pitter patter on the keyboard

I did not expect to be writing my third product review so soon but my bulk order of eGo-W Variable Voltage kits came so fast that here we are. An eGo-W is essentially an eGo-T with a third party (Eliq) tank cartomizer. Add a variable voltage battery with LED status indicator and you have the eGo-W Variable Voltage from Esco Technology.

This kit retails for up to $120 in Canada but if you’re able to fill an order for at least 10 they run about $38/unit after shipping. It took only four days for my package to leave Shenzen, China and arrive in Vancouver, half a day to clear customs and only another two days to reach me here in Ontario. Mind blowing. The coffee maker I had shipped from the states a month ago only arrived today. :/

The kits include:

• 2 × EGO-W clear atomizer
• 2 × VV batteries
• 1 × Inject bottle (10ml)
• 1 × Wall Charger
• 1 × USB charger
• 1 × User manual

eGo-Ws also have a pen-style cap with a clip on it. This sounds more useful than it is, because the (at least 1100mAh) batteries are long and heavy enough to club someone to death with. I do like the cap for the fact that it keeps the mouthpiece from getting filthy when in transit but the clip exerts an alarming amount of pressure on the – as I am beginning to read – fragile inner cartomizer.

My shipment came with two (I am assuming) sample eGo-T type B (cone) atomizers and 5 T-style tanks. If my first W cartomizer breaks like this guy’s I’ll be giving those a shot and appending my findings:

eGo batteries support 510 atomizers and cartomizers thanks to dual threading. I can’t see myself using the atties off of my 510s; so far I have found the W cartomizer to be superior in every way. There is none of the burnt polyfill taste that comes with cartridges and the e-juice flavour comes out much more clearly.

The part that makes this particlar e-cig really cool is the variable voltage battery. Though I was hoping there would be a 5-click safety on-off as in some newer eGo-T batts this is sacrificed in the variable voltage battery; it is always ready and clicking the button 5 times in under 2 seconds changes the voltage.

Voltages range from:

• 3.8 – 4.2V   Blue LED
• 3.4 – 3.8V   Blue & Red LED
• 3.0 – 3.4V   Red LED

I am so glad I went with variable voltage batteries. I can see the higher voltages causing problems with additives that combust at too low a temperature but the high setting is so intense it can make me cough. This is exactly the kind of experience I was hoping for in terms of vapour production, throat hit and flavour purity.

It would be nice to be able to disable the battery indicator; on a full charge 5 LEDs must be powered on every hit. That’s a lot of juice that could be better spent … vaping juice. On that note, if you’re ordering bulk you’d be an idiot not to go with the 1100mAh batteries as they only run $2 more per unit than the 650mAh batts. If your regular 650mAh eGo-T only lasts so long without charging imagine what the higher voltages would mean to your vaping time.

I have one serious issue with this model. To fill a new cartomizer one must puncture an indentation in the silicone plug that is flush against the side of the tank. The indentation only goes about halfway down the plug. This results in a lop-sided plug after you’ve done your first fill, worse you may end up compromising some of the seal’s integrity by coming out too far up or close to the side. I recommend removing the sleeve around the tank for this first step and make the puncture at as inward an angle as possible. Once the sleeve has been replaced it’s probably wise to leave it there for the next refill(s) to reduce unnecessary stress on the tank plastic.

As with my review of the 510s I’ll be adding updates to this post as these begin to grow on me (or not).

I also want to make special mention of Ms. Lucy Lu of Esco‘s excellent customer service; she was a pleasure to deal with and kept us informed of our order’s progress every step of the way.

UPDATE Lucy was kind enough to send me some great shots of the individual components of the eGo-W:

I should note that – possibly due to the fact that these were being shipped to Canada – the filler bottles in my order came empty despite the apparent option of different strength juices.

Another thing I want to mention is that the low air resistance on this cartomizer is fantastic. The draw is nowhere near as hard as with the 510s so it is possible to puff without straining one’s cheeks. I found with the 510s I have to smoke them like a joint; straight into and only with the lungs. The Eliq cart provides a much more realistic cigarette experience despite the default flute tips, which I am getting quite used to.

UPDATE Day three and I’m still at half the factory charge, having used only one battery. I think I mixed the blackberry juice a little heavy on the nicotine and the all-round better experience this e-cig provides has significantly reduced how often I vape. I also haven’t had to re-fill yet, and the hits are staying consistent (though decreasing slightly with the battery’s charge). I don’t want to come down on the 510s because they were good enough to get me to quit smoking but they are absolutely no match. I can never go back.

