The popularity of vaping among teenagers and young adults has skyrocketed over the past five years. It’s been driven by a misunderstanding of nicotine, aggressive marketing and cool-looking products.
The vapor from e-cigarettes contains nicotine, which can harm brain development and cause addiction. It also contains chemicals like acrolein, diacetyl and formaldehyde, Vitamin E acetate (linked to lung injury known as “popcorn lung”) and metals and contaminants, including nickel, tin and aluminum.
Vape Stick
Easily the most popular device in vaping, a vape stick is a simple and convenient way to enjoy your favorite e-liquid. It’s one of the most affordable and easiest devices to use, perfect for those who want to quit smoking cigarettes or simply enjoy a quick hit on-the-go.
The Eleaf iJust 3 is the latest edition in this line of vape sticks and has been praised for its great design and performance. It features an impressive 6.5ml capacity (with the included bubble glass section), comes with two of the best mesh coil-heads from SMOK and also supports other brands’ TFV tanks, so you can keep experimenting with new flavor and cloud production.
This vape has a built-in 3,000mAh battery, which provides enough power for long vaping sessions without the need for frequent refills. It also has an intelligent battery life indicator and a microUSB charging port with passthrough capability, allowing you to vape while the device is charging.
A draw-activated system ensures you always get a consistent dose, and there’s even haptic feedback that shakes the device to let you know it’s time to vape again. Plus, with a clear window in the mouthpiece, you can see how much vapor you’re getting at a glance.
Pod Mods
The sleekest and most stylish pod devices on the market, pod mods offer a lot of performance in a small, lightweight and easy-to-carry package. The majority of pod mods are designed to vaporize salt nicotine vape juices, so they’re a great option for anyone looking to switch from smoking tobacco to vaping, especially beginners.
Pod mods are often easier to use than vape pens, but they can also be more powerful and feature better battery life. Many have adjustable power settings, while some even feature replaceable atomizer coils that let you swap in a new flavor for a whole new vaping experience. Pod mods are typically made from high-quality materials, and they may be constructed to resist damage or even meet the IP67 standard for dust and water resistance.
A downside of a proprietary pod mod is that it’s designed to work only with the specific pod and coils created for it. If those pods and coils eventually stop being produced, the device will become useless until you can find a replacement for it. However, this is a common occurrence with many electronic devices, including vaping gear. The DRAG X Pro and Argus Pro from Voopoo are examples of popular pod mods that are built to last. They both offer impressive flavour thanks to Vaporesso’s Corex technology that combines the ‘Morph-Mesh’ coil design and cumulus cotton wicking for even heating and better, stronger flavour from your favourite vape juice.
Sub-Ohm Vapes
A sub-ohm vape is an advanced device that uses low resistance coils to produce large amounts of vapor with intense flavour. They require potent batteries and advanced features such as temperature control to work, and are a favourite among cloud chasers. Because the coils in sub-ohm devices have lower resistance, they also conduct more current than their higher-resistance counterparts. This is a big deal because the more current that runs through the coil, the hotter it gets and the thicker your clouds will be. The science behind this is known as Ohm’s Law.
A good place to start with sub-ohm vaping is with a regulated box mod such as the SMOK Alien, SMOK ProCore, or Innokin CoolFire IV. These are battery safe and have a built-in, intuitive system that adjusts the voltage output to match the atomizer’s resistance. They will take rechargeable batteries with a safe discharge rate of under seven amperes.
When using a sub-ohm device, your e-liquid should have a high VG content and low nicotine strength. The VG diluent is responsible for the large clouds you’ll see while vaping, and most users will choose a flavour with a VG level of around 70% or more and a nicotine strength between 3 to 6mg. This ensures that you get a throat hit but doesn’t rob you of the experience.
Vape Tanks
The tank is the part of an APV that holds your e-liquid before it is vaporised by the coil. It consists of a glass tube with contact points for the coil, a base and usually an adjustable airflow valve. It will also include a 510 connection, the universal threading that allows your vape to fit to most mods.
The base of the tank contains a wick that absorbs your e-liquid and carries it to the coil, where it is turned into mouthwatering vapour. Depending on your tank, it may have a ring of O-rings to prevent leakage between the different parts of the tank. You can fill your tank from the top or the bottom, and you may need to turn it upside down to distribute the e-liquid evenly around the inside.
A tank’s drip tip can have a wide or narrow opening and determines whether you can use it for mouth-to-lung or direct-to-lung vaping. It can also be adjusted to vary the amount of flavour that is drawn through the wick and into your throat as you inhale. Other factors that can affect your experience with a tank include the nicotine concentration, PG/VG ratio and wattage/temperature.
Mouth-to-lung vape tanks (also known as relevant vapes) are best suited to lower-powered devices and resemble the way you smoke a conventional cigarette, providing that tight cigarette draw that many new vapers enjoy. They generally have a higher nicotine level than other types of tanks and aren’t ideal for stealth vaping.