A Beginner’s Guide To Vaping
What are Electronic Cigarettes?
An electronic cigarette is a battery-operated device that emits doses of vaporized nicotine, or non-nicotine solutions, for the user to inhale by heating up a liquid solution consisting of nicotine, propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycol, and flavorings to a point where it actually turns into vapor. It aims to provide a similar sensation to inhaling tobacco smoke, without the smoke.
The vapor looks a lot like smoke, feels similar to smoke, yet dissipates quickly and leaves no odor behind.
Can you imagine?
Rather than filling your lungs with tar-imbued smoke containing over 4000 chemicals, you could be enjoying a nice strawberry flavored vape, or any of the hundreds of different flavors that we carry.
How Do Electronic Cigarettes Work?
All E-cigarettes have the same parts, although there are modified parts you can get into later on down the line. All E-cigarettes have the following:
- A battery (powers the device).
- A “Tank”with an atomizer (This usually holds the liquid, this is the piece that goes into your mouth, the atomizer/coil is the element that heats up the e-liquid and turns it into vapor.)
- E-Juice/E-Liquid (This is what the liquid is commonly called, also e-juice, e-liquid, vape juice, juice)
When you assemble these elements it becomes a working electronic cigarette. You charge the batteries when the unit indicates it is out of charge, usually on a USB charger which you can also plug into a wall adapter.
When your e-cigarette is low on e-juice you will notice, because the taste will not be as good, sometimes tasting burnt and the vapor will not be as thick.
When you’re getting low on e-juice, just pop off the top of the “tank” and drip some drops of the liquid into the tank. Do this until you reach the “max fill” line.
If you ever have issues with this, feel free to stop by our location for support or email us at chinchasmokeshop@gmail.com
There are various different models of e-cigs, this is where it could get a little confusing for some people. E-cigs are like cars; there are many different styles that all have their own looks and performance, but they all do the same thing.
Typically, the ones people get introduced to are the ones that are most like normal analog cigarettes, but these are usually the lowest performing devices.
Many people start out wanting something that looks more like a cigarette, and that is absolutely fine, but more likely than not they start wanting something that makes a bit more vapor and lasts longer.
Some e-cigs require you to do nothing but take a drag and they activate, others have a button you push (these are known as automatic versus manual e-cig batteries). Most E-cigs have an LED light that lights up when you are using it, which tells you when its on.
Here are some popular type of E-cigs:
- Vape Pens – A starting point for many vapors.
- Box Mods – For vapers that want more battery life and more vaping options.
E-cigarettes come in a large variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and performance. Please look through our “Starter Kit” section if you are looking into a kit.
Electronic Cigarette Liquid (E-Juice/E-Liquid/Juice)
This is the fun part of vaping, as there are many different flavors to choose from!
The e-juice comes in a huge variety of flavors ranging from cigarettes, fruits, drinks, custards, desserts and more.
When you order your juice you get to pick the amount of nicotine in them, generally high is around 10-20mg, low is around 6-12mg, very low is 0.5-3mg which is mainly for sub ohm vaping and it goes down to 0mg.
We recommend starting on a medium nicotine strength depending on how heavy your smoking habit is, and move up or down depending on how you feel.
The e-juice also comes in a variety of vg/pg (vegetable glycerine/propylene glycol) mixtures. On average the VG/PG mixtures will come in 50/50, 70PG/30VG or vice versa.
Propylene Glycol carries more flavor but makes less vapor, while Vegetable Glycerine has less taste but creates more vapor production. Higher VG is also good for the small percentage of people who may be allergic to PG.
For vapers that like to drip or sub ohm vape then they will usually stick around the 3mg mark.
The most popular mix is usually 50/50 or 70/30 mixture (70% PG/30% VG) because it provides a good balance between flavor and vapor production.
The e-juice usually comes in a few different sizes ranging from 150ml all the way down to 10ml. Most e-juices come in plastic dropper bottles with pointed tips that make refilling easier for the consumer. Some others will come in glass bottles with droppers, which allows you to drip the e-juice into your tank.
How Much Does an Electronic Cigarette Cost?
Of course this depends on what model you buy. Generally our starter kits range from $9.99-$199.99.
It all depends on what you are looking for but for most people who are just starting out, it generally costs about half as much to use than analog cigarettes (after the initial starter kit purchase, that is).
Once you have purchased your starter kit, the only items you will need to replace will be the e-juice and the atomizers/coils.
On average an e-cigarette user will spend about $40-60 on atomizers/coils per month, 1 pack of 5 atomizers/coils will generally last anywhere from 1-2 weeks (of course depending on usage) and will cost on average about $19.99 per pack. A 30ml bottle of e-juice ($19.99) will last an average user about a month. One 10ml bottle of e-juice is equivalent to 7 packs of cigarettes.
We hope this blog has helped you and if you have any questions or need advice, feel free to email us or by stopping at our location.