Getting Started with E-Cigarettes

Making the Switch

So, you want to make the switch from smoking to vaping? That’s great news! If you’re entirely new to vaping, this guide will walk you through three simple steps to buying your first e-cigarette or vape kit.

Along the way, you’ll learn about the different styles of vaping, the various types of e-cigarette devices, and what you’ll need for your first kit.

First, here’s a little bit of background before we get started.

How do E-Cigarettes Work?

There are many different devices available, but most e-cigarettes consist of essentially the same parts:

• A battery contained in an outer casing
• An atomizer
• A refill cartridge or tank with mouthpiece

The battery can be activated by a button or automatically when you inhale through the mouthpiece. Activating the battery activates the atomizer.

The atomizer contains a heating coil and a wicking material, usually cotton soaked in e-liquid. The coil rapidly heats the e-liquid in the cotton and turns it into vapor, which can then be inhaled via the mouthpiece.

Why Switch to Vaping?

Here are three great reasons to consider switching from smoking to vaping:

1. Vaping is Less Harmful Than Smoking
   Public Health England declares vaping to be 95% less harmful than smoking. In 2017, vaping helped over 50,000 smokers quit cigarettes, and between April 2019 and March 2020, quit smoking rates for those using a vaping product were higher than any other method.
2. Vaping Doesn’t Make You Smell
   Granted, the odd person doesn’t like the smell of strawberries or candy floss wafting across a beer garden. However, it’s far more pleasant than the noxious smell of cigarette smoke. Additionally, vapor dissipates much faster than smoke, and the smell won’t stick to your clothes or hair.
3. Vaping is Cheaper Than Smoking
   Vaping is considerably cheaper than smoking, especially considering the increasing cost of cigarettes and tobacco. It can be challenging to compare the price of cigarettes versus e-cigarettes as we often have different behaviors with vaping and a large variety of devices.

Getting Started Guide

3 Steps to Buying Your First E-Cigarette

The world of vaping can seem a little intimidating at first, but once you understand the basics, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Some people call them e-cigarettes or e-cigs; others call them ‘vapes.’ No matter what you call them, as you can see from the diagram above, e-cigarettes essentially consist of the same components. However, you should know a few things before you buy your first e-cigarette, so we’re here to fill you in with this handy 3 step guide.

1. Choose a vaping style
   1. Classic Vaping
      Known as ‘mouth to lung’ or MTL, classic vaping involves inhaling the vapor into your mouth first and then into your lungs. This method tends to feel more natural, replicating the way you would smoke a cigarette. Because of this, the classic style of vaping and kits suitable for it are often well suited to beginners.
   2. Sub Ohm Vaping
      Known as ‘direct to lung’ or DTL, sub-ohm vaping involves inhaling the vapor directly from the mouthpiece into your lungs. This style is usually adopted by more experienced vapers and involves higher-powered kits with lower-resistance coils. These vaporize e-liquid at higher temperatures, creating more significant, denser vapor clouds.
2. Choose a vape kit
   1. Cigalikes
      The cigalike style of e-cigarette closely resembles a traditional cigarette and is a very affordable option. This makes it one of the most popular devices for beginners. Cigalikes are incredibly easy to use, with disposable refills available in menthol or tobacco flavors and a wide range of nicotine strengths.
   2. Vape Pens
      Vape pens are pen-shaped vaping devices with a refillable tank. The tank is designed to hold e-liquid and features replaceable ‘coils.’ Vape pens tend to be straightforward with limited features, but new and more experienced vapers favor them due to their small profile, affordable prices, and ease of use. Both MTL and DTL vape pens are available, and some are even capable of offering both styles.
   3. Pod Vape Kits
      Pod Vape Kits, otherwise known as ‘pod mods,’ are the newest generation of e-cigarettes. They are already hugely popular due to their simplicity and trim profile. There are disposable versions available, but most feature rechargeable batteries. Handy ‘pods’ then slot into the device, with pre-filled or refillable versions available. Pre-filled pods offer a wide range of flavor and strength options and avoid any mess or the need to carry around e liquids. Most pod refills contain nicotine salts, which makes these devices perfect for those first making the switch to vaping.
   4. Box Kits
      Box Kits, aka ‘box mods,’ feature a box-shaped battery section (or ‘mod’) with a refillable tank and replaceable coils. These devices often feature larger batteries than vape pens. Although some simple one-button versions are available, they usually have customizable settings ranging from adjustable wattage and voltage to puff counters and unique features. The simpler models are great for beginners, but more experienced vapers may prefer the extra features of a more complex device. Box kits can be suitable for either MTL or DTL vaping or sometimes both styles.
3. Choose an E-Liquid or Refill
   Choosing Flavours and Nicotine Strengths for Your Refills or E-Liquid. Finally, it’s time to choose the e-liquid or refill flavors and nicotine strength you want for your new kit. To make things easier, we’ve divided this information into different devices. Click the corresponding tab below for information specific to your chosen device.
   1. Cigalike Kit
      1. Which Cigalike Refills Should You Buy?
         Cigalike e-cigarettes are different from refillable kits in that they use pre-filled cartridges, which we refer to as ‘refills.’
         They are supplied prefilled with e-liquid, so you don’t need to fill them up yourself. You screw the refill onto the end of the battery and replace it with a new one once the flavor starts diminishing. This makes them cleaner and less fiddly to use than refillable kits.
      2. Choose Your Flavour
         Our Cigalike E-Cig Refills are available in tobacco or menthol flavors. This ties in perfectly with the device’s simplicity and is another reason that they’re an excellent choice for beginners switching from smoking to vaping. We have worked hard to produce authentic-tasting flavors to make the switch as smooth as possible for our customers.
         Our Cigalike Classic Starter Kits are available with either two Tobacco or two menthol-flavored refills in 12mg & 18mg nicotine strengths. Our quick-start Cigalike Essentials Starter Kits come with one 18mg refill in tobacco or menthol flavor.

