What is an E-cigarette?

All electronic cigarettes or vaping devices work around the same basic process. A liquid is brought into contact with a coil which is heated using electrical current from a battery. The heat from the coil vapourises the liquid into a mist or vapour which is then inhaled.

Most devices have an absorptive wicking material such as cotton surrounding the coil. This wicking material carries the e-liquid to the coil which heats up and turns it into vapour.

What is vaping?

The word ‘Vaping’ refers to the use of an electronic cigarette, just as ‘Smoking’ refers to the use of a tobacco cigarette

It is important to note that the cloud you see from an e-cigarette is NOT smoke. Nothing is burning, there is no flame and no smoke. The cloud of mist you see from your exhalation of an e-cigarette is simply the vapour of the liquid being heated by the coil. It is also important to note that e-cigarettes have nothing to do with tobacco (apart from being a replacement), there are no tobacco products involved whatsoever in e-cigarettes or e-liquid.

What is in e-liquid?

The two main ingredients in e-liquid are Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerine (VG, commonly known as simply Glycerine or Glycerol). Both PG and VG are organic, non-toxic compounds, commonly used in food and pharmaceutical production.

Other ingredients in e-liquid may include natural and artificial flavours; not unlike those used in food production; and for those using vaping as a smoking replacement: nicotine.

I heard that propylene glycol is Antifreeze!? isnt that dangerous??

While it is true that PG freezes at a lower temperature than water, it is not the stuff you pour into your car radiator. PG is sometimes an ingredient in some antifreeze products due to its low freezing point but this is most common when the producer is trying to create a non-toxic product. In fact it is commonly used, due to its non-toxicity, in household plumbing in colder climates to prevent pipes freezing if a house is unoccupied for extended periods. PG is also the main ingredient in asthma inhalers.

Why are PG and VG used in electronic cigarettes?

For many people, vaping is an effective way to quit cigarettes. Its effectiveness in helping people quit the stinkies is in part due to the replication of the feeling of smoking. Smokers will tell you; it’s not just the nicotine hit you crave, it’s also the feeling of the smoke hitting your throat, the flavour, and the satisfaction of exhaling a cloud of smoke. PG and VG are used because they are a safe way of recreating this effect. PG carries flavour (and any flavour at that!) and also delivers a bit of a throat hit so you can feel the vapour, while VG produces the bulk of the cloud and gives you that satisfying exhale. Its these properties which recreate the feeling of smoking that make vaping such a successful smoking replacement. 

Whats the deal with Nicotine?

Unlike the USA or Europe, In Australia it is illegal to sell liquid nicotine. If you are buying from a vendor and they are selling you e-liquid pre-mixed with nicotine then they are either an overseas company or breaking the law. It is not illegal however, to purchase nicotine for yourself from overseas. Each states

Is Vaping Safe

Breathing anything into your lungs has the potential to cause irritation or be damaging to your health. The real question is: how does it compare to smoking cigarettes? 

Despite being a relatively new practice, there is already a lot of material and experimental evidence relating to the health ramifications of vaping. Like any topic, there are arguments for and against the use of e-cigarettes. We would suggest you read both sides of the argument before making your mind up. Much of the rhetoric floating about comes from ill informed and often biased sources. Having said this, we of course do believe in the effectiveness and relative safety of vaping compared to smoking, and this is coming from a couple of ex-smokers who have now kicked the habit.

The most common and consistent opposition of vaping is that there isn’t enough evidence or data or time passed to conclude whether or not it is safe. This may be true and is a hard statement to disprove however, there are studies on the effects of propylene glycol vapour in inhalation which go back more than 50 years with no adverse effects found (http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/91/1/52.abstract). The bottom line is that although nobody can say with 100% certainty that vaping is harmless, we can certainly say with 100% certainty that its is magnitudes better than inhaling the 4000+ chemicals including 69 known carcinogens contained in cigarette smoke. Not to mention the risk of second hand smoke to others, the pollution and mess of cigarette butts and the countless fires caused by careless smokers. 

What device do i want?

There seems to be a huge rage different devices, how do i know what to get?

There is a massive amount of variety in equipment which will only get bigger with time. To us this is a great thing, it means people can be unique and get whatever they like or suits them at the time. It can however, be daunting to someone new to vaping or wanting to get started. 

We recommend never to buy pre-filled devices or cartomisers (see our equipment guide). Apart from usually tasting like ass, there is no way of knowing the quality of the juice and many of these products are owned by big tobacco companies who don’t really want you to quit smoking anyway (maybe that explains the taste!). These are often designed to look exactly like a cigarette (even with a glowing light on the end) and are cheap and disposable.