Latest: E Cig Buying Guide
E Lites Review – E200 Starter Kit
E Lites have been developing and improving their e cig product since 2007 with the aim to bring you one of the most authentic electronic smoking experiences available. They also adhere to rigorous testing, quality control and CE Assessment.
The question we all want to know and the purpose of this E Lites review is “They may be the biggest but are they the best e cig brand in the UK?”. Lets take a look…
UPDATE
E-Lites have now released a new PCC e cigarette kit to the market called the ‘E-Pro4’. It still has the G9 battery and flavours but along with a new sleeker looking design they now have the chargeable pack that gives you constant power on the move.
The latest E-Pro4 E-Lites review can be found here!
Our Logic Compact Review is also available here. Elites have now re-branded as Logic.
Take A Look At How Simple E Lites Are To Use
Packaging
I bought the E-Lites E200 starter kit that comes complete with a ‘tough case’. Its a sturdy acrylic casing that can fit five electronic cigarette cartridges and the battery.
At the bottom of the case you will find the USB cable tucked away ready to charge. The cable itself is very small and only extends a couple of inches, it did mean for me that the case was hanging out of the front of my PC to charge but this really isn’t a problem.
If anything the short cable keeps things tidy and makes it easy to feed the USB back into the E-Lites case.
The back of the case includes a three step instruction for getting started with the e cig as well as another three step battery charging instruction and LED light that tells you when your battery is charged.
I was a little concerned at first that there were no other instructions with the E-Lites E200 starter kit but this really is enough information for you to get started.
I’ve got to say I am impressed with the casing, it’s simple, got a good quality feel to it, clean in its design and its pretty much the same size as a ‘traditional’ pack of twenty cigarettes.
Battery/Responsiveness
The battery in this kit is very responsive, unlike a few ecig batteries you will get a good drag first time round.
No need for multiple drags just to get it going. Visually, E-Lites electronic cigarette has tried to keep as close as possible to the ‘look’ of a normal cigarette by including faux rings which again looks effective.
It has a green light that activates when you take a drag and flashes when low on power, they do also sell batteries with a red light separately but the standard with the E200 is a green light to prevent confusion when smoking in public places.
As for the life of the batteries, they will last for the equivalent of 30-40 traditional cigarettes and E Lites say that they can be recharged 200-300 times before you need to replace them.
This could range in time from 6-12 months, at the time of writing I have only been using mine for around a month and need to charge the battery every evening. If you don’t want to wait for the charge then investing in another battery to use alternately is the way to go.
Overall – The battery is good quality but as expected from a battery this size you will find you are charging regularly. I would definitely say a second battery is essential.
Vapour/Flavour
One of the most important parts of any e cigarette review!
This is where I was impressed with the E-Lite e cig. The taste isn’t exactly like a real cig, I would be lying if I said it was, but it isn’t far off.
It took me a few ‘drags’ of getting used to using as well, whereas my friend liked the taste from the first drag and he smokes twice as much as me.
After a few days of smoking the e cig I went back to having a normal cigarette, I’ve got to say, it kind of felt dirty! But not in a good way!
The E-Lite has a ‘clean’ taste to it, you can still feel the hit on the back of your throat and the vapour volume it provides is spot on, enough to feel like a real cigarette. The tobacco e-liquid here was spot on.
I had the regular strength carts with my E200 starter kit but you also have the choice of menthol. Each cartridge is said to give you the equivalent of 40 cigarettes worth of smoking. This is a tough area to work out but for me personally I found 40 to be way over the mark.
I was getting more in the region of 20 cigarettes worth on the calculations they use.
Refills are also available where there is several options of strength and flavour.
Lite, Regular, Menthol and nicotine free are the choices and at the time of writing come in packs of 5 E-Tip refills. This may seem cheap when compared to tobacco cigarettes but compared to other e cig brands they are pretty much double the price.
Overall – I enjoyed the flavour but the cartomisers are expensive at twice the price of competing brands.
Customer Service
I did have to email customer service due to me selecting and paying for the wrong product, this was an error on my part. The customer service team however responded swiftly in refunding my money and offering further guidance should I have needed it. So very happy with that.
Starter Kits
E-Lites offers three basic starter kits:
- E80 E Cigarette Starter Kit
This entry level starter kit includes one rechargeable battery, USB charger, card case and two e-tips. - E200 Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit (Kit reviewed)
This is the latest starter kit by E-Lites and includes a ‘tough case’ with built in usb charging cable, 5 E Tips. - Epro4 Electronic Cigarette Starter Kit The deluxe kit includes two batteries, two USB chargers, a portable charging case and 5 E-Tips.
Money Back Guarantee/Warranty
E Lites offer a 7 day return for packs that have been unopened. Batteries are covered by a 6 month warranty from time of purchase. Chargers and e-packs are covered by a 12 month warranty in the event of a defect.
Summary – Are E-Lites Recommended?
I do like the E-Lites electronic cigarettes, the whole package is professional in its appearance from the case to the ecig. As commented above the customer service was quick to respond.
It just seems lacking slightly at the moment when compared to the other e cigarettes on review such as Vapour2 Cigs and the Epuffer Magnum Snaps which at the moment is in my opinion a better e cigarette mainly due to the cartomiser flavours.
The other downside is the price of the refills that are expensive.
Having said that there are plus points as well, the battery doesn’t stutter, you get a smooth drag that is consistent in volume every time, the vapour volume is just right and the taste is good as well.
For the price of the E Lites E200 starter kit you are getting a good product although there are better out there.
Final E-Lites Review Verdict:
There are better e cig options available.
While the product isn’t bad, the quality of the vapour decreases very quickly into a tip’s life; the claim each pack of 2 E-tips is 80 ‘cigs’ is absurd, 20 at most is closer to the mark. Expensive (near the cost of actual cigs), poor customer service.
I decided to give e-cigs a go when i saw a disposable one in Pounland (SkyLites). This thing was magic and i smoked it from Monday evening until it ran out Friday lunchtime (tobacco, medium, 40 equiv). I loved the taste and the vapour production and stopped smoking cigarettes immediately.
I decided straight away that i wanted to carry on with this so i ordered an E-Lites Summer Switch Bundle costing £8 – 1 battery, 1 cart, 1 USB charger. I chose E-Lites because it was the only one that had stuck in my mind from seeing it in shops so it must be good and popular right?
It arrived the day after ordering (£3.74 for postage). I was so disappointed because it was nothing like the Poundland one and i wasn’t sure if it was faulty or just crap. Taste & vapour production were intermittent and it was really noisy (hissy) to use.
I phoned customer services and explained the problem to a really nice & helpful guy. He said it sounded like a faulty battery and would send a free replacement.
The replcement battery arrived two days later and the result was exactly the same. Still not fit for purpose or as good as any of the increasing number of cheaper options i’d tried!
I can’t comment on the battery or cart longevity because at this point i’m giving up on E-Lites, this one is too much bother to smoke for little or no results.
I’m still trying out rechargeables for the one that suits me best but i’ll definately be going back to Poundland for more of those disposables!
E Lites got me of tobacco cigarettes but the price of E Lites made me find another brand. I’m now on Green Smoke which are cheaper and have more choice of flavours. A shame because had the price been more reasonable I would have had no reason to switch. Oh and one more thing, the claim of 40 cigs ber cartridge seems way over the top. Green Smoke claim 30 which is a little nearer the mark.
Expensive! Why don’t the batteries fit the cartridges . Not explained that not all elites don’t fit elite cartridges. Elites have cost me a fortune. Will look for different ecigs in future. What con!
They are not reliable.
The least similar in weight to a real cigarette.
First one didn’t last more than a day with infrequant use but gave them the benifit of doubt.
Second one I bought was a dud “good to go” from a fuel station, didnt work from the packet, took it back immediately (actually never left the place) for a replacement and was told I would need to contact the manufacturer!!!
Didnt have the cash on me to buy another, spent the day cold turkey.
If this is there policy it sucks.
Wont be taking a gamble on them any more, very disappointed.
Suggest you avoid E-Lites like the plague. The price of the replacement cartridges are ridiculously overpriced and their claim that you can get approximately 80 cigarettes from 2 cartridges is totally absurd.
I complained to E-Lites but they were totally uninterested and told me they had a lot of satisfied customers and that they were surprised to get a complaint about their products…Yeh sure!
I have now wasted enough money with E-Lites and have today changed to Green Smoke who’s E-Cigs so far have performed extremely well.
I only wish that I had found this review site and read all the views before I started using E-Lites but we all make mistakes but at least I am not going to waste any more money with E-Lites.
