The single most important part of any electronic cigarette is the battery. It is a Lithium- ion battery, running at anything between 2.7 and 4.2 volts. Some people notice a “different taste” at highest voltage and an expected loss in efficiency as the useable voltage drops. This item can make or break your alternative smoking habits.

Many people have contacted us regarding troublesome batteries, but most remain oblivious to the fact that a little care and maintenance of the batteries is required on a regular basis.
Some newer users are quick to contact us and report a dud battery, when in fact it is either a dead cartomizer, or a dirty battery.

The first question we are asked, is how long a battery will last. On average, a battery will last for around 180 to 200 inhalations. This is roughly equivalent to between 10 to 12 cigarettes, or about 2 to 3 hours. Obviously, it depends on how much you smoke and the way you smoke. If you puff away frantically, the battery won’t last as long. A very heavy smoker might find a battery only lasts about 2 hours, while an occasional smoker might be able to use the same battery for a couple of days.

With most users, no matter whether heavy, average or occasional vapers, a good guide and one that is relevant to the user, is that a battery will normally last half the time that the cartomizer lasts. A full cartomizer is equivalent to about 250 inhalations, which equates to around 16 cigarettes, while a full battery will hold out for about 10 to 12 cigarettes before losing power.

A spare battery is provided in the ECS starter pack and extra batteries can be ordered from the Electronic Cigarette Suppliers website, should you require them. It is strongly advised that all users have at least one spare, as you never know when a battery will give trouble and you may not be able to recharge it. It takes time to order another and you will not last with only one battery. Some of our heavy smokers have anything from 4 to 8 batteries! If you spend a fair amount of time travelling, you should get yourself a car charger to charge batteries while on the road.

As to how long to charge your batteries, initial charging of a new battery takes a good 6 hrs, thereafter recharge for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. We are not allowed to post charged batteries, but the only way we can test that they are good, is to partially charge them and try them, so we normally send out batteries with a charge.

We are often asked how to get the best from the batteries. First, you should always use the same charging cycle. Don’t leave a battery on charge for more than 4 hours, as this can cause overheating and damage the battery. Don’t be tempted to take the battery off charge too soon, as this affects the memory and the charge cycle. The rechargeable battery is like that of a cellphone or camera, where a memory is set and can become confused by different charge cycles.

We have had customers who incorrectly assumed that as soon as the charging light went out, the battery was fully charged. It cannot charge fully in 10 or 20 minutes!

Don’t be too hasty to discard a battery and quickly put it on charge. It may not be flat yet. The light flashes when a battery is getting flat, but it also flashes when used too much. It has a built in protection system and flashes when over used. Try the battery again, after a short wait and ensure that it is flat, before attempting to recharge it. In theory, the ECS e-cig battery light will flash 5 times when over used and 15 times when flat.

Like all mechanical devices, the battery requires a little basic maintenance, which should be carried out at regular intervals. The liquid from the cartomizer often leaks into the battery threads and if left, can work its way into the pressure switches. This causes the switch to stick and can affect your smoking, by making it harder to drag, or by delaying the light action.

The thread section should be kept clean of the refill e-liquid. As a general rule, we suggest cleaning every time you change a battery. If some e-liquid spills into the battery, use a tissue or a piece of toilet paper to clean the thread section. Just twirl it into a thick spike and turn it in the threads. Every week or two, the threads should be cleaned properly. A toothbrush dipped into some Methylated or Surgical Spirits works well. Not too much spirits! Shake the excess off  the brush before cleaning as you certainly don’t want to get any liquid in the battery itself! After rinsing, use a tissue to dry it again. Blow it and leave for a few minutes to dry, (and for the smell and taste to go) before use.

Another factor, particularly prevalent in South Africa, is our power supply. Our supply is notoriously erratic, with fluctuating voltage drops, voltage peaks and cuts. The battery suffers from power surges and of course, if the power goes off and then back on, the charge cycle starts over. Thus, when you remove the battery after the stipulated period, you never really know how well, or for how long it has charged.

Batteries need to handled carefully. Banging, falling and exposure to other hard objects (such as coins in the pocket) could cause damage. If the globe breaks, the battery gets hot, or a soldered joint breaks – the battery will not work.

TIP: If you have several batteries to charge, or if you need to charge at night, or while going out, this tip will hep you. Use a timer switch to set the output current for the stipulated charge period! Then you can rest assured that the charge will stop at the specified time. These timer plugs are available at hardware or electrical stores for around R90.

TIP 2: Don’t forget the chargers! Often users insist a battery has failed, when in fact it is a faulty charger or cable. Check  them and also keep them clean.

Batteries are like light bulbs, in that they could last for ages, or they could suddenly pack up without warning, but with regular care, they should last you well. Don’t laugh, it might save you from a calamity. This is the one part of an electronic cigarette that can give trouble and it is the most expensive part. so take good care of your batteries.

