Searching for the Best E-Cigarette

When it comes to finding the best e-cigarette for you, you don’t want to go through pages and pages of information, desperately trying to find something that seems to spark your interest. You want the cold, hard facts to help you with your purchasing decision.

Sadly, when I first started on my quitting smoking journey eight or so years ago, e-cigarettes were still a thing of the future. They had been around since the 50’s if you believe all you read, but they never took off so the idea went buried for many years until some smart-ass decided to crack out a good one and make a small fortune.

These days they are more commonly known which certainly does make your life easier. There is more and more information coming out, especially on the internet, and with new regulations apparently coming in, it would seem that a lot of people have their eyes on these quit-smoking gadgets. They are not marketed as a nicotine replacement product to quit smoking but in my experience, they sure as hell work like one.

So in the hunt for the best, what do you look for?

If you’ve never bought or used an electronic cigarette before, you’re going to have no clue as to what to look for, and what to avoid. There are some pretty sham companies out there selling these things. You should always buy quality. If the deal looks too good to be true, there is a good chance that’s exactly what it is!

I’ve taken a look at many products over the last few years but there are a few that stand out in my eyes. Not always for good reasons, of course, but I thought I’d share with you anyway.

You can see from my reviews that I have a few favorites. For example if you’re looking for a two-piece, classic design, I positively loved Green Smoke from the moment it arrived on my doorstep.

V2 Cigs was another particularly pleasant experience, especially for the rich and long lasting flavors.

VaporFi Pro was something I wanted to hate right from the second I unwrapped it but despite my intentions, I ended up falling in love with this beast too. Following on from this, I found a new love for the tank-style personal vaporizers, and stumbled across Halo Triton Tank which was well worth the five stars I ended up giving it! Saying that, the Halo G6 didn’t exactly let the side down! That’s a great brand for beginner’s and the more experienced a like and definitely worth a closer look.

With companies like South Beach Smoke and V2 Cigs throwing out tank-style e-cigs out, there has never before been a better time to get on the bandwagon, and the technology of them all is just getting bigger and better.

Of course, there are a few things that you are going to need to look out for when it comes to buying the best electronic cigarette for you.

What happens if you are looking for something that tastes EXACTLY like a conventional cigarette?

Most of all I liked Absolute Tobacco from Green Smoke and Red, available from the V2 Cigs range. This was a good, generic tobacco flavor and certainly got me through some of the hardest times when I was desperately craving a “real” cigarette. I didn’t care much for the Royal Tobacco flavor from the Eversmoke however; I think it tasted a bit like cake…

The Belgian Cocoa e-liquid offered by Halo Cigs was good enough to eat (although I advise that you don’t!), but I didn’t really like their Midnight Apple – far too sweet for my tastes. Plus, if you’re looking for a more tobacco-like taste, the Longhorn is good for heavier smokers, and the Turkish Tobacco perfect for us ‘average’ guys!

South Beach Smoke offers a few pretty impressive flavors too. Tobacco Classic worked for me (and as we established in Picking the Right Nicotine Strength for You!, I’m an “average” smoker!) but I was almost sick in my own mouth when I inhaled on the Pina Colada cartridge. I’m not a big fan of the fruity flavors and even after all these years of e-smoking, I still seem to revolve around the same favorite flavors. I like tobacco, vanilla and chocolate. That’s pretty much it. I’m not a fan of menthol’s, although I like them occasionally for a change. If you would rather have a “real” tobacco smoking experience, may I suggest you check out the following flavors:

• Absolute Tobacco – Green Smoke
• Red 18mg – V2 Cigs
• Turkish Tobacco – Halo Cigs 

In my personal experience, there are six main brands that can be anywhere near to being considered the “best”. I feel like I should introduce them to you…

Green Smoke

A brand that I favored right from the start, but used to be really expensive. Used to, as the prices have come down drastically and are very affordable now. In pretty much every factor of my buying decision (side from battery also), Green Smoke kicked ass. It’s easy to smoke, looks and feels like a real cigarette, is comfortable to hold, has a good range of nice-tasting cartridges (that last long) and even offers pretty pink cartridges if you’re into that kinda thing…

Halo Cigs

I am hopelessly addicted to using this personal vaporizer now and as well as the great tasting e-liquids, I also found the battery life to be pretty amazing for such a compact little vaper. There’s plenty of throat hit and more than enough vapor, so I wouldn’t exactly call it discreet, but with really good prices, you’ll love both the Triton Tank and G6 e-cigs on offer, and you’ll probably even recommend it to your friends and family!

Eversmoke

This one was also one of my favorites – there was very little about the brand that I disliked. From the speedy shipping to the great customer services; everything was easy and pain-free. Smoking was a breeze too with a range of good flavors and plenty of strengths to make your choice from.  The price of Eversmoke is reasonable as well.

