Review of eCigarettes

The cleverest thing since pop-top lids! As a "nicotine delivery device," it's as effective as a nicotine patch -- just vastly less expensive. However, a caveat: while it closely models the experience of smoking real cigarettes, it is not quite the same. I found that a "learning period" of 1-2 months was needed before I stopped preferring a "real" cigarette. The cost savings of 90% over "real" smoking was, as they say in the trade, a powerful motivator.

Some basic "starter" principles:

1. Ignore all the hype in the advertisements. Ignore just about everything you can find on the internet.

2. Buy the "eGo" starter kit from: www.wasatchvapor.com You'll get two of everything at less than half the price of anybody.

Further down, I'll explain some crucial things that nobody else will explain, but first a short primer on eCig technology:

As with everything these days, the first thing that the afficianados/insiders/blowhards feel compelled to do is to dazzle and confuse you with their special terminology. WTF is an "atty?" WTF is "eJuice?" Like I said, just ignore this crap -- just mystical words to make something simple into something exotic.

An eCigarette, "eCig" for short, has just 4 basic parts:

1. A lithium rechargeable battery.

2. A solution containing nicotine, called "eJuice."

3. A "cartridge," or reservoir, for holding a few drops of eJuice.

4. A heating element for vaporizing the eJuice, called an "atomizer" or "atty" for short.

Here is a photo of the eGo brand of eCig, showing all of its parts:

From left to right: cartridge, atomizer, decorative cover, battery.

And here is the A/C charger that can also recharge the eCig from any USB port:

The battery has a capacity of 650 maH. Its voltage is the standard lithium-ion 3.7 volts. The atomizer has a resistance of 2.4 ohms. For me, my average "drag" involves holding in the power button for 4 seconds, YMMV. Now, you wizards who know Ohm's Law can figure out how long the battery will go between charges if you take X drags each day. And therein lies the rub: how many eCig drags will give you the same amount of nicotine as 1 real cigarette? For me, it works out to something on the order of "6 eCig drags" = "1 real cigarette," YMMV. Which means that my battery lasts way more than 1 week -- I recharge it every Saturday.

Here is a close-up of the "filling end" of the cartridge:

It contains a Qtip-sized piece of some kind of coarse wicking material that holds the eJuice inside the cartridge by capillary action. Ignore the instructions that talk about the cartridge holding only 3 drops of eJuice -- it will hold 10-12 drops before it becomes saturated (ie: prone to drip). The key to enjoying a consistent eCig "smoke" is to keep this wick wet, but not saturated. If it is saturated, the eJuice will drown the heating element in the atomizer; if the wick becomes dry, the "smoke" (eJuice vapor) will become harsh and taste like shit.

The key to loading the cartridge consistently with eJuice is: get yourself a milligram scale. These puppies are not cheap, but can be found on the web for $100 to $110. Not grams, not 0.1 grams, not 0.01 grams, but MILLIgrams: 0.001 grams. Here's what a cartridge looks like sitting on my milligram scale:

Notice that the dry cartridge weighs in at 0.804 grams (804 milligrams). When properly loaded with eJuice, it will weigh about 1.125 - 1.150 grams, YMMV.

By using the rough equivalence: 1 gm = 1 ml (true of pure water, close enough for eJuice), my dropper bottle of eJuice delivers about 40 drops per ml, YMMV. At a nicotine strength of 24 mg/ml, that's about 0.6 mg nicotine per drop of eJuice, YMMV. When you compare "40 drops/ml" to the typical web-search value of "12 drops/ml" (from prescription and laboratory sites), you can quickly see why I counsel you to "ignore everything you read on the web." Of course, YMMV, and that is why the "gospel truth" of the milligram scale justifies its purchase.

Sure, after a few months, you'll have the whole thing down to a science, and can reload your cartridge with exactly 4 drops every morning before you even open your eyes -- until you drift off the mark, and drown your atomizer, or start smoking burnt wicking shit. Buy yourself a milligram scale, and don't leave home without it. Mine is 3-1/4" X 3-1/2", and fits in a tiny travel bag with my charger and bottle of eJuice.

When the wick is "fully loaded," the eCig works fine after resting on its side between uses. However, as the wick becomes depleted, the eCig works much better when stored upright, so I drilled some 9/16" holes in a block of wood to make this "eCig Stand:"

Remember, I mentioned that you get 2 complete eCigs in each starter-kit from Wasatch Vapor. But, you only get one charger, so you might want to splurge on a second charger (just in case). You should also buy an extra package of cartridges (5 for $3) up-front. Why? Because you will run the wick dry during your initial experiments, and that will melt/burn the wicking, ruining it.

Recognize one reality: the multi-gazillion-dollar cigarette industry does not want you switching to eCigarettes! While totally unregulated at the present moment, there is no denying that the eCig is a "drug delivery device" (FDA terminology), and that regulation is just around the corner. Also understand that almost all eCigs are "made in China," where they paint Mattel's toys with toxic lead paint, and adulterate their milk with melamine (Formica) powder. In theory, eJuice contains only nicotine and PEG (polyethylene glycol, an ingredient in 100's of everyday food products). As always, YMMV. ;-))

Truth in Everything Notice: I am a regular retail customer of Wasatch Vapor, but do not receive, and have never received, any special consideration or money from them.