Vaping has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years or so with many long-term smokers trying out a vape device to kick their smoking habit. They've become a preferred alternative to cigarettes due to users being able to achieve the same desired nicotine hit without the severe health risks of smoking, as well as the ability to explore different flavours of e-liquid. The user-friendly design and affordability of the devices meant that they crept into every walk of life, with different devices being created as a result. Vaping as an activity became so popular in fact, that there are now several competitions dedicated exclusively to vaping.
Vaping has created its very own community, bringing people together over their love of vapes. The community is full of vapers who love to share videos of their tricks, their vape mods and tips on how to achieve certain styles of vaping . This community has led to more people picking up a vape, including those looking to kick their smoking habit. However, buying your very first vape can seem like a daunting prospect. There are so many different devices and variations of liquid, you may not even know where to start. Well, to help ease you into the community and point you in the right direction, we're going to impart our wisdom to you through our Vaping 101 guide.
Vaping 101: A Brief History
Firstly, we need to take a look back at where it all began and the vaping journey leading up to the present day. There have been many milestones along the way, including some technological developments which have led to the further success of vaping. The history of vaping as we know it today began back in 2003 when medical researcher, Hon Lik, patented and manufactured the very first electronic cigarette in response to his own smoking habit. The original design very closely resembles that of a real cigarette and used the same ingredients in its e-liquid that are still used today. The key ingredient, propylene glycol (PG), is both safe to inhale and replicates the experience of cigarette smoke inhalation very accurately which has led to it standing the test of time.
The first vaping device went on sale to the public in 2006 but it wasn't until four years, and several advances in vaping technology later, that the first vaping events began to emerge. These events showed the very first signs that vaping was more than just a way to quit smoking but an entire subculture. This was the start of the vaping community which only continued to grow and by 2014, it had become so popular that the word 'vape' was added to the Oxford dictionary and was named word of the year.
With the taboo surrounding vaping somewhat watered down thanks to its surging popularity, vaping statistics were starting to show its benefits. New data and reports suggested that over half of vapers were ex-smokers who had picked up a vape to help them quit. There were also more ex-smokers than vapers, proving that vaping really was having an effect as a way of quitting smoking entirely. These reports came just at the right time as there had been concerns surrounding the safety of vaping and vaping devices. Despite warnings being issued by the World Health Organisation , UK public health officials are confident that vaping is around 95% safer than smoking cigarettes.
In 2021, vaping is arguably more popular than ever, after its explosion into mainstream culture in 2014 and the latest advancements in technology. The devices and liquids on offer today are far superior to those available even just a few years ago. There is more selection to choose from with a range of devices suitable for everyone from beginners to experienced users . The liquids also come in nicotine-free options or with varying levels of nicotine to help users lower their nicotine intake.
Vaping 101: Vape To Quit Smoking
Smoking is a tricky habit to give up, especially if you've adopted it as part of your day to day lifestyle and see it as a necessity. Some smokers class a cigarette as part of their daily routine, meaning the act of inhaling harmful smoke has become the norm. Others see smoking as a social habit and smoke with friends or after they've had a drink, making it even more difficult to quit when faced with these situations. Being around others who smoke can lead people to picking up a cigarette or becoming unwilling to quit due to this group mentality. This is all without even factoring in the fact that a smoker’s body has likely become addicted to nicotine.
The act of needing to hold something and inhale smoke becomes a habit, which, when paired with nicotine addiction, makes quitting smoking cold turkey an almost impossible task. It can be done, however, and a lot of ex-smokers can be proud they were able to do so but for others, it can be extremely difficult especially with stress and other external factors adding more pressure. This is why vaping is such a popular and successful option for those looking to quit smoking for good.
The variety of devices available gives vapers plenty of options to choose from, with different devices suited to different styles of vaping. For example, although vape mods may be massively popular on the market due to their customisability , a veteran smoker may not like the chunky design and want something which more closely resembles a cigarette.
