Breaking down vape talk.

2 years ago
Laura

Vaping can be super confusing at times, especially with all the terminology. So as your local vaping experts we’ve put together a glossary of terms so you can talk the talk!

If you have any questions regarding vaping, please get in touch with us – pop in the shop, get on the blower or send us an email.

ATOMISER

An atomiser is essentially the small heating element that vaporises e-liquid and the wicking material that draws the liquid into the coil. The term coil and atomiser are sometimes used interchangeably.

COIL

A coil heats up the e-liquid in a tank or kit and then converts it to a vapour. Coils burn out after time so they need to be replaced. Coils can burn out quicker by using the wrong ratio juice or output power for the coil.

DRAW

A ‘draw’ is what we call the inhaling of vapour from your device. Draws are usually described as either, tight, open, slow or loose.

DRIP TIP

This is a mouthpiece which sits on your vape kit. They can be used to drip e-liquid straight onto the atomiser or purely as disposable mouthpieces.

DRY HIT

A ‘dry hit’ is a draw on the mouthpiece with the device switched off, normally done to pull liquid onto the coil to soak the wick during priming.

DTL - DIRECT TO LUNG

DTL – short for direct to lung – refers to the style of vaping where you inhale from your device straight into your lung rather than holding the vapour in your mouth first.

MG stands for milligram and is used to state how much nicotine is in an e-liquid.

MOD

A mod or ‘modified’ is an advanced version of an e-cigarette. These aren’t normally ready to go. Mods produce high amounts of vapour and are longer lasting than standard devices.

NICOTINE

Nicotine is the stimulant found in cigarettes and some e-liquids. Most e-liquids come standard as 0mg, so you can add as much or a little nicotine as you wish. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance.

NIC SALT

“Nic Salt” is a term short for Nicotine Salt, which is the natural state of nicotine leaves. The main advantage over normal e-liquids is that they are the closest hit you can get to a real cigarette. Many vapers have the same issue – low nicotine levels don’t give them the same hit as a normal cigarette, and too high in nicotine is too harsh of a throat hit. Nic- Salts are the solution to this very problem, they are a great solution for people that are switching for the first time from smoking.

OHM

OHM is a measurement of electrical resistance. In vaping, ohm is used to measure the resistance of a coil. The greater the resistance means less current so coils burn out slower. A lower resistance means more current so coils burn out quicker. You need to make sure you have the correct ohm for the ratio of juice you are using too. Check out our PG:VG Ratio blog to find out more.

PRIMING

Priming refers to priming the coil, meaning saturating it with e-liquid before using it.

PG is a synthetic liquid with a consistency slightly thicker than water. It has two jobs in an vape juice – to carry the flavour/nicotine and also responsible for the ‘throat hit’ you get when vaping. Find out more about how the ratio of PG can affect your vaping experience here.

POD

The pod is the part of the device which hold the e-liquid – sometimes known as the tank. These can be disposable or refillable. Starter kits normally use pods.

RBA

Rebuildable Atomiser

RESISTANCE

This refers to the resistance a coil has and is measured in ohm. The lower the resistance of the coil, the higher amount of current flowing and vice versa.

RDA

Rebuildable Dripping Atomiser – requires manual dripping of e-liquid onto the coil and wick.

RTA

Rebuildable Tank Atomiser

SUB OHM

These are devices that use coils or atomisers with less that 1ohm. The purpose of a sub-ohm device is to increase the power output of devices to create more vapour and/or flavour.

SHORTFILL

Shortfill is an e-liquid that has no nicotine in it and usually has space within the bottle to add nicotine. For example a 100ml bottle would have 20ml space to add nicotine.

TANK

A tank is the part of a vape kit which holds the e-liquid and usually the coils. Most tanks can be refilled and can be upgraded as oart of a kit.

TPD

Tobacco Derived Products – This is the legislation that governs vaping in Europe and the UK to ensure vapers are kept safe.

VG (Vegetable Glycerine) is a sweet, vegetable based liquid. It adds a slight sweetness to your vape juice and provides the majority of the vapour. For more information on how VG ratio can affect your vaping experience click here.

WICK

A wick is the material that absorbs the e-liquid in the coil – mostly made from cotton. This is the part of the coil which burns out and gives you that burnt flavour.

PG/VG Ratio Explained

2 years ago
Laura

E-liquids can appear confusing at first, especially if you are just starting out on your vaping journey. Understanding the basics of your e-liquid can help you further tailor your vaping experience. We will be looking at what is in a vape juice and how they can affect your vaping experience.

