The electronic cigarette has been in existence for over 10 years and is a clever device aimed towards providing smokers with a healthier option. Apparently also useful in helping to reduce as well as quit smoking altogether.

Now in a fourth generation, electronic cigarettes have become a lot more user friendly than earlier versions which perhaps were just a little too large to encourage a mass market appeal. The "mini" will be the most realistic e cigarette to date with its length of 100mm being the exact same as a conventional cigarette.

An electronic cigarette contains a taste of tobacco but none of the harmful substances found in normal cigarettes allowing smokers cravings to be satisfied without inhaling the many dangerous toxins. Is all of it smoke and mirrors? Or can this item really be the saviour it wishes to be?

Asked recently to write about electronic cigarettes, I have to confess that I had never heard about such a thing. Some internet research later and I discovered that electronic cigarettes are certainly much a quickly growing concern. A Google search revealed there is no smoke without fire as almost six million results just for the phrase "electronic cigarette" were returned.

A battery, an atomiser and also a renewable nicotine chamber allows the smoker to hold and smoke the electronic cigarette just as they would every other cigarette, even creating a "smoke" like vapour and glow at the end as they draw. The nicotine chamber proves very useful as cartridges are available in different strengths, permitting the user to reduce the amount of nicotine they intake until should they wish, can quit completely.

A nicotine cartridge typically lasts the same time as 15 to 20 cigarettes, thus creating a huge saving to normal costs. Standard, medium, low and no nicotine at all will be the various cartridge strengths.

A healthier option altogether it appears, although the benefits do not end there. Because of the electronic cigarette not emitting any dangerous substances, toxins or real smoke for that matter, they can be perfectly legal to smoke in public. In winter most importantly, normal cigarette smokers have to brave the freezing cold and also the rain just for a quick smoking break but this alternative will allow them to stay within their offices, restaurants and pubs.

None smokers also will benefit, as their worries about passive smoking are rendered null and void through the electronic cigarette. A much more sociable environment then!

Upon reflection the electronic cigarette is a healthier, cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative to smoking and as the awareness and also the market grows they have great possibility to successfully replace the harmful cigarettes we have all come to know and several of us have come to dread and fear.