The time has come!  Our growing pains are coming to a quick end and we have some new and great things to offer!  The INSTEAD line-up has changed slightly for an easier shopping experience.

The New INSTEAD Electronic Cigarette Stash Tin Kit includes the following:

1 – 4”W x 5”L x 1 1/2”D Stash Tin
1 – Wall Charger
1 – Velvet Stash Pouch
2 – Atomizers
2 – Rechargeable Batteries w/ Blue LED indicator lights
5 – Empty Cartridges (with plugs and a zip lock to store refilled cartridges)
1 – 15ml bottle of eLiquid Smoke Juice to fill (and refill) your empty cartridges.

Nicotine strengths are:  High, Medium, Low and Zero
Flavors are:  Regular Tobacco and Menthol

We will no longer be carrying the prefilled cartridges and if you haven’t checked out our recent post on How to Use eLiquid with Your Electronic Cigarette, you should!  This will explain why we no longer carry prefilled cartridges as well as step by step instructions on how to refill your own cartridges saving you money AND giving you the ultimate smoking experience.

Our eLiquid bottles have also changed!  They come complete with childproof cap and proper labeling.  Each label includes ingredients, nicotine strength and warning label.  As we are key on safety, please do not store your eLiquid with the dropper.  Please use the childproofed cap.  We provide you with TWO small ziplock bags.  One can be used for carts that you prefill on your own and one can be used for storing your liquid dropper.  ALWAYS utilize your childproof cap and always keep your eLiquid out of reach of children and pets!

And a further note on the INSTEAD eLiquid Smoke Juice:  It is manufactured right here in the United States!  Each 15ml bottle is equivalent to 300 cigarettes and to maximize your bottle of eLiquid, check out our post on Using Your Electronic Cigarette Like A Tobacco Cigarette.

Needing new empty cartridges?  Not to worry!  You can pick up 5 packs available in our store.  Each empty cartridge is individually wrapped and all 5 come in a convenient ziplock so you can prefill your carts on the go.  With every bottle of eLiquid you receive 5 empty cartridges for free!

Please note that while we usually ship within 24 hours of placing your order, due to high demand and the new line-up, all orders placed between now, Tuesday, March 24th and Friday, March 27th, will ship on Monday, March 30th.  After that, we will be back to our usual 24 hour ship times.

Happy eSmoking!

Warning: ELiquid may contain nicotine, which is know to be addictive. It should not be used by minors or pregnant or nursing women. ELiquid Smoke Juice may contain propylene glycol. Those allergic to propylene glycol or those with other medical conditions should consult a physician before using. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Always store with the child proof cap. Do not store with the dropper cap in the bottle. Store in a cool dry place, out of direct sunlight. Use at your own risk.  Never, never, ever, drink your eLiquid.

Also, please visit our page on Electronic Cigarette Smoker Qualifications to ensure that this product is right for you!

First a quick note on our supply. Please take a moment to read How to Use eLiquid with Your Electronic Cigarette. Here you will find a load of information on how to reuse your cartridges and to use the eLiquid. We also noted on this post that we are in the process of switching our eLiquid to new bottles that are properly labeled AND have child proofed caps. Our eLiquid is also formulated and manufactured right here in the United States.

You will notice that we currently are short stocked on our eLiquids and offer only minimal flavors of the prefilled cartridges. We have decided that the prefilled cartridges, while convenient, do not offer a complete smoking experience. By the end of Wednesday this week, we are hopeful that our new shipment of eLiquids will be in and our Stash Tin Starter Kits will now come with 5 empty cartridges and on the side, you can add your choice of eLiquid in either Regular Tobacco or Menthol Tobacco, in nicotine strengths of High (24mg), Medium (18mg), Low (11mg), and Zero (0mg).

****
Capitol Hill has been all the buzz lately over the electronic cigarette. As reported by Roll Call, Rep. Cliff Stearns (Fla) was seen smoking his electronic cigarette in the Rayburn House Office Building cafeteria, showing some others how his e-cig works.

Shortly thereafter, Senator Lautenberg (NJ), wrote a letter to the FDA encouraging them to take action and ban the electronic cigarette until further testing could be completed.

