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If you are not already familiar with E-cigarettes have a look here for a quick primer. Using an e-cigarette, or personal vaporizer as they are often called, is not as simple as unwrapping a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up. There is a learning curve, and some techniques that you must master.
The maintenance and change of techniques may seem a bit daunting at first, but for many it is a small price to pay to eliminate 4000+ chemicals from your body while still enjoying “smoking". This guide will give you all the basics you need to get started.
Charging and assembly
When you first unwrap a kit you will notice a lot of little pieces. Typical with a 3 piece unit like a Joye 510 there will be one or two battery, one or two atomizers, a few cartridges, and a battery charger. On a 2 piece unit like a KR808D-1 instead of atomizers and cartridges you will find things called “cartomizers.” A cartomizer is an atomizer and a cartridge in one disposable unit.
The first thing you must do is charge your batteries. Most instruction manuals claim you should charge the batteries for 6-8 hours or so, but this is actually unnecessary. It is a hold over from NiMH batteries that could develop a “memory.” Lithium batteries, like the E-cigarettes use have no “memory effect.”
To charge the batteries, most chargers will plug either into a wall outlet or a USB port on a computer, and the battery is screwed into the charger. The light on the charger will turn green when they are done. It a good practice to charge one battery while the other is in use. The batteries have a much shorter lifespan than what the manufacturers claim, and the last thing anyone wants is to be stuck without a charged battery.
After the batteries are fully charged simply screw on an atomizer and a pre-filled cartridge, or a pre-filled cartomizer and “vape” as it is know to the E-cigarette community.
Manual Vs. Auto Techniques
There are two types of batteries available for e-cigarettes, automatic and manual batteries. The automatic batteries have a sensor in them that activates the atomizer when it detects the user puffing on it. They usually work by sound which can present some problems in noisy places. When using an automatic battery the user must take what's known as a “primer puff” to warm the atomizer. You would inhale for about 3 seconds and release the breath and then take a real drag that lasts about 6-12 seconds.
With a manual battery there is a button that must be pushed to activate the atomizer. The most common technique I have come across for using a manual battery is to press the button and hold it as you raise your hand to your lips and then take the 6-12 second drag.
No matter which type of battery you choose, you must learn to inhale differently than you would with a traditional cigarette. A long slow drag pulled into the mouth and then inhaled will produce much better results than one quick drag pulled directly into the lungs.
Storage
It is important to protect your e-cigarette when it is not in use. The cartridges contain nicotine, which when used by an adult of legal age responsibly is perfectly safe, but could cause harm to small children or pets. Always keep your vaporizer out of reach of children!
The manufacturers recommend keeping e-liquid and cartridges in a cool dark place. Some people actually keep theirs in the fridge, but I have found that a small box with a lock on a high shelf is sufficient to keep everything fresh.
You still need to protect your supplies while you are on the go. I recommend a PCC (Personal Charging Case.) Most styles of E-cigarettes have one available, and they not only carry a battery, atomizer, and a few cartridges but they contain a rechargeable battery that actually keeps your e-cigarette battery charged when it is in the case.
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