Review: eGo Clearomizer Electronic Cigarette

I've been "vaping" -- with occasional backslides into "real tobacco" -- for more than three years now. Over that time period, I've tried several types (and varieties within types) of electronic cigarettes.

In the beginning, there was the KR808D-1, sent to me by my friend Morey Straus to try out. That model is pretty much the grand-daddy of the e-cigarettes you see in convenience stores these days. It's a battery with a "cartomizer" (a combined atomizer and holder for the "e-juice") attached. Some of them have removable cartomizers that can be refilled; some are designed to be disposed of once the battery or "juice" runs out.

Nothing against that type of e-cig, but over time I've decided I don't like them that much. The cartomizers soak up the juice in a sort of wadding or batting that releases it when the atomizer heats things up. They're kind of a pain to clean and refill, and after awhile the vapor seems to taste more like the wadding/batting than like whatever flavor of juice I'm using.

Earlier this year, I bought an atomizer/"tank" model, the Super 510-T. In this type of e-cig, the battery, the atomizer and the plastic tank that the juice goes into are separate units. I liked the flavor coming out of the Super 510-T a lot better than the wadding/batting types; there's nothing soaking the liquid up. When you vape, a little teat poking up from the atomizer heats the juice directly. BUT: The plastic tanks tend to start leaking after a few uses, the atomizers don't seem to last very long, etc.

I've been looking around and thinking about trying out a new e-cig setup. And last weekend, Tamara and I were driving past a store (Let It Roll) where we've bought e-juice and "roll your own" tobacco/paper/filter setups before, and noticed a "free e-cigarette starter kit" sign. The details: Buy three 10ml bottles of juice, get the eGo-T Clearomizer starter kit free. So we did (six bottles of juice, two kits).

eGo-T Battery
w/ CE4 Clearomizer

The kits seem to be of the type that retail in the $20 range. They include one battery (branded with the Let It Roll logo, unlike the example pic to the right), one "clearomizer" (I'll get to that in a minute) and one USB charger. I've been vaping the Ego-T for four days now -- one recharge and I'm into my second clearomizer of juice, so pretty much enough to tell whether or not I like it.

I like it.

When the whole mess is assembled, it's larger than a "real cigarette." More the size of a medium cigar, really. But it's comfortable to hold, and I'm not personally invested in having something that "looks like a cigarette."

One feature I really like is that the battery can be turned on and off. Hit the little button five times in quick succession, it turns on. Hit the little button five more times, it turns off. So you don't have to worry about seeing vapor rise out of your shirt pocket where you stuck your e-cigarette and body motion pressed the button (yes, I have had this happen) or burning up all your juice because you sat the thing down and the button engaged (haven't had that happen, but it seems theoretically possible).

The "clearomizer" is sort of a cross between those batting/wadding things and the "tank" idea. It's an atomizer and tank in one unit, with little wicks hanging down from the atomizer to soak up juice from the tank. The wicks don't seem to affect the flavor in the way that the wadding/batting does, although I guess time will tell. The liquid (up to 1.6 ml) is free inside the tank until you press the button on the battery and inhale.

The unit produces sufficient vapor to satisfy me, a "real smoker" of 30 years. Flavor is dependent on juice quality, of course -- I've tried the "fruit stripe gum" and "menthol" flavors and like them both. So far I've had no leakage problems with the CE4 clearomizer. I understand there are other varieties of clearomizer, of various materials, in various colors, atomizer coil resistances, etc. The CE4 is plastic; I'll have to get a glass clearomizer if I want to vape the red hot cinnamon flavor of juice, because that juice eats plastic ... which gives me pause. I really love that flavor, but if it eats plastic I'm not sure I want it in my lungs.

So anyway, after four days I'm very pleased with the eGo-T w/ CE4 clearomizer. I'll update this review if any issues arise, but the price was right (I'd have bought juice for the old Super 510-T in any case; I got a free rig out of the deal for buying in larger than usual volume, and I know I'll use it), the battery holds a charge, the clearomizer doesn't leak, and the vapor production and flavor are outstanding.

Given the store branding, I suspect that there's an eGo-T campaign going on nationwide, with stores buying branded batteries in volume and offering the "free kits" to build their customer bases If you're just getting around to trying e-cigs, you may want to grab one of those $5 disposable convenience store rigs first just to make sure this is your kind of thing. But if you're really going to make the change to e-cigs, the eGo-T or some other tank/atomizer or clearomizer setup are cheaper in the long run and frankly offer a more pleasant vaping experience.

First Impressions: Super 510-T Electronic Cigarette

Electronic Cigarette Inhalation (Photo credit: Michael Dorausch)

I've been stocking up on "vaping" gear with a slight sense of urgency, given the distinct possibility that the US Food and Drug Administration will attempt (again) to suppress electronic cigarettes on behalf of Big Pharma and Big Tobacco come April.

I started vaping back in 2010 after my friend Morey Straus sent me some KR808D-1 batteries, cartomizers and juice. I pretty quickly got off of "real tobacco," although I occasionally fall off the wagon when I run out of juice. My supplier of choice since then and until recently has been VaporKings, and I still have nothing but great things to say about them ... but I've recently broadened my horizons a bit.

