On the surface the electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, seems like a pretty strange idea, but in many ways it's actually a pretty good idea. The devices come in several different brands and models but they are all basically a rechargable battery tube, a vaporizor, and a catridge that contains tobacco flavoring, liquid nicotine in assorted strengths, and propylene glycol.

They work by vaporizing the contents of the catridge as you draw on them just as you would a regular cigarette only instead of smoke they produce a flavored vapor that contains nicotine. There is no first or second hand smoke and they contain no tobacco at all so they can be "smoked" where a real cigarette is banned. The only thing coming out of them is a quickly dissipating vapor.

I had seen these things around for a while now as most of the truckstops are selling them, but until now just thought they were not worth the initial start-up cost. But as I was in the truckstop here in Arizona contemplating buying some cigarettes at the absurdly high prices they charge here, along with the fact that one is not allowed to smoke anywhere inside the building, it dawned on me how much cheaper and more convenient they actually can be. I went back to my truck and looked them up on the net and read a good many reviews, almost all of which were positive. There were even a few YuouTube videos.

So instead of buying a carton of normal smokes I bought the e-cigarette system instead. It came with two rechargable batteries, which I am now in the process of charging, 5 catridges, and a charger. I also went ahead and got two boxes of replacement cartridges as well. Thanks to a coupon I download and printed off the net I spent just slightly more than I would have for a carton of normal smokes with the on-going cost of replacement cartidges actually being less than normal smokes in most areas (the exception being those places where smokes are still reasonably cheap).

The idea behind two batteries is to always carry a spare in case the first one runs down. They claim that a battery wil last for about 2 days but that remains to be seen.

The things look pretty much like a cigarette albeit one made of plastic, and the end glows red when you draw on it just like a real smoke but doesn't get hot at all as there is no actual combustion. They are heavier than a real cigarette but that's to be expected as the bulk of the thing is a litium ion battery. Still, not so heavy as to be uncomfortable.

I have to wait until the first battery is fully charged before trying the thing out. They say the initial charge takes about 3 hours with subsequent charges taking about 2. The one thing (other than cost) that prompted me to try it is that the company offers 100% money back if you don't like it. You can even order the cartridges from them online with free shipping although as I am always on the road that may not work for me unless I can get to a financial point where I can order enough at one time to last me while out on the road and just pick them up when I am home.

One nice thing the company offers for those that are home every day is an automatic cartridge refill schedule. You fill in how many you want shipped to you at a time, and they will be shipped automatically on the schedule you have determined.

If these things turn out to be as good as claimed they are a good replacement for normal smokes in that there is no smoke, no tar, and no carcinogens, just flavored nicotine vapor. And as they produce no second hand smoke, little to no odor, and do not combust they are except from all current smoking bans and can be used anywhere. The vapor dissipates almost immediately with no residual odor at all.

Could be that e-smokes could become the norm for those who wish to have their nicotine without everything else, including the having to stand outside in the heat or cold, that comes with tobacco cigarettes. Could we see a day where people walk into a c-store to pick up a pack of e-smoke catridges instead of a pack of Marlboros? You never know. At least that would shut up the whiners for a while until they found something new to whine about.

Wow, as I've been sitting here typing I just glanced over at the charger and noticed the light is green which means the battery is charged. Now to test out this new gadget. Yeah, I have to admit that the gadget geek in me does like this idea quite a bit. The cartridges even come in flavors like vanilla, as well as menthol. As I enjoy a good vanilla pipe tobacco I may have to order some of those to try out.

Hmm, interesting. It doesn't taste quite exactly like a real cigarette but it's pretty close. Close enough one could get used to it easily enough. The vapor is just heavy enough that it satisfies the "feel" of smoking a cigarette and upon exhaling remains just long enough to feel like one is exhaling actual smoke instead of vapor. I am even able to blow a "smoke" ring although that disappears pretty quickly instead of just drifting through the air as an actual smoke ring would do.

I can see whay they included a wallet card to carry and show to people who might object or question the thing. The vapor does indeed look a lot like smoke when exhaled although it disappears almost immediately and as far as I can tell has no odor to it at all.

The one thing I notice that I do not like is the fact that the cartridge (which is the end you draw on) is hard and not at all comfortable to hold between the lips/teeth as I am want to do with an actual cigarette.  Between the hardness and the weight of the battery end it reminds me a lot of holding a pipe between my teeth which would be much of a problem except that a pipe stem is flattened for just such a purpose and not round like this.

Ah well, that minor annoyance just means I'll have to change my habits just a bit, especially when driving. No big deal.

My first impression is pretty positive overall. It'll take a little time to adjust to the slightly different taste, but it's not so different as for that to be a big challenge. I will be curious to see how it goes over inside a place where smoking isn't allowed. I'll be testing that out inside the truckstop shortly. I wish it were a bar instead but there aren't any around here and I honestly can't afford it anyway.

Well, off inside to see how many anti-smoking freaks I can upset with my new gadget.