Wow, lot's of good conversation here, glad to see people aren't fighting and flaming
Let's see if I can keep this to under a page worth of stuff lol
1.
@Mike_grpA posted a pretty good article. It does bring up a few interesting points. However it is written in a manner that seems to be a little squeamish about mentioning how those same chemicals are found and created in analog smokes. It does touch on it, but doesn't truly compare them. Secondly it does not talk about the specific liquids used for the tests. There are a LOT of liquids from China that have all sorts of nasty stuff in them and most of these studies notoriously use the worst ones they can find to effect a negative result. Notice they have never once used liquid from any of the products sold by the big tobacco companies for these tests either.
Another thing they skim over is that they use "items found in food flavorings" etc... what they don't mention is that these same chemicals are found in the very inhalers doctors prescribe to patients for asthma attacks, one of the things they site as a contributor found in ecigs. I've checked the labels on several of my wifes and my sons and they both have propylene glycol and glycerin in them. Ever go to a concert, club, or dance party? The fog machines at those events are nothing more than a big ecig without nicotine or flavoring. The use a coil to heat either propylene glycol or glycerin to produce vapor. Use a humidifier with any sort of additive? You'll find it in there are well. Nasal sprays, air fresheners, basically anything wet that gets aerosolized. Now, I'll give you that people don't inhale the same amount when using an inhaler, or humidifier, or going to a club, but it is the same substance(s).
At any rate, I get the point of the story, they want people to understand that they may not be totally harmless like many people think, but the point that should be stressed is that they are still a better alternative.
2. As
@niky pointed out, the real nasty stuff starts happening when you start to superheat this stuff. The research story briefly passes this over by mentioning "higher voltage". What you really need to do is look at it from a standpoint of Wattage, not Voltage. Voltage only takes into account the battery output and not the overall power converting the liquid to vapor. Heating coils have different resistance values and as such I can have a high resistance coil and high voltage but get the same result with a low res coil and a low voltage battery. This is why power (wattage) should be used instead.
Now, a typical "cigalike" like Blu and Vuse, as well as "pen style" Evod as mentioned by
@Joey D have a normal operating voltage of about 3.4-3.8v and usually a coil that is approximately 2ohm which makes it's max power rating about 7.2w. The setup I use has a 1.5ohm coil and a battery capable of running 4v which puts the max power level at about 10.6w. A lower end digital variable voltage/power device can usually run up to a max power level of about 15w. That being said, none of these devices have enough power to convert propylene glycol or glycerin into formaldehyde or other compounds.
Here is the real problem. Vaping has practically become a sport with some people. Who can get the biggest cloud, who can get the hardest hit, who can show the biggest numbers, etc. As such the power levels have continued to rise. Right now there are new devices on the market that can produce a staggering 45w. Think about this for a moment... an average car cigarette lighter can produce about 24w at the coil. I dripped a drop of liquid onto a car lighter once just to see what happens and let me tell you it is not pretty. At that power level the liquid instantly burns and I have no doubt it is a toxic nightmare. I can not imagine why these people are using twice as much power and even more so actually enjoying it. In my opionion those devices are hazardous in more ways than one and should really not be sold, but hey, if it makes them happy fine let them do it. I just don't want to see it on the news when some guy suffocates and then starts his house on fire with one.
3.
@savage388 , basically there are two types you could start with, a "cigalike" style you can find almost anywhere that look just like analogs and are very cheap -or- what is more widely know as an eGo style or as
@Joey D called it "pen style" which is also pretty easy to find and inexpensive (albeit a little more than the first).
As I've said before, to make these things work for you can be a matter of trial and error. I started messing with ecigs when they first came to the US about 6 or so years ago and have tried almost literally every design and method. Personally it was the eGo style (such as the Evod) that finally got me off analogs and it happened organically, I didn't decide to quit, it just happened on it's own. It is the same basic design I've stuck with because it works. You can generally pick up an evod kit for about $35.
The setup I am using as I write this is in fact a type of eGo setup (the one I mentioned before)...
It is simple, durable, rebuildable, cheap, and works great for me. In fact it is easier and just as effective as the $200 setup I was using last summer. The one pictured would cost about $30 to replicate. An added bonus of this one is that the voltage is variable so you can adjust it to your liking. It will also accept a wide range of different res coils to further tune the power range. Those are two things you won't find on the kit models.
Another key component is nicotine level. If you pick something with too low of nicotine you won't like it because it will feel to far away from a real one. I've seen analogs compared to 36mg in the past so I would start at either that or 24mg depending on how heavily you smoke. I was up to 2.5pk/day when I quit and I was using 36mg at the time. If you smoke Menthol, get menthol flavor. If non-menthol keep in mind that "most" liquids labeled as tobacco are similar to a pipe tobacco or a cigar, not the flavor from a cig. Look for something listed as "reds" or "turkish" or something similar. Those usually try to emulate Marlboro or Camel type flavors. At the same time I would suggest trying a few different liquids to see if there is one that works for you. I would advise staying away from the super cheap Chinese stuff though, as mentioned above.
5. In my honest opinion there is obviously no way that ecigs will ever be "perfectly safe" but as I've said they are a better alternative, and if used correctly can be a great cessation aid. I'll admit that my personality does not allow the "cold turkey" method. I tried it several times and each time I ended up worse off than before and smoked even more. It's been a bit of a long road but I am now down to almost zero nicotine, and when that happens it won't be long before I ditch the ecigs altogether.
If you can, IMO the safest thing you can do is to mix your own liquid. This is what I do. I have total control over the ingredients used and their ratios. It is also truckloads of cash cheaper in the long run.
If you made it this far through my ramblings congratulations and I hope it helped answer some questions
