Beginners Guide to Vaping

Vaping refers to the act of inhaling vapour produced by an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette or e-cig) or a vaporizer. Over the last decade, vaping has become the most popular alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes but if you are new to vaping, you may feel a little overwhelmed with information. If you are new to vaping, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know from the various types of e-cigarette devices, nicotine strengths and types of e-liquids.

First of all, there are loads of different names for an e-cigarette, names such as e-cig, e-cigarette, vape device, mod, vape cig and vape pen to name but a few. So if you ever hear someone referring to any of these names, remember, they all mean the same thing. The thing you do need to know is that there are many different TYPES of e-cigarettes available in the UK market such as:-

 

Disposable Vapes are great devices for people looking to dip their toes into vaping, with no need for charging or refilling, these kits require zero maintenance and are completely hassle free, simply take it out of the packet, vape it and then dispose of it when finished. Disposable Vapes come prefilled with e-liquid and are inhale activated meaning you simply draw on the vape like a cigarette for it to work.

 

Vape Pens are compact, pen shaped e-cigarette device which usually has a battery which is the power source of the device, a tank which holds the e-liquid and a coil which fits inside the tank and produces the vapour (coils will need to be replaced after a period of time). Vape pens are traditionally aimed at beginner vapers and were one of the first types of e-cigarettes available in the UK market. The most common use of vape pens are for high content ‘freebase’ nicotine e-liquids.

 

Pod Kits are the most modern e-cigarette and are also referred to as pod systems. Pod Kits are small and sleek and fit perfectly into the palm of your hand. They have a pod with an inbuilt coil instead of a tank with a separate coil meaning that these kits are relatively hassle free as there is little to no maintenance. Some Pod Kits have inhale activation which means you do not have to hold a button down to get the device to fire up. Charging times are majorly impressive, some pod kits charge in as little as 10 mins for a full battery. The most common use of Pod Kits are for high content ‘nicotine salt’ based e-liquids.

 

Box Mods produce huge amounts of clouds and flavour. They are typically used with e-liquids with low to zero nicotine content. They are the most powerful types of e-cigarettes and often come with external batteries that are charged separately. The term sub-ohming is used when using Box Mods. With their boxy design these e-cigarettes will more than likely have adjustable vaping settings allowing you to adjust power, airflow, vaping modes, display modes and more.

 

Mechanical Mods are for advanced users only, there are no electrical components that regulate power in Mechanical Mods.

Like e-cigs, there are loads of different names for e-liquid, names such as vape juice, juice, shortfill e-liquid, and nic salts to name but a few. If you ever hear someone referring to an of these names, remember, they all mean the same thing. The main thing you need to understand is that there are many different TYPES of e-liquids available in the UK market.

 

10ml Freebase E-Liquids were by far the most common form of e-liquid in the early days of vaping. Available in a 10ml bottle the most common nicotine strengths are 3mg, 6mg, 12mg and 18mg. These e-liquids work perfectly in vape pens and use freebase nicotine.

 

10ml Nicotine Salts are a very common choice of e-liquids for people that use Pod Kits. Nic Salt e-liquids are smoother than your e-liquids with traditional freebase nicotine and have a quicker absorption rate and a mild throat hit. The most common strengths of Nic Salts are 5mg, 10mg and 20mg. In the UK, you can only buy Nic Salts in a 10ml bottle.

 

Shortfill E Liquids are very common for Box Mod style vaping, they are usually thicker than e-liquids mentioned above and have the ability to produce more clouds and flavour than those mentioned above. In May 2017, the TPD implemented rules for e-liquids sold within the UK and one of those rules was that if any e-liquids had nicotine within them then they could not be in a bottle bigger than 10ml. As a result, manufacturers have formulated a very popular TPD loophole to get around this law. To briefly explain this loophole. Manufacturers under fill an e-liquid bottle (getting the terms shortfill) leaving you space at the top to add nic shots, to clarify, Manufacturers will sell 100ml nicotine free e-liquid in a 120ml bottle leaving you 20ml of space to add 2 nicotine shots making you 120ml of 3mg nicotine e-liquid.

 

Nic Shots are not to be vaped on their own, they are to be added to shortfill e-liquids. They come in many forms, 18mg nic shots are the most common but you can also get Ice Shots which make your e-liquid taste colder or you can get Nic Salt Shots which offer a smoother throat hit than your standard 18mg nic shots.

Ingredients found in e-liquid are typically propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), nicotine and flavourings.

 

PG is the element of e-liquid that is mainly responsible for the throat hit, flavourings are all sourced from PG too.

 

VG is the element of e-liquid that is mainly responsible for producing clouds

 

PG/VG Ratios is a term you will often hear when referring to the type of e-liquid you have purchased. 50PG/50VG ratio is mainly used in 10ml products such as nicotine salts and freebase e-liquids, these e-liquids ratios are used with pod kits and vape pens and is one of the thinnest forms of e-liquids you can buy. 30PG/70VG ratio is mainly found in shortfill e-liquids and used most commonly in sub-ohm vape devices such as box mods.

 

E-Liquid flavours range from menthol, fruit, desserts, candy, tobacco and more. There are hundreds of thousands of choices from your standard strawberry inspired flavours to more multi-layered flavour profiles such as redcurrant, grape and cherry all combined into one flavour.

Battery Safety: ensure you use the correct charger, don’t leave your e-cigarette charging unattended and avoid carrying loose batteries in your pocket.

 

E-Liquid Safety: keep away from children and pets. If ingested, seek medical attention and always read the product label

 

Device Maintenance: Clean regularly and check for any signs of damage and wear.