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Hello FTJoe, I have come to respect your opinion over the past few months, Joe, and I have read many of your posts. I was very leary of saying that the e-cig was harmless too. I wrote of few posts about nicotine back in early November and was very concerned about the nicotine content in PVs. I quit analogs at the end of October, and when I did I visited my doctor. We even did chest x-rays and blood tests, along with a complete physical to establish a base-line. This time next year we will be taking more x-rays to see how I'm progressing. I have high blood pressure and take medication for it every day, so I also am concerned about my heart. Let me try to explain my position and answer your question. I've scoured the internet for studies done on the effects of nicotine. Most all of them (as you mentioned) are in connection with tobacco products. But I have seen some studies done by makers of NRTs. These products, which contain nicotine, are sold over the counter and are deemed safe by the FDA. It is these same companies that report that nicotine, by it self, is virtually harmless. Thats why I use that word (virtually). So what does virtually mean? Well, your right, nicotine is a stimulant, and can do all the things that you said it can do. But so does caffeine. The effects of the nicotine patch, or gum, or spray, even at it's highest strength levels are not something that normal people should worry too much about. But when you combine nicotine with the other 400 chemicals found in tobacco, you run the serious risk of a heart attack, stroke, and cancer. 90% of all cancers are linked to tobacco. Dr. David Baron of the UCLA Medical Center has been interviewed in the past and addresses these issues much better than I can. Here's the link: Dr. Baron Dr. Baron mentions that an overdose of nicotine could possibly cause symptoms like the ones you mention in your reply. So lets look at what it takes to OD on nicotine...... First off, it needs to be understood that the half-life of nicotine is extremely short, 40 minutes. What that means is that in under 2 hours, all nicotine in your system is gone! If you were blood tested for nicotine 80-120 minutes after ingesting nicotine, the test would be negative. An overdose of nicotine ranges from 60-80mg, depending on the individual. The average e-liquid contains about 24-36mg/ml. So if you were to drink 2-4mls of e-liquid straight, you would feel like you just did a serious line of cocaine. You would in effect be OVERDOSING on nicotine, and like cocaine or other stimulants, would be in serious risk of hurting yourself very badly. Oh, and the average analog smoke delivers about 1-2mg of nicotine per cigarette. It can therefore be concluded that overdosing on cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, is very hard to do.... So my point is this. I personally feel that the e-cigarette is possibly one of the GREATEST health-related products to be invented in the past 10 years. 400,000 people die from tobacco every year, and there are about 50 million tobacco users in the US alone. Imagine what this product can do to save the lives of countless people around the world. Other NRTs, with a success rate of 5%, don't hold a candle to the success rate of the e-cig. I guess your right that the e-cig was invented in China, but here's how I look at that. The guy that invented this thing was driven by the fact that his father was diagnosed with cancer and wouldn't give up the smokes even after being encouraged to do so. He made this thing with the idea in mind that it might save his Pop. It just so happens that he is Chinese. Chinese companies don't have the legislative restrictions that we have over here, which is too bad. We have the FDA, , which tries to protect us from harm, China doesn't. But it's not the bong that hurts you, bud. It's what you put in the bong. And most of the liquid this forum promotes is made in the USA. I don't know, but I think suppliers like VT have gone to great lengths to help protect it's customers from harm. VT store's disclaimer is spot on. Chris includes the Surgeon's Generals warning, the fact that nicotine should not be used by pregnant and nursing mothers, that liquid should be kept away from children and pets. These are all important things to consider. Child-proof containers are great! But I would just hate myself if someone who is trying to quit analogs was scared off by the idea that the e-cig was harmful enough that they shouldn't try it. I hope you understand my position, Joe.

So i was looking into getting a vp1 for the 510. So do you just screw in your atomizer? Sorry if this is a dumb question but just wondering how it works. Vaprlife.com has one for 89 bucks with no atomizer. So i guess i have to use my atomizer from my 510 set.. Anyone have one? If so let me know what you think of it. Thanks

