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.

Cigarette smokers are invited to participate in the very first World Vaping Day; today, March 22nd. Celebrating the world of electronic cigarettes, World Vaping Day encourages smokers to make the switch from regular cigarettes to e-cigarettes.

The organization behind this global event is “The World Vaping Day Project Group”. This group is comprised of:

• ECCA UK (E-Cigarette Consumer Association of the United Kingdom)
• Stelda NL (from the Netherlands)
• CASAA (The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association – USA)
• IGED (from Germany)
• ATACA (Australian Tobacco Alternatives Consumer Association)

World Vaping Day is about celebrating the success of electronic cigarettes. The previous focus of cigarette-smoking cessation products had been ending nicotine dependence through the use of nicotine gums, lozenges and patches. These products, however, ignored the behavioral and social aspects of cigarette addiction. E-cigarettes address smokers’ needs on multiple levels; rather than focusing solely on nicotine. E-cigarettes are a more natural replacement for tobacco cigarettes; providing an alternate source of nicotine and mimicking the familiar behaviors associated with smoking. This ultimately eliminates the user’s exposure to smoke and significantly reduces the health concerns related to smoking.

Originally published on the V2 Cigs Blog.

Kit Prices: $29.95 – $189.95
Flavors: 14
Nicotine Levels: 4 – 18mg, 12mg, 6mg, and 0mg
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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.

The electronic cigarette has come a long way since it’s initial inception in China in early 2003.  It started small and emerged into a huge global market place and now has users all over the world. If you have not heard of it yet, the electronic cigarette is a tar free, odorless, carbon monoxide free, tobacco free, ash free, cost effective way to get your nicotine cravings without having to burn and inhale tobacco smoke. Instead it utilizes a vaporization technology that creates a substance identical to smoke, and most users cannot tell the difference and some prefer the vapor over smoke.

It all began when a researcher named Hon Lik set out to create the worlds first acceptable smoking alternative.  Hon, being a smoker himself, was motivated by the loss of his father who passed away due to lung cancer from smoking tobacco cigarettes.  Hon’s father smoked over 2 packs of cigarettes a day and Hon used to do the same. Hon knew that if he continued on his path of smoking tobacco daily then he would eventually suffer the same fate as his father.  It was time for him to quit smoking cigarettes but it was too difficult for him to do, no matter how hard he tried. This was the initial inspiration for the electronic cigarette.

Hon was a researcher of Chinese medicine such as ginseng and other herbal remedies. He used his knowledge of Chinese medicine and applied it to his creation of the electronic cigarette.  His first step was to find something to replicate smoke that users could breathe in and out. After searching high and low, he found success using a substance called propylene glycol, that when heated turned into a vapor that proved to be almost identical to smoke. Propylene glycol is a food additive that has been used in many consumer products and approved drugs since the early 1920’s. It is also approved by the FDA for a variety of uses in many consumer products. You may have also seen it used to create fake smoke in theatrical productions such as dry ice.  It is also blown through hospital air ducts to clean the air, it acts as an air germicide for bacteria that could be existing in the air itself and on surfaces.

Hon was able to successfully infuse the propylene glycol liquid with a pure nicotine extract, along with flavoring, to create a smoking experience that felt and tasted just like a real cigarette. From the nicotine satisfaction, to the throat hit, and the exhale. The electronic cigarette or “e cigarette” was right on point. One of it’s first American debut’s was at the American Tobacco Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the electronic cigarette and cigar won multiple awards.

Since it’s initial introduction of the electronic cigarette into the American market place, many people did not know what to think, but once they tried it, they were amazed. The electronic cigarette has really evolved since it’s beginning and all sorts of different models and brands are popping up everywhere.  The technology has expanded into e-hookahs which utilize flavored vapor and are becoming popular in hookah bars. You can also get electronic cigars, electronic pipes, and customized personal vaporizers that may look nothing like a cigarette. The electric cigarette has become more of a movement and some are calling it the ‘smoker’s revolution’.

Originally posted on the V2 Cigs Blog.