See loads more tips on the Help Page of the Electronic Cigarette Suppliers website. There is also a safe and convenient online shopping facility, where you can order your requirements without leaving home.

This article was written by Derek Robson, who is a retired manufacturing engineer and a full time Internet marketer. He is an expert syndicated author and has had hundreds of his articles featured on websites around the globe. He is an ex-smoker and a staunch supporter of converting smokers to electronic cigarettes.

Together with his wife and son, Derek runs a business supplying the top ECS brand of electronic cigarettes to customers across Southern Africa. Electronic Cigarette Suppliers have an informative website, a library of relevant articles, an online store and they offer overnight delivery. Find out more by visiting www.electronic-cigarette-suppliers.co.za

Some health insurance companies won’t even cover a smoker because of the increased risk for serious problems. If you do smoke, you will undoubtedly pay a higher price for health insurance coverage.
Then of course there is the secondary effects on other people and the smell, mess and fire hazard.

For many years smokers have tried to quit by using willpower, hypnosis, gum and patches. Not everybody has the willpower. Hypnosis is temporary and doesn’t change the body’s cravings. Chewing-gum and patches negate the nicotine craving, but does nothing about the psychological triggers. You won’t know what to do with your hands!

The good news is there new smoker product to hit the scene….the electronic cigarette. The e-cig addresses all the problems mentioned earlier.

So what are doctors saying about e-cigs and their effects on your health? Most doctors are supportive of the choice to buy e-cigs over regular cigarettes. While the best choice is to quit smoking all together, making the switch to e-cigs is a good first step. Now I’m not saying that all doctors like electronic cigarettes, but it is the better of the 2 evils. It is preferable to smoking regular tobacco products. It is the healthier alternative.

By switching to electronic cigarettes, you eliminate the harmful characteristics of cigarettes. You will no longer be inhaling toxic carcinogens, tars and a host of chemicals. There is no smoke and no smell to electronic cigarettes…and you won’t have to worry about what you are going to do with your hands!

The new smoking laws also make it difficult for smokers. No worries with electronic cigarettes! They are exempt from these smoking laws. You can puff anywhere, anytime.

The e-cigarette cartomizers (the new form of combining a larger cartridge with a built in atomizer) release an odorless vapour mist that gives you the sensation of breathing in smoke without ever really putting your lungs at risk. This also prevents the risks associated with second hand smoking. That alone makes the e-cig worth considering.

When sucked, a tiny micro-switch allows the battery to heat up a little element. This only happens when sucked and the liquid contained in the cartomizer is drawn across the heater element causing it to vapourise. Similar to a kettle, this water vapour, or steam, is flavoured with food flavourants and coloured so it looks like smoke. The vapour contains a little nicotine, which satisfies the smoker’s cravings.

Some doctors have commented in electric cigarette surveys, that they like the availability of a variety of nicotine strengths in both the pre-loaded cartridges and in the refill liquid, called e-liquid.

This allows patients to slowly wean themselves off the nicotine, that is so addictive. Although nicotine is extremely addictive, it has not been found to be harmful, on it’s own and in small doses. While using any form of nicotine is not beneficial to a person’s health, it is better to use a lesser amount, without all the toxins and tars as contained in tobacco products.

Remember you are not addicted to a tobacco cigarette, you are not addicted ton the smoke, or the toxins, or the tar, or the burning paper. You
are only addicted to the nicotine and to the habit. Electronic cigarettes satisfy both these problems. It looks and feels like you are smoking and you are still getting your fix of nicotine.

Change to electronic cigarettes and improve your health, while still enjoying the habit you love so much. We at Electronic Cigarette Suppliers
have had several patients referred to us by local doctors. We have even seen significant improvement in patients with emphysema, asthma and bronchitis, especially when using the Mint flavour, as this seems to open up the bronchials.

I was a sufferer of chronic bronchitis and sinus and constantly at the doctor. I have been “clean” now for more than 2 years, have not missed smoking one bit and continue to enjoy my ECS electronic cigarette. I was surprised at how much junk was sitting on my lungs and I breathe more easily and don’t cough and wheeze anymore. My family is proud of me, my doctor is proud of me and hey, I’m proud of myself!

This article was posted by Derek Robson, who is a retired manufacturing engineer and a full time Internet marketer. He is an expert syndicated author and has had hundreds of his articles featured on websites around the globe. He is an ex-smoker and a staunch supporter of converting smokers to electronic cigarettes.

Together with his wife and son, Derek runs a business supplying the ECS brand of electronic cigarettes to customers across Southern Africa. Electronic Cigarette Suppliers have an informative website, a library of relevant articles, an online store and they offer overnight delivery. Find out more by visiting www.electronic-cigarette-suppliers.co.za

An article was published recently, in the form of a press release from the Italian No Smoking Association.

