12 Facts About Vaping

Vaping is somewhat still misunderstood, especially by those who don’t vape at all and in some cases for those who do vape!

To break it down, we’ve put together 12 things you may not know about vaping!

1. There are only Four Ingredients in E-liquid

E-liquid is the core substance that makes vaping possible as the liquid heats up within a device and is transformed into a water-based vapour. This vapour is what a person inhales, and it delivers both flavour and nicotine that curbs cravings.

Despite what the media would have you think, e-liquid, from trusted manufacturers, is only made up of four ingredients. These include:

• Propylene Glycol (PG)
• Vegetable Glycerine (VG)
• Flavourings
• Nicotine

PG and VG are common ingredients found in many foods, cosmetics and medicines. At Vampire Vape we try to source all ingredients from local businesses in the UK and use EU food-grade flavourings in all products, whilst also using the highest quality of VG, PG and Nicotine to ensure only the finest e-liquid leaves our Darwen based HQ.

For more information on e-liquid, see our blog What is E-liquid.

2. Vapour Isn’t Harmful

E-cigarette vapour is commonly misconceived as being a risk to surrounding people. Science, however, has disproved this on more than one occasion.

Public Health England reported in 2018 that there had been no health risks linked to passive vaping around bystanders. This was reaffirmed in 2019 by the California Department of Public Health after they conducted an extensive study that analysed a confined and non-ventilated room full of vapour. Their tests found no harmful substances to be present in the air!

Following such research, officials have concluded that second-hand vapour doesn’t pose a risk and is not linked to causing any illnesses.

3. E-cigarettes ARE an Effective Aid

E-cigarettes continue to be heavily debated with conflicting arguments arising. However, these are often disputed by leading organisations and public figures from the NHS, Public Health England and the Royal Society of Public Health.

A study in 2019 found that e-cigarettes are twice as effective as nicotine replacement therapies, which include nicotine gum, patches, spray, inhalers and lozenges.

Later in the year, the Science Media Centre reported that e-cigarettes are an effective aid that could help over 50,000 smokers in the UK stop smoking. Officials said that the landmark study showed that the rising popularity of e-cigarettes was increasing success rates of quit attempts and overall quit rates.

4. PG & VG Ratios Do Differ

As mentioned above, PG & VG are the base ingredients of e-liquid, but these ratios can differ, which changes the ‘vape.’

VG is a thicker substance that offers a smoother vape. Higher VG e-liquid (70VG/30PG or 80VG/20PG) often comes in 50ml shortfill bottles and is best suited to larger devices and mods and offers large vapour production. Due to the high VG element, such e-liquid has very little nicotine or none at all, as this gives a sharp and unpleasant throat hit.  

PG is a much thinner liquid and is the flavour element of e-liquid. High PG e-liquid or 50VG/50PG juice is best suited to smaller pen and pod kits. This type gives an even balance of flavour and vapour production and typically comes in 10ml e-liquid bottles. Such e-liquid comes in varying nicotine strengths, ranging from 0mg to 18mg.

5. Nic Salts – What are they?

Nic Salts are a popular juice type that allows nicotine to be absorbed into the bloodstream quicker than e-liquid does.

This type of juice uses the exact form of nicotine used in traditional cigarettes; however, the danger is reduced massively. Tobacco in cigarettes is the essence that causes the most health risks, and while this type of nicotine isn’t completely safe, it does have far fewer toxins.

These are typically used by new vapers or those who cannot vape frequently. Nic Salts from reputable sources like Vampire Vape are less harmful than cigarettes and meet TPD requirements under UK regulations.

For more information on Nic Salts, click here.

6. Sub-ohming

Sub-ohming is a type of vaping, often resulting in huge vapour clouds on the exhale. This method is favoured among tricksters who turn vast clouds into mesmerising art.

To sub-ohm you do need to use specific mods, tanks and e-liquid to achieve the large vapour clouds. The more advanced devices have been specifically developed to give a customised vaping experience in terms of power, flavour and vapour production.

Sub-ohming in the early days was tricky, often requiring scientific knowledge to achieve the end goals. Nowadays, the likes of GeekVape, HorizonTech, Smok and VooPoo offer such kits and add-ons to achieve this with ease.

