Why the Color and Style of Your New E-cigarette Matter
March 26th, 2009 | 
Author: The color and style of your e-cigarette are important. I’m not talking about personal taste—I’ll leave that to you. I’m talking about convenience.
E-cigarette that Looks like Hot Cigarette: Good for You, Bad for Others
My first e-cigarette was the super mini electronic cigarette, a model that came on to the market after the longer pen-style. I chose the mini because it looked and felt like a regular hot cigarette; it had similar size and color, and a gray tip that lit up in red as if burning. The mini seemed the obvious choice: I wanted my new way of smoking to be as close to the real smoking as possible.
But I never thought that smoking an e-cigarette that resembled a real cigarette will affect me socially. After all, supporters of e-smoking, including me, believe that e-cigarettes are safe, don’t cause second-hand smoking, and can be used in public places. Unfortunately, it will take time for e-cigarettes to become known to the public. I was asked to put away my mini e-cigarette on many occasions.
Once, while I was strolling around an open mall, two security guards asked me to put out my e-cigarette. The first time I explained it was an e-cigarette, but when the other guard approached me, I put the mini in my pocket. After my city—Pasadena, CA—banned smoking on public places including my favorite Coffee Bean patio, I felt uncomfortable smoking my mini e-cigarette. The mini looked so real that I could get in trouble.
What Style to Choose
Buy an e-cigarette that doesn’t look like regular cigarette to use at public places. I bought a new mini e-cigarette that was black and had an indicator light that lit up in bright blue. I stopped making a nuisance of myself in front of non-smokers—most of them think I’m using a gadget of some sort and don’t pay attention to the water vapor that comes out from my mouth.
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Hey… I just got my first e-cig but the manual sort of scares me… looks like it was written by a non-english-speaker and the manufacturer’s name is nowhere on the box. It’s exactly the same model that “real-looking” one you have in this post…
At one point in the manual it mentions not to tip the cigarette upward, to avoid getting drops of nicotine on your lips.
Since nicotine is basically a neurotoxin in even tiny quantities, I’m a little afraid to use this thing I just spent $109.50 on. I tried it a couple drags and I like it. But are there any reports of these things malfunctioning and/or badly made-in-China capsules that might have an accidental excess of nicotine, or any situation where one drag could land you in the hospital or kill you? It seems hard to get any accurate data on this, not least because the anti-smokers are hell bent on obscuring everything and making it seem like it “might” be dangerous…
An accidental swallowing of nicotine liquid won’t kill you. I tasted the liquid many times–not only when I lift my e-cig upward but also when I drop too much e-liquid into the cartridge.
If you can afford to buy another e-cigarette, I’d recommend you to get some brand name like Njoy (http://www.njoythefreedom.com/) or a Ruyan cigarette. Yours might be ok–the original e-cigarette comes from China, but it appears they haven’t bothered to learn English yet.
Read this article to learn more about health http://www.e-cigarettepedia.com/?p=100
Hm. Well, I spent too much on mine, I guess, after looking at Njoy’s site.
I also just don’t get what’s going on — how it works. This liquid is in the hollow “filter” of the cig and looks like it’s maybe partially soaked up by some kind of sponge at the bottom… at the mouth end of the cartridge. And then from the other part of the cigarette there’s a piece of what looks like steel wool that sticks out into the cartridge. How is this thing functioning? I mean, when I take a pull on it, how is it not just sucking the nicotine liquid straight through the little hole…? It seems like the liquid would have to be on the other side of the atomizer from your mouth for this to work… although it seems to be working just fine… ?
I know it’s confusing because there’s a mini pump that takes the e-liquid from the cartridge into the chamber with the heating component. But the cartridge with the liquid comes after the atomizer and suction goes in opposite direction. You can look here to learn how the atomizer technology works: http://www.e-cigarettepedia.com/?p=458
I have modified my unit to look even less like an analog by stripping off all the paint and polishing the metal to a high sheen. By cutting down the cap of a stainless steel ink pen, I was even able to craft a shiny cover for the cartridge. The effect is retro-futuristic. Looks really cool IMHO. As an un-forseen benefit, I actually use it less, further reducing my dependence on nicotine. After 15 years as a smoker, the sight of an analog is a visual cue to light up. My new “bling’d out” e-cig helps to break the association. I now only puff when I feel I need a dose of nicotine, not whenever a behavioral cue initiates a conditioned response. I didn’t switch in order to quit, I was just happy to find a healthier alternative. But this device makes it so easy, it seems like I’m well on my way to quitting without even trying.