Electronic Cigarette Web

How durable are electronic cigarettes?

As with any product, the question of durability totally depends on the brand. Even if you find a brand that a lot of people have trouble with and, for whatever reason, you’re really sold on that brand in every other aspect, if they have a good warranty you might as well try it out. Although, others are a little more cautious buying products that aren’t known to be reliable and/or durable. So, the question is, how long can you expect these things to last?

That’s really a tough question to answer because in order to answer accurately one would literally have to test hundreds and hundreds of the same model in order to get a really accurate idea of how reliable it is. The good news is that we can make a determination based on reviews found on the Internet.

Generally, you can’t go wrong with the top brands and/or models. Included among those are NJOY’s products, BluCigs, the m402 from LiteCig or another retailer, the Joye 510 model from a reputable retailer and a few others. Keep in mind, however, that only the first two I listed there have a decent warranty, so if you’re the cautious type you may just want to stick with those or another brand that offers a full 1-year warranty.

That said, no matter what you do you’re going to have components crap out on you occasionally, there’s really nothing you can do about that. So I’ll give you a little info on how long to expect the components to last in electronic cigarettes so you have an idea what to expect.

Through my own experience and what I’ve heard from others it seems that you’ll probably need to replace an atomizer every 3 to 4 months of regular use, so it’s never a bad idea to buy an extra one to keep around as a spare. Atomizers run somewhere in the range of $5-$10 or more depending on the model.

Most of the batteries used in electronic cigarettes are of the lithium-ion type and so should last several years, however, since these products are so new, being introduced to the United States only a couple years ago, it’s hard to say what the long-term prospect for batteries is. Just like with atomizers though, you should assume your primary battery will crap out at some point in time and so it’s a good idea to keep a spare around. Most starter kits should come with at least two batteries, if not more, so you should be all right for while. However, if one of those batteries dies on you it would behoove you to get a new one to keep around as a spare just in case. New batteries can be had for anywhere from $10 on up to $30 for some of the more expensive brands; the average is probably around $10-$15 for a battery.

Cartridges contain the nicotine solution and those will wear out eventually as well. I’m not talking about the nicotine solution itself, of course that will run out and have to be replaced on a regular basis as you use the device, but the cartridge case itself will get damaged over time from biting it, or dropping it and so on. If you use a device that offers prefilled cartridges you don’t have to worry about the state of the cartridge casing since you’ll get a new one with each cartridge. However, if you plan to refill your own cartridges with eLiquid, you won’t be receiving regular replacement cartridge casings and so eventually you’ll need to purchase some. They’re not expensive at all perhaps five for a few dollars or somewhere in that range.

For the most part, that should be all you’ll have to worry about for a while as far as durability goes. Of course, as with any electronic device you run the risk of the battery charger dying or your USB pass-through, if you have one of those, dying on you as well. I’m sure these things crap out eventually, so just in case, make sure the company you buy your starter kit from offers replacements for every component and you should be good to go.

Have fun and happy vaping!

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Should electronic cigarettes be regulated?

With the recent actions by the FDA against electronic cigarette distributors, such as seizing imports at the border and moving to restrict the sale or ban the products outright, one has to wonder why does the FDA allowed tobacco cigarettes to be sold so freely yet at the same time they are pushing so hard to ban electronic cigarettes? Should these devices be regulated by the FDA? Or should they be considered tobacco products, which don’t fall under the authority of the FDA?

The main crux of the matter is that the FDA is trying to classify electronic cigarettes as drug delivery device a, just like nicotine inhalers that you might buy at the pharmacy. To be sure, electronic cigarettes do function very similar to nicotine inhalers and very well could be looked at as drug delivery devices, but that begs the question, is it a bit hypocritical to classify electronic cigarettes as drug delivery devices, knowing that they will be under tighter regulation than tobacco cigarettes, when they can’t possibly be worse for you than real tobacco cigarettes?

I’m all for regulation of the devices, electronic cigarettes represent a new industry, and you can’t cripple a brand-new industry with the same regulations you apply to drug companies who have literally billions of dollars of funding, some of which actually comes from the United States government. Electronic cigarettes are simply an alternative to tobacco cigarettes and should be looked at that way; they should not be considered drug delivery devices if for no other reason than this would cause them to be so regulated that it would probably drive them straight off the market.

