I'm looking for some reliable information/recommendations for an electronic cigarette. I really think that, if am going to insist on smoking, an e-cig is the way to go, but it's an investment and I want to make an educated decision. My only concern is price. I'd like to find the best value. Any help would be appreciated.
Quote from: Cuddlefish on February 07, 2012, 07:30:33 PM
I'm looking for some reliable information/recommendations for an electronic cigarette. I really think that, if am going to insist on smoking, an e-cig is the way to go, but it's an investment and I want to make an educated decision. My only concern is price. I'd like to find the best value. Any help would be appreciated.
I had one. They work.
I bit through it in a moment of rage.
Went back to regular smokes.
I don't smoke, but some of my roommates do the e-cig thing. One of my coworkers smokes right inside her cubicle. Every time I walk by, it blows my mind. There's some great info here (http://bit.ly/yGKmTj).
Quote from: Cramulus on February 07, 2012, 07:35:49 PM
I don't smoke, but some of my roommates do the e-cig thing. One of my coworkers smokes right inside her cubicle. Every time I walk by, it blows my mind. There's some great info here (http://bit.ly/yGKmTj).
:argh!: goddamned diabetics...
I bought the Blu brand ones, which are cool because the come with a "pack" that is a charger and a case for more cartridges. I'd stick with menthol for flavor, personally. But all in all the thing worked pretty well. The smoke comes from fog machine stuff which I has no proven harmful effects but tastes a little but like the a rave's asshole.
Quote from: Alty on February 07, 2012, 08:15:12 PM
...but tastes a little but like the a rave's asshole.
:horrormirth:
Why would you...
I bought one of these at a kiosk in a mall. I think the brand was Smoking Everywhere. The vapor was thick and tasty, and even at times more refreshing since it was kind of cool on the back of my throat.
Then I started losing my voice the day of a party and totally missed out on nookie as a result.
Maybe Blu doesn't have the same drawbacks. Battery life was a bit of an issue for me too and I'm tempted to try it out once I have more disposable income.
If you are going to look half as stupid as the asstards in the commercials for those things when you use them, I'd say just stick to the regular cancer sticks.
My girlfriend has switched (to the one with the USB charger and case thing).
Things she's noticed: She doesn't smell like smoke (which used to trigger the urge to smoke), which has dropped her habit from 3-4 cigarettes a night (she works graveyard) to 2-3 puffs after stressful calls (no need to go out into the cold night). She also has noticed that 1-2 puffs will resolve her craving (where-as with a burning cigarette, the ember and the smell tell her to finish it before it gets "wasted"). As such her habit has dropped so much that buying re-fill packs are very much cheaper per month than cigarettes.
I have heard about the back of the throat problems (you're basically inhaling water vapor + nicotine), which she did notice at first, but took as a sign not to over-use the device.
She also think this is a much better method towards quitting entirely than patches, as she can ration the active ingredient on her own terms with the little vaporizer (sound familiar ?).
Quote from: RWHN on February 08, 2012, 12:23:58 AM
If you are going to look half as stupid as the asstards in the commercials for those things when you use them, I'd say just stick to the regular cancer sticks.
THIS.
Quote from: Alty on February 07, 2012, 08:15:12 PM
I bought the Blu brand ones, which are cool because the come with a "pack" that is a charger and a case for more cartridges. I'd stick with menthol for flavor, personally. But all in all the thing worked pretty well. The smoke comes from fog machine stuff which I has no proven harmful effects but tastes a little but like the a rave's asshole.
Blu seems like the bast value from all I've seen so far. Quick question: How long does one of the cartridges last?
Quote from: RWHN on February 08, 2012, 12:23:58 AM
If you are going to look half as stupid as the asstards in the commercials for those things when you use them, I'd say just stick to the regular cancer sticks.
Beleive it or not, this has
nothinig to do with image, it's for better health than my current habits can provide.
But sure, I guess it's more important that I
look cool, even if it kills me... Asshole.
