In a word? Yes.
I recently purchased my first electronic cigarette - Crown Seven Hydro Imperial.
The starter pack I purchased contained 2 atomizer cartridges (what would be the filter part of a normal cigarette), one battery (the tobacco portion of a normal cigarette), and a charger (USB charger - plug it into any computer or car charger with a USB port on it). Each cartridge is supposed to be equal to two full packs of cigarettes, and I've found that on my basic cig needs, it will last for about 3 days, if not longer.
The starter pack I got was the Crown Seven Hydro Imperial. The first cartridge was good, but the second was dry by the time I got to it - not so good. However, the normal refill packs have the cartridges not only capped at each end, but also sealed inside individual plastic baggies - much better!
I'm now on the second cartridge from the refill pack, and I went with the black cartridge as opposed to the white. Why? For basic aesthetics, is all - a filter should be different from the rest of the cig, right? The black, full strength cartridges, seem to work very well, lasting at least as long as any normal two packs of cigarettes might last for me. I do tend to do a "puff-puff-pull" to get a good, hot vapor, but I understand this is normal for e-cigs. On the other hand, I also tend to put the cig back in my shirt pocket after a few pulls, thus using less than I would from a real cigarette.
Price: The local cig/tobacco shop sells two brands of e-cigs: Crown Seven, and nJoy. The Crown Seven starter pack cost about a dollar more, but the replacement cartridges only cost about $10 for a pack of 5, as opposed to nearly double the price for the nJoy cartridge pack.
I feel that the choice I made for an e-cig was the right one for me. I enjoy a decent smoke, and if I decide I want to take a drag from my cigarette, I don't have to worry about where I am! After all, I'm not blowing smoke in the middle of a crowd of people, I'm just inhaling a little water vapor, and then exhaling it.
As for health, I haven't done any research, but I would guess that "smoking" an e-cig is much healthier than smoking my regular cigarettes. There won't be any tar - the byproduct that carries the majority of poisons and carcinogens of any cigarette. It's nearly as inexpensive as it is to purchase tobacco and tubes and make my own cigarettes as I want them. And, I no longer feel the compulsion to finish the cigarette once I pick it up - if I take one drag, and stick it back into my pocket, it's okay! I haven't "wasted" my cig!
To some, this may look like a glowing recommendation for the Crown Seven brand - and I suppose it is, in some part. However, I do admit to a total lack of experience with the other brands, so if you know someone who personally recommends a different brand, then perhaps they're the person you should be listening to. For me, though.... Crown Seven has hit a home run!
