I have tried several different e-cigarettes. Each model has it's own unique feel to it. Some are almost useless, others are more utilitarian, and then there are the ones that just feel right.

The first e-cigarette I bought was cheap and came in a convenient package that held all the pieces and had a built in charger. If you are curious, it was a Health E-Cigarette product. Despite the fact that it was almost impossible to take a drag from it, it was my first e-cigarette experience, and it convinced me that I didn't need to smoke tobacco anymore.

The next few were better than the Heath E-Cigarette, but not by much. One had no battery life at all, the other wouldn't make enough vapor to fill my mouth, nevermind a full inhalation. I was beginning to lose interest in electronic cigarettes.

Then I found the M401. I ordered it because I heard that an online seller was going out of business and had slashed all his prices. I ordered the starter kit and a boat load of cartridges. When it arrived, I couldn't wait to fully charge the battery before giving it a try. I knew from other kits that the batteries still have some residual charge in them from factory testing. I put the e-cigarette together, and began to draw my first drag. Wow, it was as easy as an analog cigarette (tobacco smoke), I could feel the vapor at the back of my throat. Then I exhaled, and exhaled some more. A huge cloud of vapor hung in the air in front of me. I was even able to blow a few "smoke" rings.

<sorry, I had to pause to relive that moment>

This was what an e-cigarette should be. An absolute pleasure to use, instead of something that sort of replaced analog cigarettes. As an added bonus, I figured out that the batteries from my first Health E-Cigarette, fit onto my M401. So now I have four batteries instead of just two. I am never without power for my e-cigarette enjoyment.

By far, the M401 is my favorite. It has a four hole atomiser which makes it easy to inhale. It makes a huge volume of vapor. Best of all, my old batteries from a low quality product fit this Rolls Royce of electronic cigarettes. If you are considering getting an e-cigarette, or upgrading to a better one, the M401 will serve you well.

For the most fantastic electronic cigarette experience, you must try the DSE 801. I keep my other e-cigarettes around and charged up in case I need them, but I always use my DSE 801. It looks more like a pen, than a cigarette. The performance of it makes the looks insignificant. This thing is a dream to use. Tons of vapor, enough to irritate the throat a bit, easy to draw on, easier than an analog cigarette. Even better than all that, I was able to get a USB passthrough for it. This means that anytime I am near a power supply (wall socket, car 12V, computer with USB) I can use my e-cigarette without worrying about the battery going dead.

If you are considering trying out an electronic cigarette, I hope that my insight has helped you to make a decision.

Be Well.

E-liquid is the only way to go for refilling electronic cigarette cartridges. Many vendors offer carts for a reasonable price but refilling is more convenient and is still more cost effective.

There are several recipes for making your own flavored e-liquid from unflavored liquid. I have tried this and it didn't turn out too well. That's probably because I'm not patient enough to accept failed attempts.

What I learned from reading about making your own liquid is that glycerin can be used to thicken the liquid. In my experience, adding glycerin to a strong e-liquid results in a milder nicotine strength and it produces much more vapor.

The trick is to only put enough glycerin in so that the liquid starts to get thicker. If it gets too thick it doesn't produce much vapor and can clog up the insides of your electronic cigarette.

I figured this trick out by experimenting with the little bit of liquid left in the bottom of one of my e-liquid bottles. I added a few drops of glycerin at a time. I found that adding about 15% glycerin to a PG based liquid gave me the best vapor production and didn't dilute the taste too much.

You can find glycerin at any craft store that sells cake decorating material. I found mine at Michael's. As well, you can find flavoring there if you want to try mixing your own flavored liquids.

My greatest realization while figuring this out was that by switching to e-cigarettes and refilling them myself, that my dirty nasty habit has transformed into a bit of a hobby. This is much better than the nagging thought about my health as I smoke an analog cigarette.

[This article is helpful to prepare one of my favorite e-cigarettes for use. The carts that some with that electronic cigarette taste horrible and don't have any nicotine in them. Its my favorite because it only cost $40 including shipping and it produces tons of vapor.]

If you are already familiar with the basics of electronic cigarettes then you already know that once a cartridge is empty, your only choice is to put on another one. Once all your carts are used up you have to find more. For me, this means searching through all the internet vnedors for compatible carts at a reasonable price and, hopefully, with a good selection of flavors and strengths. Even if I do find a good vendor, they may be out of stock of what I really want.

The solution is to buy e-liquid (or e-juice) and refill your carts. A 20ml container of liquid will outlast 50 cartridges by far. You can purchase all strengths and flavors that you can imagine.

The process to refill a cartridge is pretty simple. Your most important tool is..... a paper clip. Take the cartridge off of the atomizer. Push the paper clip into the hole that you inhale through. This will push up the inner part of the cart that holds the liquid. In this piece, you will see some packing that looks a bit like fluffed up wool. At this point all you have to do is put 6 or 7 drops of liquid into the packing. Finally, push the inner part back into the cart with your paper clip and you are ready to go!!

Advanced tips:

If you want or need to clean the packing material. Just remove it and rinse it with warm water. Pat it dry with some paper towel. Once it is dry put it back in, fill the cart and you are ready to go.

Also note that pure nicotine is toxic and it can be absorbed through your skin. It's a good idea to wash your hands after filling carts, just to make sure you don't absorb too much nicotine through your skin.

it took some time, but we finally added the e-liquid to the Emporium.

Due to shipping costs we decided to only offer a package of three 30 ml bottles. You can choose your strength and flavors by sending us an email and including it in the comments section of the PayPal checkout. The strengths and flavors are listed with the product here.

For those of you who are new to e-cigarettes, we will post an article about how to use e-liquid and why it makes more sense to refill your own cartridges instead of only buying new carts.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, please drop us a line here.

Just a quick update to let you know that some new models of e-cigarette have been added to the store. These improved models have a longer battery life, and are easier to take a drag from. For more experienced users, this is an ideal product to try refilling your own cartridges with. We will be adding e-liquid products very soon!!

Have a look at the new products on the E-Cigarette page in the Emporium.

Be well, don't smoke, just vaporize....