There IS a legal way to get around cigarette smoking bans; a way that smokers and NON-smokers can peacefully co-exist.
This likely makes smoking bans obsolete, or at a minimum irrelevant.
In my humble opinion, YES, electronic cigarettes are the answer to cigarette smoking bans. Electronic cigarettes can technically still be Read the rest of this entry »
So here I am complaining a couple posts back about random mis-informed blogs like Mero Guff trashing electronic cigarettes and now I hear a supposedly respectable NPR stream trashing electronic cigarettes showcased at CES also.
What gives?
I actually have 2 NPR streams that I would like to compare and contrast in this post for you. I must warn you though. If you listen to both of these streams back to back while reading this you are likely to be either very upset or very happy.
If you are like me you will be very happy and I will explain why in a second.
First, go ahead and give a listen to the first NPR Stream, What’s Hot at CES 2009 in Las Vegas Nevada. About 2 minutes into the stream, NPR correspondent David Was is asked what was the worst thing he saw at CES.
His answer?
The greatest thing I saw was the e-cigarette, the electronic cigarette, which is supposedly to help you to quit smoking. A Chinese company is marketing this. A smokeless nicotine delivery system that you hold in your hand. It makes what looks like smoke, its actually water vapor. And, I figure the digital syringe is just around the corner. You know if you shoot virtual heroine instead of that horrible Mexican stuff…
First, a clarification. Mr. Was, if by saying electronic cigarettes help you quit smoking you mean that you will be able to switch to a smoking alternative that is technically not smoking then yes they may help you quit.
Electronic cigarettes are still not approved as a smoking cessation product though. Be careful what you say Dave or the World Health Organization (WHO) may jump on your case.
I don’t know what company and e-cigarette brand he is referring to, but I am assuming it is probably the same one the video at Mero Guff was showing off as you can see here:
video referred to in NPR stream
OK, so the guy explaining electronic cigarettes in the video is kind of a jerk, but you get the point.
Now, check out this NPR stream #2, Study: Military Smoking Rates Higher Than Public. The gentleman that conducted the research cited many interesting findings in this 5-minute piece.
Some things I found especially interesting in this NPR stream is that tobacco companies used to target the military and the Red Cross used to put cigarettes into their care packages for our troops.
Personally, this bothered me, but what if you are one to think, “so what?”
Well the most interesting thing in this NPR stream about the findings of the research in my opinion is that more troops will actually die from illness related to tobacco and cigarettes than injuries sustained in war!
The NPR stream goes onto to say that this statistic makes spending initiatives to reduce the rate of military cigarette and tobacco usage just as important spending on supplies such as body armor.
While, even I think that is debatable lets take a step back here for a second to compare and contrast this and then I will tell you why I am so excited.
Both NPR streams are stories about a problem of cigarette and tobacco addiction that is beyond epidemic proportion in America. The story about military smoking rates is searching for a place to spend money on a solution. The CES 2009 stream has found the solution and has quickly discarded it as a novelty or a joke.
Please understand that I am in NO WAY insinuating that there is any humor in our troops coming back from defending our freedom totally addicted to nicotine and eventually dieing from smoking related illness.
I do at least find a little humor in the fact that the mass media and even a particular outlet has reported both the problem and the solution, but has not made the connection between the two yet.
So do you want to know why this excites me?
Initially I got upset when I heard anything in the media like this against electronic cigarettes. As of this post I have decided that this type of news now excites me. Why? Because looking back I realize that often times if people didn’t take something like this seriously in the past that this is an indication that a shift is taking place.
People are scoffing and ignoring electronic cigarettes like they are a joke while many suppliers of the devices are quietly distributing their products and retailers are amassing their stocks of electronic smoking products.
Within a few short years (maybe even this year!) a tipping point will be reached and electronic cigarettes will be mainstream making every smoker aware that they have a choice.
Hopefully people other than me will look back at this post and laugh at these NPR streams harder than I am now.
NJOY Cigarette now sold at some Pilot Travel Centers
I thought some people out there might be excited to know that the NJOY cigarette made news on Reuters a couple weeks ago. I just found the article from Business Wire.
I realize 2 weeks might be considered old news in the blogosphere but after I read the article I thought there were some AWESOME stats that I could quote on the NJOY cigarette and the companies selling them.
First, I had no idea they are spreading so quick though retail channels. Reuters attributes the rapid spread of the NJOY cigarette to a recent partnership with a high volume distributor called the TSC Group.
Reuters went on to say that the TSC Group is making the NJOY cigarette available to Pilot Travel Centers, The Pantry and The Kangaroo convenience stores, Travel Centers of America, Petro travel and convenience stores, BJ`s Wholesale Club, and Bashas, as well major web presences such as Target.com and Costco.com.
So if that many stores are selling the NJOY cigarette, that means there are lots of people buying.
You will NOT find me on the phone with my local Travel Center to see if they have some in stock and what their price is though!
