Comparing Four Joye 510 Manufacturers
By Scott McKirahan
As I mentioned in my previous post, we recently ordered samples of a Joye 510 from four different manufacturers of the device – all of whom claim theirs to be the best or at least equal to the original made by Joyetech.
We thought we would have a decision after one day but decided to utilize the entire weekend to compare the four devices. The Joye 510 products tested were from Sai Lebao (SLB), FeelLife Bioscience, MJT (Ming Jie Tong) and, of course, the original made by Joye Tech.
Unlike some websites (and worse, videos) that compare ridiculous things like who has the better box and which company had more attractive packing materials, we will stick to the only thing that really matters – which one worked the best. The moment these things make it out of their boxes, I would hope they never make it in there again. If they do, they are not being used and are for all intents and purposes worthless!
The Battery:
The battery is a pretty difficult component of an e-cigarette to compare. They all seemed to put out the same voltage and a meter showed this to be the case. They all seemed to last about as long as each other and take the same amount of time to charge, as well.
The only real difference was in construction, where only one was suspect. The Sai Lebao Joye 510′s button is not quite as steady as the other three manufacturers’ and if you are not careful and only depress the front or back portion of the button, it will definitely stick. We had to do this on purpose, however, and did not see it is a problem that would happen all that often.
The Atomizer:
There was definitely a difference in the vapor production of the four manufaturers’ Joye 510s and, thus, a clear ranking of the atomizers.
The best of the four was the MJT atomizer. It consistently put out the most vapor. This, admittedly, was shocking to us!
Close, but clearly the second best atomizer was the one made by Joye Tech. Although many users say it puts out the most vapor, they have clearly not done a side-by-side comparison versus the MJT 510.
Third on the list was the Sai Lebao atomizer. It definitely put out a little less than the Joye Tech atomizer but the new design is certainly better than their original one.
Bringing up the rear in fourth place was the FeelLife Bioscience atomizer. It put out barley less vapor than the new version of the Sai Lebao atomizer but seemed better than the old Sai Lebao ones.
When we connected all four to a multimeter, we could see why we got these results. The lowest impedence was on the MJT atomizer at 2.2 ohms. The Joye Tech was at 2.5 ohms and the FeelLife and Sai Lebao ones both came in at 2.8 ohms. Obviously, the lower resistance, the more vapor.
It should be noted, however, that lower resistance may also equate to a shorter life span. Most people – those that still remember how much cigarettes used to cost them, that is – seem to care more about the amount of vapor than the cost of a $9 atomizer that may have to be replaced more often.
The Charger:
The chargers sold with electric cig starter kits are clearly the least well-made component. After all, they are made of plastic and are, thus, not all that durable.
Three of the four manufacturers had similar chargers with no discernable differences. MJT, however, completes their Joye 510 starter kit with a charger that is a combination USB/AC Wall charger. This can come in handy at times – especially if you drive a newer automobile that is already equipped with USB ports or if you plan on an extended trip where the only means of charging your e-cigarette might be the laptop computer you brought along.
The Final Verdict:
In the end, as sellers of the Joye 510 product, we only care about how well they work and how many returns we have. We certainly want our customers to be happy. It not only leads to more repeat business and referrals, but it is clearly a happier life for us when our customers are satisfied.
There was a clear winner in this test. The difference between 3rd and 4th place is less clear, however. If there wasn’t the button sticking issue, third and fourth place could easily have been reversed. Here is how we would rank the four manufacturers’ versions of the Joye 510:
1st Place … MJT 510
2nd Place … Joyetech 510
3rd Place … FeelLife Bioscience 510
4th Place … Sai Lebao 510
Over the last several months, we have sold the Joye Tech 510, the Sai Lebao Joye 510 and the FeelLifeBioscience Joye 510. Believe it or not, the manufacturer with the least complaints about them and the fewest returns was the FeelLife Bioscience Joye 510. They put out a very consistent product.
We don’t care who makes them. It is naive for people to assume that because Joye Tech made the original 510, they make the best one. If we all operated on that principle, we’d all still be driving Ford Model Ts!
We now know who does make the best 510. We just want to stock the one that works the best and that has the least amount of problems. We will soon be switching over to the MJT Joye 510 for future orders. It simply works the best! We will only know over time, however, how it holds up consistency-wise.
