How Do Electronic Cigarettes Work?

Look around anywhere in public and you’ll see plenty of people smoking electronic cigarettes. Often referred to as E-Cigarettes or E-Cigs, these alternatives to tobacco cigarettes are more than a trend, they’re an accepted alternative to harmful tobacco cigarettes and more popular than ever. Yet, in comparison, they seem pretty complex. To clear up any confusion as to how Electronic Cigarettes work, we’ve provided the basics below, explaining what’s included in our E-Cigs and the basic science behind vaping.

What Components Are In E-Cigarettes?

Cutaway view of electronic cigarette

1 Rechargeable Battery: Lithium-based and typically charged via USB

2 Microprocessor: Built-in and triggers atomizer and LED Light, upon inhale

3 Atomizer: Contains heating coil to ignite the cartridge

4 Cartridge: Holds flavor and provides nicotine

5 Sensor: Built-in & detects use to activate microprocessor

6 LED Light: Glows to stimulates a true lit cigarette feeling

Cartomizer: Disposable cartridges with built-in Atomizers, providing maximum vapor production

How Do E-Cigs Work?

When someone takes a drag off an electronic cigarette, there’s a lot that goes on inside the device.

The first step in the process is when the atomizer heats up the cartridge, containing the eLiquid. This process begins as soon as the cartridge is connected to an atomizer and a certain amount of the eLiquid becomes stored in a reservoir in the atomizer. From there, users activate the atomizer’s heating system, by inhaling. That action triggers the stored eLiquid to move from the cartridge into the atomizer’s heating chamber, which then absorbs the eLiquid and turns it into vapor. Finally, the user exhales the vapor.

Still, not all electronic cigarettes use cartridges. Many of our electronic cigarettes use cartomizers, which operate the same way internally, but combine the atomizer and the eLiquid. The benefit of using a cartomizer is that they’re disposable, alleviating clean-up of cartridges.

Does The Vapor Smell?

There is indeed an aroma given off by e-cigarette vapor and the smell consists of whatever eLiquid is being used. Still, the aroma is very faint, dissipating just as quickly as the vapor itself.