1. The fundamentals of vaping (MTL vs. DTL)
There are two basic types of vaping styles – mouth-to-lung (MTL) and direct-to-lung (DTL).
Mouth-to-lung is where you draw the vapour into your mouth first before inhaling into your lungs, and direct-to-lung, as the name suggests, is where you draw the vapour straight to the lungs.
The majority of people switching to vaping from smoking will probably find the mouth-to-lung style more comfortable, as this will ‘feel’ closer to smoking a cigarette.
Why does this matter? Well, it will determine which e-cigarette device you are best suited to.
Generally speaking, a mouth-to-lung device will feel less airy and have a tighter draw (harder to pull on); which again, provides a similar sensation to smoking. A direct-to-lung set-up will have more airflow and produce more vapour. Typically, these devices are sub-ohm, meaning the coil inside them has a resistance of less than 1 ohm.
If you are new to vaping, we would recommend avoiding sub-ohm vaping until you become more experienced. You inhale far more vapour with them and need to use lower strength nicotine to counteract this.
2. Choose the Right Vaping Device
The first thing you’ll want to do is spend some time researching the types of devices available for vaping. There are hundreds of different types, styles, and designs to choose from, and your selection is going to depend on your habits and comfort preferences. Do you need something smaller that can easily be carried? Then a vape pen may be perfect for you. Do you want lots of power, flavor, and clouds? You may want to check out larger, more powerful box mods.
3. Choosing Your E-liquid
It’s totally worth the extra money you’ll spend to get a high-quality e-liquid. Lower quality juices often contain impurities and additives that aren’t ideal for human consumption. High-quality e-juices use pure, medical-grade nicotine, food-grade ingredients, and have great reputations. Plus, taste is a huge part of the vaping experience! Get to know the flavors you like and don’t like.
Take into account the end result you want when vaping. Juices with high VG produce thicker vapor and smoother hits, while those with higher PG ratios offer a better throat hit but smaller clouds. If you have allergies, you may also want to consider that and look at juices with higher VG ratios.
4. Maintenance is Important
The key to longevity and safety lies in proper maintenance. Clean your tank each time you change the coil. (And, please, don’t forget to change your coil regularly!) You should also shake your e-juice bottles before each use. This allows for even distribution of the PG/VG and nicotine so you get the best hit every time. Additionally, keep your bottles in dark, cool places, such as cupboards.
5. Avoid Vaper’s Tongue
Vaper’s tongue occurs when you vape a single e-juice flavor for so long you can’t taste it anymore. It’s an annoyance, especially when you really love the flavor, but it’s nothing serious and has happened to almost all of us. Switching to a new flavor and staying hydrated will help you avoid this.
6. Have Fun!
Most importantly, have fun vaping! Far too many first-time vapers give up and quit because they started with the wrong devices, flavors, or didn’t know how to properly maintain their devices. If you’re feeling disheartened, don’t give up, and don’t be afraid to experiment to find out what you like.
