Electronic Cigarette Review

A new U.S. company called Red Dragon Products has joined suppliers world-wide to market and sell a new type of mini electronic cigarette.

So what’s different about this mini electronic cigarette?

A fresh new atomizer is built-in to every Red Dragon cigarette refill cartridge. Kiss atomizer failure woes good-bye! This mini cigarette is also the smallest one I have seen so far.

The new Red Dragon mini electronic cigarette is not perfect though as new product offerings typically trade one set of problems for a slightly smaller problem as you find out by reading the rest of this review.

Overall, the new Red Dragon mini electronic cigarette left a very positive impression and this company seems to be the most economical supplier of this exciting new e cig at the time of writing this article.

Mini Electronic Cigarette Review:

• Manufacturer / Supplier: Red Dragon Products, LLC.
• Country: U.S.A.
• Model: 8 piece kit
• Style: Mini
• Starter Kit Price: $39.95 – $79.95
• Cartridge Price (4-Pack): $11.95
• Number of flavors: 6 (Stock), 25 (Speical Order)
• Nicotine Levels Offered: High, Medium, Low, Zero
• Nicotine Solution for Dripping: No
• Draw: Easy to Medium
• Warranty: Yes 1 year (and 30-day money back guarantee)

Starter Kit Contents:

2 Red Dragon mini electronic cigarettes / lithium batteries, 1 USB charger, 1 USB wall adapter, 5 nicotine cartridges (customer selects flavor / strength) instruction manual.

Rating Scale:

Average

Poor 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Excellent

• Ratings and Score:
  • Batteries and Charger: 3.5
  • Atomizer: 4.5
  • Cartridges: 3.5
  • Construction / Quality: 3.0
  • Cost: 4.0
• Overall: 3.7 (above average)

Cartridge Rating = 3.5

The replacement cartridges with built-in atomizers come 4 in a pack. Four levels of nicotine concentration are available: high (16mg), medium (11mg), low (6mg) and zero (0mg). These mini electronic cigarette cartridges also come in 4 different colors including white, gold, green and brown.

Red Dragon regularly stocks white and gold colored cartridges in 6 different flavors at the time of this review including Regular, Light, Cherry, Marlboro, Menthol and Vanilla.

The green and brown cartridges as well as the other 19 cartridge flavors are special order.

Each Red Dragon cartridge is supposed to last as long as 20 traditional cigarettes (1-pack), but this will depend on individual smoking habits. The “high” nicotine cartridge only contains 16mg but it seems to actually deliver a good nicotine hit.

Ok, and now for the complicated part! The atomizer is built into the cartridge, BUT I am still going to do my best to separate the two for purposes of this review. Weighing the trade-offs isn’t that hard when you break it down so here goes:

First impressions of the cartridges were pretty good. They last much longer than the other mini electronic cigarette models I have tested probably even longer than 20 cigarettes in most cases, but they only come 4 in a pack whereas other brands package 10 refills in a pack so the tradeoff is more or less even there.

It is a huge convenience to be able to swap different flavors and strengths without any taste lingering in the atomizer and without having to worry about getting nicotine solution on your hands. Each refill is packaged in form fitting silicone end caps that you can actually put back on to maintain freshness.

I like the fact that they stock 3 different tobacco flavors: light, regular and Marlboro. They all had a very subtle taste that was true to their name. All the flavors tested were quite tasty but I would say the taste is not as flavorful as other brands, but the vapor also carries less odor as well.

There are a couple tradeoffs that should be noted though.

Like I said the cartridges seem to last long in most cases so that means there is an exception. Out of the 9 cartridges I tried 1 of them was actually faulty in some way. I got a few decent puffs and then it started to get harsh on me. It was actually the first cartridge I tried so I thought it was supposed to be that way.

After I took a few more drags it got very harsh so I decided to try the other flavors. None of the other cartridges produced this harshness until maybe a little bit at the end when they went empty.

So it seems that there are still some kinks to be worked out in the manufacturing of these new cartridges. Until then it is fortunate that it is quick and easy to screw on a new cartridge if you happen to get a bad one.

