Electronic Cigarettes?

[luchog]

I sincerely hope that they would not explode if lit. I've seen strange, but that would be one for the books.

The majority of an e-cigarette is the batteries. Batteries have a tendency to explode when burned. Would make those old "exploding cigar" gags look pretty tetchy by comparison.

 

[Egg]

My anecdote is that e-cigs allowed me to quit smoking with relative ease, although I've not kicked the e-cigs after over a year of "vaping" instead of smoking, but I do feel healthier and as yet it seems any ill effects from e-cigs are pretty negligible.

There is a significant difference in quality between different models and different smoking juices/cartridges. I first tried a cheap one and found the same problems mentioned by ugot2bekidding. It's well worth the extra money to get something decent.

I wouldn't recommend e-cigs to a non-smoker with stress issues. There must be cheaper, healthier and probably more effective options for dealing with stress. However, for anyone smoking, I couldn't sing their praises higher. You can give up smoking without giving up smoking! What an amazing invention!

 

[jp834618]

I used a nicotine vaporizer for two weeks and had wonderful success reducing my cigarette use by nearly 100%. However, I tried to refill the cartridges myself with nicotine solution to make the process even more economical and I found that refilling the cartridges doesn't provide the same amount of vapor. I also found that the two batteries provided in the kit were fairly weak and drained easily, requiring constant charging. I think this technology has come a long way and has a little way left to go, but I'm convinced that i's the future of smoking cessation technology.

 

[Tdoc]

The majority of an e-cigarette is the batteries. Batteries have a tendency to explode when burned. Would make those old "exploding cigar" gags look pretty tetchy by comparison.

Good point. Hopefully I won't have to see the end result firsthand.

 

[Thunder]

i suggest lots of exercise, and maybe an anti-anxiety medication.

 

[NateHevens]

I'm not sure I follow; are you referring to my claims or those of Nate?

If you mean Nate, then it was an anecdote. Or, if you will, a claim of a personal experience, one that is by no means impossible or even unlikely. Since it wasn't presented as evidence of anything, it was a perfectly acceptable thing to say. To question the truth of the statement, while falling within the realm of critical thinking, is completely useless. Now if Nate had claimed that "people smoke because there are horrific crimes happening", then it would've been reasonable to question his evidence. But since the anecdote was presented as nothing but an anecdote, attacking it does about as much good as demanding proof for my statement "I have blue eyes." Which is none, assuming you don't like making people angry.

If you mean my points, then I think I based them well enough, with the exception of the parts you misrepresented (I'm assuming by accident). If you still think some are unclear, do point the holes out and I'll do my best to fill them.

Thank you. I had no point with the anecdote. I wasn't trying to prove anything; it was not meant to be read as evidence of anything. Someone mentioned lung cancer and it reminded me of that so I posted it. Nothing more, nothing less.

I bought one of these a few months ago. However, I was not trying to quit smoking, I was merely looking for a more economical way of doing it. Although, I did find the concept of smoking something (allegedly) safer appealing, it wasn't my main reason for trying them.

Anywho, after about two weeks, I went back to my old cigs.

What I liked about them:
- The light on the end is cool. And it comes in two colors; red and blue.
- It's clean. No ashtrays, smell, etc., and the air quality in my house greatly improved.
- It feels like you are smoking (to an extent, see below)
- You can smoke it anywhere (technically, although it's probably not a good idea to fire one up in a classroom or movie theater, etc.)
- The cartridges are inexpensive, compared to premium brand cigarettes.
- It's supposed to be safer. At the very least, the vapor contains a lot less harmful chemicals than conventional cigarettes.

From what I've read, spot-on on all counts.

What I didn't like:
- The taste. Generally awful, and at times gag-worthy. However, I only tried two flavors from one manufacturer, so your mileage may vary.

Hm... that's interesting. You are the first reviewer I've read saying the flavor was bad. It might have just been the juices you tried, I don't know. One the biggest selling points of these that I noticed is the vast amount of flavors. Perhaps it was just the two flavors you tried. Do you remember what they were?

- It didn't feel enough like smoking a cigarette. It's "heavy" and hard and not balanced the same way a normal cigarette is. In your hands, it's a bit awkward and off-putting. Also, you have to drag on it harder. Consequently, I didn't find the experience to be as relaxing as smoking my usual brand.

I'd think, especially for the smoker trying to quit, that'd be a good thing, no?

- It's one more thing to re-charge.

That is very true. If only they could find a way to make the batteries last longer.

Again, I must stress that I only tried one brand of e-cigarette (after doing some research on the internet).

I wonder how safe they really are. The vapor, supposedly, contains just water, nicotine, and a trace amount of some solvent (or something, forgot exactly what).

Propylene Glycol, Vegetable Glycerin, or Polyethylene Glycol 400 (see my OP for links).

With the right formulation, this would be close to an ideal delivery vehicle for medical cannabinoids.

Ooh! Yes! That is a great idea! Perhaps in areas of the world where it's allowed, they're looking into it? Hm...

My anecdote is that e-cigs allowed me to quit smoking with relative ease, although I've not kicked the e-cigs after over a year of "vaping" instead of smoking, but I do feel healthier and as yet it seems any ill effects from e-cigs are pretty negligible.

There is a significant difference in quality between different models and different smoking juices/cartridges. I first tried a cheap one and found the same problems mentioned by ugot2bekidding. It's well worth the extra money to get something decent.

I wouldn't recommend e-cigs to a non-smoker with stress issues. There must be cheaper, healthier and probably more effective options for dealing with stress. However, for anyone smoking, I couldn't sing their praises higher. You can give up smoking without giving up smoking! What an amazing invention!

Like I said, I'm most likely not interested for the nicotine. I do miss smoking, and perhaps this is a way to smoke without the harmful chemicals... just get nicotine-free juices made with vegetable glycerin, or make my own... plus, I'm very interested (though still somewhat scared considering the idiotic US Laws) in synthesizing THC for them...

I used a nicotine vaporizer for two weeks and had wonderful success reducing my cigarette use by nearly 100%. However, I tried to refill the cartridges myself with nicotine solution to make the process even more economical and I found that refilling the cartridges doesn't provide the same amount of vapor. I also found that the two batteries provided in the kit were fairly weak and drained easily, requiring constant charging. I think this technology has come a long way and has a little way left to go, but I'm convinced that i's the future of smoking cessation technology.

Oh wow... I never read that. So refilling dulls it? Honestly, though, I never did think a lot of vapor was good. No vapor at all would be fine if the flavor's strong.

i suggest lots of exercise, and maybe an anti-anxiety medication.

Definitely exercise. I try to stay away from the medications, and I've done okay so far.

 

[luchog]

Ooh! Yes! That is a great idea! Perhaps in areas of the world where it's allowed, they're looking into it? Hm...

In areas of the world where it's not allowed, it's also being looked into; albeit in a more.. informal way.

 

[luchog]

Ooh! Yes! That is a great idea! Perhaps in areas of the world where it's allowed, they're looking into it? Hm...

In areas of the world where it's not allowed, it's also being looked into; albeit in a more.. informal way.

plus, I'm very interested (though still somewhat scared considering the idiotic US Laws) in synthesizing THC for them...

Bad idea, for reasons that have been covered better elsewhere. I'll just say that ingesting straight THC is a much less than ideal practice, as it needs to be combined with at least one other major cannabinoid (CBD) to minimize unpleasant side effects.