Ok, so if you live in a city of decent proportions, watch TV, or use the internet, chances are pretty good you've seen an electronic cigarette somewhere. And if you're a smoker, you've probably thought about buying one of these gizmos. Especially if you have problems breathing, or you're a gadget collector like myself. My opinion -- GET ONE. Consider what you're buying, and shop around for a good one at a good price, but regardless of what you pay for it, it will very certainly pay off if you USE it.
Liquid
The liquid in the cartridges is rated at milligrams (1/1000 gram) of nicotine per gram. So an 11mg liquid will have 11mg/g (11 milligrams of nicotine per gram of liquid), an analog has about 1.3mg of nicotine. So to match an analog's nicotine level drag for drag, you need to buy a liquid rated at close to 30mg (I use 36mg). Lights have about 0.8mg of nicotine, and their equivalent will be somewhere between the 11mg and 16mg liquids available.
A pack a day smoker will likely go through about 10ml of liquid a week at first, although that will go down over time. It's different being able to just take a puff wherever you are, so you will. All the time. Flagrantly. You'll eventually get over this, and your consumption will decrease. I now go through about half that. I always order liquid when I get down under 10ml though, because sometimes stuff gets put on back order or shipping is delayed.
Cartridges
Most companies advertise that a cartridge will last about 300 drags, and I've never COUNTED my drags on a cartridge, but I don't think I've ever gotten anywhere near 300. I've probably gotten about 200 out of a cartridge with fresh packing and an already wet atomizer. The advertising puts a single cartridge on par with an entire pack of cigarettes, the reality of it is closer to 4 or 5 analogs per full cartridge, especially if you refill. And you should refill. Period.
If you're going to refill (and you should; it's easy, and the cheapest way to e-smoke), then you're going to need liquid, a handful of spare cartridges, and some polyester fiber packing. The cheapest I've found in the polyester is fiberfill for pillows, available at Wal-Mart for under 5 dollars for what should be a lifetime supply. Make sure you don't buy the stuff with chemicals added to it. All of it is fire-safe. If you aren't going to refill, you might want to stock up on pre-filled cartridges. Replace the packing once or twice a week to prevent bad flavors.
Atomizers
This is the heating element piece. Don't expect it to last forever. Expect it to last a month. Be happy if it lasts longer. They're not expensive, mine cost me 8 dollars. I've read and tried a LOT of ways to clean them, and thus far all attempts have failed, sometimes damaging the atomizer beyond repair. Just use a toothpick or something similar to remove visible polyester fibers from the element and mesh area. If it gets a bad taste to it, you can run water through it, but make sure it dries well before you use it, and make sure and wet it well with liquid (a drop or two of liquid in the middle of it) before you use it again, or it will pop.
If you heat the atomizer while it is dry, or drop it off a roof, or anything like that, it will very likely never work again. Always keep a spare atomizer in case you accidentally destroy one. Always test your spare when you get one in, sometimes they don't work, and no company I know of will replace them, so if you get a bad atomizer, expect to eat the cost. I buy them in five-packs, and order a new pack when I get to only two working atomizers left.
Batteries
There's really only two styles of batteries when you exclude the fact that there are different sizes, shapes, and atomizer fittings. There are automatic batteries -- turn on when you start to draw, turn off when you stop. And there are manual batteries -- come on when you push a button, go off when you let go. The batteries will only work with the atomizers they were designed for, so if you get a DSE-901, don't expect to mix parts with a 510. It won't work.
I prefer the manual battery. I like to heat it up about a half-second before I take a drag, as that gives you a little more of a hit off of it. Also, the manual batteries seem to be just fine after a ride through the laundry, whereas the automatic sensor doesn't seem to make it through. Don't ask me how I know this...
Batteries can explode when heated. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Batteries can also contain chemicals that can damage your equipment and your clothes, so try to avoid washing them on accident, too.
Changing Over
I quit smoking analogs for my e-cig (TECC Titan 510) almost a year ago. I've since tried a few other styles (DSE-901, RN4081, etc.), and there's not just a huge difference in them as far as SMOKING goes, but there's quite a bit of difference in battery life, atomizer life, cartridge size, and look/feel of the devices. So shop around, find out what's in your price range, and read some review on that device to determine life and cartridge sizes. There's plenty of forums for this, just google the make and model and you'll find several at the top of the list most likely.
No matter what you choose to buy, there are a few things that you should follow. Number one, you're going to probably have 75 to 100 dollars in this, after you buy a spare atomizer (yes, you should always keep a spare), liquid, and some empty cartridges. Number two, if you're going to buy it, USE IT. I've seen lots of people pick these up, but "supplement" them with analogs for one reason or the other. These people seem to ALWAYS eventually put their e-cig in a drawer and go back to full time analogs. If you aren't going to use it, there's no point in wasting your money. So, when you buy one, make a one month commitment to yourself that you won't smoke an analog, and buy enough liquid to cover that month.
Analogs taste nasty after about a week of regular use of the e-cig, so if you do decide to drop it, be prepared. You'll wonder how you ever started smoking in the first place. I know, because I was stupid enough to let myself run out of liquid/atomizers a couple times over the last year, and still craved that sweet nicotine. Speaking of which, the liquid has a slightly sweet taste, and less ash taste, so it doesn't taste quite like an analog, even if you get an analog brand flavored liquid. That's not to say it tastes BAD at all, because it doesn't, it just doesn't taste the SAME.
A Few Facts
These will not help you get off of nicotine. You're still going to have to cut yourself back if that's what you're shooting for. You will still crave nicotine. It is illegal to sell these as a smoking cessation ("stop smoking") device and if anyone tries that approach, call them on it.
These do not contain the tar and cancer causing agents that cigarettes contain, except in trace amounts. And those trace amounts have been shown to be less than or equal to what you would see in medicinal uses like the patch or gum.
If you're a gadget person, you won't save much money for a while on these, since you'll be buying all those neat accessories. You'll slow down or stop that eventually.
I can't vouch for Smoking Everywhere's products, but I do use their liquid sometimes. Their liquid seems fine to me. Their prices are the highest I've found on any e-cig product or accessory anywhere. If you want cheap, they probably aren't for you. I do admire them for being the first company (that I know of) to bring the e-cigs to the general public (mall kiosks, door-to-door sales, etc.)
It's still illegal for you to supply nicotine to people under 18. It doesn't matter that it's not "tobacco".
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