Trials and tribulations of a vapoholic

[lordy]

Well, I bought my first titan kit in August last year. I finally swapped entirely from analogues on Jan 7th this year, with a tornado. All things considered, I'd never look back. The difference between smoking and vaping is like comparing night and day. It's impossible. The two are incomparable, and it can't even be reduced to an argument over cost... even if it was twice as expensive, vaping is at least twice as good.

However, there is something that's troubled me since day one. The bit that feels ' troubled' shrinks and grows with each new product or flavour that's released, but the trouble remains the same... 'the quest for the perfect vape'.

There's times when a new product comes out and you think 'THAT sounds interesting', so you try it. You love it. You stock up accordingly. Several days, weeks or months may role by, then you find yourself, involuntarily, sitting there thinking 'well if this was a little better and if you didn't have to do so much of that, then this would be perfect'... but 'perfect' never seems to materialise. You adjust your mix. If your equipment has reached a certain level, you adjust your voltage. If niggles with equipment appear (such as condensation with CE3's, or 'stale' flavours with mega DC's), you change your vape style, or use your equipment differently. In any instance, you modify the vaping style you're comfortable with to suit the setup you currently find yourself with.

And then you find yourself staring at the TW website, refreshing the page of relevance to see the latest yo-yo discount level, to see if you can get the staple that you absolutely cannot live without for a price that you can't be anything other than entirely satisfied with, and you stock up accordingly. But even after stocking up, and knowing at the back of your mind that you've just basketed a whole heap of bargains, you feel like you've short-changed yourself, because just around the corner you know lies a new device that brings the holy grail into greater focus. That new device that gets you that little bit closer to your perfect setup. The one where you don't have to adjust your vape style, the device just 'fits' with the way you want to use it.

And even then after you've purchased it, after a few days, weeks or months, the cycle above starts all over again! You know you're being overly fussy, but still you can't help yourself. The device that was so much more perfect than the last one initially seems just as inferior as all others that had gone before.

That's what I love and hate about vaping. Am I on my own in feeling like this? In recognising the cycle but feeling powerless against it?

[pufferfish]

LMAO Lordy, you said that so well ..
When you find a hobby which gives you much pleasure, is there ever an end to it?
There's always something new or another flavour combination and the choices keep on growing.
Bearing in mind that vaping is still in its infancy, what a fine journey of discovery we're on 
Vape on 

[tiddler]

  To infinity and beyond 

[maria d]

well said Lordy, i think you put into words the whole vaping experience for me. looking for the perfect vape and always thinking i have found it till the next shiny thing comes out.

[pufferfish]

  To infinity and beyond 

LMAO tids...
no, really, tears running down my face, love that little gif 

[tiddler]

Well we are all pioneering superheroes after all  and who knows what the future holds for vaping 

Cue the music  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWnmCu3U09w

[Knoton]

Well said Lordy.
I completly recognize it.
I also find that sometime I feel like couldn´t enough be enough.
It would be ok to just be satisfied with what I got, no more struggle.
And when again, that is part of the whole thing... the persuit of the perfect vape.
If I found it, I guess things would feel kind of empty...
I think it gotta be ok just to vape Absinthe, no need to struggle and find other flavours.
Telling myself that I stayed with one brand of analouges for years with a occasional cigar to party on...
When I think exactly that cigar... where is it, I gotta find something that match that perfect moment...
I tell myself I gotta start enjoying what I have to the fullest and be satisfied...
On and on and on... 

[pufferfish]

Don't you find that "perfect" is a moveable goalpost?
Perfect today changes tomorrow and then back again.... for me, having choice is perfect...

[Tara]

Don't you find that "perfect" is a moveable goalpost?
Perfect today changes tomorrow and then back again.... for me, having choice is perfect...

I agree, I was bizarrely inspired to pull out my old DSE103 this evening after watching a YouTube Video and tried direct dripping onto the atty with a blank cart, something I'd never done before and whilst I can honestly say it was no Tornado, I really enjoyed the flavours, them seemed very warm and rich, I can see myself pulling it out from time to time when I fancy a change.

