DarthVaper

Not a review of an e-cig per se, but of an accessory. Okay, living in upstate New York, I can expect at least two full-on power failures at my house during the winter season. Like many of you, I want to be prepared so I'm not jonesing for my nic fix while lighting up the oil lanterns and trying to boil water in the fireplace. So I bought the solar e-cig charger at ecigarettescanada.com. Looked pretty straightforward: Charge it up in the sun, connect e-cig battery charger, charge up battery, repeat. Should work great as long as the power doesn't go out at sundown. Out of the box and I hit the first problem: A sh*t-ton of connectors and wires, a wall plug (?) and the worst 'Engrish' written instructions I have ever attempted to decipher. I mean, c'mon, it features instructions like this gem: "Charging 60 minutes, the charger could transfer the energy form the build in battery to your mobile phone battery, and could talking 100-150 minutes." Okay. So I mess around for an hour trying to figure out how to connect it to my e-cig charger, and find out that there is no connector for a Joye 510 battery charger. Then I have to go online and research other sites that sell the solar charger to see some picture of it connected via cables to a 510 USB battery charger. Which I don't have. So I had to order one. A few days later it arrives. I connect it to the solar charger and put in the battery and it actually works (finally). It charges one battery in about an hour. Great, Although I have no idea WHY it works, because the light on the side of the solar charger is RED when it's ready to charge something and GREEN when it's not. Okay, so now I've charged a battery, I put it in the direct sunlight. The LED is neither green nor red, but off completely. I leave it in the sun all day. Nothing. Zip. Nada. So then I attach it to the wall plug (yeah, I know, I attached a solar charger to a wall plug :rofl: ). The wall plug ITSELF has LED's on it, two of them in fact. One is red, one is green, and they both light up when you plug it into the wall and stay that way indefinitely. The LED on the solar charger turns GREEN. I'm so freakin' confused. It's been hours since I plugged it into the wall, and the solar charger LED is still the same green color. And as I said, the "instructions" are all but useless. So my review can be summed up briefly: I don't get it. This is also a call for help. Anyone else spend the money on one of these? Have you been able to make it work?

Here's some evidence to back up my previous post, Exclusion of Menthol Cigarettes . . . and a couple disturbing quotes: and

Something bothers me about this portion of new regulations, and I remember some controversy over it when it was being passed. Big Tobacco was willing but reluctant to stop selling "flavored" cigarettes, but was absolutely against banning menthols and ended up getting their way. The controversy some people raised at the time was that the menthol cigarette market is primarily made up of African Americans, specifically lower income African Americans. There is supposedly proof of this. Some have said that this raises the specter of racism over what, on the surface, is meant to be a public health measure. It seems to be saying that some populations in our society are worth helping while others aren't, and profits will always win out over human lives.

Since the text of this poll is relatively short, I decided to post the entire piece. Electronic Cigarettes Find Fans, but Most Want Regulation Zogby Poll of Americans Finds Many Think ECigarettes should be available, But Most Want FDA Involvement UTICA, New York - A strong majority of Americans want to see electronic cigarettes regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (59%), but nearly half (47%) say the smokeless devices should be an option available to people trying to quit smoking, similar to patches, gum and lozenges currently on the market, and that number increases to 57% among those who have heard about ecigarettes prior to taking the poll. The Zogby Interactive poll of 4,611adults was conducted August 28-31 and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub groups. In the hunt for a safer cigarette, electronic cigarettes, often referred to as ecigarettes, are becoming a popular option among those either trying to quit or who are looking to replace standard tobacco smokes with an alternative that manufacturers claim to be safer. Ecigarettes vaporize a solution often containing nicotine, but there is no smoke, just odorless water vapor, and produce almost no dangerous carcinogens. Almost half of all respondents (48%) say they have heard of electronic cigarettes. About a third of those polled (35%) say that because electronic cigarettes produce no smoke, they should be allowed in places where smoking is currently prohibited, while about half (46%) say they should not. Men who have heard of ecigarettes are far more likely than women who have heard about them to say they should be an option available to people trying to quit smoking (65% vs. 49%), and only one percent of those polled say they have used an ecigarette, but 16% overall say they would try one if they were given a chance, and 81% say they would not. First GlobalsTM those age 18-29, are the most likely age group to say they would try an ecigarette if given the chance (25%) compared to just 8% of those 65 and older who say the same. Respondents who are single (23%) are almost twice as likely as those who are married (12%) to say they would try it. Methodology: Zogby International conducted an online survey of 4,611 adults from 8/28/09 thru 8/31/09. A sampling of Zogby International's online panel, which is representative of the adult population of the US, was invited to participate. Slight weights were added region, party, age, race, religion, gender, education to more accurately reflect the population. The margin of error is +/- 1.5 percentage points. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups. (9/24/2009)

Did it. This type of thread is really great, making it easy and quick for all of us to let our voice be heard. Great job! . . . And just because the new animated icons are cool, here's me adding one.

Nice.

Beckster, don't worry about the snug carts. They loosen up with wear and usage.

Way to go, Sky!

