Electronic Cigarette Intro: Part 2
What is an e-cig?
It was invented only six years ago in
…and has quickly spread throughout the world, growing rapidly in
popularity, and recently brought to public attention by celebrities, with mall
kiosks, and on TV news.
Virtually all of the hardware (at least the atomizers) – and much of the
software (i.e., the liquid) – has been manufactured in
Starting in
2009, however, American and European companies began manufacturing unique
battery housings (for much more powerful batteries) called “Mods,” such
as AltSmoke’s Silver Bullet and BB…
…and
mixing purer, cleaner-tasting e-liquid.
The
Components
Most electronic cigarettes have three components, illustrated in this
photo of the Joye 510 Yeti model:
a. The cartridge (or cart)
contains the porous material that absorbs the e-liquid. In the 901 and Yeti,
the cartridge and mouthpiece are integrated and can be either flat
(“whistle-tip”) as in the 901 or round as in the Yeti.
b. The single most important component of an
electronic cigarette is its atomizer (or atty). This
is what takes the juice from the cartridge and magically transforms it into the
vapor, flavor, and throat hit described in the next section. As shown in the
photo on the right, the Yeti atomizer is unexposed (as is the 901), sitting
inside a tube – enabling non-messy dripping (an alternative to refilling
carts) and delivery of a smooth inhalation experience.
c. The rechargeable battery (or batt), of
course, powers the atomizer. The three most important factors of battery
effectiveness are:
1.
The voltage (i.e., how much power is
delivered to the atomizer). Most e-cig batteries are 3.7V (although a fully
charged battery can initially deliver up to 4.2V). Some batteries (when stacked
in battery housings) can be as high as 6V (although AltSmoke does not recommend
this).
2.
The mAh (milliamp hours) – how many
puffs before the battery needs to be recharged. Slender batteries (in models
that look at least something like an analog cigarette) range from 100 to 280
mAh. “Mods” (described below) contain larger generic batteries
ranging from 750 to 3000 mAh. A high mAh battery also delivers that initial 4.2V
far longer than the slender batts. [You can see why Mods have become so popular
among experienced vapers.]
3.
The switch (how the battery is engaged). Most
e-cig batteries originally had an automatic switch (e.g., turned
on by sucking on the mouthpiece or by sound or movement) as in the DSE901
battery shown immediately below. An increasing number are manual (turned
on by pressing a button on the side of the battery) as shown in the bottom photo
of the Yeti batt.
The
exception to the three-component rule is the KR808D, a two-component
device: the battery plus an integrated atomizer/cartridge (the
“cartomizer”).
Categories
Most e-cigs fall into one of five categories (based primarily on length),
examples of which are shown in the photo below.
1. The Super-Minis – the smallest e-cigs (84–103
mm), the same size and shape of a king-size or 100s analog cigarette. Because
of that, these often are initially appealing to current smokers. However, since
they necessarily have a small atomizer and battery (100 mAh), they are not
nearly as effective as any of the following categories.
2. The Minis – mid-length (108–118 mm), a bit
longer than a 100s analog. They strike an optimum balance between effectiveness
and ease of handling … and, therefore, are the ones carried by AltSmoke.
Models include the three in the photo:
- The black unit
at the bottom of the group – the 112 mm Joye510 (the most popular
among those in the know). It offers outstanding vapor production and
flavor; and its manual switch battery is the most reliable of any cigarette-shaped
model, putting you in full control of the vaping experience. Its only
downside is its 150 mAh battery, requiring frequent recharging. [This is
made up for with the PCCs, Passthroughs, or Mods described below.]
- The silver
& red one – the 117mm KR808D (rapidly increasing in
popularity because of its simplicity and 280 mAh battery).
- The black unit
at the top of the group – 118 mm DSE901 (the longest of the
Minis and one of the very first e-cigs). This tried and true model, until
recently, typically was the one most often recommended for the new vaper
and still is a very good choice.
3. The Penstyles – the longest type (155 mm), the same size
as a…pen (and also one of the very earliest models). Like the KR808D, it
has a 280 mAh battery, but its great length makes it less appealing to many
vapers.
There
also are models not falling neatly into the above by-length niches:
4., Those that mimic the two other tobacco smoking devices: Cigars (shown
in the photo) and Pipes. If you are a cigar or pipe smoker, these are the
obvious choices. However, they are not nearly as effective as the next
category and are dwindling in popularity. Since you are used to smoking
something much larger than and doesn’t look anything like a cigarette, I
urge you to consider…
5. The Mods – Chinese atomizers and cartridges combined
with western (e.g.,
As
you can see, Mods like the Silver Bullet and BB are considerably wider than a
Mini, such as the 510 Yeti shown here:
However,
even with the atomizer (not shown here), the BB is not that much longer…
…and
fits very comfortably between your fingers. [The Silver Bullet fits very
comfortably in your hand.]