While my usual atomizer heads were out of stock i thought i would give them ago as they were sold locally. I bought the disposable and thought it would get me through the weekend….how wrong i was, it got me through a few hours at the most….and then the battery went….bought a charger and some tips and they also ran out before the weekend was over.
The battery life is poor and the tips definately dont last 40 cigs….40 puffs maybe. Also it feels like your sucking through a straw.
As they were one of the most advertized and were probably the first to bring e ciggarettes onto the market i thought they would be high standards. i am definately not going to buy them again. I am now eagerly waiting for my order to come from the totally wicked site…who in my opinion is one of the best. Not only can you refill them with eliquid you cnn choose strength and flavour. I highly recomend the tornado range. You feel like youve had a smoke and they have long life batteries.
If your a ex smoker you want something that is reliable…and cheaper and e lites definately are not.
E Lites good product but looking at other brands due to the after sales service of buying refills
eLites are ok – better than the green smoke one I used before. The battery I found to be very short – and the cartomisers not as long as advertised.
I do prefer the taste of these though – but I guess the flavour / taste is an individual thing.
tried this as an alternative to smoking real cigs after trying a un reviewd one a friend gave me with piles of carts. couldn’t find menthol carts for that one so when i saw this i thought i would give it a go
Battery didn’t last as long as the 1st cart did despite me charging before use as per the instructions
this feels a Lot fatter than a normal cig, never mind a roll up so took a bit to get used to
the Noise it makes when you suck is off putting and if you don’t watch where you put your fingers you can block this air vent,leading to a head rush of thick vapor.
it is difficult to get a decent draw of vapor on this, far more so that other brands i have tried/use.
haven’t tried the tobacco flavors they offer as the menthol one is more tobacco than menthol in my view, your taste may well differ.
carts Don’t last anywhere near the claims of 4 cigs per cart, more like 5-8 normal cigs worth
the menthol flavor is very weak almost a hint of after taste rather than a flavor.
the battery is supposed to be there “best yet” i am glad i didn’t try there previous version given the life of this one, as said above it ran out before the first cart did, and takes a Fair while to charge up with there usb charger.
it Is very easy to get replacement carts or chargers or whole Elites cigs from most local corner shops that sell cigs
which has to be a good point
overall i cant recommend this, the high cost of replacement carts, the life of them not being anywhere near the claims but as a keep in the car as an incase item it will do, low use due to the high refill costs and short battery life
My mum bought me an electronic cig a couple of days ago after I mentioned I was thinking of trying them, she bought it on impulse as it was a menthol flavoured e cig and I only smoke menthol cigs. Not one to name drop but it was italian sounding and began with G!
It was disposable and claimed to contain 500 “puffs”. From a little online research this apparently means roughly 50 cigs, 10 drags being equivalent to one cig… at least in the minds of the production teams working for the companies that sell these e cigs – seriously, have they even smoked before?? This one ran out in less than 48 hours. I do not and have never smoked anything like 25 fags a day!
Unfortunately the E Lite is no better in fact it may actually be worse. I bought a menthol E Lite earlier at the shop round the corner, about 10am this morning and at about 9pm tonight… it had run out. Again, I have NOT smoked 30 fags since this morning.
Another problem with the E Lite is, a lot of the time at least, I don’t feel any hit at all that generally finishes up each drag you take on a regular cig (and that italian sounding brand by the way, which never failed on that count.) So it just doesn’t feel much like the real thing.
Honestly, since I may have overdone it with these new E fags I guess I could have smoked “30 cigs” in less than one day… after all, a proper fag gradually burns down to nothing but the filter at which point you chuck it away and then you know you’ve had your fag… nothing like that happens with an e cig, obviously. But it wore out after 11 hours… 5 of which I was at work and during my free time I used it no more than 10 times.
10 times in around 6 hours… and the cartomiser was dead. I honestly didn’t overdo it with the drags either, I only did what I needed to do to actually feel something. As numerous people have said before me… their cigarette equivalent claims are hugely over exaggerated! Which, if anything, makes their cost roughly similar to regular cigarettes, not much cheaper at all and definitely not cheaper than roll ups.
BUT if you’re serious about giving up proper fags and going the vapour route… These E Lites aren’t bad, if you can afford the constant refills and are willing to accept the E Cig industry’s belief that 10 mediocre drags equates to one normal cig.
My advice… Just buy a small starter kit from your local store. Pretty much everywhere sells them or something similar. See what you think to it and if you genuinely believe it’s a great product then… good! Good luck with it 🙂 If however, like me, you find it to be a little on the crap side all things considered, keep in mind there are many other manufacturers doing what E Lites do… making a much better job of it.
I was very keen on stopping smoking. I have been smoking for 45 years and was burning through 40-60 Gitanes daily.
I have a prescription inhalator and 25mg nicotine patches but these are worse than useless. The inhalator is about as useful as sucking on a pencil.
I know e-cigs are not formally intended for smoking cessation but they have done it for me so far! In my personal experience thay have proved far more effective than cold turkey, patches or inhalators.
My partner hates me smoking and is delighted with the results – mostly the fact that I have not become moody, cantankerous and homicidal as a result of stopping the Gitanes. She also lets me puff them in the car – something she would never allow with cigarettes.
I consider them to be relatively expensive. However at this stage the cost is of less importance to me than the smoking cessation.
The manufacturers claims in terms of “cigarette equivalents” and battery life are hopelessly exaggerated.
Two cartomisers cost £7.99 and are claimed to be the equivalent of 80 cigarettes. My experience is that they are about the equivalent of 20-25 cigarettes (if that!).
(As a comparison Vapourlites are £9.99 for 5 cartomisers – so effectively half the price of e-lites).
As the batterys hold very little charge I have three batterys and two USB chargers and rotate them around. I also have a double car charger for iPhone/e-lite battery.
The carrying case is quite smart and elegant with chrome trim.
The “smoking” experience is very realistic. The nicotine cartomisers taste much nicer than Vapourlites.
I use the stronger nicotine e-lite and swap it around with the lower nicotine menthol one. The menthol tastes very clean and pleasant.
All in all I am reasonably happy with e-lites but somewhat annoyed at the claims made by the suppliers. I chose e-lites as they are all that is available locally. I would probably have gone for Vapourlites if they were available locally (yes I know they are available online but running out of e-fags is as bad as running out of the real thing!).
Now all I need to do is wean myself of the electronic cigarettes!
E-cigarettes do help me to reduce my smoking. I use one mainly when I’m driving because I can just put it down anywhere or in my pocket when I’m approaching a situation where I need to concentrate (e.g. roundabout etc). Don’t have to worry about dropping ash all over my clothes either. So far they don’t quite equate to a cigarette but I think it’s worth persevering.
The E-Lites battery life is good but you need a spare. The charging adaptor will work in any USB mains charger such as iPhone.
The refills do last well and the nicotine hit to the throat is quite close to that of a low tar cigarette but not quite as satisfying. I find I need to draw more frequently than on a cigarette.
One thing I have found is that I was able to buy the twin refill pack for £1 less at Morrisons than on the E-Lites website. That does not give me a good impression of the company. Also, I found the website delivery time a bit slow. Margins are too high and I recognise that they are probably outsourcing all of their components and are limited in what they can do in developing the product. The so-called discount offers are difficult to find just leave a feeling of frustration.
I think that a lot more effort is needed by any company and not just this one, to produce a smoking experience comparable to normal cigarettes. More effort is needed to encourage people to use them.
I recognise and have personally noticed that there is a health benefit with e-cigs and I will keep looking for the ideal product. Hopefully there will be a company who have the skill to provide the best quality at the best price..
have ordered some more cartridges if these are the same as last ones will be trying a different brand of ecig,found reviews of a certain different brand interesting
Takes too long to receive after placing an order if you are an addict.
BEWARE – If they are lost in transit , this company will NOT refund or replace for 14 days.
Their customer service is non-existent, unhelpful staff and they don’t know what they are talking about.
There are cheaper and better brands out there.
I had a craving after 6 months of giving up smoking, so turned to E-Lites after seeing them advertised.
They do an ok job when they work, which is about 60% of the ones you buy but they don’t last long enough, produce nowhere near the equivilant of 40 cigs per cartomizer and the batteries run flat really quick and take forever to charge.
Zero response to customer service email when complained about issues with product.
Leave an awful taste when they leak on your tongue, which is often.
The menthol ones last about 2/3s as long as the Red ones.
It’s more expensive to ‘vape’ E-Lites than it is to smoke.
NOT RECOMMENDED FOR REGULAR VAPING!
