I Got My E-Cig Starter Kit. Now What?

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Scott McKirahan

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.

According to the instructions that come with most kits, you are supposed to charge each one of your batteries for 8 hours the first time. Then, you are supposed to use your e cig for twenty minutes (whatever that means) and give it another one hour charge. Now, if you are a rules follower, do what they say to do.

I have found absolutely no evidence that there is anything even resembling sound electronic theory that supports this strange ritual and have spoken with several electronic engineers who say this is based on old, pre-lithium ion battery technology practices (lithium ion batteries do not have a “memory”). In fact, I have found that these devices actually work better if you use them right out of the box with whatever factory charge was put in the batteries when they tested them. Then, when it dies the first time, charge the battery for 8 hours (this is done with both batteries). After each battery has gotten its first really long charge, they only need to be charged for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours when they go “dead” from then on. (I work with monkeys, mostly, so they aren’t much help as far as figuring these types of things out.)

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.

It should be noted that using 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.)

Eeeek! Why is my battery flashing me?: There are two times that a battery may start blinking. Some e-cig models have an automatic cutoff built into the batteries that temporarily shuts the battery down after it has been activated for 5-7 continuous seconds. This is actually a safety mechanism built in to keep people from burning out their atomizers. For those of you that prescribe to the “damn the toredoes; full speed ahead” mentality, you can trick e cigs that have a battery cutoff by using it for four seconds, backing off for a split second and then starting over again for another 5-7 seconds (surely a 10-12 second drag is enough, isn’t it?).

All e-cigarette batteries eventually need to be recharged. You will notice that the more a battery gets drained, the poorer the ecigarette performs (sort of like me at midnight). Eventually, your e cigarette battery will become completely drained and need a recharge. You don’t have to guess when this happens. Your e-cigarette will let you know by flashing repeatedly. Unlike the blinky thing that happens when you try to use a battery for too many consecutive seconds, a dead battery will begin to flash immediately when you try to use it and no vapor will be produced. The monkey figured this out pretty quickly but continued to press the button on his Joye 510 (he really likes the blinking light!).

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.

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New Shipping Policies – Good and Bad (mostly good)

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Scott McKirahan

Starting Sunday, April 22, 2012 we changed the shipping policy on our discount electric cig website. The change will not only enable us to spend less time away from the office and more time where customers can reach us and get answers to their questions, but it will allow us to offer shipping one extra day per week.

In the past, we were making the long round trip to the US Postal Service processing facility – a round trip journey that took over an hour to complete IF there were no long lines or traffic tie-ups (yes, there was occasionally a day of unobstructed bliss here and there). We did not mail items on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. We were trying our best to get any packages out the same day that were placed before 2:00 PM E.D.T.

Beginning today, we have changed things up a bit and will now have all shipments picked up by the USPS in the mornings. This means that any order placed by 8:00 PM will get shipped the following morning.

While it is true that people placing orders will no longer be able to count on them shipping that same day, this new schedule allows us to ship 6 days per week instead of only the five day schedule that we had before today. That extra Saturday shipping day can make a big difference – especially on Government holiday weekends where Mondays are almost always used as the holiday.

Hopefully, the expanded shipping week and availability to answer questions will be a benefit to everyone!

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Biased Doctor Dismisses Ecigs As Smoking Cessation Device

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Scott McKirahan

While trolling the web this morning for articles related to electronic cigarettes, I happened to stumble onto an article on healthline.com written by Jonathan Foulds, MA, MAppSci, PhD. The article, titled “E-cigarettes deliver almost no nicotine“concludes that it is doubtful that e-cigarettes are a valid method of quitting smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes. Dr. Foulds bases this conclusion on a study performed by Professor Thomas Eissenberg of Virginia Commonwealth University. That study showed that e-cigarettes with a high (16mg) nicotine content only delivered about 10% of the nicotine that traditional cigarettes do to the bloodstream.

Dr. Foulds assessment did not take into consideration some of the flaws in the Eissenberg study – flaws that Eissenberg, himself, has now admitted to. One of the most significant flaws was the requirement that all participants be people who had never used an electronic cigarette before. As everyone who uses these things knows, there is a significant learning curve involved in using an electronic cigarette, so using nothing but absolute newbies for the study invalidates it from the outset.

The other major significant flaw in the study was that participants were instructed to take the same size puff off of the electronic cigarette as they would from a normal cigarette. They were also only permitted ten of these approximtely one second puffs. Even experienced e-cigarette users would not be able to derive a decent drag off of a one second puff – it takes a half second for the liquid to even begin vaporizing!

The purpose of this forum post is not to discuss the obvious flaws in the Eissenberg study, though. Instead, it is to instruct people to be very careful about which “health experts” they choose to trust. Usually, after a little digging, you can find out the true reasons some of these people, who profess to be looking out for your health, are really advising you the way they are. For instance, here is a video from the show, “The Doctors” promoting the benefits of an electronic cigarette. They clearly have no hidden agenda:

Dr. Foulds, however, may very well have a reason to denigrate ecigs. I decided to check out the backgraound of Dr. Jonathan Foulds and, fortunately, didn’t have to search very hard for information. Thankfully, his profile information is available on healthline.com. I also was grateful that I didn’t have to read very far to find what I was looking for. Dr. Foulds tells us in the second paragraph that he directs a program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey that aims to reduce the harm to health from tobacco by helping smokers quit (http://www.tobaccoprogram.org/). From that link, I found myself only one link away from the money click!

At the top of the website, there is a tab called “Treatment” where I hovered my mouse and found the link to the “Tobacco Dependence Program.” Here, we discover that this noble sounding program just had its funding discontinued by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (no reason given) and that they are now being funded by CINJ, RWJMS, and SPH – all of which are funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Robert Wood Johnson is, of course, the name shared by family members that are descendents of the president of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world - Johnson and Johnson. Johnson and Johnson has been spreading its money far and wide, desperately trying to stamp out e-cigs, which threaten the sales of its Nicoderm products. No stranger to spending whatever is necessary to promote its drugs, Johnson and Johnson is currently fighting a 2010 US Department of Justice lawsuit, alleging illegal kickbacks to Omincare – a company that dispenses Johnson & Johnson’s drugs to senior care facilities and nursing homes. The RWJF has contributed more than $446 million to various non-profit organizations that lobby in favor of smoking bans (see this link, this link and this link). Face it, if cigarettes are banned everywhere, people will have to either quit or find an alternative. Since Johnson and Johnson profits from its highly ineffective Nicoderm smoking cessation gum, an alternative to smoking can hardly be permitted!

Knowing where “authorities” on subjects get their money from is usually a very good indicator of their true intents. It is a shame that Dr. Foulds – a man whose career (and income) is allegedly dedicated to helping people quit smoking – has aligned his project with RWJF. Without the money generously provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the good doctor may be out of a job! It certainly makes one question his credibility in regards to ecigs now, doesn’t it?

E-Cig Express Quote of the Day: “In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only as a final resort when the alternative options of deception, threat and bribery have all been exhausted.” – Michael Musto

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Real vs. “Knockoff” Joye 510. Stay Tuned …

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Scott McKirahan

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

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What is an E-Cigarette?

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Scott McKirahan

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)

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Welcome to E-Cigarettes for Newbies

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Scott McKirahan

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)