I myself am a newbie at e-smoking having only done it for a few weeks. Spent a couple hundred dollars at absolutely ecigs getting started with the basic penstyle kit, spare parts, and a lot of e-liquid (kind of a mistake since they don't have a great selectin of e-liquid, but the Marlboro and the samplers are fine). Since I am really enamored of it, I have a good deal more on order from a number of other online vendors including juice and other supplies from JC, EST, and bestecig which should arrive in the next couple of days and should have me set for a year or more.
I have not bought a pack of commercial cigarettes in years, but smoked plenty of analogs. I did MYO (manufacture/make-your-own - injecting blank tubes with tobacco) which cost around a dollar a pack. I stocked up before the April tax increase, which has effectively shut down the MYO business since the tax increased from $1 to $25 a pound (a 2500% increase) on bulk tobacco. I probably won't even finish the tobacco I have stocked, though, since I now have an e-cig!
On Friday I stopped by the local discount tobacco shop where I once bought MYO supplies to see how they were doing and to see if they had any e-cigs or juice for sale. They did have a couple models of e-cigs - one looked like the really crappy type that comes in a cigarette-looking box plus an expensive but no-name two-piece mini but they sold no spares, accessories, juice, or even cartridges, prefilled or blank, so are ill-equipped to sell e-cigs. Since they have lost so much business from the MYO market, they started stocking "head shop" supplies plus they added video poker machines to stay in business. I think e-cigs would be a good line for the store.
I spoke to the owner saying he needed to get stocked on e-cigs and supplies. The problem is he does not know much about them, so I said I would email him a couple of websites where he could purchase a good supply of e-cigs, supplies, accessories, and most of all, ejuice. It would be nice for me to be able to purchase supplies locally without having to wait for shipping even if I did have to pay a bit more. I am going to tell him to see eastmall.com and bestecig.com and ask about wholesale pricing and help him put together a good-sized order to get him properly stocked. He has plenty of shelf space since he will decrease the whole aisle of myo supplies he had to half an aisle or less soon.
Anyway, I wrote the following to send him and will tell him he can use it as a handout to give to prospective customers - I might even illustrate it and make it into a brochure for the promise of a few bottles of e-liquid once he's stocked! If you have any concise additions or corrections, please let me know. Thanks!
-----------------------
Introduction to Electronic Cigarettes
The main place on the internet where all aspects of e-smoking are discussed is e-cigarette-forum.com. This website has a wealth of information as well as many regulars and other experienced e-smokers who can provide help with problems and questions. Please search through the existing information on the forums to find answers to your questions before posting questions since it is highly likely that the question has been asked, and answered, before. There is a section called New Members Forum" that has many helpful posts and excellent videos for the new user.
Due to the large tax increase on tobacco products which went into effect in April 2009 as well as concerns about harmful chemicals in regular cigarettes (called analog cigarettes by the e-smoking crowd), electronic cigarettes (known as e-cigarettes or e-cigs) have become increasing popular. E-cigarettes do not burn tobacco; they vaporize a liquid called an e-liquid which usually contains nicotine. They do produce a cloud of vapor when exhaled which looks like smoke but does not have the smell of tobacco. There is no second-hand smoke, no ashtrays, and no fire hazard. They can sometimes be used in places which otherwise prohibit smoking. They do not stink up ones house, car, clothes, or breath. Although they were originally designed as a stop-smoking aid, many people use them as a substitute for analog cigarettes to avoid the high taxes, and for health reasons. This is especially true of the do-it-yourself types of people who rolled or injected their own cigarettes who were hit hardest by the tobacco tax, which increased from $1 to $25 per pound of roll-your-own tobacco, a 2500% increase. With discount e-liquid, the cost of the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes can be less than $1.
E-cigarettes are typically composed of a battery, an atomizer, and cartridge although in some models the atomizer and cartridge are combined. When reading discussions about e-cigarettes on the internet, these are often referred to by the shortened terms batt or bat for battery, atty for atomizer, and cart for cartridge. The cartridges usually contain a mouthpiece attached to a cylinder packed with fiber and come either prefilled with e-liquid (also known as e-juice) or are blank, meant to be filled with e-liquid by the user before use. Atomizers vaporize the liquid so it can be inhaled. The battery is rechargeable on almost all e-cigarettes although there are some e-cigars and e-cigarettes which are disposable and do not have a rechargeable battery.
