subject: What is an Electronic Cigarette? [print this page] What is an Electronic Cigarette? What is an Electronic Cigarette?
What is an electronic cigarette? Well, it's really just that. It's an electronic device designed to supply nicotine to the body through inhalation. Instead of smoke it delivers a solution of vaporized Nicotine and PG and/or VG (see terminology). For this reason I, and many others, prefer to call it a PV or personal vaporizer. We have to be careful, unfortunately not to label it as a smoking cessation device, or even compare it to smoking cessation devices, cus the less informed, "politically correct" folks over in the FDA don't like that (Big tobacco, FDA in pocket, conspiracy blah blah blah). They don't consider this device to be "medically qualified". To be honest, neither do I. I do however consider this to be the best means of delivering nicotine to my body, and a better, healthier alternative to cigarettes. Wait, what? ...Better than cigarettes? Hell yah.
So what is it?
There are three core pieces to consider, these are your ABC's:
Atomizer
Battery
Cartridge
The battery is simply the part used to send power to the atomizer and LED (if your personal vaporizer contains one). Without the battery, as with most electronic devices, your PV is nothing. The batt is the most modified part of an electronic cigarette. Small private companies are coming out with some high voltage battery packs that'll blow your toupee off. Batteries start at about 3.7v all the way up to something like 7v or more. 7v is a bit more of an extreme throat hit (feels like Chuck Norris round-housed the front side of your neck) but 5v and below is a good vaping experience. Batteries are rechargeable and can range anywhere between 1 hour and 10 hour batt life depending on the specific electronic cigarette you have. My Tornado lasts me 10 hours.
The atomizer is the heating element of your electronic cigarette. It takes volts from the batt and converts it to heat so as to vaporize the e-juice. I'm not too tech savvy but I do know that the advertised ohm is the amount of resistance in the atomizer. We can assume then that there is a heating coil and a resistor to generate heat. Above that there is a visible metal bridge. This bridge is used to direct liquid stored in the cartridge to a wick placed underneath the bridge. The wick then supplies the coil with liquid that will vaporize into a delicious cloud.
The cartridge is a hollow plastic tube that usually contains some type of poly-fill. It sits in the atomizer and makes contact with the bridge. The fill is used as a medium to hold the e-liquid in place. It is porous enough to keep it from leaking out everywhere but light enough as to allow for proper osmosis as the fill in contact with the bridge is dried by the atty.
There is also a two piece electronic cigarette system that combines the atomizer and cartridge into one unit. This is called a Cartomizer. Inside the cartomizer you will find a metal coil surrounded by poly-fill.
