Asbestos?

[Sysop]

Hello all,

You have a truly great place here... vast amount of info on E-cigs, thank you.

I do have one question, which is simply not available on the web (at least I could not any subject on it).

Last month I purchased two starter kits in order to help a few family members give-up or at least slow down on their regular cigs... but they would have no part of the E-cigs.

This is when I decided to give them a try and now I enjoy them all day long! Mind you, I never smoked cigarettes before but only smoked 1 or 2 cigars every other month or so at best.

My question: Is there Asbestos used in some of the atomizers? I ask because one of my atomizers stopped functioning, so I decided to take it fully apart because I wanted to investigate why it broke and also to better understand how it functioned.

This is the point I found some fibrous material inside (I'm not describing the metal or metal mesh. The fibrous material is under/behind the metal "V").

This material had the appearance of fiberglass but when I held it up to an open flame, it did not melt but instead glowed orange, without burning or deforming in any way.

Is it normal to have any type of material inside the atomizers? (of course, excluding the metal mat.)
Possibly to soak up a bit of juice from the refill cap? If so, why or what type of material is being used, mind you, material that will not burn?

Does anyone have direct experience or knowledge in how the atomizers are constructed and/or if some manufactures used specific fibrous materials, like I found?

I wish I had the money to get it tested but right now I'm on a very tight budget. Testing for asbestos seems to run about $80-$180, sadly I will need to wait before I will have the extra cash.

For now, I was hoping someone here would know more about this... I would really enjoy having a vap right now but I'm a little hesitant until I get more info.

I purchased the E-cigs from DealExtreme.

Thank you for your help

[LowThudd]

It's fiberglass, not asbestos.

[Sysop]

It's fiberglass, not asbestos.

Would not fiberglass melt and blacken under a high flame?

[zoiDman]

...

My question: Is there Asbestos used in some of the atomizers? I ask because one of my atomizers stopped functioning, so I decided to take it fully apart because I wanted to investigate why it broke and also to better understand how it functioned.

This is the point I found some fibrous material inside (I'm not describing the metal or metal mesh. The fibrous material is under/behind the metal "V").

This material had the appearance of fiberglass but when I held it up to an open flame, it did not melt but instead glowed orange, without burning or deforming in any way.

Is it normal to have any type of material inside the atomizers? (of course, excluding the metal mat.)
Possibly to soak up a bit of juice from the refill cap? If so, why or what type of material is being used, mind you, material that will not burn?

Does anyone have direct experience or knowledge in how the atomizers are constructed and/or if some manufactures used specific fibrous materials, like I found?

...

The fibers you are looking at are supposed to be aramids.

Aramid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They wick e-Juice from the metal mesh bridge of an atty to the atomizer coil.

The reason I say "supposed" is there arn't too many standards regarding atomizers and it is almost impossible to know who made your atomizer or what materials were used in it.

[mistinthewoods]

Thanks zoiDman! You are the source of my "learned something new today" claim. I assumed it was glass fibers as well... Huh.

[zoiDman]

Thanks zoiDman! You are the source of my "learned something new today" claim. I assumed it was glass fibers as well... Huh.

No Problem…

Like I said, this is what most atomizers wicks are supposed to have in them. But since e-Cig parts are sold “unbranded” it is impossible to tell if they were made under strict ISO Standards with all the associated Quality Control checks by a major manufacture.

Or if they are just Cheap knock offs hobbled together in a back street sweat shop in the ghettos of Beijing using recycled carpet fibers.

[Sysop]

The fibers you are looking at are supposed to be aramids.

Aramid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They wick e-Juice from the metal mesh bridge of an atty to the atomizer coil.

The reason I say "supposed" is there arn't too many standards regarding atomizers and it is almost impossible to know who made your atomizer or what materials were used in it.

Like I said, this is what most atomizers wicks are supposed to have in them. But since e-Cig parts are sold “unbranded” it is impossible to tell if they were made under strict ISO Standards with all the associated Quality Control checks by a major manufacture.

Or if they are just Cheap knock offs hobbled together in a back street sweat shop in the ghettos of Beijing using recycled carpet fibers.

Thank you ZoiDman! Your learned answer was precisely what I was hoping for here and truly appreciated.

Needless to say, One will now steer clear of cheap China unknowns; I would rather not have this on the back of my mind while trying to enjoy a vap, which is something I have really taken a liking to.

I'm very new to e-cigs; would you be so kind as to recommend a few companies who manufacture their product in the US or who you trust?

I prefer blue tip and would also like to try a good e-cigar, if at all possible.

Thank you for your time and help.

[four2109]

They are all made in China. There are battery mods made in the US, but the atomizers all come from China, as is most of the e-liquid.

[Mary Kay]

A video tour of our liquid manufacturer's facilities.

I would be more afraid of a mom and pop place run out of a garage here in the U.S.! beware of the internet fly by nights.

There are some good U.S. juices being made but I would only do business with the ones here on ECF. They have been reviewed by trusted members. The members might also point you to a few vendors off site..check here before ordering!

The facilities most of our products come from are high end places like the one above. It is very odd we think if it isn't made here, then it must be made in a back ally!

[zoiDman]

...

Needless to say, One will now steer clear of cheap China unknowns; I would rather not have this on the back of my mind while trying to enjoy a vap, which is something I have really taken a liking to.

I'm very new to e-cigs; would you be so kind as to recommend a few companies who manufacture their product in the US or who you trust?
...

Herein lies the Problem…

How does an end-user know where e-Cig related products are made and out of what materials? Most e-Cig products are sold “unbranded”. There just generic products. And even if there is a logo on the box, the black market in China can put any logo on any product you like. As long as there is money to be made. And there is a ton of money in e-Cigs.

To answer you second question, I don’t know Any Manufactures of e-Cig related products that are Actually made in the USA. They put the e-Juice in a small bottle in the USA or they may add UDA made flavoring to a e-Juice. But 99% of the e-Juice base comes from China and 100% of the hardware does.

I think the best thing is to buy you supplies from established sellers like many who are here on the ECF. This is no guarantee that you can not receive a product that is sub-standard. But established sellers know that they can’t make money selling junk in the long haul.

Word gets out fast when there is a problem with things here on this forum. The seller must ensure some level of Quality Control and consistency or the will soon have a bad name.

Making money is sometimes a good motivator to selling a good product. More so than Trademark or Copyright infringement or the health and safety of the end user.