Well, it's not like the nicotine in the E-cigs is good for you. :lulz:
So it's more that if it's gonna kill you anyway, why choose "kill you slightly slower while you look uncool" over "kill you quicker but look cooler dying"?
Quote from: Fuck You One-Eye on February 08, 2012, 02:15:42 PM
Well, it's not like the nicotine in the E-cigs is good for you. :lulz:
So it's more that if it's gonna kill you anyway, why choose "kill you slightly slower while you look uncool" over "kill you quicker but look cooler dying"?
I just like the "smoke at my desk" thing.
Well, if it's about better health, just don't smoke.
Better around your kids two.
Faust,
Grew up in smoke filled house where all you could see was shins.
"Smoking" indoors is part of the apeal, but, not for nothing, I'd rather inhale nicotine vapor than chug a packs worth of cheyenne smoke everyday. In fact, I think I'm done here. Thanks for all your meaningful imput, guys.
Quote from: RWHN on February 08, 2012, 02:16:39 PM
Well, if it's about better health, just don't smoke.
Spoken like a true non-smoker. Seriously, dude. get with it, or gtfo.
I really don't think you realize how offensive and ignorant this type of "advice" is. Asshole.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 08, 2012, 02:16:14 PM
Quote from: Fuck You One-Eye on February 08, 2012, 02:15:42 PM
Well, it's not like the nicotine in the E-cigs is good for you. :lulz:
So it's more that if it's gonna kill you anyway, why choose "kill you slightly slower while you look uncool" over "kill you quicker but look cooler dying"?
I just like the "smoke at my desk" thing.
Yeah, but they lost me when I found out that TSA won't let you puff an E-cig in the airport.
And Dimo, you can take offense or not, but anyone who says they can't quit smoking is just weak-minded. That's the fact of the matter, regardless of what sort of emotional reaction it inspires in you.
Quote from: Cuddlefish on February 08, 2012, 02:24:51 PM
"Smoking" indoors is part of the apeal, but, not for nothing, I'd rather inhale nicotine vapor than chug a packs worth of cheyenne smoke everyday. In fact, I think I'm done here. Thanks for all your meaningful imput, guys.
Quote from: RWHN on February 08, 2012, 02:16:39 PM
Well, if it's about better health, just don't smoke.
Spoken like a true non-smoker. Seriously, dude. get with it, or gtfo.
I really don't think you realize how offensive and ignorant this type of "advice" is. Asshole.
I don't think you realize how un-serious my "advice" is. Snookums.
Quote from: Fuck You One-Eye on February 08, 2012, 02:33:11 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 08, 2012, 02:16:14 PM
Quote from: Fuck You One-Eye on February 08, 2012, 02:15:42 PM
Well, it's not like the nicotine in the E-cigs is good for you. :lulz:
So it's more that if it's gonna kill you anyway, why choose "kill you slightly slower while you look uncool" over "kill you quicker but look cooler dying"?
I just like the "smoke at my desk" thing.
Yeah, but they lost me when I found out that TSA won't let you puff an E-cig in the airport.
I did (I asked a cop in Lake Charles before doing so). But you can't take it through security.
Don't know about now, though. This was a year or more ago.
Most major airlines (at least in the US) specifically prohibit them anyway.
I use them exclusively now. For those in-the-know (non casual users), it's called "vaping." Kind of a penis name but googling that will cut through a lot of the sales bullshit you get from googling "e-cigarrettes."
I'm currently using Starfire Cigs which comes with a "pack" that holds a charge to re-charge the batteries, TWO battery devices and uses cartomizer technology so there's no messiness, good throat hit, consistency and good value out of each refil. It puts less strain on the battery.
I used to be a menthol smoker (raver! Hello!) but lately, I've been using the french vanilla high nicotene cartomizers. It's like blowing a cupcake and having it cum frosting in my mouth.
Quote from: navkat on February 08, 2012, 03:29:01 PM
It's like blowing a cupcake and having it cum frosting in my mouth.
