Thanks to TECC (The Electronic Cigarette Company) having a 50% sale on at the moment I don’t think I’ll be eating this month, as I’ve blown most of this months budget on various items on their site.
While prices are this low I thought I’d try out some of the different flavourings, accessories and actual models of electronic cigarette. For the last few months I’ve been using a Super Mini (also bought from TECC) and if you have read my review of it you will know that I was pleased with it. But having read a lot of forum posts I thought I’d try out some of the other electronic cigarettes that people rave about.
So the last couple of weeks I’ve put my Super aside and have been using one of my new purchases, the Titan 510 Compact Kit. I ordered the Titan 510 Compact Kit in gold which was shipped the following day and arrived the day after that, so in total it took 2 days to arrive, and after 2 weeks use has it replaced my Super? You’ll have to read on to find out the answer to that question.
The Titan 510 Compact Kit Contents
The Titan 510 Compact Kit arrived in a nice quality presentation box that fastens at the front by means of magnets, making it easy to open an close. The box itself measures 10 x 8 x 5.3cm (L x W x H) and is well made, so much so that I use them for storage boxes after the electronic cigarette has been unpacked.
The Compact Kit has been designed to let people try out the product at a lower cost than purchasing the full kit. They are ideal for people who have not tried an electronic cigarette before and don’t want to payout for a full kit to start with, or for people like me who want to try out the various models to find out which one they prefer.
Pack Contents
1 x Manual Rechargeable Battery
1 x Atomiser
3 x Empty Refillable Cartridges
1 x USB Charger
1 x 10ml Bottle 16mg Nicotine Fluid (Tobacco or Menthol)
Titan 510 Electronic Cigarette Assembly
As with the other versions of electronic cigarette the assembly is a simple process as it only contains three parts: the rechargeable battery, an atomiser and a nicotine cartridge.
As with any rechargeable battery powered device the first thing you need to do is make sure that the battery is fully charged. This is just a simple matter of screwing the battery into the USB charger supplied and then plugging the charger into any available USB port on your computer or laptop. The indicator light on the charger will turn red and turn green when the battery is fully charged.
A full charge takes about an hour and a half, but you my find your batteries arrive partially charged and the initial charge doesn’t take this long.
Once you have a fully charged battery all you need to do to assemble the Titan 510 electronic cigarette is screw the atomiser onto the battery, remove a nicotine cartridge from its packaging and slide it into the atomiser. You will now have a fully assembled Titan 510 electronic cigarette ready for use.
Using the Titan 510 Electronic Cigarette
If you are new to electronic cigarette then the first thing you will notice is the size of the Titan 510 especially if like me you smoked hand rolled cigarettes. It’s 1cm longer than a Superking cigarette and a millimetre or 2 thicker. It doesn’t take to long to get used to though and fits comfortably in the hand.
As stated above the Titan 510 comes with 1 manual battery which was new to me as all the electronic cigarettes I’ve used before have had automatic batteries, so it took a little bit of getting used to.
Unlike the auto batteries I was used to the manual batteries require you to depress a small button the batteries barrel in order to activate it. To start with I would just pick it up and take a drag on it and nothing happened, before remembering to press the button. At other times I’d be holding it in my hand and accidentally press the button which would start it vaporising without me taking a drag.
One thing I liked about the Super was that you could just drop it into your pocket assembled and not worry about it. You can’t do this with the Titan 510 manual battery though, as sooner or later the button is going to be depressed activating the battery, which will simply drain the battery if it’s on its own, or if attached to the atomiser it’s going to heat up and probably burn out. So you need a case of some sort if you are going to carry it with you.
The manual button does however give you greater control over how long you inhale on the device, as there is no cut off period as there is on automatic batteries. They also make the draw on the electronic cigarette a lot easier as the battery is not triggered by airflow. There are times when I have to suck fairly firmly on my Super to get it to work, I’ve not had that problem with Titan 510 and Manual battery.
The Titan 510 also seems to be a lot quieter that my Super as well. With the Super you tend to get a hissing noise and occasionally a bit of a whistle as air is pulled round the system. With the Titan 510 you sill get a slight hiss but not as noticeable as on the Super.
