The Ultimate Beginners’ Guide to Vaping

If you’ve finally battled your conscience and are ready to take the first step away from cigarettes, then let this guide serve you as a pathway to safely escort you out of your addiction to cigarettes.

If you’ve been hanging around vapers, you’d know that vaping is far less detrimental to health than its harmful counterpart — smoking. In fact, studies reveal that vaping is 95% safer than smoking. Hence, if you are ready to leave your smoking habits in the past, you can expect a significant improvement in not just your physical health, but also mental health.

So, this guide will serve as a good place for people looking to take the plunge into the world of vaping, and as well as for those that are looking to try out vaping for recreational purposes.

What is Vaping?

Some term vaping as the most modern form of smoking minus the harmful side effects.

A vape device is basically a heating coil attached to an “e-liquid” that is infused with flavors and nicotine. The heating coil heats the liquid containing the e-liquid and produces vapors which are inhaled.

Propylene Glycol: This substance is extensively used in cosmetics and has been marked safe to consume by European and US food authorities. This ingredient is found in many edibles, all the way from cold drinks to medicines.

Vegetable Glycerine: This is a staple ingredient in many eatables, and is also used in pharmaceutical products. It is an odorless and transparent liquid that is as thick as sugar syrup. It is typically derived from coconut, soybean and palm products.

The ratio of vegetable glycerine to propylene glycol dictates the viscosity of the e-liquid. The viscosity is one of the most important measure that’s used in calculating not just the temperature at which the e-liquid must be burnt, but also the type of tank and coils of the vape device to be used.

Furthermore, it will also fine-tune the ratio of amount of vapor to the intensity of the flavor. A higher content of vegetable glycerine will provide a more intense vapor and smoother hit, while a higher content of propylene glycol will deliver better flavor. It’s entirely up to the user to decide which one suits them the best.

As for the flavoring, both natural and artificial flavorings are used. According to studies, there are more than 7000 flavors available in the market. From watermelon to Worcestershire Sauce, you have a diverse array of flavors to choose from.

Nicotine: Probably the most intriguing ingredient in the list, the presence of nicotine in your vape device depends solely on you. But how much is too much? Well, here are the standard levels of nicotine and their usage by the corresponding crowd.

Nicotine levels in e-liquids start from 0mg/ml and go up all the way up to 36mg/ml in incremental steps of 3mg, 6mg, 12mg, and 18mg.

However, for those that are making the jump from cigarettes, starting from 18mg/ml is highly recommended, considering their previous nicotine-intake levels.

Levels of Nicotine

• 0mg/ml — This level is the most suitable for beginners and non-smokers. At this level, there is zero nicotine and hence, no fear of it becoming an addiction (except if you are obsessed with vape rings).
• 3mg/ml — If you’re starting off with vaping but also are looking for a twinge of nicotine high, then this is the level to get started with. This level is mostly suited for light smokers.
• 6mg/ml — This level is the most common amongst regular smokers. If you smoke 4–6 cigarettes per day, 6mg/ml is the ideal point for you to switch to vaping. This middle point is also the best place to move up or down the rungs of nicotine levels.
• 12mg/ml — This level is for heavy smokers who easily blow away at least a pack of cigarettes a day. At this point, the first hit would be an intense blast to your throat and quite difficult to handle for even for light smokers.
• 18mg/ml — Recommended only for hardcore smokers, this level can only be handled by experienced smokers.

All in all, the higher you go, the stronger the vape experience will be.

Internal Mechanics of Vaping

If you’d like to forego the technical details and the general design of vape devices, skip to the next section.
In this section, we will cover some important morphological aspects of vape devices. Vape devices are also referred to as vape kits, e-cigarettes, e cig, etc, but in this guide, we’ll just refer to them as vape. All of these names mean the same thing except for “vape kits” wherein you also get the tank in which the e-liquid will be placed.

Some of the crucial components of a vape device are:

Drip Trip: This is the topmost part of a vape device. It typically resembles the end of a cigarette, and is the part from where you inhale the vapors passed from the tank.

Coil: Typically made up of cotton and wire, this component absorbs the e-liquid from the tank and emanate the vapors. When you switch on the vape device, the coil gets heated and turns the e-liquid to vapors. The temperature of the coil is dependent on the resistance of the coil. Typically, beginners go with 1 ohm or more of resistance, while more experienced vapers can go for sub ohm levels, with less than 1 ohm.

