Choosing your first electronic cigarette/vape setup can be a very daunting task due to the increasing variety and choice. This post is going to be one of many that are going to help you try to find your perfect vaping setup!
Most people begin using e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking tobacco and begin their journey to a healthier lifestyle. That is the reason I started and it has now blossomed into somewhat of a hobby rather than an addiction!
My journey
So in short, my vaping journey began when I decided I had had enough of smoking tobacco. The shortness of breath, everlasting "dirty" feeling and horrible smell had become enough. My main motivation was the damage that second-hand smoke was having on my loved ones around me.
I started out with an ego style e-cig as I had tried using the cig-a-like style before and it did not appeal to me a great deal. I bought a Blu Pro Kit from Sainsburys for £15 and my journey began.
It originally came with a tobacco flavour but I soon ordered myself a variety of flavours; Cherry, Blueberry, Strawberry and Lime and my personal favourite NRG (Energy Drink). It was at this point that I discovered the beauty of vaping.
Although it was tough, and there is no denying it is, giving up the cigarettes for good, I knew that in the long run this was going to be a decision that I was proud I made. (and it was).
Around a month later I was looking for something a bit more advanced and purchased myself a Variable Wattage Mod style e-cig. I purchased the MVP 3.0 Pro Kit with a Sub-Ohm tank (We will get to these) and a tonne of different flavours that took my vaping experience to another level and convinced me that I would never go back to smoking.
Different types of E-Cigs
There are 3 main types of e-cigs that each have multiple sub-types within them:
- Cig-a-like
- Ego style
- Mod style
Most people decide to begin with a cig-a-like style as it is the closest experience to smoking. These however, are often the least satisfying flavour and vapour wise. If you are serious about giving up smoking I would recommend starting with an Ego style e-cig until you know vaping is right for you and then moving in the fantastic and highly customizable world of Mod style e-cigs.
Cig-a-like Style
Now it is not hard to see why these are called cig-a-likes. They are the closest looking to the traditional cigarette and they are used in practically the same way.
These are a very basic type of electronic cigarette and do not provide as much flavour or customization as the other styles of e-cigs. Most cig-a-likes only come in a traditional tobacco flavour. They are very easy to do, all you have to do is charge the battery (The white part) and change the disposable cartomizer (The brown part) when it runs out of liquid.
These are fairly cheap but do require you to buy whole new cartomizers every time that they run out. These are a great choice for anyone looking to keep maintenance down to a minimum and just "get on with it". Cig-a-likes are very portable and convenient to use and carry and are often widely available from local supermarkets, petrol stations and convenience stores.
The kits are becoming cheaper and cheaper and no matter how you look at it, you are going to be saving a hell of a lot of money compared to the price of smoking traditional cigarettes.
These are definitely a cost friendly way for you to attempt to ditch the cigs and get a feel for using electronic cigarettes. Most people do find these to be very smooth but as the nicotine level varies, you can find a strength that suits what you need. I would recommend starting off fairly high for the first week or so to ensure that you do not choose a nicotine strength that is too weak and you eventually end back on the cigarettes.
Overall these are a great, cheap way for you to begin your journey to becoming smoke-free! You can pick these up from your local supermarket, petrol station or convenience store, or have a read for the top rated brands here: Best cig-a-like brands of 2016
Ego Style
The Ego style E-Cig is the first step for some and the next step from cig-a-likes for others. These are three piece e-cigs that consist of a battery, a tank and an atomiser. The tank is refillable and can be filled with all different kinds of liquids (Nicotine strength, flavour) and allow you to switch it up as and when you please! The atomiser is what is used to vaporize the liquid and these burn out. These can be easily replaced independently from the tank.
These kits are a little more expensive than the cig-a-like style but are also a lot more customizable in terms of refilling. With many of these style e-cigs, you are still required to purchase new atomisers every time it burns out instead of just replacing the coils as you would in a mod style e-cig (See below).
The replacement atomisers are often fairly cheap and last roughly 1 week. The liquids, also know as e-juice, can vary in price depending on the quality you want. Most liquids you pick up from the supermarket are around £5 for 10ml which should last you a fair amount of time. It may seem like an expensive initial investment but, in the long run, you will save an awful lot of money compared to smoking.
With several different battery types, you can seek out what you are looking for from longer battery life to a sleeker, slimmer design.
I would recommend these style of e-cigs to anyone who is looking to ditch the cigs and wants to have more control over their vaping experience as a whole.
E-cig Mods
For some vapers, ego style e-cigs do not offer enough control or customization and that is where e-cig mods come into play. The word mod comes from anything that is beyond the ego style e-cig and is essentials an advanced personal vaporiser.
When it comes to mods you still have tanks like the ego-style but they are a lot more customizable. You can have normal tanks, sub-ohm tanks, dripper tanks and more (But we'll cover that in another post).
These are often preferred by advanced vapers as they offer huge battery life and also full customization over the vaping experience. You can even make your own coils from coil wire!
When it comes to a list of mods the possibilities are endless. Some have variable voltage/wattage so that you can adjust the power, some are more powerful than others, some hold more battery life and so on.
This is the style that are best left to the experienced vapers as they are substantially more expensive than the other types and are often very confusing for somebody who has no vaping experience.