E-liquid and pre-filled cartridges are available in a wide variety of strengths and flavors. The most popular e-liquid is probably Marlboro flavored with menthol or mint coming in a close second. Most people use e-liquid which contains nicotine and e-liquids are available in varying strengths from 0 to 36mg per milliliter. Many people who are using e-cigarettes only as a substitute for analogs stay with a high level like 36, 24, or 16mg. People who use e-cigarettes as a stop-smoking aid often start at a high level of nicotine and work their way down using, for example, 16, 12, 6, then 0mg at which point one may no longer addicted to nicotine after a few weeks. These values are typical but only an example. One may find strengths of 18, 11, 8, 4, and others, but usually 36 is called super high strength, 24 is extra high, 16 or 18 is high, 11 or 12 is medium, 6 or 8 is low.
E-cigarettes come in various styles, in particular pen-style and so-called mini cigarettes even though mini cigarettes are usually larger than regular analog cigarette. Pen-style is about the size of a pen (around 145mm) and the carts usually have a flat tip on them like some cigarillos.
The benefit of a pen style is that the batteries are larger and last longer and the carts hold the most e-liquid at around 1.0 to 1.1ml. Examples of pen-style e-cigarettes include DSE801, BE112, and M201. The next size down is about the size of a 120mm size cigarette. The carts of this size generally hold around 0.6ml, the battery does not last quite as long as the pen style, and they have either a flat or round mouthpiece.
Examples of these include the DSE901, BE901, and the M402 (the M402 has a round mouthpiece and the others are flat). The next size down is about the size of a 100mm cigarette and usually has a round mouthpiece like an analog cigarette. The batteries are usually the same capacity as the 120mm size but the carts are smaller and usually hold in the range of 0.3ml. Examples include the M402 and the BE103.
Due to the wide range of cart capacities, from 1.1 to 0.3 ml, it is hard to determine how many analog cigarettes are equivalent to a filled cart of an e-cigarette. Many manufacturers and vendors vastly overstate the equivalence saying that a 0.6ml cart is the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes. This is not true. Most people find that the smallest size cart (0.3ml) is the equivalent of about 3 analog cigarettes but even that is a rough estimate since it varies widely depending on the users draw strength, how often it is drawn upon, the type of e-liquid used, and other factors. A pen-style cartridge usually provides the equivalent of as many as 10 cigarettes and a medium sized mini e-cig cart typically contains 0.6ml.
Most e-cigarette starter packages contain 2 batteries, an atomizer, a charger, and a selection of pre-filled cartridges, often of varying strengths (high, medium, low, and none). Serious e-smokers will want a total of 3 or more batteries, extra atomizers, two or more chargers, a large number of cartridges (blank or filled), and a few bottles of e-liquid. Cartridges which are prefilled can be used up then refilled with e-liquid, but many e-smokers will start with a pack of 5 or 10 blank cartridges so they can be filled with their favorite e-liquid or e-liquid blend. Since batteries run out often and some people can go through 3 or more batteries in a day of heavy e-smoking (especially when using the mini cigarette types) multiple chargers are necessary to keep one or two batteries charged up and ready to go.
Many of the chargers are two pieces and contain the unit which is plugged into a 120v standard wall outlet and a separate cable which can be plugged into either the wall unit or the USB port of a computer. There are car chargers available, or if one already has a car charger for other USB electronics, this can be used with the cable that comes with the USB style chargers. Note that the USB outlet on some computers and laptops is not full powered and will not provide enough power to charge batteries, but almost all desktop and most laptop computers rear USB outlets are full powered. Many e-cigarettes have a USB passthrough battery option. Instead of a standalone battery (that has an LED light on it to indicate when it is being drawn upon), it has a USB cable coming out that is plugged into a USB port on a computer or USB car charger and can be continually used without charging. Some people report that USB passthrough batteries fail more often than regular batteries so if one is using them exclusively it is a good idea to keep a spare one on hand. They are about the same price as a regular battery.
It is important when first receiving an e-cigarette to charge each of the batteries 10 hours before use. Afterwards when they run low it only requires about 4 hours charging time. This initial long charge may be important. Even though e-cigarette batteries are lithium ion and supposedly do not have a memory, batteries which do not get the initial long charge appear more prone to failure. Some batteries come fully charged from the vendor but unless this is stated when it is purchased, it is probably best to charge them all for the extended time.
Another thing to remember when getting a new e-cigarette is that atomizers require being broken-in. Atomizers can taste awful the first few times they are used and it takes as long as 2 days of e-smoking before they lose their new taste and vapor production can be less during this time, so be patient. Atomizers can become clogged, too. One method recommended for cleaning an atomizer is to boil water and remove from heat, place the atomizer in the hot water, and let soak for a half hour. Then blow from the battery end to clear the excess water, and let dry a few hours standing on end before use.