Another thing I have noticed with the Titan 510 electronic cigarette is that the atomiser gets a lot hotter than on my Super. This has the effect of creating a warmer dryer vapour, or at least that is how it appears to me as it tends to dry out my throat, which is fine if you have a drink on hand but not so good if you are out walking the dog or something.
The extra heat also has the advantage of producing a larger volume of vapour than my Super, and with a shorter drag as well. In fact I’m very impressed by the vapour production of the Titan 510, and it is one thing I really like about it.
Titan 510 Manual Battery
As I have already said the battery that is supplied in the Titan 510 compact kit is of the manual variety, which for me at least took a few days to get used to, as initially I kept forgetting to press the button.
The button itself is black and protrudes about 2mm out of the barrel of the battery is operated by simply pressing it in. When the button is pressed down the battery is active and begins heating the atomiser and the LED at the end illuminates, then when you release the button the battery returns to standby mode and stops heating the atomiser and the LED turns off.
This type of battery has an advantage over most automatic batteries in that it doesn’t appear to have a cut off point. On my automatic Super battery, if you inhale continuously for about 5 seconds the battery is disabled for a few seconds. With the Titan 510 manual battery you can keep the button pressed for as long as you like and it won’t shut off, so if you like to take longer inhales you can.
The battery life itself is not to impressive though. I’m a light to medium user and found that I had to charge the batteries at least twice a day, so you are going to need a spare battery or two. If you are a heavy user then you may find that you will be charging this battery fairly often. A couple times in the evenings whilst watching a film I’ve held the Titan 510 in my hand all the time and taken frequent drags on it, and the film has outlasted the Titan 510 Battery. In fact with frequent use the battery lasts about the same amount of time as it takes to charge a fresh one, which is about 1 and a half hours.
So if you like the Titan 510 electronic cigarette then you will certainly need a couple of spare batteries. You may even like to purchase mega charger that can charge 5 batteries at once, or the Titan Personal Charging Case which will charge your battery while on the move.
One final point I should mention is that the LED at the end of the Titan 510 glows blue, so it shouldn’t be confused with a real cigarette, plus the body colour on mine is gold which should also help on that score. I’m not sure about the white version though, I think that my have a red LED.
The cartridges that are supplied with the Titan 510 Compact Kit are empty which means that you have to fill them yourself with the supplied bottle of tobacco flavoured e-liquid. This is a simple process that just requires you to drip 15 or 16 drops of e-liquid into the cartridge (see video above).
This was one aspect of the Titan 510 that I was really looking forward to, as the cartridges are of a one piece design and hold more liquid than my super so in theory they shouldn’t need topping up as often, however in practice things didn’t appear to work that way.
One thing to note about using a new electronic cigarette is that the atomisers are shipped with a priming fluid in them. This priming fluid is there to ensure that the atomiser isn’t run dry and burnt out when you first use it, and can have a variety of flavours from the downright awful to a fresh minty taste. So you may have to put up with this for a few puffs until your favourite flavoured liquid takes over.
After filling a cartridge and inserting it into the Titan, I took took a few primer puffs to get the liquid flowing the atomiser and remove the primer taste. Once my liquid took over I was rewarded with plumes of light fluffy vapour and a pleasing taste from my fruity liquids.
After a while though I started to get a burnt taste coming through. Thinking this was just the new atomiser bedding itself in I took off the cartridge and refilled it. 10 to 15 drags later the burnt taste resumed, so again added a couple of drops to the cartridge, and once again 10 to 15 drags later the burnt taste reappeared and has continued in that fashion to the present day.
At first I thought it was a faulty atomiser and swapped it for the one in a Tornado, that I bough at the same time, only to get the same result.
I then switched e-liquids in favour of Totally Wicked’s red label Virginia at 11mg strength. On inhaling this I got that familiar kick at the back of the throat which is something I wouldn’t have got from my Super at 11mg. The burnt taste again returned after 10 to 15 drags but wasn’t as noticeable as it was in the fruity flavours. It seems that the atomiser on Titan 510 runs a lot hotter than on other electronic cigarettes I’ve tried an evaporates more liquid than the cartridge can supply unless it’s saturated, hence the burnt taste after 10 - 15 drags.
