I'd like to give at least one response here in defense of the cig-looking devices.
A good quality cig-looking device may be something to consider.
Bloog, Volt, Halo and Elite Vaporworks all make high quality batteries.
Coupling these to horizontal coil cartomizers makes a very easy to use solution.
Using high quality juices, like BWB, will make a huge difference in their performance.
The low cost and ease of use of the e-cig type devices is what makes them popular.
Their cig look-alike design helps in making the mental adjustment away from cigarettes.
IMO, the disposables and the over-priced mall store cig-looking devices reflect badly on the entire market of cig-looking devices, but there are some good ones out there to consider.
Not to drag things off topic, but the minis, or anything with a small battery has limitations that no amount of tweaking or quality control or juice selection can compensate for. It's a matter of physics and chemistry and there's no way around it.
The Volt, Bloog and a couple more are simply the best of an overall dismally performing class of e-cig.
Anyone not hung up on the psychological aspect of a cig. look alike has absolutely nothing to gain by getting anything with a small battery.
A small battery cannot maintain a charge long enough to keep you vaping at 3.7V or more for any good length of time.
They can't take LR cartos. They're no good for dripping. Some have proprietary cartridges or even reverse polarity.
They are very expensive in the long run because the batteries start losing capacity far sooner than a larger battery.
They are not, in any way, "low cost". Mah for mah, they cost far more than a big battery e-cig.
They're no easier to use than an eGo with a pre-filled carto.
What makes them popular is their resemblance to a cigarette and the fact that newbies generally are unaware of any alternatives or what they're sacrificing for that design.
Then, you have the factor of people who associate an analog lookalike with cigarettes. You will never be accused of smoking when you're vaping a kGo or Silver Bullet. People won't approach you for a light or to bum a cigarette.
People won't assume your using an e-cig if you're vaping a mod. They'll ask you questions they wouldn't otherwise have asked if you had an analog lookalike because they would think they know what an e-cig is (The FDA told them).
Outside of a very short term mental crutch, there is nothing to recommend a mini-cig.
That is borne out by the fact that only a small minority of vapers sticks with one for more than a few months, even the good ones. Mini-cigs can be divided into 3 classes. Total garbage, junk and temporarily tolerable.