Finally, it seems like dripping these cartridges may be a little more difficult than the other mini electronic cigarettes out there. I e-mailed the folks at Red Dragon asking them if it is even possible to refill the cartridges and they sent me a procedure on how to do it that I will share with you in another post.

Atomizer Rating = 4.5

Building the atomizer into the cartridge proved to be a great idea in the testing of this mini electronic cigarette.

You can switch between and compare flavors very quickly because the solution flavor from the previous cartridge doesn’t linger in the atomizer between switches since it is a completely different atomizer!

Testing different flavors has been a challenge with the other brands especially menthol because it is such a strong flavor.

Some people are probably wondering if the atomizers are cheap since the replacement cartridges are only a few bucks each.

I know I certainly did.

I can confidently say the atomizers seem to be high quality and that they perform very well producing the most smoke vapor of the mini electronic cigarettes I have tested so far The atomizer only requires an easy to medium draw strength to get this impressive amount of vapor.

Even after inhaling deeply the volume of smoke produced on the exhale was good.

The smoke produced is not only abundant, but also warm especially after a couple primer puffs. The smoke was also fairly consistent in its abundance right up until the end when the cartridge ran dry.

Every cartridge tested had a functional atomizer and I believe the bad cartridge I had just didn’t get filled with the proper amount of nicotine solution.

The bottom line is even if you have an atomizer problem with this mini electronic cigarette you can replace it by replacing the cartridge and you will be the envy of your e-smoking friends when their atomizer craps out and they left their spare at home.

I am still not giving this mini electronic cigarette a 5 for its atomizers because I consider 4.5 excellent anyway with a 5 being perfect with nothing to be desired.

Everyone reading my reviews has probably noticed I am very conservative with my ratings and can bring myself to give out 5′s especially when I could split hairs and say things like, “well the atomizer still performs best when it is warm.. etc. etc.”

I don’t like to split hairs so I will just leave the atomizer score alone for now.

Batteries & Charger Rating = 3.5

Like many electronic cigarettes this 8 piece starter kit comes with 2 batteries so that you can enjoy uninterrupted use by charging one battery while you use the other.

The charging system comes with a USB travel charger that can be plugged into almost any USB port and a wall adapter than has a USB port to provide power for the USB charger.

Originally I thought the kit came with 2 chargers, but I found you do have to plug the USB charger into the wall adapter in order to use it. The chargers do have indicator LEDs that turn green when the charging cycle is complete.

The wall charger doesn’t have a cord which may be a positive for some who hate extra cords or a negative for others who don’t have room to plug the flip out charger into an outlet flush against the wall.

The DC car adapter for the Red Dragon mini electronic cigarette can be purchased separately and requires that you have the USB charger as well because the Red Dragon car charger just converts the car power outlet to a USB port.

The batteries take 3-4 hours to charge and will then last for almost 1 cartridge so you will need to swap the battery to finish off a cartridge.

This battery life tends to be on the short side compared to other mini electronic cigarettes and is probably due to the fact this mini electronic cigarette’s battery is very small. It is the smallest of all others reviewed so far.

The battery has no problem getting the atomizer good and hot to produce huge amounts of smoke but I did notice that the “cut-off” switch cutting power to the atomizer a little too soon for my taste.

After a few charges the batteries did seem to have a longer cut off but another thing I noticed is that if you try to draw too quick or hard the battery may start blinking and not activate the atomizer.

The brand is too new to find complaints of excessive battery failure out there but I didn’t personally have any problems. Overall the batteries and charging system seem fairly robust.

Construction / Quality Rating = 3.0

The first thing you notice when you put the Red Dragon together is the thing is pretty light weight, but not in a bad way. The construction is actually surprisingly well done for the weight and makes it feel more like a real cigarette when holding it in your hand.

You still will not be able to dangle it from your lips but I would say holding it in your teeth is comfortable.

The finish on the battery is very durable and the Red Dragon branding doesn’t easily flake off. The cartridges are wrapped with paper adding to both the appearance and feeling of a real cigarette on your lips.