It was titled “Electronic Cigarettes Help To Reduce Cigarette Smoking” and is a result of the first real clinical study on e-cigarettes, just presented at the International Meeting of SRNT in Antalya, Turkey.

Researchers from the University of Catania, in Italy, presented the results of their study on electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) to the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco in Antalya, Turkey.

Study results.
A report on the clinical trial results, which showed that switching to an e-cigarette may assist smokers to reduce or eliminate cigarette smoking in 55% of cases, will be published soon in BMC Public Health.

“Cigarette smoking is a tough addiction to break,” said Professor Riccardo Polosa, the principal investigator of the study. “Therefore, improved approaches to smoking cessation are necessary. E-cigarettes may prove to be a safe alternative to traditional cigarette smoking. They provide a coping mechanism by replacing some of smoking gestures, to help smokers remain abstinent during their quit attempt or to reduce cigarette consumption.”

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that deliver vaporized nicotine, without the harmful elements present in tobacco cigarette smoke. Tar, carbon monoxide, particulates and thousands of chemicals created by the process of combustion are the elements in smoke that cause up to 99% of the lung disease, heart attacks, strokes, and cancers associated with smoking.

The Study
The study “Effect of an Electronic Nicotine Delivery Device (e-Cigarette) on Smoking Reduction and Cessation: A Prospective 6-Month Pilot Study” monitored modifications in smoking habits of 40 regular smokers unwilling to quit, with a focus on smoking reduction and abstinence. The study used the CATEGORIA® brand of e-cigarette.

Study participants were invited to attend a total of five study visits, in a period of 24 weeks. Product use, number of cigarettes smoked, and exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) levels were measured at each visit.

The Results
Thirteen of 40 (32.5%) of the participants sustained a 50% reduction in the number of cigarettes per day (CPD) at week-24, with their median of 25 CPD decreasing to 6 CPD.

A sustained 80% reduction was shown in five (12.5%) participants, with their median of 30 CPD decreasing to 3 CPD. Sustained smoking abstinence at week-24 was observed in nine (22.5%) participants, with six of them still using the e-cigarette by the end of the study.

Combined sustained 50% reduction and smoking abstinence was shown in 22 (55%) participants, with an overall 88% fall in CPD.

Mouth (20.6%) and throat (32.4%) irritation, and dry cough (32.4%) were common, but diminished substantially by week-24.

Participants’ perception and acceptance of the product was good.

The above release was issued by Press Office LIAF – Italian No Smoking Association (http://www.liaf-onlus.org) and (info@liaf-onlus.org)

This article was posted by Derek Robson, who is a retired manufacturing engineer and a full time Internet marketer. He is an expert syndicated author and has had hundreds of his articles featured on websites around the globe. He is an ex-smoker and a staunch supporter of converting smokers to electronic cigarettes.

Together with his wife and son, Derek runs a business supplying the ECS brand of electronic cigarettes to customers across Southern Africa. Electronic Cigarette Suppliers have an informative website, a library of relevant articles, an online store and they offer overnight delivery. Find out more by visiting www.electronic-cigarette-suppliers.co.za

This study was presented at the European Conference on Tobacco And Health, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on March 28-30, of 2011.

The basis of the survey was as follows:
Aims:
To assess the profile, utilization patterns, satisfaction and perceived effects among users of electronic cigarettes (“e-cigarettes or e-cigs”).

Design and Setting:
An Internet survey, in both English and French, conducted late in 2010.

Participants:
Visitors of websites and online discussion forums dedicated to e-cigarettes and to methods of smoking cessation.

Findings:
There were 3587 participants

Respondents:
70% of respondents were former tobacco smokers. 61% were men, and the average age was 41 years.

Facts:
* The median duration of electronic cigarette use was 3 months.
* On average, users drew 120 puffs/day and used 5 cartridges/day. (This survey was based on the old 3 part models. Latest technology is the 2 part e-cigarette which uses a cartomiser. Generally a cartomiser contains about 0.8 ml and lasts for around 200 -250 puffs. 15 puffs is considered equivalent to a cigarette. A cartomiser is equivalent to about 8 cartridges).
* Almost all (97%) used e-cigarettes containing nicotine.
* Daily users spent, on average, $33 (about R225) per month on these products.
* Most (96%) users said the e-cigarette had helped them to quit smoking, or at least to reduce their smoking (92%).
* Reasons for using the e-cigarette included the perception that it was less toxic than tobacco (84%), to deal with cravings for tobacco (79%) and withdrawal symptoms (67%), to quit smoking or avoid relapsing (77%), because it was cheaper than smoking (57%) and to deal with situations where smoking was prohibited (39%).
* Most ex-smokers (79%) feared they might relapse to smoking if they stopped using the e-cigarette.
* Users of e-cigarettes containing nicotine reported better relief of withdrawal symptoms and a greater effect on smoking cessation, than those using e-cigarettes containing no nicotine.