There are a large number of e-liquids for sale and these generate a great deal of discussion on e-cigarette internet forums. The most highly regarded e-liquids on the market generally appear to be those sold by Totally Wicked at totallywicked-eliquid.com. These cost a lot, though, at around $30 per 30ml liquid (mid 2009 prices in $US, not including shipping) or $1.00/ml, which works out to be the equivalent of roughly $1.50 to $2 per equivalent pack of analog cigarettes. Other popular US websites which sell e-liquids include e-smokeytreats.com, puresmoker.com, johnsoncreeksmokejuice.com, truevapor.com, and jantyusa.com, among many others, but note that Janty USA has had problems in the past with customer service and other issues so check with the e-cigarette-forum for the latest reports from customers. E-liquids ordered from China can be $0.40/ml or less and usually run in the $0.50/ml range. Popular Chinese sites to order e-liquids include bestecig.com, eastmall.com, and others. Note that on small orders, the shipping costs from China can completely negate the savings.
When e-liquids are being reviewed by users, the most common rating factors are taste, vapor production, and throat hit. Throat hit is the sensation of inhaling smoke similar to that of an analog cigarette. Vapor production may not be that important as far as nicotine delivery is concerned and is mostly a factor of how much propylene glycol (or vegetable glycerin) the e-liquid contains, but blowing out smoke is a strong factor in many peoples enjoyment with e-smoking so is considered important. But taste is the most important factor assuming that vapor production and throat hit are sufficient and peoples tastes vary a great deal. Do a search on the phrase poll favorite juice (without quotations) on the e-cigarette-forum to find a long thread where people report their favorite e-juice flavors to get an idea of the varying tastes. Most people start with normal tobacco flavors but quickly branch out to find their favorite flavor.
On e-cigarette-forum, many regular posters have a signature which reports how long they have been avoiding analog cigarettes. Many people immediately take to e-cigarettes and never look back, perhaps occasionally smoking a few analogs when they run out of e-smoking supplies and are awaiting their latest order. Some report that they no longer like the taste of analog cigarettes after a week or two of e-smoking, and with the great selection of quality e-liquids no available, it is easy to see why.
There are many topics that this basic introduction does not cover including propylene glycol vs vegetable glycerin e-liquids, e-cigarette component problems, health aspects, politics, and many others that are discussed on e-cigarette-forum so check there for much more information.
I have not bought a pack of commercial cigarettes in years, but smoked plenty of analogs. I did MYO (manufacture/make-your-own - injecting blank tubes with tobacco) which cost around a dollar a pack. I stocked up before the April tax increase, which has effectively shut down the MYO business since the tax increased from $1 to $25 a pound (a 2500% increase) on bulk tobacco. I probably won't even finish the tobacco I have stocked, though, since I now have an e-cig!
On Friday I stopped by the local discount tobacco shop where I once bought MYO supplies to see how they were doing and to see if they had any e-cigs or juice for sale. They did have a couple models of e-cigs - one looked like the really crappy type that comes in a cigarette-looking box plus an expensive but no-name two-piece mini but they sold no spares, accessories, juice, or even cartridges, prefilled or blank, so are ill-equipped to sell e-cigs. Since they have lost so much business from the MYO market, they started stocking "head shop" supplies plus they added video poker machines to stay in business. I think e-cigs would be a good line for the store.
I spoke to the owner saying he needed to get stocked on e-cigs and supplies. The problem is he does not know much about them, so I said I would email him a couple of websites where he could purchase a good supply of e-cigs, supplies, accessories, and most of all, ejuice. It would be nice for me to be able to purchase supplies locally without having to wait for shipping even if I did have to pay a bit more. I am going to tell him to see eastmall.com and bestecig.com and ask about wholesale pricing and help him put together a good-sized order to get him properly stocked. He has plenty of shelf space since he will decrease the whole aisle of myo supplies he had to half an aisle or less soon.
Anyway, I wrote the following to send him and will tell him he can use it as a handout to give to prospective customers - I might even illustrate it and make it into a brochure for the promise of a few bottles of e-liquid once he's stocked! If you have any concise additions or corrections, please let me know. Thanks!
-----------------------
Introduction to Electronic Cigarettes
The main place on the internet where all aspects of e-smoking are discussed is e-cigarette-forum.com. This website has a wealth of information as well as many regulars and other experienced e-smokers who can provide help with problems and questions. Please search through the existing information on the forums to find answers to your questions before posting questions since it is highly likely that the question has been asked, and answered, before. There is a section called New Members Forum" that has many helpful posts and excellent videos for the new user.
