Welcome to Misthub's Tutorial Beginner's Guide to Vaping. It is
safe to assume if you are reading this you are either new to vaping or curious
about vaping. Misthub's expert staff is comprised of avid vapers with over 20
years of combined experience. Our goal for this guide is to explain vaping and its
various aspects in order to give you an accurate and factual understanding of
this rapidly growing alternative to smoking.
What Is Vaping?
Vaping is the term
given to using an electronic cigarette or personal vaporizer. Someone who uses
traditional tobacco cigarettes is a “smoker” and they “smoke” cigarettes,
someone who uses an e-cigarette is a “vaper” and they “vape” their e-cigarette
or personal vaporizer.
What Is an E-Cigarette
and Where Did They Come From?
E-Cigarettes or
Personal Vaporizers are a device that gives us an alternative to smoking
tobacco cigarettes by vaporizing “e-liquid” - a mixture of propylene glycol,
vegetable glycerin, food flavorings and sometimes nicotine. The first
e-cigarettes as we know them were created by a Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik in
2003 but didn't enter the US market until late 2006. Since then the industry
has expanded exponentially. Today, there is a massive selection of vapor devices
available ranging from the humble e-cigarettes to high wattage advanced
personal vaporizers. All of the early devices were manufactured in China but
are now manufactured by companies large and small worldwide. While almost all
of the early devices resembled traditional cigarettes, early e-cigarette users
often modified or created their own devices because of the lack of variety and
features. This has had a lasting two part effect. One being that a large
portion of vapor devices are now most commonly referred to as “Mods” which is
short for modified or modifiable and two, if e-cigarette companies wanted to
remain relevant and continue to sell products they would have to create a
variety of devices as diverse and intuitive as the community that uses them.
Anatomy of an
E-Cigarette
Despite the large
selection available today there are a few things in common with all vapor
devices. At their simplest all vapor devices use a lithium battery to heat a
wire coil. A wick is used to draw e-liquid to the coil. When the e-liquid is
heated by the coil is vaporizes and can then be inhaled in a similar fashion to
smoking. That however is usually where the similarities end. Below we will take
a look at the general components of a vapor device.
Device – Vaping devices can come in a large
variety of colors and shapes often dependent on their specific uses. Some might
look like a traditional cigarettes while others might resemble a pen, a tube, a
box, or other forms but they all serve the same purpose ultimately. To take the
power supplied by the battery and deliver it to the atomizer.
Battery – This is the most crucial part of the
device. It supplies power. While some devices use a non-replaceable internal
battery a large portion use one or more replaceable rechargeable high drain
batteries. If you are selecting a device that requires replaceable batteries and
would like more information on selecting the right battery for your device
please see our Tutorial:
Best Batteries For Mods and Vaping Safety
Atomizer - This heat resistant part houses one or
more resistance
wire coils and its
wick(s) often with some form of reservoir to hold e-liquid. There are many
different styles, atomized cartridges (obsolete), Cartomizers, Clearomizers,
Rebuildable Tank Atomizers, Rebuildable Dripping Atomizers, Hybrid Atomizers
(rebuildable dripping tank atomizers and Genesis Atomizers). Each with their
own unique sets of advantages and disadvantages. For more information regarding
different types of atomizers please see our Tutorials:
Atomizer VS Cartomizer VS Clearomizer and our Tutorial:
Guide To Different Types Of Atomizers
Coil(s) – These are small pieces of resistance
wire that is made into a coil shape resembling a spring. The type of wire used,
the diameter of the coil and the number of wraps will all effect the coil's
resistance. It's resistance is what determines the amount of electricity it
will need to power it and the amount of heat it will produce. Coils are
commonly made from Kanthal and NiChrome and more recently Nickel and are
considered to be the safest to use for vaping.
E-liquid – Also known as e-juice, this is a
solution consisting of propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, food flavorings,
and sometimes nicotine. This liquid can come in a variety of PG/VG ratios and
nicotine strengths. Typically most cigarette smokers switching to e-cigarettes
will start using high nicotine juices and move towards lower strength juices
over time. It is common for most people to start out using strengths as high as
18mg/ml (heavy smokers as high as 24mg/ml) but often will soon switch to 12mg/ml
e-liquids for their improved flavor (as nicotine content drops flavor
increases) We do not recommend use of e-liquid with a nicotine strength above
18mg/ml. In fact we recommend using the minimum nicotine strength needed to
sate your nicotine cravings because as nicotine content is decreased flavor is
improved. It is important to note advanced users using devices that produce
more vapor will typically use lower strength nicotine because when more vapor
is produced and inhaled, the overall nicotine concentration stays the same. The
need for higher nicotine concentrations is exclusive to devices producing
smaller amounts of vapor. Those using advanced devices will typically favor
liquids in 3mg/ml or 6mg/ml. For more information about E-liquid please see our Tutorial:
E-Juice Propylene Glycol VS Vegetable Glycerin
Wicks – Made from various materials including
cotton, twisted silica cord, eko-wool, ceramic, and stainless steel mesh the
wick(s) carry e-liquid to the coils. Wicking material acts as delivery method
e-juice from tank directly on to a coil itself, where it is vaporized.