Devices for beginners are available which can be held like a cigarette and offer the same level of resistance to replicate the drag on a cigarette. The levels of nicotine can also be altered by changing the e-liquid to give the user the same nicotine level that they were getting from a cigarette. This replicates the activity of smoking a cigarette in a near-identical fashion but with far fewer risks to the user's health.
The ability to control the level of nicotine you intake when you vape makes quitting smoking easier as you can wean your body off the drug, which isn’t possible when smoking cigarettes. This means that from the first switch between smoking to vaping, you can begin lowering the amount of nicotine that your body is expecting. By doing this you can eventually lower it by so much that your body no longer craves nicotine, meaning you can quit smoking, and eventually vaping, for good.
Often, the level of nicotine your body craves is so high due to the content in cigarettes, so substituting that for nicotine gum or patches means that your cravings might not be satisfied. This leads to many users giving up on nicotine patches or other nicotine replacement therapies because it feels as though they don't work. Besides vaping, there aren't any other options that allow you to get an experience similar to smoking, with similar levels of nicotine, but without the health risks .
As proven by the statistics over the years, vaping has more than proven itself as an effective method to quit smoking. Its ability to provide the same satisfaction as smoke entering the lungs, using vapour instead, has made it a great choice, with vaping being able to replicate multiple other parts of the smoking experience too. The benefits of using a vape device as opposed to smoking a cigarette stretch far beyond just health benefits too, with everything from your teeth to your wallet taking less of a hit.
Vaping 101: The Benefits Of Vaping
It's no secret that smoking is an expensive habit and with the cost of a pack of cigarettes and tobacco being regularly increased by the UK government in an attempt to deter people from smoking, it's only going to get more costly. With vaping, you don't need to buy a new device regularly as each vape is built to be reused. Instead of spending your hard-earned money on a pack of cigarettes or two, you can save more money in the long run by buying a vape device and buying liquid when you need it.
Depending on which device you opt for, vape devices can come at a wide range of different price points, but once you've bought one, it will last a long time. Your device will likely contain a refillable tank , which is where you insert your e-liquid of choice to vape at your leisure. E-liquid can be bought in large quantities which means it'll last you a substantial amount of time and prevent you from regularly splashing more cash on new juice.
At Pure E-Liquids, we only stock high-quality products which means if you choose a vape device from us it will be able to withstand the wear and tear of continuous uses. Of course, accidents aren't beyond the realms of possibility, but even buying a replacement in the event of an accident will work out cheaper than buying several packs of cigarettes per week. There are components inside the vape device which may need to be replaced, such as the coil if it becomes burnt out but this isn't an expensive component and is extremely easy to replace. Other components such as batteries or replacement tanks can also prove inexpensive when compared with the costs of smoking.
Another huge benefit of vaping, which is often overlooked, is how it positively impacts the environment. Even if you're someone who wouldn’t dispose of their cigarette butts properly, it's clear that there are plenty of people who do and it can lead to a severe littering problem. Once discarded, cigarette butts can break down, with their residue seeping into soil and water which can then cause water pollution . The smoke produced by cigarettes is also harmful to the atmosphere as toxic pollutants are released every time a cigarette is lit. By swapping a cigarette for a vape, you're cutting out not only the atmospheric pollution but the potential litter, just by choosing a reusable device.
While there have been some new regulations introduced where vaping isn't permitted in some indoor areas , there are still a lot of indoor areas which do allow it. One thing to consider with smoking is that the smoke can harm those around you, especially if it’s in an enclosed space such as a car or if you're smoking around children. Using a vape not only makes it safer for people around you, but it also means you can satisfy your nicotine cravings almost anywhere (rules permitting). This means that you don't have to leave whatever you're doing and head outside to get your nicotine fix, you can enjoy it in a much more comfortable environment.
Vaping indoors won't bring with it the same issues as having a cigarette would as there is no lasting smell that could otherwise stick to your furniture and pollute the smell of indoor areas. Smoking indoors over a long period of time can also begin to affect the colour of objects in your house such as wallpaper - the nicotine begins to discolour objects, especially white colours, turning them yellow, which isn’t an issue when vaping.