On the plus side, the kids that run E-Lites seem to have plenty of money so are driving awareness of the industry. No excuse for a shitty product but a slight redeemer if it gets more people of fags. I guess.
I used this for a wee while bot the equivalent of 130 fags they lasted me 2 days and there was no vapour competing out complete waste of £20 rubbish They 130 more like 130 seconds ! Waste of time and money
Bought a starter kit from the newsagent and was initially impressed even though i was obvious the stated amount on the pack was a complete lie. Then i lost my battery and ordered a new one and a load of refills. Was really disappointed with the replacement battery which flashed after a long drag which didnt happen before and also ran out quickly and took ages to recharge. The refills were appalling, a complete rip off. Only a few good puffs before running dry. Really pissed off with the whole elites thing. After a bit of research i decided to try another brand beginning with v, with a longer battery and refillable atomisers. The difference is incredible. Great hit, much cheaper in the long run and battery lasts for 2 days no bother. Elites may be pushing their marketing hard but without real improvements to cost and quality they are going to go bust as people realise there are far better alternatives out there.
These tips are really expensive to purchase. I found myself using up to three a day. I was not using them during the daytime as I work. The battery life is short. To sum up it didn’t change my smoking habit. I gave up smoking because of the cost involved and I found this product to be no cheaper at all. Taking into account the cost of batteries chargers and tips.
I have tried it all. Patches, gum, inhalator (yuck!), lozenges, spray (even yuckier!) and Champix. I lasted 6 months off the fags with Champix but slipped back to old habits.
I was a hardcore smoker. It had a serious grip on me and one that I just couldn’t let go no matter how hard I tried. I managed to kick for a while on Champix but it didn’t last. Only when I had a health scare (I’m only 31) did it make me realise the damage that I could be doing to myself by smoking.
I never really thought of ecigs but a friend had been using them with great success so I decided to give it a whirl.
I went for E-Lites mainly due to the UK television ad which made me recognise the brand. Plus I’d read that their sticks were close in size and feel to a real cig so I thought it would be best for me.
The overall product is good and I get a very similar feeling, throat hit and warmth as I do from a real cig. The product is simple to use straight from the box and I was Vaping pretty much instantly.
The flavour of the regular cartridges is good – my mind has convinced me it’s real smoke so I get the taste, flavour and enjoyment from it. The size and feel are as good as described and I’m happy I went for this brand.
The prices are reasonable and are not crazy in comparison. In all honesty, the money side of smoking never bothered me. I was more concerned for my health so it’s no major worry.
Although a lot of reviews say the vapour production isn’t great, I beg to differ. I think a lot of this is to do with the battery and keeping it near fully charged. I work at a PC all day so have it on charge pretty constantly. By doing this, I find that when I vape, I get a good, consistent smoke.
This product is ideal for a beginner like me and I’d recommend it to anyone new to e-cigs. It’s a great entry level brand. I’m not 100% sure ill stick with it – I’ve seen great reviews on Green Smoke products so I might graduate to that.
Customer service is great. With my first order I recorded a money off voucher which I subsequently lost. I emailed them explaining this and they sent me a code so respect to them for that.
Only down side is their shipping seems really slow. The kit took 4 days to arrive and I’ve ordered some refills from them since which, after 4 days again have still not arrived. I had to go to my local Morrisons to buy a couple of refills to keep me going until they turn up.
All in all, a sound product for an entry level Vaper but I feel that I’ll be graduating soon to a brand that is a little more ‘grown-up’ and less gimmicky.
I only started on e cogs last week bought the e lite from the local shop (cool) then the USB charger and finally two cartridges. All for £22 very cheap It looks like a normal cigarette and is easy to handle,however you have to keep charging the battery which I find time consuming (up to 4 hours to charge)I would certainly recommend it to a light smoker but does not have the strength for a heavy smoker like me.
Preface: the one star ratings I’ve assigned
The ubiquity of E-Lites immediately lends them a certain magnetism– chances are, if you’ve purchased anything in a pharmacy, newsagent or supermarket over the course of the past year, you’ll be familiar with the A5 banners loudly informing you that E-Lites are THE premier smoking alternative on the market. This, coupled with lofty promises that each cartridge (or, E-Tip) offers the equivalent of 40 cigarettes, makes them appear a safe investment – and the conclusion that £7.99 for a battery (and cartridge), £7.99 for a USB charger and £7.99 for top-up packs of two E-Tips is a reasonable price is an easy enough one to make.
Having been a heavy puffer for 8 years, and as a committed nicotine addict who wanted to stay dependent without the health problems and cost associated with smoking, I swallowed the bait, and bought myself a reusable model and charger (I reasoned that it would be at least a day before I needed to purchase some refills). Excitedly ripping the e-cigarette out of its wrapper, I took my first puff.
It was at that point that I became a committed ‘vaper’. I had seen the future, and it worked. Or so I thought.
As I inhaled eagerly, my mind began racing about how much money I would save, and the years of my life that might even be restored, by a fully-fledged conversion to e-cigarettes. At that point, I was smoking 20 strong cigarettes a day, at a cost of around £8 per packet – if the promises of E-Lites were true, my monthly expenditure on cigarettes would be halved, falling from around £250 to £120 in one fell swoop (and my lungs would surely thank me from the bottom of my heart).
It was with a deep and cohering sense of disappointment that less than half an hour later my E-Lite stopped producing vapour. Assuming it was the battery giving up the ghost (I had been puffing quite greedily), and feeling only slightly irritated at its lack of longevity, I slammed it on charge when I got home, rubbing my paws in anticipation of diving mouthfirst into another rejuvenative blast of non-carcinogenic bliss. Watching the charging light melt from amber to green in, I fired it up again. There was no change. My slightly miff graduated to sighing annoyance.
I bought two new filters. They lasted a little bit longer, but the battery on the E-Lite seemed to have irreversibly depleted – it now only took a few tokes for the unit to start flashing (the dreaded signifier that the unit was out of juice).
I started investigating alternative e-cigarettes online. The first thing that struck me was how much dearer E-Lites were than their competitors; for a start, contender cartridges generally ranged from £1 to £2.50 each, and starter packs consisting of a battery, cartridge and charger hovered around £10 (E-Lites charge £15, plus p+p). However, having already invested almost £30 in E-Lite products, I decided to stick with them. My web research indicated that refilling cartridges with e-cig liquid (or, e-juice) was a cheaper way to vape, so I purchased juice, and refilled my cartridges.
Alas, E-Lites don’t seem amenable to liquid, and all it produced were some unpleasant smells, nastier tastes, and a meagre wisp of fog.
Despite my shocking experience with E-Lites, I still class myself as a dedicated vaper – and my cigarette intake has been reduced to 0, a glorious liberation I’ve maintained for over six months. I tried an alternative brand (which I won’t name – I’m not here to advertise other products), and was blown away. I’d urge people seeking to switch from cigarettes to electronic alternatives, and for those who’ve made their fingers warmed by the hot air of E-Lites, to seek other vaping solutions. Rival brands, which likewise shall remain nameless, have now wormed their way onto supermarket shelves, and in addition to being a fraction of the price, these products offer considerably greater battery life and cartridge span.
Overall
Price
Flavor
Vapor Production
Build Quality
Customer Service
Shipping Speed
Recommend?
been on these about 4 weeks now and I am finding myself using them more than I would normal cigs. Batt first use is excellent but after a few charges it becomes very poor. I now have 4 batt and two chargers and I find this is still not enough as it takes a few hours to charge. The cost is way too high and as others have posted I think you get around 15 cigs not 40 so you will find you are spending far more than you would normally.
This has definitely changed my smoking habits for the better as I am hardly smoking real cigs now, only when the battery runs out on the e lite so will buy another as back up.
The elite is a bit weighty and you have to hold it differently from a normal cig because of the weight and also because the little air hole is right where I would normally hold a cig and I sometimes forget and block it. Will get used to it I am sure and it is not a game changer.
I like the fact I can take a few drags and pop it back into my pocket and not have to ‘smoke’ a whole cig.
I like the idea of the green light at the tip, though I have not had the guts to smoke it where traditional smoking is banned. I think once the use of e cigs becomes more common place that won’t be a problem but I worry in case someone sees the ‘smoke’ but not the green tip I might be in trouble, especially if seen on black and white cctv! Last year a bloke on a bus caused a panic with an e cig which was mistaken for a smoking bomb and the police, bomb squad, fire brigade and just about everyone else descended on the bus and blocked the M6 for several hours, all because of an e cig!
I would recommend this as a great alternative to real fags – a reasonable sensation of smoking but without the harmful and unpleasant side effects. Takes a few goes to get used to it but it is actually quite easy to become a convert!
