e-cigs - best alternative to tobacco?

[Mike Raffone]

Couldn't find a section for smoking (funnily enough,) but thought some folk may find this useful.
AFter trying to quit a few times over the last few years, I have found something which is working for me - e-cigs.
The chewing gum and patches were a waste of money, and the tablets were a placebo (plus I had a very obviously sexually deprived angry old nurse patronising me every tuesday night.)

Tried e-cigs, and they're working perfectly.

Took a while to choose some as a general internet search is mind-boggling for the companies and types available.
Had a company recommended by a friend who did a starter pack - and for the last week or so (since they were delivered,) I haven't touched a real cig.

Best part however, is they're doing a really good offer, which I think if anyone was tempted to swap over - this would be a good chance.

Basics: The starter kit normally costs £49.99
They're now doing it for £12.99 if you use coupon code: quit38

Going to say the company - but as we're in a BBC-esq website, I'll also inform that there are other brands, products and websites available - www.skycig.co.uk

Starter kit comes with a range of flavours, but I've settled on normal tobacco flavour.
One pack of 5 cartridges costs £8.90
Each cartridge is equivalent to a pack of 20, making a single 5-pack similar to a100 cigs.
100 cigs normally sets me back £38 (B&H Silver.)

.....Now it's £8.90

Plus, they don't smell - can use them in public places (shops, pubs, cinema etc.)
There isn't an odour - so far, it's a win win situation.

For £12, I’d advise any smoker debating whether to quit to try them.

I don't work for them and have no personal interest in them - I am just very pleased with their product; the starter pack is very good, and the current coupon code makes them very cheap.

Edited by Mike Raffone on Saturday 21st April 17:12

[andy-xr]

I've got two of them here, I've been quitting on and off since January

I'm not a fan! I cant quite get the same drag from them that I can a normal fag, and I know they're not doing as much for me, when I smoked a Marlboro Light I got a head rush

[Celtic Dragon]

Thanks for the heads up, for that price, its worth a punt, and hopefully tastes better than the Nicorette inhalator.

Will pass this thread over to a friend, he's just been diagnised as a type 1 diabetic, so has to quit.

[Piersman2]

andy-xr said:

I've got two of them here, I've been quitting on and off since January

I'm not a fan! I cant quite get the same drag from them that I can a normal fag, and I know they're not doing as much for me, when I smoked a Marlboro Light I got a head rush

You need to persevere and try a few alternatives... took me a while to find something that worked... consistently.

I bought some cheapie e-cigs about 6 weeks ago out of pure curiosity to see how close to a cigarette they were. I bought the ones that look like cigarettes and within 3 days I'd stopped smoking cigarettes entirely. However I found the cheap e-cig I bought to be too variable in it's delivery of vapour, I was getting frustrated with it.

So I bought a bigger vaper within the week and that was better, a bigger throat hit and I also upgraded to higher concentration nicotene juice. That was fine but I still wanted more vapour so I've recently bought a different tip for my e-cig which is hotter and gives more vapour.

Now I've got as much vapour as I can handle and must be getting a decent nicotene hit as I don't find myself thinking about topping up anywhere as often as I used to with cigs.

I still get the occasional thought about having a cig, maybe once a day, but 2 or 3 puffs on the e-cig and it's gone.

Too many advantages for me to think about going back to fags (roughly in order of what I care about ):
I'm not paying oodles of tax
I reckon it's costing me about £1 a day in juice, tops rather than my 20 cigs a day I used to smoke.
No harmful additives to the nicotene (tar, carconegenics, carbon monoxide, etc...)
I can subtly puff away in the office without anyone noticing or complaining
No smell, on breath, clothes or surrounding area.
Clear throat in mornings, my lungs are clear of any phlegm as the vapour doesn't irrtate the throat and lungs like cigarette smoke.

The thing with them is that you're not going to get the exact same experience as a Marlboro Light, there isn't an equivalent. There are plenty of tobacco flavours and some will be close to Marlboro, but to switch to e-cigs means accepting that at best it's going to like smoking a different brand to your usual.

I enjoy trying out some of the other flavours out there you can try in e-cigs; coffee, strawberry, menthol. Even Lemon Meringue pie. Hundreds of flavours available at various levels of nicotene content. But I usually end up with a mix of a tobacco and menthol.

I think they're great although it is very confusing when you first start looking into it. Incredibly confusing and I think it's probably impossible to get the right e-cig first time.

But I would advise any smoker to at least try it.

ETA. P.S. I genuinely feel that e-cigs are going to take off BIG time very soon. The technology is there to make them work well and the advantages so far outweigh smoking cigarettes especially as cigarettes continue to be hammered at each budget.

Edited by Piersman2 on Saturday 21st April 21:28

[joscal]

Many thanks for this, I have stopped smoking for 9 weeks and stupidly had a couple on Thursday night whilst drinking..very annoyed with myself! At least if I feel the need I can have a go on one of these and not punish myself.

[Mike Raffone]

Piersman2 said:

andy-xr said:

stuff

stuff

Thanks guys - good to see a different perspective on this.
And thanks mods for moving it to the appropriate section. I had completely forgotten about this part of the world - obviously because I'm too busy jogging around my village dressed like an ex-display christmas tree

Andy - I would take Piersman's advice on this - there are different flavoured strengths and different nicotine levels. Admittedly when I first tried them, it did feel like I was smoking silk cuts through a water bong! ha.
There is also a different style to smoking them also. As the vapour originates from the cartridge, it needs to be heated up slowly to give the best results - i.e. lighter, but longer puffs rather than short bursts like on a normal cig.

