I am as average as it gets.  My wife and I have average jobs, live in a nice community in Florida and live our lives to the fullest within our means.  We’ve been talking about quitting smoking for a long time, so back in March of 2009, we heard about this new phenomenon, the e cigarette and decided to invest in a starter kit to help us cut down and hopefully quit smoking.

Before we made the purchase, we did a lot of research and read a lot of reviews.  Our first endeavor was unsuccessful.  After months of trying and buying, we finally hit on a few models that worked well enough to satisfy.  I quit back in September and my wife is down to a few cigarettes a day.  I’ve been a Marlboro smoker for over 30 years and I can finally say I don’t care for one thank you!

There was a lot of trial and error involved, and I would like to thank the members of ECF for their useful opinions and unbiased reviews.  We created this website to help anyone interested in an alternative to traditional tobacco products make informed choices about ecigs.  The  products we tried and currently use has its advantages and disadvantages.  We wanted to share our experiences about the ones that impacted us most and implore you not to give up too easily on ecigs as we almost did.  The transition from traditional tobacco products to ecigs can be challenging for some, but worth the effort in trying an alternative.

E Juice is the flavored nicotine liquid that most ecig makers provide to refill the cartridges that accompany your e cigarette, making the cartridges re-usable for a period of time.  This liquid comes in a variety of nicotine strengths ranging from 36mg to 0mg depending on manufacturer. Some companies like Blu, make a pre-filled cartridge of this same liquid that gets thrown away once the juice is all used up. Many manufacturers that make e juice suggests that you start out with a nicotine strength of 24 mg and over time, work your way down gradually weaning yourself off the dependence on nicotine.  Personally I advise against this.  This is because in the beginning, you’re probably still smoking traditional tobacco, so you don’t want to take in too much nicotine.   The first day after I got my e cigarette, I was so excited, I tried every juice that came with my starter kit.  Within a few hours Iwas getting a serious nicotine buzz that turned into a two day headache. I learned from my mistakes and now I’m sharing this with you.

Another huge mistake I made was deciding on a model by its size.  I so wanted to replicate the image of smoking a regular cigarette, I went out an purchased a device that was the exact same size as my Marlboro’s.  I thought I could fool my brain into thinking I was still smoking regular cigarettes. For me it was less about holding the cigarette and flicking the ashes, and more about taste and getting a satisfying throat hit.  I found out bigger is better on the models I tested.

There are mainly two types of e cigarettes on the market today.  A three piece and a two piece version.  The three piece ecig is made up of an atomizer (the heating element), a lithium battery and a cartridge.  The two piece e cig is made up of just a  battery and a cartridge which houses the atomizer.  I have had a more satisfying experience with the three piece models, as it produces more vapor and a better throat hit than the two piece models.  The three piece requires a lot more maintenance though, as you will be constantly refilling the cartridges with e juice when it dries up.  I’ve turned it into a fun event and truly enjoy dabbling with all the juices and equipment I’ve ordered over the past months.

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Statistics show there are over 4.5 million tobacco users in the US alone. By 2025, there would be over 1.6 billion users worldwide if this trend continues.

This is a staggering amount of tobacco users with annual health cost reaching into the billions every year due to smoking related diseases.  Despite gallant efforts by health organizations and the federal government to heighten awareness of the dangers of smoking, the smoking population continues to increase at an alarming rate.

The average smoker will try to quit at least 6-8 times during a lifetime without much success.  Quitting is not as easy for some. Now is the time to consider shifting some focus from trying to get smokers to quit out right, to offering an alternative instead.  By doing this if you can’t quit, you at least have an alternative.  The best alternative in existence today are electronic cigarettes more commonly known as e cigarettes.  It is also by far the best alternative to smoking cigars.

An e cig is an alternative to smoked tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars and pipes.  It is a smokeless battery powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vaporized propylene glycol/nicotine solution.  This vapor provides a flavor and all the physical sensations of inhaled tobacco smoke while no smoke, tobacco or combustion is actually involved in its operation.

An e cig usually takes the form of an elongated tube, and most are designed to resemble real smoking products like cigarettes, pipes and cigars.  They are reusable devices with replaceable and refillable parts. A number of manufacturers have developed a disposable version as well, making the action of smoking and throwing it away more realistic.  Gamucci Electronic Cigarette is one of the first to offer a disposable form of this device.

When a smoker inhales through the device, air flow is detected by a sensor which activates a heating element that vaporizes a nicotine solution stored in the mouth piece.  On some models equipped with an LED light, the LED light is activated during the inhalation process simulating the glow of actual burning tobacco.  While electronic cigarettes take many forms, they are all comprised of the same basic components.

The mouth piece or cartridge is a disposable cup affixed to the end of the tube.  Inside the cup is an absorbent material that is flavored with the nicotine solution producing the desired flavor. These flavors vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and typically include tobacco, menthol, or cherry flavors to name a few.  These cartridges are also available in different nicotine strengths which varies from 16mg to 0mg depending on the manufacturer.  One such manufacturer is Green Smoke.

The heating element called the atomizer, vaporizes the liquid in the mouth piece so it can be inhaled.  Most of these devices use lithium batteries as its power source that can be recharged via a wall unit or USB port on your computer.  Some makers have become very creative and innovative, and actually produce chargers in the form of the e cig  pack which allows you to charge your batteries while you’re on the go. The Blu Electronic Cigarette Company makes such a pack.

There are excellent statistics coming out of the electronic cigarette industry, proving the use of these devices emits only about 20 harmless ingredients, compared to the 400 ingredients, 60 of which are extremely deadly from traditional tobacco products.  Some of these ingredients include arsenic, carbon monoxide an other carcinogens.

Like any other tobacco related product, there are manufacturing and labeling guidelines that minimizes access to this device by minors.  The threat of it being available to our youth population is almost non existent because of the need to produce ID when purchasing, just like you would if purchasing traditional tobacco products.  Read the electronic cigarette reviews and join in on the e cigarette forum.

The “ecigarette” is the hope to averting deaths from the prolonged use of tobacco products.  It is the best alternative being offered to the tobacco smoking population if used prudently.  By encouraging the use of these devices, the success rate of converting tobacco users will be much greater.

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