What is an electronic cigarette?

Each day we see more and more vapers in the street and some people still confuse vaping and smoking, considering they are pretty much same thing. We decided to make it clear and figure out - what is an electronic cigarette?

Electronic cigarette is a smoking device, powered by a battery, that heats up the e-liquid and produces nicotine or nicotine-free vapor, that person inhales and exhales.

E-cigarettes are designed to provide a sensation of inhaling a tobacco smoke, only without smoke.

Electronic cigarettes are also known as vaporizers, vape pens, e-cigs. They are considered to be alternative to tobacco cigarettes and help quit smoking.

There are 3 different general types of e-cigarettes:

• Minis (or cig-a-likes), they are also known as electronic cigarettes of first generation. These devices look and feel like tobacco cigarettes, they can be disposable and rechargeable. Cig-a-likes cost less than other types of e-cigarettes, but they lose when it comes to flavor assortment, battery life and possibility to customize. Cig-a-likes can be one and two-piece. One-piece e-cig is disposable and can be thrown away after use. Two-piece device consists of a cartridge with atomizer and rechargeable battery (with USB cable). You simply need to screw the atomizer on the battery - and the device is ready to use.
• Vape pens, mid-sized models. Also known as second generation e-cigarettes, these devices have a number of advantages over cig-a-likes, such as a wider assortment of flavor choices, increased battery life and a higher production of vape. Vape pens are three-piece devices, they also have a clearomizer, which you fill with your favourite flavor of e-juice.
• Advanced personal vaporizers (APVs) and mods. These devices are the most recent inventions in in e-cigarette industry. They are bigger than their precursors and look more like a metal box. Mods are the third generation devices, they have more powerful batteries, highest vapor production and high level of customization (For example, they have different coil options, ability to adjust voltage and wattage and different tank sizes).

E-cigarette origin comes from 1963 year, when Gerbert A. Gilbert filed a patent for the first smokeless cigarette. He received his patent in 1965 and even made a prototype of the cigarette, but unfortunately it did not have any demand and Gilbert failed to monetize it.

Between 1990s and 2000s there had been many attempts to file e-cigarette patent, but the first, commercially successful electronic cigarette was invented in 2003 in Beijing by a 52 years old pharmacist Hon Lik. In 2006 electronic cigarettes were introduced in Europe and a year later, in 2007 appeared in U.S after creating a boom in Europe.

After that e-cigarettes began to spread all over the world with a fast pace and nowadays they occupy the minds of lawmakers, politicians and doctors, trying to figure out whether e-cigs are risk free and should be allowed to use in public places.

There are not much e-cigarette facts and proves published to have a full picture of their health risks and side effects. There are no long-term side effects studies, as e-cigarettes entered to the market only about a decade ago. Scientists can not say how the nicotine influences health when vaporized, if it is dangerous to inhale food flavourings that are part of the e-liquid and how much of diacetyl, also one of the e-liquid components, is needed to cause the "popcorn lung" (a severe lung disease that is irreversible).

Among e-cigarette short-term effects are: dry or sore mouth, headaches, increased blood pressure and other, which are showing that your body is resisting to accept vaping.

But let's get back to vaping vs smoking cigarettes. When you smoke a tobacco cigarette, you fire a dead plant leaves and inhale smoke, which is very dangerous. To all other, tobacco cigarettes contain a whole plenty of dangerous and cancerogenic chemicals that have a very negative effect to human's health. When vaping, you inhale nicotine as well (or sometimes even don't!), but those doses are lower and it is pure; as well you avoid those proven dangerous chemicals. Sure, vaping was not proven as completely safe and risk free, but it is a lot healthier and mild alternative to those, who want to quit smoking and have a healthier lifestyle.

At the moment we have hundreds and hundreds of vapor stores in internet, where everyone who is above smoking age can buy e-cigarettes online. Electronic cigarette price is floating, starting from the cheapest cig-a-likes and going up if you choose a vape pen or a mod. There are also thousands of flavors to choose from and different e-cigarette options, so we are sure that everyone can find a perfect e-cigarette, that will meet all the needs of its owner.