Considering the fact that over 400,000 United States citizens die every year as a direct result of tobacco usage, shouldn’t these devices that are likely significantly safer than tobacco cigarettes be promoted and encouraged as an alternative to traditional cigarettes? The FDA doesn’t seem to feel that way, and no doubt because of significant pressure from special interest groups, including big drug companies who stand to lose a lot of money if a new, more effective stop smoking device enters the market. Also, anti-smoking groups these days tend to be a little bit on the wacky side. Of course, we should discourage tobacco smoking because we know it kills people, so I’m all for that, but many anti-smoking groups discouraged the use of tobacco through lies and propaganda as well is high pressure lobbying tactics. These groups don’t want to see any products on the market with even a hint of nicotine in them, so when a new product like electronic cigarettes enters the market that show a huge potential to help people get off tobacco cigarettes, these special-interest anti-smoking groups see these devices as just another way that people can smoke.

I’ll leave it up to you to decide your own opinion, but consider all these facts when you hear in the news about an FDA ban that may or may not come in the future.

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Electronic Cigarette Warranties

Different electronic cigarette brands have different warranties ranging from a few days all the way up to a year, which is the most I’ve ever seen.

Since the warranty periods on electronic cigarettes vary so much, it’s important that you understand how a company stands behind their product and whether or not you can get it replaced or repaired if it breaks down or if you can flat-out return it altogether if you just don’t like it.

Now, I’ve never seen a brand that you could return just because you didn’t like it, especially considering you put your lips on the device to smoke it, so that’s really a no-brainer. However, you should consider a device that has a decent warranty for two reasons. First of all, a warranty obviously shows that the manufacturer and retailer stand behind the product. Second, in the event that your electronic cigarette malfunctions or is damaged in some way, you can get it repaired or replaced free of charge during the warranty period.

Being that electronic cigarettes are so new, many retailers are just selling rebranded versions of the same product with little or no warranty. I don’t have any problem with retailers selling rebranded versions of the same product, in fact that’s a good thing with any new product because it allows that retailer to choose a manufacturer that is much larger and firmly established from which to source its products, leaving that retailer able to focus on customer service and the business of marketing his product. The downside of this, however, is that a lot of times you get small retailers with little knowledge of the manufacturing process behind their products, and little control of this process, who are unwilling to warrant the product against defects.

That said, I personally own several models of electronic cigarettes that came without warranties simply because that’s the only way those models can be had and I had heard good things about them from friends. No warranty is not necessarily a bad thing, you just have to make sure you’re buying a reputable model from a reputable source.

For those looking for specific products offering longer warranties, check out NJOY or BluCigs; I believe each of those products offers a one-year warranty.

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Electronic cigarettes – A healthier alternative to smoking

Electronic cigarettes are incredible little devices that every smoker should know about. It’s incredibly exciting to think of the possibilities posed by electronic cigarettes and Hal maybe, someday, they could completely replace tobacco cigarettes and dramatically reduce incidents of cancer and other illnesses caused by smoking traditional cigarettes.

There haven’t been any direct studies related to safety of electronic cigarettes, which is one of the reasons the FDA is currently pressuring electronic cigarette manufacturers to fund such studies. In spite of the fact that there haven’t been any formal studies completed, many prominent tobacco researchers and scientists claim that electronic cigarettes are probably significantly safer than regular cigarettes.

It doesn’t take a scientist to understand that electronic cigarettes are probably quite a bit safer than real cigarettes. The major toxin found in real cigarettes is in fact not a toxin at all, instead it’s the byproducts of combustion that are so harmful to human beings. To be sure, many of the chemicals found in a tobacco cigarette or dangerous and/or deadly, but the real killer are the chemicals found in the smoke created by burning things, in the case of cigarettes, by burning tobacco.

When a person inhales these byproducts of combustion, to include dangerous chemicals like carbon monoxide and tar, these chemicals seeping to the bloodstream damage the lungs and have a negative effect on other vital bodily functions.

