It’s always hard taking the plunge to quit smoking and start using E-Cigarettes. Here at The Best E-Cigarette, we like to make sure you choose the right kit to help you do this.
Whether you’re just starting to use E-Cigarettes or are a seasoned veteran, it’s always good to have an honest second opinion when choosing a new kit.
In this week’s blog post, we will be looking at what kits work best for those wanting to quit and why they work as well as they do.
Why use E-Cigarettes to quit?
E-Cigarettes have been in use since 2003, although at this time it was quite a niche market with very few options. The industry however has boomed ever since, with thousands of brands to choose from and countless new users looking to quit their smoking habit to better their health whilst saving a penny or two.
It has been proven by the Public Health of England (PHE) that E-Cigarettes are 95% safer than traditional smoking methods and this has not changed since their report in 2015.
Considering that this has stayed consistent and vaping continues to help people quit, coupled with my own personal experiences with E-Cigarettes, I would always recommend using an E-Cigarette as the best method to quit smoking once and for all.
What E-Cigarette should I use?
Before picking which kit to use, it can be useful to familiarise yourself with some of the basics of vaping to help you make your decision.
What does an E-Cigarette consist of?
All e-cigarettes have a battery that powers the device, then a tank that holds the e-liquid. The battery section can be as simple as a pen-style tube with a single button, all the way up to a big, chunky box (often called a ‘mod’) with a screen and buttons to alter different settings such as power output. Some mods even have replaceable batteries so that the user can have spares for extra battery life when on-the-go. The tank section is similar in that it can go from a thin tube (a clearomiser) up to a thick tube (a tank) to match the bigger ‘mods’. All tanks, whether a thin one or a thick one, have something inside called an atomiser (also known as a ‘filter’ or more commonly a ‘coil’). The coil is the component that absorbs the e-liquid and vaporises it when heated up by the battery. It has cotton to absorb the liquid wrapped around wire that heats up to vaporise it. Because the cotton is constantly being heated, it will eventually burn out which can cause a bit of a burnt taste when vaping. This means it needs to be changed whenever this happens which is usually between 1-3 weeks, however can be anywhere from 3 days to a month depending on usage and what device / liquid you are using. When you fill up your tank, if it has a fresh, unused coil (so when you first buy it or if you’ve just changed it), you need to leave it to soak for 5 minutes to ensure the liquid properly soaks into the cotton. Otherwise, you can risk burning the cotton straight away which means you’ll need to throw it away and replace it. Tanks often have air holes which dictate the airflow / tightness of the draw (we’ll talk more about this later on). The air holes can either be fixed or adjustable so the user can control how tight or loose the draw is.
Batteries and tanks come in all shapes and sizes; more traditionally the two will be completely separate components and the tank will screw onto the top of the battery. In some cases you can find an ‘all-in-one’ kit where the tank is built onto the top of the battery and is not detachable (other than to change the glass if it breaks in some cases). More recently however people are using kits known as ‘Pod Kits’. These don’t have a tank as such, instead they are a pod that slots into the top of the battery. This appeals to people because they are more compact and portable.