FTJoe, I agree with what your trying to say, and I surely don't feel offended. Nor should you be, bud. I whole-heartedly agree that to err on the side of caution is very prudent. Your point is well argued, and well taken. I must admit that I may have pushed it a bit when I wrote that using the e-cig exclusively would cause one's health to improve in EXACTLY the same manner as if one quits all together. However, from the evidence being presented so far I can't find too much to be worried about. There is a lot of really bad press out there, Like this idiot, and the FDA sure isn't helping, either. It's good to be skeptical, but I'm convinced that when all the smoke clears the e-cigarette will be exonerated completely. But thats just my opinion.... If you haven't watched the Dr Baron's interview yet, you should. Here is the link again: Dr. Baron Dr. Baron is the Chief of staff at UCLA Medical Center. The reason I advice you to watch his interview is because he is VERY reputable. I realize that he is being interviewed (and possibly paid) by an e-cig company, but what he says about nicotine sums up very well what science says about nicotine. Other appropriate links: New Zealand Study Nicotine info UK research on e-cig carts Study done on PG With regards to your comments on how long nicotine remains in the system, and insurance testing, let me say this.... I have found several varying results concerning nicotine's half-life. The most conservative estimate that I've found says that nicotine's half-life is 2 hours. The most liberal opinions state that nicotine has a 40 minute half-life. The reason for this discrepancy seems to involve the individual. Some people metabolize nicotine faster than others. Thats why some folks smoke a great deal more than others. I smoked about 2 packs a day, but a friend of mine only smoked half of that a day. She may have metabolized nicotine slower than I did. But my reason for bringing up the short half-life of nicotine was to help illustrate how difficult it would be to OD by smoking or vaping. Nicotine is metabolized very rapidly in our system. The symptoms you wrote about (increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, et al) are associated primarily with TOXIC quantities of nicotine. Yes, your pulse goes up a little while you smoke, but not to any harmful degree. Certainly not nearly as much as it does just climbing a flight of stairs. Testing for nicotine is done by measuring cotinine, which is the primary metabolite of nicotine, because nicotine goes through our system so quickly. Look, most addictions are harmful to a person, I understand that. Alcohol or drug addictions can ruin a person's life. Gambling or even sex can become harmful addictions. If you want to argue that ANY addiction is harmful, well you certainly have a strong point. But what I'm saying is if nicotine, by itself, taken in normally low doses, is in fact "virtually" harmless (like caffeine), then why should we see it as potentially bad for us?

I think this all boils down to the individual. Some people are able to quit without too much trouble, but I would venture to say that those people are not the majority. Most people who smoke do so because nicotine is addictive, yes. I think that people also keep doing it because they quite simply ENJOY it, and why shouldn't they enjoy it? Isn't that an effect the nicotine gives. I mean there has to be a reason it is so darn good feeling, right? Either way, ultimately it does boil down to a personal choice, but every individual is different in what they perceive themselves capable of. Maybe anybody is CAPABLE of quitting, but take it from someone who has quit and started back again more times than can even be counted. I always went back, because I LIKED it and it was a stress reliever for me. I could have stayed off them, but I went back because I missed the feeling of relaxation I got. At the end of the day there is nothing better than just being able to relax with cigarette (for a smoker). So that is why e-cigs have been so great so far. The benefits for someone who is a lifetime smoker seem to outweigh the drawbacks several fold. The way I see it, life is full of choices most of which are going to harm you in one way or another and in different degrees no matter what you choose. Maybe the trick is choosing the less harmful things. I'm not sure which habits out there could be considered completely safe. Smokers have been damned if they do and damned if the don't if you consider past alternatives. Then someone invents e-cigs and everything changes. Personally, I'm a happy little guinea pig so let the testing begin.

Ok - so here it is! I have to say this was a much bigger PITA than it thought it would be. Other than re-attaching a wire on some of my kids toys, I've never soldered before. My soldering iron is several years old and I'm pretty sure I need to replace the tip. I goal for this project was to just get one built and working. It's not pretty. I didn't cover or seal any of my connection and didn't use any JB Weld or Gorilla snot. However, it's together and it works! I learned a lot doing this so hopefully next time I can put together some instructions. Pretty sure I'll get some 4 battery cases instead of using the 3 batt cases. It was just to tight for my liking. I also left out LED just because there was so little room and I was getting a little frustrated.

