Are you a smoker who is dying to try something new to inject some fun into smoking? Then try electronic cigarettes. These babies, also called e-cigarettes or personal vaporizers, are battery-powered devices that allow you inhale specific amounts of nicotine in a vaporized solution. Electronic cigarettes provide smokers an alternative to their traditional cigarette sticks, pipes and cigars.

What do electronic cigarettes look like? They are basically elongated tubes that actually resemble traditional smoking products such as cigarette sticks. Others, however, are shaped like a ball-point pen. The beauty of these electronic cigarettes is that they can be refillable, hence reusable. For those who are looking for the occasional one-off, disposable e-cigarettes are also offered in the market.

The e-cigarette contains the following parts in order to operate and function properly: a heating element, a mouthpiece, electronic circuits and a rechargeable battery. There are two types of personal vaporizers: automatic and manual. The automatic kind contains a sensor, which detects air flow as the user inhales nicotine. This sensor activates the heating component, which then vaporizes the nicotine that the user eventually inhales. However, in the manual type, users have to depress a certain button that then activates the heating component—these electronic cigarettes, in short, do not contain sensors that are seen in the automatic type.

Electronic cigarettes were first brought to life in 2003 with a registered patent. The company responsible for its development and design is from Beijing. By 2006, the e-cigarettes found their way into Europe, and today, it is found in various countries all over the world.

Smokers will appreciate the reusability of the e-cigarettes as they will no longer have to purchase cigarette sticks by the pack. This adds to its versatility and practicality, as well as the convenience it provides the smoker. However, while the obvious salability of e-cigarettes has already been proven in the market, the health issues that arise along with this new smoking alternative have yet to be concretized.

Certain countries ban the importation, use and purchase of e-cigarettes, such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Panama and Singapore. In other countries, while the use of this is allowed, advertising is forbidden—such as in Netherlands.

At the end of the day, it remains to be seen whether or not electronic cigarettes will be able to consistently boost the tobacco industry or if it really will benefit smokers in the long run. The concept, however, is interesting and original. As more and more studies are being done on the health effects of these personal vaporizers, the effects of these products will be concretized in due time. In the meantime, smokers in countries that allow the use of e-cigarettes can enjoy the convenience it provides them.