The Basics of Vaping | Busting Myths and Misconceptions | VapeTek

This section is for those of you that are new to vaping and want to learn the basics. We'll help you find the information you are looking for while making everything easy to understand and follow.

What is vaping?

Vaping is the use of an electronic cigarette or similar device to produce clouds of vapour that are inhaled. Many people use vaping as a form of smoking cessation in place of traditional nicotine replacement therapy. However, there is now a large percentage of people vaping with no nicotine at all.

Vaping is sometimes confused with smoking because of the clouds exhaled by people, but the big difference is that it is vapour and not smoke. This is a very important point as vapour and smoke are completely different things.

What is the difference between vapor and smoke?

Smoke is produced by burning material with fire, causing many problems when smoking a cigarette. Burning tobacco doesn't simply produce pure tobacco smoke. Burning any material produces by-products that are wildly different from what was originally burned, meaning that things considered safe can be very harmful when burned as many noxious and dangerous gases can be produced.

Vapor, on the other hand, is created by heating up a material until it turns into gas (vapor), similar to boiling water in a kettle to produce steam. There is no burning involved in this process, meaning the only thing contained in the vapour is what you started with. This process eliminates any unwanted by-products of burning while still producing a satisfying vapour that can be inhaled, which is why it is considered very safe compared to smoking.

What is in vapor?

Vapour that is being inhaled consists of five main components:

• Propylene Glycol
• Vegetable Glycerine
• Distilled Water
• Nicotine
• Flavouring

When compared to smoking that contains more than 4,000 chemicals, it is clear to see why many people are using these devices instead of smoking cigarettes. You can find more information regarding the components in our e-juice guide.

How does the vapor get produced?

All devices that you see on the market consist of two main parts: the battery and the atomizer.

• The Battery is charged separately and gives the atomizer the power it needs.
• The Atomizer holds e-juice and produces vapour. It usually contains some wick, usually silica or cotton, and a coil similar to an element in a kettle. The wick presses juice against the hot coil. When the power is turned on, the coil heats the juice to the point it boils and turns into vapour, which is then inhaled and exhaled by the user.

Types of devices

There are many different types of vaping devices on the market, which can be a bit confusing. We are here to help break down what devices are available, the difference between each, and explain the advantages/disadvantages of each.

Cig-a-like

Cig-a-like devices were commonly used in the early days of the vaping industry. They are made to resemble a real cigarette, often the size of one and coloured like the real thing.

Pen Style Devices

Most vapers nowadays are familiar with a device like this. The technology in these devices has gradually improved, and there are now quite a lot of versions of these devices on the market. We explain the advantages of these products here.

Pod Devices

Pod vapes have become the most popular style of device in the vaping industry for many reasons. They are usually identified by the tank/atomizer of the device being held partly inside the device, usually held in place by magnets rather than a screw, and are quick and easy to change out.

Disposable Devices

Disposable vapes have surged in popularity due to various reasons and if used correctly can be an invaluable tool to help a user stay away from cigarettes. These devices are usually built in a way that does not allow it to be refilled, and sometimes they cannot be charged either, effectively the device must be disposed of when either has run out. More styles of these "disposable" vapes are coming on to the market each day, with some of them question what the term disposable means by allowing replaceable pods and rechargeable batteries.