IQOS vs. Traditional Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes
I used to smoke regular cigarettes, mainly Yuxi, and later switched to slim cigarettes such as Twelve Beauties and Yuhuashi. As I exercised less and smoked more, I started feeling unwell and wanted to quit. My first purchase was an e-cigarette that used e
I used to smoke regular cigarettes like Yuxi, and later switched to slim cigarettes, mainly Twelve Beauties and Yuhuashi. Later on, probably because I didn’t exercise much, smoking too much started to make me feel physically unwell, so I kept wanting to quit. At first I bought an e-cigarette—the kind you fill with e-liquid. I bought all kinds of e-liquid and atomizers, and after using them I did feel much better physically. The only problem was that the flavor was very different from real cigarettes, and sometimes when I was upset or stressed, I still really wanted to smoke a real one.
Later, I heard from a friend that IQOS was pretty good, so I bought a full set along with several packs of tobacco sticks. At first, using it was indeed pretty good, and the flavor felt very similar to real cigarettes. I had been used to flue-cured tobacco before, so at first I wasn’t very accustomed to the raw tobacco taste, but later it got better.
The problem is that it doesn’t quite feel like regular cigarettes, so you may end up using more. The biggest issue is that once my consumption increased, the physical discomfort I used to get from regular cigarettes came back as well. So in the end, here’s my personal summary of how these three types feel to me. Besides my own experience, I also looked up a lot of information online before and after buying them. Traditional cigarettes: high tar content. (I found some information online that was pretty close to my own experience after using them, so I think those figures are relatively reliable and will quote them here.) For a regular cigarette, let’s say tar is about 1 mg per stick, nicotine is 1 mg per stick, and carbon monoxide plus other harmful substances are also at a level of 1.
IQOS: tar is one-sixteenth of a milligram per stick. (This is why after using it I had less phlegm in my throat, and even if I used a lot, my throat didn’t feel too bad the next day. Also, because the tar per stick is low, smoking 16 sticks is only equivalent to the tar of 1 regular cigarette, and that’s spread out over time, so my teeth didn’t get stained and my breath became much fresher. Basically, each time the tar intake is very small and spaced apart, so that little bit of tar gets broken down and processed.) As for nicotine, based on my own sensation, it feels like about one-half to two-thirds of a regular cigarette. Also, I feel that mint flavor isn’t as strong, while the original tobacco flavor seems to contain more nicotine.
As for other harmful substances, all I can say is that there are still quite a lot. Maybe not half as much, but at least a third, because when I use too much, the discomfort feels just like smoking regular cigarettes.
E-cigarettes: basically zero tar. Nicotine can be adjusted according to your own choice by using e-liquid with different concentrations. As for other harmful substances, I can only say there are definitely still some. Things like carbon monoxide should be much lower, because unlike regular cigarettes and IQOS, they don’t carbonize tobacco and paper, so relatively speaking there should be quite a bit less of those other harmful substances.
But if you ask whether there’s formaldehyde or things like that, I can’t say for sure. Still, e-cigarettes do seem to be the least harmful of the three. The only regret is that the taste is still quite different from real cigarettes. Maybe the e-liquid I bought just wasn’t good? This is only my personal experience, and I hope it can offer everyone a bit of reference. Quitting smoking really is hard, which is why people go to such lengths. If you can quit, then quit—it’s your health that matters. I hope we can all encourage each other.
Recommended reading: Why was the IQOS e-cigarette banned?
Later, I heard from a friend that IQOS was pretty good, so I bought a full set along with several packs of tobacco sticks. At first, using it was indeed pretty good, and the flavor felt very similar to real cigarettes. I had been used to flue-cured tobacco before, so at first I wasn’t very accustomed to the raw tobacco taste, but later it got better.
The problem is that it doesn’t quite feel like regular cigarettes, so you may end up using more. The biggest issue is that once my consumption increased, the physical discomfort I used to get from regular cigarettes came back as well. So in the end, here’s my personal summary of how these three types feel to me. Besides my own experience, I also looked up a lot of information online before and after buying them. Traditional cigarettes: high tar content. (I found some information online that was pretty close to my own experience after using them, so I think those figures are relatively reliable and will quote them here.) For a regular cigarette, let’s say tar is about 1 mg per stick, nicotine is 1 mg per stick, and carbon monoxide plus other harmful substances are also at a level of 1.IQOS: tar is one-sixteenth of a milligram per stick. (This is why after using it I had less phlegm in my throat, and even if I used a lot, my throat didn’t feel too bad the next day. Also, because the tar per stick is low, smoking 16 sticks is only equivalent to the tar of 1 regular cigarette, and that’s spread out over time, so my teeth didn’t get stained and my breath became much fresher. Basically, each time the tar intake is very small and spaced apart, so that little bit of tar gets broken down and processed.) As for nicotine, based on my own sensation, it feels like about one-half to two-thirds of a regular cigarette. Also, I feel that mint flavor isn’t as strong, while the original tobacco flavor seems to contain more nicotine.
As for other harmful substances, all I can say is that there are still quite a lot. Maybe not half as much, but at least a third, because when I use too much, the discomfort feels just like smoking regular cigarettes.E-cigarettes: basically zero tar. Nicotine can be adjusted according to your own choice by using e-liquid with different concentrations. As for other harmful substances, I can only say there are definitely still some. Things like carbon monoxide should be much lower, because unlike regular cigarettes and IQOS, they don’t carbonize tobacco and paper, so relatively speaking there should be quite a bit less of those other harmful substances.
But if you ask whether there’s formaldehyde or things like that, I can’t say for sure. Still, e-cigarettes do seem to be the least harmful of the three. The only regret is that the taste is still quite different from real cigarettes. Maybe the e-liquid I bought just wasn’t good? This is only my personal experience, and I hope it can offer everyone a bit of reference. Quitting smoking really is hard, which is why people go to such lengths. If you can quit, then quit—it’s your health that matters. I hope we can all encourage each other.
Recommended reading: Why was the IQOS e-cigarette banned?