- The larger of
the two is the beautiful yet rugged Silver Bullet (also available
in black):
It accepts one rechargeable, protected 2400 mAh
3.7V 18650 battery (for one to two days of uninterrupted vaping. Like the BB, the Silver Bullet is ready for use with the
Yeti (Joye510) atomizer … and (with the inexpensive adapters sold by
AltSmoke) can also be used with atomizers of other Minis (DSE901 or M401)
… with Penstyle (e.g., DSE801) attys … and with KR808D (or
GreenCig) cartomizers. Pretty versatile (and powerful) personal vaporizer, eh?
- The smaller
model is the sleek BB, shown here next to its big brother.
Although named for its original matte black
color, the BB also is available in pink or purple:
It accepts one 900 mAh 3.7V 14500 rechargeable, protected
battery (for many hours of uninterrupted vaping).
Most
new vapers begin with one of the Minis, then later on, move up to a Mod like
the Silver Bullet or BB (still using the atomizer they started with). A few are
ready to invest a little more upfront for an extremely satisfying (and very
cost-effective) return … and start right out with one of these Mods.
Accessories
As
previously mentioned, the Achilles Heel of cigarette-shaped personal vaporizers
is the frequent recharging of the batteries. This is not a problem when you
have access to a power outlet to charge one of your batteries while you are
vaping another. But when you are out and about, you’ll want a…
PCC (Personal Charger Case)
The
PCC is your on-the-go battery charger. When the battery you are vaping with
poops out, you just swap it for the freshly recharged one – even when you
are away from a power outlet. So, every hour or three (depending on how heavily
you vape), you open the PCC in your shirt pocket or purse and switch batteries.
[Quite similar to removing an analog cigarette from a pack
and lighting it.] This will keep you going all day and evening long.
Charge the PCC itself while you sleep.
The
Yeti PCC (shown above) charges one of
your batteries and holds an additional atty and three cartridges. The KR808D PCC (shown below) is part of the
KR808D starter kit. It charges a battery and holds two cartomizers.
When
you are sitting at your computer, you can use a…
Yeti
USB Passthrough (PT)
This
provides a constant charge to the atomizer, so no recharging is ever required.
It looks, feels and operates like the battery on a portable Yeti, just with a
slender cord coming out the end plugged into a USB port on your computer. And,
with one of AltSmoke’s adapters, this PT
also can be used with a 901 atomizer or KR808D
cartomizer.
E-liquid
Just like a
computer, as important as the hardware is, an electronic cigarette is just a
paperweight without software. For an e-cig, the software is the e-liquid.
Cartridges and
Cartomizers
You can
feed that e-liquid to the atomizer using either:
Prefilled
Carts
·
The Yeti starter kit comes with five cartridges
prefilled with high-strength (16mg) tobacco flavor … and you can purchase
additional five packs of the same prefilled carts.
·
The DSE901 starter kit comes with five cartridges
prefilled with high-strength tobacco flavor. Additional prefilled carts
are not available (but see below).
·
The KR808D starter kit comes with two cartomizers
prefilled with high-strength Mint/Menthol. Five-packs of prefilled high-strength
KR808D cartomizers are available in a variety of flavors.
Unfilled
Carts
For a much
greater selection, what I recommend, however, are unfilled carts
that you fill with e-liquid in the flavor and
nicotine level of your choice. Available
are five-packs of unfilled Yeti or DSE901 cartridges or five-packs of unfilled
KR808D cartomizers in a variety of colors.
Juice
[For
background information on e-liquid, nicotine levels, and flavors, see the first
half of Part
3 of my Wonderful World of Vaping Illustrated Guide.] AltSmoke offers
e-liquid in either of two categories, three nicotine levels, and 16
flavors:
·
Non-USA AltLiquid – 15-ml Child Proof bottles in 11 flavors: 555,
Butter Scotch, Cappuccino, Caramel, Flue Cured, MLB Tobacco, NuPort (Menthol), Peanut Butter, Piña Colada, RY4,
and Tobacco.
·
USA-made AltLiquid – 15-ml Child Proof bottles in 5 flavors: Smooth
Tobacco, Full-Flavor Tobacco, Clove, Nu Menthol, and Cigar.
Electronic Cigarette Intro: Part 1
Electronic Cigarette Intro: Part 2