What is in a vape juice?

Vape Juices use base ingredients consisting of PG (Propylene Glycol), VG (Vegetable Glycerin), flavourings and nicotine. There are hundreds of different flavours, from simple, single flavours to multi-layered flavours, so there is something to please everyone’s taste buds. For more information on the different types of juices check out our Premium Vs Cheap blog.

There are also different ratios of PG:VG, which depends on your device and the type of vaping experience you want. Let’s look at what PG and VG mean.

What is PG?

A high PG ratio will give a much more pronounced throat hit, great for vapers who want to simulate the sensation of smoking. It produces a vapour upon heating which is a similar density of cigarette smoke. PG is pretty much odourless and tasteless, so the flavourings aren’t masked the carrier.

What is VG?

VG (Vegetable Glycerine) is a sweet, vegetable based liquid. It adds a slight sweetness to your vape juice and provides the majority of the vapour.

As we mentioned before the PG part of the juice gives you the throat hit, which can make it harsh on your throat, but the VG gives you that smoothness. The higher the VG the larger clouds of dense vapour you will create.

Which PG/VG ratio should I use?

Technically there is ‘best’ ratio as it all depends on what you want to get out of vaping, as the different ratios give you different things.

FLAVOUR
If you want maximum flavour then you should choose a pretty balanced PG:VG ratio, so look out for a 50:50 juice, like a Vampire Vape 10ml juice, or NicSalts most of the ones we stock are 50:50. You could also go for a PG:VG ratio of 60:40, but remember this will be slightly harsher on your throat.

THROAT HIT
Any e-liquid with a high PG ratio will have a more pronounced throat hit, more simulating smoking a cigarette. So, look for PG:VG ratios around 60:40 or 70:30. 70:30 is the main ratio you will find in shops, so you could check out BigBold, Rosie’s Kitchen or Mental Menthol.

BIG CLOUDS
For bigger clouds of vapour you need to look for a vape juice with high VG content. A PG:VG ratio around 30:70 or 20:80 giving you a much thicker e-liquid that produced dense clouds. Keep in mind; this e-liquid is much thicker, so is not suitable for all e-cigs. It is best suited if you have a sub-ohm vaping set up. This PG:VG ratio will give you a lot smoother vape and a very muted throat hit. Vampire Vapes 50ml is a great juice for big vapour clouds.

DISCRETE VAPING
For discreet vaping without losing flavour or vapour production, it is best to stick to a 50:50 PG:VG ratio. You are basically getting the best of both worlds, without too much of either.

Make sure you have the right set-up

Whilst you can technically use any e-liquid in a vape mod, you might not get the best experience and burn out coils quicker than normal. So making sure your vape juice and set-up work together will ensure you have the best vaping experience.

HIGH PG
If you have a high PG content then you will need higher resistance coils and lower powers, this will also mean you are not going to experience too much of a throat hit. If you use high PG e-liquid in an atomiser head with much larger inlet holes, it will wick too quickly as it is much thinner, and you may end up with leakages.

HIGH VG
If you are using a high VG e-liquid for smoothness and cloud generation, you ideally need to use a Sub OHM device and higher powers. The Sub OHM coils have larger e-liquid inlet holes, so it won’t struggle to wick the thicker liquid. Also, with the higher power you are going to get larger vapour clouds.

Remember we are your local vaping experts!

We are always available to answer your vaping questions, so if you want to know more about what juice
you should be using just give us a shout on 01634 712400.

New Hardware – Let’s have a look!

3 years ago
Laura

Last week we let you know how to choose the right device for you – whether you were new to vaping or were looking to upgrade you device.

This week we are looking at 2 new devices that have just come into store – the Eleaf iStock P100 and the SMOK Morph 2 Kit.

Eleaf isTock p100

The iStick P100 is the perfect device for direct to lung (DTL) and newer vapers. You will get a powerful device with long battery life and less charging time. It's also great for vapers transitioning to a more powerful device with it's SMART mode, guiding you through the most suitable output wattage for the coil while eliminating the risk of coil burnouts.

Solidly built from zinc alloy give a glossy metallic finish. Featuring a 1.14" TFT colour screen to easily help you navigate through your settings. It has an integrated 3400mAh battery allowing all day vaping at any wattage. The P100 maybe small and compact but it is capable of producing up to 100W of power. It even have a fast charging USB-C port, meaning less wait times between charges.

