We’ve all been there; we’ve all been beginners at something – starting a new school, a new job or a new hobby – and so we’ve all made those dreaded beginners’ mistakes. Yes, there’s such a thing as ‘beginners’ luck’ with many things, but to be fair, owing to how specific and (at times) complex a piece of kit an e-cig can be, it doesn’t occur very often with vaping. But beginners’ mistakes certainly do!
Now, while most vapers have had experience with inhaling and exhaling before, owing to them being former smokers, of course, it really is quite different with vaping – it’s an entirely different activity involving quite different equipment and, indeed, owing to how involved you can get into how the thing works and its culture, for many it turns into a very appealing hobby.
Yes, vape kits are over-spilling with lots of (at least to start with) enigmatic bits and bobs; like it or not, they’re not as simple and intuitive as a simple tobacco ciggie and lighter for beginners. And, true, it doesn’t really matter if you make some mistakes, but best not to make them, eh? So, here are some of the most common rookie mistakes with vaping and how to avoid them…
Confusing e-cigs with conventional cigarettes
Fair dos, when it’s written down, this does seem quite a silly misconception – and so a silly mistake – to make, but for those who are so used to conventional cigarettes and know next to nothing about vaping, it can be a very easy one to make when they immediately throw themselves into the latter. So, what happens when you take vaping too lightly, as it were, to start with? Well, first off, inhaling from an e-cig need not be anywhere near as hard as with a conventional ciggie. It’s all about slower, gentler inhales with e-cigs for pleasant and rewarding experiences. Also, rookie vapers can have a tendency to automatically assume that e-cigs’ll remain lit in the manner of standard cigarettes; they won’t. High-quality vaping devices possess a power button that requires pushing for the coil inside to transform the vape liquid into tasty vapour.
Danger, high voltage!
Well, all right, that may be overstressing it a little, but nonetheless, when staring out with vaping it’s advisable to always keep the e-cig on a low power before turning it up as you get more used to what you’re doing. This too’ll aid you in discovering which vape flavours you like best and be able to properly choose between them for their taste – otherwise, with such a high-voltage, you may be overpowered by the force of the hit and the taste may be too difficult to take in itself.
Not reading the instructions
… Or just flat out ignoring them. As with all electrical devices, there’s a reason why e-cigs and their associate bits of kit come with instructions; so really, don’t avoid them or not bother reading them in the first place. As noted, vape devices aren’t always the most intuitive things, so you really may not be able to muddle your way through without some guidance. Leave the improvisation and experimentation to when you’re more confident you know what you’re doing.
Don’t over-do it
Unlike with standard cigarettes, it can be a bit difficult to gauge exactly how long you ought to be vaping before the ‘moment’ is over; far more difficult than with smoking. Be sure then not to over-do it (that is, the nicotine hit) early on; instead be patient and allow yourself to get used to it so you become more at-one with your e-cig.
Buying too few batteries
Remember (if you were a smoker) that moment when you realised you’d forgotten your lighter. It often wasn’t that bad, though, was it – you could just borrow someone else’s for a few seconds to spark up that ciggie. The equivalent’s not so easy with e-cigs, I’m afraid; that is, should your battery run out and you’ve not another one lying around spare. Remember too that your spare battery/ batteries will also need to be charged so you can make the switch with a dead one immediately.