Conclusions:
E-cigarettes were used much as people would use other nicotine replacement medications, by former smokers to avoid relapse, or as an aid to cut down or completely quit smoking. Further research should be conducted to fully evaluate the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes for the administration of nicotine and other substances and for quitting and relapse prevention.

So, it seems that electronic cigarettes are being used for the right reasons and are definitely a leading aid in helping people to quit smoking. It also appears to be considered a healthier alternative to smoking.

Several scientific and/or medical tests have been conducted on electronic cigarettes, most notably the one done for the New Zealand Health Department, but due to lack of proper funding and by not being totally independent, these have been brushed aside as biased.

It is high time some government funded independent, unbiased studies to prove once and for all that this is the way forward and adjusted legislation to encourage their use.

This article was written by Derek Robson, who is a retired manufacturing engineer and a full time Internet marketer. He is an expert syndicated author and has had hundreds of his articles featured on websites around the globe. He is an ex-smoker and a staunch supporter of converting smokers to electronic cigarettes.

Together with his wife and son, Derek runs a business supplying the ECS brand of electronic cigarettes to customers across Southern Africa. Electronic Cigarette Suppliers have an informative website, a library of relevant articles, an online store and they offer overnight delivery. Find out more by visiting www.electronic-cigarette-suppliers.co.za

But that hasn’t stopped others, usually non-smokers, from moaning, making remarks, waving their hands in their faces and coughing at the sight of the vapour from the electronic cigarette.
They see you inhale and exhale something and just assume that it has to be smoke and therefore it is unhealthy and has to stink. The whingers and whiners imagine they can smell the smoke, when in fact they’re not smelling anything. Can you smell the steam from the kettle? Of course not!

Electronic cigarettes don’t burn anything at all and do not give off any smoke, but they’re at the centre of a social and legal debate over whether it’s okay to “light up” in places where regular smokes are banned. By definition, in terms of the smoking legislation, smoking is defined by words such as combustion, ignition, burning, smoke and takes particular care of the effects on an innocent bystander. But, they don’t do any of those things and can not affect
Anyone else, so where is the tolerance?

Some countries and even states in America have clarified in their legislation that the battery-powered devices do not fall under those bans. Other more conservative places are re-defining their smoke-free laws to include them.

E-cigarettes are battery-powered plastic and metal devices, that heat a liquid nicotine solution in a disposable cartridge, creating a vapour that the users inhale. The principle is the same as a kettle, where water is heated and produces steam. Nothing is burned. Electronic cigarette users call the practice “vaping” rather than smoking. Some e-cigarettes are made to look like a real cigarette, with a tiny light on the tip that glows red like a real cigarette.

It’s not clear what risks second hand e-cig vapour holds, as no conclusive scientific tests have been satisfactorily concluded, but it’s safe to assume there is no harm, or at worst, minimal risks compared to normal tobacco smoking. The e-liquid mixture is mostly just water, even though it may look like smoke.

Electronic cigarettes can contain nicotine, but there is a complete absence of tars, chemicals and carcinogens.

Some public health experts say that even for users of a reasonably high level of nicotine in an electronic cigarette, the level of any carcinogens was favourably comparable to those found in nicotine replacement therapy like inhalers, or patches, because the nicotine in all of the products is extracted from natural tobacco leaves.

E-cigarette devotees tout them as a way to break addiction to real cigarettes. They insist the devices address both the nicotine addiction and the behavioural aspects of smoking – the holding of the cigarette, the puffing, exhaling something that looks like smoke and the hand motion – without the more than 4,000 chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes.

Industry estimates put U.S sales of the devices and accessories at $200 million to $250 million annually. That’s a lot of users and a big blow to the tobacco companies (and a lack of spinoffs for the government).

But e-cig users are being lumped in with traditional smokers when they want to “vape” and are being asked to not use them in places where smoking is prohibited. This is due to ignorance and fear.

New Jersey is the only U.S state that specifically bans the use of e-cigarettes where regular smoking isn’t allowed. Some local governments have banned the devices under their smoke-free laws.

However, in Virginia, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wrote an opinion saying that because e-cigs don’t burn tobacco, the “vapour emitted by an e-cigarette would not fall within the definition” of the law.

“The whole purpose of a smoking ban is to protect people from second-hand smoke, and there isn’t any smoke from an electronic cigarette,” said Elaine Keller, vice president of Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association, an Alabama-based, non-profit body that works to ensure the availability of alternatives to smoking. The group says it hasn’t received any funding as yet from e-cigarette companies.

“Your nose will let you know whether somebody is smoking or not. … and your eyes will tell you, too, as soon as you get close enough.” she said.

Some e-cig users have even taken to “stealth vaping,” a method in which they hold the vapour in their mouths long enough for it to mostly dissipate, or exhale the vapour discretely, so as not to attract unwanted attention.

Still, the American Non-smokers’ Rights Foundation, a group that has helped states and localities to draft laws on smoking bans, includes electronic cigarettes in it’s model legislation, due to the public fears over the safety of the devices.

