How to vape: A quick A to Z vaping guide
If you’re considering taking up vaping, you’re not alone. With more and more people switching from smoking to vaping, the industry is working to keep up with the demand.
This is one reason why many new gadgets have hit the market recently. For seasoned vapers, the pleasure of vaping starts after less than a minute of prep, but for newbies, things can turn a little messy.
Read on to discover everything you need to know about vaping – from what a vape is to how to choose the most suitable pod for you.
What comprises a vape?
The battery, the atomizer, and the mouthpiece are essential parts of disposable vapes. You use the mouthpiece to draw smoke, which is created thanks to the atomizer – the vape section containing the coil and the liquid.
Now, the coil is what triggers the vaping sensation for vapers. The battery powers the vape and determines the timespan you can use the vape.
We’ll now describe each vape element in short.
Battery
The battery powers the atomizer, which heats the e-liquid and delivers vapor. Most starter vape kids come with a built-in, also known as an internal battery, that needs no replacement and only requires a USB-C or Micro-USB charger.
More advanced vapes come with batteries called mods. These mods boast different power levels, temperature control, and other hi-tech options.
Batteries are different for different vapes. Some mods run on external batteries, which can be charged and easily replaced.
Atomizer
The atomizer stores the e-liquid and turns it into vapor. The atomizer consists of the coil and the tank, or the pod.
Mouthpiece
The mouthpiece serves a single purpose – dragging a puff. It is a catalyst between the vaper and the vape. The design of the mouthpiece usually differs from one manufacturer to another, but the end goal is the same.
What you need to know first
How you prefer to smoke will define the type of e-cigarette you’ll need. If you’re a heavy smoker, you want to own a vape with long battery life and free nicotine delivery.
The expected life of the vape battery is measured in milliampere-hour, mAh for short. You can find it on the mod as a number, lights, or bar.
Here are the three keystone elements to consider while shopping for a vape in a vaping store online:
- Battery life
- Airflow design
- E-liquid selection
Even though choosing the e-liquid comes down to personal preference, the lasting of the vape session and the vape style should be the top concerns when purchasing your first vape.
Battery life
If you want to use your vape for longer during the day, look for vapes with substantial battery life. Depending on how often you vape, vape batteries will usually serve their purpose from half a year to a year. On average, a rechargeable battery will last for 300 charges before it needs replacement.
Airflow design
The vape airflow design defines the quantity of airflow passing through the pod/tank.
The design of the coils also dictates the airflow. For example, MTL (mouth-to-lung) coils provide a tighter airflow, lower power output, and more nicotine punch. MTL airflow mimics tobacco smoking.
Also, there’s DTL vaping, which is short for direct-to-lung. DTL coils work with an open airflow, higher power output, and lower nicotine intake. Huge clouds of vapor and intense flavors are characteristic of DTL vaping.
Other than MTL and DTL, there’s also RDL, which stands for restricted-direct-lung. It means that RDL coils yield more vapor than MTL coils while using less power and lesser amounts of e-liquid than DTL. For those looking for clouds of flavorful smoke and low nicotine puffs, RDL is the way to go.
Depending on your preference, MTL, RDL, and DTL vaping styles deliver different vaping experiences.
E-liquid selection
This is the part most vapers are most excited about – the e-liquids. Having the freedom to choose the flavor, the intensity of the hits, and the vapor cloud size makes many turn to vaping instead of smoking.
In a nutshell, e-liquids are fluids that your vape will turn into vapor. Boasting vast choices of e-liquid flavors, vape shops are full of potential vapers looking to experience vaping for the first time. Nicotine-full, nicotine-free, mango, or mint – the e-liquid choices are endless.
Vaping 101
The whole experience might seem like a hassle for rookies in vaping, but it pays off.
For the MTL vaping technique, these three simple steps will help you draw your first puff:
- Start drawing slowly through the mouthpiece and hold the vapor in your mouth for a couple of seconds;
- Slightly open your mouth and inhale;
- Breathe out after the smoke reaches the lungs.
The MTL vaping technique works best with small vapers that use high-resistance coils and relatively high nicotine levels.
Dragging through the mouthpiece, MTL-style, you’ll get the sensation of sucking through a thin straw. MTL vaping creates small vapor clouds and resembles smoking a tobacco cigarette. MTL gives off that nicotine hit to the throat that tobacco smokers crave.
Using an advanced technique doesn’t mean the device is superior – it merely means operating one is more straightforward.
For the DTL technique, do the following:
- Do a quick draw of vapor directly to the lungs
- Exhale the smoke almost instantly
The DTL vaping style is most suitable to use with low-resistance coils and using low nicotine levels. DTL vaping yields the biggest vapor clouds; it feels like taking a draw out of a bong. Dragging a hit will feel like sucking air through a large straw.
Because DTL usually involves low or no nicotine e-liquids, it’s a smooth and straightforward vaping technique.
How to vape – final words
From knowing your vaping style to choosing the right pod and suitable nicotine or nicotine-free e-liquid, you can master vaping within a few puffs.
Experienced vapers can dismantle and put the vape back together with their eyes closed, whereas newbies will need practice – and that’s fine. You don’t need to splurge on an advanced mod to experience vaping in all its glory – a simple vape will do, as long as you know what to look for.