They really need to put that in the ads.
MEDICAL GEEK PENIS MOMENT:
Q: When you smoke ciggarettes, what are you addicted to?
Nicotene, right?
Q: And what is nicotene?
Nicotene is a stimulant. The thing you're after in a cigarette is a chemical whose mechanism of action is to work as an agonist on your Sympathetic Nervous System by releasing and inhibiting the reuptake of several neurotransmitters, such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, vasopressin, et al. This is the shit that makes you feel awake, capable, on-the-ball and basically good.
Q: What, besides nicotene is in a cigarrette?
Carbon Monoxide, you say?
Well, not to get too Wiki-Fu on people but in general, CO is a CNS depressant. It's also (I'm pretty sure) :cn: neurotoxic. but let's stick with the former for awhile. What that means, is that by smoking an archaic cigarrette, you are actually working against the desired effects with some paradoxical effects and keeping your body on a constant feedback loop of needing to correct the CNS depressant effects with the lovely, blowing-a-unicorn, head-full-of-glitter, "I'm on the fucking ball" effects...which you do by getting pissed at your boss, pissed at your stupid patients and stupid customers and go out back to happy/poison yourself again.
Removing the depressant from the equation actually made me need less of the nicotene so I have the advantage of a little control right there. I never really liked the "smokey/dirty" aspect of smoking to begin with so once I was able to get my logical, science-driven mind to dominate the illogical, uneducated need to feel "throat burn" to know it's "working," I was already ahead of the game. The fact is :cn: : you actually need less nic to sate yourself than you think and the depressant effect has got you climbing an infinite mountain of needing more and more to counteract the depressant effects to get to the top. :cn:
Okay, that aside. Let's talk about the #1 Bad Thing CO does to fuck you up for life. Oh, yeah, ykall have seen the commercials of some old black dude on a BiPAP with 5% o2 and scary messages read to you by an Ostomy pt with a mechanical voice but has the mechanism of action ever been explained to you? Has the pathophysiology ever been explained as though you were intelligent enough to comprehend? Most likely, no. Here we go:
In your aortic valve and in your Central Nervous System, you have things called "baro receptors" and "chemoreceptors." Baroreceptors do just what the name suggests: they monitor your blood's pressure...like barometric pressure. Baroreceptors tell your brain how to control the smooth muscles of your vascular system (yes, your veins and arteries are muscles) to assist your pump (heart) in maintaining necessary blood pressure changes to maintain homeostasis. Simple, right?
Okay, here's where it gets tricky. Your body doesn't actually make you take breaths based on how much oxygen you need, but rather, by how much waste you need to unload. It relies on the fact that since human beings have existed in this current form, the air contains 21% oxygen and simply throught passive/active process of inspiration and exhalation, o2 is gonna make its way into the lungs in enough quantity to get into the alveoli, attach itself to hemoglobin and perfuse every living cell at some point. Your main, MOST effective chemoreceptors, therefore, drive you to breathe without thinking about it by how much shit is in your blood, not by how much o2 you need. This is called the "carbonic drive" to breathe and it's normal in a homeostatic human.
The problem is: hemoglobin is roughly ten times :cn: more attracted to CO2 and CO than it is to plain old O2. If you're filling your alveoli with CO, you're doing a bunch of things:
1. You're quickening the process of your body needing to offload as those chemoreceptors are seeing more and more garbage present. Blind to o2 at this point, just seeing the garbage.
2. You're desensitizing those CO receptors. They are beginning to think "room air plus lit marlboro" is the new norm so when you stop smoking marlboro, they stop feeling the urgency to make you take a breath.
Your body realizes something is fucked up. You are no longer easily achieving homeostasis. The oxygen sensing chemoreceptors now wake up. You are in the beginning stages of the hypoxic drive to breathe.
