WWV Part III – Software and Process
For an introduction and overview of electronic cigarettes, see Part I of this six-part guide. This installment focuses on the software and the process of vaping.
Just as a computer needs applications software and an operating system (i.e., a process for the microprocessor) to be more than just an expensive paperweight, so does the e-cig hardware (presented in Part II) need its own kind of software and process for using it.
A. The Juice – What Vaping is All About
- Nicotine Levels – including recommendations based on type of smoker
- Flavors: Tobacco / Intermission / Non-tobacco – myriad choices
- Suppliers – for China juice and for very unusual flavors
- China juice vs. USA/UK-made – includes many suppliers
- PG vs. VG – pros and cons of each, allergies, VG sources
- Evaluations – more subjective than hardware; find a reviewer you like
B. The Process – lots of tutorial videos here
- Analogous to pipe smoking
- Preparation – charging, assembly, filling, dripping, and dipping
- Your First Vape – puffing and inhaling technique
- Basic Maintenance – including when to top off or recharge, cleaning
A. The Software (i.e., the juice aka e-liquid)
As important as the hardware is – and as enamored as many of us become with all the models (we’re like children clamoring to buy the latest and greatest toy) – the liquid that goes in it (sometimes pre-inserted in the cartridge) is what it’s all about.
[center illustration courtesy of Kalin Nacheff, www.e-cigarettepedia.com]
It’s analogous to the quality of the tobacco in an analog cigarette (ooh, I love saying analogous to analog). But, unlike analogs, the choices of nicotine levels and flavor are vast.
Nicotine levels
[The suggestions included in the following are rough guidelines only and will vary from vaper to vaper. I recommend that you purchase sample bottles at the suggested level plus at one notch lower and one notch higher.]
- None = 0 mg: Some vapers use only this level. For me, this is great for “pacifier” vaping. As with many vapers, I like to vape a lot, more than my body craves nicotine. So, in between nicotine vapes (akin to smoke breaks), I often suck on my e-cig, inhaling flavored non-nicotine vapor. I prefer non-tobacco candy/fruit/desert flavors for this, e.g., butter rum, chocolate mint, malty toffee, etc.
- Low = 6-8 mg: for those 1-5 cigarettes/day “social smokers” … whom I’ve never understood. How can anyone smoke occasionally?
- Medium = 11-12 mg: just right for me (I had cut down to 15 Ultra Lights per day prior to vaping).
- High = 16-18 mg: probably good for a pack a day, regular cigarette smoker (unless you smoked them all at the same time).
- Extra High = 24-26 mg: may be good for a two-pack per day and/or unfiltered analog smoker. [Although 18mg might work for you, especially if you vape a lot.]
- Ultra High = 36 mg: this level is intended for cutting with inexpensive non-nicotine liquid to save money, but a few people vape it uncut. This is not recommended.
- Unrated = 48-60 mg: only for cutting. You’ll poison yourself vaping at this level.
[NOTE: Some juice manufacturers and suppliers shift this scale, e.g., categorizing 11-12 mg as Low.]
