Are E-lites electronic cigarettes any good?

So, Globus rekindles the blog with a review on his latest bid to stop smoking - the E-Lites electronic cigarette:

Background story
Globus was passing through London Euston train station (a common occurrence these days) when he was accosted by a salesman peddling these 'electronic cigarettes'. Globus listened patiently to the spiel, but wasn't ready to decide just yet. Globus once had a meeting in an hotel in London (no, not -that- kind of meeting...it was daytime) and the guy he met with fished out an electronic cigarette, proceeded to draw on it a few times, then put it back in his pocket. Globus is a sucker for novelty, and it seemed quite, well, novel, but still a bit, well, wacky.

On reflection, it seems a great idea. No tobacco, so no stinky breath (a fundamental reason why Globus never gets any rumpy-pumpy from the missus at home), no self-conscious odour when around work colleagues, and, seemingly cheaper than normal cigarettes as well. On that premise alone, worth a go, surely?

Globus did some shopping around online, and there were no websites which either seemed a) credible or b) had the right kind of product at the right kind of price. So checking out the E-Lites website, it overall seemed a bit 'lite' on information for what Globus wanted to know. Why were the products he wanted out of stock? Were they going to re-stock? Should he go for 'regular' or 'lights'? (Globus smokes Marlboro Lights). So he decided to call them on their advertised number, for a chat. The 'sales advisor' who answered the phone (after a while ringing out) really seemed to be preoccupied with playing tetris or poking someone on Facebook or something - Globus didn't feel like he was dealt with attentively at all. But Globus has low expectations of telephone answerers anyway, so he decided to wait until he was in London again the following week, to speak to the salespeople outside Euston station again in person. (Incidentally, there's been speculation about E-Lites staff posting positive review and comments about the products online, and also interfering with people reviewing their products. See this post by way of example).

The kit
So yesterday Globus bought an E-Lites 'starter kit' at £39 (they added on a £1 'card processing fee' which came out of nowhere mid-transaction...sneaky....). Keen to stop smoking, and find a new way to kick the habit, E-Lites are getting a Globus trial.

The actual cigarette is slightly larger than a regular smoke, and has a green LED at the end which lights up when you take a drag. Unpacking the kit, you get 5 'cartridges' which they claim equate to around 40 cigarettes each (Googling it suggests you might get half that per cartridge), and a nifty little case about the same size as a normal cigarette packet. The 'battery' (which is the white part of the e-cig) is chargeable via a USB port.

Globus got some odd looks in the office when he was 'charging' his cigarettes, whereas the guy on the desk opposite was being normal and charging his ipod. But hey. It would have been good to have a mains charger included, and the green LED light is a bit reminiscent of what you might get from a joke shop...

So, is the smoking experience any good?
Globus mentioned that the e-cig is slightly larger, and heavier, that a usual cigarette, so it feels a little clunky to hold. Feels a bit more like holding a pen, than a smoke. Also the green LED which lights up when you drag on it is a little odd. Globus understands the concept of not wanting to confuse with someone actually smoking a cigarette...but when did you last see anyone smoking anything green FFS? So Globus has felt a little self conscious smoking it in public as it's attracted a few curious look-at-the-wierdo-what's-he-up-to kind of glances. In terms of the nicotine rush, it's there, for sure. 'Smoking' the electonic cigarette provides a similar experience to smoking a regular cigarette - so it's fair to say that this product certainly has potential. But although you can, in theory, use it indoors (it works with water vapour not smoke), it'd get some very strange looks and attention from people, so best not, eh. And Globus has always found something 'finite' about smoking a cigarette - it begins, and finishes, and you know how long it takes. With these electronic jobbies, all that goes out of the window, so it's a bit of a re-education as to how to smoke. Not necessarily a bad thing, but worth pointing out, nonetheless.

Globus will update once he's spent a bit more time with his new electronic companion. Initial diagnosis is that the product has promise, and initial rating after day 1 is 8 out of 10.