The incredible promise I see electronic cigarettes, and why I’m speaking about these as if they’re not already out, because they are, but I digress… the amazing thing about these devices is that they allow you to smoke a cigarette without actually inhaling any byproducts of combustion! They’re able to do this because they aren’t actually burning anything, in fact, electronic cigarettes simply vaporize a liquid nicotine solution similar to what happens when you boil water. Instead of inhaling smoke, you inhale water vapor mixed with the nicotine solution and flavoring.

This vaporization delivers the nicotine into your bloodstream just like a real cigarette would without all the other chemicals found in the smoke produced by a tobacco cigarette.

Unfortunately, the FDA is trying to ban the sale of these devices in the United States until complete studies are done. While the FDA is fighting these devices, over 400,000 people every year are dying in the United States as a direct result of tobacco usage, all the while, it’s plainly clear that these devices must be significantly safer than real cigarettes. Which begs the question, why is the FDA demanding that extensive studies be conducted right away in order to sell these devices when tens of thousands of people will die during that time.

If you’re considering e-cigs, you should check out some electronic cigarette reviews to see which brand may be the best for you.

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Top 10 cigarette smoking countries

Cigarette smoking is extremely widespread worldwide. Sometimes I think about what it would be like for an alien race encountering humans for the first time on earth and seeing this strange, deadly habit so widespread amongst a species that is considered intelligent. Who knows, maybe they’d be heavy smokers too, but I suspect to an outsider the prevalence of cigarette smoking would seem really strange.

So here’s a little statistic covering the top 10 countries for cigarette smoking. I’ve added the top 10 countries by population for comparison; it’s no surprise really that many of the top 10 cigarette smoking countries also have the largest populations. What is surprising about these numbers is that the top few countries are considered some of the most culturally and technologically advanced in the world, yet that doesn’t seem to have effect on the population’s willingness to smoke cigarettes.

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Smoking statistics

Smoking statistics are always a bit alarming and it’s amazing how widespread tobacco smoking is in the United States and elsewhere in the world. It’s also amazing the number of deaths that occur each year just in the United States as a result of smoking tobacco cigarettes.

In the United States alone there are over 45 million tobacco smokers, and 1.1 billion worldwide. Analysts expect that number to increase to over 1.5 billion by the year 2025.

Every year, worldwide, 5 trillion cigarettes are purchase by smokers.

Another astonishing fact, according to analysts, is that cigarette butts make up nearly 40% of all litter in the entire world. Those cigarette butts create 135,000,000 pounds of extra trash discarded each year.

Although tobacco smoking is extremely prevalent in the United States, we actually only rank fifth worldwide in total number of tobacco smokers. China, India, Indonesia and Russia have more smokers than we do here in the United States. However, we are ahead of other developed countries such as Japan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Germany and Turkey.

Health risks associated with tobacco smoking

In the United States alone nearly 45 people die every hour as a result of tobacco smoking; that’s a total of 400,000 people a year. Roughly 20% of all deaths in the United States can be associated with tobacco usage, which is the single largest cause of preventable death; ahead of AIDS, drugs, homicides, fires and auto accidents combined.

Tobacco cigarettes are rife with dangerous chemical compounds; to date, over 4000 chemicals have been identified in tobacco smoke. Out of those 4000 chemicals, 60 cause cancer. This chemical cocktail is highly addictive; even though 45% of smokers try to quit each year, less than 3% will actually succeed.

Fires are another health risk of tobacco smoking and it’s estimated that cigarettes are responsible for over $6 billion in damages, and over 1000 deaths due to cigarette-caused fires. California is a major state known for its wildfires, and it may surprise you to learn that country-wide, 25% of wildfires are caused by cigarettes.

The cost of cigarettes to the economy

You know all those cigarette breaks we smokers take? Well, analysts estimate that those cigarette breaks account for almost $100 billion in lost productivity to US companies annually as well as huge increases in healthcare costs.

If you’ve ever tried to stop smoking before you’re probably aware of all the other stop smoking devices out there such as nicotine gum, the patch and even prescription medication. Smoking cessation is a $3 billion industry as of 2008, more than double what it was in 2002. Even so, the stop smoking devices are estimated to have less than a 5% success rate.

