About Electronic Cigarettes

In a nut shell an electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, is a device that simulates the act of smoking traditional cigarettes by producing a vapour instead of smoke. For this reason, "smoking" an e-cigarette is often referred to as "vaping". Vaping offers a genuine alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes by providing the same sensation and nicotine content (if required) but eliminates many of the harmful side effects of smoking.  

The vapour that's produced by an e-cigarette has the appearance of cigarette smoke and can also share the same flavour and nicotine content of a traditional cigarette. The difference really is in the detail though; the vapour that's produced by an e-cigarette does not smell like smoke and more importantly, does not contain the 4000 or so toxic chemicals that are produced by a smoking a traditional cigarette, including Carbon Monoxide, Tar and even Arsenic [sources:Cancer Research UK, about.com].

It's for this reason, that smoking e-cigarettes is considered by many, to be a safer way to smoke. For more information on the safety aspects of smoking electronic cigarettes, visit the "Are E-cigarettes Safe?" page.

The concept of the electronic cigarettes has been around since the early 1960's but it's only in recent years that manufacturing has been able to produce reliable working models. In 2003 the Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik developed the basis for the modern version that's widely in use today. He did this after the death of his father from lung cancer. The huge demand and popularity of electronic cigarettes has driven vast improvements in the last few years with many different models now available.

A typical modern electronic cigarette:

• About E-Cigarettes
• How Do E-Cigarettes Work?
• Benefits of E-Cigarettes
• How Much Does It Cost?
• Are E-Cigarette Safe?
• Guide To E-liquid Strengths
• Cost Calculator