Anyone who is on the brink of quitting cigarettes or has already done it would be finding different smoking cessation facilitators and alternatives to switch to. One of the popular alternatives, that gained fame very recently, is ecigs. Electronic cigarettes are getting widely popular and people who are in the transition phase are moving towards them. If you’ve decided to make the switch, you need to know how to buy an ecig the right way and avoid ecig scams.

E-cigarettes come in various shapes, sizes, and models, which makes choosing the best ecig a challenge. That’s why you need to figure out your needs, before you buy an ecig, to make the right call.

Most Common Types of eCigs

First, you need to decide what type of ecig is best for you. Electronic cigarettes come in various models. Here are some of the common ones:

• Disposable ecigs
• Starter kits
• eGo ecigs
• Ecig mods or advanced personal vaporizers (APVs)
• E-cigars
• E-hookahs

Ecig starter kits such as Blu Cigs, V2 Cigs, Green Smoke, Njoy, and Vapor Zone are the most popular and widely used type of ecigs. If you’re just starting out, it’s best to stick to the starter kits as they’re easier to use and maintain. You can always upgrade to the eGo-style or mods later on.

How eCigs Work

An e-cig consists of several parts: a battery and other small electronic devices, a cartridge, and atomizer. The e-cig is powered by the battery which is rechargeable and is the main part of any e-cigarette. It comes in various shapes and sizes and is often accompanied by a LED light on the top.

The batteries can have different designed manufactured according to users’ needs. Atomizer is the part of the e-cig that acts as a heating component. When an electronic cigarette is inhaled, it activates the atomizer and heats it up, which then heats the e-liquid present in the cartridge and turns it into a vapor and the smoker then gets the taste of the vapor. Cartridge is the part where e-liquid is stored.

The liquid may or may not contain nicotine. There are different flavors available which can be added as well. This is a three-piece e-cig. Since 2009, two piece e-cigs have come into market where the only difference is that the atomizer is now part of the cartridge (called a cartomizer).

E-cigs are gaining popularity as means of healthy smoking as many companies claim that they are far healthier than the traditional cigarettes. Experts and professionals have yet to prove this claim of e-companies. Back in 2012, the FDA requested that all companies refrain from making such health claims to the public. Although most companies have complied, it’s not rare to see a couple of newcomers carelessly make these claims.

Choose the Right Nicotine Strength

One of the most important things you need to keep in mind is that you’re addicted to nicotine more than any other chemical contained in a cigarette. Ecigs only contain nicotine, along with a few other ingredients, so you don’t have to worry about inhaling harmful toxins and chemicals. But since you’re still addicted to nicotine, you need to make sure you choose the right nicotine strength to start with.

Most companies offer nicotine strengths starting from 0% (nicotine free) to 2.4%. If you’re a medium smoker, starting at 1.2% or 1.8% is a safe bet. Heavy smokers should start at 2.4% or even 3.6% and work their way down to lower nicotine strengths. Last thing you need is to let the cravings get the better of you and turn you back to the nasty tobacco. With the right amount of nicotine, you shouldn’t feel the crave for a cigarette.

That’s the beauty of e-cigarettes: they give consumers the flexibility to choose nicotine strength of their own choice. The nicotine strengths available in the market range from 0% meaning no nicotine, to 0.6%, 1.8% and 2.4% falling in the category of regular and strong category and finally strengths of 3.4 and 5.6% are also available falling in the category of extra strong e-cigs. Smokers can choose whichever they want as per their needs. There are also different flavors available. Some of the flavors include regular tobacco, which is the closest to traditional cigarettes, menthol flavor, peppermint, coffee, vanilla, chocolate and many others. Consumers can choose from this wide variety as per taste and needs.

eCig Starter Kits

E-cigs can be purchased as single products or in starter kits. Starter kits are available for almost all the well-known brands and provide an easy and cheap way to start off with e-cigs. These kits usually consist of batteries, liquid cartridges, chargers, wall adapters and a user manual. The number of items can differ depending on the type of kit you choose.

There are basic kits as well as deluxe and premium kits which not only are priced higher but also provide users with a number of extra products.  Another way of purchasing e-cigs is to buy them as single products. These are usually done by people to use them on a trial basis. Usually these stand alone pieces are disposable e-cigs meaning that they cannot be recharged on re-filled. They are bought by ones wanting to try e-cigs.

A typical e-cig can release more than 200 puffs or an equivalent of around 1.5-2 packs of traditional cigarettes. The number of puffs will vary across brands as some brands have batteries with higher life than others. Some are even able to produce more than 450 puffs before the battery gets drained and needs to be recharged.

The most famous brands of E-cigs are Blu, Njoy, White Cloud, Green Smoke and V2 Cigs. These are the top performing brands in the market with Blu being the leader in the category. These might be a little expensive than others but are said to provide quality products and experience to customers.

Avoid eCig Scams and Free Trial Offers

Customers should also beware and wary of scam websites and of substandard products available in the market. There are certain steps that one should take to ensure that they get the right product and do not end up wasting their monies on poor quality brands. Firstly, a potential consumer should find out about different brands using internet and should invest considerable time in reading reviews to get an idea about the top brands. One should always make it appoint to study not only a single brand but rather a number of brands and compare them for a comprehensive understanding.

Advice from friends and family is always valuable and one should consider that before making the purchase. After this step has been completed, the product itself should be reviewed as well. The design, manufacturing and brand name should all be taken into account before buying any brand. A customer should make sure that the brand he is about to purchased is talked about and well known.

Components, such as batteries, cartridges and chargers should be checked for any inconsistency with the standards and regulations. In order to get the best experience, battery life, vapor volume, flavors and nicotine strengths available should all be reviewed. Another important aspect to be checked for is warranty and availability of customer service. Any brand that offers these two value its customers and is willing to help them solve their issues proving them to be a reliable brand.

Customers should also be careful when ordering online as a lot of scam websites have come into being. They advertise free starter kits for trials and in reality charge the customers. Before making any purchase of such kind, make sure to read all the terms and conditions and to verify the authenticity and reliability of the website. Also, customers should not give out their credit card details before verification of the website.

We hope that you would have found the blog useful and that it will help you in making your purchase easier.