They remain a contentious issue, because of lack of anyone prepared to foot the bill for extensive medical testing. “They still raise a significant health concerns for us. We don’t know exactly what is contained in the vapour mist, we don’t know what else is in the contents of that electronic cigarette,” said Cynthia Hallett, executive director of the American Non-smokers’ Rights Foundation. “The good news is that more research is on the cards. … We may learn more, and if in the end they’re safe, we’ll have to rethink.”

But, she said that to be allowed in places where regular cigarettes are banned, electronic cigarettes wouldn’t just have to be safer; they’d have to “do no harm at all.”

The Food and Drug Administration announced plans in April to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products, instead of under stricter rules for drug-delivery devices. This news was considered a victory for manufacturers and distributors of the electronic cigarette devices.

Hallett also said that because the devices look similar to real cigarettes, it makes it confusing for individuals and more difficult to enforce smoking bans.

“It truly makes no sense,” Ray Story, CEO of the Tobacco Vapour Electronic Cigarette Association and head of e-cig maker WannaVape, said of e-cigarette bans.

Allowing e-cigs in workplaces also would save millions in productivity from employees not having to take smoke breaks, Story said.

And Keller, who uses her e-cigarette regularly at a northern Virginia bowling alley and other public places, said being able to use it in places where traditional cigarettes aren’t allowed is a “powerful incentive to switch to something that can save their life.”

After smoking cigarettes for about 45 years, Phillips said electronic cigarettes helped him to quit tobacco, after numerous attempts of using nicotine patches and prescription drugs had failed.

“Not one cigarette in almost two years now,” he said. “How could you be against that?”

For now electronic cigarette users will have to be content with closet vaping in public places. The best is to speak to the owner or manager of the establishment, explain how the vapouriser works and abide by their wishes. Most are pretty tolerant – until someone complains.

This article was written by Derek Robson, who is a retired manufacturing engineer and a full time Internet marketer. He is an expert syndicated author and has had hundreds of his articles featured on websites around the globe. He is an ex-smoker and a staunch supporter of converting smokers to electronic cigarettes.

Together with his wife and son, Derek runs a business supplying the ECS brand of electronic cigarettes to customers across Southern Africa. Electronic Cigarette Suppliers have an informative website, a library of relevant articles, an online store and they offer overnight delivery. Find out more by visiting www.electronic-cigarette-suppliers.co.za

Answer. No, not likely and, according to Californian studies, also not likely over the next ten years, provided the user does not revert back to smoking tobacco products.
1) Nicotine is not a known carcinogen
Nicotine, inhaled or by any other route, is not recognized by the state of California as a known cause of cancer in either humans or animals. Hundreds of other chemicals are so recognized, and scores of them are found in normal cigarette smoke. Second hand tobacco smoke is recognized in this way. Thus nicotine is recognised as being an extremely addictive, but otherwise harmless substance.

2) Careful follow up for 10 years after quitting smoking normal cigarettes.
The Lung Study in the USA has followed and recorded thousands of ex-smokers for five years and then kept track for a further 7.5 years after that. The risk of cancer of the lungs was increased in those who continued to smoke tobacco, but not in those using nicotine alone, compared with those who quit entirely. That means 10 years of follow-up. If their cells were pre-cancerous to start with, and nicotine was a cause of cancer, then new cancers would have been expected to appear within those 10 years.

3) Widespread use of nicotine for 25 years.
Since 1984, nicotine has been given to millions of smokers trying to quit smoking, to help them to quit smoking, with no reported increase in lung cancer. This can be in the form of a gum, a patch or an electronic cigarette vapouriser device. Over 40,000 smokers were followed for at least 6 months, and some have been followed for as long as 20 years. Some 8% of nicotine gum users become long term users, but no increase in cancers has been reported in long term users of either nicotine gum or patches.

4) Re-cancerous cervical cells are commoner in smokers.
Any smoker so affected, should obtain rigorous follow-up. There is no reason, however, to believe that electronic cigarettes will increase the risk of the cells becoming cancerous.

E-cigarette use reduces the risk of cancer by replacing the dangers of smoking of tobacco cigarettes. Using e-cigarettes INSTEAD of smoking tobacco cigarettes is bound to reduce the risks of lung cancer, because the cancer-causing gases, such as 1,3 butadiene, found in the smoke of all cigarette brands, are no longer inhaled.

Switching to e-cigarettes with nicotine continued, can be expected to reduce lung cancer risk the same as completely quitting cigarettes, even without any use of e-cigarettes.

5) Complete quitting and complete switching is required.
100% altogether-quitting, or 100% quitting by 100% switching to e-cigarette is required.

Anyone continuing to smoke even one cigarette per day, even if along with an e-cigarette (dual smoking) increases the risk of premature death by about half.

