What Is Vaping? How Does Vaping Work?
Over the last few years vaping has become the world’s number one stop-smoking aid, bar none. In the past, smokers who were desperate to kick cigarettes into touch had limited options: nicotine patches, gum, and therapy. However, these were largely ineffective, and many struggled to quit smoking for good.
That was until the arrival of e-cigs, also known as vape devices, which have helped millions of people across the world quit smoking. Filled with e-liquid that contains nicotine, these electronic cigarettes produce vapour rather than smoke, which is far less damaging to our health. In fact, a massive study carried out by Public Health England found that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
The Advantages Of Vaping Over Smoking
The rise in vaping’s popularity has been nothing short of meteoric. Over the past ten years, e-cigarettes have gone from being untrusted and frowned upon to becoming more popular than cigarettes, with almost one in ten UK adults now using vapes.
Here are the main advantages that have attracted so many users:
Health Benefits
By far the biggest advantage of vaping is the health benefits. Unlike cigarettes, which kill around half of all lifelong smokers, vaping is relatively safe due to the absence of tar which is the main cause of smoking-related health issues.
So although vapers are able to get their nicotine fix, they aren’t at serious risk of developing cancer, heart disease or other respiratory illnesses. Likewise, vaping is much less destructive for oral health. Whereas smoking can destroy taste buds and cause the discolouration of teeth and gums, the impact of vaping is much less severe.
Effective Stop-Smoking Aid
Until vape devices came along, quitting smoking felt like an impossible task for many. Sure, there were nicotine-replacement options such as patches and gum, but for many these just weren’t much help which made quitting smoking all the more difficult.
Thankfully, vape devices have changed all that. As well as being much less harmful than smoking, vape devices are also far more effective in helping smokers quit than other stop-smoking aids.
Flavours
Another reason so many people have ditched cigarettes in favour of vape devices is the sheer number of delicious flavours available. Long gone are the days when flavour lists were limited to just a few options – these days you can get pretty much anything you want!
So whether you’re a lover of fruit, fizzy drinks or candy flavours, you’re guaranteed to find something you’re looking for. There’s even a range of tobacco flavours intended for those who miss the taste of cigarettes but would rather avoid the health risks!
No Secondhand Smoke
The risks of secondhand smoke are well documented. As well as posing a huge risk to your health, as a smoker, you’re also potentially harming those around you. If you have children, then this is obviously a real cause for concern.
Vaping allows you to significantly reduce that risk, protecting not only yourself but those around you. This also makes e-cigs a better choice for using in public.
No Nauseating Odours
One of the worst things about cigarette smoke is the nasty odour it leaves on practically everything it touches. If you’re a full-time smoker who puffs on your cigarettes at home, then it’s pretty much guaranteed that your clothes, curtains, and furniture will smell like stale cigarette smoke.
Vaping, on the other hand, helps you avoid this. In fact, many e-liquids have a pleasant aroma, so rather than leaving a terrible odour in its wake, your vape device should have the opposite effect!
Please check out our extensive article about vaping health facts & myths.
The Anatomy of a Vape Kit?
You know now what vaping is and what benefits it has. The next step is to choose an e-liquid and a kit. If you are just starting with vaping, you should look for something dependable and easy to use. Every vape kit has the same components, including a power supply, a tank for holding e-liquids, and a coil to heat the e-liquids. There are more parts, but these are the main ones.
Choosing a Vape Kit
When it comes to selecting a vape device, there are a number of options to choose from. This can be quite confusing to some beginners, as they’re unsure what the differences are and, ultimately, which type of device would best suit their needs and preferences.
In this vaping guide, we’ll go over the key distinctions between vape devices, and we’ll also point out who would benefit from them the most, helping you choose one that’s right for you.
Disposables
These single-use devices really have taken the vaping world by storm, popping up out of nowhere a few years ago to become what are now some of the most popular vape kits on the market.
Convenient and easy to use, disposables are ready to go as soon as you take them out of the box. Furthermore, they don’t need to be refilled or charged and you don’t have to change the coil. Just puff on the no-button device until it stops working and once it dies you just swap it for another one!