The only problem I noticed with the construction is that 1 of the batteries exhibited a faint “rattle” when you shake it. The battery itself still works great and I don’t know if this is a fluke or if the problem will be typical of this brand, but I thought it at least worth mentioning.

Finally, the occasional unfilled cartridge seems to fall under the quality but maybe these can be drip filled. I don’t know.

Cost Rating = 4.0

You may think the cost of the Red Dragon seems a little high at first. I thought the same thing, but when I started to break it down I realized that Red Dragon is offering a good value for several reasons.

First, since the atomizer is built into the cartridge and the 8-piece starter kit includes 2 batteries this means in essence you get 2 electronic cigarettes. By simply screwing a cartridge into each battery I was able to sit there and smoke with a friend when doing research for this review.

I also just remembered that I got a “bonus” cartridge with the 8-piece kit technically making it a 9 piece kit. I don’t know if this is usual practice for the company or a special promotion, but a bonus is a bonus!

Second, while the refills cost about the same or slightly more than the competition you don’t have to worry about replacing the atomizer. Also, the convenience of being able to switch cartridges without lingering flavor and the time saved cleaning atomizers adds value.

Finally, Red Dragon offers several price points with their 1, 2, 3 and 8 piece kits which makes is cheap enough for anyone who is curious to give the brand a try. If a person doesn’t like it there is a 30-day money back guarantee and they don’t have a lot of money tied up in the transaction.

Red Dragon also offers a 1 year warranty on their mini electronic cigarette.

Style and Extra Features

The battery finish on this mini electronic cigarette is attractive with gold bands all along the white body. The Red Dragon logo on the battery also looks good and goes well with the style.

The only battery color available for this mini electronic cigarette is the white with gold bands, but the cartridges are stocked in either white or gold and can be special ordered in green or brown.

The Red Dragon web site is currently advertising “Dragon Skins” as a style feature that is coming soon. There is no word when these will be available, but I am assuming the dragon skins will basically be a sticker that can be applied to the battery.

The battery does have an orange tip and is not offered in any other colors but the unique thing about this mini electronic cigarette is that when the tip lights up it has the company logo (a dragon’s eye) super imposed kind of like the bat signal at the end of your cigarette which everyone I showed thought was pretty cool.

The other nice feature about the Red Dragon mini electronic cigarette is the carrying case. It is compact, comes in several colors and protects your investment.

Despite the fact the carrying case doesn’t have form fitting foam it is still snug enough that the mini electronic cigarette doesn’t slide around inside at all.

Overall Review Rating = 3.7

Right now there is a 5% discount “coupon code” next to the Red Dragon link on my “Where-to-buy” page…

FTC Disclosure

As stated in the other NJOY reviews I have posted, NJOY is one of the biggest electronic cigarette suppliers in the U.S. If you want to know a few more details about the company read the beginning of this NJOY review which is for their pen-style electronic cigarette.

This post will be a review of the NJOY NGAR electronic cigar. I don’t want to spend as much time summarizing in this review as I did the other NJOY reviews, but I will say that I think NJOY’s cigar is under-rated.

That’s right, I said UNDER rated. I do think more people are starting to used them or consider them now since the price has dropped and is now vastly cheaper than the other 2 options NJOY offers.

Also, the larger size of the NJOY cigar allows it to use replaceable batteries and larger nicotine cartridges.

While some may consider the larger size a drawback, the main drawback with this product is that the only cartridge flavors are tobacco and menthol.