Following the letter, came another report by Jordy Yeager from www.thehill.com, announcing the letter from Senator Lautenberg wants to snuff out the electronic cigarette. Reps. Cliff Stearns (Fla.), Duncan Hunter (Calif.) and Collin Peterson (Minn.) were all noted in the article as being electronic cigarette users.

While Sen. Lautenberg calls for the FDA to remove electronic cigarettes from sale, Rep. Stearns was quoted by Yeager as stating “Before the FDA takes any immediate action, it should put forward scientific evidence that these products are harmful or unsafe… These e-cigarettes are smokeless and do not produce carcinogens. The nicotine in e-cigarettes is controlled in a capsule that can help in smoking cessation by allowing the user to reduce gradually the nicotine level, hopefully to zero.”

Sen. Lautenberg has championed many a successful quit smoking campaigns, most notably the removal of cigarette smoking on airplanes. He is an advocate for a healthier America and has done many a great things, but unfortunately, it appears that he has been misguided, by the misconceptions that are being pumped out on news broadcasts like the CBS Morning Show.

In Sen. Lautenberg’s press release and letter on his government website, he notes that marketers of the electronic cigarette are selling these as “quit smoking devices” and a “healthier smoking alternative”. While this may be true for some electronic cigarette suppliers, it is not true for all of us.

He has also noted in his letter to the FDA that the FDA have marked the electronic cigarette as a “drug device combination”. However, the FDA has not stated this. This misinformation is coming from a form letter that is given to electronic cigarette importers who are importing their products as “lung apparatus” or “quit smoking devices”. The FDA has clear jurisdiction on these products and we feel thankful that the FDA is in fact doing their job and stopping products from entering the country that are marked as “quit smoking devices” and as medical devices. The electronic cigarette that we sell is neither. It is a personal vaporizer that allows you an alternative to smoking tobacco. Plain and simple.

Sen. Lautenberg also notes the World Health Organization’s statement on the electronic cigarette from September 19, 2008. But he left out a very important part of the statement. What was said by Dr Ala Alwan, Assistant Director-General of WHO’s Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health Cluster was “The electronic cigarette is not a proven nicotine replacement therapy. WHO has no scientific evidence to confirm the product’s safety and efficacy. Its marketers should immediately remove from their web sites and other informational materials any suggestion that WHO considers it to be a safe and effective smoking cessation aid.”

As far as INSTEAD, and many other suppliers are concerned, this is absolutely true. There is no evidence that the electronic cigarette does aid in the cessation of smoking and those who are selling the electronic cigarette under the guise that they are, should fall into the regulations of the FDA. Those of us who do not make those claims are not promising you a healthier life, just a “cleaner” way to smoke. And “cleaner” is not a health claim. There are no ashtrays, lighters, cigarette butts, or second hand smoke.

So, Capitol Hill has most definitely heard of the electronic cigarette and if you are a happy and satisfied e-smoker, here is your call to action. Contact your representatives. Tell them how the ecig has changed your smoking habits and let them know your experience. Show them how positive the electronic cigarette is for you and that banning them until all the tests are in (which could take a minimum of 24 months and a maximum of 10 years) well, it would send the smokers at INSTEAD back to tobacco for sure. We are smokers! We want to smoke!

Remember that well articulated and passionate, yet kind words, are what your elected representatives will read. You have an entire blog dating back two years with tons of information and links to pull for your comments. Let Capitol Hill know what you think!

Here are some further links to help you on your way:

Determining your Congressional elected officials.

The electronic cigarette petition.

Digg the Petition so more esmokers on Digg can find it!

And please remember, that while Sen. Lautenberg appears to be on the “other” side, he wants to do the right thing. We all just need to help him see that tobacco harm reduction IS the right thing and that we are willing to help him gather the proper information.

This is going to be lengthy, but well worth it if you read it all!  Whether you are a current customer or a new customer, you will notice us slowly moving away from pre-filled cartridges on our website to empty cartridges and eLiquid and here is why:

Across the electronic cigarette industry, there are discrepancies as to how many cigarettes a cartridge is worth.  Some retailers suggest there are 20 cigarettes in one cartridge.  Off of the assembly line in the manufacturing plant, this may be true.  However, once they are shipped, some of the eliquid can be lost by leaking out of the nicotine cartridge and onto the sealed packaging.  There is nothing that can be done about this as gravity is the responsible factor.

