What Are Electronic Cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes, also known as e cig is an electronic device that mimic the act of tobacco smoking without the tar and tobacco.  Instead of the term smoking, it will be called vaping instead.

Most electronic cigarettes consist of 3 parts:	Atomizer - (atty) The atomizer has a heating element inside which is called the coil.  Ejuice drips onto the coil, and the ejuice heats up and produce vapor.  (The atomizer screws onto the battery) Cartridge - (carts) Is the mouth pieces, and this is what holds the ejuice and filler (Insert the cartridge into the atomizer) Cartomizer - (carto) Atomizer + Cartridge = Cartomizer.  The filler and coil are both inside the cartomizer.  (Cartomizer screws onto the battery)
Some are consist of 2 parts:

Click here to read my review on electronic cigarettes.

My Electronic Cigarette Reviews

So is the electronic cigarette easy to use?  Is it as simple as lighting up a cigarette?  The electronic cigarette is easy to use, but for sure it is not as simple as lighting up a cigarette. It will take more of your time, but to me it is worth it.   In the beginning you might end up somewhat messy just trying to fill up e juice on your cartomizer or cartridge.  You will get e juice all over your hands.  Sometimes your cartomizer or atomizer even leaks and it still happens once in awhile for me.  But as you learn things, it will become easier, and you will get into a habit of doing it.

Is there any smell?  There is still some kind of smell, but at least it is not the burning of tar and tobacco.  It is the smell of the E juice.  In most case they are pleasant, but not for all people and depending on the flavor you are vaping.  I'm still using some tobacco flavor E juice, they do not smell like tobacco and tar, but they smell like chocolate.  Sometimes the smell can be so strong that it kind of bothers you.  I was once in a car, windows all closed, my boyfriend was vaping a tobacco flavor E juice.  The chocolate smell was so strong that it kind of bother me.  It all depends on the flavor and where you purchase the E juice.  Every flavor is different and it is subjective.  I heard how some people love cheesecake flavor and they said how nice it smell.  I tried it and it was not vapable for me.  But for sure I don't smell like a stinky ash tray anymore.  My niece comes hugging me without squeezing her nose.  So each person is different. 

Can you really quit smoking cigarettes?  I have smoke a pack a day of Marlboro Lights for a little over 15 years before I made the switch to electronic cigarettes.  It took me about 1/2 year before I totally quit my smoking habit.  There are some people who still cannot quit after a whole year, yet there are some that quit after the first day.  My boyfriend for example, he does not intend to quit smoking, but he is not allow to smoke cigarettes at work.  He uses the electronic cigarettes at work to help with his cravings.  It is also a lot better than standing outside in the cold winter months.

Does it cost a lot of money to start?  I would say you can buy a very decent starter kit and some juice with some stuff for about $100 or less.  Depending on what you are looking for.    In the beginning I had purchased 2 sets of Joye 510 electronic cigarettes on 2011 New Year for my boyfriend and me.  The first month I had spend about $400 (boyfriend and me) on electronic cigarettes products.  But as time went by you would be spending less than if you were buying cigarettes unless you are the type that loves to shop and try new stuff.  Once you are settle with what you want and need, you would not be spending as much.

I made a mistake on my first purchase.  Joye 510  is not bad a device, it is just that the battery capacity is not as long as I wanted it to last.  (Usually a set comes with 2 batteries, 2 atomizer and 5 cartridge)  I would need to change to a new battery every 2 hours.  I was afraid of not having enough charged batteries when I was out so I brought more stuff.  Within a week I purchased Joye 510 PCC (portable charging case), 510 passthrough (charge on the computer via usb while vaping at the same time) and some miscellaneous.  As i did more research I realized I should have purchase something with more battery power so within a month I end up buying another 2 set for my boyfriend and me.  If I had done more research in the beginning I might not had spend as much money.

