Vaping has been around for over a decade, with countless people switching from smoking to this new form of nicotine delivery. But, despite that, many people are unsure what’s happening when they vape, what types of vapes do what, and what is worse, vaping or smoking. If you're curious about what is vaping and how does it work, because there’s still so much confusion, we want to clarify things with a simple vaping guide.
What is Vaping?
So, what is vaping, and how does it work? Vaping is inhaling vapor through a vaporizer device, much like smoking, with some major differences. The biggest difference is that you’re not inhaling tobacco, but e-liquid, which consists of vegetable glycerin (VG), propylene glycol (PG), nicotine extract, and flavoring. E-liquid does not contain the seemingly countless toxic chemicals found in cigarette tobacco, which is why so many people prefer it. Besides that, vapor is much easier on the respiratory system than smoke.
To vape, you need a few things. You need your vaping hardware, which ranges dramatically in the key components involved (more on that later), and you’ll also need e-liquid, which you can buy by the bottle unless you’re using disposables or “closed loop” pod systems.
Vaping serves the main purpose of acting as an alternative to smoking, giving you nicotine that can be inhaled, mimicking the act of smoking without requiring that the user takes in the toxins in tobacco. But there are other reasons to enjoy vaping, like trying out various satisfying flavors in different e-liquids and blowing gratifyingly big and fluffy clouds. People also get into the tech side of things, buying different hardware pieces and accessories and modifying their setups as a hobby.
What is Diacetyl in Vaping?
Maybe you remember the controversy from several years back known as “popcorn lung.” There was a concern that vaping caused a rare lung condition known as bronchiolitis obliterans, causing major inflammation along the respiratory tract. There was, reportedly, an outbreak of this condition during the “early days” of the vaping industry, although, to this day, we haven’t been able to find confirmation.
Concerns over popcorn lung originate from factories that produce foods containing an ingredient called diacetyl – responsible for adding a buttery flavor to foods, with the most common use being popcorn. Workers in these factories were constantly breathing in diacetyl and getting symptoms associated with the condition. Some cheaper e-liquid companies of the time were using diacetyl as a flavoring ingredient, but rest assured. This ingredient is no longer found in the formulas of legitimate, high-quality vape juice brands like the brands we carry at Vape Juice Depot.
What is a Vape?
Now, let’s take a closer look at vaping regarding the hardware. There are a few different types of vapes – aka vaping setups, so let’s compare.
Box Mod Systems
Box mod systems are the most complex vaping systems and have been around for a long time. They consist of the box mod, a device that reaches very high output levels, almost always taking two (separately sold) lithium-ion batteries. These devices can reach over 200 watts and often come with various output modes, like temperature mode, allowing further customization.
Box mod systems are paired with tanks, known as sub-ohm tanks, that hold fairly large quantities of e-liquid. Within the tank is a replaceable coil that acts as the heating element to vaporize the e-liquid. The tank attaches to the device. Box mod systems offer the biggest clouds and vapor output, but they require the most maintenance and are the least portable, as they are the biggest out of any setup.
Pen Mod Systems
Pen mod systems are the next step down from box mod systems. The mod is a cylindrical, more compact device that usually takes a single battery, again managed separately. They reach lower output levels but can still provide generous cloud output. They have fewer adjustable settings, usually operating according to various wattage presets. They use the same tank and coil system as box mods.
Open Pod Systems
Open pod systems are a total departure from the systems above and came out a few years ago. They consist of pod mods and pod cartridges. They’re far more portable, operate at lower output levels, and range dramatically in terms of how customizable they are based on the settings they offer.
The key difference is that open pod systems are compatible with salt-based nicotine, while the other systems above use freebase nicotine. Salt-based nicotine is a more potent and satisfies vapors without requiring huge vapor hits. Basically, a little goes a long way.
Closed Pod Systems
Closed pod systems are different from open pod systems in one major way. While open pod systems come with refillable pod cartridges, closed pod systems come with non-refillable, pre-filled pod cartridges that attach to the reusable device and are then disposed of and replaced.
Disposable Vapes
Finally, we have disposable vapes, the most low-maintenance, user-friendly option. They are all-in-one systems with a battery component fixed to the cartridge. In other words, there’s nothing to take apart or replace, as the whole device is disposed of when the e-liquid runs out. These devices contain salt-based nicotine e-liquid, so keep that in mind if you prefer potent nicotine hits over massive clouds. They also come in a wide variety of flavors.
How Does a Vape Work?
Let’s talk about the actual process of vaping now. It’s simple – you fire a hit by pulling on the mouthpiece or pressing the firing button (depending on the device’s interface), informing the battery that it’s time to provide power to the coil. This allows the coil to heat up, vaporizing the e-liquid. The resulting vapor comes out through the mouthpiece while the vaper pulls, allowing for a satisfying cloud of e-liquid.
How to Vape
Each type of vaping setup is unique, as you can see, so how to operate your device depends on what you’re using. With disposables, for instance, you just open the box and start pulling on the mouthpiece. With box mod setups, you have to do more work, like set up your output levels, fill your tank with e-juice, and prime your coil. Thankfully, vapes have instructions that tell you how to use them.
Grab Your Vape Supplies at Vape Juice Depot to Get Started!
Vaping is a super successful industry that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And it’s continuing to evolve as more and more manufacturers show off their innovation for features, designs, and more. At Vape Juice Depot, we have everything you need to get started, from top-of-the-line hardware to a rich selection of e-liquids.