This is a really nice piece, setting forth the main arguments against banning e-cigs. I'm glad he's on our side. When Smoke Clears, E-Cigarette Foes Hazardous To Health

While it's been a while since this dark lord of the Sith has been out a-drinkin' like he used to, I have also found that after just a couple drinks at home with friends/family, the e-cig doesn't do it for me anymore. When I've had a couple, the vapor just doesn't hit my throat and lungs like I want it to, and I was using 36 mg juice then. In the nearly six months since I smoked my last analog, the ONLY time I wanted to light up was after I'd downed a couple Guinnesses. It really rattled me at the time, because I still had a few analogs laying around the house and since my inhibitions were slightly loosened, I nearly reached for them. So what'd I do? Threw out the analogs once and for all, and have stayed away from the booze. I've spent way too much time, money and health to go back to smoking. Karate, I can totally relate. Anyone else out there with the same experience?

The Janty Stick really does go with James Bond look, doesn't it? All silver and high-tech looking, like Q gave it to you before your mission. Maybe it doubles as a single-shot handgun?

Here's the link: Article They seem very proud of themselves.

My order from Wet Your Stick arrived today, which is super considering I ordered it Monday afternoon and he shipped it out the same day. Sanner is my new best friend. Ordered on a Monday, arrived on a Wednesday, from Arizona to New York. Nice! I got Cola and Grape 24 mg., and Kracker is right: these are great vapes at a great price. Best Cola flavor I've tried so far. The travel bottle with each juice you buy is definitely a great bonus and I put mine to use right away. I wanted to order the Rum Punch but they were out. Thanks for the review, Kracker.

Here's a decent piece from NPR. E-Cigarettes: The New Frontier in War on Smoking As usual, lots of good comments after the article on NPR's site.

Well, if this news gets out, maybe those Washington bureaucrats (and their spouses) will change their stance on banning e-cigs! Red Bull gives you wings, but E-cigs give you wood!

Hey Sean, I really like it!

Great article!

Without getting too "blue," I think this kid is going to make some girl very happy one day.

I was just re-watching the "Chris and Sean Show" Episode I, wherein the duo are discussing how while everyone wants to complain about what the FDA is doing, we're all just waiting for someone else to do something. Now, I've signed the ECA petition. And I wrote to one of my senators (the other one didn't have her website up yet 'cuz she had just been sworn in). But tonight I thought, "Why not go to the man himself?" I mean, he IS the boss of the FDA. He nominated both the Commissioner of the FDA and her boss, the Secretary of Health and Human Services. So I thought it was time to tell the boss what his Commissioner is doing regarding e-cigs, and advocate on behalf of a better solution than an outright ban. I appealed to the fact the he himself has tried and failed to give up smoking. (This always makes me chuckle: As an attorney, I've had to stand outside some pretty impressive buildings, puffing away like some outcast in a suit and tie. I used to joke with people that I've smoked outside some of the most important buildings in the State of New York. I wonder what it feels like to have to excuse oneself from the White House to go out and smoke a butt? Wouldn't he be thinking, "Man, I'm the President. This SUCKS!") Anyway, I encourage everyone to go to The White House. click on "Contact Us" and let the big guy know how you feel about what the FDA is up to. At the very least, it feels good to do SOMETHING.

Didn't you get that memo?

Yep, it's basically just a request. As far as the FDA is concerned, this isn't worth the paper it was written on. It would have the same effect on FDA policy as a California bill asking that e-cigs remain free and legal. The FDA will do what it wants to do either way, but they could of course use the passage of such a resolution to bolster their PR when/if they announce a total ban.

Congratulations Chris and Ashley! Only speaking from what I know of Chris from the forums and the videos: Chris, I think you're gonna make a great dad.

In my opinion, more vapor is important for two reasons: 1. I feel like I get more flavor from the juice I'm using and more of the sensations in my mouth and throat that I associate with smoking analog cigarettes, and 2. Exhaling vapor in a large cloud is also very reminiscent of cigarette smoking, which most smokers associate with the pleasure of getting the nicotine fix they need. Note that I'm not saying more vapor = more nicotine, because I don't know either way. I'm saying that one of the main purposes of an e-cig is to mimic the cigarette smoking experience. When you smoke a tobacco cigarette, just one, you create quite a lot of smoke. E-cigs that produce more vapor are more accurately mimicking a tobacco cig. We all know from previous attempts to give up cigarettes that there's much more to it than nicotine addiction. It that weren't the case, then nicotine gum and nicotine patches would have a near 100% success rate for quitters. There's so many sensations involved when a smoker gets out his/her cig, lights it up, takes that first big drag, smokes it down, then crushes it out. E-cigs, at their best, give us a close approximation of many of the attributes a smoker associates with smoking, and big vapor is one of the important ones. Plus it just looks cool.

Okay, you've got my attention!

I'm imagining those 'moments' involve closing your eyes and trying to think about Christmas. Well, I imagine you'd walk a bit different for starters! And you'd be thinking "boy, this is almost as good as smoking!" Chris, this was a hoot. Thanks for posting it!