What Device Is Best
For Beginners?
This is a very common
question we are asked and it is also one of the most complex and difficult
questions we are faced with. With vaping many things like taste for instance
are subjective and what works best for one person might not work as well with
the next. This is further complicated by the large variety of devices available
today. Instead of saying one or two specific devices are best we feel it more
appropriate to break down the different styles of devices by experience and
skill level needed and let you make the decision yourself and know what
direction to move in if you are ready to move to a more advanced device.
Beginner – We define a beginner as someone with very
little or no experience vaping. Someone unfamiliar with electrical concepts
like Ohms Law
and Joules Law. For this category we suggest
low output regulated devices that use integrated internal batteries. Paired
with Clearomizers that use easily replaceable coils with a resistance over 1.0
ohms. This maximizes safety and ease of use. Although more complex devices will
outperform these devices they are often more than suitable for most users if
for nothing else than determining if vaping is right for them and justifies the
expense of a more advanced device. We have a large selection of Starter Kits suitable for this purpose but we more
specifically recommend the following.
Intermediate – We define an intermediate vaper as
someone who is familiar with e-cigarettes, has some experience using them. Has
an understanding of how their devices work. How to perform basic maintenance
and troubleshoot basic issues with their devices. Someone who is looking for
either greater vapor or flavor production. For beginners looking to step up to
intermediate users we recommend mid powered regulated devices (80w or less) and
clearomizers with replaceable coils with a resistance at or above .5 ohms. We
also suggest taking a look at our Tutorial: Guide To Sub-Ohm Vaping. These
devices will deliver increased flavor and vapor production while maintaining
ease of use and safety. Some recommended examples of these devices are as
follows.
Advanced – We define an advanced user as a vaper
who has an understanding of how vapor devices function. Someone who understands
and has a working knowledge of Ohms Law and Joules Law, and the risks involved
with rebuildable devices. Someone who is knowledgeable and respectful of vaping
and battery safety. Intermediate users wanting to make a step forward will have
to decide if they want to enter into the world of rebuildable devices or not.
If tinkering with gadgets is something you enjoy this is likely for you. But if
not that's OK too. For those who don't have an interest in rebuilding but want
to take another step forward into the world of vaping we suggest a high power
regulated mod and a high wattage sub-ohm clearomizer. For instance the
following devices:
For those who do not
want to rebuild we would suggest looking at our Tutorial: Guide
To Sub-Ohm Vaping and our Tutorial:
Vape Coil Building – Beginners. While the high power regulated devices suggested above are suitable but for
rebuildable devices you also can use Mechanical
Mods. These devices are
very rugged and simple making them difficult to damage but also lack any form
of protection circuitry. For reason one might say a regulated device is more
like a car while a mechanical device is more like a motorcycle. In that sense
there is an inherent risk with these devices and if you don’t treat these
devices with the respect it deserves you can injure yourself. Also there is a
massive selection of rebuildable tanks and
dripping atomizers available
for use. Then you just have to decide whether to use a tank or a dripper which
we will discuss in another guide.
Expert – An expert vaper is just that, an expert.
They are essentially an advanced vaper with significant experience and
knowledge under their belts. Someone who fully understand the workings of all
vapor devices at least in concept and is also knowledgeable and comfortable
rebuilding and troubleshooting vapor devices. The only devices we consider
exclusive to this group of vapers are Hybrid devices which combine both
rebuildable atomizer and mechanical mod in a single device with a direct to
battery connection like the Wismec
Noisy Cricket Mod or the Compvape
Double Vision RDA One or a
mechanical mod with a Hybrid Top Cap like the 4Nine or the
SMPL because the direct to battery connection puts your atomizer in direct
connection with the battery. To prevent injury or property damage with these
devices your atomizers positive pin must protrude substantially beyond the
threads of the atomizers 510 connector to prevent a hard short resulting in
battery failure. Battery failure from a hard short can cause the device to
explode or catch fire. There is an inherent risk involved with Hybrid mods.
Conclusion
Hopefully you now know
how e-cigarette's, personal vaporizers, and other vapor devices work in theory.
Understand the e-liquids they use, and have an idea of what devices are best
suited to your level of skill and experience. Congratulations you are now ready
to start vaping. If you are still unclear or unsure about what to do or what to
equipment to purchase or use, fret not. MistHub has a great Tutorials and Guides Section packed with useful information
and our expert staff is always more than happy to answer your questions and
help guide you to the products you need.
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