HOW E CIG WORKS

More and more people are investing in their first electronic cigarette devices as they make the switch from smoking to vaping. And while the market is not short of good beginner devices, it is important to know how e cig works.

How E Cig Works

More and more people are investing in their first electronic cigarette devices as they make the switch from smoking to vaping. And while the market is not short of good beginner devices, it is important to know how e cig works. After all, this is an electric device that you have to power up and put in your mouth, so it doesn’t hurt to know what you are doing. E cigarettes come in different shapes, from simple disposable e cigarettes to high-tech mech mods. However, a standard e cig usually features the following major parts:

• Drip tip (mouthpiece)
• Cartridge (tank)
• Atomiser (heating element which is made up of a coil and wick)
• Battery (the power supply)
• E-liquid (purchased separately but very much part and parcel of the package)

How E Cig Works

Most e cigs work the same way. There is a horizontal coil in the atomiser wrapped around a thin ceramic rod. This coil is powered by the battery. When you inhale on the drip tip, the coil heats up and warms the e-liquid sitting in the tank. The e-liquid (aka e-juice) has to be hot enough to produce vapour. For this to happen, the heat has to be somewhere between 100 and 250 degrees Celsius. This is the vapourisation point where the e-juice is converted into the vapour you see being produced by e cigarettes. The purpose of the wick in the atomiser is to absorb the e-liquid and regulate the amount of liquid being allowed near the coil at a given time. Most tanks cannot function properly without the wick, although you will find some wickless cartridges on the market. It is possible to have just the coil and the juice without the wick as an intermediary (as is the case with wickless coils) but the downside to this is you end up with a harsh metallic taste. Plus, this results in lack of enough airflow and could lead to leakage of the juice from the tank. Anyway, when you inhale, the wick soaks up the liquid from the tank and puts it next to the coil. Then the coil heats up the juice and transforms it into the vapour you inhale, following which the wick will draw up some more juice from the tank. This way, there isn’t too much vapour being emitted and the liquid burns at a sensible rate, allowing you sufficient time to vape before refilling your tank with more juice. When you inhale, your lungs respond in a similar fashion as when inhaling a regular cigarette. The vapour goes to your lungs, and the nicotine is absorbed in the system the same way. This like-for-like semblance with smoking is what has made vaping so popular. Because not only is it an effective way to quit smoking, but it is also believed to be the healthier alternative. You see, tobacco on its own does not pose serious harm, save for the addiction due to the nicotine it carries. The dangers associated with smoking normally come to the fore when the tobacco is burned. And this is what vaping circumvents. The vaping technology employed by e cigs does not involve any burning; the juice is simply vapourised which you inhale as vapour. Speaking of which, while e-juice is a different aspect of the vape hardware itself, e cigarettes cannot work without it.

How E Cig Works: The Juice Factor

Vape juice is concocted from water, propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), flavouring, and in most liquids, nicotine. The PG and VG play the role of distributing the nicotine and flavour throughout the juice. The more PG in the mix, the thinner the juice and the more throat hit it will deliver, albeit with less vapour. Higher PG-based e-liquids are ideal for those looking for more flavour and stronger throat hits. Conversely, the more the VG in the base mix, the thicker the juice. However, throat hit will be less pronounced but the vapour produced is much greater. This is why cloud chasers prefer liquids higher in VG. And that is basically the gist of how e cig works.