The health benefits of vaping when compared with smoking are huge as vapour is far less harmful to your lungs than the toxic smoke of cigarettes. Inhaling smoke from a cigarette has been known, for many years now, to cause lung cancer and in some cases throat cancer , along with promoting several other types of cancers. One of the most harmful components in cigarette smoke is tar, which coats the lungs upon inhalation and forms a layer around them. This heavily damages the lungs and can lead to a myriad of health issues and affect your day to day life by reducing your lung capacity. Vapour, on the other hand, doesn't contain the same damaging ingredients and, while not healthier than simply not vaping at all, it's considerably better for your lungs than inhaling toxic cigarette smoke.
Not only can cigarettes harm your overall health but they also have a hugely damaging impact on your mouth as this is the first point of contact for the smoke. Over time, your teeth can become discoloured and even begin to rot as a result of gum disease , if you smoke regularly. In more severe cases of this, it can cause mouth cancer due to continued contact with the smoke. The smell of smoke can also make your breath smell bad as it's a very distinct scent. Vapour doesn't have a lasting smell, and with fruity alternatives, vaping will leave you with a much better-smelling breath. The vapour produced from certified e-liquids is also far less toxic meaning it won't harm your gums and teeth in the same way.
Vaping 101: Choosing The Right Vape Starter Kit
Making the switch to vaping can feel like a huge leap, especially if you have no prior knowledge of the equipment involved. Luckily, if you're a beginner, there are plenty of vaping guides and kits to get you started. These starter kits will include everything you need to get started , with a device, charger and sometimes e-liquid too. Choosing one of these kits at the very beginning of your vaping journey will set you on the right path and save you time when shopping around and potentially buying several devices which just aren't right for you. A starter kit will also help save you money as it's much cheaper to buy the items as a bundle than it is to buy them individually.
You will have plenty of different options when it comes to choosing your starter kit, but more often than not, the e-cig will resemble a real cigarette and produce an experience very similar to that of smoking. You will also be able to choose the nicotine strength of the e-liquid in your pack, to help make the transition from smoking to vaping much easier. The vape device in these kits will be relatively basic when compared with vape mods or other advanced devices but this isn't a bad thing! Starting off with a basic device will give you the opportunity to get a feel for vaping and help you identify which part of your vaping experience you want to improve, and that's where different devices come into play.
There are kits available with a disposable vape pen, but these won't save you as much money as a reusable vape device, nor will they give you much control over your experience. The perfect starter kit will include a device that accurately replicates the sensation of smoking, so it will have a high resistance coil that will make each draw tight and prevent you from inhaling too much nicotine too quickly. Millions of vapers likely started off with these kits as they're the perfect starting point for defining what type of vaper you'd like to become. For example, some people enjoy the high resistance vaping experience with a high nicotine content vape juice, whereas others transition into lower resistance vaping and opt for a sub-ohm vaping setup with a nicotine-free e-liquid.
The flavour of your e-liquid will also play a huge part in your transition to vaping. The first e-liquid you try likely won't be the one you continue to use as there is such a huge variety of flavours you're unlikely to find that perfect flavour with your very first try. The search for a superior flavour can continue for a while as different brands and manufacturers will create different vape juices with different tastes. The most common e-liquid flavours are fruity, due to their pleasant taste, but that doesn't mean that they're suitable for everyone. Some people who have smoked for many years may see tobacco as the ideal flavour and opt for a vape juice that closely resembles the experience of smoking.
Vaping 101: Choosing The Right E-Liquid
One of the biggest factors to consider in vaping is your e-liquid as there is everything from nicotine level to flavour to PG/VG ratio to consider. For beginners, this vaping 101 guide should help you understand why liquids with a high PG to VG ratio (often 80% PG to 20% VG) are the best option when quitting smoking. High PG liquids will deliver a harsher and more distinct throat hit than high VG liquids, giving a feeling more similar to that of traditional cigarettes . The clouds produced from this form of vaping will be smaller and thinner, but if you're vaping to quit smoking, this likely won't be a huge concern for you.
