While vaping is better than smoking, due to it being healthier and cleaner, it isn't as easy. Building your vape up and taking a puff out of it may be easy, but there are many mistakes people make when vaping.
Buying the Wrong E-Liquid
There are hundreds and thousands of e-liquids available of all different flavours, but people can make a bad choice when choosing their e-liquid. If you like chocolate milkshake, that doesn't mean you're going to like vaping it. If you buy a load of a specific flavour and load it into your tank, only to find you don't like it, you're stuck with that e-liquid now.
The best thing to do if you're planning to buy lots of e-liquid is to test it first. Most local vape shops allow you to test flavours before buying it, so you can see if you like it. If, however, you want to buy e-liquid online, some shops have sample packs that they can send to you, so you can try different flavours for yourself.
Read More: What Should I Look For In An E-Liquid?
Buying an Advanced Kit For Your First Vape
There is a wide range of kits available of all different shapes and sizes, some are easy to use, others not so much. Advanced kits are more complicated and therefore new vapers can suffer unless they have help.
Ideally, new vapers should start with starter kits, easy to use, with a decent throat hit and with a draw similar to a cigarette. Pod kits are the best type of these, small and with an automatic draw.
Another mistake to avoid is buying the cheapest vape kit, thinking it will save you money in the long run. This is wrong, as the kit may be 5 years old, and in that case might have poor performance and poor vapour production. The best thing to do is get a more expensive and more popular kit, from top-quality manufacturers like Smok or Aspire.
Read More: Things to Consider When Choosing an E-Cigarette
Picking the Wrong Nicotine Strength
Most people vape to get nicotine, but new vapers are uncertain of how much nicotine they need. If they get a nicotine strength too weak, they will find themselves vaping more to compensate, which requires more e-liquid and in the long run would cost more. If they get a nicotine strength too highm they may start getting headaches and feeling nauseous.
The way to work out the perfect strength of nicotine is to think about how much you used to smoke. If you never smoked or want to cut out nicotine altogether, it would be best for you to have a 0mg strength. Starting with a low strength and working your way up is best.
Read More: How to Choose the Right Nicotine Strength
Vaping Immediately After Refilling a Tank
If you vape as soon as the tank is filled, you can get a burnt taste as the e-liquid requires time after the tank is filled to saturate the wick.
A good idea would be to place bits of e-liquid on each end of the wick before you fill your tank for the first time or when you replace a coil head. Then, instal the coil and fill the tank. Be sure to wait a couple of minutes before you use the tank. If you wait between puffs for several minutes to resaturate the wick, you should no longer have a burnt taste in your vape.
Taking Hard Puffs
Taking a hard puff to try to get more vapour is the most common mistake new vapers make. This is because, on a normal cigarette, if you puff hard, the rings on the paper make the cigarette burn faster, releasing more smoke.
However, this doesn't work the same with a vape, and may even end up with less vapour, as the air tube fills up with e-liquid, which can cause you to get e-liquid in your mouth. Take long puffs, not hard ones, if you want to get more vapour. To stop sucking the e-liquid into your mouth, use a gentle air pressure.
Not Staying Hydrated
Propelyne Glycol (PG) is a hygroscopic component, which means that it removes moisture from the environment around it. You lose any liquid that the PG has absorbed when you exhale the vapour. Over time, this can cause you to have a dry mouth, throat and lips. While vaping should not cause severe dehydration, you should drink more to keep yourself hydrated.
Not Refilling the Tank Enough
Most e-cigarettes come with a refillable tank that only works when the tank has enough e-liquid to keep the coil wet. The heating coil is surrounded by a wick (usually cotton) that pulls e-liquid from the tank to the coil.
The e-cigarette has wick holes that can be seen from the side of the device. If the e-liquid amount is not consistently above these holes, the wick will not remain wet and you will likely get a burnt, harsh, dry hit. Make sure to refill the tank before the liquid falls below these holes.
Waiting Too Long to Buy E-Liquids
The main part of vaping is the liquids, since without it, you have nothing to vape. If you run out of e-liquid, you won't be able to vape and get your nicotine. If you order online, make sure to order before you run out of liquid, so you don't have to wait for the liquid to come.
Carrying Your E-Cigarette in Your Pocket
Given that the tank can leak if not properly carried, it is a good idea to carry vape equipment in a dedicated carrier rather than your pocket or purse. Transporting the device can also cause the device to be switched on inadvertently, which can wear out the coil faster and overheat it.
If you have spare batteries for your device, never loosely carry them in your pocket, as if they touch certain metal items such as keys or loose change, they can short-circuit. This can lead to the batteries venting or even exploding.
Vaping in the Wrong Places
While vaping is 95% safer than smoking, it is still illegal in some places. If you are caught vaping where it is illegal to vape, like on public transport or in certain businesses, you can get kicked out or fined. Always make sure you know the vaping rules in a certain place before you vape.
Read More: Where Can You Vape in the UK?
Never vape in people's faces. While you may love to vape, not everyone does. With second hand vaping not 100% proven to be safe, some people may not wanting you vaping around them. If you do vape in people's faces, even in places where it is allowed, it can lead to vaping being banned there, so you are forced to vape outside.
Now you should know how to avoid making these common vaping mistakes. Happy vaping!