An apology to the Screwdriver mk2

I was wrong. Very wrong. I'm not ashamed to admit it and I've learned a valuable lesson.
A few posts back I laid into the Screwdriver mk2 e-ni claiming it was too big and looked ridiculous.
OK, it doesn't look sleek and it does earn you some odd looks - but so what?
It works, it really really works and that's what counts.
It's not that intrusive or stupid looking either - it was just a shock compared to the cigarette-styled electric cigarettes.
If it looked like they do it wouldn't perform nearly so well.
So - apologies to the makers, retailers and vapers - I was a fool.
I promise any future reviews will be clearly marked "first impression" and then revisited after a couple of weeks of usage.
I will now go and stand in the corner.

OK I've definitely nailed it

I wasn't posting for a while and I haven't been smoking (well not much, I have had a few over the past few months - about a dozen).
I now know that I have completely nailed quitting smoking.
Here's what I recommend. It's not as simple as just getting an electric cigarette.
The ecig is great, it works to a degree but I was always open to a cigarette when drunk.

What I did a few weeks ago was re-read Allen carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking.
When Alen talsk about nicotine ignore that, pretend he is talking about the smelly smoke.

Then get a very good e-ni or ecig - the Screwdriver or the Titan Mk11 would by my recommendation.

Don't think of the nicotine - you will soon learn that you're not really addicted to nicotine when you don't find yourself picking up your ecig for a few days.
BUT always, always take your ecig out with you if you're going for a drink.

I got absolutely blitzed a couple of times last week, watched a football match (which we lost), had a row with my missus and STILL didn't reach for the cigarettes everyone around me was puffing away on. Nailed!

With the combination of a paraphrased Allen Carr method and a good ecig I defy anyone not to pack in smoking.

Go for it!

Ecigs to be banned in Britain?

It looks like the tobacco companies have really started to worry about electronic cigarettes and are leaning on the government in the UK to ban them.
Why? because "all products containing nicotine should be treated as drugs"... OK
Except... and this is ridiculous, cigars and cigarettes. What the f*ck are you on about?
Cigarettes kill millions of people every year worldwide. Electronic cigarettes have so far been cited in the deaths of 0 people.

It is of course, all about tax. The government obviously cares more about tax than people's health, and people's lives.

If this does come into law (June 21st is the date unless somehow we can all prevent it) then it will come into law in many more countries.

here's the lowdown from the  electronic cigarette company":
There is no Tobacco law that states a cigarette or cigar cannot be classed as a Nicotine Containing
Product. It is, and it can. So why is smoking tobacco being favoured over less harmful nicotine
products?
Jason Cropper, Managing Director of “The Electronic Cigarette Company” challenges the nation’s
Health Minister and heath regulators to explain to the public why they want to ban Electronic
Cigarettes that harm no-one, yet sanction and protect in the same policy document Killer Tobacco
Cigarettes.
The hypocrisy of this policy beggars belief.
The MHRA, the nation’s Health regulators, have created
for Mr Burnham a golden opportunity to ban ALL tobacco
products in the UK for good on the 21st June.
This would save 1 life every 6 minutes in the UK.
The MHRA’s consultation paper MLX 364 claims that every product containing nicotine should be
classed as a medicine, and should therefore fall under their regulatory framework. In essence, they
want to regulate for only one reason, to ban Electronic Cigarettes.
The Electronic Cigarette’s increasing popularity as an alternative recreational nicotine delivery system
seems to offend the MHRA’s pay-masters: the Large Pharmaceutical companies.
“The public is unaware that the revolutionary Electronic Cigarette a fantastic recreational nicotine
delivery system is to be banned on the 21st of June.”
As an act of appeasement, they have cobbled together a seriously flawed consultation document
MLX 364. This document attempts to class all nicotine containing products - whether recreationally or
medicinally used - as medicines. And ban the lot on the 21st June.
Tobacco-based cigarettes do contain nicotine. Andy
Burnham should ban them while he has the chance.

Liquid nicotine flavour tip.