Tank: This is the casing that houses the coil, and is typically made from glass or plastic. This enclosure also holds the e-liquid of the vape.

Mod: The largest component of the device, the mod houses the battery. Some devices come with replaceable batteries while others can be charged with a USB cable.

Battery: One of the most important components of the device, the battery provides the source of energy for the coils to heat up. The most popular battery type is 18650, with a lot more. However, it is recommended that you read up on how to use a vape safely before using it.

Styles of Vaping

There are 2 ways to vape — Mouth-to-Lung (MTL) and Direct-to-Lung (DTL). Commonly referred to as MTL and DTL, both of these methods have their advantages. Ultimately, it boils down to the user on which method they choose.

Mouth-to-Lung Vaping

This method of intake closely resembles smoking a cigarette. However, the difference lies in the length of the intake of the vapor.

How to vape the Mouth-to-Lung way

Most smokers prefer this method of vaping as it comes off as natural to them. When you smoke a cigarette, typically, you take a quick, short drag of the smoke into the mouth.

With vaping through the MTL method, you take a long, slow and steady inhale to get the maximum out of the vape. And once you inhale, you pump the vapors into your lungs, just like how you’d do with cigarettes.

If this method of intake seems familiar to you, then as a beginner vaper, you can best get started with a vape starter kit. A vape starter kit has a tank that can be filled with an e-liquid of your choice.

Direct-to-Lung (DTL) Vaping

This method of vapor intake is more popular amongst experienced vapers. To beginners, it might look like odd but DTL employs the same technique as regular breathing.

How to Vape the DTL way

The prominent difference between MTL way of vaping and DTL way of vaping is that in the latter, you inhale the vapors directly into your lungs without making a pit stop in the mouth. This process involves no puffs or sucking on the device. It’s like introducing this device in the breathing cycle.When the vapor reaches the lungs, you must exhale.

MTL vs DTL

As mentioned before, it’s entirely up to the user to choose their style. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to stick with that style for the rest of your life. Many experienced vapers switch between MTL and DTL devices deftly to suit their style.

However, if you’re a beginner, anyone would suggest that you start off with the MTL way of vaping. After vaping a while, you can graduate to DTL and assess which works best for you. Both the styles of vaping are good, as long as you do not relapse back to cigarettes.

Types of Vapes

Not a long time ago, you didn’t have as many vape devices or flavors as you do now, because vape devices were a novelty and cigarettes were prevalent. But the yesteryear has witnessed an exponential boom in the e-cigarette sector and now, you have a menagerie of options to choose from. Vape kits have preponderated the cigarette industry so quickly that it doesn’t matter if you’re a smoker, an ex-smoker, vape enthusiast or beginner, for there are vape kits available for everyone.

Vape Pens

This design of vape device is the most popular one, owing to the huge diversity of kits available. A typical vape pen — as the name would suggest — is slim, sleek, and lightweight. Serving both mouth-to-lung and direct-to-lung vape users, vape pens are the ideal choice for beginners.

Disposable Vape Kits

One of the most convenient types of vape kits, these make up for great handy devices that can be discarded once they are emptied. These are entry-level vape devices and are typically designed to imitate a cigarette.

With disposable vape kits, you never would have the trouble of refilling the e-liquid. They’re slim and compact devices that are ideal for any vapor. They also serve as a great substitute when you run out of juice of your main vaping device.

Pod Vape Kits

Although only been around for a couple of years, pod vape kits became an instant favorite when they hit the market. Designed with beginners in mind, the pod kits are some of the easiest devices to use and are a priority among the vape beginners and smokers.

Within this category are two other categories — closed-pod systems and refillable pod systems. Pod vape kits are synonymous with pod starter kits, hence their popularity with beginners. They come with everything a beginner would need to start vaping.

Box Mods

Box mods, as the name would suggest, generally tend to be heavier and bigger vape devices that house large batteries that produce thicker vapors than any other types. A good way to know whether a vape device is box mod or not is by looking at its resistance value — box mods are typically sub-ohmic vapes that produce denser clouds.

Still need help getting started?

We hope that this short, comprehensive guide to vaping has helped you in developing a general idea of what vaping is. However, if you’d like to know more about vapes or would like to try some, you’ll find everything you need on vapevibes.me.

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