I certainly do not hate this product. How can I when it started me on the road towards becoming a non-smoker!! Each one on the market has its good and bad points, but for me the e-cig was just not comfortable to hold on a regular basis. Ok for the odd 5 mins, but became cumbersome after that.
I certainly never had a problem with any cartridges not functioning.
The cost of e-cigs is pretty high if you are intending replacing stink cigs, but as just the odd vape here and there they are a pretty good investment. Ideal for keeping one in the car or a handbag for casual use.
stopped me smoking normal cigs, battery life not very good, about 1 in 5 tips do not work very well. shape and size are well designed, could do with more vapour production per inhale,
This was the e-cig that I initially stopped smoking with. I had a 30 a day habit mostly with heavy cigarettes for around 30 years. I was originally introduced to this brand from reading the review here on E Cig Click. I was attracted to it by the way the box resembled a cigarette box and the familiar look of the product to an analog cigarette.
The website was easy to use, and the order came within 5 days. I liked the fact that i could screw in the cart and start vaping straight away. Totally idiot proof. The box itself comes in tough plastic, holds 5 carts, 1 battery, and has a USB charger that fits on a small lead to the bottom of the box. The battery lasts for about a day and takes about one hour to charge. the tip lights up green so you cant be confused with users of the evil weed. I found this to be a nice touch. I have tried all three flavors with menthol being my favorite. However to me it has more of a flavor of minty toothpaste than menthol, however, this is a plus not a minus to the product.
E Lites produce a good amount of vapor and you don’t have to drag too hard to get it, but flavor tends to be subtle (especially with the red flavor cart) as I was a heavy smoker, there were times it left me less than fulfilled. I have read about leaking cartomizer issues, but have never personally encountered this issue myself, same goes with dud carts. The products I have tried from E Lites have always arrived in top notch condition.
I used this product regularly for over a month, but have since moved to a performance e-cig, and rarely use the E Lite as my all day vape, but I always keep one handy in my pocket for emergencies. I attribute the E Lites as a major factor in me being able to kick the habit, and would also recommend it to people who are looking for a place to make a start in the vaping world, and at quitting smoking.
This Product is by far the best available. I have smoked for 23 years various tobaccos and cigarettes. Tried many many times to quit and finally I am confident that I am now an ex smoker. The kick and taste is as real as you can get without the real thing. The simplicity of use and charging is satisfying. The flavours available are superb. I started with the normal strength and taste cartridge but when that ran out I swapped to the menthol one as I had used menthol filter tips with my tobacco and wow ! it feels fantastic. Well done on a brilliant product !
I first ordered startedrkit online, with an usb charger. it took 5 days to arrive.
I paid 18-ish pounds.
I got delivered wrong product. Starter kit without usb charger. + 5 pound voucher.
Since I didn’t want to wait another week or more, till I would return product and get what I ordered, I just opened it and used it. went to buy locally charger and refills.
I think there has to be better products out there. Atleast when it comes to price.
Competitors of E-lites have flavours (actual ones, cofffee/cherry/tabacco/vanila etc)
They are cheaper e.g. batteries 6 pounds instead of 10, ( I assume they suck as much) but atleast they are cheaper. then there’s cartridges you can buy 4 five packs for 20 pounds and even more cheaper if you order biggger quantities. where elites 1 five pack costs 20 pounds.
This has and is working a treat for me as I can keep my “routine” and not spend £9.00 a day on real ones. I am still on my first cartridge after two days and don’t know what anyones problem is with them?
Honestly speaking I think the people who say they were on 15 a day were probably on closer to 30 and the people who say they were on 20 a day were probably on closer to 40.
Don’t treat it as a “constant” i.e don’t have the thing in your mouth all the time use it sensibly and you will see how they last.
The price could be a bit cheaper but base it on a ratio of spend and you seriously can’t have an argument about the cost of real cigs to these unless you used to buy “real” boxes of 200 from the guy in the market.
I’m a fan and they are helping me a lot, just hope that this “vapour” doesn’t turn out to be lethal after further tests LOL!!!! (only joking) I HOPE!
dont like how long the battery lasts not long at all sometimes not a couple of hours so whats the point need it to last all day. so more expence having to buy another battery so laptop on none stop charging them looks like it is going to run very expensive i really need to stop smoking hoping these will work n come out cheaper
Thanks for taking the time to leave your review Julie. To be fair with E-Lites though, you would have to be a very light vaper for batteries this size to last all day. That is pretty much the norm with any brand not just E-Lites that supply these size batteries.
That is why here at ecigclick we always recommend 2 batteries at a minimum and a portable charging case if budget permits, this will allow you to charge your spare battery in the case when you are on the move instead of having it plugged into your laptop all the time. E-Lites have one available.
If you want an e cigarette battery that lasts all day without recharging then you will need to look at the bigger capacity battery ecigs such as the VGO from Jacvapour or the Volcano Inferno. Only downside is that they do not resemble a cigarette in any way if that is important to you.
This product showed great promise when I first bought the Disposables E200. However after going for the Pro at a rather expensive price I felt let down by the Cheap feel of the case. Also dispatch time on one occasion I had to wait 18 days for delivery when I called to chase it up I was told sorry but they were extremely busy received the order two days later, no offer of compensation or discount for the wait. I have now decided to check out V2 or Green smoke. E-lites great in theory unfortunately not so great in Practice.
I think E-lites are good they work perfectly and anyone who writes bad reviews obviously don’t want to quit an are still making excuse’s, my e-lite works perfect no problems at all recommend to all.
it hasnt, still smoking normal cigs. very frustrating trying to get a puff, first few are ok, then trails off. cmon e-lites…… we cant all be wrong! drop the prices and give us 1 that works.
searching the net as we speak to find one that actually does what it says on the tin…….
To be honest, if you want an entry level in to an alternative to smoking, this is very good. I have seen some of the reviews and to be honest, they’re just people who should just stick to the tobacco and the chemicals that they put into them.
I do feel, that they could improve on the design, the atomiser does sometimes seem to have a mind of its own.
Approx ’40 cigarettes’ – Not one smoker is the same. I also have seen friends smoking theirs just because they can. Stick to a 1.5 to 3 second drag, and you’ll be grand.
Also, use a USB mains charger to charge ya batteries. Such as an iPhone charger extension that I use.
E-lites was my first e-cigarette. I initially liked the vapour and taste. However, I soon began to realise that the cartomizers don’t last long at all. Also the vapour is very thin and also extremely inconsistent. Sometimes it’s fairly thick and at other times there’s virtually nothing there.
I looked at the competition and bought a Greensmoke kit. It is incredible in comparison – as good as smoking a normal cigarette.
The only thing that is good about E-lites is that the taste is quite authentic to a normal cigarette – similar to a Silk Cut. But that’s it.
The good bits : they taste pretty good, you can get them on the high street but I’m afraid the good bits end there.
The bad bits : The refills are way, way to expensive, the claims of 40 cigs a refill is not accurate, I was getting 20 max!
The vapour and taste is excellent for the first dozen or so puffs then it turns into hard work to get anything, a really frustrating experience.
The less said about battery life the better, a couple of hours if you are lucky.
If you are anything other than a light smoker, 10 a day, you will be very disappointed.
If you are serious about vaping you simply have to buy yourself a 510 compatible kit that allows you to refill yourself because going the e-lite route (or any other e-cig) will fail and you’ll be back on the fags.
Something that costs more than smoking and is this much less satisfying will sadly fail, which is a pity because they look the part.
I think e-lites have completely misjudged why people would use a e-cig, yes to get off the fags but NO if it costs more.
Hi Phil,
I am sorry to hear of your concerns,
I would like to make you aware of our reward scheme where you can obtain free E-Tips for returning your used ones. You can find out more information by emailing the team at info@e-lites.co.uk.
We take all complaints regarding faulty products seriously, all batteries & chargers have warranty’s of between 6-12 months and we can replace potentially faulty E-Tips upon receiving them back at our Head Office.
Can you please contact our customer services team to discuss any issues further, you can call us on 0800 1123 401 or forward an email to info@e-lites.co.uk and we will be happy to assist you.
I would strongly recommend taking a look at our E-Tip usage guidelines:-
We look forward to hearing from you and helping you obtain the most from E-Lites products.
Thank you.
Seriusly who cares about reward schemes?
You should be concentrating on value for money in the first place. Have you even researched the market? You get 5 refills for more or less the same price as your 2 from other vendors, which in the main work and last a lot longer.
I certainly do NOT need to look at your usage guides, have you even read them yourself? They are nonsense.