Tobacco’s tax has been skyrocketing over the past few years and is costing consumers more and more for a pack of cigarettes. In the past 10 years alone the price of a pack of cigarettes has gone up over 200%, and today almost half of the cost of a pack of cigarettes is tax.

At an average of six dollars per pack, a pack a day smoker will spend over $110,000 on cigarettes over 50 years. Just think of what you could do with all that money if you put it away in an IRA or save it in even a low interest-bearing account.

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Using your first electronic cigarette

Electronic cigarettes are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to smoke without actually smoking real tobacco cigarettes. Thousands of people have successfully switched from smoking tobacco cigarettes to smoking electronic cigarettes, a much safer alternative. Although the health claims of these devices have not been verified by scientific studies, there is no doubt that they contain only a tiny fraction of the hazardous chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes and, in fact, many prominent tobacco researchers have stated that the devices are probably significantly safer than real cigarettes.

They’re incredibly simple to operate, however, for those having any difficulty, this article will walk you through the process step-by-step so you know you’re doing it properly.

Electronic cigarette components

In order to start using your electronic cigarette, obviously you better buy one first; that goes without saying…even though I just said it. You can get an electronic cigarette from a variety of manufacturers, so go ahead and search Google or check out some electronic cigarette review websites to find out which brand you should try first. Whatever brand you get you’ll need to purchase a starter kit, which usually includes all the components you need to get started.

Once your electronic cigarette starter kit arrives you’ll need to get if you components ready to assemble, as I don’t know of any models that come pre-assembled. Not to say that they are completely disassembled and you have to be some kind of genius to put the thing together, it’s quite the opposite in fact, there are just three key parts you need to basically screwed together to get the thing working right away. Once you read this article this whole process shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes, if not seconds.

The three main components you need to get together first are the battery, the cartridge and the atomizer. The battery is usually the longest piece and in most models has threads on one end like a screw and an LED on the other end that lights up when you take a drag. The atomizer is the smallest of the three components and usually has a small metal braided wick sticking out of one end and matching threads to allow you to screwed onto the battery. The cartridge is about the size of the filter on a regular tobacco cigarette and contains the nicotine solution, so that should be pretty simple find in your package.

Assembling the electronic cigarette components

Once you have those three components ready, simply screw the atomizer onto the threads of the battery. There’s only one way to do this so you really can’t get it wrong. Next, check if your cartridge has a cap of some sort. Most cartridges come with either a plastic cap or a foil cover to prevent the nicotine solution from leaking out. You want to remove this cap at this point. Once you’ve removed the cap you just slide the cartridge over the exposed end of the atomizer.

Taking your first drag

Now that you’ve assembled the electronic cigarette you can try it out. Your battery should have at least some charge at, however sometimes you may get a completely dead battery that needs a full charging before you can try the device. Regardless, let’s give it a try and see how it works.

Depending on what model electronic cigarette you purchase, you may have either a manual or automatic battery. You’ll know you have a manual battery if it has a small button on the side of it. In order to activate a manual battery, and generate the vapor to inhale, you have to press that little button. Automatic batteries, on the other hand, are activated by a pressure switch that senses when you inhale so you don’t have to worry about the button if you have an automatic battery.

So now, go ahead and either press that button if you have one or just take a drag, lightly, through the mouthpiece end of the cartridge. You may want to try doing this in front of a mirror because you can see whether or not the LED on the tip of your battery illuminates when taking a drag (if you have an LED of course). If you take a drag in your LED does not illuminate, you’ve probably got a dead battery and should charge it and then try to repeat this process. If your battery LED illuminates while taking a drag (and pressing the button if you have a manual battery) you should be good to go and your electronic cigarette should be generating vapor.

Obviously at this point you just inhale the vapor like you would the smoke from a tobacco cigarette. You may have to hit the device a little bit harder or a little bit lighter than you’re used to at first, it just depends on which brand you purchased. At this point it’s really just trial and error to get it to work the way you want it to.

What to expect

Keep in mind that smoking an electronic cigarette is slightly different than tobacco cigarette. Depending on the brand you purchased, you may have to hit the device a little harder or maybe a little softer than you’re used to with a tobacco cigarette. You may also find that you have to take a slightly longer drag, but again this depends on the brand you purchase.

