Beginner Information & Vape-FAQ

E-cigarettes are perfect to stop smoking or at least to reduce your own cigarette consumption. There are e-cigarettes available for every type of smoker or vaper: whether mouth-to-lung (MTL) or direct-inhalation (DL), there are affordable sets to suit every taste!

An e-cigarette always consists of a battery or battery mod and an atomizer tank with an atomizer head. The atomizer head is the only wear part that has to be replaced every 3-4 weeks and is responsible for the liquid being evaporated. There are simple e-cigarettes for beginners with only one button and adjustable devices for ambitious vapers. With these devices you can regulate the power of the e-cigarette yourself.

Much is possible - e-cigarettes are compatible and combinable with each other due to their standardised threading. Almost every tank can be operated with any battery mod.

The most important thing: Switching to the e-cigarette opens up a whole new world for you! When smoking, up to 9000 known dangerous compounds are produced by combustion - but instead of smoking, you VAPE with an e-cigarette. Vapers are in fact non-smokers and thus not only save a lot of money. The sense of taste and smell improves, the body recovers from the constant supply of toxins - protecting the environment and the surroundings. A new attitude to life is emerging.

There are health activists who are opposed to the e-cigarette for various reasons. For example, because they see their previous work on addiction prevention being corrupted, fears about the financing, or maybe they are just morally opposed to stimulants. This counts for the World Health Organization (WHO), various non-smoking associations and various other groups partially funded by the Pharma Industry.

In addition, there are companies in the pharmaceutical industry that see their revenues of nicotine replacement therapies (plasters, chewing gum, sprays) threatened by the e-cigarette. They regularly launch studies and reports via agencies that tend to present e-cigarettes as a health hazard.

These reports and articles are seen as a reliable source of information by the media. For this reason, press releases or interviews usually are copied without reviewing them. The arguments are always the same: safety of minors, public health, normalisation of smoking, demonisation of nicotine or propylene glycol, unforeseeable long-term consequences.

Recurring strategies are used.
If exploding batteries are reported, it is not mentioned that the injured party may have made a mistake - not a word about statistical probabilities, or that other batteries (by mobile phones etc.) regularly explode. If formaldehyde is mentioned, no relation is made or whether the permitted maximum is being reached. Formaldehyde, for example, is present in many foods in higher doses than you can expect from vaping. If they speak of danger to young people, they do not use statistics, which usually prove the opposite. When long-term damage is the slogan, it is often kept that the e-cigarette has been around for over a decade, millions of people use it worldwide and that despite billions of hours of use, no damage directly related to vaping is known. A first long-term study is now available, more details can be found at the Bündnis für Tabakfreien Genuss.
--> http://www.tabakfreiergenuss.org/aktuelle-langzeitstudie-zum-e-zigaretten-konsum-keine-gesundheitlichen-beeintraechtigungen-nachweisbar/

Media houses tend to copy & paste, because a high number of readers is in their natural interest. We recommend the german blogs blog.rursus.de and vapers.guru for further reading.

The biggest mistakes of the opponents are dealt with in this PDF. It also provides an overview of existing studies (July 2015).
--> http://www.rursus.de/docs/Fakten_zur_eZigarette_1.0.pdf

E-Liquid is the working liquid for e-cigarettes, which is consumed when vaping. Liquids are available in all imaginable flavours and many nicotine strengths. If you are a switcher from tobacco, choose a liquid containing nicotine: nicotine is responsible for the "smoke" feeling in your throat and contributes significantly to the success of the switch. Nicotine is not harmful in the concentration permitted for liquids. You have to try out which nicotine level is right for you. A concentration 6 mg/ml is recommended for beginners.

Liquids are also a matter of taste. Beginners often resort to tobacco liquids, vapers soon find out what the real fun in vaping is: the diverse flavours, the interesting and tasty blends. The liquids can also be mixed with each other, thus increasing the individual flavour variations. Try it out!

• Smokers, who enjoy their rituals, but slowly thinking about health consequences.
• Smokers, who already tried to quit but always failed on that.

