All you need to know about vaping
Our handy introduction to vaping answers all the popular questions
More and more people are swapping their regular cigarettes for vapes because it's proven to be a healthier alternative. If you are looking to make the switch, this handy guide for new users should answer your key questions.
What is a vape?
An e-cigarette (vape) is an electronic tobacco smoking substitute that creates a vapour mist to replicate the experience of smoking a cigarette. There are many types available for those first starting out, on a budget, or looking to splash out.
What are the benefits of e-cigarettes versus regular cigarettes?
Regular cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 carcinogenic compounds and 400 other toxins. These include nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, as well as formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic and DDT.
E-cigarettes are non-combustible and, therefore, contain no ash, smoke, tar, or carcinogens. They also do not smell like regular cigarettes (hurrah!) and are widely considered to pose no cause for concern to bystanders.
These topics, and many others, are covered in greater detail in our blog unravelling the top vaping myths.
What is an atomiser?
There are many types of atomisers (pods) available in the vaping world today. They sit on top of an e-cigarette battery and use heat to vaporise e-liquid. They can be self-contained and disposable, use replaceable coils, or be rebuildable for experienced vapers who want full control over their vaping experience.
What is a coil?
These are the heart of your vaping device. Generally, with a manufactured coil, you'll see a small wire wrapped in cotton. The cotton is soaked in e-liquid, and when the wire is heated by the battery, it turns the e-liquid into vapour.
The resistance of a coil is defined in ohms, which tells you how much current the coil will allow to pass through it. The lower the resistance, the more heat is generated, meaning you will produce more vapour and experience a more intense flavour from your vape juice. The downside is that you will go through more e-liquid and your battery life will be reduced.
What is sub-ohm vaping?
You may have heard this expression within the vaping community. If you have seen a fellow vaper producing massive clouds, the chances are they are sub-ohming. Go back just a couple of years, and sub-ohm vaping was reserved for those who built their own coils and modified their batteries. Nowadays, sub-ohm tanks, pre-built coils and capable batteries are commonly available off the shelf.
There are two key ways to increase the amount of vapour you get out of your coil. The first is to increase the power to increase the heat, but there are limits to how much power you can put through the coil before it stops producing more vapour and just gets really, really hot. This will burn your coil, and it won't taste good!
A sub-ohm coil has a resistance of less than 1 ohm (generally less than 0.4 ohms); it combines a thicker wire with higher airflow, so you can use more power before you start generating excessive heat. The thicker wire increases the surface area in contact with the cotton (wick), which means more e-liquid is vaporised, and bigger clouds are produced.
When should I replace my coil?
Coils will need to be replaced periodically; the interval between replacements depends on several factors. The amount of device use, power settings, chosen e-liquid, and other variables all affect the coil's lifespan. Generally, you should replace your coil as soon as you notice a burnt or off-taste from your atomiser, which we usually see around the two-week mark.
How do I prime my coil to avoid premature burnout?
It's really important to make sure your coil is primed properly before you fire the device for the first time. To achieve this, you can follow the following simple instructions:
- Fill your empty pod with e-liquid, making sure to fill through the correct port (not into the coil itself).
- Let the vape pod sit for about 5 minutes to allow the e-liquid to soak into the cotton.
- Take a few 'primer puffs' by drawing on the vape while it's off, making sure not to fire it.
- If your device has adjustable power settings, set it low and fire it there.
- Work the power higher at intervals until you reach a desired level.
- Huzzah, you should now have successfully primed your coil!
What is the difference between 'mouth-to-lung' and 'direct-to-lung' vaping?
These terms have come about due to the new technology available in vaping devices, which are much more powerful than they used to be. If you are new to vaping, you will need to know the difference so you can make an informed choice about which may be best for you.
Mouth to Lung
With mouth-to-lung (MTL), you inhale the vapour and collect it in your mouth before breathing it fully into your lungs. The atomisers used for this provide a tight draw and are what new vapers should start with first to wean off smoking.
The process closely mimics the effects of smoking, and is what early adopters of vaping will be used to as the first e-cigarette kits only allowed for the MTL method. Additionally, MTL setups usually require fewer power settings (wattage) and can handle higher nicotine and PG levels.
Direct to Lung
Direct-to-lung (DTL) vaping is much closer to breathing normally. The DTL devices are newer, more advanced setups and their atomisers have a much looser draw that require the use of your lungs directly to inhale.
Far more vapour is produced (cloud chasing), there is more flavour and the hit can be more intense and satisfying. Because of the bigger hit, it is important to choose a lower nicotine content (usually no more than 6mg). Users will also often favour a higher VG liquid which is much smoother, and a vape kit with airflow control.
What is e-liquid?
E-liquid, also known as e-juice, vape liquid, or vape juice, is the liquid you drip into your vaping device, which is heated by the coil to create vapour. It consists of just four ingredients: propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), flavouring and nicotine. The VG and PG are food additives typically used to sweeten or preserve food (more on this below).
Ultimately, the blend you choose will be a very personal thing so it's a good idea to experiment with a few different brands to find the perfect vape juice for you.
You may prefer more PG for the throat hit or more VG for increased vapour production and intense flavour. You may favour a particular flavour group (tobacco, menthol, fruit, vanilla, caramel, mixed berries—the choice is endless). You may decide to vape a liquid with high, medium, or no nicotine at all.
You can learn more about vape liquids in our detailed guide.
Which nicotine strength should I go for?
The nicotine strength listed for e-liquid is the number of milligrams of nicotine per millilitre in a bottle. That means a 10ml bottle of 10mg nicotine e-liquid would have 100mg of nicotine (10mg x 10ml).
The new legislation from the TPD restricts e-liquid to a nicotine strength of no more than 20mg/ml. You can read more information about TPD regulations in our guide.
As you make the switch to vaping from regular cigarettes, you can consider this a guide to the nicotine strength you should try. Of course, this isn't definitive, as other factors, such as VG/PG ratio and your chosen flavour, can have an effect on the nicotine hit, so you should always experiment with a few variants.
What are propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG)?
PG and VG are the liquids that help burn the nicotine into vapour. They are both recognised as safe by the Food Standards Agency and are in many processed foods and cosmetics.
PG is tasteless and plant-derived. It is used in baked goods, medicines and cosmetics. The liquid is thinner than VG and so produces less vapour. PG produces more throat hit that is similar to smoking a regular cigarette. It is better suited to lower-powered devices and can carry a higher nicotine content. One of the downsides of a high-PG e-liquid is that it may cause some throat dryness.
VG tastes a little sweet, but the flavour is too subtle for most people to detect. It's used in baked goods, as a sweetener, and as a filler in foods. The liquid is thicker, which helps produce more vapour, and since the vapour carries the flavour, high-VG vape juice provides a more intense taste sensation. The vapour also carries the nicotine, so vapers who prefer high VG liquids generally opt for a lower nicotine strength. To produce large vape clouds, more power is required, so you should consider more powerful hardware to heat the VG effectively.
Most people start out with a 50/50 mix (found in most nicotine salt juices), which has been determined to be a very optimal blend and can be used effectively in a smaller starter kit. As you experiment with different juices with different blends, you may choose a juice with more VG for more vapour production, or more PG for a stronger throat hit, with 60/40 mixes or even 70/30.
An important consideration is allergies or reactions to either PG or VG; in such cases, you should buy a blend that uses less of that ingredient. These reactions are typically more common with PG than VG.