21st Century Smoke
Electronic Cigarette Reviews

V2 Cigs

V2 Cigs is our choice as the best electronic cigarette on the market. The vapor clouds and throat hit are both impressive (but the throat hit isn’t overpowering), and the number of options available (flavors, designer batteries, and so on) is outstanding.

When we tested the V2 Cig, we found that the experience was quite similar to smoking a tobacco cigarette; the feeling on the inhale, the nice taste, and the thick exhale all caught our attention immediately. We particularly liked the fact that their battery doesn’t shut off after five seconds, and that there’s an option of a manual battery (there’s a small button you can push as you inhale) which allows you to control the amount of vapor you take in, allowing an even deeper drag than on most other brands.

V2 offers a nice variety of flavored cartridges, including three different tobacco flavors (Red, “refined” and Turkish), menthol and peppermint, and five other flavors, our favorites being coffee, vanilla and cherry, with mint tea and cola also in the lineup, plus an assortment of limited edition flavors. There are five nicotine strengths available for each flavor, from extra strength through full-flavor, light, ultra light and zero. The cartridges lasted the equivalent of a little more than a pack of cigarettes. Read the rest of this entry »

South Beach Smoke

Another of our top electronic cigarettes is South Beach Smoke. They fell into second place in our reviews by a narrow margin, largely because we prefer an e-cig with a little more of a throat hit, while South Beach is more on the “smooth” side when you inhale. That minus for us – may very well be a plus for you.

We found this product to be one of the best-tasting e-cigarettes we’ve tried, and it’s solid electronically as well. We also thought the vapor clouds produced by South Beach Smoke were much more than acceptable, pretty close to our two top choices. Overall, it’s a very nice choice for an everyday vape, as long as you’re not searching for the most powerful sensation on the inhale. (And now that they also offer extra strength 24mg cartridges as an option, it’s possible to get a stronger drag than with their traditional full-flavor carts.)

We’ve mentioned that we liked the taste of this ecig, and there is a wide range of flavors to choose from. They have three different types of “tobacco” flavor, ranging from “Marlboro” to “Camel” and they have both menthol and peppermint cartridges; also available are vanilla, cherry, chocolate, peach, and pina colada. We thought the peach was particularly tasty. There are light, ultra-light and no nicotine options as well as the full-flavor and extra strength. Read the rest of this entry »

Green Smoke

Green Smoke is solidly in the top three in our e-cigarette reviews, and they weren’t far away from the top spot. It does have the strongest throat hit of the brands we’ve tried, which we felt may be too strong for many vapers, particularly those accustomed to light cigarettes; that hit does mean, however, that the vapor clouds are quite thick. Of special note is Green Smoke’s Menthol Ice, which we felt was the best menthol of all the contenders in our electronic cigarette reviews, although again quite strong.

The flavors of Green Smoke are a major plus. Their Menthol Ice is, as we’ve mentioned, the best menthol we’ve tried. And they have three tobacco flavors that let you choose between the traditional “Red” (Red Label), sweet (Tobacco Gold) and Turkish (Absolute Tobacco). There are several other well-constructed vapor flavors as well: Vanilla Dreams, Mountain Clove, Mocha Mist and Smooth Chocolate. You can choose your level of nicotine, from zero nicotine, through ultra-light, light, full-flavor and strong (24 mg, stronger than a traditional filtered cigarette). Each battery charge and cartomizer lasts for the equivalent of 20-30 cigarettes. Read the rest of this entry »

Vapor Couture

There’s finally an e-cigarette designed for women. Vapor Couture, a stylish and slim electronic cigarette from the makers of V2 Cigs, is the “Virginia Slims” of e-cigs, and it’s not only stylish, it’s good. It cracks the top four of our e-cigarette reviews.

Everything about Vapor Couture is feminine. It comes in four fashion colors and designs: brushed platinum, rose gold, deep purple, and white with a repeating, stylish gold VC logo. The batteries and cartridges are made to match, but of course you can mix them if you so desire. The battery tip even has an elegant look, with a faceted crystal design in several different colors. We’ve never seen an e-cigarette that’s so slim and light to the touch, and we can completely understand how this product was designed for the female market.

The flavor cartridges are also aimed at women. There are six flavors currently available: Bombshell and Rodeo Drive are two tobacco-flavored options; the former is similar to a Marlboro, while the latter is a Turkish flavor, more like a Camel. Fresh Mint and Arctic Mint are the “menthol” options, and there’s are also tasty Passion Fruit and Strawberry Champagne flavors. Strengths available are full, light, ultra-light and no nicotine. All of them have a mild throat hit, but produce satisfying vapor clouds on the exhale. One thing in common with V2: the carts are all dated for freshness and are available in 40-packs and 20-packs as well as the more traditional five-packs. Read the rest of this entry »

White Cloud

When you try the White Cloud e-cigarette, you can tell immediately that it’s a quality product. It used to carry the highest price tag as well. For those who are making a long-term investment in an electronic cigarette we thought the higher price was justified; with a lower cost it’s definitely worth considering. The White Cloud is a smooth vape, and the company says that their hand-assembled components will last longer than some of their competitors. We couldn’t judge that in the course of one of our e-cig reviews, of course, but we find that assertion to be believable.