There will be some problems, we know. The MJT Joye 510 has a glossy finish, whereas the other manufacturers use a matte or flat paint on their devices. That means that it would be better to order a whole starter kit so that you are not putting a shiny battery on a matte atomizer, for instance.
Of course, those who have been using these products for awhile know that it is always cheaper in the long run to buy a starter kit than individual components. It never hurts to have an extra battery charger either! There also are those, like me, who don’t care if the individual parts match and won’t mind if their atomizer is shiny but their battery is not. (The Joye 510 I am currently using has a white battery, a silver atomizer and a black tip!)
We hope this was enlightening to those of you that have wondered which manufacturer made the best 510. We are not just about having the fastest shipping around; we want to have the best products, too!
E-Cig Express Quote of the Day: “Let advertisers spend the same amount of money improving their product that they do on advertising and they wouldn’t have to advertise it.” – Will Rogers
Scott McKirahan is the owner of e-cigexpress.com, electriccigarettestop.com, chamiliabeadsnow.com and nascarcollectibleshop.com.
Real vs. “Knockoff” Joye 510. Stay Tuned …
For the first time ever, this will be a short and sweet post …
I have tried quite a few renditions of the Joye 510 over the past 10 months and none of them were perfect (not even the Joyetech one). I must admit that I am now getting confused about which may be better and why.
With that in mind, I decided to put in a sample order for four different versions of the Joye 510 and once and for all compare them side by side.
Today, my order arrived and I am in the process of charging the batteries for each manufacturer’s rendition of the Joye 510. Tomorrow, I will post the results.
The four manufacturer’s Joye 510 electric cigs being tested are:
- Joyetech Joye 510
- Sai Lebao Joye 510
- FeelLife Bioscience Joye 510
- Ming Jie Tong MJT-510
Also, we will test the T-Rex versus the eGo and see if we can determine which is best. We can hardly wait to see!
E-Cig Express Quote of the Day: “When you stop comparing what is right here and now with what you wish were, you can begin to enjoy what is.” - Cheri Huber
USA Today – Are Electric Cigs Green?
Scott McKirahan
The headline in an article posted today on usatoday.com reads: “Electronic cigarettes pitched as eco-friendly.”
“At last,” I thought, “The mainstream media is finally going to say something positive about e-cigarettes!”
As usual, though, the article was a huge disappointment. Instead of a story outlining the obvious benefits to the environment that electronic cigarettes provide, the author provided a rehashing of the same old misinformation concerning cancer and electronic cigarettes.
The author did give a one line mention of the fact that Green Smoke, a Miami based e-cig company, was using the eco friendly nature of electric cigs as a selling point. Instead of elaborating on the benefits to the environment that electronic cigarettes do present, the author chose instead to sum them up as something that was carcinogenic. I’d name the reporter here but there is no byline. Apparently, even the author is so embarrassed by his/her lack of effort that they did not want their name even associated with this article.
Where is the part of the article that shows the environmental benefits? Things such as:
- No flame or burning embers means no forest fires from careless smoking
- No ashes or cigarette butts strewn about our highways, sidewalks, parks and beaches.
- No secondhand smoke
- No stinky smoke; no clothes that reek; no foul breath (definitely good for my personal environment)
- That much less waste at our landfills from cigarette packs and cigarette butts
- Less trees being destroyed to make the paper that tobacco cigarettes are rolled out of and that they are packaged in
Nope; there is none of that. Instead, the author concludes that the FDA found carcinogens in e-cigarettes and that they may be harmful. Nowhere does the author mention that only two manufacturer’s e-cigarettes were tested out of the hundreds out there. There is no mention of the fact that only some of the cartridges that they tested had a trace element of a carcinogen detected. Not once is it mentioned that the carcinogen found was the same one found in the FDA-approved patch and Nicotrol inhaler and that those approved products have more of the carcinogen in them than what was found in the electric cig cartridges. Nor is it mentioned at all that many things we eat every day – like tomatoes – have carcinogens in them.
Uncovering information like that would have actually taken ten minutes of research. Lazy people use lazy “facts” knowing that the majority of lazy America accepts them at face value.
