All You Need to Know about Vaping!

Whether you’ve smoked your entire life or you’re a beginner looking to start a fun happy journey, vaping opens up tons of avenues that can provide you with tools to quit your smoking habit and enjoy tons of new flavours that life may have never offered you before.

What are the experts saying?

More and more studies and a growing number of health bodies such as Public Health England and the NHS are advocating e-cigarette use: The NHS is quoted as saying the below following a landmark Public Health England review:

”former smokers who have now switched to using e-cigarettes or NRT have significantly lower levels of toxins than those who continue to smoke regular cigarettes.”

On 19th February 2019 Public Health England maintained their stance that vaping is 95% less harmful to health than smoking and stated”

E-cigarettes have helped thousands of people in the UK successfully quit smoking. Yet 44% smokers either wrongly believe vaping is as harmful as smoking or don’t know that vaping poses much lower risks to health.” Public Health England

Unlike smoking cigarettes, vaping can involve playing around with unique vaping tricks. Once you understand the basics of vaping and how to get started, you can quickly start enjoying your new hobby. Visit a vape shop to see the wide array of vape kits from leading brands such as Aspire, Innokin and VooPoo.

Interested in learning how to vape for beginners? If you’re new to the world of e-cigarettes and vaping, keep reading this guide to get you started vaping your first e-cig in no time!

How safe are e-cigarettes?

This has been one of the most popular questions in vaping since the beginning.Contrary to popular belief, e-cigarettes are very safe and have been rated as being 95% less harmful by the NHS, as well as various other sources. Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos M.D. one of the leading authorities in e-cigarette health and research has published dozens of studies, showing the effect of smoking vs. vaping.

One particular study of Dr. Farsalinos, is based on researching the effect of smoking and vaping on the elasticity of arteries, further proving that e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes.

Lets go over the basics over what vaping is, why switch to vaping and how it can benefit you

What Is Vaping?

That’s easy. The dictionary will tell you that vaping is the act of inhaling the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette, an e-cig, or vape device. But we think that vaping is a lot more than that. To us, vaping means turning your back on smoking tobacco and all the harm it causes. Leaving those 4000 chemicals behind. Leaving behind the smell on your clothes, your house, your breath. The hole in your wallet at the end of the month. The danger to your family. And the shortening of your life. So we think that vaping is pretty serious stuff! So serious that we started a company to help people do it!

Why Switch to Vaping?

If you currently smoke cigarettes and are looking to minimize your risk of respiratory and cardiovascular illness, switching to vaping might be worth your while. Vaping is safer than smoking, especially if you use a liquid that doesn’t contain nicotine. This is true for a number of reasons. For one, vape liquid contains far fewer contaminants and toxins than regular cigarettes do. This is especially true if you use the highest-quality vape liquids, like the ones we sell in our webstore.

One of the greatest advantages of vaping over smoking cigarettes is that mouth to lung vaping can give you a much deeper, more satisfying drag without needing to worry about inhaling all the contaminates that a cigarette contains. Mouth to lung vaping (or MTL vaping) is one of the best ways to have a great vaping experience, even if your e-liquid doesn’t contain nicotine. With a vape pen that offers the best possible vapour production, you can get the best possible experience.

For those of us looking to quit smoking, making the switch to vaping is one great way to improve heart health and lower disease risk. Start vaping today, and you can give your body a break from the toxins and chemicals that conventional cigarettes contain. Your body is likely to thank you for it in the long run!

Here’s why you should switch:

Lose the chemicals

Butane. Arsenic. Tar. Carbon monoxide… Sound appetising? Not really! But all these chemicals are present in manufactured tobacco cigarettes. E-Liquids are made from non-toxic propylene glycol or vegetable glycerine, nicotine (in various strengths or none at all) and flavourings.

Save your money!

As all smokers know, cigarettes aren’t getting any cheaper. A pack of 20 premium cigarettes can cost you up to €18.00! A 10ml bottle of e-liquid vaped with a device will generally last you longer than a packet of cigarettes and prices start from €9.99.

