Vape Guide

 

Tablo reader up chevron

How to Vape: The Ultimate Guide

Welcome to the Internet’s most comprehensive vaping guide. Pull up a chair and get yourself on the fast track to true vaping expertise! It is our goal here to offer succinct answers to every question you could conceivably have about vaping, whether you’re a complete beginner or already have years of vaping experience under your belt. Use the handy table of contents to skip straight to the answer you need. To read about a topic in further detail, click the link to read a more detailed article about that topic vape guide .

 

Vaping Basics

What Is Vaping?

Can Anyone Vape?

Can Vaping Help Me Quit Smoking?

Is It Easy to Switch From Smoking to Vaping?

What Type of E-Cigarette Should I Buy First?

How Do Open vs. Closed Vaping Systems Compare?

What Are the Ingredients of E-Liquid?

Should I Use Nicotine Salt E-Liquid?

What Is the Right E-Liquid Nicotine Strength for Me?

Intermediate Vaping

Should I Upgrade My Vaping Device?

What Is Sub-Ohm Vaping?

What Is Mouth-to-Lung (MTL) Inhaling?

What Is Direct-to-Lung (DTL) Inhaling?

Should I Get a Vape Pen or a Box Mod?

What Is VG/PG Ratio?

Expert Vaping

Should I Build My Own Coils?

What Are Mechanical Mods?

What Are Mesh Coils?

Solving Vaping Problems

I’m Getting E-Liquid in My Mouth.

I’m Getting a Burned Taste When I Vape.

My Coils Are Turning Black.

My E-Cigarette Isn’t Charging.

My E-Cigarette Is Popping and Crackling When I Vape.

Is My E-Cigarette Going to Explode?

Vaping Basics

 

What Is Vaping?

Vaping is using a device that simulates cigarette smoking by heating a liquid until it turns to vapour. E-cigarette liquid – also called vape juice or e-liquid – usually contains nicotine. You absorb the nicotine through your lungs. When you inhale the vapour, you feel a sensation in your throat called throat hit. The sensation is like what you feel when you inhale tobacco smoke.

 

Can Anyone Vape?

Vaping is for adult smokers only. If you are under 18, we will not sell products to you. If you do not smoke, please do not vape. Like tobacco cigarettes, e-liquid with nicotine is powerfully addictive.

 

Can Vaping Help Me Quit Smoking?

Yes. Many people find that vaping is an effective way to quit smoking because it mimics the physical sensations and the hand-to-mouth ritual of smoking. Because the lungs absorb nicotine readily, many people also find vaping more satisfying than other forms of nicotine replacement. In a 2017-2018 trial, Public Health England says that two thirds of smokers who tried vaping and engaged their local Stop Smoking Service for help were able to quit smoking successfully.

 

Is It Easy to Switch From Smoking to Vaping?

While vaping does deliver the same nicotine as smoking, tobacco smoke also contains thousands of other chemicals that e-cigarette vapour lacks. When you initially switch to vaping, you may require a few days of adjustment while your body detoxifies from the chemicals that you’re no longer inhaling. After the initial adjustment, you’ll likely find that your cigarette cravings are greatly diminished.

 

What Type of E-Cigarette Should I Buy First?

E-cigarettes for beginners come in two primary types: cigalikes and pod systems. Cigalikes look like tobacco cigarettes, and they store their e-liquid in disposable twist-on cartridges. Pod vaping systems, on the other hand, are typically larger than tobacco cigarettes. They store their e-liquid in drop-in hollow plastic pods. Pod systems offer better vapour production and greater battery life than cigalikes. They also typically use a new form of e-liquid called nicotine salt e-liquid. Unless it’s important to you to own a vaping device that looks like a cigarette, we suggest starting with a pod vaping system.

 

How Do Open vs. Closed Vaping Systems Compare?

When you use an open vaping system, you’ll buy bottled e-liquid and fill your own tanks or pods. A closed system, on the other hand, uses pre-filled tanks or pods that aren’t designed for refilling. Closed systems are more convenient and easier to use. Buying bottled e-liquids, however, gives you access to a wider flavour variety at a lower cost.