In conclusion, I hope this article helps you to get a running start on using your electronic cigarette for the first time. These are really incredible little devices and I think they have an amazing potential to help people get off tobacco cigarettes and I really hope you enjoy your experience as much as I do.

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Do electronic cigarettes look stupid?

A few months back I saw a guy smoking outside of a bar I was at and started talking to him. After a few minutes of chatting I realized he wasn’t smoking a normal cigarette. I asked him about it and he told me it was an electronic cigarette from BluCigs. That’s what made me purchase the BluCigs starter kit and that’s pretty much all I’ve smoked since.

When I first saw the guy smoking I didn’t even realize that he was smoking electronic cigarette, even though I had already tried electronic cigarettes and had been smoking them for almost a year at that point. Nonetheless, I had never seen an electronic cigarette that looks so much like a real cigarette before. I always felt a little weird smoking my electronic cigarettes in public because they were all really big and most of them were all black, so it was quite obvious I was smoking something different. I’m not the type that likes to be the center of attention so that really caused me to slow my smoking down in public just because I got sick of people asking me what I was smoking.

Once I saw this guy smoking outside the bar I realized I had missed a brand in doing my research that obviously looked exactly like a real cigarette.

Ever since BluCigs hit the market the strive to make electronic cigarettes look like real cigarettes seems to be the trend and it appears I’m not alone in my desire to find an electronic cigarette that looks close to a real cigarette as possible. So, after that night I decided to buy the BluCigs starter kit and was impressed at not only the quality of the device but also at how much it looked like a real cigarette. The only difference was that I had a blue light at the tip instead of a red one like a real cigarette would have.

I found the blue light didn’t really matter all that much because everything else about it looks so much like a real cigarette you overlook the fact that there’s a blue light at the end…the weird thing is other people don’t seem to notice either…just like me that night outside the bar. Nonetheless, NJOY makes an electronic cigarette that looks exactly like a real cigarette but has a red light at the end so it’s even closer in appearance to a tobacco cigarette than BluCigs are. Although NJOY’s electronic cigarette has that red light, I tried them and I found that they weren’t quite as good as BluCigs, they were still really good, they just didn’t taste the same, so I stuck with BluCigs.

So I guess the answer to the question of whether or not electronic cigarettes look stupid is a personal one. I think most of the brands available do look stupid, but that’s because they are 6 inches long, twice as thick as a real cigarette and are all black or stainless steel or some other color with a strange design on it. The newer models that I mentioned above however, look so similar to a real cigarette that you can’t even tell the difference.

If you want to check out a great site I found where they review electronic cigarettes, go to http://www.electroniccigaretteweb.com and check out their reviews section. They also have a customer ratings section where people rate their experience with these things so you can see what other people had to say.

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Where to buy electronic cigarettes online

Electronic cigarettes are very new to the market, and because of this they can be hard to find in brick and mortar retail outlets. I’m sure that will change as soon as those retailers see how effective they are and how well they sell, but until then, most people in the United States will have to buy their electronic cigarettes online for the near future.

There are quite a few companies out there that sell electronic cigarettes and they range in price anywhere from $40-$200 for a basic starter kit, which includes everything you need to get started. So, with all these options available, and a wide range of prices, how should you know where to buy your electronic cigarette? This article will help you do just that.

Electronic cigarette review sites

Whenever I’m having trouble finding something or deciding on a product amongst a wide range of competing products online, I always look for a good review site with detailed information of the product I’m looking for. I’ve found review sites to be really helpful and, although some look like they were just thrown up in a matter of minutes by some teenager looking to make a quick buck, some are very well done and very helpful in helping you find high-quality products.

One of the best electronic cigarette review websites I’ve found so far is ElectronicCigaretteWeb.com. There was obviously quite a bit of thought and planning that went into the design and structure of that site so it’s a safe bet to assume that the person in charge of the site might be a pretty reliable source of information.

