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Selecting your first ecig setup.
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onOften times when someone wants to switch from regular cigarettes to vaping they have no idea where to start. Some people may not even have a vape shop very close so driving to one for advice isn't always a possibility and some people may just want to have a little knowledge before they go into a store to buy their first setup. In this blog we're going to give a basic idea as to what to look for when purchasing your first ecig setup.
There are four basic components to any ecig setup. The battery, the tank, the coil in the tank, and the eliquid or ejuice. Every ecig setup whether it's a beginner setup or an advanced mod setup will have some form of those four items.
The battery is just that, it's a battery like any other electronic device. Except the battery with your ecig is providing the electrical current to heat up the coil in your tank which then turns your eliquid into vapor. Batteries come in all sizes, most of them you will see mAh after which stands for milliamps per hour. A general rule of thumb is the higher the mAh the longer the batter will last before recharging. However there are some things to consider, quality being the main thing. It is not unusual for a quality battery with a 1000mAh rating to last longer than a no name, knock off battery with a 1500mAh rating. Batteries also come in variable voltage(vv), variable wattage(vw) or both. This allows you to adjust the current of the battery up or down to increase or decrease the hit, what you are basically doing is heating up the coil more/less when you increase voltage or wattage. When searching for a battery be sure to buy something from a quality manufacture such as Kanger, Vision, Aspire, eLeaf, and Joyetech to name a few.
Next comes your tank and coil. The coil is inside of the tank. It is what is being heated up by the current from the battery. Coils are sometimes called wicks. With today's setups a coil is basically a small piece of wire that is wrapped around a wick in which both of them are in a small housing that will screw into the bottom of the tank. The wick that the coil is wrapped around is what will absorb your eliquid, the coil is heated up from the battery current, which turns the ejuice to vapor. The coil or wick is what will need to be replaced, they will typically last 1-2 weeks although this will also depend on usage and battery settings.
The tank is what is going to hold your eliquid. They typically come in capacities measure in ml or milliliters. To give you a rough idea of how much a ml is, 15ml is approximately one half ounce. Tanks will be anywhere from 1.5ml in capacity to 7ml, with 2ml-4ml being the most common. The advantage of having a larger tank is that you will have to refill it with ejuice less, the disadvantage is that if you like to try different flavors then you may end up pouring out ejuice to try a different flavor. It is recommended to get a tank that is glass and not plastic as some plastic tanks will crack with certain eliquds. Some tanks will have an airflow control valve at the bottom. This will allow you to adjust the draw. Generally the more airflow the more of a vapor cloud you will produce, the less airflow the more flavor you will taste. There is not right or wrong setting for airflow as it is a personal preference.
Lastly comes the eliquid or ejuice. This is what you can get in a variety of flavors, nicotine strengths and pg/vg ratios. When it comes to elqiuid everyone will have their own personal preference in terms of what they like, not only in flavor, but also in nic strength, and pg/vg ratio. Most ejuice bottles come in bottles measure in ml just like the tanks. The most common sizes are 15ml(1/2 ounce) and 30ml(1ounce) although sizes smaller and larger are also available. The average vaper will go through a 15ml tank every 1-2 weeks or roughly 30-60mls a month.
Some other items you may need if you do not already have is a charger for your battery, a case, tips for the tank(although most tanks come with a tip). Chargers use two common styles, ego style which is starting to become the older style and micro usb which is the same as an android smart phone, if you have one of these charges laying around there is no need to get an extra unless you want one.
With all of this to take in what are some good starter setups? One of the best and most affordable setups on the market right now is the Kanger Evod Mega starter kit. It is a 1900mAh battery, with a 2.5ml metal tank with glass windows, and a micro usb charger than can be used while charging. If you are looking for something a step up, the eLeaf iStick 20w is a great device paired with the Aspire Nautilus Mini tank. The price for this setup does increase but it does provide an exceptional vape that will last a long time.