Take some good advice

Don’t just take it from us, listen to Public Health England: “Vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking.”

Hundreds of flavours

Tobacco cigarettes have a relatively small flavour profile, and you’ve tasted it a thousand times. E-Liquid offers a huge range of different flavours.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, lets start on how you can make the switch for a healthier alternative

Learning How to Vape for Beginners: Making the Switch

Are you making the switch from cigarettes to vaping? Before you choose your first vape pen, there are a few things that you should know:

There’s a Perfect E-Cigarette Match for Everyone

The perfect match for your vaping needs may not be matched with the first e-cig that you try. However, just like you had your favourite brand of cigarettes, this same analogy carries over to e-cigarettes as well.

If you’ve previously tried vaping before and didn’t like the e-cig that you used, don’t give up. Instead, you should make another attempt with a different e-cigarette starter kit.

You May Get Frustrated

When you smoke, you get your nicotine hit almost immediately, as cigarettes have been adjusted over many years to make sure that you get that when you take a drag. However, the nicotine hit that you receive from vaping does take a little longer, but the satisfying feeling from your vape nicotine hit does last longer.

Don’t Vape like a Smoker

The first mistake that most people who switch over from smoking to vaping make is that they usually attempt to vape like a smoker. When you puff hard on a cigarette, you get more smoke. However, that’s not how e-cigs work.

There’s nothing lit on your vape pen, so your e-cig needs time to produce vapor. Long, steady, and slow puffs really make a huge difference when you’re vaping!

How Do You Choose Your First Vape?

We understand that making the switch from cigarettes to vaping can be a daunting prospect. That’s why we’ve put together three simple steps to get you started.

Firstly, ‘E-cig or vapes’ is a very broad term and one that generates very different understandings depending on who you speak too. To the general population, an e-cigarette is most likely a cig-a-like (i.e looks like a cigarette), to somebody who has just touched upon the vast vaping world, an e-cig is probably a vape pen, and then there are the Mods…

Don’t fret, because at the very heart of it, all e-cigarettes serve the same ultimate goal and whilst their inner mechanisms differ in terms of sophistication, at their core, they are all similar.

The choice for people who want something very compact and hassle free.

A majority of pod systems come with prefilled e-liquid so there is no hassle of filling the tank or changing the coils.

The choice for most people trying to make the switch to vaping.

Easy to use and carry, MTL devices are a perfect combination of size and battery life to keep you going all day.

The choice for people wanting more power, flavour and vapour.

These are larger devices with various adjustable settings and aimed at more experienced vapers.

It’s really easy to light up your first cigarette to start smoking, but the process of vaping takes longer. E-cigs require a bit of light upkeep, such as changing parts when they need replacing, charging the battery, and making sure that the pen has enough juice when you’re running low.

When you’re first switching over from smoking to vaping, you should choose an e-cig that’s easy for you to maintain, an eliquid that you love the flavor of, and make sure that you enjoy vaping.

Keep in the back of your mind that if you’ve found an e-cig that you aren’t in love with, it make take a few test runs to find the perfect model for you. Each vaper looks for something different while they’re vaping.

Some people may feel more satisfied by the cloud of vapor they’re blowing, some people are looking for a pleasant taste, and some people just want to have the familiar pattern that comes as close to smoking as possible.

How do Vape Kits Work?

The vast majority of electronic cigarettes consist of 2 main components: a battery and a tank, and work in the same way.

Caution – Battery Safety Information

As a beginner vaper, battery knowledge does not need to be as well-honed as that of an advanced user, but it is always imperative that safety is placed above all else. Charging an e-cig battery is hugely important and steps must always be taken to ensure that safe and responsible battery charging is adhered to.

Always remember as well, that your specific battery may require special charging. It is advised that if you are charging via a wall socket, always make sure that it regulates down to 1.0amp.