• Choose Your Nicotine Strength
  Our Cigalike Classic starter kit comes with two refills: one with 18mg and one with 12mg of nicotine. You can try both to see which works best for you.
  18mg is our most popular refill strength; however, some people find it too harsh on the throat. In this case, we recommend you try 12mg. Our refills are also available in lower strengths of 6mg and even nicotine-free. On the other hand, if 18mg isn’t quite doing it for you, we also offer our tobacco flavor refills in 20mg.

1. As a general rule of thumb, we would recommend the following:
   1. Heavy Smokers
      1. 20mg Nicotine Refills
      2. 18mg Nicotine Refills
   2. Moderate Smokers
      1. 18mg Nicotine Refills
      2. 12mg Nicotine Refills
   3. Light Smokers
      1. 12mg Nicotine Refills
      2. 6mg Nicotine Refills
   4. Pod Vape Kits
   5. How to Choose Which Pod Refills to Buy
      Pod refills are similar to cigalike refills in that they are pre-filled. Therefore, you won’t need any e-liquid. However, this is where the similarities end, as a pod system vape doesn’t look like a traditional cigarette. Pod refills are usually semi-transparent or feature a viewing window to see how much liquid is left in the pod. They have an integrated mouth-piece and contain a coil to heat the liquid.
      
      Our Pod Refills are available pre-filled in various great-tasting flavors. All our pods contain nicotine salts for faster, smoother satisfaction, with 18mg and 12mg strengths available. Please find out more about our Pod Refills below.
   6. What Are Nicotine Salts?
      Nicotine salt e-liquids, or ‘nic salts’ as they are otherwise known, have become very popular in recent years. This is because nicotine salts are much more readily absorbed by the body and, therefore, provide faster nicotine satisfaction than the most common form: freebase nicotine. This gives a much closer nicotine effect to that which a smoker gets from a cigarette.
      
      Additionally, nicotine salts allow a vaper to use higher nicotine strengths without a harsh, scratching sensation at the back of the throat. This sensation is often experienced with freebase nicotine e liquids at higher strengths, but nicotine salts produce a smooth, satisfying vapor.
      
      For these reasons, nicotine salt e-liquids and pod refills are excellent options for new vapers.
   7. Choose Your Flavour
      There’s a pod to suit every taste in the Pod range, with traditional Tobacco and Menthol flavors, fruity Blackcurrant and Strawberry, or our deliciously creamy and refreshing Mint Cream.
      
      The Pod Starter Kit includes three Pod Refills in 18mg Tobacco, Mint, and blackcurrant flavors. Our full range of Pod refills is available in 12 or 18mg. Pods are sold in packs of 3; the full range of flavors is available in our online shop.
2. Vape Pen or Box Kit (With Refillable Tank)
   1. How to Choose Which E-Liquid to Buy
      Knowing the basics of PG and VG ratios is important for e-liquid. It might sound a little complicated, but it’s actually pretty straightforward. Once you know what PG and VG are, you can confidently choose the right e-liquid for your vape kit.
      
      Getting this right will help you get off on the right foot if you’re committed to switching from smoking to vaping.
   2. What are PG & VG?
      PG stands for propylene glycol, and VG stands for vegetable glycerin. Along with flavorings, these are the two main ingredients in most vape juices. All e-liquids will have a specific ratio of these two ingredients, and you’ll find that most e-liquid packaging will indicate what ratio of PG & VG they contain.
      
      Juices over 50% PG are only suitable for classic (MTL) devices, and juices with over 50% VG content are only ideal for sub-ohm (DTL) devices. It’s important to know this because if you use high-PG juice in a sub-ohm kit, you’ll most likely get a burnt-tasting, harsh vape.
      
      E-liquids with a balanced 50/50 ratio of PG & VG tend to work well in most vape kits and tanks.
      
      Most of the Vape range of e-liquids contain a 50/50 PG/VG ratio, so after you’ve chosen your kit, you’ll need to select your flavors and nicotine strength!
   3. Choose a Flavour
      There is an unbelievable variety of e-liquid flavors out there, so you can go to town and experiment. If you’re entirely new to vaping, you may prefer to start with a traditional tobacco or menthol flavor, such as our famous Classic Tobacco or Iced Menthol e-liquids.
   4. Choose a Nicotine Strength
      Both e-liquids and cigalike refills are available in a variety of nicotine strengths. We usually advise customers to start with a higher strength, although this depends on which type of kit you choose.
      
      Below is some guidance on which nicotine strengths to start with.
      1. Most new vapers tend to start with either 12mg or 18mg nicotine strength to help curb cravings.
         However, if these strengths are too harsh or firm, you may prefer a 6mg vape juice. Click below to browse our full range of 50/50 e-liquids, designed for use in all devices and available in strengths from 6mg to 18mg.
      2. DTL or ‘Sub ohm’ kits tend to vaporize e-liquid faster than MTL devices. This means you will inhale more vapor in one go, which, in turn, means you’re getting a higher nicotine concentration.
         Considering this, most ‘sub ohm’ vapers opt for lower nicotine strengths than they would with an MTL kit. The most common nicotine strengths for direct-to-lung vaping are 3 to 6mg.

Still Need Some Help Getting Started?

If you would like further advice or have any questions, our dedicated Vape Information Hub has plenty of helpful guides and articles.

Our friendly customer service team is also available to answer any questions or help you get started, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.