I HAVE to stop smoking, I just don't want to...
Hi there to the 4 or 5 people who will ever end up reading this! I'm writing this to attempt to simplify and explain the world of Electronic Cigarettes. A world I recently dove head first in after smoking a pack a day for more than half my life. This article will consist of a few parts (how many? I dunno, I'm not done yet!) to explain everything there is in an easy to understand way.
I knew I had to quit smoking - there are many reasons to do so. Coughing, extended colds (often times bronchitis), inconvenience (it's pretty chilly outside today), dying of Cancer, yada yada yada. Oh, and my wife told me to. Repeatedly. The only issue was, I really enjoyed smoking. I enjoyed the taste, the feel, the excuse for a break, the social connection to other smokers, the rebellious camaraderie we all shared.
I stumbled onto these E-Cigarette devices by accident (often called Personal Vaporizers, or PVs) and figured for a few bucks I could give it a try. Isn't the wild-wild-web a wonderful thing. For the cost of a few packs of butts I could satisfy my curiosity and see if this safer alternative is worth all the hype it's been receiving lately.
The only problem now is that it's not as simple as clicking buy, going to the postbox, and smoking a fake cigarette. There is an entire ecosystem of devices that a layman has to navigate to figure out what to buy and from where. Then there are the liquids - oh my, the liquids (also referred to as juice, or e-juice, or e-liquid). There are HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of options of what to use in your vaporizer, and then what about the delivery device to put that liquid IN - to turn it into the vapor you're looking for as a replacement to cigarette smoke. In this article I will attempt to demystify it all and bring the ability to make intelligent and cost effective choices to you. My 4 or 5 readers.
How does it all work? What are all the pieces I need to know about? Is vaping complicated?!!?
NO. It's not complicated. It's SLIGHTLY more involved than taking out a cigarette and lighting it, sure, but at least this won't kill you. It's worth every second you spend on figuring it out - and hopefully that's not many after reading this.
All devices are basically a battery. There are MANY different kinds and shapes and sizes, but you probably don't need to concern yourself with them all right now. You'll likely gain an interest and start researching them on your own down the road at some point, but for now, let's KISS.
For most people starting out, they want something that looks and feels like a cigarette. That's fine, but the truth is, it probably won't satisfy you for very long. The issue with these types of e-cigarettes is that don't last very long before requiring a recharge (no smoker will like having a PV die on them... and will probably go buy a pack of smokes) and many don't offer the vapor production that will make you tilt your head and say, "Huh! That's pretty good!". For this reason I recommend a battery called an eGo. It's produced by a company called Joyetech and come in a few different flavours.
There are two main differences...
Firstly, battery size. You will see this noted in milliamp hours, or mAh. Bigger is more capacity. Bigger is also physically longer, so keep that in mind. the common sizes are 650mAh, 900mAh, 1000mAh (and many others, but these are examples for the eGo line of products). the 650 is pretty small, the 900 not so much, and the 1000 even larger. I personally use a 900mAh battery as I find that gives plenty of battery to last me a whole day while not being too obnoxiously big.
Secondly, voltage regulation. Whoa. What? Voltage?
Yes. But don't stop reading as it's really not as bad as it sounds. All PV batteries will send a certain amount of voltage to your liquid, using a heating coil to vaporize the liquid. Normally this voltage has traditionally been 3.2V, or 3.7V. But with the advent of some low-cost technology, we can get batteries on which you can adjust the voltage (from 3.2 to 4.8V on an eGo Twist) so that you can obtain a vaping experience that suits you. You don't really have to understand the technical details, just that higher means hotter. Hotter can burn, so if you taste burnt liquid, it's probably too high and you turn it down. That's as complicated as it gets. To get the job done, you'll need an eGo "Twist" which uses a dial to turn the voltage up and down. You simply find a spot that tastes good to you, and leave it there. The price premium for these units isn't huge, so even if you don't use it at the beginning, it's nice to know it's there in case you ever want to. A 900mAh eGo Twist battery can be had for less than 30 bucks.
OK, so we know what the batteries do, and how they differ, what now?
You need a juice delivery device. It's a piece that screws on to the battery and holds your e-liquid, and at your command will turn that e-liquid in to vapor for you to enjoy. They come in even greater array of shapes, sizes, and types. But since this is for a vaper just starting out, let's keep it simple and I will offer up some recommendations.
You will probably want to start with a Clearomizer, often referred to as a Clearo. This is a unit that has a tank to hold your juice, wicks to absorb the juice, and a heating element to vaporize it in one handy dandy screw on piece. You simply open up the top (well, usually the top, sometimes the bottom but that's for another day), drip in some juice, screw the top back on, place on battery and use to your hearts content. The one's I generally recommend are the Kanger T2s (google is your friend), or the Vivi Nova (yes, go check google already!). These two systems are incredibly easy to use, cheap, and very effective. MANY people swear by the Vivi Nova - even though I haven't tried one myself, I highly recommend that for a new user.
OK, so I have a battery, I have a Vivi Nova, it's charged, and nothing is happening - wasn't there something about juice you were supposed to mention?
Juice is the stuff that vapor is made of. Hmm, I should trademark that. You buy juice from online vendors, you pour it into your Clearo, and you vape. It's actually not horribly complicated, but juices are SO different and come in different types that it will require it's own article. So, for now I will give some very generic advice:
Juice comes in a bazillion different flavours. I have my preferences, you'll have yours. Check out Youtube for juice reviews and find something that strikes a chord with you. Most new vaper's want the vapor to taste and feel like tobacco smoke. Believe it or not, that won't last long. You'll start to want something fruity, or coffee-y, or something. You're all shaking your heads saying, naaahhh, just gimme good old tobacco. OK, fine, go order some tobacco. You'll probably like it, but don't close your mind to the range of options available to you now that you're not choosing between cigarette brands, you're choosing a whole different thing. Doesn't make sense yet? Mark my words. You'll see.
Juice comes in different strengths too. It's usually measured in mg. I vape at 12mg. Many prefer higher, some lower. I can't comment on what's right for you, but if you are a heavy smoker (at least 1 pack a day) then I would start at 18mg and see how it feels. You'll know pretty quickly if you want higher or lower. If you are a lighter smoker, I would suggest 12mg.
Juice ALSO comes in different blends. The juice makers use two base ingredients, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin. Neither are believed to pose any health risk, but no long term studies have been performed so no one will tell you that with a certainty. I will say however, that it simply HAS to be a world better for you than smoking. Propylene Glycol (PG) offers more flavour, and greater "throat hit" (the sensation you get when inhaling vapor or cigarette smoke), while Vegetable Glycerin (VG) offers a smoother delivery and greater vapor production - but is also much thicker than PG making it more difficult for units like the Vivi Nova to wick efficiently.
Often times they are mixed to obtain the benefits of both base liquids. You may over time find you have a preference for one ratio or another, or 100% PG or 100%VG. I'm still not sure what I prefer to be honest.
I will get into MANY more specifics in the coming weeks - but I hope this will prove to be a good primer to those feeling confused and curious about e-cigarettes. Those that want to want to quit smoking, but really, really still enjoy the experience.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon!
Jay.