You have a product that I cannot deny has been marketed well but fails misraberly.
You might replace faulty cartridges and that is a good thing but so many fail compared to other products people will simply switch companies.
Your product does not work, it is overpriced, it is simply to frustrating using e-lites.
Biggest problem is the batteries don’t last very long, a couple of hours if you are lucky.
Apparently each cartridge = 40 fags, nonsense, 10-15 at the most.
First few drags are quite pleasant then the vapour tails off making it feel like you are sucking through a straw.
I bought a box of 10 cartridges, 3 didn’t work but e-lites customer service were not interested.
It’s way to expensive, costing me more than roll ups.
Delivered by Yodel, need I say more?
Hi Mal,
I am sorry to hear of your concerns,
We take all complaints regarding faulty products seriously, and we can replace potentially faulty E-Tips upon receiving them back at our Head Office.
Can you please contact our customer services team to discuss any issues further, you can call us on 0800 1123 401 or forward an email to info@e-lites.co.uk and we will be happy to assist you.
I would strongly recommend taking a look at our E-Tip usage guidelines:-
We look forward to hearing from you and helping you obtain the most from E-Lites products.
Thank you.
In short it didn’t change my smoking habits I went back on the stink sticks after the poor performance I got from these. Waiting for my innokin itaste vv
I already have 3 other e cigs (skycig, rom, nicolites), but wanted to change to elites because they’re sold everywhere, and I hate ordering online. I had hoped that because this is sold in super-markets, convenience stores and shopping centres (at those stalls with a women getting attention by smoking indoors) it would be perfect for getting cartridge supplies in person rather than online.
On the positive side, it works, though not quite as well as the other makes I have tried. The vapour production isn’t as good as the other brands, and although the nicolites doesn’t have a charging case, the charging case provided with the elite felt a bit cheap compared to the skycig and the rok.
The biggest problem however, is that the cost of this e cig is ridiculous. The purchase price itself is quite reasonable (although slightly more than other models). It is the refill price that really lets this product down. As with most e cigs, the quoted cigarette equivalent is exaggerated, but rather than lasting c.40 cigarettes per tip as stated, it felt more like 4-5 (compared to 12-15 with other makes). Further, not all the refills worked, and all of them rapidly declined in quality (ie the first 3-4 puffs were good, but either burnt out or non existent vapour by the 25th puff.
For the cost of a packet of 20 cigarettes, I felt like I was only getting 8-10 in e cig equivalent. After a fortnight, the sheer cost led me back to smoking (having given up for almost 2 years now), until I refills for the other e cigs arrived by post (again, this is a big advantage to elites).
Its not just that the refills are expensive compared to other e cigs, but that they’re a lot more expensive than normal cigarettes (even more so roleups)!! When I gave this to a friend (having decided to give up on the elite), and although he liked it when I showed him earlier in the week, he said he ended up binning it without ever using it by himself when he found out how expensive it was to run!
Its a shame that it is so expensive to use, because I really wanted to love the product, and having a high street presence would have been really useful. As it is, the cost of using it is just too much. Elites would have to either drop the price or include more cartomizers (or both!) to be a practical solution. I’m really disappointed because it had the potential (because of its presence) to be an amazing product, and I seriously thought this would replace the other e cigs when I bought it.
I first tried a nicolite disposable, that was ok, tasted strange at first but it was a good substitute, time to try something rechargeable so bought a single E LIte, no charger included, just the g9 battery and one cartridge, not so bad i thought, so i bought some cartridges regular strength and a recharger, worse mistake i made, the new carts were very bad, got through one in a day easily and that was still using roll ups to top up with (roll ups were costing me around about £20 a week, the cartridges worked out to cost me a minimum of £24 a week and were only just taking the edge off my desire to smoke a roll up. Not worth the money and doesn’t satisfy. Should re label as 10 smokes per cartridge !
I will thank them though as most of this type of e cigarette although better for my health still would have ended up costing more than roll ups, with this in mind i decided to buy something the next level up, a Rok Star, and the only roll ups i have smoked since are to use my remaining tobacco up during the time the battery is charging up.
The product is brilliant and i mean brilliant.but after care is rubbish.so people make sure they get ure order right ,otherwise ure stuck with something u dont want
Hello,
I am sorry to hear of your concerns.
If we have mistakenly sent you an incorrect order we are happy to rectify the situation if you can let us know at info@e-lites.co.uk.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Oh dear it all started off so well. I ordered my starter pack and the golden virginia went in the bin and have not smoked since. I am sold on vaping but am going to try other brands in frustration at misleading information about how many ‘vapes’ you get out of one cartridge (not value for money at all), the large number of ‘dud’ cartridges and what I think is below par performance in terms of hit, reliability etc. The first few vapes are usually great but performance then tails off dramatically. The odd cartridge – literally just a few – has performed well. I realised that you have to really work at getting a good drag out of these things and you end up chain vaping to get your nicotine. Some of the cartridges leak, some hardly last more than a few hours (the ones I got from morrisons were the worst). Oh dear oh dear. In desperation I went to convenience store and picked up a disposable nicolite – that was more like it. If they send me replacement cartridges for my duds I will consider persisting with them and pray they improve the product. i don’t care what it looks like it’s the quality of the nicotine hit I care about and getting value for money. I could cry at how expensive these things are compared to rolling tobacco. off to get some more nicolites tomorrow and maybe a couple of other types while I think about whether to persist with e-lites. A snazzy marlboro style package does not make up for vaping frustration. In a hurry sorry or would be more articulate!
I think the makers claims regarding number of times a battery can be charged are a bit adrift of reality. I have currently 3 batteries two of which will not recharge and it is expensive to keep buying packs that include a new battery
Have been a heavy smoker 20-30 a day for many years. Decided to try this product and four weeks in here is my review.
Pros
The build quality of the product is excellent.
Don’t have any urge at all to smoke a cigarette
No more coughing and spluttering (noticed a change after only 4 weeks),
No more horrible smell on clothes, breath.
Not breathing in all the other poisons contained in cigarettes anymore.
Can use e-lites anywhere. No more anxiety in situations where you are not allowed to smoke and need a cigarette.
Cons.
For a 20+ a day smoker a pack of 2x e-lite filters will last 2 days at most and not anywhere near equivalent to 80 cigarettes at all.
I am lucky enough to buy my filters wholesale, otherwise it would be too expensive for me to use them.
Battery doesn’t last long. A 20+ a day smoker will need two (one on charge continuously during the day and both fully charged if you are out for the day with no access to usb or in car charger)
In summary, if you are a 20+ a day smoker and can afford the filters its a no brainer for health reasons. If you are on a budget and cant buy the filters wholesale you would have to buy e-liquid and refill the cartridges yourself to make it financially viable.
This product in my mind is revolutionary. If they can make the filters last longer and the batteries hold charge for longer, sales will explode. But even as it is I can’t recommend this product enough.
The product itself looks good and seems well made. Battery charge time ok and reasonable life.
The company is woeful. Ordered refills online and was charged straight away. No delivery received. They dont answer emails and have not resent. Their website contains misleading and incorrect information and they think they can ignore the UK Distance Selling Regulations.
They have no interest in customer service – not a patch on Skycig or Greensmoke!!
Hello Grahams,
I am sorry to read you have had a negative experience with us.
Our customer services team are always happy to help, if you can forward your complaint details along with your order number to dillon@e-lites.co.uk, your complaint will be looked into immediately.
We look forward to hearing from you.
It’s a great product through and through, but the battery and cartridges are a bit low on capacity. For a heavy smoker you’ll need 2 batteries and the personal charge case, and probably about 1 cartridge per day for quality vapor. Hoping that they continue to improve in the future because the packaging is really slick. Really slick.
They’re not being deceiving with the claim that 1 cartridge is equivalent to 40 cigs, that’s probably correct vapor and nicotine wise, but they aren’t being entirely honest either. I’d say that you get maybe 20 good smokes worth out of a cartridge, after that the nicotine delivery definitely drops off so you have to puff a whole lot more and it never seems to satisfy. The first drag of a new cartridge is always fantastic however. But you will need to pretty much open a new cartridge up each day.
Also to keep in mind is that the battery needs to be charged all the way up to get a consistent delivery, so I’m looking forward to getting my personal charging case in the mail so that I can get more quality hits out of the liquid that’s there.
Opened it up, set it up and took my first drag with a cup of coffee. Perfect….If every puff had consistently been like that first one I would have been a customer for life. As it happens, before I had even finished my coffee I was fighting an uphill struggle trying to get even a slightly satisfying throat hit/puff
Far from a finished product I think
Order arrived 5 days late on my doorstep, wet and ripped open. No attempt to put it through the letterbox or knock on the door, just chucked on the ground. Confused as it was promised by Citypost or Royal Mail. In fact eventully delivered (vaguely) by the notorious Yodel. Need I say more.
