Electronic Cigarettes: Finding a model that’s right for you.

 A couple of things come up every time I talk about Electronic cigarettes. The first is invariably “I tried one of those, It didn't work.” Usually they will go on to say that they didn’t see much smoke and it tasted ok but didn’t leave them feeling fulfilled like they would have been from a lungful of smoke.

Now if I'm having this conversation in person I can simply hand them my unit. And have them take a draw. When their eyes glaze over and they finally catch their breath I explain to them that they simply needed the correct equipment for their smoking style. This happens so often that my expression must give away the fact that their about to go down in a fog of choking glory because I'll get that wry smile. You know the one.

The second thing I hear. “ sounds great but I don't know which one to get. There are a ton of different models and some are really expensive.” This is also a valid contention. And a lot of people have spent a lot of money on units that look great but do not perform any better then their bargain basement cousins.

The first thing to keep in mind is that an E-cigarette or personal vaporizer is not a complicated device. It basically consists of a battery that provides current to a coil, think toaster, whose heat then warms a solution of glycol, water and nicotine.

The glycol has both a low boiling point and is a Humectant so when it reaches its gaseous state not only does it carry the nicotine, it pulls the water from the surrounding air and appears as fog. The Fog may be mildly irritating as it dries the mouth and throat. That irritation is considered throat hit and is a desired effect of the process.

All E-cigarettes share these common components.

1. The Battery. Batteries, nearly always rechargeable are the basis for the unit. The design and function and performance all revolve around the battery. These batteries are nearly all 3.3 to 3.7 volt and come in proprietary and non proprietary types and sizes. Capacity is the key when choosing unit types based on batteries. The larger the battery is the higher capacity and longer period between charges. This translates into ease of use.
2. The heating coil. Commonly called the atomizer or atty for short. These come in several different sizes and styles. They are differentiated by their production numbers. These attach to the battery via threaded connection which is identified by the type of atomizer it takes as well. IE. An 801 connection will except an 801 atty but will not accept a 510 atty.
3. The Cartridge. The cartridge holds the liquid vapor solution. There are many different types and style of cartridge and containment systems. The most common involves a plastic side vented mouthpiece that contains a wick of poly-fill which holds the semi viscous liquid and allows it to draw downward onto the atomizer coil by way of a small bridge.

These three pieces are what comprise the basic E-cigarette, Commonly referred to as a three piece system.

A two piece system is one in which the heating coil and the cartridge are combined to create a cartomizer. These can be purchased filled, or ready for filling by the user.

A cartomizer is by far the easiest way to vape. You can fill several cartomizers at a time and hold them ready for use. They hold approximately 1 ml of vapor liquid and will last upwards of half the day depending on the frequency of use. They come 5 to a pack for about 10 dollars which is much more cost effective then atomizers at ten dollars apiece. I always suggest cartomizers for the beginner, no matter what style of electronic cigarette they decide to try.

For the sake of this article we will speak of the three basic varieties of E-cigarette. The Mini, The Big Battery, and a little about Mod's and User built units. There are several models of each type. And when I say several I mean multitudes. So I will cover the overview.

Mini's (306, 401, 510, kr808)

Everyone that tries an E-cigarette wants the same thing. They want a cigarette. They want it to look, feel and taste like a cigarette. This is universal. It is unfortunate. I will tell you, you would be happier with something that doesn’t look like a cigarette. But you will insist.

Enter the Mini.

The Minis are the most cigarette looking of E-cigarettes, they have a tiny battery come in two and three piece design. Nearly all Mini's have the LED on the end that lights up when you press the button. They come with both manual and automatic batteries. Brands such as Blu, Revolver, Joye and a myriad of others. If it looks like a regular cigarette its a mini.

One glaring downside with the mini is that the small battery means short battery life which in turn means you will need to have extra batteries charged and ready. Keeping them charged and rotated and replacing them when they inevitably go bad tends to sour the experience. Because of this most long term users of e-cigarettes have moved away from the Mini form factor and into something with more battery life.

If you are hell bent on trying a mini I recommend either the 510 or the Kr808d. They represent the most popular of the mini models and are widely available for around 40$ for the starter kit.

After using the E-cigarette or a time you will undoubtedly wish that you did not have to carry all the extra batteries, cartomizers, cartridges, atomizers etc etc. With a Mini you can count on using about three batteries a day. And you will need to keep one on the charger nearly the whole time in order to keep up. This rapidly becomes an inconvenience. Which is why the manufacturer's came up with something better.

The Big Battery.

Big Battery units are sold under the names of EGO and RIVA , TORNADO and VGO. These units utilize the same atomizers or cartomizers as their skinny cigarette looking counterparts, and with batteries starting at 650mah they last upwards of 6-8 hours of average operation. A far cry from the Mini's 1-2 hour battery life.

These companies also put out extended life big batteries that are even biggerr and will last all day and then some. There are larger Atomizers and cartomizers available but these are still in development. The normal 510 or 306 atomizers work just fine. I currently use one of these units with a 510 Low Resistance Atomizer. The 650mah battery lasts me all day and the LR Atty produces a ton of vapor.

Pricing on the EGO, RIVA, etc starter kits is only slightly higher then the mini kits. This is why I always recommend these units to new users. An EGO starter kit can be had for 50$ at a dozen places on the web. The Low Resistance Cartomizers will have to be ordered separately. They come in packs of 5 for around 10$ and last me upwards of two weeks a piece on average. I have had several for more then a month.

Mods and user built units.

Quite a hobby has sprung up around the E-cigarette. People are building their own units testing out new ideas and basically redesigning the units to better fit their preferences. Some that use multiple batteries to provide more wattage. Some that involve a feed system to deliver vapor liquid to the atomizer. Some simply making units that hold larger non proprietary rechargeable batteries.

Some of these redesigned units are so good that the creator decides to produce and sell them to the public. This results in whole new companies arriving on the scene. Like any other product you find one that interests you and then research it to make sure its what you want. There are a lot of good reasons to own a mod. Some of them being the lack of proprietary battery. Some are cheaper to maintain, Some like the feed mod's allow you to carry less crap around in your pockets. All good things.

However I never recommend a mod for a new user. There are too many features, too many questions just way to much thought involved. The beginner should seriously consider an EGO kit with LR cartomizers in order to get a good baseline on the experience, and then when comfortable start looking at all the shiny custom built units.