Types of Devices
Cigalike
This bears a resemblance to a cigarette in look, feel and weight. Overall, it helps a new vaper to make the switch, purely from a familiarity aspect. You don’t have to break the habit of holding something in your hand or having nothing to inhale.
A cigalike is typically an all in one (AIO) device, with a coil acting as a heating element inside the e-liquid chamber. Upon inhalation, which automatically activates when you inhale on the mouthpiece, this triggers the chamber, letting the coil know it needs to start working to heat up and in turn produce vapour from the e-liquid.
Light and compact, they often feature rechargeable batteries that have a USB in the vape kit you purchase. However, some cigalikes, also called disposables, are AIO’s that you simply throw away when they have no nicotine left to inhale.
Vape Pen
A vape pen is the next step up for those who want to take their cessation journey to the next level. Similar to a cigalike in size, vape pens are slim and sleek but can be slightly bigger to accommodate the larger battery.
You may need this extended longevity throughout the day when vaping because they’re often refillable in comparison to cigalikes. Therefore, it’s the first opportunity you’ll have to try the host of e-liquid flavours available.
Vape pens are an affordable option that can easily fit in your pocket and bag. Sometimes button activated or auto-inhale, this works well as a secondary device for an advanced vaper who wants to continue with a mouth to lung throat hit similar to smoking.
Pod Kit
Pod kits tend to steer away from what smokers are used to, in a very loose sense. You still get the nicotine hit required, more than enough battery life and traditional e-liquid flavours packed with nicotine.
However, pod kits differentiate because they’re slightly more on the chunky side and start to ramp up in terms of features to customise the vaping experience. While some beginner vapers may like this aspect and want to jump straight into something new and different, it may feel out of your comfort zone as a new vaper if you want a simplified option. Pod kits can vary based on a range of factors, such as:
- Mouthpiece
- Airflow, often adjustable to tweak the performance
- Coils removable for cleaning or changing
- Some pod kits have removable pods, magnetically fitted either prefilled with e-liquid or empties which are refillable
- Depending on the advanced nature of the device, some types have LED screen displays with a wealth of features
Mod Kit
Sometimes perceived as the last stage in the cessation journey or purely a reason to delve deeper into vaping territory, a vape mod is as advanced as they get. Often big devices with a box shape and a separate tank on the top, they can range anywhere in wattage capacity from 5-230W. The more power you have, the larger the clouds of vapour produced. Advanced vapers like to experiment and push the boundaries with a vape mod kit, which in most cases has a wide range of features and adjustable settings to tweak the performance and output. Variable wattage, voltage and temperature control is not uncommon. While this is not often selected by beginners, like a disposable vape would it’s often the stage many beginners work towards as they gradually reduce their nicotine levels. You can also have mechanical mods which require a greater level of knowledge to understand coil building from scratch, as well as complete control over adjusting power and Ohm law to stay on the safe side.
Key Vaping Accessories
Now that you’ve seen the different types of devices on offer to vapers, it’s often quite clear after which is right for you. To maintain that vape kit and use it effectively as long as possible, you need to know about the various accessories you’ll need or want to keep the performance at a consistent level. As we mentioned earlier, the coil is a key aspect of that. You can read more about coils in this comprehensive vape coils guide, explaining what you’ll need to do to maintain them.
In addition to coils, the e-liquid you select is important. Vapers can pick between a high PG e-liquid, high VG vape juice or a 50/50 combination. Vegetable Glycerin and Propylene Glycol act as the key carriers - with VG diluting the nicotine and PG adding as a key component to keep nicotine mixed with the other ingredients - namely water, sweeteners and the nicotine. While VG is thicker and therefore better for large clouds of vapour, a higher PG ratio keeps the cloud size discreet and the throat hit on point for vapers who want to mouth to lung vape similarly to smoking.
You should replace your batteries regularly to ensure you don’t run out of power while out and about. Keep the coils fresh by changing at least every other week and switch up your e-liquid flavours often to avoid vapers tongue occurring. For any assistance, the Vsavi team is on hand Monday to Friday while our social channels are a hive of activity for fellow vapers of CBD and nicotine products to engage in the latest developments.