6) Summary:
Nicotine is harmless. Electronic cigarettes contain no other harmful substances. Electronic cigarettes can not cause cancer and by quitting smoking and using e-cigs instead, risk of cancer is substantially reduced. Users with pre-existing cancer will not worsen the effects by the use of an electronic cigarette.

There have been various tests and trials done by various authorities, but as yet, no internationally recognised medical body has produced any legal and convincing proof of electronic cigarettes being completely harmless and acceptable. That being said, none of these authorities have proven that electronic cigarettes are in any way harmful to the user and to the bystander. Anything is better than smoking.

Legislation has not been fully amended to deal with the advent of electronic cigarettes. Although by definition, the electronic cigarette is not ignited and does not produce smoke and therefore is permitted in public areas, this is still a largely “grey” area of the law. Some countries allow it, some have banned it and some restrict it the same as tobacco cigarettes.

This article was written by Derek Robson, who is a retired manufacturing engineer and a full time Internet marketer. He is an expert syndicated author and has had hundreds of his articles featured on websites around the globe. He is an ex-smoker, an ex bronchitis sufferer and now a staunch supporter of converting other smokers to electronic cigarettes. Derek founded Electronic Cigarette Suppliers, who distribute a leading brand of e-cigs in and around South Africa. See their website and purchase securely from their online store at: http://www.electronic-cigarette-suppliers.co.za

Another possibility is to adjust nicotine strengths. Increase or decrease as you like. If for example you normally use medium and you find these are out of stock, simply mix low with high and make your own medium strength refill liquid. It’s easy!

I do it myself. I like Cherry, but after a while I find it a bit too sweet. I like Tobacco Storm, but after a while I find it a bit too dry. I like French Pipe but after a while I find it a bit too strong. What I do now is mix them together and have the best of 3 worlds.

What you need to realise is that the manufacturers of e-liquids make the base first. This is common to all bottles of e-liquid and is simply the carrier. Then they add the nicotine to batches. So now they have very high, high, medium, low and zero strength batches of e-liquid, but none are flavoured yet. The last step is to add the flavourant, which could be Cherry, Caramel, Coffee or what ever you want. Up until the final stage, all liquids are equal in taste, but of varied nicotine strengths.

Nicotine strengths are pre-determined by the manufacturers ie: very high is 36mg/ml, high is 24, medium is 18 and low is 11. Therefore if you mixed a bottle of 24 with a bottle of 11, you would end up with 2 bottles of 17.5. See what I mean?

Someone may find the high a little too strong and the medium just not strong enough. So, mix to suit your requirements!

Similarly you can play around a little with cartomisers. Although these are pre-filled at the factory, the strength only applies to the first usage of the cartomiser. Thereafter you can refill with any strength liquid. The flavour can also be changed in the same way, but a very distinct flavour to start with, may carry over a bit into subsequent refills. For example, you can easily use Menthol cartomisers and refill them with Mint liquid, but if you refilled the Menthol cartomiser with Caramel, you might still taste some Menthol. This method also allows you to buy cheaper cartomisers on sale, that you wouldn’t normally use, but can now change.

While this makes sense and sounds very logical, very few people who use electronic cigarettes realise what they can do. They get disappointed when they can’t get their normal strengths and flavours, but there is an easy way around this.

There are always sales on the slower moving and less popular cartomisers and liquids, so you can get your requirements at the best prices and adapt accordingly. Just remember to shake the bottle and mix the liquid properly, before refilling your cartomisers with it.

This article was written by Derek Robson, who is a retired manufacturing engineer and a full time Internet marketer. He is an expert syndicated author and has had hundreds of his articles featured on websites around the globe. He is an ex-smoker and a staunch supporter of converting smokers to electronic cigarettes.

Derek started the business Electronic Cigarette Suppliers and runs a website and online store advising and supplying alternative smoking devices. See more and order your e-liquids and other electronic cigarette supplies from http://www.electronic-cigarette-suppliers.co.za/liquid

Many people discover electronic cigarettes and are interested because they are a tobacco smokers or they love someone who is, but they find making the decision to convert to electronic cigarettes is too difficult. However, as soon as they see that a few celebrities use them, they are easily swayed.
By now, there are probably not many tobacco smokers who have not already heard about e-cigarettes and of course, several celebrities are among those who do know about electronic cigarettes and probably using them too.

One of the more widely publicized celebrities who is known to use an electronic cigarette and has been rather outspoken about the advantages, is Katherine Heigl. She gained immense popularity when she played “Izzy” on the television prime time drama, Grey’s Anatomy. After she left the show, she went on to become one of the hottest new actresses on the Hollywood block and has since played in blockbuster movies, such as “Life As We Know It” with former All My Children soap star, Josh Duhamel.

When Katherine was a guest on the popular David Letterman show, she told viewers about her switch from tobacco smoking to an electronic cigarette. She even used it in the studio and managed to get Mr. Letterman to try a puff!

