Great question. I would describe an electronic cigarette to be a battery-operated smoking device. These are free from fire, smoke and ash. This makes an electronic cigarette way cleaner than a traditional cigarette. And these vaping devices are also way more fire-safe compared to their traditional counterparts. They are also called electric cigarettes by many.

The above also makes it understandable that you are allowed to smoke an e-cigarette in a number of places that do not allow conventional smoking. This is a significant advantage for smokers.

So now is the best time to buy an electronic cigarette at a UK Store if you want one.

What are e-cigarettes made of? What are the main parts?

There are two main parts of an electronic cigarette. One is a cartridge and the other is an atomizer. These two parts come in two different pieces, so they are easy to maintain. When you need to change one part after a long usage, it is not that you would necessarily have to change the other part.

Cartridge: This is the part of the e cigarette that controls and regulates the smoking substance – liquid nicotine – and the actual smoke generated in the process. A cartridge comprises of a storage cup that is used to store the liquid nicotine, a channel that is used to route the smoke generated in the smoking process towards the mouthpiece of the cigarette, and the actual mouthpiece that takes the electronic smoke to the user’s mouth.

The storage cup will have an option to fit in liquid nicotine. This nicotine is contained in an inner cup to avoid spills. The engineering is such that air can flow around the inner cup. A hole has been purposefully designed so that the air from the outer cup can flow in and vice versa. The cartridge can be refilled once it runs out of the liquid nicotine. Replacing the cartridge with a new fresh one is an option but you don’t really need that.

Note that in a 3-piece design, the cartridge and mouthpiece are made as separate designs. 2-piece electronic cigarettes are more prevalent compared to its 3-piece counterpart.

Atomizer: Heating is required to produce smoke from the nicotine. Atomizer acts as the heating element in the electronic cigarette. While it is not directly placed along with the cartridge, it is indeed placed strategically to improve the smoking experience with the electronic cigarettes. The battery, which resides within this unit, produces heat that is required to produce vapor of the smoking solution. This vapor is essentially passed over for inhalation through the mouthpiece. Atomizers have long lives and can easily last more than a year, although if you go for a lesser-quality one it could possibly last only a few months.

How does an electronic cigarette work?

E-cigarettes work using liquid nicotine. This solution is held by the cartridge. The heat generated at the heating element – atomizer – of the cigarette is used to create vapor from the liquid nicotine. This vapor in turn would be directed through the mouthpiece and the smoker will enjoy a smoking experience as good as smoking the conventional cigarettes.