An Electronic Cigarette That Looks Like the Real Thing? Or Anything But?

This is a question many new to electronic cigarettes don’t know how to answer and once they make their first purchase, they often change their minds. While many e-cig brands still don’t offer many (or any) color choices beyond a cigarette look-alike, custom and alternative colors are becoming more popular.

Battery color choices can vary from pink to green to stainless steel. Patterns can be purchased with anything from flames to wood grain. The swag bag given to this year’s Grammy Award Winners even contained Swarovski-covered batteries. The choices, styles and lengths are endless and can be overwhelming.

We recently conducted a poll of our readers and came up with some surprising reasons why people choose batteries which look just like the real thing vs. batteries which look “anything but” the real thing.

Look-alike electronic cigarette purchasers; what we found:

Most first-time electronic cigarette buyers purchase standard white batteries with filter-colored cartridges—not realizing other choices are available. When given a choice, many choose a traditional cigarette look out of comfort, wanting to mimic the smoking experience as much as possible to make quitting easier.

“I want it to look like a cigarette, it just helps me mentally. In my mind it’s better if things seem the same, even when they are totally different. It helps me”, says Nicole Pennington of Maryland.

Other reasons include social motivators like not wanting to draw attention to their hi-tech device. Blending in with the smoking crowd can initially be important to a long-term smoker. Surprisingly, the opposite is also true. Many long-term smokers, tired of increasing smoking bans and waning social acceptance flaunt their look-alike electronic cigarette in public places.

According to Tom Nichols of Michigan, “I welcome people coming up to me when I’m vaping somewhere cigarette smoking is banned. It gives me a chance to meet people and spread the word about electronic cigarettes.”

“Anything but” purchasers; what we found:

Many people switch to an electronic cigarette style or color which doesn’t mimic a real cigarette after their first purchase. The reasons are varied and often deeply psychological.

Janie Castello, a smoker for 18 years, was able to quit smoking cigarettes entirely after purchasing her first electronic cigarette. “When I stopped smoking I lost my ‘smokers identity’ and no longer wanted to carry the stigma that comes with smoking’, says Costello. “I’m not a smoker and I don’t want to look like one.”

Vapers who often use their electronic cigarettes in places where smoking is banned find it easier if their e-cig doesn’t look like a cigarette.

“I originally thought I wanted to very closely simulate the smoking experience but quickly found that separating myself from the highly stigmatized smokers was better. Everyone kept telling to ‘put out’ my e-cig,” says Paula Smith of California.

Greg Martin chose a stainless steel battery with blue LED because it looks different. “I don’t want to blend in”, says Greg. “I like the way these look high tech and the attention I get is a good ice breaker”.

Whichever battery style you choose, quitting traditional cigarettes is the most important. Finding an electronic cigarette which fits your lifestyle can make the transition easier. While the choices are overwhelming, customizing your experience can lead to greater success. With that in mind, we offer the following advice:

• Choose a brand which offers enough variety so you don’t limit yourself
• Make sure your battery is compatible with other brands so you can mix-and-match cartridges and batteries
• Buy a starter kit with at least 2 batteries and color choice options to find what works best for you
• If you don’t find success with your first purchase, try again! A different brand can make all the difference.

source article : www.vaporacademy.com