Conclusion
Edited 3rd November 2010
Since originally writing this review I have had a chance to use the PCC and the Totally Wicked 510 cartomizers which has totally changed my opinion of the 510.
Used as a stand alone item with the cartridge and atomiser combination, I couldn’t get on with it. I couldn’t get the cartridges to wick properly, and was constantly topping off the cartridges with extra liquid, to the point where I was more or less direct dripping which I found to be highly annoying.
Battery life on the Titan 510 isn’t the best in the world and if you were out and about then you would want at least 2 fully charged batteries or maybe three depending on how long you were going to be out.
So In its standard form I still preferred my humble Super. However when you combine the Titan 510 with a PCC and the Totally Wicked 510 cartomizers it becomes a much more user friendly product that easily out performs the Super (RN4082) electronic cigarette.
The PCC (Portable Charging Case) allows you to recharge your battery no matter where you are. Inside the PCC case is a rechargeable battery that is able to recharge a standard Titan 510 battery up to 4 times.. If you use your Titan 510 like a regular cigarette and replace it in the PCC after using it, then the battery will continually be recharged throughout the day, ensuring you always have a charged battery. See my Titan 510 PCC review here.
The Totally Wicked 510 cartomizers totally solve the wicking problem and hold a bit more liquid than the cartridges. So far I haven’t had a problem with them, and a couple will normally last me most of the day. I have reviewed them here.
The combination of PCC and Cartomizers make a 100% improvement to the standard kit, and I now favour the Titan over the Super. There are still a few improvements I’d like to see, but all in all I now like this product.
Product results as of Tuesday 22nd of May 2012
Titan 510 Electronic Cigarette Compact Kit
The Titan 510 Compact Kit is available in 6 colors: Black, Gold, Pink, Platinum, Red & White.
This is a cut down kit designed to let people try out...
If you are anything like me and mix your own liquids you will find that the large array of different flavours available creates a bit of a dilemma. Do you vape a tobacco flavour, one of the fruity flavours or even a coffee flavoured liquid?
Personally I have 6 flavours that I regularly use:
Extra Stout and Roasted Nut are my general vapes which I use the most.
Lychee or Mango when I fancy something sweet.
Coconut Ice I tend to carry with me when out walking the dog.
French Apple Pie with a touch of Tiramisu I tend to use as my after dinner vape.
Each of these flavours I mix up in a labelled 5ml bottle. Now this is all well and good until it comes to changing flavour in which case you have three choices:
Simply swap the cartridge on the atomiser for a different flavour, or if you prefer to direct drip drop 2 or 3 drops of the flavour onto the atomiser, and put up with a mixed flavour until the new flavour slowly takes over.
Blow through the battery end of the atomiser to clear out the old e-liquid flavour, which is a bit of a pain.
Keep a separate atomiser for each flavour.
Of the 3 options a separate atomiser for each flavour is the best one, as some flavours seem to embed themselves in the atomiser and take quite a while to get rid of, Coconut Ice seems to be a good example of that, it seems to linger for days.
If you have 6 flavours though you then have the problem of keeping track of which atomiser contains which flavour. The answer to this problem I found by accident will rummaging through my odds and ends drawer one day. In the drawer was an old 35mm film case, from before the days of digital photography.
These 35mm containers are just the right size for holding a 5mm bottle of e-liquid and, depending on the model of electronic cigarette, 1 atomiser and a couple of cartridges. Put a label on the film container and atomisers and liquids can be stored together.
510 Atomiser, 2 Nicotine Cartridges, 5mm Bottle of e-Liquid
Whenever you fancy a change of flavour you simply reach for the correct film container and everything is there. They are also a handy size for dropping in your pocket or your bag, so you can direct drip or refill your cartridge on the move.
i’ve used this with the 510 and Super electronic cigarette. The 510 atomiser has to be stored separately as the combined length of atomiser and cartridge is too long for the film container. With the Super you can store the atomiser in the cartridge, which effectively gives you storage for three cartridges.