NJOY Reviews (NGAR Electronic Cigar):

• Manufacturer / Supplier: NJOY
• Country: U.S.A.
• Model: NGAR
• Style: Cigar
• Starter Kit Price: $49.99
• Cartridge Price (5-Pack): $13.33* (if you buy 2 and get 1 free on auto refill program)
• Number of flavors: 2
• Nicotine Levels Offered: Regular, Light, Ultra Light, Zero
• Draw: Medium
• Warranty: Yes (and 30-day money back guarantee)

Starter Kit Contents:

The NJOY electronic cigar, battery charger, 2 lithium batteries, 2 nicotine cartridges (tobacco flavored 1 ea.: zero, regular), 2 protective tip covers, wallet info card

Rating Scale:

Average

Poor 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Excellent

• Ratings and Score:
  • Batteries and Charger: 3.5
  • Atomizer: 3.0
  • Cartridges: 2.5
  • Construction / Quality: 3.0
  • Cost: 3.5
• Overall: 3.1 (Average)

Cartridge Rating = 2.5

NJOY cigar cartridges come 5 in a pack. Four levels of nicotine concentration are offered: regular, light, ultra light and zero (0mg). The only cartridge flavors the cigar model offers are tobacco and menthol.

As stated in the other NJOY Reviews the cigar tobacco flavor is very good though it does taste slightly different than the other 2 NJOY models. The NGAR tobacco flavor in fact taste more like a cigar as one would expect. The menthol is very strong.

The NJOY cigar 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.

I wish I could rate the cartridges higher for carrying more solution, but at The Electronic Cigarette Review we try to compare apples to apples and cigars to cigars and most cigars offer large refills just like the NJOY cigar.

The selection of cartridge flavors is below average compared to other models with only 2 flavors to choose. I don’t really know the exact concentration of nicotine in the cartridges because it seems that NJOY just changed their refill cartridges from high, medium, low and zero to regular, light, ultra light and zero and the nicotine hit does seem to be slightly reduced with the cigar model.

They also seemed to change the cartridge strengths that ship with the cigar starter kit because mine shipped with 2 medium strength refills and the NJOY web site now says that the starter kit includes a zero and a regular tobacco flavored cartridge.

I think most NJOY reviews for the NGAR model will rate the cartridges higher if NJOY expands the number of flavors offered, but at least they offer the same flavors for all nicotine levels even if they do NOT offer the same flavors for all models in the other NJOY reviews.

Atomizer Rating = 3.0

After a few primer puffs, the NJOY NGAR atomizer produces a lot of smoke so long as you don’t inhale. If you inhale the cigar smoke the exhale will contain little or no vapor.

This may be by design since one doesn’t usually inhale cigar smoke and may be more a function of the nicotine solution in the cartridge than the atomizer, but definitely worth mentioning in this review.

One drawback to the atomizer in the cigar is that I am not aware of a way you can remove the atomizer so that it can be replaced or cleaned. I didn’t let this affect the rating because other electric cigar brands I am testing seem to be the same way.

If a reader out there knows different please leave a comment. Looking into the chamber it seems there should be a way to remove the atomizer but I can’t figure it out.

Other than that the atomizer provides a medium draw that resembles the draw of a real cigar.

Batteries & Charger Rating = 3.5

As with most cigars the NGAR has a different charging system than most cigarette style electronic cigarettes. You access the replaceable and rechargeable 3.6 volt 360mAh lithium battery by screwing and unscrewing the tip. I have heard the batteries can be purchased from third parties for cheaper, but I did not confirm this and find a source.

NJOY Cigar Batteries

The two batteries that come with the starter kit perform well having no problem getting the atomizer good and hot to vaporize the solution after a couple primer puffs.

Since there is no microcontroller or “smarts” in the battery to blink the LED to tell you when to recharge the battery you will need to wait until the vapor produced dwindles to an unacceptable level and then check the nicotine cartridge first to make sure that is OK before swapping the battery.

The NGAR charger is very compact and has a flip out plug that plugs directly into the wall. The drawback of this charger is that there is no way to charge the batteries in the car other than purchasing a pricy DC to AC inverter. Again this is typical of electronic cigar battery chargers so it doesn’t really affect the score in this or other reviews.

The good thing about this charger is that it is very simplistic and I haven’t experienced or heard anyone having problems with NJOY cigar chargers.

Construction / Quality Rating = 3.0

The NJOY NGAR is very fairly well constructed and very sturdy maybe even too sturdy. I think the tube is made out of stainless steel and it is quite heavy. You will not be dangling this cigar from your mouth unless you really chomp on the mouthpiece.