The pharmaceutical and tobacco industry are counting on the stupid and lazy to accept articles like this as fact. They cannot allow a safer alternative to cut into their profits. The FDA cannot allow it either. This bloated, corrupt government agency counts on the money it receives from the pharmaceutical and tobacco industries for its survival. They, too, count on your stupidity. Your health and your survival are secondary to that, America.
So what is greener … electronic cigarettes or the “reporters” they use to write stories like this. Tough call!
E-Cig Express Blog Quote of the Day: “No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we’re looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn’t test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power. ” – P.J. O’Rourke
How Many Cigarettes Is This E-Liquid?
By Scott McKirahan
One of the most common questions I get about an electric cig relates to which e-liquid nicotine strength is equivalent to a particular kind of cigarette that a person smokes. There isn’t really a great deal of information regarding this on the Internet and you really have to hunt to find anything that is close to an answer.
I’ve put together all of the pieces I could find from other places into one place so hopefully people can have a better understanding of what they are vaping. It’s really not that complicated once you have all of the information, so here goes …
What Does The Label On The Bottle Really Mean?
The nicotine strength listed for e-liquid is the number of milligrams of nicotine per milliliter in a bottle. That means a 10ml bottle of 24mg nicotine e-juice would have 240mg of nicotine in it (24mg x 10ml). Likewise, a 30ml bottle of 24mg e-liquid would have 720mg of nicotine in it (24mg x 30ml).
Unless you have developed a serious vaping habit, you probably don’t take in a whole bottle in a sitting so this information is really only useful if you know exactly how many days it takes you to go through a bottle. This can get especially difficult to figure out if you vape multiple flavors during any given time period, though, so we need to put this in terms that everyone that uses an electric cig can understand. That is, how much nicotine there is in each drop …
How Much Nicotine Is There In Each Drop?
We all have an idea of how many drops of e-liquid we use each time we drip onto a cartridge or directly onto the atomizer. All we need to know then is how many drops of e-liquid are in a milliliter.
There are approximately 20 drops of e-liquid per milliliter. So, using our 24mg nicotine e-juice once again as an example, there would be 1.2mg of nicotine per drop (24mg ÷ 20 drops). So, if you put three drops of e-liquid onto a cartridge (or directly onto the atomizer for those of you that “direct-drip”), that means you will be taking in 3.6mg of nicotine from the time you start vaping until you “top off” again.
“Great information,” you’re probably thinking, ”but what does that really mean in terms of cigarettes?” Well, all we really need to know is the amount of nicotine in each cigarette …
How Much Nicotine Is In A Tobacco Cigarette?
Different brands of cigarettes vary ever so slightly in terms of their nicotine content and obviously a longer 100ml cigarette has more nicotine in it than a standard or “king” size 84ml cigarette. For the most part, though, here is the amount of nicotine that is in a typical 84ml tobacco cigarette:
If you smoke Regular cigarettes (like a Marlboro Red, for instance), there are approximately 1.2mg of nicotine in each cigarette, or 24mg of nicotine per pack (1.2mg x 20 cigarettes).
If you smoke Light cigarettes (like a Marlboro Light, for instance), there are approximately .7mg of nicotine in each cigarette, or 14mg of nicotine per pack (.7mg x 20 cigarettes).
If you smoke Ultra Light cigarettes (like a Marlboro Ultra Light, for instance), there are approximately .5mg of nicotine in each cigarette, or 10mg of nicotine per pack (.5mg x 20 cigarettes).
For those of you that absolutely need to know how much nicotine is in a “100” cigarette, take the above numbers and multiply by 1.19 (100ml ÷ 84ml) to get the amount of nicotine per cigarette or per pack.
Okay, so what’s all that mean?
Hopefully, with the following chart (and maybe just a little bit of math), you will finally be able to compare nicotine levels between regular tobacco cigarettes and an electric cig:
One Final Note:
We have rounded numbers slightly here to make them easier to work with. No scientific studies have actually been performed with regular users of e-cigarettes to determine how much of the liquid nicotine, if any, is burnt up or evaporates before it hits the lungs. Therefore, the numbers represented above indicate the maximum amount of nicotine intake assuming that 100% of it makes it into the lungs of the user of an electric cig.
It should also be noted that, although it is highly addictive, no studies have shown nicotine to be a carcinogen. It is simply “the fix” that cigarette smokers crave. It is recommended that those who have a demonstrated sensitivity to nicotine, are pregnant or breastfeeding or who have unstable heart conditions, should discuss the use of any nicotine delivery device with a doctor before using.
