Not every smoker wants to stop. Nicotine is an addiction and it's very difficult to give it up. Nevertheless, everyone who can read knows that cigarettes are hazardous to your health. It's also quite clear that the effects of tobacco smoke are dangerous to anyone who inhales them, not just the smoker. Tobacco cigarettes are also messy, leaving ashes and butts in ashtrays (and other places), and the walls of home of a heavy smoker will yellow over time.
For those who live with a smoker, or for smokers who are still enamored of their nicotine but not of the side-effects, there's hope in the form of e-cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes are manufactured in China and are becoming more and more available in the rest of the world. In Great Britain they are now sold in pharmacies. In California and some other places, you may see them in a mall. For the most part, though, if you want to try e-cigarettes, you have to order them online.
If you're a smoker, you're probably a bit interested now. Here's the best part: there's no reason at all why you shouldn't use an e-cigarette in a public place. Going to the movies, but worry that you can't handle two or three hours without smoking? Puff instead! Want an after-dinner cigarette but don't want to stand outside the restaurant in the cold, wet or heat? Vaporize! You're not smoking, you are inhaling vapor. What you exhale is really no different from what everyone exhales: air mixed with moisture.
What do you need to know?
Brands - there are a number of players in the e-cigarette business, many of whom sell the same product with a different name. The older products seem to be larger than a regular cigarette, newer products (often called mini or micro or nano) try to imitate the size and feel of a cigarette more accurately. The apparati are made in China for the most part, from there they are distributed by sellers who may or may not be reliable.
Atomizers - this is the part of the e-cigarette that heats the nicotine into a puff of vapor. One or two of these may be all you need at first. They do burn out eventually though (3 - 4 months is the estimated lifetime).
Batteries - battery life is one of the issues with e-cigarettes. You'll probably purchase a starter pack with two batteries and a charger. My husband finds that his batteries only last about 2 hours before needing 3-4 hours on the charger. Some batteries are better than others.
Cartridges - The cartridge actually holds the nicotine, and when it's used up you either need to refill the cartridge or buy a new one. They are not expensive (especially when compared to tobacco cigarettes) but since you can't just run out to the store to buy a new one, you need to plan ahead. It's much cheaper to refill cartridges with e-liquid than to buy new ones, but neither option is that expensive. Having 5 spare cartridges may be enough, if you refill yourself.
E-liquid -This is the nicotine that you can use to refill your cartridges. It's much cheaper to refill them yourself. It comes in about 10 flavors. Never touch the liquid nicotine, it's poison.
Flavors - of course they sell tobacco flavor, but they also often sell menthol and chocolate and other flavors.
Nicotine Strength - most of these companies sell various levels of nicotine in their cartridges, including zero nicotine. This can help you quit smoking. It could also be a boon for dieters who might like to have a chocolate flavored vapor with no nicotine. I'd like to know it was perfectly safe before I used this for dieting. Safety is not such a big issue for smokers, is it?
Price - Huge differences in price! The Vapor Cig that my daughter saw at her mall in California was about $300. I see in the forum there are some for as little as $45.
In the near future I'll write some reviews of the e-cigarettes my husband has tried.
If you're interested in E-cigarettes, please see my article on how to choose one at How to Choose an E-Cigarette for Smoking or Quitting .
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