The mouthpiece does screw into the body so if you do chomp on it the body will not fall off.

The cigar has a wood grain finish that is NOT real wood but is a very durable laminate or paint on the metal body. After tons of mishandling there are no scratches in the finish or flaking of the “gold” trim. The wood grain flows all the way around the device with no discontinuities or seam.

Since the orange LED is not part of the battery it is screwed onto the end of the tube along with the diffuser lens which scatters the light coming from the LED to provide the illusion of a glowing ember on the tip while taking a drag.

Unlike the other electronic cigarette styles discussed in the other NJOY reviews the LED is mounted along the edge of the tube / cap and is not centered. This causes the light to be poorly diffused while taking a drag unless you look at it from specific angles.

Also the tip lights and shuts off immediately when taking a drag and does not glow brighter and dim slowly like the models in the other NJOY reviews.

Cost Rating = 3.5

The cost of the NJOY cigar starter kit was just lowered again in addition to previous price cuts. The NGAR is NJOY’s cheapest option to get started with electronic cigarettes if having a lot of flavors is not important to you.

Again, as stated in the other NJOY reviews, the NGAR refill cartridges are slightly overpriced compared to other cigar brands even if you are on the automatic refill program. Cigar cartridges are buy 2 and get the 3rd free on the automatic refill program.
Style and Extra Features

The NJOY cigar model is only offered in the wood grain finish with gold trim which is fairly attractive in my opinion but it is the only style option.

As stated in the other NJOY reviews the NGAR also comes with the double sided business card sized information card to help a person explain what NJOY is and why it is not affected by smoking bans.

Finally, the NJOY cigar also comes with 2 mouth piece covers which is good if you have it in your jacket pocket or purse for extended periods of time.

Overall Review Rating = 3.1 (Average)

(Visit the NJOYCigarettes.com Website)

FTC Disclosure

The Crown 7 cigarette brand now includes a new mini style electronic cigarette.  While some reports of customer service are good and some are still spotty most people agree that this new mini style crown 7 cigarette is worth checking out.

I don’t want to go into all the same details about this U.S. company like I did at the beginning of the traditional model Crown 7 cigarette review, but if you want those details be sure to check out that review.
As far as mini electronic cigarettes go the crown 7 cigarette is pretty good with seemingly a higher quality atomizer than other brands while maybe having slightly more battery problems than the rest.
There may be a disproportionate number of complaints about Crown 7 out there due to the publicity they are getting and the fact that more people are buying this brand in the states.

Crown 7 Hydro Review:

• Manufacturer / Supplier: Crown 7
• Country: U.S.A.Model: Hydro
• Style: Mini
• Starter Kit Price: $74.95
• Cartridge Price (5-Pack): $9.95
• Number of flavors: 11
• Nicotine Levels Offered: High, Medium, Low, Zero

Starter Kit Contents:

The Crown 7 Hydro cigarette, battery charger, 2 lithium batteries, five nicotine cartridges (tobacco flavored, zero nicotine), instruction manual

Rating Scale:

Average

Poor 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Excellent

• Ratings and Score:
  • Batteries and Charger: 3.5
  • Atomizer: 4.0
  • Cartridges: 3.5
  • Construction / Quality: 3.0
  • Cost: 3.0
• Overall: 3.4 (average)

Cartridge Rating = 3.5

The Hydro cartridges come in packs of 5. Four strengths are offered: high, medium, low and zero. Flavors offered are tobacco, menthol, vanilla bean, espresso, untamed cherry, strawberry, juicy grape, bursting melon, creamy cream, green tea gin sing.

The Crown 7 Hydro cigarette cartridge is about equal to half a pack or 10 regular cigarettes. The cartridge strength is relatively low since the “high” cartridge seems to deliver a less than average nicotine hit about the same as a light cigarette.

Also, since the part of the nicotine cartridge that holds the nicotine solution isn’t easy access you will have to drip the atomizer instead of the cartridge if you are into “dripping.”

