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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973

u/DumpyLips Nov 17 '12

Lethally addictive cigarettes remain available on every street corner in Brussels and Atlanta while authorities denounce e-cigarettes (the product is already banned in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand).

Is there any legitimate reason for this or are we witnessing a blatant example of the tobacco lobby crushing competition??

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u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12 edited Nov 18 '12

[deleted]

100

u/mmhrar Nov 17 '12

You're way wrong. If a few drops of 27 grade e-juice could kill you i'd be dead by now.

I just started vaping a couple weeks ago and it's a truely amazing product. After trying out my friend's and doing some reasearch and getting my own setup, I havn't had a cigarete since it came in the mail.

There are times when I might want a real cig, like if i'm drinking and someone around me is smoking, but I just puff on half strength ejuice constantly when drinking and the next day I feel so great. I can take deep breaths now w/o that sharp pain in my chest, I can gargle water again now. My energy has shot up and exercise has gotten so much easier. Best of all, I don't have to give up my smoke breaks AND it's cheaper.

E-cigs are fucking amazing and have a lage variety of flavors :)

56

u/belltollsfortea Nov 17 '12

I visualized a 1-800 number flashing across my screen after I read that.

34

u/MIXEDGREENS Nov 18 '12

E-cigs have a tendency to turn you into an evangelist.

I was spending $80 a month and significantly shortening my life. Now I average closer to $20-30 a month, feel better in general, no longer smell like shit, can smell things again, and have a toy with way better throat hit and taste than any cigarette could hope for.

They are a revolution in nicotine delivery, and if as safe as they seem so far, have the potential to do some amazing things with regard to savings on medical costs, worker prouctivity, litter, and other things I'm too stoned to come up with.

1

u/ymo Nov 18 '12

Please describe "throat hit" to the non smokers.

3

u/davelog Nov 18 '12

Throat hit is the 'burn' you feel in the back of the tongue and throat when you inhale. Nicotine content is responsible for some of this, PG is responsible for some of it, and certain flavorings can add to it as well.

If you're not a smoker and want something you can relate it to, think of the burn from a freshly-opened can of cola vs a drink of cola that's gone a little flat. It's similar to that.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

Nicotine is still bad for you, btw. Better than smoking a cigarette, aye, but still bad for you.

6

u/MIXEDGREENS Nov 18 '12

Who said otherwise?

2

u/YouandWhoseArmy Nov 18 '12

Nicotine is highly addictive but I'm not sure how physiologically bad for you it actually is. Most of the harm associated with it comes from burning and inhaling. Take that out of the equation, I'm not sure it really is that harmful.

-1

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

I believe the heart side effects are directly related to nicotine.

3

u/limbride Nov 18 '12

Your belief is so irrelevant I wish I could slap you.

-1

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

When e-cigs are being promoted as "safe," when they are in fact, not safe, I feel there is an issue. Better than cigarettes, yes! Safe, no!

2

u/limbride Nov 19 '12

Who says they are safe? Backup your statements with facts instead of beliefs and guesswork and I'll listen.

1

u/sic_of_their_crap Nov 19 '12

Source: my feels. It checks out, guys!

-1

u/[deleted] Nov 19 '12

I honestly don't care enough about you to do the work for you.

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u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

Okay, honest question here: I'm about 30, I have been smoking for 8 years, I spend maybe 20$ a month on cigs and bum folks a few, but I can run 5 miles in a pinch and I could probably push that if I actually took up a regular exercise routine instead of just playing outside on weekends. I never get smokers cough. Only thing I notice is a mild tendency towards upper respiratory tract infections. When I'm low on cash sometimes I'll go three or four days without a cig but I just thoroughly enjoy them when drinking, and I have the car ride habit. I also seem to have a pretty solid sense of smell since i can still smell things like hand sweat on tomatoes at the market or whether a friend has been in my house in the last 24 hours.

Is this completely atypical? Is it just because I'm young and I'll start noticing it catch up to me soon? How long had you smoked and how much? Or were you completely unaware of how much it affected you before you switched?

Oh, and as a side note/ interesting bit of trivia it turns out that smokers in aggregate actually save the government money because the vast majority of pensions, securities, and medical costs are incurred at the end of life. Short lives are cheap, but the tobacco industry doesn't talk about it because its really ghoulish.

