This is my limited knowledge of e-cigs that I’ve compiled from various sources to help people get their feet wet and hopefully use this as a tool to quit smoking (or to pick up vaping). Much of what you need to learn, I can’t adequately explain to you as I am not a mechanical engineer/chemist, nor am I am a seasoned vaper. But, if you want some basic info as a place to start, here you go.
The first thing to know is that there are basic disposable e-cigs with a certain amount of ‘puffs’ per unit, which varies by unit, and you simply toss once it’s depleted. You can buy them in varying nicotine strengths, depending on the type of cigarette you normally smoke – i.e. lights, mediums, non-filtered or light, medium, heavy smoker.
Once you bypass disposable units, you move into the e-cigs with rechargeable batteries. Websites sell units with wall/car chargers and a USB ‘pass through’. Some kits you buy have all 3; some supply only the wall unit. Keep this in mind when purchasing your ‘starter kit’ as you will not want to run out of battery power and have limited options for recharging it. There are 2 basic types of setups for the rechargeable battery e-cigs. One type is a 2-piece unit consisting of a battery and what is called a cartomizer. The cartomizer (or carto) is the housing for the apparatus that vaporizes the liquid (or juice) so that you can vape it. It is constructed of a thin metal element that heats when activated by the battery. The metal element is surrounded by ‘filling’ or filament that looks like thinly intertwined fibers. These fibers act like a sponge and hold the liquid that the heat turns into vapor, allowing you to vape. The cartomizers are designed to be disposable. And for those with financial constraints, or those who simply want to save money, you can perform some basic maintenance on these to make them last longer. I have heard/read of some vapers getting as much as 30 refills per cartomizer, if it is cleaned well and the original design is good. There is also a 3-piece unit on the market that utilizes an atomizer to vaporize the liquid instead of a cartomizer. The atomizer is designed differently, using a wick that soaks the liquid or juice into a heating element that vaporizes it. The liquid or juice is housed in a separate tank or cartridge, which is the 3rd portion of the 3-piece unit. The most important difference between a cartomizer and an atomizer is that the cartomizers are designed to be disposable whereas the atomizers last a lot longer. Another important difference is that the atomizers are encased in a separate compartment from the liquid, allowing for quick and easy exchange of liquid if you want to change flavors. The atomizers also require maintenance cleaning, but in doing so, you will get long life from them. Cartomizers come prefilled with a flavor liquid of your choice, ready to use, or you can buy blank/empty ones to fill with your juice of preference.
The batteries come in different sizes from some vendors, I think to better mimic your preferred length as compared to a cigarette. Some are short, some are regular and some are XL, which also means the battery is more powerful and lasts longer. There are more powerful battery options than the basic batteries that last longer. I do not know about these (yet). There are 2 types of batteries. One is manual and one is automatic. The manual battery requires you to push a button to activate the heating element. It only takes a few seconds to heat then vaporize the liquid, and not surprising, it also lasts longer than the automatic battery that is on standby until it runs out of charge. The automatic is fully activated when you suck on the e-cig. One difference between the two is that with a manual battery, you can control how much you inhale.
The final part to consider is your juice or liquid. There are hundreds of varieties out there among the different vendors that I have seen and all of the websites seem to recommend beginning with basic flavors before you move into the more gourmet ones. On Youtube and on various websites that discuss e-cigs, there are reviews for the different flavors. I have utilized these because apparently some of the flavors are not so good. And of course, it will depend on what you prefer (i.e. fruit flavors, coffee flavors, traditional tobacco flavors, dessert flavors, etc.). The ingredients of the liquid vary. I will write a separate post on that.
There are many tricks, tips, and recommendations that I have compiled from various sources that will be uber helpful to someone just getting their feet wet. So here is a partial list:
1) Clean your cartomizers daily. Some suggest more often than that, such as between each refill to keep it clean and in tiptop working condition. I think it will depend on how much you vape. The reason the cartomizers need to be cleaned is because the liquid leaves behind resins on the filling/fiber sponge that adhere to it, preventing the liquid from absorbing, resulting in lessoned flavor when you vape. There are various methods to cleaning them. 1 method is to sit the cartomizer in boiling water then turn the stove eye off and stir the cartomizers around in the water for a few minutes to loosen and dissolve the resins. Another is to use tap water as hot as you can get it, get half a cup of it, drop your atomizers in it, then let them sit for about 30 mins. Some suggest using distilled only water because it has no minerals that can also cling to the fiber and render is less absorbable. Minerals can also stick to the heating element causing it to be less efficient. I have heard of using the steamer tip of an espresso maker to force steam through the cartomizer as a quick clean. After you use water, you have to let the cartomizer dry or the filling/fiber will be wet and not hold the liquid adequately. This can take from a day to air dry to various times using quicker methods of drying. Here, you just use common sense and what would be not such a good idea (drying them in an oven) to what would be helpful such as blowing the water out of the cartomizer to allow a faster drying time. You will notice it needs to be cleaned when the e-cigs begins to deliver less flavor or when it becomes burnt tasting. Do not let your carto dry all the way while using it, or the heating element will burn through the dry fibers and render it useless. Some suggest topping it off frequently to prevent this from happening.
2) There are drip tips available to put on the tip or end of your e-cig that were originally designed for a specific purpose too complicated to explain here, but it does lengthen the tip and apparently make it more comfortable to use. It also keeps any liquid that comes from the carto or atomizer from getting into your mouth, which is good also apparently as the liquid is not tasty. They have basic ones, fancy ones, metal ones, plastic ones, etc.
3) When you refill your cartomizer, you want to apply the liquid to the perimeter of the inside of the carto, careful not to drop liquid into the center where the heating element is located. Allow the liquid to absorb and keep adding until the fibers look glistening, but are not saturated and wet. Blow on the carto to express excess liquid or this will make your heating element malfunction over time. I have watched videos of various methods of getting the maximum absorption so that you do not have to refill it so often. I will post some links at the end for you to watch and see for yourself. Some of the methods are humorous. You should get about 25 drops of juice or liquid per refill.
4) You do not have to clean your carto between using different flavors of liquids, but then you will get a blended taste if you do not clean it, or you can use a clean carto/designated carto for each flavor.
5) You will need to draw or inhale differently from the e-cig than you do with a cigarette. I will post video links that demonstrate that.
Hope this helps!
Anyone more knowledgeable in this area is welcome to correct any error herein.