At this point ordering online is way more convenient and probably cheaper. If you are like me you can find out where to buy the NJOY cigarette and other brands online by clicking “Where to Buy” on this page.
On to some more cool stats!
Reuters also cited a survey of NJOY cigarette customers that states that 92% liked the product so much that they told other people about it. This is almost unbelievable!
Ok, Im sure they are not talking about 92% of 10 people. The article doesn’t give more details about the survey so it might just be talking about earlier adopters, but who knows. Maybe they did a double-blind randomized control thing-a-ma-jigger!
Cool stat #3: The NJOY cigarette is now distributed in 50 different countries and has amassed 50,000 customers in just 2 years. It will be cool to look back on this blog post of mine in a year to compare it to new stats on the NJOY cigarette.
Reuters mentions the NCIG, NPRO, and NGAR models most are familiar with and then they also mention the NROBO which is apparently a disposable cigar. I still have not seen the NROBO NJOY cigarette err I mean cigar on the web site though and I think this is the second or third time is has been mentioned.
Am I going to have to call the Travel Center to get my NROBO? Blast it!
I leave you with on final sobering stat that is not really an NJOY cigarette stat. But, maybe it could be related some day.
Reuters said,
An estimated 20.9 percent (45.1 million) of U.S. adults smoke tobacco
This is probably one reason why health care costs are sky high. I have heard that smoking is the #1 preventable cause of death in the U.S. (still looking for a source for that one).
If the 92% NJOY cigarette referral stat is correct could we be close to putting a dent in that 45.1 million number? I hope so.
Click here if you want to read the Reuters article for yourself.
I leave you with this call to action. Tell a smoker friend about electronic cigarettes. If they are skeptical tell them to google “NJOY cigarette on Reuters.”
I decided its time to take another break from writing reviews to talk about how the electronic cig is being misunderstood by most people. This includes non-smokers AND smokers alike.
The motivation for this post originates from people passing judgment on other blogs and a few recent comments I received in response to some of my articles on this blog as well as feedback I have gotten in general about electronic cigarettes.
Lets start with the blog post from the “Mero Guff” blog that called the electronic cig one of the “stupidest and worst tech products at CES 2009.”
The Consumer Electronic Show (CES) is known for showcasing the newest and most innovative technology that promises to improve the quality of life for everyone.
The writer at Mero Guff decided to express their opinion on the electronic cig demonstrated at CES while potentially influencing people who might actually be considering switching to what most believe is a healthier alternative to smoking.
A couple comments posted in response to this article on Mero Guff defended other so called “stupid” CES products the writer criticized. This suggested that this Mero Guff writer and potentially the entire blog occasionally makes severe negative snap judgments to attract some readers.
It works for the 10 o’clock news so why not in a blog right?
The other comments people wrote complain that the writer needs to “get their facts straight.” I didn’t see any comments defending the electronic cig. I was about to write a comment when I decided I would do my own post on the topic and get a ping-back link to this article.
If the Mero Guff admin decides he or she will not approve a ping-back from my link to their post, or doesn’t have ping-backs turned on for some reason, I will go back to the site and submit a comment with a few facts on the electronic cig.
For anyone who is here reading this as a result of the ping-back or the Mero Guff writer is here reading this, there are a few basics on the electronic cig that you should know that justifies the product:
Sounds like just the product we have been waiting for! A no-brainier right?
Wrong. I still encounter what I think are unusual levels of resistance to the idea even in talking with other people in person while showing them how it works.
I know it is human nature to try to resist new ideas, but man! I really thought people would say, “its about time, why did it take so long to invent something like this?”
I still get the knee jerk reaction, even from fellow smokers of, “why would you want to do that” and “does it have nicotine in it?” Of course there is nicotine in it! I mean, I could ask, “why would you want to smoke regular cigarettes when you know there is something like 4000 chemicals including known carcinogens?”
None of it makes sense and is a little frustrating. It is making me consider turning this simple little blog into a movement. Here is why:
What if this type of thinking gets into the minds of our legislators when the electronic cig becomes popular enough that the government has to decide whether the devices are included in all the smoking bans currently in effect or not? Something needs to be done before it is too late.
I would really to hear from you if you have any ideas as to why people are thinking the way they are and what can be done about it? Please post a comment.
In the mean time, I will continue to consider myself what can be done to increase awareness and knowledge of the electronic cig so that everyone has an opportunity to make their own choice before it is too late.
I will be reviewing the Crown 7 electronic cigar in this post, but the other Crown 7 reviews on this site have included their “pen-style” simply known as the “traditional” and their new mini-electronic Crown 7 cigarette called “Hydro” in case you would like to also read those reviews.
As I mentioned in the other Crown 7 reviews, this company is a fairly large supplier of electronic cigarettes in the U.S. If you read the reviews on the traditional model there are some additional details about the company you may find interesting or useful to you.
Like pretty much every brand of electronic cigarettes out there, the Crown 7 electronic cigar provides an excellent value so more people are considering trying the e cig devices because startup cost is minimal and provide almost the same experience as the Crown 7 products in the other 2 reviews.
