*DRAFT* Beginner E-cig Guide

First off we should start off with the parts. Since this will start off for beginners we should start with ego setups.
An ego setup is about as simple as you can get with the exception of "cig-a-likes". cig-a-likes are the e-cigs that looks like real cigarettes. Sometimes these can help you get off cigarettes, but most of the time they dont, so I'm going to skip those and move onto the Ego style kits which is what has gotten most people to switch to vaping.


A typical Ego kit comes with a few parts.


The tank - there can be a variety of tanks that come in these kits, some are better than others and in the end it will be up to you to decide which is better for you. I will list 3 basic types.
for the cheapest kits, a CE4/5 tank is usually included(see below for picture). These are some of the earliest tanks, horribly outdated. It uses what is called a "top-fed" coil. the juice has to travel up the wicks(the little strings) to get to the heating element which produces the vapor, they are made of plastic. It is only "Ego threaded"
About a year ago there was some testing done, that found formaldehyde that formed when vaping. The ones conducting the experiment used this style of tank and pushed it way past what any sane person would use it one. It's almost like using a whole nuclear power plant to run a car, incredibly dangerous, so much so that no one should be that dumb as to do it.

The next tank is the evod tank. these are bottom fed tanks. They are made using metal and either plastic or glass for the windows. They are good beginner tanks. simply to use. they have a tighter draw on them to simulate more closely the draw of a cigarette. It only works with Ego threaded supported batteries.





If you choose to go with a Kanger tank, many of their tanks use the same coil heads, below is a list showing what works with what.









Next us is probably the most highly recommended beginner tank. Its the Aspire Nautilus. It is a 510 threaded tank(510 threaded is the most commonly used threading at this time), it's made of metal and glass, and uses a bottom fed coil. The glass is removable so if you break it you can easily get a replacement, you can also get some that have metal to protect the glass better. This tank also comes in a mini version which is also highly recommended, the only different is the amount of juice each holds.





All of these beginner tanks use premade coils, sometimes referred to as "heads". They typically last 1-2 weeks before needing to be changed. Most of these beginner tanks use silicon as a wicking material, a few use organic cotton which a lot of people prefer. I'll go into the other types of wicking material in the advanced mods section of this guide.




For the battery I'll start with the Ego battery. Ego batteries are regulated devices so they are always pushing out 3.3 volts to the tank. They come in a variety of colors, but they all have the same basic shape. They do come in different battery sizes. Batteries are measured in mAh(miliampere hour) the bigger the mAh, the longer it will last. Ego batteries typically come in between 600-1600 mAh. This also typically determines the length of the battery.





There are also what are known as "twist" style batteries. They are very similar in appearance to the Ego batteries but have a dial on the bottom to change the applied voltage, but we'll get into that later.


These batteries have an internal, rechargeable battery. They come with a cable that plugs into a usb port to charge. Depending on the model it will either charge with a micro usb cable or with one pictured below. This one you screw your ego battery on to charge.









before we move on to the next part, we should get on to voltage. voltage is the difference in electric potential force between two points. The two points being the wire heating element in the tank coils.




With "Twist" batteries, they look like the Ego style batteries but with a dial on the bottom. With this you can change the applied voltage, typically you can adjust between 3.2v to 4.8v. this gives you some customization to your vape, you will want to start at the lowest voltage then slowly raise it until you find a setting you enjoy. these usually use the same charger as regular Ego batteries.







some recommended starter kits:


Kanger EVOD starter kit

 

taking a little break from hardware, lets get into e-juice or e-liquid. First off, make sure you get decent liquid made in the US. a lot of the juice you see sold in gas stations are made in China where health and safety standards dont exist. you can end up getting something quite dangerous, even if it is super cheap.


E-juice is made with 4 ingredients typically.
First is propylene glycol, it is found in many foods, such as ice cream and soda, to medicines like diazepam. Because of its property of having a freezing point lower than water, it is also used in anti-freeze. I wouldnt normally include this but its a big arguing point for those that dont understand that, and it can cause a panic so I hope this puts you at ease.
Next is vegetable glycerin, its used in pretty much everything you eat, typically as a sweetener. as well as some medicinal applications, mostly as a humectant(keeps things wet).
The third ingredient is nicotine. as you know it is found in tobacco, but its also found in a variety of other plants, some of which people eat, like eggplant. despite what some may say, its really only as bad as caffeine, but dont go around drinking it.
the last one is flavorings, once again used in all types of foods. it is not recognized by the FDA as being safe for inhalation, mostly because no testing or not enough. most reputable juice makers will warn or inform you whether or not their juice contains some compounds like diacetyl(used to make foods to impart a buttery flavor) it was used in custard and cream flavorings. it can cause a condition known as popcorn lung, nasty stuff so just make sure to look out for that, if you dont see anything, try and ask. most companies have moved past it to flavorings without these more dangerous compounds.


something else to note, vaping isnt harmless, it is definitely much less harmful than smoking. this isnt water vapor, its the ingredients I listed above.






some good companies with lots of different types of juice for a cheap price so you can find your taste.
vapewild
mtbakervapor
itcvapes
mechsauce