Understanding Vape Kits

Vape kits, which come in all shapes and sizes, are the device used to turn e-liquid in to vapour. On the whole, vape kits fall in to one of two camps: Mouth to Lung or Sub-Ohm.

Starter Kits

These kits are more often than not the Starter Kit of choice for most vapers. Most mouth to lung kits are ‘pen’ shaped and are for use with high propylene glycol e-liquid.

Starter kits produce moderate amounts of vapour (mouth to lung) and provide a ‘smoke-like’ sensation.

Sub-Ohm Kits

The term ‘sub-ohm’ relates to resistance of the coil (heating element) being less than 1 ohm which leads to a direct lung inhale (similar to a shisha or cigar).

Used with a powerful battery, high levels of vapour are produced. These devices are typically used with high VG e-liquid.

Understanding E-Liquid

The higher the quality of an e-liquid, the better the vaping experience. Ecirette Ireland offers e-liquids from brands that use high-quality and reliably-sourced ingredients.

The majority of e-liquids contain just four main ingredients, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, flavourings and nicotine (optional).

Propylene Glycol

Propylene Glycol (PG) is an artificial mixing agent which is used in a lot of food and medicinal products such as ointments, body creams, makeup and asthma inhalers.

It is non-toxic and safe for human consumption, PG is odourless when heated and when mixed with nicotine, it gives a simulated throat hit. If you are looking for a stronger flavour and a more harsh throat hit from the nicotine then a higher PG based e-liquid is recommended.

Vegetable Glycerine

VG is a derivative of vegetable oil and is also recognised as a safe substance for consumption. It is used to thicken the consistency of e-liquid, which in turn creates the dense vapour clouds associated with sub-ohm vaping.

Vegetable Glycerin (VG) is a natural mixing agent which will control the amount of vapour production within an e-liquid. It is considered a safe substance for consumption and is used common foods such as baked goods, grains, cheese and processed vegetables

Nicotine and Flavours

When you’re choosing your e-liquid, there are two choices that you’re going to need to make: what nicotine strength you’re looking for and what flavor you’re interested in trying first.

You can figure out what nicotine strength you’re looking for by the number of cigarettes that you smoke in a day:

1 to 5 cigarettes a day: 0.6%

5 to 15 cigarettes a day: 1.0%

15 to 20 cigarettes a day: 1.4%

20 or more cigarettes a day: 1.8%

The fewer cigarettes that you smoke, the less nicotine you’ll need. The above numbers aren’t set in stone and are more of a reference for you choose your first e-liquid.

If you’re vaping a certain strength of nicotine and notice that you’re still feeling the need to smoke more, you may need to slightly increase the nicotine strength of the juice you’re using. On the other hand, if you feel like you’re getting too much nicotine, you should reduce the nicotine strength of the juice that you’re using.

E-Liquid Varieties

E-liquid is available in different types suitable for use with different devices. Each variety offers you a different sensation to suit your vape preference.

Starter E-Liquid

An e-liquid with a higher ratio of PG than VG that is used with most starter kits.

Sub-ohm E-Liquid

A higher VG based e-liquid that is suited more to a Direct Lung style of vape which leads to better flavour and vapour production.

Short Fill E-Liquid

Containing a 50% VG and 50% PG ratio these e-liquids can be used with all types of e-cigarette kits

The balanced ratio means that you can use these e-liquids in a mouth to lung kit or a direct to lung kit.

Salt Nic E-Liquid

Nicotine salt e-liquids deliver nicotine to the blood stream faster than standard nicotine-containing e-liquids. This leads to a much more user satisfaction.

These types of e-liquid are perfect for pod style kits or any mouth to lung style kit.

E-Liquid Flavours

Choosing an e-liquid flavor is a bit more complex for a process, but it’s also part of the process that people enjoy the most! Since taste is so subjective, it can tough to recommend a perfect flavor to a new vaper. What your fellow vaping friends may recommend maybe a flavor that you can’t stand.

