E-Cigarette FAQ
 

 

    E-Cigs (short for electronic cigarettes) is a great alternative to smoking a real cigarette.  The electronic cigarette produces a vapor like smoke and gives you the nicotine you need without the tar or carcinogens.

 

The short answer is NO. There has been no tests performed to classify e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation device. Sure you have the option of reducing the amount of nicotine to the point where there is none. However there are no instructions on how to reduce or when you should reduce the amount of nicotine.

With that said. The reason that I use e-cigarettes was not quit. I had no intention on quitting. I was tired of the price of cigarettes. I was also tired of smelling like smoke, having to go outside in whatever weather was going on to have a smoke, having a house that smelled of smoke. And the fact that traditional cigarettes are known to cause lung cancer wasn't a turn on either.

    

 

Let me give you an example of what the cost difference is between the e-cig and the Regular Cigarettes.

 

    

Mike smokes a carton of cigarettes a week and pays about 45 dollars for them.  You multiply that by 4 weeks and Mike has just spent out 180 dollars for the month.  Now if you take the 45 dollars by 52 weeks Mike has just spent $2340 for Cigarettes.  I bet Mike could really use that money for better things don't you? 

 

So, now Mike needs to save money but he doesn't really want to give up his cigarettes.  So what would it cost Mike to smoke e-cigs instead?

The cost of a e-cigarette is $49.95 for a starter kit.  The kit includes a battery charger, 2 rechargeable batteries, a atomizer, and 5 refillable cartridges.  You can buy additional cartridges for them or buy liquid oil to refill the cartridges.  So the first month Mike would spend out about $70 for the kit and all the extras. Mike would spend about $20 a month for additional oils and cartridges.  So his total cost for a year of using a E-Cig is about $290, which is saving him $2050 a year.  Now Mike has more money in his pocket and no tar in his body from smoking cigarettes.

 

 

There are a couple of reasons why you should use e-cigs instead of regular cigarettes.

1) Cost. The price of traditional cigarettes have gone up and they continue to be taxed without mercy. There used to be refuge to the smoker by rolling your own. But now that is gone also with a federal tax hike on loose tobacco. The new tax will take current tax of $1.10 per pound up to $24.78 per pound. The federal tax on packaged cigarettes will go from $.39 a pack to $1.00 a pack. And that doesn't include the taxes being added on by whatever state your currently living in.
The prices of traditional cigarettes are going up and they are not coming down.

2) Heath. The best thing to do is to not smoke anything. Period. But that's easier said then done. I can't think of any current smoker that I know that hasn't tried to quit in the past. Obviously it didn't work since they are currently smokers. Weather the problem with quitting is the need for nicotine or the habit of the hand mouth movement is up for debate. But quitting for most people is not an easy thing to do. And smoking traditional cigarettes not only harms you, but the people around you, due to second hand smoke. Because the e-cig contains no tobacco, there's no danger from second hand smoke.

The following excerpts is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand_smoke/index.htm):

• Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke, is a complex mixture of gases and particles that includes smoke from the burning cigarette, cigar, or pipe tip (sidestream smoke) and exhaled mainstream smoke.
• Secondhand smoke contains at least 250 chemicals known to be toxic, including more than 50 that can cause cancer.
• Exposure to nicotine and secondhand smoke is measured by testing the saliva, urine, or blood for the presence of a chemical called cotinine. Cotinine is a byproduct of nicotine metabolization, and tobacco is the only source of this marker.

So it's simple. Get rid of the tobacco and you loose the second hand smoke.

3) No longer socially acceptable. Lets face it. Smoking stinks. If you have a significant other that doesn't smoke. Chances are that they are at best tolerating the way you smell. This isn't to say that you have bad hygene. But all the washing and showering in the world just will not get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke. The smell is in your hair, on your clothes, in your car and house (if you smoke there). If you own a house and you were going to sell it. The realtor would ask you not to smoke in the house any longer. Why, because non-smokers can smell the odor that was left behind by the cigarette smoking.
More and more states are passing laws that not only make it illegal to smoke in a public building. But now also in public places that are out side, like parks and beaches. Even bars and private clubs are no longer immune to anti-smoking laws. And to really drive the point home. Here in Iowa even smoke shops and places that sell cigars cannot let people smoke in them (now why would anyone other then a smoker head into a smoke shop).
E-cigarettes do not leave behind the odor that traditional cigarettes do. While demonstrating the e-cigarette in public I've asked non-smokers if they could smell anything. The answer was no. I've had co-workers ask me if I stopped smoking. Which I replied "well, yes, but no". The reason that they asked was because they could no longer smell the smoker's odor on me.
And because the e-cig contains no tobacco it does not violate the clean air act. So technically you can smoke one anywhere without breaking the law. However, I would ask the manager of any place first before whipping it out and smoking. But I smoke mine at work, at my desk. The people that work in my department are non-smokers. I have their approval to smoke away whenever I want since there's no smell and they are not harmed by second hand smoke. I also don't miss having to stand outside in the middle of winter just to have a smoke.

