You may be surprised to learn you don’t need to buy cheap e-cigarettes to save money with electronic cigarettes. You can buy the best e-cigarette available and won’t come close to spending the money you’ve been throwing away smoking tobacco. The federal tax on a pack of cigarettes rose from .39 cents to $1.01 last year. Several states have also raised their tax on tobacco products to help their ailing state economies.

Some major tobacco companies also found the period of increasing taxes a convenient time to raise wholesale prices. The end result for consumers was sticker shock when the $2.50 per pack cigarettes they were accustomed to purchasing now cost $5. Those smoking premium brands are now paying $6-7 for one pack of cigarettes in most states and as much as $10 per pack in a few areas.

Compared with the current costs of smoking tobacco, electronic cigarettes are cheap. The quality of e-cigs is based on the reliability and performance of the system used to deliver vapor to the smoker. The most popular e-cigs are those where the “draw” is similar to the feeling of a cigarette and users often recommend their favorite brand as one that provides good volume of vapor when inhaled. This is often referred to as throat hit as it describes the sensation when vapor is inhaled.

Consumers are saving money with e-cigarettes even when they buy the best e-cigarettes available today. Most new e-cig users purchase a starter kit that provides the basic e-cig, additional disposable cartridges, or liquid for refillable models.

Disposable cartridges consist of a nicotine and water solution with a built in atomizer. There is no maintenance or cleaning necessary with this e-cig. A starter kit contains a short and a long cigarette battery with an LED light at the tip, a home battery charger, several cartridges and instructions for using your new e-cig. Unlike tobacco products, the e-cig user can specify the level of nicotine he wants.

The user only needs to screw the cartridge onto the second piece that holds the battery and heating element and then charge the battery for 2-3 hours. The cartridge is often equivalent to one pack of tobacco cigarettes. When the flavor weakens you know to add a new cartridge. One cartridge is often assumed to be equivalent to 400 puffs.

Cartridges may also be refillable. This allows the user to select an e-liquid by flavor and nicotine strength and add a few drops of that flavor into a refillable cartridge. The refill liquid is widely available but care should be taken to buy only from a reputable manufacturer as nicotine concentration and quality control may not be carefully monitored in cheaper import liquids.

You will save money with electronic cigarettes no matter which delivery systems you choose for your e-cig. For convenience, the replaceable cartridges are often the best choice as adding a new cartridge is no more difficult than opening a new pack of cigarettes.

If you are looking for a great E-Cigarette, I would highly recommend the one from Green Smoke. I have written a review about it here.

Mary Kay Rivers