Carts or Cartomizers?   I personally hate carts with atomizer because carts holds less E juice, drys out quickly.  When changing to a new cart I tend to get very messy with E juice all over my fingers.  Carts are cheaper then cartomizers and also they last longer. You can take the filler out of the cart and wash them or stuff new filler in them and reuse them till they break.  Cartomizer are more expensive and also they are consider disposable.  The life span of a cartomizer is alot shorter than an atomizer.  The coil in the cartomizer are not as durable as the coil in the atomizer.  Also since the filler is inside the cartomizer it is harder to clean, therefore after several refills they tend to lose flavor or hard to drag.  The cartomizer take longer to fill, but since it holds more juice than a cart, you can vape on it longer before you need to refill or change to another cartomizer.  I personally prefer cartomizer over carts.  You would still need an atomizer and maybe a drip tip to try new flavors before filling up your cartomizer.  *note tank carts is different from the regular carts.  Tank carts is a plastic see thru tank that you place on top of your atomizer.  I would prefer tank carts and cartomizer over carts.

Which starter kit should I start with?  In my opinion, I would recommend the Joye eGo Tank or Riva 510 as a starter kit.  Read the specs and my review on the sets and find out if it is right for you.

*If you are planning on purchasing any electronic cigarettes make sure you get the manual batteries.

Read about:
Joye 510 Review
Joye eGo / Riva 510

Joye eGo Tank

Left: type A , Right: type B

Joye eGo tank atomizer- uses a clear tank cart which makes it easier to view the level of e juice left in your carts.  There are no filler involved.  E juice automatically drips as you inhale through the tank mouth piece.
type A holds approximately 1ml e juice
type B holds approximately 2ml e juice

I myself personally did not really like the Joye eGo tank type A in the beginning.  The flavors go mute at times.  Sometimes there leaking problems if the wick inside the atomizer was too low.  Then it was hard to drag when the wick was too high.  You will have to adjust the wick to solve the problem.  Doesn't that seem like alien language to you.  That was a reason why I did not recommend this to newbies.  Also I think it is kind of hard to maintain comparing to the regular 510 atomizers.  Usually I rotate 2 eGo tank atomizer every other week, and cleaning them after a week of use.  They normally last me no more than 1 month.  They cost from anywhere between $10 - $15 a piece.  My boyfriend still love them though, because it was easy to use. 

Recently I used up all my type A tank atomizer so decided to buy the type B atomizer to try.  I purchased a few, tried them all.  It was so good.  I mean great!!! Awesome!!  The flavor was great, so far no issues with the type B atomizer I received.  Type A does look prettier, but then type B holds more juice, that means less refill less mess!  I will report again after a month of use and see if things keeps up.  If it does I might be using these instead of the cartomizers or clearomizers.  Recently I been having leaking issues with my GPSSR so i might be considering to switch to the eGo Tank type B if it keeps up like the way it is. 

Joye eGo / Riva 510

left to right: Joye eGo, Riva

I would recommend either the Joye eGo or Riva 510 electronic cigarettes.  The Riva 510 is just a copy cat of the Joye eGo but at a cheaper price.  These items are all manufacture in China so the quality is somewhat similar.  But I would say if you have the money, I think eGo would have more reliability.  That is just my thought though.  Both of the batteries life span is about 300 charges.  The Joye eGo and Riva 510 are both 510 device which means you can use with any 510 cartomizers and atomizers on them.  As you can see from the picture to your left.  The only difference in appearance is the color of the band and the button.  Joye eGo has a silver finish band.  Riva has a gold finish band.  I personally like the look of the eGo more.





The difference between the Joye 510 and these two device (eGo and Riva 510):
eGo and Riva 510 -

• Have larger battery capacity (lowest at 650 mAh)
• Can use (LR) low resistance and standard resistance cartomizers atomizers
• Diameter is about 3/4" (look at the picture to your right to compare them)
  

Is there anything better then the eGo and Riva 510?  Off course, there are various mods out there.  But eGo and Riva 510 is a good affordable starter kit.

Standard starter kit normally comes with 2 batteries, 2 atomizer, carts and charger.  Now depending on your budget this is my recommendation.

Below are 2 Low budget starter kit with misc you will need for under $60.00  http://www.liberty-flights.com
Remember to click on the 20% off on the upper left hand corner of the website to get the price below.  (shipping is about $3.00 for the whole order unless you purchase more than 1 starter kit.)

