Coffee Talk #525: The Geek Chic World of E-Cigs

Smoking is stupid. There’s no arguing that point. It’s really bad for you. I’m saying this as a former smoker and a current e-cig user. Many people are making the switch from smoking cigarettes to vaporizing (or vaping) e-cigs. With e-cigs, you inhale nicotine and flavor, but don’t inhale tar and carbon monoxide. Longterm studies are still being done on the longterm effects of vaping, but eschewing known carcinogens for a combination of nicotine, food flavoring, and water is probably better for you, don’t you agree? Here’s a look at vast world of e-cigs and an explanation of why they’re especially popular with tech geeks.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the NY Yankees not hitting worth a damn, Softbank possibly buying a majority share of Sprint, or Hulk Hogan putting Austin Aries over in the press, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Smoking is stupid. There’s no arguing that point. It’s really bad for you. I’m saying this as a former smoker and a current e-cig user. Many people are making the switch from smoking cigarettes to vaporizing (or vaping) e-cigs. With e-cigs, you inhale nicotine and flavor, but don’t inhale tar and carbon monoxide. Studies are still being done on the longterm effects of vaping, but eschewing known carcinogens for a combination of nicotine, food flavoring, and water is probably better for you, don’t you agree?

Many people start off with standard-looking e-cigs like Safe Cig or V2. They look like regular cigarettes and are relatively inconspicuous, allowing vapers to blend in with smokers. They’re also really easy to use. You have a battery that needs to be charged occasionally. You have cartridges with nicotine and flavor that need to be replaced. It couldn’t be simpler. The disadvantages of these types of e-cigs are that battery life is relatively short and the throat hit is weaker than conventional cigarettes. Still, for people that want ease-of-use and want something that looks like a “normal” cigarette, products like Safe Cig and V2 are a good choice.

For heavy smokers or those that want to get even nerdier with vaping, there are larger products that offer longer battery life and a heavier throat hit. The eGo-C is one of the most popular models out there. These types of products offer more flexibility, with different types of cartomizers and tanks that alter the vaping experience. They also make it easier to use e-liquids or smoke juice; buying e-liquids for refillable tanks and cartomizers is cheaper than buying single-use cartridges. While these products offer better battery life, superior performance, and more flexibility, most of them will make you look like you’re smoking a schlong. However, there are newer products like the Elips-C that offer a great blend of looks and performance.

Vaping is especially popular with tech enthusiasts. This isn’t surprise since there are electronics involved. Part of it is the appeal of new products replacing those that have been used for hundreds of years. Part of it is the modding aspect of vaping. There are products like the eGo-VV that let users change the voltage of the battery, resulting in different tastes and different amounts of vapor. Experimenting with different tanks and liquids is geek chic. Blending your own liquids is one step away from alchemy. With so many aspects of the vaping experience to experiment with, it’s no wonder tech nerds enjoy it.

In the near future, I’ll have some e-cig product reviews and comparisons. I know that RPadholics Big Blak and N8R have used e-cigs. I’d love to hear what those guys have to say about them. If you have an experience with vaping or any questions about it, please leave a comment.

Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

23 thoughts on “Coffee Talk #525: The Geek Chic World of E-Cigs”

  1. I’m a big supporter of all things that can be vaporized (including photon lasers). I started vaping a few years ago with some organic materials back in Boston. One uses large bags (and is currently with my brothers back east) and the other is portable and looks like a two way radio.

    Back to the e-cigs. I love it! I’m currently using the Safe Cig and have only been smoking one traditional cig a day, if that. I took it on my trip to Boston and got all of my smoker friends and family hip to the Safe Cig. They loved it too! Almost all of them said that e-cigs didn’t feel like smoking but quickly changed their tune after smoking mine. I have a little diary of my experience that I will post later, after I go back to sleep.

    1. Love v2cigs! I justttt quit smoking and went to vaping…awesome!!! Methanol is my go to flavor. For someone who isn’t too tech savvy, the vapor couture v2cig is great!!!

  2. The Baltimore Orioles just offer a better brand of baseball.

    Whether we win or lose tonight, It’s been an amazing series.

  3. I haven’t had ANY real cigarettes in 6 months! My mom is freaked out. It would have been 20 years for me this past summer.

    My research tells me you want to find the companies that offer a lifetime warranty. I rock the V2’s and the main reason I’m still using them, is because every time a battery gets killed or a charger burns out, I call them up, and they send a free replacement within a week. Very few other companies do this, and the tech can break fast depending on how heavy a user you are.

