Where is the inferior of inferior electronic cigarettes

Where is the "inferior" of inferior electronic cigarettes? Poor quality means poor quality. Many smokers began to try e-cigarettes for the purpose of quitting smoking or replacing cigarettes, not only for their own health, but also not wanting to disturb the people around them. The original intention was good, but unfortunately, because the first electronic cigarette that someone came into contact with was of inferior quality, the user experience was very bad. It may have come from online shopping, and the e-liquid was leaked as soon as the package was opened; it may also be full of heart. I hope I can feel the "real smoke-like taste" often mentioned in product promotions, but what I feel is not as good as smelling an unlit cigarette; or I should be using a product that is cleaner and simpler than cigarettes, but Smells annoying burnt smell from time to time.

Where is the "inferior" of inferior electronic cigarettes? A must read for e-cigarette consumers!

Because of the irregular production and publicity of many electronic cigarette products, it has also attracted attention and vigilance from all walks of life. A market that is still in its infancy is flooded with inferior products, and many smokers have a lot of negative views on this new type of tobacco product, which also hinders the technological innovation and industry progress of this type of product.

As a scientist specializing in the research and development of electronic cigarette products, I feel very sorry for the bad impact on the entire industry caused by inferior electronic cigarettes. Originally, smokers had the opportunity to be exposed to a new type of tobacco product to help them achieve their goal of reducing or even stopping smoking faster, but poor quality e-cigarettes not only make them possible to seek a harm reduction tobacco product while inadvertently exposed to additional harm , will also make them question the ethics of the industry as a whole.

An inferior product may be deficient in the quality of raw materials/use performance/product quality and integrity, which may cause inconvenience to users and even harm the environment during use. In this article, I would like to specifically talk about inferior electronic cigarettes. The three main "inferior" directions and their possible impacts.

1. Inferior raw materials

The birth of each product includes three main elements: raw materials, production processes, and finished product quality inspection. Each element has quality management requirements and also affects the quality of the final product. Let's talk about the raw materials of electronic cigarettes first. The composition of electronic cigarette mainly includes three parts: pod (including e-liquid and cigarette holder), atomizer, and cigarette rod.

First of all, the most attention should be the part of the e-juice cartridge, because that is the part that the smoker has direct oral contact with and will enter the body. Although the composition of e-liquid is generally only three to four chemical substances, and sometimes there are flavors to flavor, but each substance should use the highest-grade raw materials. For example, nicotine is used as an "active ingredient", and companies that focus on quality management and safety will use USP/EP grade (US/EU Pharmacopoeia grade) and nicotine with a purity of at least 99% provided by qualified suppliers as raw materials to ensure that the The content of production impurities is minimal. However, the higher the grade and purity of raw materials, the higher the price, the stricter the process of certifying suppliers, and the higher the requirements for the investment of production enterprises. Therefore, there are many companies that have let go of raw material selection from the perspective of capital and human resources. . This also happens to other raw materials in e-liquid.

At the same time, because the mouthpiece is in contact with the mouth, its material must also reach a certain food safety level. Some high-end electronic cigarette holders use polyetherimide (PEI) materials. PEI is an amorphous thermoplastic with high mechanical strength and stiffness, with very high creep resistance over a wide temperature range and long-term elevated temperatures. In addition, it also has very good hydrolysis resistance and dimensional stability, can withstand high temperature of 200 ° C, is odorless at high temperature, and has good thermal conductivity and safety. For some products, the cigarette holder is colored for the visual effect of the appearance. This treatment method also needs to consider whether the color will fade when the user uses it in the oral cavity for a long time, and whether the coating is safe. Just imagine, whether it is the raw material of e-liquid or the raw material of cigarette holder, if the quality is compromised, smokers may ingest potentially harmful substances every day.