Super Atomiser in Nicotine Cartridge, 2 Nicotine Cartridges, 5mm Bottle of e-Liquid
If you like this idea but don’t have and 35mm film cartridges laying around, you might be able to find a photography store in your area that still caters for the 35mm films, In which case you may be able to pick some up from them. Alternatively you’ll be pleased to know that they can normally be found for sale on ebay relatively cheaply
If you are one of those people who likes the idea of electronic cigarettes but aren’t always able to recharge spare batteries or just forget to do it, then the Ruyan Nicocig Jazz could be the product for you.
You see the Ruyan Nicocig Jazz is a disposable electronic cigarette that lasts the equivalent of 80 -100 cigarettes, this will vary depending on your smoking habits. Once it has been exhausted you simply dispose of it. No batteries or cartridges to worry about.
They are also great for anyone who wants to try out the concept of electronic cigarettes without spending £30.00 or more on a starter kit.
Right now you grab the Ruyan Nicocig Jazz disposable electronic cigarette for just £11.95 that is £5.00 off the regular price of £16.95. Butt hurry as this offer is only while stocks last!
Ruyan Nicocig Jazz – £11.95 While Stocks Last!
Don’t forget to use the discount code RPS2004 for an additional 10% off
I recently decided that I wanted to try out some of the e-liquid flavours but neither the Nicocig Plus or the Gamucci Nicovap had refillable cartridges, or so I thought. While the Nicocig Plus cartridges certainly refillable, the Nicovap I soon discovered uses the same cartridge as the TECC Super Mini, as this was the electronic cigarette that I purchased in order to try out the different flavours.
I took a look at the TECC Website and found that they had a batch of the Super Mini electronic cigarette that had been originally destined for the Greek market, but due to non payment they decided to sell them off at near trade price, so this is the one that I purchased.
What follows is a review of the Greek branded version, which is identical to the UK version except for the plug on the mains charger and language of the manual.
The Starter Pack
After ordering, the TECC Super Mini electronic cigarette arrived the next day in a nice looking presentation box. In fact the presentation box itself is of a high standard with a magnet fastening front flap. It’s not the sort of box that you will simply discard, after unpacking the contents you’ll probably want to find another use for it.
The layout of this starter kit is slightly different from the UK version of the TECC Super Mini (See pic top left) as it is intended for the Greek market and has a 2 pin mains plug that takes up less room than our 3 pin UK style of plug.
The Kit Contains:
2 x Rechargeable Batteries
1 x Atomiser
1 x Mains Charger
5 x Tobacco Flavour 0mg Nicotine Cartridges
1 x User Manual
The Super Mini Assembly
As with other models of electronic cigarette the assembly process is simple and straight forward as there are only three parts to deal with: the nicotine cartridge, atomiser and rechargeable battery.
The first thing that you need to do is ensure the battery is fully charged. This is a simple matter of connecting the power supply to the supplied mains charger, screwing a battery gently into the charging unit and then plugging the 3pin plug into a wall socket. The indicator light on the charger will turn red, indicating that it is charging, and then turn green when fully charged. This takes between one and a half to two hours.
Once you have a fully charged battery all you need to do to assemble the TECC Super Mini is to screw the atomiser gently into the battery, remove a nicotine cartridge from it’s packaging and remove the stopper from the end and then simply slide it over the atomiser and your done.
The TECC Super Mini Battery
Batteries for the TECC Super Mini electronic cigarette are of the automatic variety, which means there is no on and off switch and are simply activated by inhaling on the nicotine cartridge giving the cigarette a natural feel.
The battery life between charges isn’t the best I’ve seen, but then it isn’t the worst either. I’d say the average user is going to have to charge the battery at least once a day, so a spare battery is a must have item, which isn’t a problem as the starter kit comes with 2 batteries.