According to numerous scientific studies, done over the last 7-8 decades, nicotine is without question one of the most addictive substances known to man, period. Don't be fooled, don't be mis-led. Nicotine is harder to quit than heroine! THAT IS A FACT!! But, what is also a fact is that nicotine, by its self, in normal doses, is virtually harmless. There has been THOUSANDS of studies done on nicotine, and they all say the same thing. The only harmful effects caused by nicotine addiction is in connection to inhaling the tar and harmful chemicals found in tobacco. If you switch completely from tobacco to the electronic cigarette, your health will improve in exactly the same way as if you had quit smoking all together. Thats why doctors love the e-cig so much. You can't get cancer from nicotine. So is vaping nicotine addictive? 100% YES... Is it the same as smoking? 100% NO.... Last year 400,000 people died from tobacco related causes... Last year 0 people died from vaping....

I got this from another forum: I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail. I ordered a burger at McDonald's and the kid behind the counter asked, "Can you afford fries with that?" CEO's are now playing miniature golf. If the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you call them and ask if they meant you or them. Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM. McDonald's is selling the 1/4 ouncer. Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children's names. A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico . **** Cheney took his stockbroker hunting. Motel Six won't leave the light on anymore. The Mafia is laying off judges. Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen. Congress says they are looking into this Bernard Madoff scandal. Oh Great!! The guy who made $50 Billion disappear is being investigated by the people who made $1.5 Trillion disappear! And finally, the biggest indicator of them all is......... I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, global warming, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., that I called the Suicide Lifeline. I got a call center in Pakistan . When I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck. The person who posted this is with Lecig

Hi vbear, I promised you a response last night so here it is.

General Questions: How long have electronic cigarettes been around? They've been gaining popularity over the last few years, not sure when they actually hit the market. How safe is the vapor? (How easy is it to overdose on nicotine?) Vapor is pretty safe, using an e-juice 24mg strength or less makes it fairly difficult to really over do it and make yourself sick. That's not to say you couldn't do it, but you'd have to really be chain vaping and then you have no one to blame but yourself. Why does Firefox think vapor is not spelled correctly?! (well that one is a little off topic :/) My Firefox is cool with it How long have you been vaping? Been analog free for over 70 days now, but I had tried the e-cig before that, I just didn't by any spare atomizers, when my only one burned out I went back to analogs for a little bit, now I'm back on track, and I have plenty of spare atomizers at all times. Did you start vaping to quit smoking, or for just a "safer" switch? I started vaping because I did want to quit smoking, and it worked well. now that I have made the initial investment I'm not in a hurry to quit. It's much less expensive, less damaging to my health, and I enjoy it immensely. Did it work? Hells yes. How long did it take you to quit? Took me maybe 24 hours, but took my wife a couple weeks to totally quit. A buddy of mine just quit after 2 days with his first e-cig ever. Can you give a good reason too start using an electronic cigarette other than health reasons? You'll save money, smell better, and you can use them indoors (most places). Choice and Price: In your experience, have you actually saved money by switching? Definitely, and the savings continue to get better after you make the initial investment. Compared to cartons of cigarettes, what was your start-up cost? You can get a good 510 starter kit for around $50, plus some extra juice, you're lookin' at about $80-$100 What is the difference between a 510 and a pen-style? (Man I hope that's not the same thing) They are just 2 different models of atomizers, 510 is more compact. Is there a comparison chart for all the brands and/or models? ??? You'll find 510s and 801 penstyles are favorites here. Usage: On average, how long does a bottle of juice last you? When I'm at home using my 5V passthrough all day I can go through 3ml in a day. At 3.7V maybe 1.5ml-2ml On average, how long does a battery last before you have to buy a new one? The manual batteries tend to hold up longer, but I'd recommend buying a mod unit that uses cheaper batteries. On average, how long does a vaporizer last before you have to buy a new one? Most atomizers should last around 1 month, anything after that is a bonus in my mind. But with good care they can last much longer than 1 month. Compared to smoking a normal cigarette, do you have to reload (rejuice) your e-cig? If so, how many times? When direct dripping I'd say it's pretty close to about 1/2-1 cig every time I add 3 drops, with a cartridge you get more time between fills. Compared to smoking a normal cigarette, is smoking an e-cig as satisfying? For me it's more satisfying in many ways, but there is an adjustment phase. Once the juice is loaded into the cartridges how long does it take to evaporate before it's unusable? Left open to the air I wouldn't leave it more than 24 hrs, but I really don't know, i prefer to direct drip myself and fill cartridges (if I'm using one) right before I use it. Those are just my opinions and experiences, so keep asking around and you'll find all the answers you need. Welcome to the forum.