Advanced kits, variable wattage and more about coils
While a lot of vapers prefer simplicity (what we would recommend for new starters), many enjoy personalising their vaping experience. This can be achieved by using a more advanced kit with different settings that can be altered and are often displayed on a screen. These alterations can be anything as small as changing the colour of the screen, all the way up to changing the power output (variable power) to adjust the whole performance of the kit. When vaping first began, the most common measurement of power output was Volts, so when the first variable power devices came out they were known as Variable Voltage (VV) devices. Now, the majority of devices on the market operate in ‘Watts’ as this allows more precise modifications to the power to fine-tune the vaping performance more effectively. These are known as Variable Wattage (VW) devices. The higher the power, the higher the throat hit and vapour production. When increasing your power, you just have to make sure that your coil can handle it. All coils have something called a resistance (measured in ‘Ohms’ – Ω) which refers to how the wire inside is wrapped and how much power it can handle. Generally, the lower the resistance, the more power the coil can handle (although there are some exceptions). Any coil with a resistance below 1Ω is called a ‘sub-ohm’ coil. These are typically what you will see ‘cloud chasers’ using as they can handle a lot of power which produces a lot of vapour. We’ll talk more about these in the ‘Types of Vaping’ section below. As well as the resistance, all coils will have a wattage rating (either printed on the coil or the box) which is essentially a guideline of what wattage range to power the coil on. For example it might look like “7W-14W”, which means the coil is capable of handling anywhere between 7 and 14 Watts. Most variable wattage devices, or ‘mods’, can alter wattage in 1W increments so it will be easy to abide by any wattage rating you come across. If you power the coil below the wattage range, the coil might not perform to its full potential (it might not power up properly which will mean you don’t get a proper draw). There are some exceptions though, for example a lot of sub-ohm coil manufacturers overestimate the wattage rating, so you may find a coil with a rating of 40W-80W can actually be used quite comfortably on 30W. If you power a coil over the wattage range, you will find it will burn out a lot quicker (if not instantly) because you are over working it. This is why it’s very important to pay attention to the wattage rating. If you have a device that is not variable wattage, you will often find that it will read the resistance of the coil and automatically output an appropriate power. All batteries/mods will have a ‘resistance range’ which is the minimum & maximum coil resistance it’s compatible with.
Types of Vaping
There are two types of vaping in terms of how you inhale and exhale the vapour produced by your device. You have the lower powered kits that perform more like a cigarette, or the higher powered sub ohm kits that are designed more for clouds.
Mouth to lung (MTL): Mouth to Lung, or MTL for short, is tailored to those who are looking for an E-Cigarette that can replicate a cigarette by providing a tight draw with small vapour production. This is the method we recommend when trying to quit smoking. These types of devices also tend to be a lot more simple to use and are more suited to using higher nicotine than a lot of the sub-ohm kits (often referred to as “fog machines”). Read more about these below.
Direct Lung (DL): Direct Lung, or DL for short, is for those looking to achieve bigger clouds than they would with MTL devices. A lot of these kits tend to be much more powerful in order to achieve larger vapour production. Due to this higher power and massively increased vapour production, when taking a draw the user inhales the vapour directly into their lungs (hence direct-lung). This bypasses the mouth, almost like one big deep breath, as opposed to MTL which involves taking the vapour into your mouth first, then inhaling when your mouth is full (as you would with a traditional cigarette). This means you don’t need to be using higher strength e-liquids such as 12mg or 18mg because you’re taking in more vapour / nicotine with each draw. A 3mg nicotine strength would be more advisable for this style of vaping We’ll touch on nicotine strengths more later on. More airflow is needed for DL in order to achieve the ‘deep breath’ style of draw. This can be achieved by opening the air holes as wide as possible on the tank (commonly one or two really wide holes on DL setups). When wide open it allows air to freely pass in through the tank, then up through the coil and out the mouth piece so the user can take a draw (or in this case a deep breath) freely instead of it being tight or restricted. Some MTL kits are able to also offer a ‘restricted DL’ performance. This is where the kit is powerful enough to produce a decent amount of vapour, and there’s just about enough airflow to make it possible, however it’s not quite enough so it feels a bit tight/restricted.
What nicotine strength should I use?
It’s always difficult when picking your nicotine strength when you first switch to vaping; the main strengths you will find are 18mg, 12mg, 6mg, 3mg and 0mg.
The best way to determine what strength will be required is to figure out the daily amount of cigarettes you smoke and that will give you a rough estimate on what strength you’ll need. Check the table below for a better idea of what strength you’ll need (for an MTL kit – as mentioned above 3mg is enough for a DL kit):
Cigarettes A Day
Nicotine Strength
1-5
3mg
6-10
6mg
11-15
12mg
16+
18mg
A rough estimate on how much nicotine you’ll need in your e-liquid
This tends to be the way I would suggest nicotine strengths for those who are looking to start vaping. When I started to quit smoking and move to vaping, I was smoking 15 roll-ups a day, so 12mg was perfect for me.