Since there are so many celebrities and other famous people who still smoke tobacco, it is more than likely that in the future we will see even more of them converting to using an electronic cigarette in public, as the trend becomes more popular. Already there have been quite a few candid shots taken, of some big name stars, using their e-cigarettes openly in public.

Among the top names that are using electronic cigarettes is Leonardo Di Caprio. He was captured in a photo in L.A. recently, using his e-cigarette while he was out having a ride on his motor bike.

Another is Kevin Federline, who has gained most of his popularity because of the fact that he he is an ex-husband of Britney Spears and a “rival” of John Cena in WWE. He was photographed puffing on one in a bar.

The legendary rock singer Tom Petty promoted his e-cig use in an interview with Parade. Nikki Reed, popular Twilight star, was shot with her electronic cigarette in hand, going through an airport.

The most popular star of all, Johnny Depp, was actually filmed using an electronic cigarette in one of his latest movies, “The Tourist”.

In South Africa, popular model Tracy McGregor is the poster girl for a brand of electronic cigarettes.

Clearly electronic cigarettes are gaining ground when it comes to tobacco smokers switching over to this alternative smoking device. A sure sign that any product is going to be a big hit is when celebrities are seen using them of their own free will, instead of being paid to sponsor the product.

The reason that so many people are switching over to electronic cigarettes is not only because famous celebrities are using them, but because most e-cigarettes users feel that they are making a better choice by using the product, instead of continuing to smoke tobacco.

It’s good to see them making a positive public statement, rather than the normal bad behaviour and if many doting fans change to e-cigs instead of dangerous tobacco products, then at least the stars would have achieved something!

If you haven’t yet made a decision to quit smoking and change over to an electronic cigarette, maybe the examples set by these celebrities and others will help to convince you.

This article was written by Derek Robson, who is a retired manufacturing engineer and a full time Internet marketer. He is an expert syndicated author and has had hundreds of his articles featured on websites around the globe. He is an ex-smoker and a staunch supporter of converting smokers to electronic cigarettes.

Derek started the business Electronic Cigarette Suppliers and runs a website and online store advising and supplying alternative smoking devices. See more and order your Starter Packs and supplies from http://www.electronic-cigarette-suppliers.co.za/starter-packs

There are accusations out there that governmental lawmakers around the world are working overtime to do away with e-cigs, simply because they don’t want to lose out on the huge taxes and duties forked over by smokers around the world for their regular tobaccos and cigarettes. You must have heard how the FDA has been meddling in control matters. No matter what the reason, I certainly feel that there is much more to all these proposed e-cig bans, than just “a fear of the new product” – which is what they claim to be the motivating factor behind their decisions.

Several tests have been conducted recently on the dangers of electronic cigarettes and the results do not seem to recognize any valid health dangers at all. Why don’t some of the wealthier governments authorize full testing into the lesser health risks of the vapourisers, put control measures in place and look to banning tobacco? Is it all just about the money? Sure there are millions of smokers who simply cannot afford the new electronic alternatives, but in the interests of public health and safety, is there nothing that can be done to subsidize the costs of conversion, or incentives for those who make the change?

If you use an e-ciggie in public at all, you will have had the chance to share – probably more than you care to – with others around you, about what you are using. Many people are still totally ignorant about this new form of alternative smoking. Even though e-cig commercials are hitting the airwaves and they cover the news media (good or bad) there are still an astounding number of people who have never heard of them.

I am shocked on a daily basis at the arrogance, ignorance and downright condemnation of the use of “vapourisers” by non smokers, or worse still, ex-smokers. Where is the tolerance, gratitude and encouragement? The new anti smoking laws are really tough on smokers, but technically, electronic cigarette users are exempt from these restrictions.

Electronic cigarettes do not burn, do not cause smoke, do not smell, do not use tobacco and no combustion takes place. Yes, the harmless, coloured water vapour can contain some nicotine, but that is not banned, outlawed, or any danger to any else.

The fact that the e-cig looks like a cigarette and is used in a similar fashion is a plus for the user, in that it is half of the battle to getting off the addiction to tobacco. The other half is the nicotine addiction, so if we can offer solutions to both problems in a safer manner, why not?

Let’s rather encourage these people, rather than criticise them.

Non smokers have moaned for years about the smell, smoke, mess and dangers of tobacco smoking and righteously proclaimed their right to breathe clean air. They should be overjoyed!

One suggestion made by one of the posters in the forum was for all the e-cig companies to join together and create a worldwide advertising and education campaign of sorts, by buying billboards, airtime on television, radio commercials and whatever else may be necessary to spread the word about the good that e-cigs bring to so many. This could happen in an ideal world maybe, but the challenge is so much bigger than that.

If knowledge is in fact power, then electronic cigarette users are holding the key to it all, within themselves.  Don’t be afraid to share what you know and tell others how your e-cig has helped change your life.  Tell those around you about their good and work to drown out the voices of those who oppose their use.

