An excellent radio program from earlier this year called ‘Inside Health’ discussing the implications of electronic cigarettes. For once, this discussion is actually very fair. Just so you know, the ecigarette discussion ends at about the 20 minute mark.

BBC Radio 4 Electronic Cigarette Broadcast

So what do you think? What are your views about ecigarettes, whether positive or negative? Let us know.

You’ve decided you want to try the e-cigarette, but now you’re wondering which electronic cigarette should I buy? There are so many to choose from that it can be a difficult decision to make. You’ll need to take into account several different factors.

First, what’s your budget? It helps to know what you can afford before you set out to make your purchase. E-cigarettes come in a wide range of prices depending on the features that are offered. Some have a lot of bells and whistles, but there are economy versions that have just the basics.

Next, you’ll want to consider the features that you’d like to see in an electronic cigarette. Do you want it to look like a real cigarette? Or would you like to choose a funkier, more individualized cigarette?

Do you need a long battery life? If you’re going to use your electronic cigarette for short windows of time it may not matter, but if you’re going to use it all day every day you’ll want a long battery life.

What flavors do you prefer? You’ll find that as you do your online research there are a wide variety of choices. From tasting like a real cigarette to designer flavors such as chocolate, there are many choices. You’ll want to choose a cigarette that comes with flavors you enjoy the most.

How much nicotine do you want? Cartridges for nicotine come in varying strengths. You’ll want to choose an electronic cigarette that has the levels of strength that you need. This way you can use your e-cigarette however you like –as a substitute for smoking when you’re in a public place or as a way to quit.

You should also think about how much actual vapor you get when you inhale each time. The amount you can inhale in a single drag is something that can make or break the e-cigarette experience.

Electronic cigarettes make great substitutes for smoking tobacco cigarettes when you need or want an alternative. Not only will they allow you to enjoy nicotine anywhere, they will also help to prevent some of the negative health consequences of smoking.

Think about your needs and your wants when you’re trying to decide what type of e-cigarette to buy. When you have done a little bit of homework and considered your specific circumstances, it’s easy to decide which electronic cigarette is best for you – then it’s time to get started using your new purchase.

Kit Prices: $29.95 – $189.95
Flavors: 14
Nicotine Levels: 4 – 18mg, 12mg, 6mg, and 0mg
eCigs Today Discount: 10% Off Entire Order
Online Discount Code: Coupon will automatically be applied when clicking on a link
Overall Rating:

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THE REVIEW:

For my first review of an ecigarette in 2012 I wanted to try something a little different, so I chose V2′s USB-powered Power-Cig. Since it just plugs into your computer, I didn’t have to charge the device for the customary 24-hour period first, which was another first for me. This ecig was a very welcome surprise, and absolutely knocked my socks off from the very first puff. I literally started having a coughing fit because the vapor cloud was so huge! ‘Amazing’ is the only thing I can say. I’ve never tried another e cigarette with a traditional battery that comes close to this thing. In fact, a LOT of tobacco cigarettes don’t even come close to producing this much real smoke!

Felt great in the mouth, in the throat, and expanded beautifully into my lungs. Definitely the most realistic ‘smoking’ experience I’ve seen or felt yet. A huge congratulations to V2 for this product.

It’s obvious that a lot of thought has gone into the design and construction of the V2 USB electronic cigarette. The construction is definitely top-notch, but yet it’s not heavy in the least.

Each kit comes with:

• 1 USB-powered Lithium Ion Battery with attached USB cable*
• 5 Nicotine Cartridges – Equals 5 Packs of Cigarettes (Choice of Flavor & Strength)
• 1 Instruction Booklet
• 1 Coupon for 15% off my next order

* The battery is a standard 2-piece design with an attached 3-foot cable, exactly as pictured above.

I also ordered a sample pack of cartridges so I could check out each of the 10 flavors individually.

PROS:

* Never needs charging! Just plug into any USB port and puff away.

* No gradual decrease in battery power means uniform puffs every time.

* Completely portable. With the optional accessories you can plug in virtually anywhere.

* A Very Affordable Ecigarette – This V2 usb-powered electronic cigarette sells for only $34.95, making it one of the cheapest on the market considering it’s quality of workmanship.

* 30-Day Money Back Guarantee – If you’re not happy with V2 e-cigarettes for any reason, you can return them within 30 days.

* Lifetime Replacement of your battery.

* High Capacity Cartridges – A V2 e-cigarette cartridge is equivalent to approximately 1 pack of cigarettes. As usual, though, how long an electric cigarette cartridge lasts depends on the smoking habits of the user, regardless of the brand involved. I was a pack a day smoker, and 1 cartridge typically lasts me for about a day.