E-Cig Express Blog Quote of the Day: “Do not worry about your problems with mathematics; I assure you, mine are far greater.” – Albert Einstein
Shipping Electric Cig Products At Blazing Speed – (The Secret Revealed)
By Scott McKirahan
“Got my order today… As always you are soooooooooo fast … I really appreciate that… you are the best!” – Jim F. (San Diego, CA)
“Holy cowabunga Scott, I received my order yesterday, I just ordered it two days ago. Next time, do you want to just throw it over the fence and I’ll catch it? :-) … U R DA MAN!!!!!!!!!!” – Alex W. (Redkey, IN)
“Wow that was fast! How did you get it across the entire country from Florida in just two days? VERY IMPRESSIVE!” – Christopher M. (Tacoma, WA)
It’s tough trying to separate yourself from the competition in the electric cig business. We all have similar products and I’m sure we all try to be relatively competitive price-wise. I needed to find something that I could do that would help to separate me from other electric cig suppliers.
The one thing I noticed early on in this business is how desperate people sometimes are to get their electric cig supplies right away. They had just burned out their last atomizer or were down to their final 20 drops of e-liquid and were desperate. Not everybody is a planner, after all. It was clear to me that if I could get people their electric cig supplies lightning fast, I could eliminate the number one problem I read about time and again on the e-cigarette forums – slow delivery!
Obviously, shipping out via Priority Mail was an essential first step. Of course a lot of companies do that, so that wouldn’t give me much of an edge. I could certainly make a concerted effort to get every order boxed and out to the post office as quickly as they came in but, again, I was sure there were a few other electric cig store owners trying to do the same thing.
The trick, though, was figuring out how to get USPS to process my customers’ packages faster than the other guys do. I’d like to say that it took superior intellect and ingenuity to come up with the plan I use to get packages rolling through the US Postal Serice at lightning speed. Unfortunately, like most things in life, all it really took was a little extra time and effort on my part.
The first thing I do to make sure that the process at USPS goes smoothly, is to have all of my labels pre-printed and on the packages ahead of time. I also take the time to print a scan list of all of the packages I will be shipping on a given day and I wait in line to make sure the packages are scanned into the system immediately at the post office. Most companies just place their packages on the counter, out of the way of all of the customers waiting in line, knowing that eventually, when it is not busy, a postal employee will pick them up and process them when they get around to it. Getting them scanned and in the “out” bin right away definitely helps get the packages moving!
Finally (here’s the Big Secret), I don’t go to my local post office. Instead, I drive a half hour to the main processing facility in Orlando. I guarantee you that cutting out the extra trip a truck from the local post office would have to make to take my packages to the processing facility saves time. That one extra trip from one postal facility to another may be worth a whole extra day in terms of how quickly my customers get their packages.
That’s it; ther’s nothing more to it! Getting electric cig supplies to customers super quickly isn’t really that hard. It does take a little extra time, effort and a few more miles on the car. Now that the secret is out, I wonder how many other store owners will take that extra time. How many will go that extra mile?
Maybe they don’t realize that the occasional E-Mail from a very happy customer makes it all worthwhile!
E-Cig Express Blog Quote of the Day: “A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.” – Michael LeBoeuf
Scott McKirahan is the owner of e-cigexpress.com, electriccigarettestop.com, chamiliabeadsnow.com and nascarcollectibleshop.com.
I Got My E-Cig Starter Kit. Now What?
The directions that come with e-cigarette starter kits are sketchy at best. There is definitely a translation issue at play here. Because of this, I continually get the same questions after someone gets their first starter kit. I’ll try to address the most common ones I get here …
What should I do first?: The first thing you need to do is connect your charger to the plug that came with your e-cig starter kit and then plug it into a wall outlet. The light on the charger should turn green.
Then, grab one of the batteries that came with it (hopefully you ordered a kit that came with two batteries) and screw it into the hole at the front of the charger. With most models, the light on the battery, itself, blinks a number of times, stops blinking and the charger light turns from green to red.
Charge each one of your batteries for 8 hours the first time. I know you want to use your “new toy” right away but it is imperative that the batteries get a really good charge right out of the box.