Who Would These Vapes Suit?
The convenience of disposables makes them ideal for less experienced vapers or those who prefer to avoid fiddly coil changes and e-liquid refills. They’re also great for throwing in your bag or pocket if you’re off out and you’d prefer not to carry a bulky kit around with you.
Their lower price point also makes them perfect for those just trying out vaping who don’t wish to commit to a more expensive kit straight away. Having said that, in the long run disposables will start to become more expensive than refillable devices, so, if cost is a concern, they might not be the best choice once you become a full-time vaper.
For more information about disposable vapes, please check our ultimate guide to disposable vapes.
Vape Pens
Around since the early days, vape pens remained one of the industry’s mainstays and to this day they’re still some of the most popular devices on the market.
Simple and convenient with limited buttons and settings, these tubular devices utilise a mouth-to-lung style which mimics the feeling of smoking a cigarette to offer a hassle-free vaping experience
Who Would These Vapes Suit?
With their mouth-to-lung style, many of these devices are geared towards smokers, which is why you’ll find them in most starter kits. They also pair well with high-PG e-liquid which again makes them perfect for ex-smokers who are looking for a strong throat hit.
With that said, vape pens aren’t just for beginners. Some enjoy their simplified nature and choose to stick with their pen for years!
For more experienced vapers, one drawback can be the smaller amount of vapour they tend to produce compared to sub-ohm kits. So if you’re a cloud-chaser looking for the biggest plumes, most vape pens might struggle to give you what you’re looking for.
Box Mod/Sub-Ohm Devices
Speaking of plumes, box mods, also known as sub-ohm devices, are the kits that are notorious for producing those massive clouds of vapour!
Box mod devices often have a much more powerful output, with some reaching up to 200w+. The coils in these devices have a lower resistance, which allows them to reach higher temperatures, producing an abundance of vapour when the e-liquid is heated up.
Who Would These Vapes Suit?
In the past, due to their different settings and powerful nature, these devices were only really suitable for experienced vapers who knew how to use them safely. However, these days, with their built-in safety features and simplified usage, pretty much anyone can use a sub-ohm kit.
Having said that, they may still not suit everyone. If you’re looking for a device to mimic smoking then these mouth-to-lung devices probably aren’t the most appropriate. They’re also best paired with weaker e-liquids, so if you like a throat hit to mimic the one you get from smoking then you won’t get that from a sub-ohm device.
However, if you like massive clouds, and great flavour and you want to take full control of your vaping with adjustable wattage and different vaping modes then a sub-ohm kit could be just what you’re looking for.
For more information about vape mods, please check out our beginner’s guide to vape mods.
Pod Kits
Designed with simplicity and convenience in mind, pod kits are a clever evolution of vaping devices that hit the market in the last few years. Since their release, they’ve become a go-to choice for many vapers, from beginners to seasoned enthusiasts.
These simple kits typically consist of two main components: the battery/mod and the pod, which is removable. As the pod can be removed, this makes switching your liquids a doddle, so you can have multiple flavours on rotation, removing the need to empty your tank every time you want to try something new!
Who Would These Vapes Suit?
Many pod kits come with limited buttons (or none at all) so they’re ideal if you want a simplified vaping experience. Pods devices are also great if you hate changing coils! Rather than fiddling around with the old coil and getting e-liquid on your hands, you just throw your used pod into the bin and swap it for another one in seconds.
Most pod kits use mouth-to-lung, plus-ohm coils that are designed with flavour in mind. This makes them perfect for smokers, beginners, or even experienced vapers who want a simple and flavoursome vape. However, pod kits don’t tend to produce massive amounts of vapour so if you’re looking for clouds then you might be better off with a box mod.
How To Vape
When it comes to using your device, it all depends on the type of kit you’re using. Some devices, such as pod kits and disposables have a no-button, auto-draw action meaning you just puff on the mouthpiece and it will work. On the flip side, some devices may contain a button that you’ll need to press as you hit the vape. These are usually found on vape pens and box mods.