As far as my addiction is concerned I am going so long between puffs now I often forget why I feel mildly stressed in a peculiar way and have to think about it for a minute before I realize I could use a hit off the vape. This provides instant relief, I can feel the first three or four puffs rushing up my spine and into my brain. It’s definitely time to kick the nicotine down a notch.

My only complaint so far is that this morning I started getting juice in my mouth. After taking off the flute tip it’s clear this is from condensation and not leaking by the way the droplets are configured within the chamber. It just takes a q-tip to clean but I am wary about removing and re-inserting the mouthpiece more than absolutely necessary to prolong the life of the tank.

UPDATE I refilled my cartomizer with “apple candy” juice mixed fresh last night and realized that when you inject juice into the tank you can create tremendous pressure on the tank walls from within. I don’t think it’s a leap to suggest this might make the cartomizer particularly vulnerable to shattering. I recommend that after every fifth or sixth of the tank that you fill it should be brought battery-connection-up so you can suck some of the air pocket into your squeeze bottle.

UPDATE The unit rolled behind my keyboard while typing. It took me a while to realize I was hearing the atomizer firing. The coil has discoloured the silicone around it and there is a bit of an off-taste. If I place another order I’m going to see what can be done about the 5-click on/off safety mechanism found in newer regular eGo batteries.

UPDATE One of the customers left their cig in a car outside over night. It froze and the tank shattered. This is probably an obvious one to avoid but worthy of mention nonetheless.

UPDATE It has only been 8 days and I’ve already managed to burn both of my cartomizers. I just loaded up a “type B version 2″ or regular cone atomizer and tank. Much to my surprise there has so far been no overtly disagreeable taste from the primer fluid. The regular atomizer does not produce nearly as well as the Eliq W cartomizer and I find the larger flute-tip of the tanks less comfortable.

UPDATE Still going strong with the cone T-type atomizer and tank. It hits well enough and I’ve had no problems with leakage etc. Touch wood. Every filler bottle that came with the kits and I have used (about 4 so far) has broken at the tip on the first use. Be careful when you withdraw the needle or it may stay stick in the silicone.

UPDATE Day 18. The cone T-type atomizer and tank are still holding up well. Just made some Juicy Fruit juice, not bad. Doing peach in the T right now and it’s still weak, will try adding more flavour drops. One of the customers passed her e-cig around at Christmas and something happened whereby it stopped hitting and the Wildberry juice I mixed myself turned fluorescent piss yellow. Will investigate when I have time. Cleaned out my first W cartomizer today. Pretty sure I ruined the seal by pressing to hard on the air straw, which also serves as one of the battery contacts so this may hold it in place. Also may have put the silicone seal on improperly. We’ll see. Serious pain in the ass, got my hands and the carto covered in full strength nicotine juice. I’m wired.

In the first part of this series I reviewed the Health E-Cigarette. Unfortunately, it shipped with nicotine-free cartridges so it spent some two months on the shelf before I obtained a vial of 10mg e-juice. In full compliance with Murphy’s Law by this time the atomizer had mysteriously broken. In the mean time I have been smoking cartons of Native cigarettes. When you get your cigarettes in a giant ziplock bag by the 200s it begins to put in perspective the amount of tar one ingests.

I was eventually compelled to cough up the dough to try a new model. Today – after a very long wait – that model arrived:

Or models, I should say. I wised up this time and made sure to get two full units. Meet the 510:

I purchased this model from lightinthebox.com because when shopping hung over I am easily frustrated and moved to make compulsive decisions. The downside to lightinthebox is that their “Super Saver Shipping” adds a 15-day handling period before they even send the damned thing out. In total I was dinged USD$47.48.

The first thing I noticed about this model is how bloody long the battery is. Obviously, it should translate into longer runtime. I have a thing for long cigarettes and cigarette holders so it doesn’t bother me. The second most noteworthy feature is the “steel wool” pad-style atomizer element which is apparently favoured by experienced vapers for its ease of use in “dip” or “drip”ping e-juice directly. While it shares this design with my Health E-Cigarette the 510′s element is recessed almost an inch into the atomizer housing which, upon first inspection, seems to eliminate the possibility of dipping and increase the complexity of dripping.

