IQOS 3 in the Test: Is the tobacco-heater is better than a cigarette?

Even if the posters are not to be overlooked on the road and in the cities more and more Shops are opening, can start many consumers, the term IQOS still nothing. The tobacco company Philip Morris celebrates its tobacco-heater as the Revolution for smokers who are looking for a less harmful Alternative to cigarette. How IQOS works in practice, how the tobacco vapour tastes and whether it is really less harmful substances are in it, you will learn in this article.

How does IQOS?

At IQOS is a electronic tobacco-heater. While the tobacco burns in traditional cigarettes at temperatures of about 800 degrees Celsius, heating it to the IQOS device only to about 350 degrees Celsius – and it will not burn, but it creates a vapor that tastes like tobacco. In November, 2018 Philip Morris has brought the third IQOS-Generation to the market. According to information, the company invested in the last years, around 4.5 billion dollars in the research and development of the smoke-free Alternative.

IQOS always consists of a pen, even Holder, in the user introduces the tobacco stick and heats up. In addition, there is the Pocket Charger in the Holder after use is charged, a charging cable for the Charger and cleaning accessories. To take advantage of IQOS, you need finally, the Heets tobacco sticks, there is to buy in one of four flavors.

Now article for later “Pocket” to save

The IQOS 3 press to Start the application once the button on the side. The device vibrates briefly, that means that the Stick can be used. It takes a few seconds, until the tobacco is heated, and then a second Vibration follows. Now you can draw like a normal cigarette, the Filter and the vapour inhaled and blow out. According to the manufacturer, a tobacco stick lasts for 14 trains or 6 minutes. At the end of the Holder vibrates a third Time, now only two to three trains are possible, the light on the button will flash and finally go out. Now the Stick is taken out of the Holder and can be disposed of in normal household waste.

What is cigarette the difference with the E -?

IQOS is often referred to as the E-cigarette, which is wrong. In the case of the E-cigarette is the so-called Liquid, a flavored liquid, contains in many cases nicotine is heated by using evaporators. Thus, it contains no tobacco, so many smokers, the tobacco flavor is missing. This gap can fill the IQOS. It is a sort of cigarette-between between the traditional cigarette and the E -. Therefore, the speech is also of Hybrid or hybrid – cigarette.

The IQOS 3 Kit costs about 100 Euro. Philip Morris justified the price by saying that he is too high for young people to enter, but also affordable enough for every smoker to switch. Like other technical devices, the manufacturer grants a warranty of twelve months.

A box of Heets contains 20 Sticks and cost 6 Euro. The price is so similar to classic cigarettes. However, the Heets, such as pipe tobacco and thus less taxed than cigarettes, as they don’t directly smoke. Pipe tobacco must carry only text warnings, and no pictures.

How’s the tobacco vapor?

We come to the Smoking decisive part, the taste. And in spite of the tobacco strong of a cigarette. Many users are reporting in an interview with CHIP, IQOS-tasting hay. Who has for years lived a day, a cigarette, and then for the first Time, IQOS tried, find the taste at first, repulsive. The feeling on the Inhale of the tobacco-vapor is not really satisfying. But who holds the switch to IQOS, quickly realizes: The tide is turning. Anyone who pulls out after a few weeks of IQOS again to a traditional cigarette, feels disgust. The cigarette tastes suddenly completely different, much too intense, the smell alone is repulsive. We could not only convince in the one-week test in practice, many other IQOS-users (as in the Video above) to confirm the abandonment of the cigarette.

  • Read also: Vaping harm less than Smoking: How dangerous are E-cigarettes really?

How harmful IQOS is?

Philip Morris speaks at IQOS of the "smoke-free Zukunft" and wants to move up to 2025, approximately 40 million smokers to switch. IQOS is aimed very clear to smokers who are in search of potentially less harmful Alternatives to cigarette. Who attended as a non-Smoking one IQOS Shop and advice on the devices you would like to receive from the sellers to hear: "Non-Smoking are not our target audience, therefore we will not advise you." Random Tests show the internal announcement. But how healthy or harmful the tobacco heater are really?

Long there was the Problem that all the scientific evidence given by Philip Morris in order. Independent studies, they sought in vain by the year 2018. A team of researchers from the Federal Institute for risk assessment (BfR) compared with the aid of a smoke machine, how much the emergence of toxic substances in the operation of a tobacco-heater in comparison to a conventional cigarette. It turned out that significantly less aldehydes (80 to 95 percent reduced), and volatile organic Compounds (around 97 to 99 percent decreased).

The nicotine content was comparable with that of a conventional cigarette, the scientists report in the journal "Archives of Toxicology". Their conclusion: During the Heating of tobacco caused significantly fewer cancer-causing substances (carcinogens). Long-term studies on the health risks of lack of notice.

You smoke with IQOS less?

Most of the IQOS-Smoking attack, according to his own statement, as frequently to tobacco heater as before to the cigarette. Of nicotine intake remains the same. Those of you considering to hang the Smoking completely on the nail, it could fall with IQOS easier. Indeed, Who is once switched to IQOS, don’t like conventional cigarettes. The confrontation with smokers in Public, that’s not so hard. IQOS is an absolute Lifestyle-product, which is reminiscent, by Design, even Apple: Nevertheless, at the end of a technical device in the Hand. The smokers are perceived as pleasant feel with a cigarette in his Hand fades. At the end of the count when you Stop, of course, strength of will, but it IQOS is a good way of getting used to, as a first step out of the habit.

IQOS in the practice test

I have the IQOS 3 a week* – and I’m not thrilled nor disappointed. The taste has me irritated the most at the beginning. As a heavy Smoker, only the red Heets in question came to me, they taste the most of all four varieties of the intensive. I’ve always had the feeling that I IQOS even faster, “wegrauche” as a cigarette. As a major disadvantage, I feel that it may happen that the battery of the charger is in the middle of the day empty. Here you can not go to the gas station and replenishment get. In the end, you need two devices, so you’re never in danger, without the battery in it.

Positive, I found that my fingers no longer have stunk of smoke. And even better I like that IQOS me to stop helped Smoking completely. After only a week, the effect was that I no longer have the taste of normal cigarettes. And also the ritual of Smoking was broken. In the end I managed to exit through a Smoke-Seminar and with a strong will. But I’m sure that I IQOS, the Stop has facilitated, in any case.

*Philip Morris has provided to the editorial office IQOS device for Testing free of charge.

Note: The article first appeared in CHIP.de.