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4 Styles of e-Cigarettes - Pros and Cons of Each

There are 4 main styles of electronic smoking devices, e cigs, or eCigarettes people should be familiar with before they "take the plunge" and buy their first starter kit.

At first, these styles may seem familiar and obvious to you, but in the world of e smoking each style actually has practical value associated with it.  In this article I will reveal each functional advantage and disadvantage, or pro and con for each style.

Style vs Type

I want to make one more important distinction between style and what I call "types" of e cigs.  Style refers mainly to external appearances whereas type refers purely to function.

There are also 3 main types of electronic cigarettes that are typically referred to as 1-piece, 2-piece and 3-piece.  If you would like to better understand how the 3 main types differ from the 4 styles you can read this article on the 3 main types of electronic cigarette kits, but I suggest you read this article about style first.

If you are totally new to electronic cigarettes then you may want to start with a quick google for and e cigs FAQ (frequently asked questions) page before you continue.

4 Main Styles of e Cigarettes

The 4 main styles of eCigs are:

* mini electronic cigarettes
* pen style electronic cigarettes
* electronic cigars
* electronic pipes

Pen-Style e Cigarette

The pen style is probably the least familiar style to most people so I will discuss this style and its pros and cons first.

As its name implies, a “pen-style†electronic cigarette is resembles an ink pen in size and shape, but without the shirt clip, so no pocket protector necessary!

Seriously though, pen-Style e cigs can also resemble cigarette filters you sometimes see rich people smoking in old movies, but maybe a little shorter.

The main advantage or pro of the pen style e cig is that it is a good balance between form and function.  Even though they are about twice as long as a regular cigarette, they are still relatively small and skinny, but have larger nicotine refill cartridges and batteries that last longer and produce good vapor.

Another advantage of the pen-style ecigs is that most don’t resemble regular cigarettes in appearance and are NOT usually mistaken for regular cigarettes and therefore can almost always be smoked in non-smoking areas without much trouble.

At the time of writing this article it is technically not illegal to smoke an electronic cigarette in non-smoking areas because it is not considered a tobacco product and is not combustible.

In fact, establishments aware of the virtually odorless and non-combustible electronic cigarette (such as many casinos and some bars) actually encourage the use of electronic cigarettes to give their clientele an alternative to smoking where smoking indoors has been banned by law.

The only real con or disadvantage to the pen-style electronic cigarette is that if you are not used to the size or appearance of this style it may be awkward in social settings, at least the first few times you get together with friends.  Strangers that smoke however, tend to be very friendly when inquiring about a pen-style e cig.

Mini Style e Cigarette

The mini electronic cigarette tends to be the most familiar to people as this style is the most similar in size and appearance of a real cigarette which can be both its main advantage and disadvantage.

Since pen-style e cigarettes came out first and were then miniaturized over time, the term “mini†however, is now really used to describe ANY electronic cigarette smaller than a pen style device.

In fact, e cigs that are closest in size to actual cigarettes such as the blu electronic cigarette, are now sometimes called super-mini.

Since mini electronic cigarettes tend to look almost like a regular cigarette right down to the glowing cherry ember on the tip you will probably feel most comfortable in a social setting or with other smokers with this style.

Also, if you are trying to switch to smoking e-cigarettes instead of regular cigarettes then the mini e-cig style will require the least amount of adaptation of your habits and behaviors.

The disadvantage of the mini e cigarette being so similar to actual cigarettes is that it can negate one of the huge would-be benefits to smoking e cigs; smoking them in public.

Some businesses such as restaurants and other typical non-smoking areas such as airplanes not aware of e cigs may ask you to not use the devices on their premises even after some explanation just on principle.

Sometimes this disadvantage can be mitigated by choosing a mini style e cig with lighted tip in a color other than orange such as blue or green.  This way, people may still be confused as to what you are smoking, but at least they can be reasonably sure that it is not a real cigarette.

The other disadvantage that comes with the small size of the mini electronic cigarette is that their small cartridges and batteries do not last near as long as the other larger styles so you will find yourself switching batteries and cartridges often.

The small batteries also sometimes have difficulty in producing copious vapor because the batteries aren’t quite as powerful.

Electronic Cigar Style e Cig

Of course, electronic cigars are made to resemble real cigars in size weight and shape.  Since cigars tend to be larger than cigarettes and ball point pens there is a lot of space to work with in the design of these devices and a couple clear advantages that come at a cost.

The first major advantage of electronic cigars is that they have very large and powerful batteries and large refill cartridges although many electronic cigars are actually disposable and not meant to be refilled.  A good disposable cigar however won’t quit for 1800 puffs on average.   Non-disposable cigar style e cigs will not last quite as long.

Strong odor is a common complaint with regular cigars and pipes , but this is not a problem with electronic cigars and pipes because there is virtually no odor.

You even have greater flavor choices with electronic cigarettes and cigars so if you always wanted to be boisterous at a casino by smoking a cigar, but were never crazy about the taste of cigar tobacco, you can smoke cola flavor in your electronic cigar instead.

As stated earlier however, smoking electronic cigars comes at a cost.  Even refillable designs often have the vaporizer heating element built into the body of the device.

This vaporizer component also known as an atomizer, wears out over a period of 6-12 weeks so if it is built into the body of the electronic cigar then it can’t be replaced like in the other styles.

When the atomizer in an electronic cigar dies, you usually have to buy a new housing or starter kit which can become expensive.

Disposable electronic cigars are more economical but offer less flavor choices.

Electronic Pipe Style

Electronic pipes of course look just like real pipes and can also be a more costly style.

Atomizers in electronic pipes are replaceable and the batteries / refill cartridges are large, but electronic pipes are not in as high demand so even the cheapest electronic pipe starter kits can be very pricy.

If you like the style and experience of smoking a pipe and just get complaints about the odor then the virtually odorless electronic pipe is for you.

Any flavor that is available in an electronic cigarette is also available in an electronic pipe.

Which Style is Best

After reading some of the pros and cons in this article you should be starting to get a feel for which e cigarette style will be best for you.

Most veteran e cig smokers have a couple different styles to suit their mood or circumstances so read some reviews to make sure the quality you are looking for is there and don’t be afraid to experiment.

There is actually a 5th style if you will, of full custom or modified electronic cigarettes that are far less common, but available to those trying to perfect their e smoking experience.

This 5th style includes electronic hookahs, so called USB pass-throughs that get power from a USB port, and a wide variety of many other variants that strive for optimization of form and function.

So, don’t give up.  Smoking electronic cigarettes can be quite a bit different than smoking regular cigarettes but must people like it once they find the e cigarette style that suits them best.

While I think I covered everything in this article, a picture is worth a 1000 words.  Visit the electronic cigarette review to see pictures of the 4 styles of e-cigarette and to find a comprehensive list of reviews and links to many suppliers of this break-though device.

About the Author

Sparky has smoked e-cigarettes since 2008 and is the founder of the popular electronic cigarette reviews site www.electroniccigarettereview.com.