    The flavors… I’ve been using liquids. You can order blank cartridges from V2 (who gave away a free starter pack to everyone at the Emmys who got a swag bag). I pay between $13 and $25 for a bottle of liquid that lasts me a month. And… there are even cheaper ways to get it than that. Right now, I have a Mar-boro flavor (that’s how it’s spelled on the bottle, Mar-boro) and a spearmint flavor. I had pink lemonade and grape over the summer and both were awesome.

    I’ve had a few people I know get the bigger “schlong” ones and try to convince me that I should go with those. However, whenever I see them later, they are all smoking real cigs because that “schlong” died on them and it had no warranty.

    1. Nate, V2 has a new “tank” cartridge that makes it even easier to use liquids. I’ll be writing about that in the near future. I’ve actually been meaning to pick your brain about liquids. There’s a smoke shop in LA that has an e-cig section and sells liquids. I want to interview the owner. You should could come down and shoot the video!

      1. I probably could. Let me know when.

        I’ve actually looked at and broken down the liquids quite a bit. Basically, the geek in me is still amazed that technology has devised a way to smoke without smoking.

  4. I followed the link to the V2 site and see that it takes cartridges. How long does a cartridge last? I see you can buy a 5 pack for ten dollars. Is this any cheaper than buying the real mccoy? Give me details. They don’t explicitly tell you this on their site.

    1. In my experience, one cartridge lasts a little bit less than one pack of cigarettes. Depending on what state you live in, this is a bit cheaper or WAY cheaper than the real thing. If you go with refillable cartridges it’s cheaper still.

      1. Those are “tank” products. You fill them with the e-liquid of your choice. You can refill standard cartridges too, but that requires a little more care and they don’t last as long. Refilling tanks is simple and you can reuse them more than the V2 carts.

      2. Okay…

        How long a cartridge lasts really depends on how much you use it. It would take my wife 2 days to get through one of their cartridges and I would kill 1 and a half a day. I just use it that much more. Still, at that rate, 5 cartridges cost me what 2 packs of cigarettes would (roughly) cost me.

        Once I got geeky and mixing liquids, it got WAY cheaper. Also, the liquid you use and how it’s made can make it last longer or not as well.

        The nice thing about the tanks, is you don’t have to keep a bottle of liquid on you when you go out anywhere. They save you from having to refill the liquid as much.

        The different flavors of e-cig liquids that are out there… are vast and staggering. Any liquid will work in any ecig (just about). They also make them with no nicotine.

      3. What liquids have you been experimenting with? In my head you mix all of these in a small cauldron in a room full of Tesla coils.

      4. Ha… not quite.

        There’s a kiosk at my mall for a company called Knockout Vapors. So far, I like them the best. They mix their solutions to get that nice, strong throat hit and it’s still smooth.

        I also have a friend who orders from China. He pays like 69 cents for 15ml. The amount of flavors they have is huge.

        I have another friend who mixes his own. He orders the nicotine from China (it comes listed as a facial cream to clear customs) and mixes in his own flavors via various sources.

        Then, when I was in Pittsburgh, I ran out of liquid. To my chagrin, the popularity of ecigs wasn’t as big over there and I found nowhere that sold the stand-alone liquids. Everybody I could walk up to had proprietary cartridges for the model of battery they were selling. So, I googled “ecig liquid pittsburgh” and came across a guy who also made his own and was based in Pittsburgh, but primarily did business over the internet. However, in true east coast fashion, he was like “Well, you seem to be in a pinch, so if you wanna meet me at Max & Erma’s, I’ll bring a bottle of your choice with me”. SUPER cool guy with a THICK yinzer accent. However, he only used vegetable glycol (which gives you a smoother weaker hit) and therefore his flavors had a hint of french fry taste.

        Then, just about anytime I see a smoke shop, I stop in and look. I read the ingredients of the liquid, and if I like what I see (all things considered) I give it a go.

        If I come down there to do this thing, I’ll surely bring some of my (so far) preferred liquid with me and let you try it.

      5. Super cool story. You know Vapor Con is happening now. I wish I knew about it earlier and had travel money. That would have been fun to film with you.

        Do you have a ratio of PG/VG you prefer?

      6. Personally, I like them PG heavy, but not much. I’d say about 60/40.

        The VG feels healthier though. I just like hit I get from the PG. Straight PG, can get a little harsh though. My buddy that makes them mixed me up a coffee flavor with extra nicotine (I named it Otis) and it was straight PG. I couldn’t finish the bottle. It was too hard on my lungs.

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