These rather novel cartridges insert into the atomizer housing and supply e-juice to the element from a permanent compartment stuffed with loose polymer fibres. The design of the compartment and two small air slits suggest that in theory this particular model is very good at keeping unvaporized droplets from getting sucked into the user’s mouth.

Update: The charger is sensitive to touch. Wonderful. It’s sealed shut too, there is no opening it without breaking it.

Very cheap construction all around. You can see that the tip of the charger’s connector is a metal bar with a position tab to keep it from protruding past the internally-insulated nut. The spring doesn’t have much force so my second thought was to lengthen it a bit (the first was to clean the contacts). Still no change. It seems that the moulded cavity that is supposed to hold the nut securely has a little give to it and this is enough to make the connection impermanent.

I hope this won’t be the second e-cig I have to take up with PayPal. :/

Update: The morning after. It is presently 09h30 and my last cigarette was at 17h00 last night. So far I FEEL GREAT! My biggest concern was that the e-cig wouldn’t be man enough for my morning nic-fit; I think it has passed the test. The cartridges don’t seem to hold anywhere near as many puffs as advertised but I was expecting that after my experience with “the blanks”. Maybe they do – but they certainly don’t come out creamy enough after a while. I probably went through six drops of e-juice plus the contents of two cartridges last night alone.

If a cartridge is supposed to be 36 cigarettes is it possible I am over-dosing it a little? I’m banking on the belief that this is just typical marketing crap and 6 or 7 puffs is about half a cig to a cig because it “feels right”.

Both my little vial of e-juice and the cartridges that came with it surprised me in how actually cigarette-like they were. Don’t get me wrong, they taste nothing like cigarettes as we know them but it was a far better simulation than I expected. It doesn’t taste like smoke so much as the really clean, bare tang of a cigarette. It even seems to tickle the nose a the same way. There are hints of the other flavouring agents but I applaud the restraint with which they were added – it doesn’t pretend to be smoke but it delivers the point without being obnoxious. The glycerin will probably always leave a slightly sweet taste no matter what flavour you use but it’s not exactly the worst thing in the world. With my luck I’ll end up on candy canes when I try to get off of e-cigs :\

I’m feeling pretty optimistic about quitting. I figure if I can make it three days I can make it all the way. Paws crossed :3

Update: Almost day 6! I got drunk on night 2 and figured if I didn’t have a cigarette it would stay in my mind and bother me all night. I didn’t even finish half of it before I had to put it out. I’ve been tempted since then but all it takes is three puffs off the e-cig and I’m back to normal. I had no idea quitting could be so easy and I’ve made all of my friends interested. Right now I’m putting together an order for six (that’s right, SIX) eGo T starter kits. Since most 510 and eGo parts are interchangeable I don’t feel particularly bad about settling for the 510 first. If you want an e-cigarette that works and looks like a cigarette the 510 is certainly for you. If you want something that HITS like a real cigarette… well I’m hoping that’s what the eGo will deliver.

I dropped one of my batteries while I was out. Now the button likes to stick unless one only presses the far edge. It doesn’t seem to stay on when it’s stuck like this but it has fire hazard written all over it.

Noticed that all of the cartridges that shipped with my 510s are stale. The juice didn’t go brown so much as it congealed into a very robust translucent white gel very firmly attached to the polyester which does not so much wash off in warm water as it does break apart, leaving the filling looking a lot like a wad of loose Velcro fibres. Unlike Velcro, the globules do not act as hooks and re-matting the filler remains quite difficult.

It didn’t take even 24 hours for me to try my first modification: Fun with Vapour Part Four: Straw Air Pressure Cartridge Modification. This cartridge modification makes using stuffed cartridges daily conceivable but from what I have seen they are no match for the longevity of tanks. I was very interested in pursuing the brass screen modification but don’t feel I can afford to risk breaking my atomizers before their time. The next modification I hope to try is the “Pyramid Teabag Mod” which supposedly provides better capacity and wicking through the use of tea bag material for cartridge filler.

I went to a local flea market on Sunday where I got my first vial of nicotine-containing e-juice many months ago but the vendor I purchased from was no longer there. Nobody had juice (nicotine-free or otherwise), but three vendors had taken up selling cheap nicotine-free e-cigs. Two of them were pushing the Health E-Cigarette which I have already reviewed (crap). One of these vendors ripped my 510 out of my hand and TWISTED the cartridge off (anyone with a 510 knows that’s a great way to break your atomizer) then told me with a straight face that it was a “knockoff.”