The pod style tank fits securely with a strong magnetic connection. With the easy-view side filling port it makes refilling the device simple. Comes complete with the GZ coils in a 0.2ohm and 0.4ohm resistance, perfect for direct to lung vaping.

Let’s look at the features in a bit more detail…

Stylish, High Quality Design
The Eleaf iStick P100 boasts a high quality construction, with smooth rounded edges and a stylish back panel that complements the large colour screen. Every detail has been carefully considered to provide vapers with the ultimate pod experience.

GZ Mesh Coils
The GZ mesh coils are supplied in both 0.2ohm and 0.4ohm resistance. The 0.2ohm option features double the wicking areas to help absorb more vape liquid to create more intense clouds of vapour.

USB-C Charging
The iStick P100 can cut down on charge times by up to 50% thanks to the USB-C charging system. Aside from offering more efficient recharging, the USB-C cable can also be inserted either way up for convenience.

3400mAh Battery
The Eleaf iStick P100 features a huge 3400mAh battery to finally offer vapers an easy option for all day vaping, and is perhaps the largest integrated battery capacity available within a pod device.

A compact, small device for all DTL vapers. Available online and in store at £49.99.

SMOK Morph 2 Kit

Inspired by its predecessor, MORPH 2 is optimised with handier operations and a 230W max power to open up new possibilities to further intrigue your vision of the best taste. Once taking nutrients from two external 18650 batteries, it is well-performed in igniting the device in 0.001s and smoothening your vaping with multiple protections.

MORPH 2 is engineered with zinc alloy to improve the durability and flexible leather for a comfortable tactility. Dual 18650 batteries give better endurance and sufficient power for a great vaping experience.

The Morph2, as with other SMOK devices, has an easy refill system. Simultaneously press the button and turn the top cap you bring out the easy fill filling port, effectively avoiding the leakage resulted from accidentally opening the top cap.

Check the process of your vaping with the slick 0.96″ display. Giving you detailed operating data, including selected mode, battery life, resistance, wattage, puff count and vape time. It also has an adaptive power function meaning, while vaping the real-time wattage will automatically fit your battery life to give you better endurance and maintain a stable output.

Packed with safety features, such as and 8-second cut-off, over-heating protection, short-circuit protection, low-battery warning and over-discharge protection.

This Sub OHM device, is great for more experienced vapers and is available online and in-store for £62.99

Eleaf iStick P100

Pod capacity – 2ml
Coil resistance – 0.2ohm / 0.4ohm
Output mode – VW
Power range – 1-100W
Coil resistance range – 0.1-3.0ohm
Battery capacity – 3400mAh integral
Max charging current – 2.0A
Dimensions – 106mm x 40mm x 30mm
Assembled weight exc. packaging (approx.) – 184g

SMOK Morph 2

Pod capacity – 2ml
Coil resistance – 0.33ohm
Output mode – VW/TC
Power range – 1-230W (VW) / 10-80W (TC)
Coil resistance range – 0.1-2.5ohm (VW) / 0.05-2.0ohm (TC)
Battery capacity – Dual 18650
Max charging current – 2.0A
Dimensions – 142mm x 47.5mm x 31.7mm
Assembled weight – 198.5g

If you have any questions about either of these products please give us a shout in store on 01634 712400. We are always happy to help you with which juices or devices you need. We are available for click & collect – just place your order online or over the phone and pop down to see us to collect your order.

Remember we are your Local Vaping Experts!

What is the right device for me?

3 years ago
Laura

New to vaping? Want to quit the stinkys?

There are lots of devices you can use and it can be pretty daunting try to choose the correct one for you! That’s where we come in…

Lighting up a cigarette is easy, but vaping is different it is technical and can take some upkeep. As we spoke about in our ‘Can vaping help me stop smoking‘ blog, vaping is 95% less harmful than cigarettes and people who have chosen vaping as a quitting aid they are twice as likely to completely kick that habit.

If you want vaping to help you kick the habit you need to balance satisfaction against ease of use. Choose an e-cig that you can easily maintain, an e-liquid that you love the taste of, and to make sure that you actually enjoy vaping.

There is no single perfect e-cig for everyone. Every vaper wants something different from their vaping experience. Some people feel more satisfied when they are exhaling clouds of vapour, some care more about tasting a nice flavour, others want vaping to feel as close to smoking as possible.

