E-smoking Basics:
I. Introduction:
E-smoking is very similar, but still different from smoking traditional "analog" cigarettes. With a little knowledge and a small amount of patience, you will be on the path to enjoying e-cigarettes as much (and possibly even more) than traditional smoking. First, we will point out the differences between "smoking" and "vaping".
II. Getting Started:
When using your electronic cigarette for the first time, you are going to notice a potentially undesirable "plasticy" taste. This is normal when using your new e-cig for the first time and will go away quickly as the atomizer heats. Think of the first time you turn on your furnace every year. It smells bad until it runs for a few minutes. Same idea here. After about 10 to 15 good solid puffs, this taste will deminish. This also applies when you replace a burned out atomizer as well. We will refer to this period as "Breaking in your atomizer".
Speaking of your atomizer, this is a part of the e-cig that will need to be replaced from time to time. How long that period of time is depends upon how much you use your e-cig. On average, it is safe to say that an atomizer will last for 2 weeks to a month. You will know when it is time to replace the atomizer (or "Atty" as many call them) when you take a nice long draw from your e-cig and you get no vapor. First, though, verify that you battery is charged before blaming and replacing the atty. It is ALWAYS a good idea to have at least one spare on hand.
III. The Basics:
Your new e-cig has 3 basic parts. The rechargeable battery, the atomizer and the cartridge (or "Carts" as they are commonly referred to). The role of the battery is to supply power to the atomizer. The atty then gently heats the e-smoking liquid that is in the cart, producing vapor. The cart is a plastic tip that covers the atomizer and has a cottony fiber inside to hold the flavored smoking oil into a super fine mist that closely resembles smoke.
Manufacturers claim that the contents of the cartridges contents are equivalent to smoking anywhere between 5 and 20 "analog" cigarettes. I have personally not found this to be accurate on any level! In my experience, I have found that a cart contains the fluid to equate to 3 to 7 cigarettes, depending on the model of e-cig you choose to buy. All e-cigs have different capacities which we will look into later on. It will most likely prove to be beneficial and cost effective for you to refill your spent carts instead of buying new ones. It will also give you the opportunity to try out and use flavors other than the ones that come in the carts.We will explore that later as well.
The use of an e-cig is similar to regular smoking, but there are some differences that will take a bit of adjustment. The first difference is that with a traditional cigarette, you have to commit 7 to 10 minutes of your time to smoke it. It is part of the habit; you have to stop what you are doing and light up. With the e-cig, you don't have to make any commitments. you just pick it up and puff as desired. This is good, but it can be confusing, too. Traditional cigarettes have a built in timer in that you use it until just before it burns your fingers. You put it out and your cigarette is done. E-cigs do not have this timer, so it is difficult for the user to know when they have "had their cigarette". In time, you will get with the program, however.
"Smoking" an e-cigarette is a bit of a different experience, in that you can't really just take it out of your pocket and take a drag. you have to "prime" the atomizer first by taking a few short puffs first to get things going. (much like a cigar smoker would puff 3 or 4 times before taking a draw).
Traditional cigarettes don't need to be re-charged. As a pack-a-day smoker, I have found that the two batteries that came in my starter kit are just barely enough to get me through a normal day without needing to re-charge. This is with a mini style e-cig. The pen styles have a bit more battery life. We will talk about that in the next section.
When it comes to the flavor liquid in your e-cig, you have a couple of options: You can buy packs of replacement carts and change out the tip every time the fluid is gone, or you can carry a bottle of e-liquid with you to drip into the carts when they dry up. I will expand on this more in the next section as well.
Rather than to carry a cigarette pack, you will carry your smoking kit with you. I keep my accoutrements in a small camera bag (which is almost exactly the same size as a cigarette pack). It is made from neoprene material with a zipper and is easily pocketable. (Plus... it doesn't crush or become uncomfortable like cigarette flip top boxes). In my kit, I carry the following list of "stuff":
- one spare battery
- small tweezers (for handling the fiber inside the cartridge if needed)
- one spare atomizer
- 1 or 2 10 ml bottles of e-liquid (to drip my carts when they are empty)
- 2 extra carts that I can drip e-fluid in to as needed... maybe different flavors, etc.
