There are 4 main styles of electronic smoking devices, ecigs, or e-cigarettes people should be familiar with before they 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 are totally new to electronic cigarettes, then you may want to start with a quick Google for ecigs FAQ (frequently asked questions) page before you continue.

The 4 main styles of ecigs are: mini electronic cigarettes,  pen-style electronic cigarettes, electronic cigars, and pipe-style.

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 resembles an ink pen in size and shape, but without the shirt clip, so no pocket protector necessary! Seriously though, pen-style ecigs can also resemble cigarette filters you sometimes see rich people smoking in old movies, but maybe a little shorter.

The main advantage of the pen-style ecig 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 disadvantage of 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 ecig.

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 ecigarettes 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, ecigs 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 ecigarettes instead of regular cigarettes, then the mini ecig style will require the least amount of adaptation of your habits and behaviors.

The disadvantage of the mini ecigarette, being so similar to actual cigarettes, is that it can negate one of the huge would-be benefits to smoking ecigs — smoking them in public. Some businesses such as restaurants and other typical non-smoking areas such as airplanes that are not aware of ecigs may ask you to not use the device on their premises, even after some explanation, just on principle. Sometimes, this disadvantage can be mitigated by choosing a mini style ecig with a 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.

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 1,800 puffs on average.

Non-disposable cigar style ecigs 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 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 pricey. 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.

After reading some of the pros and cons in this article, you should be starting to get a feel for which ecigarette style will be best for you. Most veteran ecig 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 esmoking 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 ecigarette style that suits them best. While I think I covered everything in this article, a picture is worth a thousand words. Visit the electronic cigarette review to see pictures of the 4 styles of ecigarette and to find a comprehensive list of reviews and links to many suppliers of this break-though device.