Heavy users may want to carry a third battery with them if they are not going to be near a power source for most of the day, or may want a second charger for the office. Neither of these points are a problem as atomisers, batteries and mains, car and usb chargers can be bought separately from the TECC website.
The overall length of the battery, should you be interested, is just 6.8cm long. This small size is the reason why you’ll need to charge it at least one a day. It’s a trade off between size and battery performance. But I’d say it performs pretty well for a battery of its size.
Nicotine Cartridges
The nicotine cartridges were the main reason I chose to purchase this electronic cigarette. I wanted to try out some of the different flavoured cartridges that are available for some electronic cigarettes such as the TECC Super Mini.
I was previously using the Nicocig Plus electronic cigarette, which I am more than happy with and have used to successfully wean myself off of nicotine, currently I’m using 0mg strength cartridges, and wanted to try out some different flavours, but unfortunately, for me, the Nicocig only supply nicotine or menthol cartridges.
The beauty of the TECC Super Mini is that you can by pre-filled cartridges or empty cartridges that you can fill yourself with your own e-liquid mixtures. It was the latter that I opted for, as pre-filled flavoured cartridges weren’t available in 0mg strengths. I’ll talk more about e-liquids in a later post when I’ve had a little more time to experiment, all I’ll say is you might want to try the Decadent Vapour Coconut Ice.
On the TECC / Totally Wicked website it is reported that the nicotine cartridges are the equivalent of 10+ tobacco cigarettes but I’d say the reality is a little less, 5-8 probably being a bit closer. It does depend on your smoking habits and brand of cigarette that you smoke though.
I do occasionally find that a little e-liquid will leak out through the air holes where the battery an atomiser meet if the electronic cigarette is left on it’s side for an hour or so, but this may be down to me over filling the cartridges.
The 0mg regular tobacco cartridges that came with the Greek version had a pleasant mild flavour to them and is probably my favourite out of the four electronic cigarettes I’ve tried. They also produce a good amount of vapour, probably not as much as some other models but certainly enough to satisfy a lot smokers, you just need to remember to take slightly longer inhalations than you normally would with a tobacco cigarette. They don’t produce a strong throat hit and are probably more like a light or mild brand of cigarette.
Also when you inhale on the nicotine cartridge you do get a hissing noise, as air is drawn through the system, and the vaporiser can generate a gurgling noise, not to dissimilar to the noise that a straw makes when you reach the end of a drink.
The thing is though, with the Super Mini even if your tastes are different to mine you are not stuck with something you don’t like the taste of, as you can simply try out a different flavour pre-filled cartridge or mix your own e-liquid flavouring.
Conclusion
I really like the TECC Super Mini electronic cigarette and would happily recommend it to anyone, but I would say it is probably more suited for light to medium use rather than for the heavy smoker as battery life may be an issue.
The TECC Super mini is small and compact being only slightly longer than a Superking sized tobacco cigarette at 10.4cm.
The ability to get cartridges in different flavours or even mix your own is a real benefit. The first electronic cigarette I purchased, off of a market stall, had an awful taste and ended up in the bin as the only cartridges I could get were from the same market stall, which has since packed up.
Another strong plus point for TECC Super Mini is the availability of spare parts. Every component can be bought separately including batteries, atomisers, nicotine cartridges, mains chargers, usb chargers, car chargers and even a clasp case. You can even buy the Super Mini in black if you wish.
If you are looking for an electronic cigarette that resembles a real tobacco product, that isn’t too big, has reasonable battery life and allows you to change the flavour then the TECC Super Mini is a good choice. It is however probably suited to the light user, if you are a heavy smoker and a good throat hit is important to you you’d probably be better off looking at a different model such as the Nicocig Plus or the TECCC 510 Titan or Tornado.
It doesn’t have the best battery performance or longest cartridge life, but it works well, produces plenty of vapour and feels comfortable in the hand.
Enter discount code915CD for a 7.5% Off of regular priced items at Totally Wicked / TECC
People have asked If I have any discount codes for Green Smoke, and I’m happy to reply Yes to that question. I am currently in possession of 2 codes, ne for 5% of all standard priced products and another for 10% off when you spend the equivalent of $100. Both of these codes are open ended, meaning they have no cut of date.