What happens now is a domino effect of snowballs. As your weaker, o2 chemoreceptors start getting involved, your CO receptors get lazier and lazier. You start leaning more and more towards relying on the hypoxic drive. This is very painful and uncomfortable. Let's try an activity: Think about your breathing for a moment. Think about how much breath you need to comfortably and normally fill up your lungs...but not TOO much. Just enough. Now try to STOP thinking about your breathing and let it happen all by itself. Focus on your breathing without "getting involved." Hard to do, eh? And a little annoying. Now imagine ALWAYS being conscious...painfully conscious of your breathing: rate, tidal volume, ease, etc.
And at some point, stopping smoking won't even help anymore! Once the dominoes really get tipped, your carboxic drive just gets lazier and lazier and the hypoxic drive needs to make you work harder and harder. It gets to the point where you're afraid one day if you go to sleep, you won't wake up. "Welcome to COPD! Enjoy your new seat in the tripod position! Grab three or four pillows and get in a (semi-fowler) position of comfort and if there's anything I can do for you during the transport to alleviate your frustrations that I've now placed you on an o2 tank at 15L per minute that's going to take a respiratory specialist 2 weeks to wean you off of in the hospital, let me know...what's that you say? That's a big Negatory, Red Dog! My job is to get you to Springhill with Airway, Breathing and Circulation running like a well-greased whore in an astroglide factory. I can not "reduce" the hi-flow 02 to save you a two-week hospital stay unless I wanna lose my license to practice. So grab hold of the stretcher and enjoy the lights and sirens cause this is gonna be the most expensive ten minutes of your life! Whoooooooo!"
Save that somewhere, Navkat, that is good stuff.
Quote from: kingyak on February 08, 2012, 03:37:47 PM
Quote from: navkat on February 08, 2012, 03:29:01 PM
It's like blowing a cupcake and having it cum frosting in my mouth.
They really need to put that in the ads.
I would KILL to see that go up on newsreel.
Quote from: Luna on February 08, 2012, 04:52:18 PM
Save that somewhere, Navkat, that is good stuff.
I think I will. I have an EMT related blog now called "Altered Mental Status." It's at www.amsemt.blogspot.com if anyone cares. It's green but it's a labor of love and I welcome civilian commentary, trolling, etc.
Fuck, you people made me feel better today...useful...smart. I humbly thank you.
<3
Quote from: navkat on February 08, 2012, 05:00:44 PM
Fuck, you people made me feel better today...useful...smart. I humbly thank you.
<3
Print out bits that make you feel better about yourself.
Tape to bathroomv mirror. Fridge door. Top of computer monitor. Wherever you are likely to have in line of sight when you start to feel like ass.
Read and review.
Neural science aside, the only thing that really matters to me is: Does e-cig vapor keep the bloodthirsty tropical flies away?
No?
then they're fucking useless.
For me it comes down to one thing:
I prefer to make out with people who don't taste like an ashtray, so I'm all for people I want to make out with using them.
Everyone I make out with tells me they can't taste the cigarettes through the tequila, so apparently it's not a problem. :lulz:
:lulz:
Quote from: RWHN on February 08, 2012, 02:40:13 PM
Quote from: Cuddlefish on February 08, 2012, 02:24:51 PM
"Smoking" indoors is part of the apeal, but, not for nothing, I'd rather inhale nicotine vapor than chug a packs worth of cheyenne smoke everyday. In fact, I think I'm done here. Thanks for all your meaningful imput, guys.
Quote from: RWHN on February 08, 2012, 02:16:39 PM
Well, if it's about better health, just don't smoke.
Spoken like a true non-smoker. Seriously, dude. get with it, or gtfo.
I really don't think you realize how offensive and ignorant this type of "advice" is. Asshole.
I don't think you realize how un-serious my "advice" is. Snookums.
Sorry, sweet-ums, didn't mean to get all uppity. It's just, I can't count the amount of times people I know, with zero experience with any form of addiction, try to over simplify things by giving me the "just quit" line. It's not like I'm trying to figure out what I want for breakfast, here. It's an addiction. Hell, if it were that easy, I'd have done it by now.