The electronic cigarette imitates the haptic process of smoking, but has no other similarities. One doesn't smoke anymore...one vapes! Instead of tobacco combustion,a liquid is heated up until a fine vapor develops. The vapor visually looks like smoke, but doesn't contain either tar or carbon monoxide or those numerous carcinogenic substances, which are inhaled with traditional tobacco cigarettes.

The e-cigarette is a semiluxury good, that works fine as an alternative to the tobacco cigarette. And it is by far less harmful than smoking. If you like to lower your Nicotine dose, this can be done with our different Nicotine levels. Also a complete Nicotine abstinence is possible with our zero-Nicotine Liquids (0 mg/ml). Still, vaping remains a resembling of smoking. The smoke is eliminated, but still haptic rituals are being kept up. This is why we don't consider the e-cigarette as a cessation medium.

Basically every vaping device consists of two compontents: the battery and the atomizer tank. Beside that, the e-cigarette can come in all kinds of shapes: big or small, modest or noticable, straight or playful - it's a matter of taste.

If you want to master the change, you are best off with our starter kits. They contain everything, what is neede for vaping. We only offer devices, that have been proven to work by the vaping community and are easy to handle. For more advanced users, we also offer powerful batteries, atomizers and an assortment of e-cigarette parts.

The so called liquid is our consumption fluid, that delivers vapor and taste. With that, you fill up your atomizer tanks. Liquids contain Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, food flavouring and water. Partly doesn't sound familiar? Propylene Glycol is also known as theater fog. Further you will find it (also Glycerin) in food and cosmetica. No substance was invented solely for the e-cigarette. All the ingredients are long-term tested, tested in studies and officially have been approved for use in the food industry.

One more word about the Nicotine. Nicotine is being considered as addiction preserving and in higher doses as a neurotoxin. But as always: the dose makes the poison! Our liquids contain a maximum of 1,8% of Nicotine, depending on the level less or even nothing - it's your choice. By th way, Nicotine is not carcinogenic and is being decomposed in the body in short time. This is important to know, since "Nicotine" is often put on a level with cigarette smoke in everyday language. The really dangerous substances emerge as combustion products when smoking a tobacco cigarette. With the e-cigarette all this is gone.

Our liquids can be purchased in different Nicotine levels (as well as without Nicotine) and different flavours. So everybody finds what suits best to his or her needs.

The e-cigarette is perfect for smoking cessation, while you virtually continue your habits and replace poisonous tobacco smoke for by magnitutes less harmful vapor. If additionally there's an mental addiction of smoking, you will probably contuinue this habit with e-cigarettes, since the devices are simulating smoking. Their purpose is not to free you from any addiction.

With your own concept of Nicotine reduction (the liquids are avaliable in different nictoine levels), e-cigarettes however offer the possibility to lower Nicotine consumption. We are offering e-cigarettes explicitly as life-style product. Means, as a semiluxury good WITHOUT the claim of increasing health conditions or reduction of tobacco consumption.

When you consider purchasing your very first e-cigarette, you might consider, that a starter kit is probably the best choice. Since you not only need batteries and an atomizer tank, but also charging wire, replacement atomizer heads and a manual. Additionally we put free liquid in most of our starter kits, so that you can start vaping immediatly. With a starter kit you are well equipped.

Beginner-friendly models with one-button-control have the advantage, that you can start vaping straight without you need to think about details of the electronics. Here we suggest models like the Joyetech AIO.

Advanced vapers or beginners with high demands can go for box-mods like Joyetech VTC Mini or Eleaf TC40W. These devices promise dense clouds of vapor, high power and many settings. However, here there are many things to know and learn: for instance about the wire types you can use, the temperature-control and the resistance.

No. It is only by magnitudes less harmful than tobacco smoking. The thousands of combustion products of a tobacco cigarette can be dropped. Many vapers feel better, by just smoking less or no tobacco anymore (smoke stop). If you want to live up to a maximum of health, we suggest you neither smoke nor vape.