[fishface]

vaping has become a hobby for me a i like to do research compare notes and find new products.
 sometimes i do get buyers remorse when i get a product i dont really like but i usually consider it learning experience.
 even though i do spend quite a bit of money on e-cigs it is still cheaper than the 6 to $9 a day analog cigs 
 the meaning to life is the journey, the meaning of  the perfect vape is the journey

[Shaddaz (Shaddy)]

Lordy i am going to cut that down to just a few words


oohhhh Shiny 

[fishface]

dont forget ocd ocd ocd 1234 1234 1234 shiny shiny shiny 1234 1234 1234 ocd ocd ocd 1234 1234 1234 shiny shiny shiny

[TA7 I ZULU]

I am new to vaping ( only been about 7 weeks ) , but I know exactly what you mean.

When I got my Tornado Tank I was blown away by it, but for the last couple of weeks I have been thinking about what everything else will be like and cant wait to get some smokys and clearos to try out.

[lordy]

Well, I'm pleased I'm not on my own

I suppose that's the difference between analogues and ecigs. An analogue is exactly the same every time you light the touch paper. Vaping equipment can transform the character of a flavour, just as a flavour changes the character of your eNic. Even taking that out of the equation, the subtle difference between two attys that are the 'same' (Tornado Tank vs Tornado Tank) muddy things even more, and then on top of that, as others say, there's "oooohh, shiny" syndrome too!

There are so many variables you can alter with vaping that nothing is likely to stay still. It's endemic in the habit, and I for one wouldn't change it... although my bank balance (and teh missus) would thank me for a rest I'm sure

[Paige]

Well, I bought my first titan kit in August last year. I finally swapped entirely from analogues on Jan 7th this year, with a tornado. All things considered, I'd never look back. The difference between smoking and vaping is like comparing night and day. It's impossible. The two are incomparable, and it can't even be reduced to an argument over cost... even if it was twice as expensive, vaping is at least twice as good.

However, there is something that's troubled me since day one. The bit that feels ' troubled' shrinks and grows with each new product or flavour that's released, but the trouble remains the same... 'the quest for the perfect vape'.

There's times when a new product comes out and you think 'THAT sounds interesting', so you try it. You love it. You stock up accordingly. Several days, weeks or months may role by, then you find yourself, involuntarily, sitting there thinking 'well if this was a little better and if you didn't have to do so much of that, then this would be perfect'... but 'perfect' never seems to materialise. You adjust your mix. If your equipment has reached a certain level, you adjust your voltage. If niggles with equipment appear (such as condensation with CE3's, or 'stale' flavours with mega DC's), you change your vape style, or use your equipment differently. In any instance, you modify the vaping style you're comfortable with to suit the setup you currently find yourself with.

And then you find yourself staring at the TW website, refreshing the page of relevance to see the latest yo-yo discount level, to see if you can get the staple that you absolutely cannot live without for a price that you can't be anything other than entirely satisfied with, and you stock up accordingly. But even after stocking up, and knowing at the back of your mind that you've just basketed a whole heap of bargains, you feel like you've short-changed yourself, because just around the corner you know lies a new device that brings the holy grail into greater focus. That new device that gets you that little bit closer to your perfect setup. The one where you don't have to adjust your vape style, the device just 'fits' with the way you want to use it.

And even then after you've purchased it, after a few days, weeks or months, the cycle above starts all over again! You know you're being overly fussy, but still you can't help yourself. The device that was so much more perfect than the last one initially seems just as inferior as all others that had gone before.

That's what I love and hate about vaping. Am I on my own in feeling like this? In recognising the cycle but feeling powerless against it?

The Quintessential vape!

If you are like me.. then you constantly strive for perfection in everything you do! but the truth is that perfection doesn't exist...

Steven hawking once said that if this universe was perfect, life would not exist!

After the big bang.. if all of the particles had evenly distributed then gravity would not have been able to pull the particles together to form atoms.. to form rocks.. to form planets.. and so on.

Life is about being imperfect! life is being unsatisfied... you will never find your perfect vape! But you will have a damn good time trying =P