Plus, I'm not really looking to quit, per se, just find a, even only somewhat, safer alternative.
I always keep a tin of Camel Snus on hand for times I can't smoke. Since it's in individual packets, it doesn't leave you looking like you have a mouthful of poop, it's small enough that nobody will notice you have one in, it doesn't make you spit at all, and the Frost flavor leaves your mouth feeling all minty fresh afterward.
Also, on the occasions that I have bothered to quit smoking (almost always for 6 months to a year at a stretch) it has come in very handy. Switch from smokes to snus so you're still getting the nicotine, but you're breaking the psychological attachment to the rituals of smoking. I've found it's a whole lot easier to quit popping a few pouches of snus a day than it is to quit smoking a half-pack a day.
Quote from: Cuddlefish on February 08, 2012, 08:34:03 PM
Quote from: RWHN on February 08, 2012, 02:40:13 PM
Quote from: Cuddlefish on February 08, 2012, 02:24:51 PM
"Smoking" indoors is part of the apeal, but, not for nothing, I'd rather inhale nicotine vapor than chug a packs worth of cheyenne smoke everyday. In fact, I think I'm done here. Thanks for all your meaningful imput, guys.
Quote from: RWHN on February 08, 2012, 02:16:39 PM
Well, if it's about better health, just don't smoke.
Spoken like a true non-smoker. Seriously, dude. get with it, or gtfo.
I really don't think you realize how offensive and ignorant this type of "advice" is. Asshole.
I don't think you realize how un-serious my "advice" is. Snookums.
Sorry, sweet-ums, didn't mean to get all uppity. It's just, I can't count the amount of times people I know, with zero experience with any form of addiction, try to over simplify things by giving me the "just quit" line. It's not like I'm trying to figure out what I want for breakfast, here. It's an addiction. Hell, if it were that easy, I'd have done it by now.
Plus, I'm not really looking to quit, per se, just find a, even only somewhat, safer alternative.
Well, FTR, if I were to give you serious advice to quit I'd give you a bit more than "just quit". The agency I work for also does tobacco prevention and tobacco cessation programs. I don't coordinate that stuff, but I know enough to understand that you don't "just quit". We run a support group for that stuff, there is a hotline that the State runs, plus other programming.
But, I do still stand by my earlier opinion that they (the e-cigs) look kind of silly.
Quote from: RWHN on February 09, 2012, 12:23:13 AM
Quote from: Cuddlefish on February 08, 2012, 08:34:03 PM
Quote from: RWHN on February 08, 2012, 02:40:13 PM
Quote from: Cuddlefish on February 08, 2012, 02:24:51 PM
"Smoking" indoors is part of the apeal, but, not for nothing, I'd rather inhale nicotine vapor than chug a packs worth of cheyenne smoke everyday. In fact, I think I'm done here. Thanks for all your meaningful imput, guys.
Quote from: RWHN on February 08, 2012, 02:16:39 PM
Well, if it's about better health, just don't smoke.
Spoken like a true non-smoker. Seriously, dude. get with it, or gtfo.
I really don't think you realize how offensive and ignorant this type of "advice" is. Asshole.
I don't think you realize how un-serious my "advice" is. Snookums.
Sorry, sweet-ums, didn't mean to get all uppity. It's just, I can't count the amount of times people I know, with zero experience with any form of addiction, try to over simplify things by giving me the "just quit" line. It's not like I'm trying to figure out what I want for breakfast, here. It's an addiction. Hell, if it were that easy, I'd have done it by now.
Plus, I'm not really looking to quit, per se, just find a, even only somewhat, safer alternative.
Well, FTR, if I were to give you serious advice to quit I'd give you a bit more than "just quit". The agency I work for also does tobacco prevention and tobacco cessation programs. I don't coordinate that stuff, but I know enough to understand that you don't "just quit". We run a support group for that stuff, there is a hotline that the State runs, plus other programming.
But, I do still stand by my earlier opinion that they (the e-cigs) look kind of silly.