For 5% off enter disc5-13814 at the checkout.
For 10% off orders over $100 equivalent enter disc10-13814 at checkout.
For current currency exchange rates visit www.xe.com
TECC (The Electronic Cigarette Company) are having a massive 50% Off Salle across most of their range. This means that you can now get that spare battery or atomiser that you’ve been promising yourself at a massive saving.
If you’ve been thinking about trying out an electronic cigarette but the £30 or so cost of the starter kits has put you off then now is the time to dive in. Starter kits can now be purchased for as little as £8.00
You only have until the 1st September 2010 to make these savings.
Offer : 50% off most items at TECC (The Electronic Cigarette Company)
Offer started : 26th July 2010
Offer Ends : 1st September 2010
I’ve been using the Nicocig Plus now for a few months and I have to say I’m very happy with it. It produces plenty of vapour, tastes quite nice and delivers a good throat hit.
It took me a while to get used to it though, as I previously smoked hand rolled cigarettes and the Nicocig Plus is 3cm longer and probably twice as thick as what I was previously used to. It was however worth persevering with as I now prefer it to tobacco based products.
The Starter Pack
The starter pack contains everything you need to get you going and arrives in a well packed presentation box.
Nicocig Presentation Box
The box contains:
2 Rechargeable Batteries – 1 Green LED & 1 Orange LED
1 Mains Battery Charger
4 Tobacco Flavored Nicotine Cartridges – 1 of each 12mg, 8mg, 4mg and 0mg
1 Atomiser
1 Velvet Carry Case
1 Instruction Manual
Nicocig Starter Pack Contents
Assembling the Nicocig Plus
Assembling the electronic cigarette is a straight forward and uncomplicated process. First you will need to charge the battery which is just a matter of gently screwing the battery into the charger, connecting the power cable and plugging it into a 3 pin wall socket.
Once plugged in the indicator light on the charger will glow red indicating that the battery is charging, and then changing colour through amber and then to green when fully charged. This takes between two and a half to three hours to get a full charge.
Once the battery is fully charged all you need to do to assemble the electronic cigarette is simply screw the atomizer on to the battery, remove a nicotine cartridge from the packaging and take the blue covers off of either end, and then gently push the cartridge onto the atomiser.
Nicocig Plus Assembly
In my particular pack the battery with the green LED worked perfectly but the one with orange LED wouldn’t charge. On plugging it in, the charger indicator light would go to red and then 5 minutes later it would be on green, but it did nothing when connected to the atomiser and nicotine cartridge. However, after a quick phone call to the Nicocig office, to explain the situation, a new battery was immediately despatched and arrived the next day. That’s what I call excellent customer service.
Using The Nicocig Plus
If you have never used an electronic cigarette before then you will find there are some differences in using the electronic cigarette as opposed to a tobacco based cigarette. The obvious difference being that you no longer need to carry a cigarette lighter with you as the electronic cigarette has no burning parts.
The size of the Nicocig Plus is the next difference you are going to notice, especially if like me you are used to hand rolling your cigarettes, as the Nicocig Plus is 11cm long. You will also notice that it is a little heavier than a tobacco cigarette so you wont walk around with it hanging in your mouth.
Nicocig Size Comparison
The manner in which you actually inhale on the Nicocig Plus is slightly different as well. To get maximum vapour production you need to inhale slightly longer than you normally would, but this soon becomes second nature. Once your get used to taking longer inhalations the Nicocig Plus produces a good amount of vapour and produces that familiar rasping feeling at the back of the throat.
Batteries
The rechargeable batteries that come with the Nicocig Plus are longer than other similar styles of electronic cigarette at about 8cm long and seem to last well, on average easily lasting a day between charging, but this may vary depending on usage habits. It”s hard to gauge whether or not I am using the Nicocig Plus to the same equivalent of the number of cigarettes that I used to smoke.
