Electronic Cigarette Review

The Best Electronic Cigarette Reviews on the Web!

If you are considering using electric cigarettes as an alternative to regular cigarettes it is important to understand the similarities and differences between the two. In this review I will compare electronic cigarettes to regular cigarettes as opposed to reviewing a particular brand of electronic cigarettes.

The best way to begin comparing regular cigarettes to this alternative also known as electronic cigarettes or just e cigs for short is to explain how these new devices work.  If you already know how they work continue reading, but if not then I suggest you read an earlier post: How do Electronic Cigarettes Work? 

Cigarettes

Cigarettes

 vs.

Cigarettes Alternative

Cigarettes Alternative

So far they look the same!  I have grouped the rest of the comparison into 3 catagories in this post:

  • experience
  • health
  • cost

The Experience

The electric alternative to cigarettes in terms of the taste and feeling is very comparable.

The first thing you will notice is that the water vapor created by the device that gets inhaled into the lungs is not as harsh but warm and has a nice tobacco flavor to it resembling a real cigarette.  You will also notice the electronic alternative includes the highly satisfying nicotine sensation kick in at the same time as it does with a regular cigarette.

The tip of the alernative device lights up like a real cigarette and many of the devices provide fairly thick clouds of water vapor that closely resemble actual smoke with the exception that there is only a faint smell from the flavor essence in the water vapor.  This smell is barely detectable even by non-smokers in close vicinity.  After only a few seconds when the vapor evaporates there is no lingering smell on clothes, drapes, furniture etc.

Smoke from regular cigarettes on the other hand is noiticed instantly by other people even outdoors.  This odor persists in the clothes of smokers and bystandars until the clothes are washed.  The smoke and odors that get into interior fabrics and foam padding of cars and furniture is very difficult if not impossible to remove completely.

Since the water vapor from electric cigarettes is virtually odorless it can be smoked indoors including public places where smoking is banned such as retaurants, bars, malls, stores etc.  This is a far more convenient alternative to smoking especially during harsh cold or rainy weather.  It is also more convenient in some cases to be able to take a drag off an electronic cigarette and put in back into your pocket.  Since electronic cigarettes are battery operated and don’t need to be lit (obviously) there is no need for lighters or ash trays.

Health Implications

Even though electric cigarettes are not approved by the FDA most people agree that they are probably the healthier alternative.  There is no tar and no known carcinigens in electronic cigarettes.  There is no second hand or first hand smoke for that matter because these devices only create water vapor that disipates rapidly.  The health implications are mainly limited to a few conditions that could be caused by nicotine consumption.

Regular cigarettes are now known to be extremely unhealthy and is the #1 preventable cause of death in the U.S. and probably other places in theh world.  The smoke produced from the combustion of the tobacco, paper and glue that gets inhaled into the lungs contains 4000 chemicals including toxic carbon monoxide, tar, arsnic (rat poison) and hundreds of known carcinogens.  It is a miracle that the U.S. Surgeon General only puts a warning on every package of these cancer sticks and that laws haven’t been passed banning them completely.

Cost Comparison

The cost of smoking electric cigarettes depends on your smoking habits and the brand of electronic cigarette you decide to purchase but for most people it is about 50% cheaper than smoking cigarettes.  Rather than provide exact numbers to break this figure down I will just list a few things to consider that might help you do some of the math on your own.

In order to start using electric cigarttes as an alternative most people buy what is called a “starter kit” which is offered by all the manufacturers I have seen.  A starter kit costs about as much as cartons of cigarettes and usually includes enough refil cartridges to last about as long depending on the manufacturer and model.  Once you have a starter kit you will have to periodically buy refil cartridges and replace the rechargable batteries when they wear out.  Cartidges are about 60-70% cheaper than cigarettes.  I’ve seen replacement batteries run about $15.

Cigarettes are more expensive than the electric alternative overall.  One factor some people don’t consider right away as a cost of smoking cigarettes is higher health / life insurance costs especially later down the road.   Probably the most important thing to consider is that if a person continues to smoke they will die sooner.  Period.  So what’s your time on this earth worth?  Some people, myself included, would say its priceless.

Final Thoughts 

So this concludes my first review which examined using electric cigarettes as an alternative to smoking regular cigarettes.  To most people it seems clear that electronic cigarettes are an alternative.  Check out the other review posts which compare the various electric cigarette manufactures and models.  Happy smoking!