A pity as the company, their customer service and their product appear to be otherwise very good but I do not order from anyone who uses this courier and puts a disclaimer for delivery on their website.
I love E-Lites the vapor and taste is just like my regular cigarettes.I smoke roll ups with a menthol tip. I say smoke as I went back to them, my roll ups worked out cheaper. ( I live in Bulgaria)
Come on elites do a pack of 10/20 cartridges for those of us who live outside of the UK. Most people buy 200 cigarettes at a time from their super market.
I use them now whilst out and about so not as to offend anyone.
My aunt posts me 2 cartridges a week which she buys from Mor—ons super market. Its the only size they do.
Spread the word and reduce the price, you will gain in the end.
So will we health wise.
Well I stop smoking 4 months ago. I have tried so many products over the years and ended up back on the cigarettes. This has been the easiest by far. I have had no withdrawal systems, it’s been so easy. I haven’t attacked the fridge either so no weight gain. I will never go back to smoking again. I have 2 friends that introduced me to e-litres and they have used them for a year now.
I have been using E-Lites for about 3 months now and it only took me about a week to ditch ciggies for good once I started on these. Yeh I am still addicted to nicotine but I would never have given up cigs unless there was a decent alternative.
Only thing I would say is make sure you have minimum 2 batteries and always have at least one battery charged/charging. Once you get into the swing of things it becomes second nature. The re-fills are a bit more expensive than other brands but it is still working out a LOT cheaper than smoking cigarettes. The taste for me is good although like anything new, at the beginning they do take a bit of getting used to.
Would also say if budget allows get the charging case so you can keep your batteries powered up on the move. I bought this separately and it has been a lifesaver on a couple of occasions.
All good so far and if you are still smoking horrible stinking cigs then you need to have a look at these.
Firstly, I’m not knocking a product which has seriously helped me to give up the weed. At it’s best, the e-cig tastes and feels like a real cigarette, especially after the first few pulls of a new cartridge. My main complaint is that this ‘hit strength’ doesn’t last very long. I’m not bothered whether the cartridge is supposed to be the equivalent of 20 or 40 cigarettes, I just want the last puff of a cartridge to be as good as the first -surely achievable in the 21st century? Achieve that and you’ve got a seriously fantastic product that could help millions of people give up smoking and the inventor becomes a multi millionaire. So, my summary is:-
Make a cartridge that lasts the distance – You’ll sell millions if you do.
Once you’ve improved the ‘hit’ quality make them cheaper or throw in more cartridges per box -again, you’ll sell millions if you do.
Even as they are, the e-lites have proved very promising and I’m going to persevere with it. If they do improve as I suggest I think I can guarantee that many people would find it easy to give up real smoking.
If you are reading this, then ecigclick are truly independent reviewers.
The E-Lite basic mini e-cig is a very disappointing product.
Initially, one might be impressed with many aspects of this product, but there are some major drawbacks.
Firstly, E-Lites are not the last word in e-cigs. The idea they are the “UKs best electronic cigarette” is just laughable.
For a first-time user they are passable. For occasional use, they are just fine.
However, the performance is poor compared to many other brands.
The replacement cartridges are an unacceptable price, not to mention the frankly preposterous claims about how long a refill will last.
E-Lites could and should be the top e-cig in the country, but they need to get up to speed and get it right.
I purchased a starter kit at 50% of the price on most e-stores. (£19.99 compared to some retailers charging £39.99, which is far too much)
I bought many individual replacement parts. Thankfully, I shopped around for e-liquid to refill the carts, otherwise I’d have been paying £7.99 for 2 carts. Most retailers sell 5 carts for £5-8.
Worst of all, I couldn’t get off the real cigarettes with this product.
Not recommended from me at the moment, I’m afraid.
Ive made an order online from which I received a confirmation email and a payment was withrawed from my bank account the same day. Two days later I received two orders instead of one and Ive been charged for the second order the same day of the parcels delivery. For the second parcel I never received a confirmation email. When I called customer service regarding to the second parcel. They informed me the second order was done the “day before” Ive made my first order. And they said If I want I can returned the cigarrettes to received a refund but I’m still responsible for the posting charges because it was my fault and not theirs. To make things worst they treated me very bad during the call. Because posting a certified parcel is expensive and I will still losing more money I decide to keep them.
Hi SILA,
As our Customer Services team discussed with you last week we received two orders from you within 2 days, both of which we dispatched within 24 hours as we do with all orders, once you informed us you placed one order by mistake we offered a full refund once we received the unwanted products back, minus the postage coming back to us.
As a company we do not save bank details and require these for every new order, we believe this error was due to you placing an order when attempting to create an account, as you said you had to input your card details to create an account, which no customer is required to do.
I would strongly recommend contacting your bank is you believe there has been a breach of security. If you wish to discuss this further please contact our customer services team on 0800 1123 401, we will be happy to refund your products upon receiving them back as well as any postage costs upon receiving a receipt.
Thank you.
smoke about 15 a day for 30 years
had a go of these last week and not had a real fag since,
tips more like 10 to 15 fags worth, so not much cheaper, battery does not last a day so have a spare with you or you may have to buy real fags in the shop if your battery runs out,
only had one were the juice runs out of the hole into your mouth,
not had any ulcers yet
i emailed e-lite about the poor battery and the false advertising of the 40 cigs worth per filter and this was there reply
Hi
E-Tips are tested by automated machine bellows to quantify the amount of inhalations, and therefore approximate ‘cigarettes’ that they provide. Each tip achieves a minimum of 210 three second machine inhalations in order to pass Quality Control. An average human inhalation is approximately 1.5 seconds. A “whole” regular sized (not superking) cigarette equates to 10 average inhalations. Of course some people smoke a tobacco cigarette in 10 drags whilst others can burn a full cigarette down in 4 or 5 much longer drags. So 210 machine inhalations returns over 400 average (1.5 second) human inhalations which when divided by 10 = approximately 40 ‘cigarette. This means that longer drags will reduce the content of the etip dramatically. It might be worth following these guidelines and see if the situation improves.
kindest Regards
I still enjoy a ‘real’ cigarette after my evening meal so occasionally have one, but other than that I have replaced my 20 a day habit with e-Lites. As this was my first brand of e-cig it really impressed me. The taste, the throat hit, the lack of cravings for ‘real’ cigarettes and of course no weight gain you usually associate with giving up smoking!
Having looked deeper and tried a couple of other e-cig brands however I have fond that there are better tasting, longer lasting and cheaper alternatives. The reason I have stayed with e-Lites is due to the fact that I can pick up the refills at my local Morrissons without having to wait for online delivery.
I would recommend e-cigarettes to all regular smokers and would specifically recommend e-Lites to those who would like to try it out. (The disposables you can buy from morrisons that come with the battery and cartomiser are a great way to try it before spending a large amount on kits. £6.99 for a single disposable that will last about the same as a 20 pack of cigarettes.)
I’m going to try to paint a real picture here of what heppened to me, bear with it, I hope you find it useful to your situation.
I recently developed a cough, that despite my justification attempts, my wife seemed to think had lasted over three weeks and was unusual. It was, still is, in fact, when I look back, unusual. Air-con both in the holiday apartment in Spain then back in the office when I returned to work seemed to aggravate it. So I finally went to the doctor (@ 4 weeks of dry coughing). I am on antibiotics now for a chest infection, but the doctor prescribed a ‘just in case’ chest x-ray. I’ve yet to get the results, phone in tomorrow (went Thursday, and with the Bank Holiday I have to wait…!)
At this point I’ll say I’m now nearly 40 – I’ve already tried every possible method of quitting smoking and failed. My wife however already gave up about 2 years ago through taking the Chantix tablets, total respect to that. I took Chantix at the same time, but I developed my worst bout of flu in the midst of this which rendered me bed-ridden for a week – though I couldn’t do anything for a week (i.e. moving, neverming smoking) by the end of it I’d stopped taking the pills and the first thing I wanted was a cigarette. That was the end of Chantix for me in that round (though I thoroughly recommend it for a try, in one week I’d dropped intake to one silver a day).