If you have a successful vaping experience with a beginner vaping kit, you're likely to go on and explore different styles of vaping. Often considered the most advanced form of vaping is sub-ohm vaping which uses a high VG liquid with low resistance. The sub-ohm style was born as a result of a vaping craze and is commonly used in vaping competitions. Due to the low resistance of this style, the user will inhale far more vapour than if they were using a high resistance device which means that the nicotine content of the liquid must be significantly lower. If the nicotine level was the same, the throat hit would be extremely unpleasant and the user would be exposed to a huge nicotine hit with every single drag. By using a high VG e-liquid, the user can take longer drags which are much smoother and produce large, dense clouds when exhaled.
Choosing an e-liquid with nicotine is very common for those who have just made the switch to vaping as it allows heavy ex-smokers to still get the same amount of their daily nicotine intake. The e-liquid nicotine strength can vary but finding juices without nicotine is also very easy if you're looking to reduce your nicotine intake. Choosing a liquid with the lowest nicotine strength, to begin with, may be counterproductive as your body isn't getting the levels of nicotine it expects which leads you to vaping far more and using more juice as a result. This is why it's important to choose an e-liquid with the right amount of nicotine for you and then, over time, you can transition to liquids without any nicotine.
There are hundreds of flavours to choose from, which is an easy mistake people make when they select their liquid as they often settle for something sub-par. The flavours are so diverse that there will be a liquid that everyone loves and when they find this flavour, it will massively improve their vaping experience. Even if fruity, sweet flavours aren't your thing you can opt for something that tastes closer to traditional cigarettes such as a tobacco menthol flavour. Enjoying every puff is key to a positive experience because if you don't like your liquid, you'll find giving up cigarettes unnecessarily hard.
Vaping 101: Pods vs Tanks: The Best Option For You
Vape pods offer a completely different type of experience to vape mods, from the way that they are used to the size and feel of the actual device. Vape pods are a much more compact device, consisting of basic controls on a small casing and a pod section that contains the e-liquid. Vape mods on the other hand are a high-power vaping device and consist of a much chunkier casing, more controls and a (generally) larger tank capacity. There is no correct vaping device, only a device that is right for you and in the case of these two, they're at different ends of the spectrum, so it's important to understand their uses.
Vape pods are the number one choice for millions of people, especially beginners as their design has been developed and improved dramatically over the years. Early designs were pretty basic, whereas modern designs include LED screens which allow users much more control over the settings of their vape. The simple design keeps maintenance hassle-free and with some pods, the tank which holds the e-liquid can be taken out once empty and replaced with a new, full tank , meaning you don't have to refill it yourself. While this can work out more costly, having to buy new tanks each time, it's far easier for beginners who are just getting to grips with the vaping experience.
The simplicity of the vape pod design has meant that the devices have always been compact and portable as a result. This makes them perfect for vaping on the go and those who travel a lot as the small device can easily slip into a bag or pocket without taking up too much room. The device can then be used discreetly for vaping in public areas or enclosed spaces. The enclosed pods which contain the e-liquid are tightly sealed which means there is a low chance of this leaking when in your bag or pocket. With poor quality e-cigs and some vape pens, the design can lead to leakages if not kept upright.
Vape mods and tank combinations are a popular choice for experienced vapers who are looking to explore a sub-ohm vaping setup. While vape pods do offer some customisation options, nothing compares to vape mods which offer a lot more freedom. The type of coil used by vape mods is typically low resistance which measures less than 1.0 Ohm - this is where the name sub-ohm comes from.
The key benefit of using this type of coil is that you can create much thicker, denser clouds than high resistance coils but they do require more battery power. Fortunately, with vape mods, you can easily customise your device by adding a larger battery to cope with the demand. By using a nicotine-free e-liquid with this setup the user can draw for longer creating large clouds of vapour as a result.
Lots of people typically start with a vape pod and progress to vape mods as they go in search of larger amounts of vapour . Long-term vapers also become more familiar with vape culture and the hype surrounding advanced devices which can create huge clouds of vapour. At this point, you may have become interested in more than passive vaping and might be exploring the different options to diversify this experience. Of course, when you’re putting so much time into using your vape device, it's important that you look after it and keep it clean.