When someone sees you smoking some thing that is obviously not a cigarette the first thing they want to know is, “how do electronic cigarettes work?” The next question is almost always, “do they contain nicotine like a real cigarette?”  I thought I would write a quick post answering these questions that I can link to all my other posts where it is useful.

Pen Style Electronic Cigarette

Pen Style Electronic Cigarette

I will answer the second question first because the answer is shorter:

Do electronic cigarettes deliver nicotine?

Yes.  The refill cartridges contain nicotine in varying levels (zero, low, medium and high).  They deliver about the same amount of nicotine as a regular cigarette.  Notice that one level is “zero.”  Some manufacturers offer cartridges with no nicotine whatsoever.

An Assortment of Nicotine Cartridges

An Assortment of Nicotine Cartridges

Now the first question:

How do electronic cigarettes work?

Basically, all brands of electronic cigarettes consist of 3 main parts: a battery, a nicotine cartridge and an atomizer.

Electronic Cigarette Components

Electronic Cigarette ComponentsA pen style disassembled

The batteries are typically lithium ion rechargeable that are powerful and compact.  The batteries also contain some additional circuitry for lighting the tip that simulates the glowing “cherry” like that of a real cigarette.

The nicotine cartridge includes a mouthpiece and a reservoir for the nicotine solution.  The cartridges can be purchased in various flavors (tobacco, menthol, cherry, vanilla, etc.) and levels of nicotine (zero, low, medium, high).

The nicotine solution in the cartridge mainly consists of water and propylene glycol which is a substance used in medicines, cosmetics, food, toothpaste etc.  The only other ingredients include some flavoring and nicotine of course.

The atomizer is activated when the user takes a drag on the device.  The atomizer is a 2 part device.

Exposed Atomizer of 3-Piece e Cig

Exposed Atomizer of 3-Piece e Cig Design

First, there is a “wicking” mechanism that is made out of metal.  This wick comes into contact with the liquid nicotine solution in the nicotine cartridge and flows a small amount of nicotine solution down to the second part of the atomizer which is a heating element sometimes just called a filament.

The filament is a small coil of high resistance wire that gets hot and vaporizes the nicotine solution flowing to it.  This vapor in turn is what gets inhaled into the lungs.

The picture above is of a 3-piece electronic cigarette design.  The 2-piece type of electronic cigarette is a little different in its design, but the principle of operation is the same.  You can read my article on the 3 types of electronic cigarettes if you want more information regarding pros and cons of 2-piece e cigs vs. 3-piece e cig designs.

A pen style disassembled

A 3-piece type pen style disassembled

This post was very short and to the point but if you are looking for more information you have come to the right place just check the other posts or use the search option to find what you are looking for.  And, if someone asks you, “how do electronic cigarettes work?”  You can link them to this post as it is one of the most concise answers I have seen on the web.

Mini-Electronic Cigarette Model

Mini-Electronic Cigarette Model

NJOY Cut Prices

Posted by Sparky 4 COMMENTS

I just got an email from someone informing me that NJOY cut prices dramatically on their brand of electronic cigarettes. I went over to the NJOY web site to check this out and sure enough:

  • NJOY NPRO Starter (mini)- $109.95 - $79.99
  • NJOY NCIG Starter (pen) – $109.95$74.99
  • NJOY Cigar Starter Kit – $99.95$69.99
  • NJOY Cartridges (ALL) – $24.95$19.99 (free shipping)

This is even cheaper than people have been able to get NJOY with the a 20% coupon code. I don’t think NJOY will continue to offer the coupon code with such a dramitic reduction in price. I also noticed for the first time that shipping on the cartridges is free as well. Awesome deal!

I think this move will pretty much solidify NJOY’s foothold on the U.S. market for electronic cigarettes. Many people already thought (myself included) that NJOY brand e cigs were the best quality and therefore the best value especially with the newly redesigned atomizers. Now there is no question about it.

With the economy being in such a slump this move by NJOY is sure to make electronic smoking much more attractive to many people.

I did the math what the savings works out to now:

Assuming a person:

  1. Smokes 100% NJOY and
  2. Creates a login to do automatic cartridge reorder and also gets the buy 2 packs of cartridges and get the 3rd pack free deal:

  • Before price cut: 66% cheaper than cigarettes
  • After price cut: 73% cheaper than cigarettes

This was a no-brainer before the price cut folks so now that NJOY cut prices there has never been a better time to buy NJOY.

I just found an article written by the World Health Organization (WHO) which seems to be concerned with manufacturers and marketers of electronic cigarettes for marketing the devices as nicotine replacement therapies or for making other, “unapproved therapy claims.”