Until we, as converts to the pleasures of electronic cigarettes, gain more media attention for the right reasons, the future is in your hands. Government could legislate against us at any time. We thank all our customers and friends for your continued support.

If you or a loved one has realized the health dangers of smoking tobacco, but cannot kick the habit, think seriously about this alternative smoking device. For more information and answers to your questions, try Electronic Cigarette Suppliers.

You can see their website at http://www.electronic-cigarette-suppliers.co.za where you will find more information, answers to your questions, articles and descriptions. Electronic cigarette starter packs, spares, and consumables can be ordered from their online store and delivered to you. They also stock e-liquids, which are used to refill cartridges and cartomisers, in various strengths and flavours.

Propylene Glycol is the chief ingredient and the carrier medium of the liquid nicotine used to refill cartridges and cartomisers of electronic cigarettes. ECS has always maintained that this oily substance is harmless and widely used in foodstuffs, but now we have proof.This article appeared in Time Magazine recently.

The article, posted under Medicine says “Air Germicide – A powerful preventive against pneumonia, influenza and other respiratory diseases may be promised by a brilliant series of experiments conducted during the last three years, at the University of Chicago’s Billings Hospital. Dr. Oswald Hope Robertson last week was making final tests with a new germicidal vapor—propylene glycol—to sterilize air. If the results so far obtained are confirmed, one of the age-old searches of man will finally achieve its goal.

The idea of sterilizing the air is not new —London’s great fire of 1666, for example, was touched off by the countless fires which townsmen lit to purge the air of plague. Use of chemical sprays to control air contamination was first attempted in 1928 by three doctors who tried a fine mist of sea water containing sodium hypochlorite. This venture gave promising results, but all such research lapsed for another decade. Within the last few years, several research groups (notably the University of Pennsylvania’s new Air-Borne Disease Laboratories) again began testing various sprays. Many chemicals were found to kill airborne micro-organisms quickly, even in concentrations as low as one gram of chemical per 500 cu. ft. of air. Trouble was that all these air germicides smelled bad, or were toxic, or irritated the respiratory tract. Dr. Robertson’s propylene glycol vapor is odorless, tasteless, nontoxic, non-irritating, cheap and highly bactericidal.

Its discovery was accidental. Dr. Robertson and his colleagues were trying out another possible germicide—a detergent or “soapless soap” (similar to Dreft, Aerosol and other products widely sold for household and industrial use). Water solutions of the detergent were only mildly effective, so the researchers tried solutions of detergents in propylene glycol, which is a sort of thin glycerine. Results were much better. Then the researchers found that the propylene glycol itself was a potent germicide. One part of glycol in 2,000,000 parts of air would, within a few seconds, kill concentrations of air-suspended pneumococci, streptococci and other bacteria numbering millions to the cubic foot.

How did it work? Respiratory disease bacteria float about in tiny droplets of water breathed, sneezed and coughed from human beings. The germicidal glycol also floats in infinitesimally small particles. Calculations showed that if droplet had to hit droplet, it would take two to 200 hours for sterilization of sprayed air to take place. Since sterilization took place in seconds, Dr. Robertson concluded that the glycol droplets must give off gas molecules, which dissolve in the water droplets and kill the germs within them.

Dr. Robertson placed groups of mice in a chamber and sprayed its air first with propylene glycol, then with influenza virus. All the mice lived. Then he sprayed the chamber with virus alone. All the mice died.

Propylene glycol is harmless to man when swallowed or injected into the veins. It is also harmless to mice who have breathed it for long periods. But medical science is cautious—there was still a remote chance that glycol might accumulate harmfully in the erect human lungs which, unlike those of mice, do not drain themselves. So last June Dr. Robertson began studying the effect of glycol vapor on monkeys imported from the University of Puerto Rico’s School of Tropical Medicine. So far, after many months’ exposure to the vapor, the monkeys are happy and fatter than ever. Dr. Robertson does not expect mankind to live, like his monkeys, continuously in an atmosphere of glycol vapor; but it should be most valuable in such crowded places as schools and theaters, where most respiratory diseases are picked up.

See the original article here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,932876-1,00.htm

Does this mean that apart from electronic cigarettes being a far healthier alternative to smoking and a useful quitting medium, less wheezing and coughing, it might also help to fight colds and flu? Surely something to think about!

This article(containing the post from Time) was posted by Derek Robson, who is a retired manufacturing engineer and a full time Internet marketer. He is an expert syndicated author and has had hundreds of his articles featured on websites around the globe. He is an ex-smoker, an ex bronchitis sufferer and now a staunch supporter of converting other smokers to electronic cigarettes. Derek founded Electronic Cigarette Suppliers, who distribute a leading brand of e-cigs in and around South Africa. See their website and purchase securely from their online store at: http://www.electronic-cigarette-suppliers.co.za