Best E-cigarette buying guide 2015, please read before you buy Vuse, Blu, Mark Ten, V2, or any gas station brand e cig.

Rule number one, please do not buy any of these brands, especially if you are trying to quit smoking.  There are many reasons to avoid these "cig a likes" but the top of the list has to be is they are junk and will make it much harder for you to quit smoking cigarettes, believe me I've been there. If you do a quick Google search for "the best E-cigarette" or something similar most of the results are paid ads that look like reviews or blog post.  While we're at it I am not getting any money from any tobacco or E-cigarette to post this, I may see a few fraction of a penny from the ads here through Google but that's it.  I really wanted to get this out because every time I see one of the well produced ads for Vuse or Blu I worry.  These ads give the impression their brand is the best the electronic cigarette world has to offer, so you give it a try and are so disappointed you give up on the idea and go buy your next pack of cigarettes.  The funny thing is many of us think this is on purpose, many of these e-cig look a like companies are owned by tobacco companies and they really don't want to loose out on tobacco sales.  Oh course this could be just a funny coincidence and tobacco companies just don't know what they are doing when it comes making a good electronic cigarette. 

Now on to actually buying your first setup, you have thousands of options and it's very easy to get overwhelmed.  Luckily for you there are many people that want to help, not for money or any other reason than they've been there and want to help.  You can ask me here, it would make my day to help just one more person save their life and money by getting the right setup to help them quit using tobacco. Or you can always check out one of the great resource the vaping community have built, here is a list to get you started.

reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/ is a huge online community of e cig users, both new and long time vapers.  Reddit has many other subs for different aspects of vaping world but /r/electronic_cigarette/ is the best place to start. 

Try your local e-cigarette brick and mortar store, just be warned not every person that works at a b&m knows what they are taking about and the price are going to be higher than what you can find online. Both can be true for most any business but a lot can be said for face to face customer service. I only recommend doing your homework first so they don't try and send you out the door with a $400 setup when all you needed was a $30 tank and battery to see if it's for you. 

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/ I started my vaping journey here but have found I like the reddit sub's better but this place may be right for you, can't hurt to try. 

YouTube:  there are too many channels to even begin to list but as always it's a great place for reviews, how-to's,  and general info.  

Bottom line: if you have any questions please ask someone, I'd be happy to help or there are plenty of others what want to help too. And please try and stay away from the gas station look a like cigarettes, they are bottom of the line products and will cost you way more in the long run. 

Guide: Replace silica wick with cotton in kanger Protank or Aerotank. Tutorial

This guide will help you get more out of your Kanger Protank, Aerotank, or Evod and should apply to most any other atomizer that you can access the coil and wick assembly.  There are many wicking materials and I have tried many but I always come back to good old cotton.  It is inexpensive, flexible, has great flavor, makes it very easy to clean your coil of change flavor. 

1. If you are starting with a used coil head go ahead and rinse it out or clean it with you preferred cleaning method

2. Removing the top stem from the coil: I generally hold the top stem between my fingers or gently with a pair of pilers (take care not to crush or dent the stem) grab the bottom of the coil with a paper towel or thin cloth to help get a grip.  Now pull and rock the top and bottom until they come apart. 

3. Removing the old wick: with tweezers or your fingers pull out the old wick from the side, along with the two "flavor wicks", try to get everything out of it without bending the wire coil or coils. 

4. Dry burn if necessary: If your coil is new or doesn't have visible "gunk" build up on the coil you can skip to the next step.  Either gently screw the bottom of the coil back into the base of your tank or hold it with tweezers and put it on your battery.  Press the power button on your battery or mod and hold it, your coil should begin to glow.  It may take longer if the power on your battery is low or the coil is very dirty, either way let it come to a bright glow for just a second or two(if you let it burn too long or still have e liquid in the coil head a flame can pop up) now rinse with water. Dab it on a towel then shake or blow through the coil to remove extra waterfluffseat this until the coil looks clean and glows from the center out, if the coils don't glow from the center out or are unevenly spaced you can use something to try and move them around to keep them from causing a "hot spot" in the coil. 

5. Rewicking with cotton: Any clean sterile cotton should do, some prefer "organic" but I use regular cotton from the drug store.  I always prep it by unrolling a cotton ball and gently boiling it or if I'm in a hurry I gently scrub it with rubbing alcohol, rinse well and let dry.  You should be able to use it straight from the bag, I just like to clean it and make sure anything extra in the cotton is removed.  Once you have your cotton ready I like to pull or cut it into strips no bigger than 1/4 inch, pull a section of it off the strip about an inch or so letting the end pull and fray so it's thinner than the rest.  Now twist the end down to a point and cut the to so it's a nice strong point.  Lightly compress or roll the rest of the cotton between your fingers or hands so it small enough to fit through the coil but not too tight.  Often I lightly pull the cotton apart in thicker spots so it's nice and even.  If you can just run the point of the cotton through the coil, I have used a needle or wire hooks to get it through.  Once through move the cotton around until it looks even and fluffs on either side.  Cut the cotton even with the ring in the middle of the coil head.  Add a few drops of e liquid to the coil and cotton to prime it if you wish and replace the top stem. 

6. Troubleshooting:  I can take a few tries to get the amount of cotton just right, and the thickness of your liquid will effect the density of the cotton you need. Thicker VG based liquids need less cotton, thinner PG needs less.

If you are getting dry or burnt hits you have too much cotton, you can try and pull a little out but often it's easier to just pull the whole thing out and put new cotton in, just make sure you use less (a little goes a long way, especially inside the coil) put it back together and try again.

If you get gurgles or leaking you need more cotton, you can either start over or just add a few stands of cotton on top of the coil, cut them even with the rest and try it again.

I'll get the hang of how much you'll need so don't get discouraged if it's not perfect the first time you'll get there and be happy you did.

If you have any questions please feel free do let me know and I'll do what I can to help.