This is a back to basics blog post on how an e cigarette actually works. We have a number of different types of people browsing the blog, our information pages and buying our products. There are those thinking about moving over from smoking to vaping, those who have vaped for a little while and those who have been at it longer, and may have started to think about advanced vaping and trying new kit out.

Whatever stage you are at with your vaping hobby, understanding the basic elements of an e cigarette and how they work is important. This knowledge will allow you to get the most out of your device and to maintain it properly.

E Cig Basics

Ecigs, e cigarettes, vapes and similar are all names for the same thing. An e cigarette is a device which allows flavoured e liquids to be heated in order to vape or inhale/exhale the flavoured vapour it produces.

There are many different styles of e cigarette however fundamentally they all have the same component. The three main parts, the parts necessary for an e cig to function, are the battery, the atomizer and the tank. All of these come in different shapes, sizes and so on.

The E Cigarette Battery

All e cigarettes require a power source and this comes in the form of a lithium battery, much the same as mobile phone batteries only in different sizes and shapes. Despite their small size, e cigarettes require a lot of power to turn eliquid into vapour and so the batteries used are indeed powerful.

Some styles feature built-in batteries while others host removable ones. Which is best depends on the device itself.

The Tank

This is where the e juice is stored and fed to the wick. Tanks tend to be glass or Pyrex as opposed to plastic. Plastic tanks are known to discolour easily, can split when used with strong e liquids and altogether just don’t necessarily offer the same value for money. Personally, we think the glass or Pyrex option is the best, regardless of what flavours you are vaping. Many vapers opt for clear glass as this makes it easier to see how much e liquid is left inside, making the risk of a dry hit much smaller.

What has changed fairly recently is the size of a tank. Thanks to TPD regulations which went live in May 2017, e cigarette tanks may now no longer be bigger than 2ml.

Tanks serve a number of purposes. They don’t just store e liquid, ready to go when activated. Tanks need to let air in, in order to produce vapour, they need to be easy to clean/maintain, contain the coil, wick and more. There are many different tanks for vapers to choose from.

The Magic of the Atomizer

The atomizer is where the magic happens. Featuring the coil and wick, which is powered by the battery this is where the e liquid is heated and turns into a vape-able vapour. Some atomizers are fixed whereas others are known as being rebuildable. Rebuildables allow you to replace worn coils and wicks yourself, rather than buying a whole new atomiser. The coil/wick combination can look different according to the wick material and the type of coil used. Which one is “best” all comes down to a mixture of trial and error and your own individual vaping preferences.

A Working E Cigarette

Once all parts are correctly put together; the battery is charged, the tank has your favourite e liquid in it and all pieces are present and correct you are good to go. Activate the e cig by pressing the button or just by taking a draw which tells the battery to send an energy burst to the coil. Pretty much straight away vapour is produced. The vapour is amplified by the vaper drawing on the ecig, moving the air over the coil and the vapour up through the mouthpiece. A lot of vapour is produced very quickly, more so if you have chosen to vape with high VG e liquids which are known to be great at producing big vape clouds filled with flavour.

That’s about it, just keep taking draws as and when and enjoy the vapour this produces. Tanks need to be refilled, batteries recharged and consumables such as coils and wicks will eventually need to be replaced.

In Summary

There are a number of different ecigs around for you to choose from, from vape pens to box mods, pod vapes and more. All may work slightly differently so make sure you read manufacturer instructions and ask if you aren’t sure which device is best for you. Again, from new vapers to experienced cloud chasers, with so many e cigarette devices on the market, not to mention different tanks and so on, it’s easy to see how customising your vaping experience to suit your needs is easy to do.