Vaping 101: Maintaining & Cleaning Your Vape Device
Regular use can lead to your device becoming dirty which is why it's important to clean it to ensure it doesn't become clogged up and damaged. Your tank, which contains the e-liquid, is one of the most susceptible to becoming clogged as it is very easy for e-liquid to become congealed. Residue from the e-liquid can coat the inside of the tank and if not removed, either clog up the tank or mix with the next liquid you choose to refill with. This can be extremely annoying as the flavour of your last e-liquid will be present as you vape your new liquid, potentially creating a nasty taste. Alternatively, your previous e-liquid may have contained nicotine and if you're looking to go nicotine-free, remnants of the nicotine will make their way into your new liquid.
The best way to clean your tank is by emptying it of all liquid and rinsing it under warm water. Make sure you wash away as much of the e-liquid as possible and set it aside to dry. Once the tank looks dry, double-check it and use a cotton bud to soak up any remaining moisture. It's important you ensure the tank is fully dry before reattaching it to your device as any excess water could leak into the electrical components and pose health risks. Following this advice as closely as possible will ensure you can continue to have a safe vaping experience.
Coils are another component of your vape device which you'll need to maintain. If you don't and the coil becomes burnt out or worn out from use, it can ruin the flavour of your e-liquid and produce extremely hot vapour. Coils don't last forever but if you keep your tank clean, it'll last much longer . For a vaping novice, the notion of changing it can seem like a difficult task but the coil design means that they're easily replaceable and inexpensive.
To replace your coil simply disassemble your vape so that you can access the coil. Unscrew the existing coil by turning it counter-clockwise - be careful you don't cover your hands in any e-liquid residue. Before inserting the new coil, add a few drops of liquid to it to prevent it from burning upon first use. Once it's screwed in, test it out a couple of times to ensure there are no leakages or other issues. If it does leak, it's possible you haven't screwed the coil in tight enough.
Vaping 101: What Happens When You Start Vaping?
When a smoker switches to vaping, they will begin to feel the benefits almost immediately and these only become more prevalent as they continue to vape. By swapping a cigarette for a vape, the body immediately begins to heal as it isn't being damaged by toxic smoke or taking in any harmful chemicals. Even within the first few hours, the benefits of no longer smoking will take effect as your blood oxygen levels will return to normal and the amount of carbon monoxide in your blood will be reduced. The more time that passes, the better you will feel, as your sense of taste and smell will begin to improve, making food and drink taste much better.
After a few days without cigarettes, the body will have become much stronger as it's further along in the healing process. Breathing will become much easier as the body is able to begin breaking down tar on the lungs. The longer you continue to go without smoking cigarettes, the less susceptible you will be to serious health issues such as a heart attack or a stroke. In fact, after not smoking for around five years, your chance of a heart attack will have been reduced by half, even if you've been vaping, as vapour doesn't damage your heart's cells.
One term you may have heard of is vapers tongue, which refers to temporary loss of ability to taste vape juice . The taste loss can happen suddenly and last for an extended period of time but it isn't permanent. It's also able to affect vapers of all experience levels, not just newbies. By continuously vaping, your tastebuds can simply become fatigued and with a lack of saliva, they won't pick up flavours in the same way. There are plenty of ways to help get rid of vapers tongue and most of them simply involve staying hydrated and cutting back on vaping for a short while.
Vaping With Pure E-Liquids
Vaping is the perfect way to quit smoking, that's no secret . Between saving you money and benefiting your health, there are no better options. But making the switch can be difficult, especially when there is a lot of vaping jargon being thrown about. Hopefully, in this Vaping 101 guide, we've shed some light on areas of the vaping experience you were previously unsure of and made you more at ease about making the switch.
If you have any questions or need some more vaping advice, don't hesitate to get in touch and speak to a member of our team. You can call us on 01733 555 555 or email us at customerservice@pure-eliquids.com and one of our staff will respond as soon as possible. Alternatively, if you'd like to get started on choosing your beginners kit , you can do so by visiting our website and exploring our selection.
