Cigars

E-cigarettes for the discerning ex-tobacco smoker

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SMOKO’s e-cigarettes are aimed at newbies to the vaping market, and the company say their goal is to encourage people to give up smoking in a sustainable way. SMOKO offers three separate models of e-cigarette starter kits, ranging in price from about £10-£25, so whatever price you pay, they won’t break the bank.

As a smoker of 15 years who’s tried to give up more times than I can count, I tried the SMOKO e-cigarette, which is supposed to mimic the feeling and sensation of smoking but without all of the associated negative health impacts. I was drawn to try SMOKO vapes because, not only does it not cause the lung damage associated with real cigarettes, but it also doesn’t produce huge smoke clouds which contribute to air pollution.

I also like that SMOKO present their products as being only for smokers – they’re not trying to target non-smokers, and rightly so. Vaping should only be seen as a tool to kick the smoking habit, and not a habit to start all by itself. Anyway, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of this starter vape kit.

Design

Personally, I think it’s quite a good looking e-cig. It comes in a nice tin which makes the product feel quite ‘premium’, and the cigarette itself feels reasonably durable and weighty – so hopefully it can handle the odd drop on a night out. It’s got a sleek chrome finish and the ‘SMOKO’ logo on the side isn’t unattractive. It’s a pen-style e-cigarette which bears enough resemblance to actual cigarettes that it quickly becomes second nature to pick this up instead.

One minor point is that the seal between the e-liquid and the drip-tip is completely seamless, which means it can look a little like the juice is going to pour into your mouth when you vape – this hasn’t happened yet and I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.

Battery

If this means anything to you, the SMOKO e-cigarette is powered by a 1800mAH battery which the company claims can be fully charged in just 30 minutes. Personally, I found this to be true – I plugged into a wall socket via a USB cable and the SMOKO lasted the rest of the day on a single charge – not bad at all.

The only concern I can see here is if you’re a real chain smoker, you may need to factor in an extra charge later in the day, but the vast majority of users, the Smoke VAPE’s battery power should be more than enough. There’s also no battery level indicator, so there’s an element of guesswork if you are running low – but if you keep a spare USB charging cable in your bag, you should be able to charge it in most places.

Sensation

This is the big thing, isn’t it? I was worried that the SMOKO e-cigarette just wouldn’t hit the same spot as real cigarettes do. I’ve tried a few models in the past and never really found one that felt like it could replace proper cigarettes for me. The SMOKO VAPE is promising, though – it offers a nice throat hit and a relatively realistic smoking sensation. I can actually imagine this e-cig replacing real cigarettes for good, which is something I’ve never said before.

Flavours

Apparently all of SMOKO’s vape flavours are made in the UK – always a plus. They offer a decent range of flavours including Original – for those of us who like our cigarettes to taste like cigarettes – and Mint Breeze, which is perfect for menthol cigarette smokers. I tried Mint Breeze, and it was pretty similar to smoking regular menthols and likely the one I’ll stick to, but there are also lots of fruity flavours on offer such as Cherry, Apple, and Fruit Burst for fans of a sweeter smoke.

Overall verdict

I was pleasantly surprised by the SMOKO VAPE e-cigarette. It was my fourth foray into vaping in the past few years, and so far I’m still going with it – I haven’t picked up a real cigarette in days. It’s a great product for the money, and if you’re looking for a vape starter kit you’d be hard-pressed (I think) to find a better one for the price. It charges quickly, has a decent battery life, and for me, the big thing is that it’s just got a really good flavour and sensation to it which is as much like a real cigarette as I’ve ever experienced.

There’s not a lot to criticise on this one, except perhaps the lack of battery indicator. Otherwise, bearing in mind the low price tag, the SMOKO VAPE e-cigarette hits every mark. If I keep this up for the next couple of weeks I’ll already have saved the money I spent on it in not buying cigarettes, so for me, it was well worth the purchase. I’d highly recommend it.

Just A Guy Thing is a men's lifestyle magazine focused primarily at guys wanting to better themselves.

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