Electronic Cigarette Review

The Best Electronic Cigarette Reviews on the Web!

There are 3 different types of electronic cigarettes you should be familiar with before you buy your first electronic cigarette kit and fortunately they are as easy to remember as 1-2-3. They are:

  • 1 Piece Electronic Cigarette Kit
  • 2 Piece Electronic Cigarette Kit
  • 3 Piece Electronic Cigarette Kit

These 3 types of electronic cigarettes shouldn’t be confused with the 4 different styles of electronic cigarettes I wrote about in another article. The difference between the 4 styles and the 3 types is that the term “type” refers primarily to function and the term “style” refers primarily to appearances.

1 Piece Electronic Cigarette Kit: Disposables

The 1 piece electronic cigarette kit is the most convenient and usually the most economical option to start with especially if you are not sure smoking electronic cigarettes will be for you.

The disposable electronic cigarettes and cigars come with a pre-charged battery and non-refillable nicotine cartridge(s). These units usually require some type of activation procedure before they can be used such as pushing or twisting the mouth piece to break a foil seal and connect the battery.

A Box of Disposable Electronic Cigars

A Box of Disposable Electronic Cigars

Disposable electronic cigars seem to be more popular when it comes to 1-piece design and disposable electronic cigars last much longer than disposable electronic cigarettes. Disposable electronic cigarettes are usually mini-style electronic cigarettes intended to mimic real electronic cigarettes and maximize portability.

2 Gamucci Elite Disposable Electronic Cigarettes

2 Gamucci Elite Disposable Electronic Cigarettes

While most disposable electronic cigars and cigarette kits adhere to the 1 – piece design there are a few that actually follow the 2-piece or 3-piece designs described below that simply have a pre-charged battery that is meant to be disposed of and cannot be recharged.

2 Piece Electronic Cigarette Kit: Atomizer Built Into Nicotine Cartridge

Two piece electronic cigarettes are also the second most convenient type as they consist only of a rechargeable battery and a replaceable cartridge. The atomizer is actually built into the nicotine refill cartridge and is sometimes called a “cartomizer.“ Replacing the atomizer with the nicotine refill cartridge every time has its pros and cons.

One thing people do not realize before they buy an electronic cigarette kit is that e cig batteries and atomizers are semi-consumable meaning they usually needs to be replaced approximately every 6-12 weeks. Also atomizers are easy to damage especially if you are not very experienced smoking electronic cigarettes.

The benefit to the 2 piece type of electronic cigarette kit is that atomizer gets replaced each time you use up and replace the nicotine cartridge. Also, you can switch to a different flavor cartridge, even if the current cartridge you are using isn’t used up, and switch back to previous flavor simply by unscrewing and screwing in the different cartridges and you don’t have to worry about the previous flavor of nicotine solution tainting your atomizer because they are complete and separate atomizers.

A Red Dragon 2-Piece Electronic Cigarette Disassembled

A Red Dragon 2-Piece Electronic Cigarette Disassembled

There are 2 main down sides to the 2 piece system. First, you will have to deal with the occasional “bad cartridge” which doesn’t work from the start and needs to be thrown away and replaced immediately.

Second, similar to inkjet printers one can refill nicotine cartridges themselves if they purchase the nicotine solution separately, but the cartridges with the built in atomizers are sealed which makes them harder (but not impossible) to refill the cartridge using a practice known as “dripping.”

3 piece Electronic Cigarette Kit

The 3 piece electronic cigarette kit consist of a separate battery, atomizer and nicotine cartridge. The battery screws into the atomizer and the nicotine cartridge is either screwed or “forced” onto the atomizer where it is held securely until it needs to be unscrewed or pulled off to be replaced or refilled.

The main benefit of the 3 piece kit is that the nicotine cartridges in this system are very easy to refill, taking only seconds to top-off before a smoking session.

NJOY 3 Piece Type Electronic Cigarette Kit

NJOY 3 Piece Type Electronic Cigarette Kit Disassembled

There are 2 drawbacks to the 3 piece system. First, nicotine solution permeates the atomizer so it is best to also switch atomizers if you are going to switch flavors. This will require having spare atomizers on hand that range from about $5 – $25 in price. The second drawback to the 3 piece type is that since the atomizers are semi-consumable they will wear out and need to be replaced approximately every 6-12 weeks. This second drawback makes it even more important to have even more spare atomizers on hand again at a cost of about $5 – $25 apiece.

Which is Best?

Again, which one is best for you will depend on a number of factors. If you have never owned or smoked an “e cig” before but have decided to give it a go for the first time then a disposable electronic cigarette kit is a great low cost first option. The only thing to worry about here is that occasionally a disposable will not work correctly from time to time or may even be dead on arrival.

If you think you will want to switch flavors frequently then a 2 piece electronic cigarette kit may be a good option for you, but if you think you will really want to refill or “drip” nicotine cartridges for even more cost savings and flavor options then you may want to consider the 3 piece type.

One clear difference between the 2 piece and the 3 piece electronic cigarette kits is that most people agree that the vapor from the 3 piece electronic cigarette kits are more flavorful where as the vapor from the 2 piece kits have more of a subtle flavoring to them.

If you are having a hard time deciding between a 2 piece and 3 piece kit then find good suppliers with 30 day money back guarantees an then order both. You can decide which type you like better that way or you may even decide you like both for different reasons and decide to keep them both.

Just like the other article on the 4 e cig styles this article was meant to be informative so I am sorry if it was a little dry!! Hopefully this will help you decide which type of electronic cigarette kit will suit you best.

5 Comments

  1. dave smokless cigarettes says:

    I think I is more cost effective to use a rechargeable kit then disposables

    • Sparky says:

      In the long run I absolutely agree with you.

      If someone is unsure about using electronic cigarettes maybe for the first time, then the disposable is the cheapest upfront investment. This way if it doesn’t work out they don’t have to deal with customer service return shipping etc. and they still get some value / use out of the disposable until it dies.

      • Diane Allen says:

        I somewhat disagree with Sparky.

        If you are a long time smoker with an expensive habit as i was, it made much more sense to make the investment upfront with a 3 piece system with good reviews and drip your own juice of choice (you can play around with what you like) and of course, it needs to meet your nicotene needs. And heres the reason why: If you are serious about COST, HEALTH and your habit, then its imparative to get off on the right foot with everything you need, otherwise your purchase may not meet your needs, therby leaving you with a bad experience with e-cigs, and unfortunately leed you back to very thing you want to get away from.
        Lesson learned, DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME! and make the experience a pleasant one, spend the money, its a pittance to what you’ve already spent on tobacco!

  2. Divinityman says:

    Well I have a three peice, and its the smoke 51 band I purchaced it from my local mall, the advantage for me is that they offer a lifetime warranty and I can just swap out the atomizor, and the batteryif ever they go bad, the only part that is not covered is the cartridge, which I do not need to replace that often due to the fact, I use the liquid, and if you go to a pet store and get fiberfill the white kind for around fish tanks, you can actually put that into the cartridge when the cartridge goes bad, it cost me $3.50 for the fiberfill and there is enough to make at least 60 cartridges

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About Me

The Electronic Cigarette Review is NOT about me.

Its here for millions of people in America and the rest of the world who smoke and may be considering electronic cigarettes as an alternative for their health, smoking bans, outrageous taxes and other costs.

When I went to the web searching for GOOD information on electronic cigarettes it was difficult to find.

This site will have something useful here for everyone thinking about trying electronic cigarettes or those who are looking to take their new found joy of smoking the e cig to the next level!

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