I played an awful lot of sport since 8 until about 30 (but started smoking from 18) so I consider myself ‘in-the-past fairly fit’ hoping that my excessive sport indulgence was countering my cig intake (plus my daily commute walking length of probably around 2 miles including underground), however ultimately this is before my job and commute since age of 30 took over all spare time and for the past 10 years my sporting activity dropped to zero, I commute around 4 hours per day and I started smoking more through stress at every opportunity (bad situation). I’ve been a 20-a-day smoker (on/off Marlboro red / light, recently Royals red for cheaper cost), much more when drinking out (fairly often), but on average fairly consistent, until 4 days ago when I went to the hospital.
Where I work (Canary Wharf – the financial district in London Docklands), in the local newsagents e-lites are readily available. I’d seen the adverts for a long time. I’d been pondering these as an alternative for a long time by now.
On the day I was due to go to hospital for my XRay, I decided to read up heavily on the e-cig scene. I was, to my surprise, and given my totally skeptical nature, fairly convinced within a short time that this wasn’t a scam being sold by cash-in opportunists. Clearly, a hell of a lot of thought and design has gone into providing a compelling product.
I decided to test this out – I searched google maps for the nearest One-Stop store (if you look at the e-lites site, they’ll tell you where local stores sell their products – it happens to be One-Stop and they’re distributed but you just need to look up where they are. Usually (strangely) in more ‘run-down’ areas and estates, almost ironic that they’re so available in Canary Wharf).
BANG – already four days of non-smoking for me (as I write this). First words from my wife? – I’m impressed you’re trying (and every day gets better).
I’ll tell you now, buy two of the starter regular cig (each gives you one battery, plus one tip worth ~30 cigs, £7 each), and the USB charger £7 (this lets you cycle the charging and ensure you’ve always got one battery on charge while you use the other). That’s £21 so far. Now having two batteries you can charge one while you take the other away.
Then buy at minimum a regular refill (80 cig pack). Another £7 -> £28 total. Try the menthol as well if you’re a lighter smoker, or if you’re heavy but want a change. Don’t leave the shop without a refill, as if you have any ambition to move away from ‘real’ smoking you’re going to quickly find yourself bought into this way of un-smoking, very quickly.
Over four days, I already survived a 30-th party of a relative where lots of alcohol and whisky cocktails was involved (and I’m not normally a liquor drinker), but I more than survived the whole night on e-lites. Plus I took the whole family on a day trip the next day 2 hours away from 7.30am until 5pm, without smoking a real cigarette at all.
Tonight, I decided (in the name of science) to light up one of the Royals which have been sitting on my desk since I started this ‘test’ –
Let’s not mess around here – it sort of blew my head off, it made me feel quite sick, I felt totally guilty, and it stank. Within 4 days I’ve learnt to be smoke free, and though with the e-cig there are thoughts of ‘could it be better’, which might inspire you to find an alternative brand to e-lites as they are not perfect and there are many indications that e-cigs are a rapidly developing product, in my mind it’s a far better situation to be seeking the perfect un-smoke ‘vaping’ compared to returning to the ‘real thing’, which in my mind has quickly become ‘the real stinking deal’. I’m stunned, just how easy it was to get used to a far cheaper yet satisfactory transition which is far removed from your standard NHS cessation therapy (shite). Quite why any Nicorette branded product is so expensive is probably not such a mystery – it’s NHS funded in research and needs NHS certification for being a cessation product – which adds ridiculous cost to the end product and fails to address any of the real reasons why smokers find it so hard to transition. Forget that, e-cigs are in my mind the absolute future and it’s available today in it’s fourth generation. There’s really no reason to not give it a try.
If any improvement I’d wish for with e-lites, is that the only ‘regular strength’ tip is the ‘regular flavour’ – both ‘menthol’ and ‘light’ are both ‘light strength’ tips. I want ‘menthol flavour’ in ‘regular strength’.
Give it a go, whatever brand, but I think you owe it to yourself to try. It’s so much cheaper and yet so realistic, how can you regret an attempt?
im sure like everything else they will improve in time, smoking them does the job for me, but the battery did run out pretty quick so had to buy a spare. charging time was a hell of a lot longer than advertised through a PC’s USB.
Worth a go if you want to try and stop smoking like me, law says these are alternatives rather than cessation aids, but I think if you are sensible you can do just that.
so would recommend but be prepared for a little extra capital outlay than expected, good luck
I loved the E-Lites they worked for me and worked for alot of my friends, rather than buying the normal refills ive been going to smartsmoker.com which sells the liquid nicotine in so many different flavours which is fantastic for cigar smokers too, overall a 9/10 for these!
Firstly i should say i cant rate customer service or shippinf speed because i bought the e- lite cig from tesco one- stop store -£7.99
I was bowled over when i first tried it- i have tried so many times to quit tobacco and nothing has helped but this felt real (although doesnt taste like a cigarette)and i was delighted. Unfortunatelythe battery died fairly quickly so hubby rushed out to get a charger £7.99 plus another cig to keep me going till the battery charged since this takes about 4 hours.
Later in the day i felt nicotine pangs and decided the light nicotine version was not enough, although i did smoke light cigarettes.
I now use the light most of the day but switch to the red regular tip if i feel i am not getting enough nicotine.
Sadly the cartridges have a short life – i dont think even 20 cig equivalent. Strangely, the ecigmbox says ’30 cigarettes approximately’ but the refill boxes say ’80cig approximately. Since the refill has two cartridges that means they are claiming 40 cigs per refill so hpw come only 30 on the cig itself?
I figure a refill might be 15 -20 cig equivalent maximum.
BUT even ifnthat is true the main thing is I am NOT smoking cigarettes apart from one a day to try to minimise the tobacco withdrawal symptoms.
Thisnwould be perfect if the cartridges worked consistently but it definitely goes downhill after the first few amazing puffs! Worse, the red version oozed some orangey liquid onto my lips whe. I was taking a puff. It really burned for a few mins and tasted foul so they need to find a way to prevent this!
Overall, if you want to give up real cigarettes you really should be able to- if i can then anyone can! Give it a go!
I started using these about 2 months ago. For my first few weeks they made me cough a lot, but now it’s only occasionally. I went cold turkey for a month, switching straight to e-lites (affectionately named robo fags by my friends) and it worked great at first, but every so often they just don’t seem strong enough. I think it’s because I used to smoke Old Holborn rollies which are especially strong. Now I have tokes on real cigarettes every few days but can no longer manage a whole one without feeling sick.
The cartridges definitely don’t last as long as they say they do, or at least they become weak very quickly. When buying you also have to bear in mind that when you go out EVERYONE seems to want to try a puff on it so they run out quicker than expected!
I’m thinking about switching to different e-cigarettes as I’m no longer convinced that these are the best ones on the market, especially for the price. Hopefully I can get stronger ones too.
fantastic product . it realy works. but 1 catrage is prob only equal to 20 fags. bat dont last long have to charge dayley. but even if 2 kits of the e 80 bought still cheeper than most compettitors . this is a fantastic company. if this company lowered the price of refills and were stocked in more shops i would rate 100.
saying that how many competitors have stocks of this in shops? none that i have found yet.
good on morisons and one stop shop for stocking this
battery life far superiour to skycig
I bought the E-Lites electronic cigarette and I liked the flavour of the e-tips but they didn’t last quite as long as the 40 cigarettes they say on their site and the other thing is they are expensive. Since I started using them I have since seen other brands that are a lot cheaper. That was the only thing that disappointed me really as the rest of the e cig is great.
Great thing is that it got me off 15 cigs a day just a week after using these and thats the main thing!
good build quality and very good customer service and excelent frist hit 2 batterys are enough to get me through the day and one refill normally does the a day.
The down side is they are not the cheapest around they are now where near the 30-40 regular smokes that they claim more like half that number but great tasting
It’s just fantastic to be cigarette free
Thought I would try one out but did not want to spend £££ to find I did not like them,
I thought that £6.99 for a single E-Light was not bad value if I got the stated 30 cig’s approx out of it. I have used the cig for less than 3 hours ( not continually I might add) and although the battery is still going strong, the E-Lites cig is totaly empty.
I am very disappointed with this product! Would I buy it again….NO WAY!
E-Lites Was my first e cig, since then I have tryed few others and to my experiance Skycig so far the best one, E-Lites gave me a sore lip, cartridges no way last upto 30 cigs each, and the price of the cartridges ars double compared to others in the market that are better.
These work very well overall although I haven’t tried another brand yet. Above all the benefits of being able to have a discreet cigarette at work without standing in the rain like a leper are fantastic. The draw is great from a fresh cartridge, but the cartridges seem to run out quite quickly and are definitely not the stated equivalent of 40 cigarettes each as the company state. I am a light smoker – maybe 5 or so a day and a cartridge lasts me a couple of days then you get an ashy metallic taste and no draw. So they obviously work out more expensive than the company state, but I believe are still cheaper than normal cigarettes.