I very nearly punched him in the mouth.

I wondered for a while if this topic would be best suited here but eventually concluded that electronic cigarettes are a clever way to hack smoking ;)

The electronic cigarette fad appeals to me on many levels, but foremost because I believe it is a perfect expression of a technologically advanced society applying just a modicum of its potential and common sense to conquer a problem that has gone needlessly unsolved for a very long time. It has long been known that cigarette addiction has more components than nicotine. Cessation tools like patches and gums have a failure rate somewhere on the order of 90% because they do not address the physical conditioning aspect. Part of the habit involves the weight of the cigarette in the fingers, the sensation of it on the lips and the smell taste and temperature of the gasses inhaled. Tactics like sucking on a lollipop rely on an oversimplified model of the problem while electronic cigarettes promise to provide a reasonably believable smoking experience whilst delivering adjustable amounts of nicotine – minus the myriad combustion products produced by a real cigarette.

The nicotine suspension or “e-juice” has three components: a food-safe glycerol base, food-safe flavouring and optionally a nicotine dose. The solution is vaporised on a battery-powered heating element so these chemicals are absorbed directly by the lungs without any combustion to alter them. The FDA and Health Canada have advised that electronic cigarettes are not safe and should be avoided and this has lead to a lot of conspiracy theorizing. When you consider that China has an awful reputation for exporting products containing heavy metals I find it becomes easy to understand their rationale. Nontheless, it is my humble opinion that something with the kind of potential that e-cigs have should be fast-tracked to federal testing – Health Canada would have a much more budgetary room to breathe if thousands of smokers didn’t require treatment each year.

I have been a smoker since the age of 15 and I have never tried to quit. I really enjoy smoking; I like the way it feels, I like the way it looks and I like the way it tastes. Despite this, by most standards I’m a light smoker. I only smoke around half a pack of king size lights a day and tend to chip them half way to finish later. I am not explicitly setting out to quit smoking by switching to electronic cigarettes but I think it would be wonderful if that was the end result. I don’t want to give up “smoking” in some form and I am hopeful e-cigs can give me that without the lung problems. This will be the first in a series of articles where I review the products I buy in the course of my adventure and share tips I have found helpful.

First up, the Health E-Cigarette:

This single cigarette kit cost $15.00USD including shipping on eBay. It took just over a month to arrive from Hong Kong, which is unusual as I’m used to seeing packages from the pacific rim in 2-3 weeks. I think eBay has some sort of restriction on selling e-cigs because most listings seem to be sporadic and end up user-deleted before their natural expiration.  This was actually the “backup” kit I had ordered; something in the back of my head told me there would be a problem with the one I wanted being delivered so I ordered this cheap one off of eBay the next day and sure enough I had to cancel my first oder due to incompetence. I was disappointed to find the cartridges that were included had no nicotine (and evidently no flavour though there is a mild off-cocnutty taste to them). Even if the vapour got me off these would never do it for me psychologically.

On the bright side, the included atomizer uses the angled “steel wool” sort of element which folks across the board indicate is better for “dipping” or “dripping” (applying e-juice directly to the element for more full-bodied hits) because it protrudes. I was expecting the cartridges to be composed of saturated foam but to my surprise they came in the form of plastic capsules with aluminum foil covering one end. I’m not particularly fond of this idea since the heating element is used to puncture the foil of the cartridge and as I understand it atomizers tend to break often. I also see these being a pain in the ass to refill for the same reason they tend to unload all of their juice if the cartridge is removed: a reliance on the “seal” made by the heating element pressed against the burst foil.

I’m not impressed with the amount of vapour this model produces. Interestingly, the atomizer has two holes and this video suggests covering one for better vapour production:

If there has been an increase on this unit the improvement has been minimal enough as to be intangible. Full disclosure: cutie in the vid sells these things.

In summary, I’m not very happy with my new e-cig on first impressions but I want to withhold judgement until I get some flavoured and nicotine-containing juice, which will hopefully make the vapour feel more full-bodied. This isn’t the model I wanted to get anyway and I’m not completely put off; I’ll be shopping around some more and plan to make my next purchase soon.