By the time you receive your pre-filled cartridge, you will find that your cartridge will produce the equivalent of between 4-10 cigarettes.  Now, this number varies because each smoker is different.  It also varies based on if you have chosen the proper nicotine strength or not.  If you are on less of a nicotine strength than you should be, then you will find you are pulling harder and more frequently, thus reducing the amount of cigarettes produced by your ecig.

Another factor with pre-filled cartridges is that if you think about your cartridge in thirds, only the top two thirds of the cartridge are actually accessible to the atomizer.  Therefore, anything in the 1/3 of the cartridge that is furthest from the atomizer will never be used.

The final factor with pre-filled cartridges is that they do dry out.  The time varies on this, however, as with any liquid exposed to air, it will eventually evaporate.  Now, with all of these factors, it doesn’t mean that pre-filled cartridges aren’t good.  They are very convenient.  However, you will get the best smoking experience and the most bang for your buck if you go with eLiquid.  Using eLiquid is also known as “dripping”.  It is for all of these reasons that we have decided to move to eLiquid and empty cartridges.

So!  How do you use the eLiquid to “drip”?

You have just received your electronic cigarette.  You’ve charged your battery and you are ready to smoke.  Take your atomizer, which comes with a protective plastic guard that looks like your cartridges/mouthpiece, and screw the atomizer into the battery. Now pull the protective guard off.  Take one of your empty cartridges/mouthpiece that have been provided with your kit and remove it from the sealed packaging.  Remove the clear rubber stopper from the end.  If you received pre-filled cartridges, just unwrap one, start e-smoking, and when it is done (i.e. not more vapor is being produced), just refill it as an empty cartridge.

For your reference, pick up the protective plastic guard and the empty cartridge/mouthpiece and look down into both of them.  You will see inside the empty cartridge/mouthpiece a small fluffy pad.  That small fluffy pad is your nicotine cartridge or the wick.  It is this wick where you will drip 2-3 drops of eLiquid each time you want a cigarette!  You will notice the absence of this in your protective plastic guard.  To keep from getting confused, throw out your protective plastic guard.

To fill your wick, simply take your eLiquid dropper and drip 2-3 drops onto the wick.  Depending on the type of ELiquid bottle, you may need to puncture the tip of the bottle dropper with a pin or cut the very tip off with scissors.  Allow the ELiquid to settle for a few seconds, then place the cartridge/mouthpiece onto your atomizer.  Give it a few starter puffs by taking quick drags.  Once you develop vapor, you are ready to smoke.  When your wick is dry, you will know because your unit will no longer create vapor.

So what if you are going out and wish to take pre-filled cartridges with you so you don’t have to take your bottle of eLiquid?  Easy as pie.  Take the rubber stoppers you have removed from your cartridges/mouthpieces and set them to the side.  Take the small plastic ziplock your batteries and atomizers came in and set it to the side.  Take your cartridges/mouthpieces and set them so the small hole in the mouthpiece is facing down.  Fill your cartridge as you would for one smoke and let it settle.  Move on to the next cartridge.

You can fit up to 5 cartridges in your small ziplock.  Once you have filled all 5 with liquid go back and drip 2-3 more drops into each cartridge again.  The most drips you should put into a cartridge ever is 7-8 drops.  You will know when they are overfull because they will start to “pool” with eLiquid.  Try to avoid pooling.  Pooling can cause damage to your atomizer.

Once your cartridges are full, place the rubber stopper back into the bottom of the cartridge and place them, rubber stopper up, into your ziplock back.  Seal the ziplock and place into your velvet carrying pouch with your extra batteries and maybe an extra atomizer.  Then, you are ready to go out for the day or the night.  By filling 5 cartridges you are taking with you approximately 1 1/2 pack of cigarettes.

So how long should your empty cartridges and eLiquid last?  Each 15ml eLiquid bottle is equivalent to 300 cigarettes and this varying number is based solely on using the electronic cigarette like a tobacco cigarette.   The cartridges/mouthpieces can last until they fall apart.  What do we mean by fall apart?  They will losen and not fit as tightly on the atomizer.  The wick will become compacted and no longer hold liquid.  The wick will become loose and fall out of the cartridge compartment.  Any one or all of these things can happen.  HOWEVER… using your cartridge until they fall apart is unsanitary.  You wouldn’t smoke the same cigarette butt for weeks, even if you could.  That is why we provide you with 5 free empty cartridges with every bottle of eLiquid and with every kit and we also provide extra empty cartridges for a nominal fee.  Each cartridge should be used for no longer than one week.