I used to smoke between 15 and 20 a day, however the Nicocig Plus never burns down so it’s hard to gauge. But as one cartridge is roughly the equivalent to 15 tobacco cigarettes, and one cartridge lasts me over a day I’d say I’m using it to the equivalent of 10 -12 a day.
The difference in my smoking habit I think is partly due to the fact that it never burns down. Once you light a tobacco based cigarette you are inclined to smoke it down to the but. With the electronic cigarette I’m inclined to take fewer puffs over a longer period of time as I know it’s not going to burn out on me.
As stated earlier there are 2 batteries in the starter pack, one with a green led and one with an orange led. The orange led battery is great for outdoor use as it looks like a real cigarette, the green led battery however will help to ensure it isn’t confused with a tobacco product should you want to use it indoors.
Cartridges
Nicocig Plus Cartridges
The Nicocig Plus nicotine cartridges have been redesigned and are only 27mm long which is smaller than most other electronic cigarettes, yet they still last up to the equivalent of 15 average tobacco cigarettes or 170 to 220 puffs.
As well as being smaller than other cartridges they have also been made from a softer plastic that is slightly textured, which makes them feel more comfortable on the lips. This may not sound like much of an improvement but it does feel a little more natural than other makes.
They come in two flavours, regular tobacco and menthol. The tobacco flavour cartridges, whilst not tasting like my regular tobacco brand, is pleasant and not overpowering and available in nicotine strengths of 12mg, 8mg, 4mg and 0mg. You get 1 cartridge of each strength in the box so that you can judge for yourself what strength you will require.
If you smoke menthol cigarettes then the Nicocig Plus also caters for you and, at the time of writing this, are available in 12mg or 8mg Nicotine strength.
I personally use both tobacco and the menthol cartridges, with menthol on the green battery and tobacco on the orange. I’ll quite often use the menthol when out walking around town or with the dog, and use the tobacco after food or with a drink.
I should also point out that you get a free atomiser with every pack of four cartridges that you buy. With some other electronic cigarettes you have to buy these separately when they wear out, which can be anywhere from 14-60 days.
Conclusion
Personally I really like the Nicocig Plus, it has reasonable battery life, it tastes nice, has a choice of tobacco or menthol cartridges and looks like a real cigarette from a distance, although looking like a real cigarette can have disadvantages if you plan on using it indoors a lot.
At first the size, weight difference and different inhalation style may feel a little odd, but it is worth taking a little time getting used to it. I started out by continuing to smoke my regular roll ups in the day, when I was busy, and then swapping to the Nicocig Plus in the afternoon when relaxing. After a week or so of this I found I preferred the Nicocig Plus and swapped to it full time.
If you have a problem with the electronic cigarette then the companies after sales service is excellent, as they believe in customer care, and the helpful friendly are easily contactable by phone or email. Spare batteries and USB chargers are also available if you want them, so that you could if you wanted have a spare battery and charger at work for emergencies.
I tried 2 other makes before the Nicocig Plus, and 1 of them nearly put me off the whole electronic cigarette idea. both of the other brands had faults such as bad battery life, didn’t come with a spare battery and spares were hard to find, and 1 even leaked nicotine onto my hands and lips on a regular basis. These problems are something that the Nicocig Plus Does Not Suffer from.
All in all if you want an electronic cigarette that looks like a factory made tobacco cigarette, then the Nicocig is a good, reliable choice.
You may have heard the term e-liquid or e-juice mentioned in relation to electronic cigarettes and wondered exactly what it was. Basically it is the liquid nicotine solution that is found in the electronic cigarettes cartridge.
Many electronic cigarettes have cartridges which can be refilled when empty. It is e-liquid that is used to refill the cartridges and comes in a variety of flavours such as apple, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, coffee and tobacco to name a few, as well as a variety of nicotine strengths.
As well as being sold in premixed forms you can also purchase kits that contain the individual ingredients for mixing your own flavours at the nicotine strength you want. Your average nicotine cartridge or e-liquid contains 3 ingredients:
Nicotine
Flavouring – similar to the type used to flavour food
Dilutant – Used to dilute the concentrated nicotine and flavourings, it also produces the vapour that is inhaled. Normally one of the following – Aqueous Glycerine, Propelyene Glycol or PolyEthylene Glycol-PEG 400
Only purchase these ingredients from a reputable supplier and keep out of reach of children.
