The statistics are out there, should you wish to find them (and millions have); vaping certainly does appear to be better for your health than smoking. And, because of that, it’s inevitably a more socially acceptable activity. And all the vaping flavours you can experience are fantastic too, as you’ve probably heard! Yet, all that said, some smokers still seem to be put off from making the switch – why?
Well, to some of the uninitiated, an E-cigarette – and all its accompanying paraphernalia – can look like a complicated bit of kit. It just seems less intuitive than smoking a ciggie (it’s not – and tastes way better!) and looks more expensive (it’s definitely not!). So, to give you an idea of how simple it really is, here’s a rundown of the essential equipment you’ll need to start vaping – after which, the world’ll truly be your oyster…
Power supply
Yes, an E-cigarette is an electronic device, of course, which means it’ll come complete with that age-old electrical power source – a battery. Some E-cig batteries tend to be charged via the mains, others via a USB cable and others can be charged via both. Within the E-cig itself, the battery sits in the part referred to as the ‘mod’, providing power to heat the coil that produces the mist for vapers to breathe in and experience all the terrific flavours possible. Experienced vapers tend to enjoy experimenting with their E-cigs’ power supply – and why not? After all, should you use variable voltage systems, it means you can regulate how the flavours taste by altering their strength.
Vape liquid
But what of those flavours? Where do they come from? How do you ensure your E-cig can deliver them? The answer lies in E-liquids. Containing the nicotine but very few of the other ingredients in harmful, conventional cigarettes, along with all the aforementioned fabulous flavours, this fluid is sold in small bottles by many different retailers – but obviously we’d only recommend you buy from a reputable vaping company like No.1 Ejuice. And, don’t doubt it, as the vaping industry is evolving, so the vaping liquid market is widening; pretty much every taste under the sun’s now available, everything from fancy, fruity flavours to minty, menthol tangs – and everything in between. For instance, some of our latest E-juices include Glazed Doughnuts by Loaded, Orange Slush by Slushy Brothers and Lime & Ginger Torte by Great British Vape liquid Off. Fancy tantalising your taste-buds with them? Who wouldn’t!
Tanks and atomisers
So how do you feed an E-cig with a bottle of E-liquid? Well, this is where the device’s tank comes in. Usually dripped into this part of the E-cig via a long, narrow tip of the bottle or via a syringe, the vaping liquid sits here, saturating the coil. It’s then the role of the device’s atomiser, harnessing the coil’s heat, to transform the fluid into the flavoursome vapour-mist. You’ll find that many tanks look different to one another due to the design, shape and colour of their E-cig device, but most generally hold around 1.6ml of fluid.
As noted above, once dripped into the tank, you’ll discover – through experimenting via more advanced power sources – that some E-liquids taste better at higher voltages and others at lower voltages (the latter often being fruitier flavours).
Drip tips, lanyards and cases
Aside from the many and various funky flavours and the fact that – compared to smoking – the health benefits of vaping are off the charts, something that many vapers actually get off on is all the kit they can acquire, collect, replace and generally have fun with. No question then, for them vaping becomes not just an activity to replace smoking but an enjoyable hobby. And why not when there are the likes of stylish drip tips (mouthpieces that help you drip E-liquid into the device without having to use a cartridge), lanyards and cases to buy and try out?
It’s true that, before they become fully fledged vapers, smokers tend to give vaping a tentative try, combining it with their usual ciggie-puffing. But, yes, the vast majority then usually move on to vaping full-time. It’s not hard to understand why – thanks to all the cool kit you can collect (in addition to the health, cost and social benefits), who wouldn’t want to give vaping a whirl and then make it permanent?