VaporFi

I used the VaporFi Jet personal vaporiser and as much as I wanted to hate it as soon as I pulled the enormous gadget out of the box, it was something I soon found myself missing when it broke… It’s big and bulky but has battery power that you wouldn’t believe. If it’s stamina you’re looking for, this is the one for you!

The clear tank lets you know exactly how much liquid you have left in your tank, eliminating that nasty taste you get in your mouth when the cartridge starts to run dry, and the cool screen on the front informs you of just how many puffs you’ve managed to get out of it, as well as being able to see how much battery you have left. It’s impressive and despite the size, it’s actually not that uncomfortable to use once you get the hang of it! I think you should give it a try.

V2 Cigs

My friend Peter liked V2 Cigs more than I did at first but after a while, I became curious to the idea of them and gave them a try. I was pleasantly surprised. V2 Cigs offer a pretty impressive range with flashy appearances and super-charged portable charging cases. They looked a little too “gimmicky” for me so I was reluctant to give them a try. I’m an old fashioned kinda guy really.

I saw Pete playing with his new toy and I was jealous so ordered a pack all of my own. When it arrived, I was glad it had ordered it. It was V2 Cigs that first introduced me to the manual and button-operated. These ones helped to save juice because it’s not puffing away when it has no need to. It’s well worth a look if you’re ever in the market for something that looks good AND smokes great!

But with V2 Cigs, there are some things I’m not very pleased as well. First, the charger is a nightmare to use, both on the mains charger and charging case too. It seems as if you can screw it in too much and then it doesn’t charge at all. Also, the flavors die quicker than with other top e-cig brands.

Plus they’ve now introduced a couple of new lines which are worth taking a peek at, namingly the Series 3 and Ex Series – both very good examples of the larger tank-style personal vaporisers.

South Beach Smoke

It sounds like one of those stupid celebrity fad diets doesn’t it? I’m pretty sure I’ve heard the “old woman” talking about some red-carpet hottie using the diet to lose weight. You’ll be happy to know that South Beach Smoke isn’t a fad diet. It’s a brand for some customers – these are the top electronic cigarettes.

It’s funny because Eversmoke and South Beach Smoke are owned by the same company so it’s surprising that one was voted the top of the Top Ten, while the other was only voted mid-way. There were a few flaws in the South Beach Smoke master plan and when all was said and done, we weren’t blown out of the water as we were expected to be.

Going back to the best e-cigs, and on top of the top five brands that I suggest, you’re going to want to consider a few other things.

If you want to save money…

One of the best brands I’ve found for value for money has got to be either Eversmoke for their two-piece designs, or Halo for their Triton Tank get up. Plus the e-liquids are relatively inexpensive from Halo too, and they taste REALLY good, especially their Belgian Cocoa if you’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth!

The best brand if you’re bothered about appearances…

V2 Cigs offers something that looks good. You have different metallic finishes including a funky electric blue color, and on top of that, their portable charging case looks like something out of a space-age movie.

If you want something that looks like a “regular” cigarette, Green Smoke regular batteries with the “filter”-looking cartridges are a great idea. They “burn” with a green tip too which means people won’t be able to mistake your e-cigarette for a real one and start mouthing off at you. It happens… trust me!

If you need more vapor…

If what is exhaled is important to you then the best brands for you are either Halo Cigs or Eversmoke which offer plenty of vapor for your money! In fact, these two were the most we’d come across, and the most realistic as a smoking experience. Closely following these two is V2 Cigs and VaporFi. We loved both of these and found that they gave us plenty of vapor for our buck!

The best brand for accessories…

Clearly, the girls are going to love Vapor Couture for it’s cute factor but if you want to fall in love with the gadgets that come with it, you’re definitely going to want to check out V2 Cigs. With the portable charging cases, lanyards, battery color options and the rest of the stuff they have on offer, you couldn’t wish for anything more.

The best brand if you like a bit of throat hit…

Halo, Green Smoke and V2 Cigs give the best throat hit we’ve come across and in some cases, such as the high strength nicotine cartridges and e-liquids, it was almost too much. I’m an “average” smoker and Pete is more of a heavy smoker. The high strength stuff made me cough violently for about half an hour (which surely shows my age!) while Pete was fine. I guess it just depends on what kind of smoker you would class yourself to be.

For the lazy heavy smokers…

VaporFi also packs plenty of punch and gave a steady stream of vapor throughout the smoking experience. And you don’t have to worry about charging or refilling for days. You can see how much battery is left on the Jet’s smart screen on the front of e-cig, and you never lose power, knowing exactly when you need to plug it back in for a bit of juicing up. It’s all very clever really.

So there you have it – the best electric cigarettes for you if you are starting out on your journey.

• For the beginners out there, I would definitely recommend the Halo G6, Green Smoke and EverSmoke
• V2 Cigs and Eversmoke are best for starter kits that contain everything you need
• For advanced heavy users, VaporFi or Halo Triton would be the best.

Of course, if you have any questions, you could always just get in touch and let us know and we can help you choose your best e-cigarette!

By John Edwards