The liquids contain Nicotine among other substances and Nicotin is considered as neurotoxin. Because of that, you should never drink liquid. But if this happens by accident, it is not critical with our low Nicotine doses. A Nicotine-intoxication, if happening by high dose and massive consumption, shows symptoms of temporary headache and nausea. Store liquids away from children at all times. Nicotine is a addiction-keeping substance in e-cigarettes, too. However it is not carcinogenic and being decomposed in the body quickly.

The carrier fluids (Propylene Glycol, Glycerin and demineralised water) are used for human consumption since a long time and are generally considered harmless. Here are some examples: asthma sprays, tooth paste, cosmetics and medicine. Further we can find them in food production. All substances, except the Nicotine, are approved for food-grade. Propylene Glycol however, can cause allergic reactions in some exceptions.

Food flavours are made of natural and nature-identical substances and are being used, as the name suggests, for the flavouring of food. Thus, they undergo strict tests before being approved for use in foods.

If you want to know more about our liquids, the composition and our VG-Liquids for allergy sufferers, click here: --> Information about Surmount Liquids

For beginners we recommend to start with a low Nicotine level (Low, 6 mg/ml) to slowly reach your preferred level. This can be higher (Medium or High) or lower (Sub). Many smokers assume, that they should take the high level nicotin level. But this can not be generalized, the perception is very individual. A low levelled liquid feels much smoother when vaping, while a higher levelled one can feel rough in your throat or causes dizzyness.

A tipp: test different nicotine levels with your first order, so you can compare them and see what suits you best. Often the feeling varies during the day. Many people vape a higher level in the afternoon and a lower one in the evening. Sometimes even a liquid without nicotine (Non, 0 mg/ml) is enough.

Yes, significantly. To some the acquisition costs may seem to high. But if you have your setup, you are equipped for long term use. Though an e-cigarette is not being designed for single-use only, but is instead a re-usable product, that amortises quickly in costs. Only liquid has to be purchased from time to time, to keep on vaping.

Let's open up a calculation:
The month has 30 days and you are buying one pack of cigarettes for 5 Euro each day.

Instead you will be buying a e-cigarette starter kit for 60 Euro. And let's assume further, that the month has four weeks and that you consume 2 bottles of liquid for 4,70 Euro each week (you will get 3 free ones with most starter kits, we will not take them in account here).

Cigarettes:
30 (days) x 5 Euro (pack) = 150 Euro

E-cigarette in first month:
60 Euro (kit) + 37,60 Euro (eight liquid bottles) = 97,60 Euro

By this calculation, you already saved 52,40 Euro only in your first month! The next month the price for the starter kit can be dropped, because you already have it! We suggest, that you make your own calculations based on your individual consumption. You will see, that there's a lot of money saved, even if you vape more or in case you need replacement parts.

The liquid is the consumption fluid and the more you use, the quicker it will empty. Furthermore, different atomizer types show different liquid consumption.

So we can only give approximate information. High consumption will empty one 10 ml bottle of liquid in two to four days, with low consumption maybe even in ten days.

Our batteries use the Lithium-Ion-Technology, the same technology that is known from mobile phones and other mobile devices. Those will last several hundred charge cycles.

But even some day the productiveness will drop and they have to be replaced. You can get batteries in different capacities. Thus they will last you less or longer, depending on the capacity. So by a rule of thumb we propose that an e-cigarette has to be charged once in a day, like a smart phone.

Of course it strongly depends on how heavyly the e-cigarette is being used. If you vape less, you have to charge less often.

This is hard to answer and strongly depends on the frequency of use, the type of construction, the resistance and the liquid that is vaped.

Atomizer heads are one of the no. 1 wearing part, because they are doing the work. Atomizer heads contain a small heating coil, that wear off by the time. They also crust, so they don't vape so well anymore or give less taste after some time. At this point, it's time to replace them. This will happen gradually, so not from today to tomorrow. And in most cases an atomizer head will last you quite long - from some weeks to several months.

The important thing for beginners is: drag slowly and steadily on your e-cigarette. Don't suck too hard like you may would on a tobacco cigarette. Liquid needs to flow into the atomizer head, otherwise it will taste burned. If you recognize a burned taste, it is often a matter of your dragging technique or of settings, that are set too high.