Blowing the steam/vapour out does make them feel like normal cigs.
I even passed the pub test last night - couple of pints, and not a single ounce of tobacco. Just my blue-tipped e-cig

Starting to wish I was on commission for this company though - told a few peeps last night and they've ordered a pack too.

[jurbie]

Piersman2 said:

ETA. P.S. I genuinely feel that e-cigs are going to take off BIG time very soon. The technology is there to make them work well and the advantages so far outweigh smoking cigarettes especially as cigarettes continue to be hammered at each budget.

I hope not because when the government see the drop in tax take it'll either slap a tax on e-cigs or most likely ban them all together. A quick google suggests the do gooders have already set the wheels in motion which is crazy as in my opinion e-cigs should be given away on the NHS.

http://www.electroniccigaretteban.org/electronicci...

[Mike Raffone]

jurbie said:

I hope not because when the government see the drop in tax take it'll either slap a tax on e-cigs or most likely ban them all together. A quick google suggests the do gooders have already set the wheels in motion which is crazy as in my opinion e-cigs should be given away on the NHS.

http://www.electroniccigaretteban.org/electronicci...

Words fail me. They really do.
Either we have some seriously inept people who have been allowed access to the internet - or, and this may involve some sheets of tinfoil for the protective hat - the tobacco industry is lobbying/ financing such crap?

[jurbie]

Indeed you certainly have to wonder however having a look around that website it seems the UK is in the minority when it comes to the free and legal use of e-cigs so you'd have to wonder how long that will last. Perhaps the best thing is to encourage more people to move to e-cigs so there is a decent body of people who can stand up to any proposed ban.

[twinturboz]

Another one who has moved to e-cigs recently. I'm actually quite impressed, they hit every spot in that you still have that hand to mouth motion and with the vapor it still feels like your having a smoke.

Like the op said there's a lot on the market, just as an alternative to the one posted I got mine at libertyflights.co.uk. It uses a tank system where you can refill the cartridges with e-liquid, which comes in a range of flavours and strengths.

Not as cheap as the one above but I think the refills work out cheaper.

[Slyjoe]

Ordered - great price - thankyou.
See if I can knock those last few cigs on the head.
(strange isnt it, I would not have considered buying it at full price.)

[Mike Raffone]

So far I've managed to get two friends to try them.. the key thing being it's all delivered for under £15 Most smokers can afford a one off £15 expense to try something different.

I did look into the ones which are re-used (whereas these are throw-aways.)
It did seem a waste as they don't look/ feel like cheap things which should be disposed of like that.

Just ordered another batch - 3x packs of 5; equivalent to 300 cigs, for £26! (15% off coupon code.) oh yeah!

No doubt the bedwetters will want more regulation (read: taxation.) Won't be long before we see them mentioned in the governments budget.

I just don't understand why these aren't advertised more? It's a socially acceptable item ()no odour, no smell, no stains, no ash, no mess.) They're less deathly than tobacco and they're cheaper.

Plus, I've noticed I don't use them the same way as a normal cig.
With normal cigs you stay with it until it's all gone (otherwise it's a waste,) whereas with e-cigs you just take what you need then move on.

[Thundersports]

I was discussing these in my local and asked the Landlord if I quit could I use the E-cigs in the pub.......His reply "I go outside so you will still have to." What a bell-end.

[Piersman2]

I've changed my smoking habits. I used to go out maybe once an hour or so and have a quick fag. Now I just take a couple of sneaky puffs on the vaper at my desk when I feel like it. Thing is with the vapour from these things is that if you keep it in your lungs for 20 secs or so it dissapates and there is virtually no 'smoke' to breathe out. People don't even know you're doing it.

So, so long as you don't wave your e-cig or vaper around in people's faces they're not going to even know.

P.S. I also bought mine from Liberty Flights, I went for the EGO-T but soon upgraded the tip to a tanked cartomiser which means filling up only once a day and a battery that also lasts a whole day. Saves topping up the tank every few hours and means I'm using a 1.5ohm cartomiser giving loads of smoke with no need for the long draws. Press the button, quick puff, good cloud of vapour. Sorted.

[jurbie]

Thundersports said:

I was discussing these in my local and asked the Landlord if I quit could I use the E-cigs in the pub.......His reply "I go outside so you will still have to." What a bell-end.

The landlord in my local was the same so I found myself a new local.

[Carpie]

Thanks for the heads up, ordered one for myself and one for my girlfriend.

I was close to ordering a Blucig set a while ago, which would have come to around £60-70 including shipping, it seems these are exactly the same except for name and colour.

[NDA]

Thanks for the code OP. just ordered some.

[Celtic Dragon]

Well my skycig order turned up today. Looks good, but a lot heavier than I was expecting. Also the case makes it fiddly screwing the batteries on on off for charging.

[joebongo]

I use Mirage cigarettes stuff. Very good (same as all of them I suppose). Does the job and I gave up proper fags a year ago.

Be careful though as you can get just as addicted to these and then you have to wean off them as well, but IMO it's easier to cut down on e-cig use than it is the real ones.

[Carpie]

Received ours today, very impressed, didn't think they would be as similar to regular cigarettes as they are. You can apparently refill the carts with e-liquid which comes in a load of different flavours, will have to do some experimenting.

My housemate has already ordered one, that's 3 in our house already.