E-Cigarettes, What are They?

In the past twenty years electronics have come a long way, from portable game consoles to mini laptop computers. Virtually everything now has to do with at least one piece of electronics either in manufacturing or the item itself. Cigarettes are the newest to take part in becoming just another gadget.

E-cigarette, short for electronic cigarette, is a reusable electronic nicotine delivery device. This can be used in buildings, don’t apply to “no smoking” laws, have three to four ingredients, saver then cigarettes, no ash, no butts and extremely lower cost than traditional cigarettes.  Most resemble a real cigarette, while some look like writing pens. They consist of three main parts: a battery, an atomizer and a cartridge.

The battery is rechargeable and allows the atomizer to work. The batteries are concealed in what looks to be the paper portion of a traditional cigarette. The atomizer is the part that makes the electronic cigarette perform like a real one. When the user takes a “drag” or inhales the air that passes through the atomizer heats up the nicotine liquid. Finally, the cartridge which contains the nicotine liquid. These are small, around an inch long, plastic and hollow. Inside each cartridge is an even smaller capsule with a foil seal. Once the seal is broke the liquid is then able to be inhaled as a vapor. Each cartridge contains enough nicotine to be the equivalent to 1 pack of cigarettes.

What makes e-cigarettes so appealing? They are fairly low cost with the first kit being the most expensive. Kits can run from $40.00 up to $100.00 and include at least one of each, a battery, atomizer, charger and cartridge. Packs of refill cartridges (packs come in 5 or 10 per pack) can cost between $5.00 and $15.00 depending on the store. Overall a smoker can spend around $75.00 on the first order an receive enough cartridges to be equal 1 carton of traditional cigarettes and depending on the brand the smoker is use to that can and usually is the same amount they would pay for a carton.

Once the start up kit is purchased a user that smokes a pack a day (we will assume their cigarettes cost $6.50 a pack) will spend around $200 a month. If that same smoker was to use an e-cigarette and purchase refills (assuming they spend $15.00 per 10-pack) the total savings would be around $155.00 per month.

To save even more money a user can purchase 10mL, 30mL or 50mL bottles of liquid nicotine or e-juice. Each 10mL bottle can fill 40 cartridges with only 4 drops of liquid per cartridge. The bottles can run from $15.00 to $25.00 and can be different strengths and flavors. Assuming the user purchases a 10mL bottle at $20.00 and is able to refill 40 cartridges their monthly cost on cigarettes would be under $20.00.