The rule of thumb is: the lower the Ohm value (resistance), the higher the wire coil inside the atomizer head will heat up. Thus more vapor is produced. But at the same time more liquid is consumed. Still the coice of resistance (measured in Ohm) is dependend from the induvidual vaping preferences. Try different values and find the resistance that suits you best.

There can be undesirable side effects when stopping smoking tobacco cigarettes (smoke stop). The abscence of cigarettes (and their additional chemicals and combustion products) can cause different symptoms, which are called withdrawal symptoms. Those can be: skin irritation, diarrhea, circulation problems, phlegm coughing or petulance. If these symptoms occur, as long as they are slight, we recommend to wait until they are gone, since they should be gone two weeks after the smoke stop at the latest. If the symptoms are strong and unbearable, we recommend you to see a doctor.

Those symptoms are not related to vaping by emperical experience, but to the smoke stop. Notice the following: you pumped your body full of a cocktail of toxins for maybe years - it got used to it after the time. Of course it will take the body some time, to get rid of it and to normalise.

In some few cases an allergic reaction on the Propylene Glycol can be responsible to those irregularities. If you experience long term problems within your throath or mouth area, we recommend to switch to liquids, that contain a lower portion of Propylene Glycol (und thus a higher portion of Glycerin) - our VG Liquids.

We also recommend to look through the E-cigarette-forum and look out for information about your problem in the according sub-forums. Every vaper had different experiences with the smoke stop, so you are not alone. There you will find many personal reports, which emphasize that bearing up different switching problems will be worth it and leads to a better sense of live in the end.

"510" is the name of the most common threading, that is hold battery and atomizer tank together. Further there's the so called "Ego-thread". All offered atomizer tanks are suitable for one or the other (or even both) of the threads, while the 510 threading clearly dominates the market by now and the Ego-thread almost lost its relevance.

Because of that, basically everything is compatible with everything, even if it's only by adapter, which we also offer. But is is not always useful to combine wildly. Here you should read about the resistance values of the components and decide if the combination of battery and atomizer even makes sense. Beside of that, not everything fits design-wise.

Integrated systems like the Joyetech AIO can not be combined with an other device, since the 510 thread is missing.

As beginner in the field of vaping, it is likely that you take drags, that are too hard. This leads to flooding, since too much liquid is sucked into the atomizer head. Please take gentle and slow drags, vapers don't haste.

E-Cig Tanks are vacuum systems, liquid and air must circulate in a fine balance. Different air pressures (flying, hiking in the mountains) and temperature differences can also cause leaking. "Leaking" means, that too much liquid came to the coil, more than there can be vaporized. You will recognize this bubbling and leaking. It can help to take a tissue and place the tank upside down on it, so that excess liquid can leave controlled. Sometimes it will help to blow into the mouthpiece, at the same time hold a tissue next to the airholes.

Also you will find rubber seal rings inside of the tank the system. Once a ring is damaged, lost or misplaced, leaking is inevitable. Maintain your devices, cleaning your threads and seals regulary might be helpful.

A small part of the vapor already condensates on the way through the atomizer. This condensation forms little drops by the time, which flow back into the atomizer head or leave through the mouthpiece while vaping. This is normal and can be easily cleaned with some tissue.

Sometimes an atomizer head can be defective, exchange it and try again.

For ideal vapor enough liquid must be transported to the heating coil. If there's too much liquid, the coil will dorwn, if it's too little the coil will burn.

The adjusted power range has to fit the atomizer tank and it's coil. If you fire with too much power, the liquid flow can't keep track and burning will set in. This is an unpleasant taste, known as "Dry Hit" in the vapor community.

In case of long-term use of the coil, the coil will get "crusty". Liquid can't be vaporized properly, insead the crust around the heating wire is being heated. No good taste as well.

If a perfectly new atomizer head is assembled and fired immediatly, the cotton inside can burn before it soaked up enough liquid to vaporize. This taste will remain in the atomizer head -> change atomizer head.

