For more info on e-cigarettes generally, go to https://www.vapedcrusader.co.uk.
Introduction
E-cig Options
1 Disposable
This is the simplest design – the battery and cartomiser are fused into one simple unit – you just use the device until the battery runs out, or the cartomiser runs out of e-juice, and then throw it away. Price is usually £5 - £10. Claims for number of puffs vary, but range from 200 – 800 puffs. These claims range from ‘a bit unrealistic’ to wildly exaggerated. Note that the claims are often based on an estimated puff-length of 2 seconds, where most people take puffs that are more like 4 seconds long, so, as a rule of thumb, half the number of puffs claimed to get a more realistic estimate. An ‘analogue’ cigarette is reckoned to yield about 10 puffs, so a disposable that claims 400 puffs (actually about 200 ish) would be equivalent to about 20 cigarettes, so pay no more than about £8. A good, and cheap way to give vaping a try – remember though that not all disposables (or e-cigs generally) are created equal, so if you try one and don’t like it, try another make until you find one that suits you.
These devices are made of metal and are solid and unyielding, but there are some new devices available now that are flexible and bendy, that work just as well.
2 Two-Piece – Battery plus Cartomiser – ‘plug and play’
This is just a battery plus a separate ‘cartomiser’ that contains both the atomiser AND the e-liquid:
Two-piece e-cigs come in many shapes and sizes. The batteries can be manual or automatic, and can be big (size matters – big is more powerful and lasts longer before it needs to be re-charged) or small (in which case it is more attractive, more like an ‘analogue’, but runs down more quickly, needing a portable charging case and/or recharging at a computer or wall-point). The cartomisers are usually re-fillable with e-juice, but, if you can’t be bothered with that, just buy some new pre-filled cartomisers.
Battery power ranges from about 100 MaH (Milliamp-hours) to about 1000 MaH. A 100 MaH battery will last maybe an hour before it needs recharging – a 1000 MaH battery should easily last a day before recharge is necessary.
These e-cigs may or may not be supplied with a PCC (Portable Charging Case) – the general rule is that a bigger-battery model will not be. A good compromise is an e-cig with a decent battery (220+ MaH), with which you also get a PCC as well – then you have the best of both worlds – something that still looks like an ‘analogue’ but which performs well, the battery lasting maybe half a day before re-charge.
3 Three Piece – Battery plus Atomiser plus cartridge (or tank)
Again, whether the battery is big or small, manual or automatic, all three-piece e-cigs involve this basic configuration. Like the two-piece option, these e-cigs may or may not be supplied with a PCC (Portable Charging Case) – the general rule is that a bigger-battery model will not be.
4 Design Your Own (advanced users)
Each individual has her or his own preference as to form and function. Some want their e-cig to look like a normal cigarette (form), where others prefer an e-cigarette with a battery that lasts a long time before a recharge is needed (function). Essentially, the rule is this – the better the function (big battery, high-volume tank/cartomiser), the less it will look like a normal cigarette. If ‘function’ is the main criterion for you, start by choosing your battery – say, a big (600+ MaH) battery (either 510 or 808 makes no difference really), and then go for a big tank with it, and a decent atomiser. Make sure that your batteries, tanks and atomisers are all 510 (or 808) compatible. In this way, you can order your favourite battery from supplier ‘A’, your favourite atomiser from supplier ‘B’ and your favourite tank from supplier ‘C’. Or skip the atomiser and tank, and order your favourite cartomiser from supplier ‘D’!