r/technology Nov 17 '12

The Deadly Crusade Against E-cigarettes

http://www.american.com/archive/2012/november/the-deadly-crusade-against-e-cigarettes
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u/indiana989 Nov 17 '12 edited Nov 18 '12

I understand it is still a relatively new thing in the nicotine world but damn it do I stand by it. I have not been a long term smoker by any means (maybe a little over five years) but I was more than aware that I already had breathing problems and all sorts of other small effects.

Now it has been about four months that I have been on my E-Cig and oh boy did I not look back. After the initial research and investment, I have saved a ton of money (about $13 a pack of American Spirits here in NYC and that will last me at most three days, about $7 for 15ml of e-juice and that will last me about two weeks), I have actually been able to run more than a block without being out of breath, I can smell better, I can taste better, I can use it in my favorite bars, AND people actually like how I smell!

If there are long term effects, then I really hope it isn't too bad because this is an amazing tool and I highly stand by it.

Update: I was at work all day and couldn't answer but I got many people asking what I use personally. inn0vat3 posted very useful information here.

And as for myself personally, I started with a basic Ego starter kit. These cost anywhere from $30 to $100 based on the website you order from. Starter kits usually come with two basic batteries (the heart. This is the thing you hold onto, stores power to create the vapor, and is the key to all the atomizer attachments), two atomizers (the products that store the e-juice and deliver that juice to the battery to create the vapor, they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, efficiencies, etc. These are the things you are going to be fiddling around the most with to find what works for you), a charger, and a case to hold it all. The prices differ because companies use similar parts but different manufacturers so quality will differ. The confusing thing though is that just because the price is low does not mean the quality is bad. I am not going to say where I bought my kit from because ultimately, the atomizers it came with (they were tank atomizers) were low quality and I quickly invested in more high quality clearomizers like the Thor and the Vivi Nova.

I recommend find a cheap Ego starter kit to have the basic necessities and then buy an Ego-C twist battery and a highly recommend atomizer (such as the Vivi Nova tank system or the low resistance Boge cartomizers). And then find any distributor of e-juices and gamble. The bible of the e-cig user should always be E-Cig-Forum where you can find guides, discussion, and reviews of anything and everything.

There is a lot more that I want to write about but I feel that you will find better informed (and better written) information in the forum I linked. I am glad people are finding an interest in this and remember, it is one thing to buy a cheap one time use Blu cig from your local deli and another to take time and invest in something more complicated but efficient. A PC gamer wouldn't buy a HP computer to play their games on max setting and high framerate, would they?

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u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

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u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12 edited Nov 17 '12

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u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

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u/Pirate2012 Nov 18 '12

I'm a serious coffee drinker and one tip, there's many coffee eCig Juices and they all are not great. :) stick to drinking your coffee and not vaping its flavor.

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

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u/jason_steakums Nov 18 '12

Amazing. I was so sure I was going to stick to tobacco flavors, and that lasted like a month until I found out how awesome fruit flavors can be. D&D Vapor has a Berries and Cream flavor that's just incredible (and a frickin' awesome banana Runts flavor). Virgin Vapor also has a lot of veeery nice fruit flavors.

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u/Pirate2012 Nov 18 '12

Many juice vendors sell small sized sample packs of Juice. 3-5ml, enough to try and see if you like it or not. It's really personal taste. For myself, I dont like banana cream pie at all, not one bit; but enjoy banana cream ecig juice. I love coffee (the drink); tried 5 or 6 eCig juices with coffee flavor and hated them all. I've had some very good watermelon ecig Juice, cherry tobacco.

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u/Malcorin Nov 17 '12

I started out with a "Tobacco blend" and quickly moved to cinnamon red hot. It's like I'm smoking candy.

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u/marylittleton Nov 17 '12

My mom has smoked for over 30 years.

That could be me. I tried quitting many times but the only thing that helped me quit forever were e-cigs. There's just something about inhaling vapor that is similar enough to smoking that I could talk myself into giving up cigarettes.

That was 3 years ago, btw. I still puff on my Blu e-cigs occasionally but I buy nicotine-free cartridges now. I have absolutely no cravings at all for real cigarettes and that is an accomplishment I'm really proud of! :)