How long do e-cigarettes last?

E-cigarette parts do not last forever. There are lots of things going on inside and they do eventually break. However the price of a replacement part is very reasonable.
Atomizers will on average last about a month. My first atomizer only lasted a week. But I put the blame mostly on myself and not the atomizer. After I did some reading and found what other people using the e-cig was doing to take care of theirs I had atomizers last for several months. Batteries will last about 6 months. Keep in mind that the battery is normally being recharged every day. Every rechargeable battery has a lifespan based on how many times it can be recharged. And most regular batteries (like the ones being used in cameras, TV remote controls, etc) are not being recharged every day for months on end. A couple of important things that I learned when I first started using e-cigarettes were: Keep an extra atomizer on hand. Keep an extra charged battery on hand.

Atomizers do and will stop working eventually. And you don't want to be out and about and have one die on you. They don't normally give any indication that they are about to go bad. One moment they are working, the next they are not.

The batteries are small. 2 batteries will get me through a days work. But then again, I'm a pretty heavy smoker. A battery will normally stand up to 3-4 hours of heavy smoking between charges. Light smokers or someone in between the two should see longer battery life between charges with some people reporting 8+ hours of use from a single battery.

Does the e-cigarette require any maintenance?

The general idea behind the e-cig is to put in a cartridge, refill or top off a cartridge and enjoy. When the cartridge runs out, simply put in another cartridge and continue enjoying. Personally, I like to clean my atomizers every few days. I will take one that hasn't been cleaned and put it in a solution of half vinegar and half water (see new method below). I will let it soak for about 20 minutes. I will then rinse the atomizer out with warm water. After it's been rinsed I will shake or blow out any excess water and place it open side down on a towel or napkin and allow it to dry. Before using it again I will prime the atomizer with a drop or two of e-liquid, put a cartridge on it and enjoy. This seems to have extended the life of my cartridges. If you are not using e-liquid, then just putting a fresh cartridge on the atomizer and allowing about 10 minutes for the liquid to prime the atomizer should do fine.
New method of cleaning:

(I learned of this method from Terrapon from e-cigarette-forum. All thanks should go to him for his hard work and the great forum members at e-cigarette-forum.com for helping him test his theory).

For weak, and in some cases dead atomizers, cleaning can bring them back to new or near new condition.
What you will need:

• Cola of some sort. (I used Pepsi Max 0 calorie). Though RC Cola is supposed to be best and Coke is supposed to work well also. Other colas were hit or miss.
• A small glass. A shot glass, Dixie cup, regular glass, coffee mug, etc.
• A water faucet
• Your weak or dead atomizer

Simply pour some of the cola into the glass.
Put the atomizer in the glass with the cola.
Let it soak for about 45 minutes.
Remove the atomizer and rinse under water.
Dry the atomizer.

If you have e-liquid: put a few drops of e-liquid on the wick of the atomizer (this is the part that faces the cartridge).
Let sit for a minute or two.
Start taking puffs on the e-cig. You should start getting vapor. The vapor should get stronger and thicker the more you use it.

If you only use cartridges: put a fresh or non-dry cartridge on the atomizer. Wait about 10 minutes for the atomizer to prime itself with liquid from the cartridge.
Start taking puffs on the e-cig. You should start getting vapor. The vapor should get stronger and thicker the more you use it.

I've tried this method on 5 atomizers:
1 was working fine and continued to work fine.
1 was pretty weak but worked like new after cleaning.
3 were dead (2 customer returns, 1 personal after about 2 months of heavy use). 2 of the three dead ones came back to life and now produces vapor like new.

The entire thread on these findings can be found at e-cigarette-forum.com
It seems that the Phosphoric acid in the colas cleans the heating coil in the atomizer.

There are other methods listed there for cleaning and one that is supposed to work even better then using cola. However I cannot recommend them here on the site since it is beyond the scope of the site. Using cola and the previous method that I used with vinigar should be safe. I don't know what the outcome of using other methods containing chemicals would result in and could be very dangerous.

You should never try to smoke a dry atomizer. This is a sure fire way to lessen the life of it.