Are you looking for an alternative to tobacco cigarettes? Then vaping might be the answer for you! When you are new to the vaping community it can be extremely overwhelming due to the numerous types of liquid, mods, and a whole lot of new acronyms to remember, so we over at Hometown Hero got you covered with Vaping 101! This is an all-in-one guide to everything a new member of the vape nation needs to know!
What is vaping?
Vaping is defined as “the action or practice of inhaling and exhaling the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device” and has become a hit over the last decade as an alternative to cigarettes.
When you smoke, you are getting your nicotine (or tobacco) fix from the act of combustion, which in return produces that nasty tar. In comparison, when vaping eliquids there is no combustion. Instead, the eliquid is heated up using high temperatures to produce vapor that is cleaner than regular smoke.
What is Vape Juice?
Vape juice, or ejuice/eliquid, is the fluid that fuels your vaping devices, mixing flavoring with a nicotine solution that, when vaped properly, mimics the effects of traditional smoke from everyday cigarettes in a cleaner capacity.
eLiquid comes in a variety of flavors ranging from fruity or dessert flavors all the way to the taste of menthol or tobacco, with a whole lot of combinations of the flavors in the middle. The sheer volume of different flavors can be extremely overwhelming (Hometown Hero even offers several lines like Lazer Wolf ejuice) and can take weeks or months of trial and error before you fall in love with your match made in heaven eJuice flavor. We promise it is out there waiting for you!
An important thing to consider when shopping for vape juice is the strength of the nicotine in the juice, which is denoted by “mg” on the bottle. MG (or mg/mL) stands for milligrams per milliliter, meaning for every milliliter of ejuice contains that many milligrams of nicotine. Most vapors find that 3mg or 6mg concentrations are most comfortable with traditional vape juice. Salted ejuice is a bit harder to predict as some people prefer 30mg off the bat and others prefer to start with 50mg.
What is the difference between Salted and Regular Vape Juice?
Salted ejuice is made with nicotine salts as opposed to regular (or freebase) nicotine. Nicotine salts are a different chemical configuration than freebase nicotine that makes it much smoother to inhale. For this reason, nicotine salts can be added to vape juice in much higher amounts without added “throat hit” or harshness. Nicotine salts don’t add any “salty” taste either so the flavor is preserved.
The main reason you would choose a nicotine salt product over a regular nicotine product is the type of device you’re looking to use. Nicotine salts work best with pod-systems or mouth-to-lung vapor devices. These devices mimic the mouth draw and feel of tobacco cigarettes more closely than their traditional nicotine counterparts.
Devices meant for salted vape juice are typically smaller and produce less vapor which is why the nicotine levels on salted eliquids are higher. With traditional vape juice, you’ll normally see nicotine ranges between 0mg and 12mg. With Salted ejuice, you’ll see the ranges between 20mg upwards of 60mg. While traditional nicotine would burn your throat at that high of a concentration, nicotine salts will not. Hometown Hero Salted ejuice comes in a 50/50 VG/PG ratio in 30mg or 50mg nicotine strengths.
The last thing to note with vape juice is the VG/PG ratio. VG stands for vegetable glycerin and PG stands for propylene glycol. This ratio determines how thick, or viscous the vape juice is going to be. An easy way to think about it is, the thicker the ejuice, the higher the VG. Salted ejuice has a lower VG content than regular vape juice because it makes the liquid thinner and works better with smaller devices. Salted vape juice is typically a 50/50 ratio of VG/PG while regular ejuice is 70%-90% VG with the rest being PG. You can even use salted vape juice to refill a JUUL pod!
Now that you are an expert on all things vape juice, why not take a look at all of our high quality eliquid products with tastes ranging from the sweetest of strawberries to the coolest menthol all around! Now onto choosing the perfect device...
Choosing the right vaping device
Any vaper knows you are only as good as your device and boy are there a lot of devices to choose from these days! With hundreds of devices to choose from online and in vape shops, it can get confusing for a newbie in the vaping community and can be an overwhelming task when you are joining the vape nation.
Pod System vs Mods
The two main types of vaping devices are either pod-systems and “mods," both of which have their pros and cons but in the end, it is truly up to the user and what they are looking for. For the most part, vape mods are the preferred system when one is looking to produce larger vapor clouds with a more “filling” lung feeling and pod systems are better for those looking for a device that is more discrete, produces less vapor, and better for “on-the-go.” Many people that have been vaping for years have have both for different occasions.
If your main reason for picking up vaping is that you are looking for an alternative to smoking cigarettes and want that small concentrated hit of nicotine, then a pod system is the way to go. Similar to the likes of Juul Pods, Pod Systems take Salted eJuices, which as stated above have a much higher nicotine level, and produce a concentrated cloud of vape.
As far as recommendations for a pod system go, our customers highly recommend the Boulder Rock, and fun fact, not only is this system ultra-portable but it is also better for the environment! I’m sure you have been walking down the street in these last few years and spotted those pesky, empty little plastic disposable plastic pods all over the ground. With a refillable pod system like the Boulder Rock, you just refill the reusable pods with your favorite Salted ejuice and go on about your day, less trash and better for our little blue planet.
What are Vape Mods?
Mods are great for any vaper looking to have a customizable vaping device that produces some great clouds and allows for great flavor. These devices are typically larger and house larger batteries to supply the power necessary for vapor production. Most of them will also have a screen that will let you adjust your power output to get exactly the try of vaping experience you’re looking for.
Mods will usually have a “510” threaded connector on the top to add your preferred tank or RDA. Tanks are exactly what they sound like, a tank that holds eliquid. They normally hold between 1ml and 5mls of ejuice and feeds directly into a coil to be heated and vaporized. All you need to do is replace the coil every 1-2 weeks to keep your vapor tasting fresh and clean.
RDA stands for “rebuildable dripping atomizer.” These are what vapor hobbyists use to get ultimate customization from their vaping experience. These require the user to build their own heating coils and drip vape juice on to them every couple of puffs. Most new users won’t want to use these when starting but might want to explore this option down the road for a fun and customizable vaping experience.
Well there you have it, you made it to the end and are now officially a vaping expert! We are always more than happy to answer any questions you might have by visiting the Hometown Hero Contact Us page so you can send us an email, call, text, or even send us a carrier pigeon if that's your thing! You can also always reach out to us on social media!
Happy Vaping!