IV. Which E-cig is right for me?
There are many different models of E-cigarettes available. It can be a bit confusing, since many e-cigs are marketed under different brand names, but can be exactly the same product. It can be difficult to know what parts fit what e-cig. Choosing the right e-cig is going to take a bit of thought on your part to decide what is right for you.
Most e-cig models can support a pack-a-day smoking habit out of the box. Some of them can do it with some left over, while others just barely make it, and might leave you without if you have a late-nighter unless you recharge at some point during the day or have an extra battery. Some e-cigs make a lot of vapor (Which is what gives you the feel of smoking and delivers the flavor/nicotine to you), while others fall short in this department. Research your decision before making a purchase.
There are basically four different types of e-smoking personal vaporizers (e-cigs) they are "Minis", "Pen Style". "E-cigars" and "E-pipes". Each of these designs have their own sets of advantages and disadvantages. Here, we will explore those differences.
"Minis": The closest in size to a real cigarette, the minis come in a variety of styles and colors. First, the style that closely resembles a cigarette. These are brown and white. From across a room you might appear to be smoking a real cigarette. Up close, however, it looks like you are smoking a toy. the disadvantage of this style is that at a glance, you might be fingered for smoking in a place where you shouldn't be. My first e-cig was this type and I quickly found myself wishing I had opted for something else.
The benefits of the minis are their size. As I stated earlier, they are about the same size as a regular 100mm cigarette. you can slip it into your pocket, and handle it almost like a regular cigarette. Battery life and fluid capacities are rather low on these units as they are just so small. If you have extra batteries and don't mind filling the cartridges more frequently, this might be the avenue for you.
"Pen Styles": the pen style e-cigs are a bit larger than the minis. They are about the size of a writing pen. The advantages to this are the extended battery life and the extra cartridge capacity. The disadvantage is again... size. If this isn't a big deal, then this might be the one for you.
Cigar and pipe styles are basically for those who like that form factor.
V. How it works:
E-cigarettes are a tobaccoless inhalation device which depends on only gentle heat from an atomizer to make vapor out of the liquids in the cartridge. There is no flame, no combustion and therefore no carbon monoxide or other harmful pollutants associated with normal cigarettes. The fluid is made up of 4 ingredients: Propylene Glycol (PG), Flavor extract and distilled water. All of the ingredients are "food grade" materials.
Liquid Nicotine: Liquid nicotine is laboratory-produced and is used commonly in products like nicotine gums, nicotine patches and other products designed to help you stop smoking cigarettes or using smokeless tobacco products.
Propylene Glycol is an oily substance that is used in many household products like food coloring, cake mix, toothpaste and many other consumable products. "PG" is also the base for those liquid-based "plug-in" air fresheners. Yes, it is also an ingredient in "Non Toxic" automobile antifreeze, NOT to be confused with highly toxic Ethylene Glycol, which is the base ingredient for highly toxic antifreeze.
The Flavor Extract is the exact same as the extracts in your kitchen cabinet used for cooking. In fact, many of the food flavored e-liquids use commercially available food extracts from "LorAnn" and other manufactures.
Contrary to what you might read on the Internet about the ingredients list of e-smoking liquids, they do NOT contain things like "Liquid Nitrogen", "Rocket Fuel", "Drain Cleaner" or any of the other nasties that you might read. Is e-smoking a safe alternative to smoking? I can't tell you whether it is safer or not. You will have to do your research and come to a conclusion on your own. Can this product be used as an aide to stop smoking? Again, there is no research to support any claims that this product can be used to aid in the reduction of smoking. I can, however, tell you that after 25 years of being a pack-a-day smoker that I personally enjoy "vaping" over smoking and have been "Smoke-Free" since September 29, 2009.