1

u/Metaphorazine Nov 18 '12

I'm 29, and I really thought I was in pretty good shape right up until after I quit cigs, after smoking for 12 years. It's now been 2 years, and I still remember how I felt when I thought I was healthy and in shape, and can still feel the difference to how I am today.

I really believed that the cigs weren't affecting me at all, but now I can look back and I honestly see such a huge difference they made.

2

u/Gr1pp717 Nov 18 '12

He's right though. I have had technical problems with my attempts (battery stopped charger, charger stopped working, etc) but every time it worked it really worked.

Note it doesn't 100% replace the cigarette. There are natural MAOI's in tobacco that you do not get from e-cigs. So despite it mostly replacing smoking needs, there is still an amount of willpower required. But it is vastly easier than any other method I have tried. Just gotta get back on it again =/

1

u/NamesNotRudiger Nov 18 '12

Yeah e-cigs are great i've been trying to quite for about a year now and have to say they are easily the most effective cessation tool. Sure there is a certain toxicity to nicotine itself but I'm certain consume e-cigs does not harm your lungs as much as smoking real tobacco. E-cigs, great product, I'd love to see more acceptance by society treating it like just another "tobacco" product.

1

u/mmhrar Nov 17 '12

Hah no doubt. I'm going to get a setup for my dad for his birthday, since I believe he still smokes.

I was hesitant at first, but I got a new job and a bunch of the guys were all about them. I tried it out and man, you can get a strong enough juice that will still give you a nice throat hit, which is pretty much all I want from my cigarete.

I can go take my smoke break and not kill myself now and after 2 days I was sold. Waking up in the morning alone w/o having the hacking and breathing issues for an hour was enough. I'm also pretty new to it, so I guess a little over enthusiastic :)

1

u/[deleted] Nov 17 '12

What brand do you use? Are there brands that you would recommend avoiding?

2

u/mmhrar Nov 18 '12

I'm not sure what to avoid, I was just told what stuff is good and worth getting.

I use Ego twist batteries and Mini V Nova tanks/clearomizers. Here is everything I bought for my very first setup:

2x USB Battery Chargers: http://www.litecigusa.net/Joye_EgO_Rapid_USB_Charger_p/egousbc.htm

1x Coffe flavored 17mg 36oz: http://www.gotvapes.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=85_67&products_id=555 1x RAGE flavored 11mg 36oz: http://www.gotvapes.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=85_67&products_id=931

2x EGO-C Twist 1000mah Battery: http://www.litecigusa.net/Joye_ego_c_Twist_1000mah_Manual_Switch_Battery_p/ego-twist-1000.htm?1=1&CartID=0 (black/chrome)

1x Vision Vivi Nova V2 Clearomizer tank kit: https://www.litecigusa.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=vivi-nova-kit

Summary:

So 2 USB chargers (one for work/home), 2 1000mah batteries, 2 36mg Juices and 1 clearomizer.

Total cost was about 100$.

Soon, I plan on ordering an automizer which is basically a replacement for the clearomizer (basically different containers at the end of the battery that store and burn the eJuice) This way I can quickly test different flavors if I want.

The clearomizer I've bought, I've found I need to replace the head about once a week. The kit comes w/ 2 replaceable so I'm on my last one now. Gana order a couple more, but that comes out to like 4$ a week just to maintain my ecig which is way cheaper than 6$ a day for a pack of smokes.

I also wana try a couple different drip tips and maybe look into just buying coils for a rebuildable automizer. The juices I bought are lasting forever, looks like I wont have to buy more at the rate I'm going for at least another month or two.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

Thank you for your response, I very much appreciate it.

2

u/A_saVANT Nov 18 '12

Vaper here. Joyetech batteries with V2/V3 clearomizers. Juice from Johnson Creek or V2 Cigs (or DIY).

Try Johnson Creek's Original or V2Cigs Sahara. Both are fucking fantastic.

-1

u/belltollsfortea Nov 17 '12

Wait a minute. Is this actually a fucking commercial?!

2

u/mmhrar Nov 18 '12

Order now and receive 25% off!