It is also recommended that you use your e-cig for only 20 minutes after the initial 8 hour charge and then charge it again for another hour. I don’t know what this accomplishes, but I’m sure some electronic genius out there knows why this needs to be done. (I work with monkeys, mostly, so they aren’t much help as far as figuring these types of things out.) Just do the 20 minute ritual and all should be good!
Please ignore the light on the charger unit. It will turn green way before 8 hours have elapsed. Removing your battery before it has charged for 8 hours may have an adverse effect on its overall life and its useful life between charges.
The way these things are theoretically supposed to work, is that the light will remain red until the battery is charged. The problem is, it may very well tell you that it is charged 20 minutes later. Technically it is charged but not fully charged. You will only get 10 or 15 minutes of use out of it before it dies if it has only charged for 20 minutes.
If you absolutely must test out your new e-cigarette, assemble it and take a couple of puffs. Then, charge the batteries for 8 hours like you are supposed to. After each battery has gotten its first really long charge, they only need to be charged for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours when they go “dead” from then on.
It should be noted that taking a few test puffs with a battery that has not been fully charged will produce less than desirable vapor. It is sort of like trying to vacuum with an almost dead battery on your Dust Buster; the engine runs slowly and little to no dirt is picked up!
Okay, my batteries have been charged; now what?: Now, comes the easy part (not that charging the battery was exactly rocket scientist material). Put your e-cig together and start puffing away! There is only one way these things can be put together, so 
it’s pretty hard to go wrong here (not impossible I’ve found out, but pretty darned hard!).
If you have a two part model (the kind I do not recommend for both performance and cost reasons), there is literally only one way to do this. Screw the battery onto the cartomizer. For the sake of maintaining my faith in the intelligence of humanity, I really hope this is self explanatory. If you can’t figure out how to screw part #1 into part #2, hand it to a monkey and he’ll show you!
If you were smart and purchased a three-part model, it might take the monkey a couple of minutes longer to figure it out. Screw the atomizer (the metal doohickey that is about half the size of the battery) into the battery (the thing you just charged that has a light on the end of it). Once those two pieces are screwed together, it’s simply just a matter of pushing a cartridge onto the e-cigarette.
NOTE: Many times, the atomizers that come with e-cig starter kits have a completely empty cartridge attached to them that is put there solely for the purpose of protecting the atomizer during shipping. Pop this off before putting it onto the battery. An empty cartridge does not have any gauze-like stuffing inside of it and can be thrown away.
Every e-cigarette model’s starter kit that I know of comes with “pre-loaded” cartridges. Pre-loaded cartridges already have some sort of e-liquid in them, so there’s not much you need to do here. Usually, the plastic wrapper that the cartridges come in have what type and strength of e-liquid is in the cartridge written somewhere on the plastic wrapper (sometimes it is written very small, though).
Most of the time there is a rubber/plastic cap on the e-liquid end of the cartridge. Pop the cap off of the cartridge and throw the cap away. Sometimes, there is an additional piece of plastic film under the plastic/rubber cap that is placed there to further protect the freshness of the e-juice inside of the cartridge. If so, that needs to be discarded as well.
The “big hole” side of the cartridge that you just took the cap off of should look like a tube with a piece of liquid-soaked cotton-like material stuffed in it. That is the side that needs to be pushed onto the open end of the atomizer (the “closed end” already has a battery on it). The side with the small hole is the mouthpiece side of the e-cigarette. Your e-cigarette is now charged, assembled and ready for use!
How do I “smoke” this thing?: First off, we do not “smoke” an e-cig; we “vape.” This terminology may come in handy if you are in a restaurant or bar that has a “no smoking” policy. Thank goodness you are only vaping!
If you have a push button style of e-cigarette, like a Joye 510 (also called a Janty, Dura and Pilot, amongst other things), simply 
press the button down and begin inhaling. The vapor should come quite easily with this type of e-cig. (I’ve already checked … the monkey got this on attempt number three!)
If you have an e-cigarette with an automatic battery like a traditional DSE901 an M401, a bluCig, Greensmoke or Smoking Everywhere e-cig, to name a few, you simply take a drag and the microprocessor within the battery senses you are inhaling and will start releasing the vapor. Although an automatic style e-cigarette battery may sound like it is easier to use, it will take some practice to get it just right. Drawing too hard or too easy will not produce the desired amount of vapor. With ten minutes or so of practice, you should find an amount of suction (for lack of a better term) that is just right for you. (Last time I checked, after 8 months, the monkey was still working on this. A slightly greater degree of intelligence and patience is required with this type of e-cigarette.)
