Vaping Basics: Everything You Need to Know

Vaping has become even more popular than smoking in recent years. Partly thanks to its superior flavor, its popularity has grown quite rapidly. If you've been thinking about getting started, learning the basics is where you should begin. That way, once you're ready to make a purchase, you'll know what to look for.

Generally speaking, we can divide the industry into hardware and juice.
Hardware would be what you used to vaporize the juice. While, on the other hand, juice would be what contains nicotine. 

Vaping Hardware
Vaporizer hardware is available in numerous configurations. Below, we've summarized some of the main categories you'll find.

Box Mods:
Box mods have been around for longer than most of the other hardware options, on account of how large their clouds can be. These devices tend to be a bit larger, and they'll often contain more than one battery. Extend battery life insurance you've got enough power to last throughout the day.

Pens:
Typically, the vaporizer pens can be recharged, and they're often rather discrete. Some of them have pods, which can be refilled, while others need replacements.

Disposables: 
Disposable vaporizers contain a limited amount of juice. Once they run dry, you've got to replace them.

Coils:
Your vaporizer coil is what conducts the electricity. Whenever you hit a vape, the coils heat up, vaporizing whatever has soaked the wick.

Tanks:
Tanks have also been referred to as pods. Typically, you'll hear people refer to the largest pods as tanks. Either way, these components are where you'll store your juice.

What Are the Various Vape Options?
Looking for your first piece of hardware? If so, the industry has a ton of options, each of them a bit different. Some vaporizers produce massive clouds. Hitting those can feel a bit overwhelming for some beginners. As such, we've found smaller vaporizers tend to be better for people who lack experience.

Box Mods
Box mods happen to be some of our favorite devices, thanks to their high wattage. Higher wattage means you'll never struggle to vaporize anything, even thick juices.

- Larger Clouds:
If you'd like to produce the largest clouds possible, you'll have to find the most powerful vape. We've got plenty of options in our store.

- Higher Wattage:
Watts are a unit of measurement, measuring the flow of electricity through a circuit. The more watts your vaporizer produces, the more powerful each hit will be.

Pens
Not all vape users like to blow large clouds. Some of them are simply looking for a discrete replacement for their smoking habit. Most of the time, those customers appear to love how portable our rechargeable pens are. Thanks to their unique design, taking them with you traveling is no big deal.

- Smaller and More Discrete:
Some pens are as small as a handheld lighter, meaning they'll be easy to keep hidden. Toting them around won't attract any attention at all. Plus, even when you hit them, their clouds are rather minuscule. So, not even the vapors should draw a crowd.

- Rechargeable:
Recharging the battery of a portable pen doesn't take very long, typically. In some instances, batteries might recharge in as quickly as an hour, providing you with plenty of power for your day.

RDA
Rebuildable drip atomizers are a bit more advanced than some of the other devices you can find. When you purchase one of these, you've got to put it all together, on your own. Fortunately, most of them come with instructions. Still, if you'd rather be less involved and experienced, something else might suit you better.

- Put Them Together Yo:urself
Gear heads seem to love these vapes, on account of how much you can customize them. Perhaps, you'd rather try a honey-combed coil. In that case, by replacing a few components, you can make that wish a reality.

Mechanical Mods
Above all, be careful if you decide to work with mech mods. These are handmade devices, often put together by hobbyists, that are not built to any standards. Sure, you can throw together some electronics at home, but the results are anything but guaranteed.

- Non-Regulated:
Most mech mods are not regulated, as they've been assembled by amateurs. However, if you look hard enough, several manufacturers have made them. These actually do meet certain safety standards, so they're much less dangerous.

Vape Juice Basics
Vapor juice contains the nicotine, delivered by each hit. Comparing different options reveals a plethora of flavors. Perhaps, you'd rather taste something similar to dessert. If that happened to be the case, there are more than enough delectable varieties to satisfy. 

Even food critics love the diversity of options.

Salt Nic vs. Traditional
When it comes to vape juice, You've got 2 standard styles. On the one hand, traditional vape juice uses freebase nicotine, not bonded to any ions. Salt-based nicotine replaces that freebase with an ionic salt. 

As a result, you'll notice salt-based nicotine seems to have higher concentrations. However, the differences are a bit misleading. Salt-based nicotine weighs more, thanks to the ions bonded to them.

PG/VG Ratios
Propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin comprise the base of most vape juices. Most of the time, they are present in a 70/30 ratio, ensuring leaks are uncommon. Increasing the prevalence of vegetable glycerin would make the juice thinner. In contrast, increasing the concentration of propylene glycol would thicken it. Juices with imbalanced ratios tended to leak out of pods.

How Does a Vape Work?
Making the most out of each hit is simple when you understand the basic principles of how vaporizers work. By understanding that, avoiding common mistakes is easy.

Filling Up the Tank
Remember, burnt hits are the result of hitting an empty tank. So, to avoid burning them, keep your tank full. Checking on it throughout the day can be helpful, as you will notice when it's running low. Then, you can refill it. Thus, preventing any burnt wicks.

The Coil and Wicks
Coil replacements are necessary from time to time. Depending on the type of vaporizer, you might need to purchase an entire pod. Or, replacing the coil by itself might be a possibility. Either way, if your heads start to taste like they've been burning, we'd suggest replacing the coil. Typically, that'll fix things.

Hitting the Vape
Don't hit the vape for too long at a time. Otherwise, your wicks won't last for long. Hitting them for longer than eight seconds would be a bit excessive, increasing the likelihood of them getting burnt.

Long-Term Maintenance
Maintaining your vape ensures your hits always taste their best. Plus, compared to other hobbies, it's rather minimal. Each time you refill the tank, wipe everything down. That way, no matter how long you've been using the vape, it'll always be clean.