What are electronic cigarettes, and why would you want to switch from traditional smokes to battery-powered reusable cigarettes? There have been a lot of reports in the news lately about electronic cigarettes. If you’re wondering what exactly an e-cigarette is and why you’d want to use one, consider the following benefits:
An electronic cigarette is a battery-operated device that closely captures the good parts of the experience of smoking a cigarette and delivers nicotine (or no nicotine, but instead a flavored e-juice) through a water vapor. People who use e-cigarettes are sometimes referred to as “vapers” instead of smokers.
The Anatomy of an E-Cigarette
No matter the brand, an electronic cigarette is made up of a few main parts:
1. A battery which powers the atomizer/vaporizer.
2. A cartridge that contains the nicotine solution (or other flavored e-juice).
3. An atomizer that vaporizes the nicotine (or other) solution.
An electronic cigarette (aka an e-cigarette or e-cig) contains a special nicotine solution, usually located inside the screw-on cartridge that mainly consists of water, nicotine, propylene glycol (or vegetable glycol), and flavoring. Depending on what brand or model you purchase, the atomizer which vaporizes the nicotine will be part of the cartridge or a separate accessory that the cartridge slides onto.
The benefits of electronic cigarettes are that they contain no tar, no carbon monoxide and do not contain the thousands of toxins in tobacco smoke. Electronic cigarettes do not emit conventional smoke, but rather a water vapor akin to that produced by a smoke machine, so the user can smoke these virtually anywhere.
Electronic cigarettes attract anyone who wants the feel and look of smoking, but would like to perform it inside and when they go out with friends — having the experience and taste of smoking but without the yellow teeth, the odor, and the stigma. For pack-a-day smokers who choose to make the switch to electronic, the e-cigarette is cheaper in the long-term, offering more bang for your buck.