Types Of Vaping Styles
By now, you’ve probably noticed there’s more than one vaping style. In fact, there are multiple, and the device you choose should suit your preferred style of vaping, and vice versa.
To help you select a vape that suits your needs and preferences, here are the most popular vaping styles:
Mouth-To-Lung
Mouth To Lung (MTL) is when the user draws vapour into the mouth before inhaling, much like the way most people inhale cigarette smoke. Most MTL vapers use a vape pen or pod system.
Direct-To-Lung
With direct-to-lung (DTL) vaping you breathe the vapour straight into the lungs instead of drawing it into the mouth first. This type of vaping is usually done with a box mod device and is only really suitable for a lower-strength e-liquid.
Restricted Direct-To-Lung
Offering a balance between the tight draw of MTL vaping and the airy draw of DTL vaping, restricted direct-to-lung (RDL) vaping involves inhaling vapour directly into the lungs with slightly restricted airflow. Vapes with adjustable airflow, as well as many disposables, offer RDL vaping.
If you need more information about MTL, DTL, and RDL, please check out our article about Mouth to Lung and Direct to Lung Vaping.
Choosing An E-Liquid
As well as knowing how to choose the right device, knowing which e-liquid to purchase is also crucial. After all, finding the ideal vape juice is about more than just opting for your favourite flavour (although that’s obviously important too!).
E-liquid is usually made from a mixture of vegetable glycerin (VG), propylene glycol (PG), nicotine and flavourings. The VG is used for its smooth nature and ability to produce thick clouds, while PG is added to help provide a throat hit and carry the flavour.
Our manufacturers use different ratios of VG:PG which dictates how our e-liquids perform. For instance, a higher VG liquid such as a 70/30 juice will produce a cloudier, smoother vape, whereas a juice with more PG will carry better flavour and have more of a sensation on the throat.
As well as the ratios, e-liquids also come in different strengths, so you’ll also need to keep this in mind when you come to choosing your juices.
If you’re a smoker just starting your vaping journey then you’ll probably want a stronger juice. So opt for a 50/50 e-liquid in high strength to help keep your cravings at bay.
Alternatively, for cloud chasers in search of the biggest, densest clouds, a 70/30 juice in a low strength is a must.
Check out our extensive guide to e-liquid!
Choosing Vape Coils
If you’re using a disposable or pod device, you won’t need to worry about changing coils. However, if you’re opting for a box mod or a vape pen then you’ll need to replace your coils when they run out.
This is why it’s always handy to have a spare packet in case your coil suddenly dies on you! But if you’re new to vaping, with so many different types of coils to choose from, how do you know which ones are right for your device?
Coils are distinguished by their resistance, which is measured in ohms. The higher the ohm, the stronger the resistance, so a 0.1-ohm coil will allow much more current to pass through it than, say, a 1.0-ohm coil. This is why choosing the right coil is crucial for enjoying a pleasant vaping experience.
High-resistance coils, usually above 1.0 ohm, are ideal for MTL vaping. So if you’re using a vape pen or pod kit then plus-ohm coils usually work well. These are usually best paired with a 50/50 e-liquid.
Coils below 1.0-ohm offer less resistance, which makes them right at home in more powerful devices. Box mods and higher-powered pen and pod devices are where you’ll usually find these sub-ohm coils.
Due to their minimal resistance, sub-ohm coils will produce more vapour so they should always be paired with low-strength, high-VG e-liquid. Pairing sub-ohm coils with a high-PG liquid will produce a harsh, unpleasant vaping experience and your device will be more susceptible to leaking.
For more information about vape coils, check out our beginner’s guide to vape coils.
Summary: Switching To Vaping
After reading through our vaping guide, hopefully you now have all the info you need to get started. You should know how to start vaping, how to use a vape and what vape to buy.
Although it may feel confusing at first, once you know how to choose the best type of device, as well as the right type of e-liquid and coils, you’re ready to start your exciting vaping journey!
