and far longer lived than pods. The Ex- Tube is a tank device, I got it for the same reason
 
no go on health cabin, I contacted them directly and they said that they can't deliver :( maybe this will change when the laws change again in October!? hope so because we are very limited down here as to choice and availability.
 
Vape Bans: E-Cigarette Restrictions in the U.S. and Worldwide

The linked article below gives a good survey on current vape bans and restrictions

What I want to suggest with this is that all of you who intend to stick with vaping should consider to invest in some more durable hardware and, if possible, find some tobacco sources.

Good luck, everybody!
 
What I want to suggest with this is that all of you who intend to stick with vaping should consider to invest in some more durable hardware and, if possible, find some tobacco sources.

Good luck, everybody!

Zero pressure here, but I was wondering if you would consider making a video tutorial of your experiments? Or, in making your written tutorials more "for dummies", with quantities and details and all:-[:ohboy::lol:. I read the ones you linked to in that post, and they're still not very easy to follow, or lack actual quantities, etc. As you know, we stopped adding water to ours because it was too harsh, yucky, etc. But we're still happily vaping and willing to improve on it. :-)
 
Zero pressure here, but I was wondering if you would consider making a video tutorial of your experiments? Or, in making your written tutorials more "for dummies", with quantities and details and all:-[:ohboy::lol:. I read the ones you linked to in that post, and they're still not very easy to follow, or lack actual quantities, etc.
Okay, Chu, I don't use video equipment but I will document my next extract with more details and photos. It may take a few weeks as I am busy with other things right now.
 

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