FAQs

What is an “e-cigarette” and why do people use it?

An e-cigarette is comprised of three main parts:

• an aluminium tubing containing atomizers

• a cartridge containing a nicotine liquid filled filter

• a lithium ion battery

People have taken to using e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes. Many smokers have wanted to cut down in the past but found the alternatives unsatisfactory. E-cigs look, taste and feel like smoking a real cigarette, without the harm usually associated with them.

What are the advantages of electronic cigarettes over traditional cigarettes?

E-cigs don’t leave thick deposits of tar on your lungs, nor do they contain any of the 4000+ chemicals found in traditional cigarettes. You won’t have the bad breath or smokey smell on your clothing associated with real tobacco.

How do e-cigs work?

Drawing air in as you would with a traditional cigarette activates the battery which turns on the vaporiser and turns the nicotine liquid into a vapour that can be inhaled. This vapour is what you see when someone smoking an e-cigarette breathes out a cloud of what looks like smoke.

How does the e-cigarette turn on?

If your e-cig is automatic, all you have to do is inhale to turn it on. If you have a manual e-cigarette there should be a button you can press to turn it on.

What is a cartridge?

Cartridges are composed mainly of the food additive propylene glycol with a small dose of nicotine and natural flavour essences. Propylene glycol is found in many everyday foods and considered safe. It is what creates the smoke-like vapour which you exhale when you smoke an e-cig. In small doses nicotine can encourage a feeling of calm and relaxation. Current research has found that nicotine is does not cause cancer in healthy tissue.

How long does the cartridge last?

It will be different for everyone, but generally a cartridge lasts around the same amount of time as 7-10 traditional cigarettes would.

When should you replace the cartridge?

Replace the cartridge when the vapour emitted from your e-cigarette begins to reduce. This is a sign that the nicotine in the cartridge is beginning to run out. Anywhere between 2-5 hours is generally a good estimation.

How long does the battery last?

Like the cartridge, depending on how often you use your e-cig will dictate how long the battery lasts.

How long does an atomiser last?

Some atomisers can last up to 6 months, while others are a lot less. Different liquids can also affect the life of the atomiser. If you take care of your atomiser its life will likely be prolonged. Keep it clean with canned air and, if possible, have another atomiser to rotate usage.

What exactly is the smoke that the e-cigarette releases?

The “smoke” released from an e-cigarette is not really smoke. It’s mainly water vapour that almost immediately evaporates into the air once exhaled.

Does e-cigarette vapour smell?

People rarely complain that the vapour has an unpleasant or noticeable odour.

What does an electronic cigarette taste like?

E-cigarettes taste like traditional tobacco, but without the chemical taste as they contain none of the pollution of real tobacco. You can choose different flavours of e-liquid with different strengths of nicotine.

What flavourings do you use? Are they from real fruit?

We use flavourings designed to provide the expected taste of perfect consistent fresh fruit. They are generally not made from the fruit but from laboratory purified flavouring substances that, whilst they may be found in fruit, are refined in their pure state from other materials.

We use flavouring substances because of their safety, purity and consistency. To use the fruit itself brings with it risks such as inconsistency, loss of fresh taste, oxidation, microbiological activity, and residues of pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals.

The burning question: are e-cigarettes safe?

E-cigs are still undergoing extensive testing to establish how safe they are. We regularly inform our customers of these updates on our blog (link to the blog).

We cannot categorically state that the electronic cigarette is safe; however, smokers that have switched from traditional cigarettes to using e-cigarette devices do, on the whole, prefer e-cigs.

Can anyone use the e-cigarette?

E-cigarettes are intended for adults aged 18 or over and should not be used by pregnant women. You should always consult your doctor before starting to smoke an electronic cigarette.