When making the switch from smoking, learning how to vape properly is the key to success. But with so many devices and e-liquids on the market, it can get a little confusing. Well, here’s a handy guide to help you cut through the possibly confusing terms and get you on your way.
What is Vaping?
Oxford Languages define vaping as:
The action or practice of inhaling and exhaling vapour containing nicotine and flavouring produced by a device designed for this purpose.
Basically, it’s the act of using an e-cig. But, there’s a lot to consider when deciding to make the switch. What type of vape are you going to choose? What e-liquid will you pick? Which style is best for you? Let’s take a closer look so that you can figure out exactly what you need to ditch the cigarettes.
How Does a Vape Work?
All e-cigarettes have a heating element (coil), battery and a place where the liquid is stored such as a tank or pod. When activated, the coil receives power from the battery and heats up, vaporising the liquid. This vapour is then inhaled and exhaled, which mimics the use of cigarettes.
Vape Types
There are three main types of e-cigarette:
Low power devices are usually where beginners start. They produce less vapour than most kits and are the best choice for higher nicotine strengths. These e-cigs more closely simulate a cigarette, which is why they are popular amongst new vapers. Examples include disposables, pod kits and starter kits.
Medium power kits sit nicely in the middle. They usually have larger batteries and are more versatile. You can use them with regular and sub-ohm tanks to suit your style, and they are a great all round option for vapers looking for a step up.
Lastly, high power devices produce large clouds and are mainly used by more advanced vapers. They often have removable batteries and use the most liquid. A majority of these e-cigarettes are vape mods.
Coil Resistance
Coil resistances affect how much vapour your e-cig produces. It also determines how easy or hard it is to draw on your kit. Higher resistance means that it’s closer to a cigarette draw and will produce smaller amounts of cloud. These are more suited to MTL vaping and can give a similar throat hit to smoking. Likewise, lower resistances give much more vapour production and are best used for DL devices.
The Right Liquid
The resistance of the coil dictates what type of liquid can be used with your e-cig.
High PG liquids are best used in low power kits and give a harsher throat hit. This is sometimes desired by heavy smokers.
50/50 liquids are the most versatile and can be used in most devices. They provide a nice balance of throat hit and vapour production and are available in a huge variety of flavours and strengths.
High VG juice gives the most amount of cloud and is more commonly used in DL kits. This liquid is usually low in strength, as powerful vapes can make the nicotine feel more intense.
There’s also the type of nicotine to consider, with three types being available.
Freebase nicotine is found in most liquids. With this, the throat hit is based on the strength. So, high strength liquids will feel harsher on your throat. This is what some new vapers want from their e-cig as it’s what they experienced when smoking.
Nic salt is often high strength, but carries little to no throat hit. This allows heavy smokers to get the nicotine levels they need without irritating their throat.
Bar salts are a variation of nic salt that often have stronger flavours to mimic the experience of disposable vaping.
Vaping Styles
Before you know what device to pick, you need to understand how you’re going to be vaping. There are three vaping styles amongst e-cigarette users which are MTL, DL and RDL.
Mouth To Lung (MTL)
MTL vaping is where most new users start. It’s the most similar to how cigarettes are smoked and allows vapers to use high nicotine liquids without it feeling too intense. MTL kits are usually smaller devices that use a higher resistance coil.
How to Vape MTL
1.Inhale the vapour into your mouth.
2.Hold it in your mouth for a second.
3.Inhale the vapour into your lungs by opening your mouth and breathing in.
4.Then exhale.
MTL Kit Examples
Direct To Lung (DL)
DL is mostly used by more advanced vapers and produces larger clouds. These kits are usually larger with bigger battery capacities and low resistance coils. The best liquid used in these kits is high VG and low nicotine.
1.How to Vape DL
2.Inhale the vapour directly into your lungs.
3.You can hold it for a second, or simply exhale it.
Restricted Direct Lung (RDL)
RDL devices are like a half way point between the previous two. You can vape them as a loose MTL or a tighter DL. These kits work best with 50/50 liquid, but you can use thicker or thinner juice depending on the coil resistance.
How to Vape RDL
RDL kits can be vaped like an MTL or DL. If you draw on it like a DL kit then it will feel tighter, whereas if you try to MTL the device, it will feel like a more airy draw than a specific MTL.