Of course they look silly. But what difference does that make?
None really.
I disagree. Style points are important in life, and while smoking doesn't confer style points in and of itself, e-cigs confer negative style points. They're like the real dolls of nicotine use.
I just think it's hilarious that (I believe the Blu) brand has button you can press so that the "packs" of anyone else in a certain distance vibrates. I mean, WTF? So you can all gather in the same spot looking douchey* with your e-cigarettes together? It's not like there's a homing device in it, so I guess you'll just have the weird satisfaction that someone else nearby has a pack? Guess you could just stick it in your pants and hope someone keeps pressing the button over and over. That's gotta be what it's for.
*Making fun of that feature aside, I have 2 friends that have been using the Blu's and are pretty happy with it (I'd have to ask them how long a cartridge lasts, but they haven't had any complaints so far). I smoke less than half a pack a day and can go a whole day without and be perfectly happy. My problem is that I still keep buying them, plus living with someone who smokes doesn't help. More of a psychological/routine addiction, but I wouldn't mind trying them to get rid of the smelliness (I HATE the smell, even though I'm sure I also smell like smoke) and slowing down the health portion of it. I do want to get one for my boyfriend in the near future to try and help him cut back, assuming he actually does and all.
Quote from: trippinprincezz13 on February 09, 2012, 08:34:55 PM
I just think it's hilarious that (I believe the Blu) brand has button you can press so that the "packs" of anyone else in a certain distance vibrates. I mean, WTF? So you can all gather in the same spot looking douchey* with your e-cigarettes together?
What's wrong with that? Do not the birds of the field flock together?
TGRR,
Knows that Jesus would have approved of this assbaggery.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on February 09, 2012, 08:36:46 PM
Quote from: trippinprincezz13 on February 09, 2012, 08:34:55 PM
I just think it's hilarious that (I believe the Blu) brand has button you can press so that the "packs" of anyone else in a certain distance vibrates. I mean, WTF? So you can all gather in the same spot looking douchey* with your e-cigarettes together?
What's wrong with that? Do not the birds of the field flock together?
TGRR,
Knows that Jesus would have approved of this assbaggery.
It's not even so much that...but how does it work!?!? Wander outside aimlessly puffing away until you maybe run into each other? It is kind of a good idea (especially since a lot of people seem to look at people smoking e-cigarrettes almost the same as people who smoke regular ones) but it's not like the vibrations get stronger as you get closer to each other (teehee). So it's more like a tease. You KNOW someone else is nearby smoking one, but good luck finding them.
Also, not being one of the cool kids, I have an ingrained aversion to cliquey-type things, for better or worse. I would be interested in knowing if its managed to bring Blu smokers of the city together or just managed to annoy everyone when you're trying to sleep and you keep hearing this weird vibrating noise all night and wtf is that? Is there a vibrator in here? So I guess it is a good feature
Quote from: trippinprincezz13 on February 09, 2012, 08:34:55 PM
I just think it's hilarious that (I believe the Blu) brand has button you can press so that the "packs" of anyone else in a certain distance vibrates. I mean, WTF? So you can all gather in the same spot looking douchey* with your e-cigarettes together? It's not like there's a homing device in it, so I guess you'll just have the weird satisfaction that someone else nearby has a pack? Guess you could just stick it in your pants and hope someone keeps pressing the button over and over. That's gotta be what it's for.
That is fucking AWEsome. That's is
exactly the type of assbaggery that makes the money FLY out of teh navkat's wallet. I'm DEAD SERIOUS. I feel like we could solve a lot of the world's problems if we stopped spending money on bombs and prisons and spent like,
one-third that money on stuff that lights up, makes noise and does shit like this.
I won't lie: I really just want the U.S. government to be overthrown by little Japanese girls in Hello Kitty costumes and the U.S economy to be run by Finn & Jake from Adventuretime.
Therein lies the essential core of navkat's brand of discordianism, politics and general worldview in one, pretty, little Rainbow Unicorn brain-worm.