I’ve bought every product they’ve reviewed on that site, although it’s only been a few, and I’ve found their reviews to be spot on. It seems that they only cover the best brands available, so you won’t find any low-quality products or overly expensive ones on their website, but who wants to pay a bunch of money for a poor product anyway? As of this writing the top three brands they have on their website include BluCigs, NJOY, and the M402 model electronic cigarettes. I personally own all these models and can vouch for the quality of them. I’ve tried a number of other electronic cigarettes before I found electroniccigaretteweb.com and was pretty sorely disappointed. Many of them are just overpriced and well marketed so I’m glad I found a good review site that’s accurate.

I think the most expensive brand they review on Electronic Cigarette Web is around $75 or something like that, and the cheapest brand is about 40 bucks. If you spend any more than that you’re probably getting ripped off.

If you’re looking for more information you can certainly Google “electronic cigarette reviews” and find other review sites that will direct you to high-quality electronic cigarettes. I’ve been smoking electronic cigarettes for over a year now and I have to admit that I love it. It does take a bit of getting used to at first, perhaps a couple of days to get over the initial differences, but after that it’s just like smoking a tobacco cigarette except not nearly the amount of harmful chemicals. Not to mention the fact that you can save quite a bit of money; in my case it was something like $500-$600 a year that I saved by switching to electronic cigarettes.

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How to use an electronic cigarette

Electronic cigarettes are really quite simple to use; although they certainly function a bit differently than traditional tobacco cigarettes, there’s no question that anyone can get up and running with a brand new e-cig in minutes. This article details how to get started right away.

Open the e-cig packaging

Obviously, you’ll need to open the box and unwrap all the pieces to get started. Most electronic cigarette brands ship with some battery charge so you should be able to get rolling right away. If you find your battery is completely drained, plug it in for a couple hours to charge and then come back to this walk-through.

The 3 main pieces you should get together are one battery, one atomizer, and one cartridge. These should be easy to find. The battery is the long one with the LED at the tip. The atomizer is probably the smallest item in the box with a small braided metallic thing sticking out of one end of it. Finally, the cartridge is about the size of the filter on a traditional tobacco smoke and contains the nicotine solution. Some cartridges have a foil covering, others may have a plastic cap or nothing at all covering the end. The cover has to be removed before assembly, so go ahead and do that.

Assembling the electronic cigarette

Once you’ve got all the pieces together, assembly is very simple. The atomizer usually screws into one end of the battery, so go ahead and do that. Next, on most brands, the open end of the cartridge simply slides right over the top of the metal braided end of the atomizer.

Taking a drag

What you do next depends on whether you have an automatic or manual battery. If you’re not sure, look at the outside of your batter…do you see a small button? If so, it’s a manual battery, if not, it’s automatic.

If you have an automatic battery, put the cartridge end of the assembled electronic cigarette to your lips and inhale lightly. If you have a manual battery you’ll need to do the same thing only press the button on the battery at the same time you inhale. It may help to do this in front of a mirror to see if the LED at the tip of the battery is lighting up. If not, you’re battery is probably drained and you need to charge it.

If the LED is lighting up but you’re not getting any vapor, hit it for a few seconds, then wait a few seconds and hit it again. Repeat this process 5 – 10 times as sometimes it takes a bit for the nicotine solution to work its way up into the atomizer.

If you’ve done this for a bit and still aren’t getting any vapor, try hitting a little bit harder, although you shouldn’t have to hit any harder than a traditional smoke at any point.

You should be getting decent vapor production at this point. New atomizers tend to take a day or so to really get working as they should, and some of them have a strange taste at first. That’s normal and should wear off in about a day.

If you’re still not getting any vapor production, slide the cartridge off the atomizer. Is the atomizer wick (that braided metal thing) a little damp? It should have some nicotine solution on it. If it is damp and you’re not getting any vapor, you may have a dead atomizer. However, if it’s not damp, your nicotine solution may not be getting up to the atomizer like it should.

You can check inside the cartridge at this point with tweezers or something and you should find a small fabric ball about the size of the head of a q-tip. That fabric should be moist with nicotine solution. If not, you’ve got an empty cartridge.

If everything looks good and you’re still not getting vapor, you’ll have to call the company you purchased from as you may have to get it replaced.

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