When I arrived in Florida, I was ready to be off tobacco again but all my vaping gear was in storage / en route. So I picked up some Logic Power Series gear at a local convenience store (here's my review of that), and started ordering juice from MadVapes, because they're closer (in South Carolina instead of Oklahoma) and because they sell juice in big-ass 50ml bottles.

Before I get to the Super 510-T, let me put in an extra-special good word for MadVapes (no, I'm not a commissioned affiliate or anything ... yet). I've now ordered from them three times. Each time, I've gotten exactly what I ordered, lightning fast, at a fantastic price.

I ordered the Super 510-T kit from MadVapes because it was on sale at an incredible price: Two batteries, two atomizers, five tanks, a USB charger and an adaptor for the charger to plug into wall current, all for $26.99. Oh, and a little bottle with a "needle end" for filling the tanks comes with it too, all in a very nice storage box.

First things first: The Super 510-T is a different kind of electronic cigarette than the KR808D-1 or the Logic Power Series.

Those two are "two-piece" units. There's a battery, and then something called a "cartomizer" -- that is, the atomizer to heat up the juice, and a cartridge that holds the juice by soaking it up in some sort of cotton batting, in one piece.

The Super 510-T is a "three-piece" unit. There's a battery, an atomizer that heats up the juice, and a little plastic tank that holds the liquid in free liquid form instead of soaking it up in a cloth medium.

When I first started vaping, I just figured the two-piece models were the way to go -- more convenient. But lately I've been thinking that a three-piece might produce more vapor and have a better flavor (when the two-piece units start to get low on juice, the vapor gets a slightly burned flavor).

I was right on both counts. The Super 510-T puts off a LOT more fog, and it tastes better. I've had mine for about two hours (ordered it Friday, it arrived Monday -- like I said, the MadVapes guys are fast) and it's already hands-down my preferred electronic cigarette.

Because I've only had the thing for a few hours, I can't speak to its durability, but it feels well-made, hefty and with a kind of rubberized exterior.

It's bigger around than those two-piece units, and the battery alone is about as long as a "100"-style cigarette. With the atomizer and tank/tip on it, it's about half again as long. I guess the best comparison would be to a fairly thin, tipped cigar. It's comfortable to hold, though.

The Super 510-T is a "push-button" unit. That is, it has a little button on the side that you push to make it start heating your juice and turn it into vapor. Some electronic cigarettes have "auto" batteries which power on when you puff them like a "real" cigarette."

Some reviews of the Super 510-T scared me a little on three grounds: It sounded a little complicated, some reviewers complained that it leaks, and some reviewers said the button tended to stick "on."

It turned out to be very simple: Screw the atomizer onto the battery. Fill the tank with juice and pop it into the atomizer. Vape away. I've also had no leakage problems yet, and I'm on my second fill (I put just a little juice in the first time, so it wouldn't be lost or wasted if the thing didn't work; once I was satisfied that it DID work, I filled the tank up). When I press the button, it vapes. When I let go of the button, it stops vaping.

Another nice thing about the Super 510-T is that it can be used as a "pass-thru" -- that is, when you plug it into the USB charger, you can vape as it charges. I have a KR808D-1 dedicated "pass-thru" that was plugged into my computer until this thing arrived, but with the 510-T I have one unit that can be used both "in the wild" on battery power and at my desk using my computer's current.

And oh, the vapor! Lots of it, and it tastes like the flavor I bought (menthol), not like burning cotton.

So far, the Super 510-T looks like a real winner to me. I'll update this review if things go south, but I am 500% happy with the product, with the price, and with MadVapes for getting it to me in such a timely manner.

Review: Logic Power Series Electronic Cigarette

Electronic cigarettes have come a long way in the past couple of years (Morey Straus introduced me to vaping back in 2010). Various models are available at most convenience stores these days, instead of it being a "look online or find a local club" thing.

I tend to fall of the vaping wagon and go back to regular cigarettes when I run out of "juice" or whatever and have forgotten to order more. One of my New Year resolutions was to get back on the vapor, and I did so concurrently with the move to Florida (a first step was a "no smoking in the new house" rule -- it's vape or go outside).

Because all my e-cigarette stuff was packed in storage totes that took a couple of weeks to get here, I went out and bought the Logic Power Series starter kit. My review is up at Epinions.

In other vaping news, I ordered e-juice from a company I hadn't used before -- Charlotte, North Carolina's MadVapes. No problem with the other companies I've done business with, but:

1. Those other companies are out west, so I figured I'd get my juice more quickly by ordering closer to "locally;"
2. The price was right; and
3. I just happened to notice that MadVapes had started following me on Twitter, right about the time I was thinking about ordering some juice. You pay attention to me, I pay attention to you ;-)

No complaints. Like I said, the prices are right. I ordered on Thursday evening before a holiday weekend, the order shipped Friday by regular US Snail, and it arrived today (Wednesday). The juice is an 80% vegetable glycerine / 20% propylene glycol mix. It works. I'm not as happy with the flavor as I expected to be, but that's just a selection thing on my part (I should have read the reviews of the flavor I chose; next time I'll go with "Minthol" instead of "Menthol Tobacco").