The electronic cigarette, sometimes referred to as a “personal vaporizer” or, more hilariously, a “personal electronic nicotine inhalation system” has been around for quite some time. A few years, in fact.

Many people look in to e-cigs as a method of trying to get away from tobacco products, many of those because they are tired of not being able to smoke in bars or of getting yelled at by their partners for smoking too much whist enthralled in Netflix or playing video games like Modern Warfare or Skyrim.

For as long as they have been around, the questions “do they work” and “are they safe” have been at the forefront.

I would like to take a look at the electronic cigarette, the market and the devices available, and talk about those 2 burning questions.

Read on for more.

The first electronic cigarettes to hit the market were produced entirely in China. A large company based out of Shenzen produced not only the batteries but also the atomizers and the nicotine liquid which is used in them.

Before I continue on, we’ll talk about how an e-cig works, to stop any confusion.

The basic concept of the e-cig is the production of a moist vapor, achieved by heating a liquid 

nicotine solution to the point of vaporizing. The liquid is heated by a coil of 

nickel-chromium wire, in the atomizer, which is powered by a small battery 

(usually 3.7 volts, the same amount of power used by many smart phones). As the 

electricity passes through the coil, it heats up and vaporizes the liquid, which 

contains nicotine, water and either propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, or a 

mixture thereof, which is what produces the visible “vapor” you see.