In a nut-shell the real story is firstly that some manufacturers and marketers of the product are falsely stating that the WHO endorses the products as a nicotine replacement therapies. Secondly the WHO says that scientific testing is not yet complete to prove that the products are safe and effective. You can read what the WHO wrote about this at their official website and you will see what I mean.

Despite the WHO making some fairly responsible statements just to set the record straight, the online mass media contingent decided to blow the article completely out of proportion as usual. They took things that the Director of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative, Douglas Bettcher, said completely out of context rearranged them to miraculously come up with their own bogus claims. Some even suggested electronic cigarettes are “poisonous.”

What Douglas Bettcher actually said was, “If the marketers of the electronic cigarette want to help smokers quit, then they need to conduct clinical studies and toxicity analyses and operate within the proper regulatory framework.”

The WHO did NOT say that electronic cigarettes are “poisonous” or “toxic” at all.

The official WHO article also goes on to say, “WHO does not discount the possibility that the electronic cigarette could be useful as a smoking cessation aid. The only way to know is to test.” This statement was left out of every single derived news story I saw.

OK, lets pick on the WHO here for a second though because while they have to do their job, once you take a step back some of their statements in the article seem silly .

First, why would marketers of these products want people to quit smoking? Wouldn’t it make more sense for the marketers to just get people to switch to get their nicotine from electronic cigarettes instead so they can make money off refill cartridges? I mean, doesn’t the ink jet printer industry make more money from selling ink than printers?

Second, if one is concerned about their health do you think they will feel more comfortable smoking a regular cigarette with the 4000+ chemicals or the electronic cigarette that is mostly water and nicotine? According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-cigarette electronic cigarettes are 80%-95% propylene glycol and a few other substances most of which are used in medicines, cosmetics, food, toothpaste etc.

Third, probably the worst thing the WHO article said about e-cigs was, “The electronic cigarette is not a proven nicotine replacement therapy.” Yeah like the gum and the patch aren’t notorious for not working. How proven is that? My family has gotten way more mileage out of their NJoys than all that other stuff combined and believe me they have tried it all.

So there you have it folks. Stuff like this always happens when new and exciting good things like electronic cigarettes hit the market and people are presented with the opportunity to change. Yet another reason I wanted to start this blog. I know that once someone runs some tests on e-cigarettes they will definitely find that the devices are probably among THE BEST nicotine replacement therapies out there!

Well there weren’t any comments on my article about tobacco free incentives but I did get an e-mail from someone wondering if electronic cigarettes are in fact smoke free cigarettes. The answer is yes. Most of the electronic cigarettes I have seen these days including the NJOY brand vaporize a solution of nicotine and water before it gets inhaled into the lungs.

The device operates in some ways like a portable nebulizer but resembles a cigarette right down to glowing tip that lights up when you take a drag.

A person smoking the device still inhales and exhales the vapor which delivers the nicotine, feeling, taste and appearance of smoking without any carcinogens. The cost even works out to be about 60% less than smoking regular cigarettes.

Non-smoking bystanders will not notice ANY smell of smoke whatsoever. Usually when someone lights up a regular cigarette in a large room or even 100 feet down wind from a person outside it only takes a few milliseconds for another person to smell it. This is NOT the case with these electronic smoke free cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes are not yet considered smoking cessation devices and their makers are not permitted to market them as such. There is only some controversy however surrounding whether electronic cigarettes can be used or marketed as a nicotine replacement therapy because no one has tested these claims.

I can say that my family has been using the device as a nicotine replacement and my mother has had the most success. I wrote about my family’s experience in the first post on this blog which is a testimonial to NJOY Electronic Cigarettes.

One interesting thing about my father’s experience is that while he now only smokes a few cigarettes a day, he smokes regular cigarettes in between stints of electronic cigarette smoking. When you wear the patch you can’t smoke because doing so could cause a persons nicotine intake to spike to unreasonable levels as a person is taking the nicotine in from two sources at the same time.

A person can smoke electronic cigarettes and regular cigarettes interchangeably without having to worry about their nicotine intake. This seems like one advantage electronic cigarettes could have over other existing nicotine replacement therapies as well.

Does anyone know of any third party or government agencies planning to test the claims of these electronic smoke free cigarettes as a nicotine replacement therapy? Please post a comment if you do..

Subscribe
   E-Mail                   Twitter                  RSS Feed

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!

Twitter

    Photos