Technology is a wonderful thing and when it can give smokers a way to lessen the damage done to their health, while allowing them to continue to “smoke” then it’s definitely on to a winner. The electronic cigarette is the breakthrough every smoker in the world has been praying for, a device which will allow them to smoke to their hearts content without doing any damage to their physical health. That’s the theory anyway, but what’s the reality?
I decided to order a V2 e cigarette starter kit to see if they are any good as I’ve spent the last 10 years trying unsuccessfully to quit the demon weed.
What is it exactly?
The e cigarette is such a simple device that you might wonder why it hasn’t been around for decades. It’s just a battery connected to a nicotine filled cartridge containing a component called an atomizer. When you inhale on the cartridge the battery is activated and heats up the atomizer. The nicotine mixture is vaporized and you get a hit similar to when you use tobacco. When you exhale you even see something which look like smoke come out. It’s actually just water vapor and an ingredient called propylene glycol, the same thing used to make the “smoke” with a smoke machine.
The first thing I will say about the e cig is that it’s obviously not identical to smoking tobacco, there’s no actual smoke for a start. If you have been smoking for years then you might find the transition quite difficult, indeed many people find that they just can’t take to them. Most smokers seem to grow to love them though after a short introduction period, and I’m one of them.
The e cigarette lacks some of the “hit” of real ciggies thanks to the fact that it doesn’t contain many of the nasty chemicals tobacco companies put in there to make their products more addictive. But, the e cig has a much cleaner taste and once you have become accustomed to it tobacco starts to taste pretty disgusting.
Since getting my package in the post I’ve almost completely replaced tobacco with my electronic replacement and I’m loving it. The only time I venture over to the dark side is when I drink a bit too much alcohol on the occasional weekend bender. Apart from that you’ll find me puffing away on the coolest gadget ever created for smokers.
If you are a smoker I suggest you read a few electronic cigarette reviews and choose a high quality product to try out for yourself…you’ve got nothing to lose, except perhaps a few dollars!