* New Atomizer with Each Cartridge – You never need to replace the atomizer/vaporizer with V2 e-cigs because each cartridge has a new, fresh atomizer.

* Flavors – Currently, there are 14 flavors of V2 e-cigarettes: Red (Cowboy), Congress, Coffee, Peppermint, Fresh Mint, Sahara, Chocolate, Cola, Cherry, Sweet Grape, Mint Tea and Vanilla, as well as the traditional Regular and Menthol. For those that want to try each of them, they also offer a sampler pack that includes one cartridge of each flavor. V2 has definite plans to announce new ecigarette cartridge flavors in the near future, as well.

CONS:

I have to say I was not impressed with a number of the flavors. The flavors that were supposed to be derivatives of Marlboro, Camel, Salem, etc., were far off the mark, some downright unbearable, in my opinion. I instantly took a liking to the coffee and sweet mint flavors, however, which is strange considering I typically hate coffee and mint. Chocolate and vanilla were good, as well, but for some reason each time I used one I would start noticing drag problems.

If I switched immediately to either a coffee or mint cartridge, everything would go back to normal immediately. Smoke a chocolate and a vanilla each in a row, however, and it would start burning up the cartridges in half the time. Switch back to a coffee or mint, and within a few puffs it was back to normal. Go figure! I thought it could be possible that the 2 flavors were just old or bad batches, but the same thing has happened to me with every batch of them I’ve ordered since.

V2 Ecigs does, however, offer a cartridge adaptor, which allows you to use a V2 battery with virtually any other brand of electronic cigarette cartridge, which could prove to be helpful if you decide to shop elsewhere for your favorite flavors.

The other thing that was a nuisance was the fact that, due to the cord needing to be constantly connected to a USB source, I was very limited on where and when I could vape with it. If you don’t mind putting down a few extra dollars, V2 has accessories to overcome this, as well, though.

But no worries for me, really. Luckily, I still have my SmokeTip ecigs to get me through the rough times.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Both of these things aside, though, I still think the V2 is an excellent electronic cigarette and, if you can find a flavor(s) you can stick with, I would highly recommend it to anyone. Until or unless I say differently here, this is now my daily go-to ecigarette at the office. I am highly impressed:)

This article is by Paul Bergen of tobaccoharmreduction.org and is reprinted here for discussion purposes only:

Editor’s Note: This really has nothing to do with electronic or tobacco cigarettes at all, but it is still both very amusing and informative. I’m pretty sure everyone will enjoy this:

Electronic cigarettes come in at a time when the ways of using tobacco and/or nicotine today don’t exhibit quite the imagination when compared to days of yore.

Nowadays the choices are: inhaling, chewing and/or a little bit of snuffing.

Just a few mere centuries ago, the range included drinking liquids of steeped tobacco leaves, applying tobacco poultices, and engaging in enemas. Typically the last 2 were reserved in treating medical conditions and the last, tobacco enemas, was embraced by Europeans as a legitimate medical treatment and actually persisted for quite some time.

Since American Indians employed enemas in their medical treatments even before contact, the Europeans followed. And just as Europeans appropriated the consumption of tobacco by smoking pipes, cigars and snuffing, so too they introduced the practice of using tobacco smoke in rectal devices known as clysters….

The tobacco clyster, using either smoke or an infusion, depending on whose authority was being followed, was widely practiced well into the nineteenth century..Tobacco clysters were used in the hopes of treating ailments of the colon and the bowel. They were also recommended in attempts to resuscitate drowned individuals, as well as those who had suffocated, had convulsions and fits, or were frozen. (pgs 84-5: Goodman’s Tobacco in History)

You can see the bellows for the smoke in the fancy kit above.

Reading this passage reminded me of reading another years ago in an alternative health guide suggesting that, if someone was having a heart attack, you should immediately force a tablespoon of cayenne powder down their throat. Rather than sounding like good advice it sounded more like adding insult to injury (though having your tongue on fire might distract you from the chest pains).

Though today there is a thriving business in colonics, nobody seems to be working very hard to bring back the smoke enema. If they should, the anti-smoking folks would have to go back to the word farm to come up with a catchy term for the health risk… or would they be happy to leave it as ‘first-hand smoke’ (of which it neither, of course)?

No doubt once you’ve unclenched your kiester after getting your clyster you would be endangering the others in the vicinity with a lesser-known variation of second-hand smoke.

James, from The Ashtray Blog, has designed an interactive quiz to educate and amuse web-surfing smokers. Are you a vaping newbie, a vaping expert or a vaping master? Take the quiz to find out now!