When it comes down to choosing your strength, you’ll need to bear in mind what device you have gone for. If you’re new to vaping, you’ll most likely have gone for a low powered “pen” style MTL device that would be able to work with any strength you require from 3mg to 18mg. If you have a kit that is capable of producing a DL style vape, then I would definitely start at 3mg and go no higher than 6mg unless you feel you absolutely need to. This is because of the amount of power the DL kits produce; as mentioned above they’ll deliver more nicotine with each draw than MTL kits so the strength required is a lot lower.
What is a PG/VG ratio?
All e-liquid on the market has something called a PG/VG ratio. This refers to the percentage of each of the two main ingredients in the e-liquid. These two ingredients are Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerin (VG). PG is the thinner of the two and has a harsher throat hit, whilst VG is the thicker of the two with a smooth throat hit and larger vapour production. A ratio you might see is 70PG/30VG. This means 70% of the e-liquid is PG, and 30% of the e-liquid is VG. This will be quite a thin liquid with a strong throat hit. With MTL devices, they tend to be lower powered which means you need to stick to thinner liquids (below 60% VG) because they don’t output enough power to vaporise the thick liquids effectively. Putting a thick liquid in a MTL device can clog your coil and prematurely burn it out. Thicker liquids are suited to higher powered sub ohm (DL) devices because they can output plenty of power sufficient to vaporise the thick liquid quickly which produces lots of vapour.
What are Nicotine Salts (Nic Salts)?
If you’re just entering the world of vaping you may have heard of these. They’re all the rage at moment and with good reason. If you’re not too bothered about all of the chemistry jargon, see the summary at the bottom of this paragraph (we don’t want to bore you) to find out why they can be beneficial to both new and current vapers. Nicotine Salts are the naturally formed nicotine in the tobacco leaf. They are not a physical salt, they just have the chemical composition of one. This chemical composition consists of a weak base and negatively charged particles that seek to find protons to become stable (ionised). Ionised drugs have difficulty passing through cell membranes which means they are not bioavailable (easily absorbed into the body). Because of this, an acid (usually benzioc acid or citric acid) is added to the nic salt to reduce the pH level (nicotine salts are an alkaline to begin with) which means it can be vaporised efficiently at lower temperatures (even by basic starter e-cig kits). This is because acids become a ligand (bond) to our nicotine receptors which delivers the nicotine quicker. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you’re vaping a burning acid; the end result is only just below natural water on the pH scale. In addition to this, higher pH levels (alkalines) give a stronger throat hit, so by adding the acid and reducing the alkalinity, the nic salts have an incredibly smooth throat hit so users can vape the higher nicotine strength they need to satisfy cravings without an excessive throat hit. This is why higher nicotine strengths in regular e-liquids have such a harsh throat hit, because the standard ‘freebase’ nicotine used in e-liquids is achieved in a way where the alkalinity remains very high. Even high VG freebase nicotine e-liquids have a strong throat hit in the higher strengths, it’s just a lot smoother than high PG. Because of the absence of a throat hit in the nic salts, the user can actually take a larger draw/vape without throat irritation, meaning more nicotine is delivered with every draw. After the acid is added, the now lower pH nic salt is diluted in your usual e-liquid ingredients, propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG) and flavourings to make it into a ‘vapeable’ nic salt e-liquid.
To summarise, the main benefits of nic salts are:
– Bonds to nicotine receptors immediately instead being slowly absorbed into the body (like normal freebase nicotine) which provides a quicker delivery of nicotine (or nicotine ‘rush’).
– It has a lower pH level than freebase so has a much smoother throat hit which means not only can you tolerate the stronger nicotine strengths, but you can take in more vapour with every draw which makes sure you get the nicotine hit you need.
Because of these two points, it’s recommended that you don’t use powerful sub ohm devices (realistically anything over 15W/20W) with nic salts because you might get too much nicotine in one go and become light headed.
Pod kits are great with nic salts because they are often low powered, small, compact and portable. This means you don’t have to carry around a big device because you can stay topped up on nicotine throughout the day with quick nicotine delivery satisfying cravings more efficiently. This in turn leads to you not needing to use your device as much which means it does not matter that pod kits usually have smaller battery capacity.
Nic Salts are available in various flavours and are ideal for new starters or current vapers who crave more nicotine but usually wouldn’t be able to handle the strong throat hit that comes with it. Obviously if you’re a smoker wanting to switch to vaping but the throat hit is really important to you (as is the case for a lot of people), then nic salts probably aren’t for you.
