Introduction
Welcome to ProVapor, we thank you for taking the time to check out our article: What is Vaping? By learning more about what is vaping, you will be in a better position to know if vaping is right for you. Since new studies are coming out nearly every day, this article will change to match current scientific findings.
What is Vaping?
According to the Center on Addiction “Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often referred to as vapor, which is produced by an e-cigarette or similar device”. So in laymen terms vaping is simply the use of a device that allows you to exhale clouds of smoke. Vaporizers (or vapes) work by vaporizing ingredient without burning them resulting in a safer experience when compared to smoking cigarettes. This is because Vaping has less toxic chemicals than in cigarettes; however, there are still trace toxins in vaping. Many people think vaping is just pure water vapor. In fact, it is a mixture of Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerin (VG).
Types of vapes
With so many types of vaping methods out there finding the right one for you can be difficult. So to make the decision easier for you, we will be going over five of the most popular vaping methods. The first type of vape is the traditional e-liquid vape this type is the most common usually consisting of a mod, atomizer, and coil. The e-liquid vape works by feeding e-liquids into the atomizers so that the cotton or wicks in the coil soak in the e-liquids which then heat up transforming the e-liquid into vapor which you exhale as a cloud.
The second type of vape is the Dry Herb Vape. Dry herd vapes work by heating up dry herbs, oils, and wax concentrates in a heating chamber. There are two main methods of heating used in dry herb vaping conduction and convention. In conduction, you heat up the ingredients directly and then inhale it as a vapor. This method results in a steady stream of vapor as its in a low temperature. However, in convection, you heat up the ingredients by circulating hot air around and through the ingredients.
Wax and Concentrate Vapes are the next types of vapes. Wax and concentrate vapes work by heating the ingredients at high temperatures to vaporize them. This is similar to the dry herb vapes however Wax and Concentrate Vapes are much more potent and cleaner. This doesn’t even count all the RBAs you can add to your vape. These allow for an even more customizable vaping experience.
Desktop and portable vapes
- The next type of vape is the desktop vape. This type of vape is the largest type and as such is not very portable. There are two types of desktop vapes the forced air and whip-style. The forced air type works by circulating hot air through the herbs resulting in vapor collecting in a balloon bag in the vaporizer. This type of desktop vape is the most common as it tends to provide the best vaping experience.
- The whip style vape is cheaper and easier to use as it simply heats herbs through convection, and use a “whip” attachment for drawing vapor producing a steady stream of vapor. A whip has three main parts: the wand (glass piece where the herb is packed), the tubing, and the mouthpiece.
- Portable vape is one of the most popular types of vapes. This popularity is thanks to its small size and lightweight making it easy to carry on the go. This type Is easy to conceal so it's the best to use when attempting to vape discreetly. After all what is vaping if not freedom to vape when you get the urge on the go.
E-Liquids
E-liquids are a flavored liquid used in vapes that you vaporize and then turn into vapors that you exhale. You can have them with or without nicotine. If you are the type that wants to try vaping but doesn’t want to inhale nicotine you can choose an e-liquid that contains no nicotine. Regardless of whether the e-liquid has nicotine or not you can use it to vape. This is a result of VG (vegetable glycerin) and PG (propylene glycol) making up about 90% of the contents. Nicotine and/or food grade flavoring making up the remaining 10%. E-liquids are by design fairly simple as most are a mixture of water, flavoring, different levels of nicotine, PG and VG. The most important of the ingredients being PG and VG
PG vs VG
PG is a liquid that is both odorless and tasteless and is thinner than VG. So e-liquids consisted mainly of PG are absorbed much easier by the cotton in coils. This results in less residue on the tank and atomizer as well as an overall cleaner vaping experience. PG is flavorless which causes no overall impact on the flavor of the e-liquids which can result in more of the flavoring expression when vaping. Another property of PG is that it has a strong throat hit similar to a cigarette. So those who like the feel of the throat hit caused by cigarettes will want to get e-liquids based on PG.
VG is a thicker and more viscous liquid with a sweet taste. You can find VG in food products as a sweetener in sugar replacements. The main reason you would want to use VG over PG would be its ability to produce thicker and larger clouds of vapor. Another benefit of VG would be that it produces minimal throat hit which produces an overall smoother hit experience. This makes it an easy recommendation for anyone who is just starting out with vaping or does not like the throat hit of cigarettes.
The choice Between getting a liquid composed mainly of Propylene Glycol (PG) or Vegetable Glycerin (VG) will down to personal preference. However, we at ProVapor recommend that as a beginner you try e-liquids of both types and e-liquids that contain a mixture of equal parts Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerin (VG) to find the one that best suits your tastes and needs. After all, what is vaping without a great e-liquid to go along with it?