Low budget  (option 1)
Riva Lite Bundle $30.00 + Smoke Tech Cartomizer $7.99 + 510 Drip Tip $1.59 - $1.99  =  around $40.00
also pick up some 5ml VG and PG e juice for $2.40 each.

Low budget  (option 2)
Riva 510 carto deluxe(SE) $35.00 + Riva 510 (LR) atomizer $4.99 + 510 Drip Tip $1.59 - $1.99 = $42.00
then pick up a few 5ml VG & PG e juice.

I prefer option 2 because of the extra case, if you have enough funds you might want to add an additional 510 atomizer to your order to try out different flavors.

If you can spend a little bit more you might want to consider either the:

Joye eGo-T (type B) 650mAh $52.00  or Joye eGo-T (type B) 900mAh $56.00 starter kit, e juice, 510 cartomizer, 510 atomizer and a drip tip. (Try to get e juice from another juice supplier)
The mAh is the difference in battery capacity.  The 900mAh has the same diameter as the 650mAh, but it is a bit longer.  The higher the mAh the longer you can use the battery before charging.

First one from the top: Joye eGo Tank fully assembled.  middle one : Joye eGo 650mAh battery.  Bottom one: Joye eGo 900mAh battery.

If you cannot spend too much money now, it is okay to get the low budget sets now, you can always buy a eGo-T atomizer and eGo-Tank carts to use with your Riva battery in the future.  eGo-T atomizer cost from anywhere between $10 - $15.  The tank carts cost about $8.00 (Tank carts are reusable)  If you are purchasing pieces alone, like for example you need to buy an atomizer or some cartomizers.  You can also check out http://www.shop.goodprophets.com/  and compare the prices.  I normally like to buy batteries and starter kits at Liberty Flights, because their battery warranty are 2 months.  As for eGo tank atomizer I normally purchase them at Good Prophets because there price is a bit lower.  *From most supplier I seem, (LR) atomizers (any kind) does not carry any warranty unless they are dead on arrival, that is also the case for any kind of resistance cartomizers.

With the purchase of the eGo Tank starter kit, 510 cartomizer and 510 atomizer and drip tip.  You can try the different various things and find out what you like best.  You would always want a 510 atomizer to try the different e juice flavor.  This is why you need a drip tip.

Read more about:
Joye eGo Tank
More information on electronic cigarettes

Research More On Electronic Cigarettes

It is very important to do more research on electronic cigarettes before you purchase your first starter kit.  You would want to make your decision quick.  But make sure you buy them from a good supplier and not a scammer.

Check out this electronic cigarettes forum.  Sign up as a new member and ask any questions you might need help with.  There are real people who have experience on the topic, these people are not suppliers, they are just like me and you.   http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/

A few things you should check on the forum before making any purchase
The supplier's review : Positive review    and     Negative reviews
Also check the supplier's forum within that forum to see what others are saying.
Coupon code master list
Deals and Steals
Health and Safety and E smoking
also there is a classified and swap section where you can sell or trade the E cig stuff that you no longer are using, or juice you didn't like

And make sure if you start vaping drink a lot of water!  Wash your hands after refills...

Joye 510 Review

Joye 510 has a diameter similar to a cigarette, just a little longer.  It's nice and compact but the drawback is the battery's capacity.  They come in 180mAh (normal batteries) and 280mAh (mega xl batteries). The 280mAh is about 1" longer than the standard 180mAh batteries. The 180mAh batteries last me for about 1 - 2 hours before needing to recharge.  I have never used the 280mAh, but I will assume it's about 2 - 3 hours.  This might be nice if you are not a heavy smoker.  But you will probably still need to buy a PCC (portable charging case) if this is what you are planning to purchase.  *note you cannot use the 280mAh batteries for the 510 PCC. 

I would not recommend the Joye 510, I would prefer the Joye eGo or the Riva 510 which has a better battery capacity, at least a 650mAh.  The diameter of Joye eGo/Riva 510 is slightly bigger.  You can see the picture to your right and make a comparison.   I started with Joye 510 but within 2 weeks, I purchased a Riva 510 for a replacement set.