So, in this article we want to help you find the right device for you and let you know about the different options you have when starting out with vaping, but if you have any other questions don’t forget to give us a shout as we are your local vaping experts!

What options do I have?

Disposables – these are a great way for you to see if vaping could be for you without laying out money on a new device. Disposables come pre filled with e-liquid charged and ready to go. Simply open the package and start vaping it’s that simple. Available in a range of styles, flavours and amount of puffs ranging between 300-575 per disposable. With these you may have to be careful with your mindset, available from a lot of the same outlets as cigarettes so be careful not to slip back in the habit of buy a pack of 20.

Starter kits – Generally small discrete with a built in battery and are mouth to lung (MTL). This means that they vape similar to the draw on a cigarette and allow you to vape anywhere from 0mg of nicotine up to 20mg of nicotine. The nicotine strength is normally determined by how many cigarettes you typically smoke per-day. An ideal starter kit available from us would be the Innokin Endura T20-S.

Less than 10 a day = 3mg nicotine
10 a day smoker = 6mg nicotine
10-12 a day smoker = 12mg nicotine
20+ a day smoker = 18mg nicotine

Pod Device – a great all rounder and very versatile allowing you to vape large bottle of juice in the lower nicotine strength or the small bottles containing all levels of nicotine (0mg-20mg). Most pod devices allow you to vape MTL or DTL (Direct to Lung) depending on what coil you have installed. Pod devices are extremely popular because of the huge variety. They can come with a built-in battery or external battery pack. These can be worn around your neck on a lanyard. In a variety of sizes from a compact device like a SMOK Nord 2, or larger pod devices like the OXVA Velocity that take a large 21700 battery perfect for the heavy vapers to last them all day.

Sub OHM Device – This wouldn’t be what we would recommend to someone trying to quit smoking but occasionally this can work for people strong willed and aren’t very nicotine dependent. We see it every day people have seen others vaping and they blow huge clouds and that’s what they want but more often than not a few month down the line they are back on the stinkys. This is because Sub Ohm devices are for the experienced vapers that have reduced there nicotine down to 0-3mg and no longer crave a cigarette.

This doesn’t mean if you have used a starter device for 2 weeks you will never smoke again and it’s time to get a sub ohm device! This also will not work you need to have been on the low strength nicotine for a minimum of 2-3 months before transitioning to a more bulky cloud box. Sub ohm devices are DTL so they don’t vape like you are smoking a cigarette they are designed to give great flavour, huge clouds and generally decent battery life. If you are an experienced vaper and want a new device why not check out the, SMOK Rigel.

Still need more help?

No problem, we are your local vape experts, just give us a shout on 01634 712400 or pop in the store (when we are allowed to open our doors again) and we can talk through your options!

Remember if you are ordering hardware online it’s best to give the store a call to check on colour availability.

Premium Juices Vs Cheap Juices

3 years ago
Laura

There are so many e-liquids about in shops and online. When the industry began you could only lay your hands on tobacco and menthol flavours. Now it has exploded into a market with literally hundreds of choices including, fruity, desserts, beverages, and more. You can even choose between premium juice and cheaper ones.

We all wrestle with the question of which juice to choose. Should we stick to only premium juices? Should we buy only less expensive vape juices? There is no black and white answer that satisfies every vaper. But we wanted to let you know why our Premium juices are better than the cheaper counter parts!

What's the difference?

So, all e-liquids start with the same basic ingredients: propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerin, nicotine (unless zero nic), and flavouring. The difference between a low price and premium e-juice is the flavour profile of the finished product, this is where the cost is in the production of juices. This is largely because there is very little differentiation in propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin.

As the flavour profile is the main difference between premium and cheaper juices lets look at this in a bit more depth.

Flavour profiles

A profile starts with a base recipe that sets the tone of the experience for that liquid. For example, a vape juice manufacturer may start with an apple flavouring in a vegetable glycerin base.

The apple flavouring will be a high-quality confectionary flavouring, additional flavours are then added to both enhance and supplement the apple base. From those additional ingredients the e-liquid mixer creates the desired profile. Which, could be spicy, sweet or icy.

With a premium juice the flavour profile should be both rich and memorable. Like a good wine or chocolate presents the palate with multiple notes of both subtle and robust flavours, a premium e-liquid teases the senses. By the same token, some cheap e-juices are designed with very little flavour profile, so will offer very little after the initial taste. Think of it as the difference between grape juice and a fine wine. Both begin with a grape base, but the wine goes on to give the palate more to enjoy.