ONE FINAL NOTE ON USING YOUR E-CIG: There is definitely a learning curve when it comes to using an e-cigarette. It has been estimated that it takes one or two months for beginners to get to the point where they are completely at ease with using their e-cigarette. There are also many different ways of vaping. Some people like to take multiple small puffs (sometimes called “sips” or “mouthfuls”) in succession with small intakes of air in between each sip. Those that utilize this method claim that it is easier on the throat and that it allows them to taste the flavor of the e-liquid better. Others – especially those who are looking for a “throat hit” – like to take one long drag directly into their lungs. You may want to experiment with each method. In time, you will find a way that works best for you (no two people do it the same).
My Atomizer Is Getting Really Hot – Is This Normal?: An atomizer will definitely get warm while you are using it. If it gets really hot, the vapor production actually decreases. It is best to give the atomizer at least a fifteen second break between drags. This will not only prolong the life of the atomizer, but it will result in better vapor production for you.
How Do I Fill My Cartridge With E-Liquid?: If you planned ahead, you probably purchased some e-liquid (also called e-juice) with your e-cigarette. (NOTE: Just because you did not plan ahead does not mean that you are not smart. You are probably pretty intelligent if you haven’t had to break out the monkey for any of the above steps.)
Filling a cartridge, whether it was a prefilled cartridge or if it is a “blank” is really quite simple; you simply need to add one drop of e-liquid at a time until the filter becomes saturated. A perfectly filled cartridge will look like a “slushy.” There are only three things to remember here:
- If after adding a drop, it still looks like gauze, it needs at least one more drop.
- If after adding a drop, it looks like a little lake, it has one drop too many (not a big deal).
- If after adding a drop, it looks like a slushy, it is perfect and ready to be used!
Depending on the model of e-cigarette you have, if it is a standard “mini” e-cigarette a completely dry, blank cartridge will take 10-14 drops to fill. “Super minis” take less and “pen styles” – like a DSE801 – take two to three times that much to fill. If your cartridge has previously been filled and you are just “topping it off,” it could take anywhere from two to five drops to get the “slushy” effect. Also, if you are observant when filling a cartridge, you will notice that small air bubbles start to form just before the drop that makes it a perfect slushy!
How Do I Know When I Need To Add More E-Liquid?: When the amount of vapor decreases or when it begins to taste like you are “smoking” a sock, it is time to “top off” your cartridge. Believe me, you’ll know!
How do I Keep from Getting E-Juice in My Mouth?: The number one reason people get e-liquid in their mouths, is that they are holding their e-cigarette incorrectly. Your e-cig needs to be angled so that it is pointing slightly downward toward the floor. If the battery end is higher than the mouthpiece, it is a simple matter of gravity taking over, causing the liquid to flow downhill into your mouth (even the monkey figured this out!).
More Questions?: I can’t possibly remember all of the questions that I get asked about these things when a new user first gets their starter kit. This page may very well be updated as I encounter more questions from first time e-cig users. If you have a question about your new e-cigarette that you would like answered, please ask it in the comments section, below. Who knows? Your question may be so great, that it makes it into the body of this post!
One Final Note: No monkeys were harmed while writing this article.
E-Cig Express Quote of the Day: “An American monkey, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch it again, and thus is much wiser than most men.” – Charles Darwin
About the author: Scott McKirahan has articles published on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from politics to sports, and is the owner of the e-cigexpress.com and electriccigarettestop.com websites.
What is an E-Cigarette?
For years, smokers of traditional tobacco cigarettes have been looking for a way to cut down or eliminate their need to puff away on something that clearly is not good for them. Practically every bit of advice from doctors on how to cure what ails them begins with “you really need to quit smoking.”
Unfortunately, nicotine is extremely addictive and quitting smoking is easier said than done. ”Stop smoking” aids such as the patch, Nicorette gum, nicotine inhalers and a variety of techniques ranging from subliminal “quit smoking” audio recordings to hypnosis or even acupuncture have had dismal success rates, at best.