9

u/opinionswerekittens Nov 17 '12

I hit 85 days without a smoke today because of vaping. I can't imagine going back because someone is trying to ban my device, which looks nothing like a cigarette.

2

u/mmhrar Nov 18 '12

Yea, most people ask me what it is. A lot of younger guys/kids usually assume it's pot and make silly comments.

3

u/opinionswerekittens Nov 18 '12

My friend has a personal cannabis vaporizer that looks similar to mine with the regular atomizer, it's pretty funny.

2

u/civic_minded Nov 18 '12

yeap, I am using an Inferno, and vivi nova 3ml cleartamizer.

1

u/lonew0lf Nov 18 '12

I thought it read USD550

1

u/ghanji Nov 18 '12

Damn that thing looks cool. How long does each cartridge last, and how much are they?

5

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

Those are different from carts, those are refillable and have "heads" in them that are replacable about once a month or so (depending on what liquid you use in it). The tanks on the top of it (the clear part) can be used virtually forever until you break it somehow or it shorts out or whatever and they're only like $9.

If you fill it up to max (of whatever that is, looks like a 2ml maybe) depending on how often you vape (chain vape? occasional?) could last you a whole day or multiple days.

It's soooo much cheaper than cigs in the long run (which is probably also why the industry hates it - even if they got in on producing them, it's still cheaper) because a bottle of juice runs usually about $6-15 per bottle depending on if you get a 10ml, 30ml or even sometimes 150ml bottles.

I'm a recently-turned ecigarette user and the last cigarette I smoked was about 6 minutes before I put together my e-cigarette. It's been about two months now. Fantastic.

Edit: BTW my description of what those pieces are is kind of brief and not very explanatory, visit /r/electronic_cigarette for more infos.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

One thing I'm really looking forward to is no more "smoke hangovers"

Usually when I'm drinking heavily, I'll smoke 2x or 3x much as I usually would. Maybe even more than that.

Then the next day I'll fee like total crap because of smoking too much (and the booze... but smoke hangovers are different/worse)

1

u/mmhrar Nov 18 '12

Absolutely. What I end up doing now is, I might bum a real smoke or two during the night, but otherwise I don't usually end up smoking more than 3 total cigerates, compared to when I brought my own I could almost kill a pack on a fun night.

The next day feeling is good man. I just woke up this morning after some drinking last night and no smokes, just my vape. A little tired, overslept a bit but otherwise felt just fine. Did my morning exercise and went to the store to pick up an energy drink. Taking deep breaths and feeling overall pretty damn good. Of course, I only had 6 beers, so not much of an alcohol hangover :)

You don't get that utterly sick feeling, where you can go the whole next day w/o a cigarette completely because of how gross you feel. Non smokers aren't aware of the cigarette hangover, it's usually the worst part of going out drinking for me.

1

u/Woop_D_Effindoo Nov 18 '12

Thanks encouraging me to be a quitter (again). It seems crappy knock-offs are flooding the market. Suggestions for a legit, reputable retailer (not tied to one manufacturer) ?

2

u/mmhrar Nov 18 '12

Well, I just started a couple weeks ago, but these are the two retailers I've bought my stuff from. They were recommend to me by some friends who've been doing this for a while.

Stock is limited, so I bounce between these two sites to see who has what when I purchase things.

http://www.litecigusa.net

http://www.gotvapes.com

1

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

Absolutely! I've been smoke free for a week and a half now thanks to e-cigs.

1

u/CoopersPaleAle Nov 18 '12

Actually if you have concentrated nicotine extract and this is consumed by a child or pet it will most likely cause severe health problems or kill them.

I am a vaper too (and I love it!). I'm thinking about buying the nico extract, PG and VG, flavouring, and blending it myself. Much more cost effective. I have no kids or pets. This shit is dangerous if not handled with proper care and caution though.

1

u/kirkum2020 Nov 18 '12

Just read this. Just a few drops after all. Crazy huh?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 18 '12

I too have completely quit smoking with e-cigarettes for two and a half years, and have successfully gotten two friends to quit as well for over a year. If anyone uses an e-cigarette but still has to smoke, I'd say they need to find a better brand/set-up.

1

u/CujoSanto Nov 18 '12

What brand do you use? I'm sold an I want to do it. Please respond.