Is one better than the other?

At the end of the day it is down to your taste and budget! If you want a deeper more intense flavour then it’s probably worth spending a bit more on a premium juice, like our BigBold range.

But if you can’t taste the difference between one apple e-liquid and another then a cheaper e-liquid would probably do the job.

Premium e-juice is all about flavour profile. It is more expensive because of the time, effort, and resources that go into creating it. That is not to say lower priced vape juice doesn’t have a deeper flavour and isn’t a good product.

Our juices

The juices we manufacture and stock are mixed using the finest raw materials from around the globe. The flavours come with multiple layers giving a complex depth to them. Our packaging is designed to be eye-catching and produced using high-quality materials. They may be a slightly higher price point, but we want to ensure we are giving you the best products possible and keep you returning!

If you have any questions regarding our juices then please get in touch and we will be pleased to help you.

Remember we are your local vaping experts!

Can vaping help me stop smoking?

3 years ago
Laura

Are you trying to stop smoking, but haven’t quite found the right method to aid you? Well, vaping could be the answer. It’s not necessarily easy at first but it will be worth it. Vaping is a 95% less harmful alternative to smoking as found by Public Health England, but you are switching to something more technical. We are extremely knowledgable, so if you stick with us we will guide you through getting to grips with vaping, from hardware to nicotine strength.

HOW IT HELPED ME?

Hi, Sam from the shop here. I just wanted to let you know how switching from cigarettes to vape helped me, hopefully this will help you when wanting to find the perfect aid to help you stop smoking.

I actually tried vaping a few times before it worked. I hear that a lot from customers and if my experience is anything to go by it is probably to do with poor advice. I tried a few different devices and liquids unfortunately the advice i had been given was incorrect and i was sold a device that only an experienced vapers should use.

Finding the perfect ‘quit smoking’ device is half the battle but once you have a device thats easy to fill, easy to change coils, has a decent coil and battery life, you have found a flavour with the correct nicotine strength to replace your intake with the stinkies you should be on to a winner.

When I was smoking my chest was tight, exercise had been affected and I smelt of cigarettes. Now I vape I don’t have that cigarette smell, my chest is clear and I’m able to run for a decent length of time.

Health Benefits

In the UK, e-cigarettes are highly regulated for safety and quality, so buying from a shop like ours gives you added confidence that you are buying a quality product, not a cheap version that hasn’t gone through the proper testing. Vaping isn’t 100% safe, but it is significantly safer than smoking because the most harmful elements. tar and carbon monoxide, aren’t produced when vaping.

Nicotine is still in the juices which are used when vaping, while nicotine is the addictive substance, it’s relatively harmless. Almost all of the harm from smoking comes from the thousands of other chemicals in tobacco smoke, many of which are toxic.

Vaping can be used to help manage your nicotine cravings, but to get the best out of it you need to make sure you’re using it as much as you need to and with the right strength of nicotine in your e-liquid. A clinical trial in 2019 found that people who vaped whilst trying to quit smoking were twice as likely to succeed as people who used other nicotine replacement products.

Affects of quitting smoking can be noticed relatively soon after your last cigarette.

After 8 hours: your oxygen levels are recovering, and the harmful carbon monoxide level in your blood will have reduced by half.
After 48 hours: all carbon monoxide is flushed out. Your lungs are clearing out mucus and your senses of taste and smell are improving.
After 72 hours: you will probably notice that breathing feels easier, it’s because your bronchial tubes have started to relax. Also your energy will be increasing.
After 2-12 weeks: blood will be pumping through to your heart and muscles much better because your circulation will have improved.
After 3-9 months: any coughs, wheezing or breathing problems will be improving as your lung function increases by up to 10%.

The improvements to your health will continue the longer you keep off the cigarettes and vaping could help you kick that habit. For more information on how using e-cigarettes can help you stop smoking and how it benefit your health click here.

What we recommend

Each member of staff at Irresistible Vapes is extremely knowledgable about vaping and the product we sell so if you ever have any questions please ask us. Here are our recommendations for someone who is new to vaping and wanting to kick that stinky habit.

Your local experts

So, if you want to try vaping for the first time to kick your cigarette habit then come and give us a shout. We will be able to answer your questions about the right type of device for you and help you find the juice that hits the spot.

At the moment while our doors are closed due to lockdown restriction, pick up the phone and give the shop a bell, on 01634 712400. Good luck giving up the cigarettes and happy vaping!

The Experts