With liquids of higher density (e.g. Liquids with a higher VG-part) a liquid-cut can come up faster as with the standard mix. Use atomizer tanks with heads, that have a higher passage (bigger holes) for those kinds of liquids. It is not possible with any atomizer tank, maybe your system can't handle your favourite liquid. Yet normally our liquids are suitable for most systems avaliable.

A recent development in the vaping field is the temperature controlled vaping. The idea behind is, that over-heating of the heating wire, and thus burned taste, is being prevented by an buit-in temperature control.

Yet this temperature control is being performed in a detour. There's no thermometer in the device, but there are different wire types to be used as heating element. If you take the classic Kanthal-Wire (a material that presents stable resistance values upon heating), one will need wire that changes it's resistance value upon heating. Typical wires types for that are Nickel, Stainless Steel or Titanium. What sounds like an disadvantage at first, turns into an advantage in technical implementation, since it's known how the wire types react and how restistance values change. This is being expressed in the temperature coefficient. Once this coefficient is saved in the device correctly, the e-cig mod will know which resistance value equals which temperature. Upon exceeding the temperature chosen by the user, the e-cig Mod will automatically step down, while a device withouth temperture control would continue to fire at the same level.

This may sound quite complicated and we are no engineers. Luckily most standard values are preset in the Mods and just have to be picked - dependant to the atomizer head in question. Adjusting and saving your own temperature coefficent is only useful, if you want to try other wire types, than those named above.

It is important, that temperature coils are being assembled at room temperature (cold state of the coil), thus telling the device that the measured resistance at 20°C is the normal state. Like point zero at the speedometer, from which you can accelerate. Because of that, you can submit the start value into the Mod, otherwise the device will ask later if it's still the same atomizer head or if it should set a new start value. This would lead to wrong fire performance, if you assemble a still-warm atomizer head for instance.

Still you have to set the Watt value (Power) on the device. Similar to a cruise control we set the device to a maximum temperature. With the Watts you now regulate how fast the maximum temperature will be reached. In the car it would not make sense to start with maximum throttle, if we only want to go up to 30 km/h. For the vaping device, it can be enough to set a Watt value between 15 and 30 Watts to reach a temperature between 210 and 250°C. Still you have to try out what's best for you, but keep in mind to begin with reasonable values!

One more word about the Sub-Ohm subject: Let's assume that a Kanthal coil with eight windings has 1,5 Ohm resistance, while a coil made of Nickel wire and eight windings has 0,5 Ohm (this is just an estimation). Nickel is inheritly lower on resistance at the same premise. Still an atomizer with adequate temperature values can be vaped normally. So you won't automatically be a clou-chaser, just because the coil is in the sub-ohm range. You can still perform mouth-to-lung vaping as usual, while preventing burned taste through temperature control.

Even if you have to know stuff about the background, temperature controlled vaping is not complicated in allday use. So don't be afraid, it is a real practical thing!

With all the steamboat-specific abbreviations you can get confused and not see the forest in front of all the trees. Here are some of the most important ones explained:

• PG: "Propylene glycol". Is one of the main components of the liquid base and the main flavour carrier.


• VG: "Vegetable Glycerine". VG is the second main component of the liquid base and is primarily responsible for the steam.


• VPG: Mix of VG and PG. For example, our Surmount bases consist of 50/50 of PG and VG - a VPG base.


• RBA: "Rebuildable Basis" - a self-winding unit for finished evaporators.


• AC or AFC: "Airflow-Control". Most Atomizer tank systems use an adjustable air supply regulator.


• LC: "Liquid Control". Some few Atomizer heads have their own liquid supply regulation.


• DL or DtL: "Direct (to) Lung". This refers to atomizers in which the steam is pulled directly into the lungs. It's like breathing through the vaporizer, like a shisha.


• ML or MtL: "Mouth (to) Lung". In MtL vaping mode you first pull the steam into your mouth and then inhale it into your lungs. Comparable to smoking a cigarette.


• DripTip: It's just a mouthpiece. For most tanks this is interchangeable.