Due to the large tax increase on tobacco products which went into effect in April 2009 as well as concerns about harmful chemicals in regular cigarettes (called analog cigarettes by the e-smoking crowd), electronic cigarettes (known as e-cigarettes or e-cigs) have become increasing popular. E-cigarettes do not burn tobacco; they vaporize a liquid called an e-liquid which usually contains nicotine. They do produce a cloud of vapor when exhaled which looks like smoke but does not have the smell of tobacco. There is no second-hand smoke, no ashtrays, and no fire hazard. They can sometimes be used in places which otherwise prohibit smoking. They do not stink up ones house, car, clothes, or breath. Although they were originally designed as a stop-smoking aid, many people use them as a substitute for analog cigarettes to avoid the high taxes, and for health reasons. This is especially true of the do-it-yourself types of people who rolled or injected their own cigarettes who were hit hardest by the tobacco tax, which increased from $1 to $25 per pound of roll-your-own tobacco, a 2500% increase. With discount e-liquid, the cost of the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes can be less than $1.
E-cigarettes are typically composed of a battery, an atomizer, and cartridge although in some models the atomizer and cartridge are combined. When reading discussions about e-cigarettes on the internet, these are often referred to by the shortened terms batt or bat for battery, atty for atomizer, and cart for cartridge. The cartridges usually contain a mouthpiece attached to a cylinder packed with fiber and come either prefilled with e-liquid (also known as e-juice) or are blank, meant to be filled with e-liquid by the user before use. Atomizers vaporize the liquid so it can be inhaled. The battery is rechargeable on almost all e-cigarettes although there are some e-cigars and e-cigarettes which are disposable and do not have a rechargeable battery.
E-liquid and pre-filled cartridges are available in a wide variety of strengths and flavors. The most popular e-liquid is probably Marlboro flavored with menthol or mint coming in a close second. Most people use e-liquid which contains nicotine and e-liquids are available in varying strengths from 0 to 36mg per milliliter. Many people who are using e-cigarettes only as a substitute for analogs stay with a high level like 36, 24, or 16mg. People who use e-cigarettes as a stop-smoking aid often start at a high level of nicotine and work their way down using, for example, 16, 12, 6, then 0mg at which point one may no longer addicted to nicotine after a few weeks. These values are typical but only an example. One may find strengths of 18, 11, 8, 4, and others, but usually 36 is called super high strength, 24 is extra high, 16 or 18 is high, 11 or 12 is medium, 6 or 8 is low.
E-cigarettes come in various styles, in particular pen-style and so-called mini cigarettes even though mini cigarettes are usually larger than regular analog cigarette. Pen-style is about the size of a pen (around 145mm) and the carts usually have a flat tip on them like some cigarillos.
The benefit of a pen style is that the batteries are larger and last longer and the carts hold the most e-liquid at around 1.0 to 1.1ml. Examples of pen-style e-cigarettes include DSE801, BE112, and M201. The next size down is about the size of a 120mm size cigarette. The carts of this size generally hold around 0.6ml, the battery does not last quite as long as the pen style, and they have either a flat or round mouthpiece.
Examples of these include the DSE901, BE901, and the M402 (the M402 has a round mouthpiece and the others are flat). The next size down is about the size of a 100mm cigarette and usually has a round mouthpiece like an analog cigarette. The batteries are usually the same capacity as the 120mm size but the carts are smaller and usually hold in the range of 0.3ml. Examples include the M402 and the BE103.
Due to the wide range of cart capacities, from 1.1 to 0.3 ml, it is hard to determine how many analog cigarettes are equivalent to a filled cart of an e-cigarette. Many manufacturers and vendors vastly overstate the equivalence saying that a 0.6ml cart is the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes. This is not true. Most people find that the smallest size cart (0.3ml) is the equivalent of about 3 analog cigarettes but even that is a rough estimate since it varies widely depending on the users draw strength, how often it is drawn upon, the type of e-liquid used, and other factors. A pen-style cartridge usually provides the equivalent of as many as 10 cigarettes and a medium sized mini e-cig cart typically contains 0.6ml.