The Hydro still deserves an above average rating in this category even though the number of flavors is down to 11 for the Crown 7 cigarette (hydro model).

Atomizer Rating = 4.0

The Crown 7 cigarette Hydro model seems to have a fairly reliable atomizer which actually delivered a medium drag.

The atomizer in the Hydro model produces a large amount of vapor which actually may be one reason why the cartridges don’t seem to last quite as long as a half a pack of cigarettes before the smoke volume starts to waiver.

The atomizer is robust enough to drip but with this model it is best to use a syringe to try to top off the cartridge with 2 drops and put no more than 1 drop on the mesh part of the atomizer should help if the cartridges alone aren’t produce the vapor and nicotine hit you desire.

Batteries & Charger Rating = 3.5

Like the traditional model the tip on the Crown 7 Hydro model use a reddish orange light / LED on the tip. The Hydro starter kit also comes with 2 batteries so you have 1 as a spare when the other is discharged.

While battery life is good I didn’t have any real problems except for charging time talking a little longer than usual.
Since I never use one brand for long enough to really put a battery through its paces though I always scour the forums and there were several reports of batteries being DOA or dying after the first charge.

There were also reports of chargers not working but the company seems to be willing to replace the chargers and the batteries without even having people send back the defective units in many cases.

Construction / Quality Rating = 3.0

The Crown 7 Hydro cigarette fits together very well which isn’t hard for a mini but still important when you are investing you money into an electronic cigarette. The weight of the atomizer and the batter suggest that both probably use stainless steel or something fairly sturdy

The atomizer has a polished finish on the part that contacts the cartridge which is snug at first but can get a little looser than is probably desired once the nicotine solution gets on it. The polished finish is easily cleaned which makes the cartridge fit snugly again.

The finish on the Hydro is matte black similar to another model that I had in which the paint chipped on in one spot so one should be careful since this is the only finish available for this Crown 7 cigarette.

Cost Rating = 3.0

The cost of the Hydro cigarette starter kit is pretty good, but it only comes with 5 tobacco flavored zero nicotine cartridges so it may be lacking a little value there.

Cartridges are priced well and competitive with other mini electronic cigarettes although cartridge life is definitely below a 10 cigarettes per cartridge.

Like the traditional style Crown 7 cigarette the Hydro cost rating suffers for overall value. Cartridges are a good price, but most if not all smokers will want cartridges with nicotine for their starter kit.

Fortunately, Crown 7 now offers an assortment pack of cartridges which may help make up for the starter kit at least a little.

Style and Extra Features

The Crown 7 Hydro cigarette stays true to the company’s image by only offering this model with a black finish. Even the plastic on the refill cartridge “filter” and the packaging for the refill cartridges is all black. The atomizer does have an exposed gold band that makes for a very slick package.

Other than the art deco style this Crown 7 cigarette doesn’t offer any other features.

Overall Rating = 3.4 (average)

Menthol nicotine cartridges are one of the strongest cartridge flavors you can get for an electronic cigarette. The flavor is so powerful that it can actually taint your atomizer.
What do I mean when I say “taint?”

Well, I popped a menthol nicotine cartridge into a mini e-cig when I was doing research for one of my reviews. After only a couple drags I was eager to try another flavor so I popped in an apple cartridge and noticed that the first several drags tasted like menthol with a touch of apple!

I know you are thinking “Yuck!” Right? Well it wasn’t as bad as you might think at first because the menthol nicotine solution left in the atomizer and the chamber was real overpowering.

It wasn’t until 10 good strong drags or so later that it started to get gross. Then after probably 10-20 more drags the menthol flavor was almost gone.

Almost.

It wasn’t until I almost finished smoking the apple cartridge that the taste left over from the menthol nicotine cartridge was completely gone. Other nicotine cartridge flavors also tend to linger to some very small extent, but no where near as much as menthol.

I noticed the problem was worse while doing research for an electric cigar review. I took 20 to 30 puffs, maybe more on a menthol nicotine cartridge in a cigar and then decided to try the tobacco flavor.