 

What Are the Ingredients of E-Liquid?

Most e-liquids have just four ingredients: propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, nicotine and natural and/or artificial flavours.

 

Should I Use Nicotine Salt E-Liquid?

Nicotine salt e-liquid uses the salt form of nicotine, mimicking the chemical structure of nicotine as it exists in the tobacco leaf. Some people find nicotine salt e-liquid more satisfying to use than standard e-liquid. If you’re a smoker and are new to vaping, we recommend trying nicotine salt e-liquid.

 

What Is the Right E-Liquid Nicotine Strength for Me?

In the UK and Europe, the Tobacco Products Directive limits the maximum legal nicotine strength of any e-liquid to 20 mg/ml. We suggest starting with that nicotine strength when you initially switch from smoking to vaping unless you’re using a sub-ohm vaping system. If you find the vapour irritating and difficult to inhale, your nicotine strength is too high. If you find vaping unsatisfying and run out of e-liquid quickly, your nicotine strength is too low.

 

Intermediate Vaping

Should I Upgrade My Vaping Device?

If you’ve been vaping for a while and find yourself craving bigger clouds and richer flavour, it might be time to upgrade to a larger vaping device. In addition to the above benefits, upgrading your vaping device means that you’ll enjoy much better battery life.

 

What Is Sub-Ohm Vaping?

In vaping, the electrical resistance of your device’s atomizer coil determines the coil’s power needs and operable wattage range. The lower the coil’s resistance, the higher operating wattage it requires – and the more vapour it will generally produce. A sub-ohm coil has a resistance under 1.0 ohm. Most box mods and large vape pens can handle sub-ohm coils. Most pod vaping systems and cigalikes cannot.

 

What Is Mouth-to-Lung (MTL) Inhaling?

Mouth-to-lung inhaling is the way that you probably used your e-cigarette when you first began vaping. It’s the same inhaling pattern that you use when smoking a cigarette; you draw the vapour into your mouth before inhaling it into the lungs. MTL vaping tends to be most satisfying with a higher-nicotine e-liquid because it produces a throat hit that feels much like smoking.

 

What Is Direct-to-Lung (DTL) Inhaling?

When you begin to shop for a more powerful vaping device, you’ll notice that many devices include large tanks with wide mouthpieces. A large mouthpiece facilitates smooth airflow through the tank and allows the tank to generate enormous vapour clouds. When you use such a tank, you’ll lower the nicotine strength of your e-liquid – 3 mg is the most popular strength for sub-ohm vaping – and inhale the vapour directly into your lungs. When you use a direct-to-lung vaping system, you’ll enjoy much richer flavour and greatly reduced throat hit.

 

Should I Get a Vape Pen or a Box Mod?

When it’s time to upgrade your vaping device, the type of device you should choose is largely a matter of personal preference. Modern vape pens are simple, convenient and affordable while generating dramatically larger vapour clouds than what you’ll get with a typical pod vaping system. Box mods are even more powerful and have the best battery life of all vaping devices. However, the interface of a box mod also tends to be more complex than that of a single-button vape pen.

 

What Is VG/PG Ratio?

Vegetable glycerine and propylene glycol are the two most plentiful ingredients in any e-liquid, and they can be used in a wide variety of different ratios. An e-liquid with mostly VG generates thick vapour clouds with a full, silky mouth feel. An e-liquid with mostly PG generates thin, wispy clouds but has a well-defined flavour. Since VG and PG both have strengths, most e-liquids contain both. An e-liquid with a 50/50 VG/PG ratio will work in most vaping devices. An e-liquid with mostly VG, however, may not work well in a smaller vaping device because the thickness may prevent it from absorbing into the wick efficiently.

 

Expert Vaping

Should I Build My Own Coils?

Using a rebuildable atomizer and building coils from scratch is often the last frontier for expert vapers. When you build your own coils, you’ll experience some of the best flavour and vapour production that the world of vaping has to offer. You’ll also spend less for each coil because bulk resistance wire and cotton are much cheaper than boxes of pre-made coils. Building your own coils is a great way to save money on vaping. Building a coil from scratch, however, takes much longer than simply removing a coil from a tank and twisting in a new one.