Starter Kit Contents:
The Crown 7 electronic cigar, battery charger, 2 lithium batteries, 2 nicotine cartridges, instruction manual, pocket holder / mouth-piece cover.
Rating Scale:
Average
Poor 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Excellent
Cartridge Rating = 4.0
There are 5 Crown 7 cartridges in a pack. Four levels of nicotine concentration are offered: high, medium, low and zero (0mg). There are 7 flavors offered at all nicotine levels and they are: tobacco, menthol, vanilla bean, espresso, untamed cherry, juicy grape, bursting melon.
The flavors are great although I do think they over-do marketing of fruity refills with words like, “juicy” and “bursting” a little more than is warranted. They taste good, but the flavoring is subtle.
Like brands in the other reviews, the Crown 7 refills carry a lot of nicotine solution that definitely lasts almost as long maybe a little longer than 3 packs of cigarettes, but this will depend on how you smoke it.
The selection of cartridge flavors for Crown 7 is very good compared to models in other reviews with 7 very popular flavors to choose. Also the nicotine hit this brand delivers seems to be a little better than other brands.
Atomizer Rating = 3.0
Like models in other reviews the Crown 7 atomizer produces lot of smoke so long as you don’t inhale. I am beginning to this is more by design for the cigar models. Basically, if you inhale the smoke, even very briefly, the exhale will contain little or no vapor.
One doesn’t usually inhale cigar smoke and this may even be more a function of the nicotine solution in the cartridge than the atomizer.
Again, like similar models in other reviews, the atomizer is build into the tube housing and I am not aware of a way you can remove the atomizer so that it can be replaced or cleaned.
Finally, the atomizer in this model requires a medium draw that resembles the draw of a real cigar.
Batteries & Charger Rating = 3.5
The Crown 7 cigar includes a slightly different charging system than products in the reviews, but is still roughly what you would expect to find in an electronic cigar.
The rechargeable 3.6 volt 360mAh lithium battery is accessed by screwing and unscrewing the tip. This is the type of battery that could be purchased from a third party but I have not found a source. If someone knows a good source please post a comment.
The batteries with the Crown 7 starter kit worked great and had no problem getting the atomizer warm and keeping the drag to a medium level after a couple primer puffs.
The Crown 7 also doesn’t have a microcontroller in the battery to blink the LED to tell you when to recharge the battery. You will need to wait until vapor production seems reduced and then check the nicotine cartridge to make sure it is still “juicy” before replacing the battery.
The Crown 7 charger is very similar to other models that plugs right into the wall. The drawback of this charger of course is there is no way to use it in a car. But, this is common of electronic cigar battery chargers and you can always buy enough extra batteries from if you can find them cheap from a third party.
One interesting thing to note is that I haven’t experienced or heard anyone having problems with these chargers in other reviews and internet chatter.
Construction / Quality Rating = 3.0
The Crown 7 is on the heavy side and I believe it is made out of stainless steel or another fairly solid metal. This makes it very difficult to dangle the cigar from your mouth, but there are even few mini e cigs in the other reviews that come close anyway.
This model has a very nice gloss black finish (probably paint) that seems to be the same color and finish as their pen-style e cig in the other Crown 7 reviews. I have seen other painted finishes that almost seem like lacquer that seems like it would be higher quality, but I didn’t experience any chipping or flaking after some mishandling.
The LED in the Crown 7 cigar is mounted along the edge of the tube / cap and is not centered. Since the tube of the body is so thick the light is scattered poorly while taking a drag unless you look at it from specific angles.
Also, like electronic cigars in other reviews, the tip lights and shuts off immediately when taking a drag and does not glow brighter and dim slowly like most electronic cigarettes.
Cost Rating = 3.5
The cost of the Crown 7 electronic cigar starter kit is the lowest when compared to the products in the other Crown 7 reviews, but not the cheapest when compared to other brands.
Cartridge prices are about average compared to other brands. Crown 7 does now offer a nicotine solution than can be used to “drip” the cigar cartridges when they get low, but it is only offered in regular flavor and high strength so it didn’t help the cost score.
Finally, since I fear that out of warranty atomizer failure could become a factor since you will probably have to replace the whole unit by purchasing another starter kit since I can’t see a way to just replace the atomizer in this model.
Style and Extra Features
As in the other Crown 7 reviews the electronic cigar is offered only in black with gold trim and is advertised as an “art-deco style.”
I find this style to be very classy, but I do have a slight problem with the end cap on the side that has the orange LED and diffuser lens. The lens that scatters the light from the LED is too cheap-looking and somewhat detracts from what is otherwise a very classy style.
The last interesting Crown 7 feature is a mouthpiece cover with a ball point pen style clip on the end. I find this to be a very nice feature that keeps your Crown 7 in place in your jacket pocket or purse. It also protects the mouth piece from dirt and seals in the moisture of the nicotine cartridge.
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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!