If you follow the above directions, your eSmoking experience will go smoothly.  Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to “drip” just as easily as you lit a tobacco cigarette.  Happy eSmoking!

Reference Pictures:

An Instead Electronic Cigarette Mouthpiece w/ cartridge inside:

An unwrapped mouthpiece with plug pulled out (keep clear rubber plug to use later when refilling cartridges):

Here is the mouthpiece with the cartridge and plug all separated.  Please note: You can refill a cartridge with ELiquid while it is still in the mouthpiece.  You really don’t ever need to take the cartridge out of the mouthpiece.  Inside the cartridge is white fiber that acts as a wick to hold the ELiquid:

For those who are curious, you can take the cartridge out of the mouthpiece by sticking a toothpick through the small hole in the end of the mouthpiece.  Again, you can refill the cartridge while it is still in the mouthpiece:

If you have additional questions, please feel free to leave comments on this post.

INSTEAD Inc has called Florida home for two years now.  With the growth of the business, we have decided that we will be relocating to Indiana!  This will provide for shorter shipping times nationwide.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, however, all orders placed from Tuesday, March 10th – Thursday, March 12th, will ship out on Friday, March 13th, 2009.   After that, we will go right back to our shipping within 24 hours of placing your order.

If you have any questions or concern, please feel free to contact us.  As we will be on the road, our usual 1-2 hour response for emails will be affected.  If you call, please note that we will be traveling so if we are unable to get with you, please know that we will call you as soon as safely possible.  If it is not urgent and you simply have questions, please email us so we can address all of your questions in a prompt fashion.

We appreciate your patience while we are on our journey and again, thank you for choosing INSTEAD and we hope that this move will be more convenient for us all!  Happy eSmoking!

Created for smokers, by smokers, the INSTEAD Electronic Cigarette comes with 2 atomizers, 2 batteries with blue LED’s and wall charger, all within an engraved stash tin. Never misplace your components again! All sets also include a velvet pouch that nicely fits 2 batteries, 2 atomizers and your eliquid or some extra cartridges for when you need to tuck them into your pocket or purse!

Most sets only offer you one atomizer. So what happens when you need to replace your atomizer and you only have one? You have to cross your fingers and wait until your new atomizer arrives. You may even find yourself at the local 7/11, purchasing another pack of tobacco! With two atomizers, you can keep smoking your e-cig, rain or shine.

The INSTEAD Electronic Cigarette Stash Tin is the most eco-friendly cigarette packaging in the electronic smoking industry. Every single thing you receive is reusable. There are no longer pretty packages that present the e-cig to you, and then end up in the rubbish bin! Each tin also comes with a starter guide to get you started. INSTEAD has decided that in order to be truly eco-friendly, the INSTEAD Electronic Cigarette manual can now be found online in English, Spanish and French. There, you will find dosing information, a care guide, as well as eliquid assistance!

This personal vaporizer can be used where ever smoking is not allowed and offers no second hand smoke. The traditional issues with smoking are GONE! No ashtrays, butts, lighters and cigarette burns, the INSTEAD Electronic Cigarette is a must have for every smoker!

Join the tobacco free smoking revolution! Leave the tobacco behind once and for all and continue to enjoy your smoking habit. Say “INSTEAD, I smoke electronically!”

Other accessories available: The Car Charger Adapter, The USB Charger, Batteries with Orange LED’s and coming soon, replacement Stash Tins, Baggies, Velvet Carrying Pouches, and Empty Cartridges.

For our current customers who have already purchased and would like to purchase a Stash Tin, Baggies and/or Velvet Carrying Pouches, please contact us via our online form. We will email you as soon as the extras are in and pricing for current customers is determined.

With the addition of the second atomizer, we have also changed our warranty. Please feel free to visit our warranty page so you can see that we are in this to help you have a successful brand switch! One thing that hasn’t changed in our warranty is that we want happy smokers. Whether you are a customer or not, if you have an issue of any kind, please feel free to contact us. We are happy to work through anything with you and our door is always open.

Thanks for choosing INSTEAD and have a happy tobacco free smoking day!