 

What Are Mechanical Mods?

Mechanical mods are vaping devices without electronic components. When you press the button on a mechanical mod, the atomizer coil activates extremely quickly because it has a direct connection to the battery. Mechanical mods are also nearly indestructible because they have no electronic parts that could fail. Mechanical mods have a major potential problem, though, in that they have no safety features. When you use most vaping devices, you get automatic protection from short circuits, overheating and unsafe electrical currents. When you use a mechanical mod, you take responsibility for your own safety. Mechanical mods are for vaping experts with some knowledge of electrical engineering and proper battery usage.

 

What Are Mesh Coils?

Most vaping coils are made from resistance wires twisted into spiral shapes. Increasing the vapor production with a spiral-shaped coil design requires increasing the surface area of the coil, which also increases the coil’s mass and wattage requirement. A mesh coil is made from metal stamped into a pattern like that of a window screen. Mesh coils have excellent vapour production and flavour characteristics with low mass and modest wattage requirements. When you buy a vape tank, you should strongly consider a tank with a mesh coil.


Solving Vaping Problems

I’m Getting E-Liquid in My Mouth.

When you begin vaping, the first thing you’ll learn is that you can’t puff on a cigalike or pod vaping system with the same air pressure that you’d use when smoking a cigarette. When you smoke a cigarette, you can puff firmly to make the cigarette burn down more quickly. The vapour production of an e-cigarette, however, depends on its operating wattage and the design of its coil. Puffing too firmly on an e-cigarette may flood the coil with vape juice and cause e-liquid to come out through the mouthpiece.

 

I’m Getting a Burned Taste When I Vape.

If you’re getting a burned taste when you vape, it’s likely that the atomizer coil isn’t sufficiently wet. If you have a vaping device with adjustable wattage levels, lower the device’s power. If your device isn’t adjustable, wait a few moments between puffs to give the wick an opportunity to absorb more e-liquid. Note that most vaping coils use cotton wicks, and a cotton wick can burn if it isn’t wet. If you’re getting a burned taste every time you vape, you might be tasting burned cotton and should replace your coil.

 

My Coils Are Turning Black.

When you vape, residue from e-liquid sweeteners and flavouring agents may collect on the coil and build up a layer of dark crust. Coil crust – also called coil gunk – creates a burnt sugar flavour when you vape, and the only way to fix it is by replacing the coil. For the best possible coil life, you should avoid using sweetened e-liquids.

 

My E-Cigarette Isn’t Charging.

A lithium-ion battery has a finite life. If you noticed decreased battery life before your e-cigarette stopped charging, it’s likely that the battery no longer holds a charge. If the battery stopped charging suddenly, you should eliminate other potential points of failure before concluding that the battery no longer works. Try another USB port, charging adapter or USB cable. If the e-cigarette still isn’t charging – and it is under warranty – then it might require warranty service.

 

My E-Cigarette Is Popping and Crackling When I Vape.

Your vaping tank may have a design that encourages e-liquid to condense in the airflow chimney and drip down to the coil. When e-liquid pools in the coil assembly, your vaping device may make a popping noise when the coil activates. You can ignore the popping noise if it doesn’t annoy you. If you find the noise bothersome, run a paper towel or cotton swab down your tank’s chimney periodically to soak up the excess e-liquid. You can also try increasing the wattage of your vaping device to vaporize the e-liquid more efficiently.

Is My E-Cigarette Going to Explode?

Most incidents with e-cigarette batteries happen due to improper charging practices or because people are carrying bare battery cells in their pockets. Carry batteries only in a protective carrier designed to prevent the batteries’ terminals from touching other metal objects. Charge your vaping device only with the charging equipment recommended by the manufacturer. Don’t ever charge a vaping device with a mains adapter designed for a tablet or mobile phone.

Comment Log in or Join Tablo to comment on this chapter...
~

You might like Mueller's other books...