Secondly, the atomizer is the core component of the electronic cigarette. The e-liquid can be evaporated into smoke by heating. This process will generate a high temperature of at least 200°C. Therefore, the atomizer and its surrounding accessories must be made of materials with high temperature resistance and good heat dissipation, so as to withstand the high temperature of the heating atomization process, and the atomizer will not be damaged due to heat accumulation. In addition, the heating process should not produce peculiar smell, destroy the taste of smoke, and at the same time have enough strength, so that it can continue to be used after mild to moderate bumps or falls, so as not to break.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material is selected for the atomizer oil tank material of high-end electronic cigarettes. PEEK is a unique semi-crystalline, thermoplastic engineering plastic with excellent chemical properties. It is often used in hot water or steam environments. It can maintain a high level of flexural strength and tensile strength. It can withstand high temperatures and can be used for a long time. Up to 260 ℃, and no odor at high temperature, good thermal conductivity.

The requirements for the parts of the cigarette rod are not particularly high. Generally, it can ensure a good appearance, can be sprayed, and can be electroplated. However, companies such as Apple, which mainly focus on mobile phones and tablet computers, have chemical material testing departments at their headquarters, which specialize in testing the components and impurities of the materials that the user's skin will come into contact with, which is also a kind of responsibility for the user's health.

2 Inferior R&D and Production

When the Internet was just emerging, there was a particularly popular saying, to the effect that you never know whether the person behind the screen is chatting with you or a dog. Now, with the rise of electronic cigarettes, and inferior electronic cigarettes have begun to run rampant in the market, I would like to say that it is difficult for you to know whether the electronic cigarette you are holding is produced in a sterile and dust-free workshop or a "three-no" family workshop. There are many so-called bathtub vape juice maker in American vaping culture. It is difficult for consumers to trace the origin of a product without spending time and energy. Poor quality R&D and production are mainly reflected in two aspects:

(1) In the process of producing e-liquid, unscrupulous enterprises do not strictly control the content of nicotine, the ingredients are added at random, the formula is mixed unevenly, and the quality inspection of the product is not carried out, resulting in the nicotine claimed on the product packaging label. The concentration does not match the actual measurement, and the nicotine concentration in different batches or even the same batch of products will be high or low. Too high nicotine content will cause health hazards; too low nicotine content cannot meet the requirements of smokers and cannot bring satisfaction. In short, it will seriously affect the use of smokers. As a new type of tobacco product, the main concept of electronic cigarette is that the ingredients are simpler and clearer than cigarettes made of natural tobacco. Because of the randomness of e-liquid production, product labels with transparent information are useless.

(2) The design and production of atomizers and electronic heating control functions are like the heart of electronic cigarettes. Many companies do not know much about the principle of vaping, and some of them follow the trend and join the e-cigarette craze, and superficially choose a certain high temperature range only to evaporate the nicotine in the e-liquid and try to increase the thickness of the e-cigarette to attract attention. It is true that high temperature is required for e-liquid to change from liquid to vapor to bring out nicotine for smokers to inhale, but this high temperature is one degree. Excessive heating of e-liquid (such as more than 300∞C) will lead to the degradation of glycerin, resulting in harmful by-products such as formaldehyde acetaldehyde that everyone avoids. This is a problem that unscrupulous companies have not thought of or have thought of but have no intention or ability to solve. Because of this, it's easy to think that all e-cigarettes contain more harmful substances than cigarettes burn.

3. Inferior experience

The worst user experience I know about e-cigarettes is the oil leak. Originally, after taking a few puffs of electronic cigarettes, the mist curled up, and I had a half-day free time, and it was rare to have a moment of "fog and forget about both". Suddenly, whoops, sucked out a mouthful of oil! The capacity design of a pod is basically equivalent to one or two packs of cigarettes, which means that no smoker will use the entire pod in one go. The portability of electronic cigarettes also allows smokers to carry them with them and use them occasionally. Therefore, many people have complained that when they want to use it, they go to the pocket of the coat and touch it, ah, touch the oil!

This kind of user experience, I believe that everyone who has experienced it, does not want to experience it a second time.