Add to that the fact that many tobacco smokers simply do not want to quit smoking, reasoning, “We’re all going to die eventually; I want to be happy while I’m here and cigarettes are one of the few pleasures in life I can count on!” Deep inside, they’d like to stop inhaling the 4,000-plus chemicals and the more than 40 known carcinogens, but there hasn’t ever been anything that could replace the cigarette in terms of its ability to provide the pleasures of nicotine or the hand to mouth stimulation that has become an ingrained part of their habit.
The quest for a “safe cigarette” has been around for as long as the Surgeon General’s first warning that cigarettes were harmful. All efforts to produce such a device have been fruitless until fairly recently, when the electronic cigarette, also known as an e-ciagrette, electric cigarette or personal vaporizer was invented.
The e-cigarette is a battery powered device that allows users to inhale a mostly water-based vapor into their lungs and exhale it, emulating the smoking of a normal cigarette. The liquid that is vaporized can contain anywhere from zero milligrams of nicotine to 36mg of nicotine, based upon the user’s preference, and is a mixture of water and either propylene glycol or vegetable glycerine (or both). The main advantage of the electronic cigarette is that it allows the user to still get their nicotine “fix” without inhaling the toxic chemicals and cancerous substances present due to the combustion of tobacco in traditional cigarettes.
Contrary to the disinformation about propylene glycol or, to a lesser extent, vegetable glycerine that claims they may be harmful additives, many studies have been conducted dating back to the 1940s on these chemicals and they are generally regarded as safe. Propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine are used in a variety of foods, drugs and germicidal disinfectants that we use every day. You can view an article that outlines the studies that have been done on propylene glycol here.
History of the E-Cigarette
The electronic cigarette was originally patented in April 2003 by SBT Co. Ltd., a Beijing based company that sold its first e-cigarette in China in May of 2004. During its first three years of sales SBT, now owned by Ruyan, saw sales increase from $1.7 million USD in 2004 to $37 million USD in 2006. In April of 2007, the electronic cigarette was first introduced in Europe and sales dramatically increased. Because of the internet, a few people started to take notice of e-cigarettes in the United States in late 2007 but only trickle of interest was initially shown. Until 2009, less than 1 out of 1,000 people in the US had probably even heard of the devices.
From 2009 to 2010, the growth in popularity of electronic cigarettes has been staggering – mostly due to its rapidly growing popularity within the United States. Because of this growing popularity, the tobacco and pharmaceutical industries have been losing a piece of their pie and have been pressuring health organizations and government agencies to ban the devices.
The FDA, which receives the vast majority of its funding from the tobacco and pharmaceutical industries, has been more than willing to comply with the wishes of their two major cash cows and recently issued a ban on imports of the devices and their components. They continue to make their way into this country, however, despite the efforts of “the powers that be” to sqash this movement toward a purportedly healthier alternative to tradtional tobacco cigarettes.
E-Cig Express Quote of the Day: “Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” – Ronald Reagan (40th President of the United States)
About the author: Scott McKirahan has articles published on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from politics to sports, and is the owner of the e-cigexpress.com and electriccigarettestop.com websites.
Welcome to E-Cigarettes for Newbies
What does PG and VG mean? How do I refill a cartridge? What is the best way to clean an atomizer? …
These are all questions that new users of e-cigarettes have. Face it; the tiny little instruction manuals that come with e-cigarette starter kits don’t provide a whole lot of information. Since they are written by the Chinese, the language barrier, alone, can leave new users scratching their heads even when the answers are provided.
E-Cigarettes for Newbies hopes to address the issues that new users of e-cigarettes have and maybe even provide an insight or two for those who consider themselves to be more experienced users of e-cigs. Although we would certainly be honored by anyone who decided to read this guide from “cover to cover,” the intention of E-Cigarettes for Newbies is to provide quick links to the information that people need immediately.
A new subject will be added on at least a weekly basis and hopefully, when E-Cigarettes for Newbies is complete, it will become the “go-to” resource for all new users of electronic cigarettes.
We look forward to the input of anyone who cares to comment on anything contained within this guide. We all use these devices differently and it always helps to hear what works for you!
E-Cig Express Quote of the Day: “Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.” – Jim Rohn (American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker)
About the author: Scott McKirahan has articles published on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from politics to sports, and is the owner of the e-cigexpress.com and electriccigarettestop.com websites.