I have been keeping it in my pocket though so have wondered wether I am drying the cartridge out doing this.
The cigarettes themselves are quite heavy, you have to hold it to your mouth or it would drop out!
The battery charge lasts me several days, but I have bought a spare as they run out of charge quite suddenly which is annoying. I’m going to try sky-cigs next, as I’ve read you don’t need to ‘pull’ so hard on them.
I still have the odd cigarette as my partner smokes, but I’m sure I could manage without if the tempatation wasn’t there!
I switched to the E-Lites regular tips 2nd week of January 2012 and have not had a tobacco cigarette since! I did not expect to be able to stay away from real fags as I am / was a real cigarette lover for the past 20years. I have never tried giving up as I never wanted to, intellectually yes, but I loved smoking so didnt bother trying. Historically, getting the whiff of cigarette smoke was a little like a trigger to craving a cigarette….unbelievably after using the E-Lites for a month…I now really really dislike the smell of tobacco, yay!
The biggest con for me with these even though they have managed to unimagable with me is:
Dripping fluid if you drag heavily – bitter and nasty and I assume wasting the actual vapour fluid. An improvement in the design is required here.
Most important con, mouth ulcers or I believe they call them canker sores. I am not sure if this happens with all nicotine replacement therapies but it is not pleasant and has only started after a months use of these electronic fags.
I hope to wean off these completely soon as I cannot bear the recurrence of these ulcers!
Ive been on these about 4 weeks now and I am finding myself using them more than I would normal cigs. Batt first use is excellent but after a few charges it becomes very poor. I now have 4 batt and two chargers and I find this is still not enough as it takes a few hours to charge. The cost is way too high and as others have posted I think you get around 15 cigs not 40 so you will find you are spending far more than you would normally.
I think I need to start looking at other brands.
My nephew tried E-Lites and didn’t get on with them, so I pinched what was left of his starter kit.
I have now not had a “real” smoke for a week – and I’ve been on 60 per day for the last 35 years!!
I won’t say I haven’t had cravings – I nearly got in the car to buy some cigs last night – so a bit of will power is needed.
The postage to Ireland takes a week, but I can’t blame E-Lites for that.
The only real minus point is I’m suffering from a couple of mouth ulcers, but I understand that happens with all nicotine products.
boother people have tried e-lites also not happy.would definetelyught over phone.tried out product.not happy .company will no refund definetly would not recommend.
I ordered from a Daily Mail advert via e-lites website on the 19th February. Received email next morning stating order had been shipped 1st Class Royal Mail .I haven’t received them yet so I’m wondering about the reliability and timeliness regarding further orders
Bought these on-line and they were delivered next day. The packaging and components are of a good quality. Charging is easy. The smoking experience is pretty close, but as the battery runs down the amount of vapour does reduce. A tip is supposed to be 40 cigs, but I’m not sure it is? but it is still a lot cheaper than the real thing.
I ordered a 2 refill packs which arrived the next day, but only had one pack in it. I telephoned the support number and they apologised and sent a pack out next day. You only find out about the service when something goes wrong and they passed with flying colours.
I was actually given my e-lite by a friend, who used it to successfully quit smoking over a month. E-lites are not marketed as a cessation aid but can definitely be used effectively in the process of giving up, as while with gum you still get that familiar irritability, the e-lite removes any craving for a real cigarette at all. Smoking friends are still allowed to light up in the conservatory and I honestly feel no pangs for one at all.
When you use it for the very first time don’t expect a miracle to occur. It does take a little getting used to, and for the duration of the first refill you will probably miss the familiarity of your usual cigarettes. However, don’t give up on them instantly as after the first day or couple of days you’ll have adjusted to it.
I have tried all of the refills available and my preference is the menthol, as I am a menthol rollie smoker usually. I will tell you about my experience with the refills:
The red refills give a great hit, although they take quite a bit of getting used to as they taste very harsh the first few times you use it. I can imagine that as a first-timer the red tips could actually be quite off-putting, so unless you’re a red Marlboro smoker I’d go for one of the other options and perhaps move onto these a little later if you feel you need something stronger.
The gold tips are the equivalent of a Marlboro light, and I would say they would be the best option for starting out if you are a regular smoker of 10-20 a day. They don’t pack a hit quite as good as the red tips but are a lot more instantly palatable.
The menthol tips are my favourites as I have spent years smoking menthol-tipped roll-ups. They’re a lot more spearminty than menthol, and initially they taste a little sweet, but by the time you’ve come to the end of your first refill you won’t be missing regular menthol at all.
The nicotine free tips are excellent as they taste exactly the same as the gold tips, but with absolutely no nicotine. These would be absolutely ideal for someone who has cut down on smoking using one of the other tips, as going from regular smokes to these would be a bit of a shock to the system. I think that the nicotine free tips used in conjunction with a patch or gum would be a really fantastic way of giving up completely, providing you are already adjusted to the e-lite.
The downside of the e-lite for me is that I simply cannot believe that one refill is the equivalent of 40 cigarettes. I was previously a very heavy smoker on around 40-50 per day, but this does not translate at all with the e-lite! I use two of the refills per day, so in theory I’m actually smoking 30 more cigarettes than I usually would, meaning my £3.50 per day rollie habit has gone up to an £7.99 a day e-tip habit. Obviously for smokers of regular cigarettes the e-tip is a fairly good money-saving option aside from the fact that I believe each refill is only worth 20 “real fags”. For for the rollie smokers out there expect to be paying more than double than usual.
Despite the expense I would highly recommend these tips to anyone, as after a week of e-lites I simply couldn’t afford to buy more refills and had three days back on the rollies – ugh. I really did notice how utterly disgusting they are, and had an almost permanent headache with them. Furthermore, my skin had really started glowing and tightening up while using the e-lite, and three days back on rollies undid all of that.
If you are a smoker of regular cigarettes this will save you some money, but if you are a rollie smoker expect to be paying more than double what you were.
I first tried an electronic cigarette about 4 years ago and have to say I was not at all impressed with the experience. However a friend offered me a go on a disposable e-cig that he had bought a few weeks ago and I have to say that I was very impressed. By coincidence at that time I had also noticed the e-lites advert in one of the TV guides with a 200 refill for free so I decided to give it a go. The order arrived next day – although they forgot to include my free 5 refills – however a quick call to customer services sorted that out and they arrived the following day too. 10/10 then for customer service. The actual product is nicely packaged to look like a smoking product and the quality of the actual e-cig cant be faulted. The smoking experience really has to be tried to be believed – it is amazing.
The nicotine hit is good and the vapour gives a kick in the back of your throat very similar to a real cig. Lots of vapour can be easily generated – though doing so will obviously reduce the life of the refill – one tip is supposed to be equivalent to 40 cigs – well my first tip didn’t last 24 hours and I usually smoke only about 25 roll ups in that time. However after the novelty factor of a ‘new toy’ had worn off and demonstrations to friends were completed I now find that one refill last me nearly 2 days! Battery seems to last me one day so I will be purchasing a spare to keep charged ready. My only negative comments are that the battery is only available with the green LED in the starter kits and that I couldnt order the e200 starter kit in regular strength due to stock shortage – apparently this wasnt going to be available until March – 2 months later! However the e80 kit was good enough to get me started. I now find that I smoke very few real cigarettes, feel much fitter and less out of breath, and don’t stink like a dirty ashtray. I can now also enjoy my hit of nicotine wherever and whenever I choose without being made to feel like a leper. I would thoroughly recommend anyone to give these a try
The first thing that comes to mind and the most surprising fact is that within the first week i had cut down my usual “real cig” smoking habit by 85%. The E-cig easily satisfied any cravings for Nicotine.
I found it great to use at home in a car or even in the pub without the need to go outside whilst losing the obvious bad tobacco odour from “real cigs”.
The build quality of the e-cig and the box is good, though personally not so aesthetically pleasing though E-Cigs have just released a more stream lined model that addresses any issues i had to the overall appearance though in all honesty the box is used just to charge the E-cig which can then be carried easily in a pocket.
I found it to have a long battery life though when it goes it does so without much prior warning so i would recommend backing up with a 2nd battery. Simple really.
Wasnt too sure which e cig to choose and if it would even work but it has definitely helped me cut back so far. Gone from 15-20 a day to smoking no more than 5 a day at the moment. Thats after using the E-Lites for only a couple of days.
I bought the E200 kit and am looking to buy the the portable charging case and an extra battery, I have had the battery run out a couple of times and it can be too tempting to go back to normal cigs if you are out and about with an ecig you can’t use.