If you’re a new vaper that’s switching over from smoking, try starting off with a menthol or tobacco flavor, as they’re both flavors that you’re likely familiar with and can make the switch from smoking a bit easier. Once you’ve gotten used to vaping, you can always begin experimenting with the hundreds of other flavors that are available!

Make sure that when you’re first starting out, to take things slow. Give your body plenty of time to adjust the new e-liquid that you’ve picked out.

Starting Your New Hobby

Learning how to vape for beginners isn’t just about quitting smoking. It’s about discovering a whole new world where you can experiment with flavors and a whole community of people who share your passion. Learning how to start vaping can be very exciting if you’re looking to learn vaping tricks or wean off of your dependency on cigarettes!

Helpful Tips

Giving up cigarettes is no easy task, so we’ve made a list of tip that hopefully can help you on your journey to a smoke free future.

Your Plan

There are many different way to stop smoking as recommended by the NHS. You can use nicotine patches, gums etc but recent studies show that e-cigarettes are twice as likely to help smokers quit.

Once you have decided your method or methods of choice, it is important to pick a date where you will start your no smoking journey.

If you have decided that vaping is the way for you make sure that you have purchased a good quality starter kit and eliquid along with spare coils for your tanks.

Visit one of our many stores to get an in depth walk though on how to start the process of switching and what the best vape device is for you.

Family and Friends

Ask your friends and family to support you and make sure they hold you accountable. Having a support circle is really helpful and they can give encouragement along the way.

Your Weaknesses

Every smoker has triggers and it’s important to identify these – write them down! If you’re going to be tempted to light up a cigarette outside the pub, first thing in the morning or after a meal make sure you have a plan to stop yourself from smoking. If you are able to, avoid these situations for the first few weeks to make sure that you don’t start smoking again.

Don’t Give up

Nicotine is addictive and the habit of smoking is even more addictive. Some people can go cold turkey and stop smoking overnight. However, most smokers will go back to smoking before they can fully quit. Be realistic and don’t give up!

Are you interested in purchasing your first vape pen? See our latest beginner pen style vape kits and e-liquids!

Our staff are trained in helping to make the switch to vaping as pleasant and as efficient as possible. They’ll guide you through the different types of vape products and advise on the best eliquid out there.

New to Vaping?

There are so many different vaping devices on the market that it can be difficult to know which one to choose when you’re starting out.

Generally speaking, like when you’re starting anything new, the best advice is to keep it simple at first.

But it’s not the only way! We’ll break down a few of the different types of kit here to give you an overview before you choose the best vape device for your needs.

Mouth to Lung

Classic inhales, also known as mouth to lung or MTL, is when you take a draw on the vape before you inhale. This action will be familiar to all smokers of cigarettes.

You would use MTL devices much like you would have used a cigarette – it’s that simple.

These devices tend to be small enough to fit in your pocket and generally have a long battery life. They are charged via USB and have been designed for simplicity of use.

Direct to Lung

Direct inhale vaping, also known as direct to lung or DTL, is when you breathe the vapour straight in, like you would if you were smoking shisha. Vapers who vape this way generally use sub ohm devices. This means they are vaping at a resistance of less than one ohm. This sends more power to the coils, which produces bigger clouds and more flavour.

These devices are larger than pen or pod kits. This is because they require more power, and can use 2, 3 or even 4 rechargeable batteries, depending on the model. We’ll come back to direct inhale devices a bit later on.

You can’t get an easier vape kit than a pod system. They work with disposable pods which contain the coil and wick and also come pre-filled with e-liquid, so there’s nothing for you to do but click your new pod in and vape away.

How to pick a Vape

Picking your first kit can be super exciting, we have loads on kits available on our site to choose from. The most important thing is remembering this is my first vape, so go for something simple and easy to use, easy to fill and simple to maintain, this way you won’t get frustrated and give up.