This was another e-cig that had a smooth draw, rather than a powerful throat hit. In fact, the company calls their cartridges “Smooth Draw” for good reason. There is a different type of technology involved in the White Cloud cartridges, involving the placement of the heating coil and other components; this means the cartridge won’t overheat and give you that “lip burn” you feel with some products. It also means you don’t have to “prime” the e-cigarette with a small puff before taking a longer drag. Even more impressive to us was the feel of White Cloud in our hand; it had a solid feel and no vapor leak at all. We got a nice amount of vapor on the exhale which is our second important consideration when it comes to ratings. The battery charge and cartridges lasted a little longer than average.

We tested the Cirrus 3X kit, which comes with three batteries, 25 cartridges, a USB charger with AC adapter, a car charger and a two-year warranty, a warranty that’s unusual in the industry and backs up White Cloud’s claim to technological excellence. As we’ve mentioned this is the most expensive starter kit out there, but it’s complete and has everything you need to vape. There are also other, less expensive kits available, with smaller batteries or variety cartridge packs included. Read the rest of this entry »

Premium Vapes

If you’re looking for smooth vapor and an enormous range of choices, we think you should look no further than Premium Vapes. They have more flavors, fashion designs and styles than any other brand in our e-cig reviews (they have e-cigars and e-pipes as well) – and the product is a very good one.

Premium has been on the market since 2008 and has been a leader ever since. We tested their PR110 starter kit, which comes with two 100mm batteries, five cartridges, and a USB charger with AC adapter. A dedicated USB cigarette can be purchased separately, and kits are also available with designer batteries, or with longer-lasting batteries for heavier vapers. We found the throat hit wasn’t as strong with the Premium, but the vapor was milder and smoother as a result. That makes this product a good choice for many who don’t consider the throat hit to be a determining factor. The smoke clouds were still good on the exhale.

There’s no question that Premium’s flavor choices are the best on the market. They have two varieties of tobacco flavor, menthol. and then a full range of nearly 20 “novelty” flavors ranging from chocolate to coffee, cherry to strawberry, irish cream to clove, peach to watermelon, and many more. We liked the coffee and the blueberry, but there’s a lot to choose from here, and you can order five-flavor variety packs if you want to try them all. Strengths of the cartridges range from zero nicotine, up to a full 24mg of nicotine for those who want a real punch. Read the rest of this entry »

Real Electronic

There was no one attribute that shot Real Electronic e-cigs to the top of our electronic cigarette reviews, but there were no real drawbacks to them either. They were a solid product with a good taste. They also have a strong three-piece e-cigarette, in addition to their two-piece offerings.

REC has two different lines of e-cigs, at two different price levels. Their top-level brand is called Duo Pro and each of the kits comes with two batteries, five cartridges, a USB charger and AC adapter. The higher-level kit also includes 10 extra cartridges, a car charger and carrying case. The “economy” brand is SmokePass, which also comes with two batteries, five cartridges, and USB/AC charger, with the e-cig not lasting quite as long as the Duo Pro, but at a much lower price. We thought that the Real Electronic had a nice taste, without some of the sweet aftertaste you find with some lower-priced e-cigarettes; the draw was smooth as well with a mild throat hit and above-average vapor clouds. Read the rest of this entry »

SmokeTip

For shoppers who consider price their number one consideration when looking for an e-cigarette, SmokeTip may be the easy answer. It’s a solid electronic cigarette and the starter kits are priced the lowest of all the choices in our e-cig reviews.

SmokeTip is a no-frills product, delivering a moderate throat hit and good vapor clouds. You won’t find all the bells and whistles that come with many other companies’ kits. The SmokeTip kit contains two short lithium batteries and five cartridges, a USB charger and an AC adapter in a package that’s functional rather than beautiful. But it does the job – a good vape in a technologically sound e-cig. And in fact, one of our testers preferred the taste and experience to the more expensive competitors.

When we tested the product, batteries and cartridges each lasted a little longer than a pack of traditional cigarettes, right around average among the brands we’ve reviewed. And the price is right. (If you’re looking for longer batteries or a car charger, you can buy those accessories separately rather than upgrading to a more expensive kit.) Read the rest of this entry »

Eversmoke

A relatively new e-cigarette on the market, EverSmoke is another of those that provides a smooth vapor experience instead of an intense throat hit. Our testers felt it was one of the smoothest draws they found – and with long-lasting batteries and an auto-delivery option, it is a good value on the market, well into the top ten of all of our e-cigarette reviews.

EverSmoke, in a nutshell, was a solid electronic cigarette with a moderate price tag. The draw wasn’t powerful or strong, but it was smooth and mild with very nice vapor clouds on the exhale, close to the vapor of our top-rated e-cigs. We sampled the premium starter kit, which comes with one standard and one high-capacity battery (a longer battery that holds a longer-lasting charge), five cartridges and wall and USB chargers. You have the choice of manual or automatic batteries – the manual ones are the ones activated by a small push button that lets you control the amount of time you can inhale. They also have a less expensive kit option with just one standard battery, and a more expensive one with a car charger and more cartridges. We definitely recommend the high-capacity battery. EverSmoke also has mini batteries, small and made for a night out, and a personal charging case which lets you recharge your batteries while you’re away from a charger. Read the rest of this entry »