Vaping is a much healthier alternative to smoking tobacco, which has already helped millions of people quit smoking around the world. This sweeping trend has taken the world by storm, and many people are scrambling to keep up. With that in mind, those who are ready to stop smoking and start vaping often struggle with figuring out how to begin. There’s a lot of jargon and general information to learn before you can get started.

For that reason, we thought we would publish a primer covering the basics of vaping. We’ll offer some tips on how to choose your first e cigarette and fill you in on some basic vaper jargon.

Basic E-Cigarette Components

There are many different types of e-cigs on the market, but all of them have these basic components:

• Tank – This stores your e-liquid and has a mouthpiece through which you can vape it.

• Battery – Usually found in the portion of the e-cigarette that you hold, there are many different types of batteries available depending on the model you use.

• Heating element – Sometimes called an ‘atomiser’, the heating element fits at the bottom of the tank and needs to be replaced every so often – typically two to three weeks, though it depends on how much you vape.

• E-Liquid – This is the flavoured liquid that you pour into the tank. There are two varieties – PG and VG – with subtle differences between them. Your e-liquid can be purchased with varying levels of nicotine intensity (including zero), which means you can gradually step down until you have weaned yourself off of nicotine.

Now that we have covered the basic components, let’s take a look at the main types of e-cigarettes.

3 Main Types of E-Cigarettes

If you’re in the market for a new e-cigarette, these are the three main types to choose from:

• Cigalikes: These resemble an analogue cigarette (i.e. a tobacco cigarette) in shape and form. They have a small battery and small tank on board, which means they don’t hold much juice or last that long. The upside is that they are highly portable and discreet. From a distance, a bystander probably wouldn’t know you were vaping rather than smoking.

• Vape Pens: This is probably the most popular type of e-cigarette currently on the market. They don’t resemble a cigarette at all, but they are long and thin – roughly the size of a fountain pen. These have larger batteries and are slightly customisable, as many can be fitted with different tanks. Vape pens are still portable, with major upsides in terms of style, capacity and battery life.

• Vape Mods: It’s safe to say that mods are strictly for the experienced vaper. It’s rare for a new vaper to jump right in with a mod. However, once you’ve become comfortable with vaping, you may decide that you prefer a model that allows you to fine tune your vape experience and generate a larger volume of vapour. Large batteries mean these last the longest of the three.

If you are just getting started, you’ll probably want to purchase a vape pen starter kit, which comes with all the accessories and e-juice you’ll need to start vaping it right out of the box.