I have smoked almost 2 entire cigar cartridges now before the taste of the menthol nicotine cartridge has almost gone. Fortunately the combination of the menthol with the tobacco is pleasant yet still undesired.

So what is one to do? It depends on the style of electronic cigarette you smoke.

There may be a way to clean the menthol nicotine solution out of the atomizer and chamber, but until I have time to search the internet or experiment with a method to do this I would like to offer a few common sense suggestions.

If you only own a cigar your options are to either refrain from using menthol cartridges or buy a second unit to use when the urge to smoke menthol strikes you. I say this because I am not aware of an electric cigar model that allows you to replace the atomizer at this time.

Also, I don’t think trying to switch from the menthol nicotine cartridge will be an option with the cigar because once you smoke 2 or 3 entire cartridges there will be too much menthol nicotine solution soaked into the atomizer and chamber to get rid of it completely.

If you own a mini or pen-style electronic cigarette the easiest option may be to buy a separate atomizer for smoking menthol nicotine cartridges. Replacement atomizers are fairly economical depending on the brand of electronic cigarette you own and can be switched out very easily.

The bottom line is this is something that I think everyone new to smoking electronic cigarettes should be made aware of so that they have the best possible experience they can.

Menthol nicotine cartridges are popular because they are strong tasting like a real cigarette, but can be a menace if you intend to indulge in all the other flavors electronic cigarettes offer to a smoker.

I found myself pondering this question today while watching the inauguration, “Will Barack Obama smoke electronic cigarettes some day?“

Sorry President Barack Obama for not referring to you as “President” in my own thoughts. Just not my style! Oh, and I think it was right before you took the oath too..

Anyway, like many Americans I watched the inauguration of President Barack Obama today in hopeful anticipation. I am probably much less hopeful than many of the hard-core Obama supporters out there and have decided to reserve judgment because:

a. I have been burned by politicians too many times now (We all have)
b. I believe actions speak louder than words
c. Things are pretty messed up right now

After the thoughts that America has just made history electing its first African American president passed, I searched my heart and soul to come up with ways that President Barack Obama’s presidency will be most relevant to me.

Then it hit me, “Will President Barack Obama smoke electronic cigarettes some day?” It would raise awareness of this most viable alternative to smoking cigarettes ever.

Some of you might be thinking, “Does President Barack Obama smoke cigarettes?” Aren’t those pictures photo-shopped?

The answer is YES he smokes Marlboros errr I mean technically NO he quit I mean ahh not at the White House because it is against the rules there umm … Maybe you should just watch this video of the Tom Brokaw interview with now President Barack Obama on “Meet the Press” embedded in the article at The Huffington Post.

I can almost smell a media feast brewing. I can almost hear his words in the distant future, “Hey I said I wouldn’t smoke AT the White House..” Honestly though I hope I am wrong about this politician, but watch the video anyway.

I do hope my question is answered “YES” and President Barack Obama smokes electronic cigarettes setting an example for other smokers out there.

I have had conversations with friends, family and electronic cigarette suppliers and manufacturers discussing the possibility of electronic cigarettes becoming FDA approved. Is this a possibility under President Barack Obama’s administration?

On the one hand President Obama wants to improve healthcare. FDA approval of electronic cigarettes could easily lead to more widespread use of the product which would in turn lead to a reduction in health care costs.

Smoking is currently the #1 preventable cause of death in the U.S.

On the other hand President Obama is, or once was a smoker and it is hard to tell if he would listen to “big-tobacco” lobbyists as I am sure they will be pleading with his administration to potentially even ban electronic cigarettes and protect the employees of “big tobacco” etc. etc.

Also, would selling more electronic cigarettes increase the trade deficit between the U.S. and China? Probably, but what product doesn’t?

Only time will tell.

Until then I wonder and wait again in hopeful anticipation, “Will President Barack Obama smoke electronic cigarettes some day?” This is maybe not THE most important question regarding our new president’s future and that of the country, but one of the most important to me.   What do you think? I would like to hear other people’s opinions on these matters so please post a comment if you have an opinion.