These advanced kits work best with higher VG e-liquid, which has the capabilities to give those clouds you desire.

7. Cloud Chasers

Cloud chasing is a name given to vapers who exhale exceptionally large and thick clouds which are manipulated into shapes. This is a fun term that describes a millennial talent that has become popular at large vaping expo’s and on YouTube.

8. DTL & MTL Vaping

How a person vapes can be defined in two ways, MTL or Mouth to Lung or DTL, Direct to Lung.

New vapers or those who use standard 10ml of either 50PG/50VG or 60PG/40VG are likely to be MTL vapers. This means that they inhale only a mouthful of vapour to your lungs and then exhale. This reduces vapour production but still gives the same curb of cravings with every inhale. Arguably this is a more economical style of vaping that reduces e-liquid usage.

DTL vaping is favoured among veteran or sub-ohm vapers, and it’s the process of taking long draws on your e-cigarette, allowing the vapour to travel to your lungs directly. In doing this, a person will exhale more vapour, which is often a satisfying notion for more experienced vapers.

Direct to lung vapers typically use higher VG e-liquid with reduced nicotine to get a smooth vape with increased flavour and vapour production.

Both still act as a satisfying alternative but are subjective to the level of vaping and the kit and e-liquid used.

For more information, click here.

9. Devices Can Be Customised

Certain devices possess variable settings that allow the user to tailor their vape. This typically relates to wattage, voltage and temperature controls.

Such customisation is available in advanced kits and allows the user to tweak cloud production, flavour and throat hit.

The majority of these kits have settings that adapt when one element is changed; however, this isn’t applicable to all kits. It’s worth researching into such devices if you’re thinking of upgrading as a level of knowledge on Ohm’s Law is required to use the device successfully.

10. You Can Become A Builder

Burrow yourself deeper into vaping and you’ll find you can rebuild your own coils and atomisers that tailor to your vaping preferences. These are often known as RTA’s (rebuildable tank atomiser) and RDA’s (rebuildable drip atomiser).

For a new builder, this can be technical, but it gives each individual the freedom to create something that matches their device and favoured vaping style.

This again is a more advanced practice and requires certain tanks that are specifically designed for building and will fit upon a mod. This is another practice that should be undertaken by vapers who have experience or have researched into the making of a rebuildable.

11. April is VApril

In the vaping industry, the fourth month of the year is traditionally known as VApril. This is an iconic month that celebrates vaping and promotes its positive attributes by sharing facts and figures sourced from landmark studies.

Many official bodies such as the Royal College of Physicians, the NHS, Cancer Research UK, Public Health England and the Royal Society of Public Health, rally to encourage more people to utilise these devices as aids to quit smoking.

This month-long campaign started in 2018 and aimed to help smokers across the UK to switch to vaping.

VApril is a huge month for the industry that shows the support from the UK government for vaping. The month is a key step and allows information from trusted and reliable sources to break any negative stigma.     

12. Official Support in the UK

The UK is a leading force in support of e-cigarettes and vaping. Unlike many other countries, British officials have seen the value in e-cigarettes for both health and economic purposes, hence studies and research into vaping continues.

When horror stories arise, members from Public Health England are quick to debunk these, fearing that such stories will discourage Brits from making the switch.  

A landmark study in 2019 found that e-cigarettes could help over 50,000 Brits stop smoking per year!

Following this announcement, the director of the Tobacco Research Unit at Queen Mary University of London, Professor Peter Hajek said: "This represents an important addition to evidence that already exists from multiple sources showing that e-cigarettes are helping smokers quit."

Research so far has found e-cigarettes to be twice as effective as nicotine replacement therapies and that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful. A typical vaper has 97% less cancer-causing chemicals present in their body. Over 20,000 Brits per year use the devices as an aid to quit. Research found that if the majority of people switched to vaping, over six million lives could be saved worldwide.

The support in the UK is controversial in other countries, but the support still stands with Public Health England believing vaping to be the key to reaching a tobacco-free England.

Such information from these studies has also encouraged MPs to lobby the government for relaxed laws with the Science and Technology MPs Committee playing an active role in this.