Since sorting out the problems with the Screwdriver Mk2 (sort of - basically buy twice as many spares as you need because some just won't work).
I've been using it exclusively for a few months now - with a range of flavoured nicotine - all from Totally Wicked (I haven't tried anywhere else because prices are almost all the same, and TW do have good customer service).
Here's a good tip for you though, and it's a biggie.
The flavoured nicotine stuff is nice - Cherry and Vanilla eliquid is exceptional.
BUT... they don't taste like cigarettes. That's fine you may think, I did, I'm not smoking I'm vaping so why should I bother with cigarette taste... well the problem is, if it doesn't taste like a cigarette it won't feel like a cigarette. If it doesn't feel like a cigarette a significant part of the withdrawal help is, well, withdrawn.
If you're going to be out and about among smokers (and alcohol!) make sure you have a cigarette or cigar flavoured liquid - that Cherry Chocolate just won't cut it and you'll start to crave a real cigarette...

Screwdriver mk2 - lasted a week!

Well, my Screwdriver Mk2 ecigarette lasted a week!
You'd expect a bit more from the "Ferrari of the e-smoking world" wouldn't you?

The first vapouriser lasted, well actually it never lasted at all, it melted the cartridge because when I put the battery in, the button protecting the heating switch was pushing on it. I burned my fingers and was lucky it didn't burn through my bag. Poor design.

I used the spare vapouriser that comes with the screwdriver and after charging the battery all was fine. For about 5 days.
Now the unit doesn't work at all.
I've recharged the batteries, tried new cartridges - nothing. The vapouriser no longer gets warm.

I emailed Totally Wicked asking if they could send a couple of vapourisers (I live in Europe so it's cheaper all round to do that) but they advised me they need the whole unit back before they can send any spare parts so it's back to them.
Hopefully the replacement unit (or replacement vapourisers if that's the issue - and if it is it will have cost me more in postage than ordering new ones would have cost!) will sort out the problems.

I'll let you know.

The screwdriver mk 2 electric cigarette

According to the site where I purchased mine:
"The Screwdriver MKII is a unique E-Smoking device it is widely considered the Ferrari of the E.Smoking world. Why is this? And what does the Screwdriver MKII have that a regular Electronic Cigarette doesn't have?
The answer is simple. A battery that is up to the job."

Well, some of that is true. It does come with a powerful battery. Two of them.
The first problem with that is, it makes the Screwdriver HUGE! Ridiculously HUGE. There is no way this is fitting in your pocket. Ah, but they've thought about that - they provide a lanyard to hang it around your neck. Problem -
1: There is no discernible way to attach the lanyard to the cigarette
2: If you did it would look RIDICULOUS. Why? Because it's HUGE!

OK, so how does it work?
Very well indeed. It has a preheat button on the bottom which creates the smoke and heats up the mouthpiece - that means you get a lot of good smoke from it.
It lasts for a long time - I got a few hours out of my first charge.

But, and yes this is a BIG but, it's not really any good for taking out with you - it's too big. If you want an electronic cigarette to smoke at home then this is a good choice. That said, if you want one to smoke at home you can choose any of the good ones on the market (most are much cheaper than this) because you won't have to worry about battery life - you can just keep one on charge.

Another thing that worried me about the Screwdriver mk11 was the instructions. It recommends that you replace the batteries frequently and the vapouriser every 2-3 weeks! What? It's over a hundred quid for this thing!

My advice is wait until (through the miracle of miniaturisation - let's face it we must be able to create a long life battery smaller than this one), the Mk11 (or probably Mk4) is released.
If it wasn't the size of a small family car this would be a good electronic cigarette.

The package also contains some totally wicked eliquid (for some reason the ones I got had no pipette unlike ones I've ordered previously.
There's also a charger - which is fine if you're in the USA but if you want to use it anywhere else you'll need an adapter - which is frankly, poor.
It says on the site that they supply an adapter but I never got one and there was no room for it on the box.
Lovely box mind you!



Avoid this one unless it's for use indoors.

I'd like to point out here that the service from totally wicked was again excellent - you can't fault these boys for customer service

Careful what you buy

The FDA has recently been testing nicotine fluid for ecigarettes and it's not good news:

During the laboratory tests, the scientists found that one cartridge contained diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in antifreeze and hazardous for human consumption. Other cartridges contained harmful additives, including carcinogens.

Of course that doesn't mean they're as harmful as cigarettes but it does mean Buyer Beware the shadier, cheaper manufacturers are likely to be putting all sorts of cheap shit into their product.
Stick to the established brands more than ever before.