Most e-cigarette starter packages contain 2 batteries, an atomizer, a charger, and a selection of pre-filled cartridges, often of varying strengths (high, medium, low, and none). Serious e-smokers will want a total of 3 or more batteries, extra atomizers, two or more chargers, a large number of cartridges (blank or filled), and a few bottles of e-liquid. Cartridges which are prefilled can be used up then refilled with e-liquid, but many e-smokers will start with a pack of 5 or 10 blank cartridges so they can be filled with their favorite e-liquid or e-liquid blend. Since batteries run out often and some people can go through 3 or more batteries in a day of heavy e-smoking (especially when using the mini cigarette types) multiple chargers are necessary to keep one or two batteries charged up and ready to go.
Many of the chargers are two pieces and contain the unit which is plugged into a 120v standard wall outlet and a separate cable which can be plugged into either the wall unit or the USB port of a computer. There are car chargers available, or if one already has a car charger for other USB electronics, this can be used with the cable that comes with the USB style chargers. Note that the USB outlet on some computers and laptops is not full powered and will not provide enough power to charge batteries, but almost all desktop and most laptop computers rear USB outlets are full powered. Many e-cigarettes have a USB passthrough battery option. Instead of a standalone battery (that has an LED light on it to indicate when it is being drawn upon), it has a USB cable coming out that is plugged into a USB port on a computer or USB car charger and can be continually used without charging. Some people report that USB passthrough batteries fail more often than regular batteries so if one is using them exclusively it is a good idea to keep a spare one on hand. They are about the same price as a regular battery.
It is important when first receiving an e-cigarette to charge each of the batteries 10 hours before use. Afterwards when they run low it only requires about 4 hours charging time. This initial long charge may be important. Even though e-cigarette batteries are lithium ion and supposedly do not have a memory, batteries which do not get the initial long charge appear more prone to failure. Some batteries come fully charged from the vendor but unless this is stated when it is purchased, it is probably best to charge them all for the extended time.
Another thing to remember when getting a new e-cigarette is that atomizers require being broken-in. Atomizers can taste awful the first few times they are used and it takes as long as 2 days of e-smoking before they lose their new taste and vapor production can be less during this time, so be patient. Atomizers can become clogged, too. One method recommended for cleaning an atomizer is to boil water and remove from heat, place the atomizer in the hot water, and let soak for a half hour. Then blow from the battery end to clear the excess water, and let dry a few hours standing on end before use.
There are a large number of e-liquids for sale and these generate a great deal of discussion on e-cigarette internet forums. The most highly regarded e-liquids on the market generally appear to be those sold by Totally Wicked at totallywicked-eliquid.com. These cost a lot, though, at around $30 per 30ml liquid (mid 2009 prices in $US, not including shipping) or $1.00/ml, which works out to be the equivalent of roughly $1.50 to $2 per equivalent pack of analog cigarettes. Other popular US websites which sell e-liquids include e-smokeytreats.com, puresmoker.com, johnsoncreeksmokejuice.com, truevapor.com, and jantyusa.com, among many others, but note that Janty USA has had problems in the past with customer service and other issues so check with the e-cigarette-forum for the latest reports from customers. E-liquids ordered from China can be $0.40/ml or less and usually run in the $0.50/ml range. Popular Chinese sites to order e-liquids include bestecig.com, eastmall.com, and others. Note that on small orders, the shipping costs from China can completely negate the savings.
When e-liquids are being reviewed by users, the most common rating factors are taste, vapor production, and throat hit. Throat hit is the sensation of inhaling smoke similar to that of an analog cigarette. Vapor production may not be that important as far as nicotine delivery is concerned and is mostly a factor of how much propylene glycol (or vegetable glycerin) the e-liquid contains, but blowing out smoke is a strong factor in many peoples enjoyment with e-smoking so is considered important. But taste is the most important factor assuming that vapor production and throat hit are sufficient and peoples tastes vary a great deal. Do a search on the phrase poll favorite juice (without quotations) on the e-cigarette-forum to find a long thread where people report their favorite e-juice flavors to get an idea of the varying tastes. Most people start with normal tobacco flavors but quickly branch out to find their favorite flavor.
On e-cigarette-forum, many regular posters have a signature which reports how long they have been avoiding analog cigarettes. Many people immediately take to e-cigarettes and never look back, perhaps occasionally smoking a few analogs when they run out of e-smoking supplies and are awaiting their latest order. Some report that they no longer like the taste of analog cigarettes after a week or two of e-smoking, and with the great selection of quality e-liquids no available, it is easy to see why.
There are many topics that this basic introduction does not cover including propylene glycol vs vegetable glycerin e-liquids, e-cigarette component problems, health aspects, politics, and many others that are discussed on e-cigarette-forum so check there for much more information.