TECC E-Liquid Mixing Kit
TECC E-Liquid Flavour Concentrates
E-Liquids are great for trying out different flavours, and if you mix your own you can create get your favourite flavours in strengths to suit you, and even create nicotine free mixes by simply leaving the nicotine out of the mix.
Refilling nicotine cartridges is often cheaper buying buying new pre-filled cartridges, so is good for your pocket as well.
As all electronic cigarettes, pipes and cigars all use the same technology and contain the same 3 basic parts of a battery, an atomiser and a nicotine cartridge, you may think that they all look and perform the same. Nothing could be further from the truth though.
Since there introduction a few years ago the electronic cigarette market has grown quickly and new models and designs are being constantly introduced, so that today they are available in a range of shapes and colours.
There are rectangular shaped ones such as the TECC Stick E-NIC, ones shaped like a screwdriver and others that are designed to look like real tobacco based cigarettes. Some of these designs even come in bright colours such as red, pink or gold making them easily distinguishable from tobacco based cigarettes.
TECC Screwdriver Electronic Cigarette
TECC Stick E-NIC Electronic Cigarette
TECC Tornado Electronic Cigarette
TECC Super Electronic Cigarette
Each of these designs will have been designed for a purpose, such as duplicating the look and actions of a real tobacco based cigarette or to do the opposite and become something that looks nothing like tobacco cigarettes. Others will be designed for maximum battery or nicotine cartridge performance.
Many of the different brands of electronic cigarette available at the moment will use the same standard parts and simply put their name on them while others will have custom made parts. Not all of these brands work as well as others though, for example the first couple of electronic cigarettes I tried had badly fitting cartridges or short battery life.
So before rushing out and buying an electronic cigarette it is worth putting a little thought into first and ask yourself how you plan to use it.
If you spend a lot of time outdoors then battery and cartridge life will be important to you.
If you want to use it indoors in public then something brightly coloured that doesn’t look like a real cigarette may be better so as to avoid confusion over the smoking ban.
If you want to be able to blend in with other smokers and maybe feel a bit odd using something brightly coloured or oddly shaped then an electronic cigarette designed to resemble the real thing may be better for you.
I often find I actually carry 2 electronic cigarettes around with me so that I can swap depending on my mood and situation. I also like to have one tobacco flavoured and one menthol. So before rushing in, give it a little thought and checkout what is available.
Despite some organisations trying to get the electronic cigarette banned they are becoming more and more popular. There are various reasons why their popularity with smokers is increasing, one such reason is simply that more people are getting to hear about them, either by word of mouth or through an online community.
Another obvious reason is that electronic cigarettes produce no smoke, and as such they don’t have the lethal concoction of chemicals that tobacco cigarettes are associated with, so health benefits will often be an important reason for trying the electronic cigarette.
As the electronic cigarette produces no smoke and thee vapour that they produce is odourless, the users home, cloths and hair wont get that typical smoky smell.
People looking to reduce their nicotine intake often have trouble with nicotine patches and gum, as they don’t treat the psychological side of smoking. I’m one of those people. They may tackle the nicotine side of things but I missed the physical act of smoking and certain activities I automatically associated with smoking, doing any of those things instantly set off a craving for a cigarette even if I had nicotine patches or gum.
The electronic cigarette still allows you to go through the motions of smoking and at the same time allow you to reduce your nicotine intake by either using the electronic cigarette less or by purchasing lower strength nicotine cartridges over time.
Then thee is the cost factor. Electronic cigarettes cost less to use than traditional tobacco based cigarettes. Depending on the cost of your regular brand of cigarette and particular brand of electronic cigarette savings can be 60% or even higher.
The reasons for the rise in popularity of electronic cigarettes are many and varied, and the more people get to hear about them the more popular they are set to become.
If you have a different reason for switching to electronic cigarettes let us know by leaving a comment below.