How does this compare to “standard” e-liquids containing freebase nicotine? Find out below:
Freebase nicotine is what’s been used in e-liquids since the start of the e-cigarette industry. This takes the same naturally occurring nicotine salts from the tobacco leaf, however instead of adding an acid, ammonia is added. As mentioned at the top of this section, nicotine has the chemical composition of a salt which is ionised. The ammonia de-protonates the nicotine (removes its protons) which de-ionises it and ‘frees’ the base to allow it to pass through cell membranes. This means it becomes more bioavailable (absorbs into the body more efficiently) which offers a slower nicotine delivery but stays in the body for longer. The nicotine can then be diluted in the usual e-liquid ingredients listed above to become a bottle of freebase nicotine e-liquid.
What to choose for a first kit?
Now we’ve got to grips with some of the vaping foundations, below are my top four recommendations for starter kits that tick all the boxes for me as a suitable option for quitting smoking and starting vaping.
If I was to start again as if I’ve never used an e-cigarette, I would definitely look at using something along the lines of a low powered kit that is more purpose-built for quitting smoking – an MTL device.
Aspire have become a staple brand in the industry over the years with their consistently impressive array of devices. Their reputation is at the very top, just like their quality of products. This for me makes them an incredibly reliable brand to quit smoking with; from their ever-popular devices such as the Nautilus series, the Pockex line, and arguably one of their biggest successes, the BVC line of coils.
The Aspire Spryte uses the BVC coil line and considering the popularity and reliability of these coils, this kit makes the cut with flying colours. This is down to the sheer length of time these coils have been around, and stayed around. Often tanks and coils come and go, but not these ones. They’ve been so popular (and still are), that they have to be one of the longest-standing coils in the whole industry. This is the definition of tried and tested, and is why this is the first kit on the list.
The Spryte kit is nice and easy to use, so it’s perfect for a new starter. There’s no menu system or settings to worry about, just the firing button to power the device and turn it on/off (5 quick clicks = on/off). The kit has a 650mAh battery capacity which should last you 6-8 hours of vaping (depending on usage). One handy feature I like about this kit, one that you don’t see a lot at all, is the inclusion of a dust cap/lid that you put on top of the device when not in use to make sure your mouth piece stays dust/fluff free! I really think more devices should have these, because when you’re not using your device and pop it in your pocket or bag for example (ensuring it’s turned off), it’s quite common for bits to get in the mouth piece. The Spryte has a pod to hold your e-liquid; just pull the pod out, turn it upside-down and pull out the orange bung to fill it up. The coil is also located on the underside of the pod; to change it just unscrew it from the pod, then unscrew the coil itself from the base and replace with a new one. There’s also adjustable airflow on the base to change the tightness of your draw. An open hole provides a looser draw, whereas a closed hole provides a tighter draw.
To summarise, it’s a simple, easy to use kit that replicates the feel of smoking very well.
The Joyetech Ego Pod is relatively new in the industry and has definitely made its mark. I’ve personally used this device for the last 7 months and have honestly got no faults to report.
This kit is arguably one of the easiest kits to use on the market. It’s breath activated meaning there’s no buttons to press; just take a draw on it and it’ll power up! This makes the kit perform more like a traditional cigarette which helps that transition become a lot easier. Plus with the battery being quite large for a starter kit (1000mAh) and the resistance being quite high (1.2Ω), it’ll easily last the whole day without charge (depending on usage). I’ve actually been getting at most two days before it’s flat.
Another factor that makes the kit so easy to use is the inclusion of a pod with a built-in coil. This means everything is in one place and there’s no need to worry about changing any components (even the mouth piece is built in). Just keep topping up (using the spring loaded fill port underneath the pod), then throw away the full pod when the coil is burnt out.
The Joyetech eGo Pod kit is an incredibly easy-to-use kit that will give you the closest performance to the real thing! It’s also (at the time of writing) the most affordable kit in the store, costing just £19.99!
Eleaf are another one of those brands who have been on the scene as long as anyone can remember and are known for their hardware being exceptional in quality. The iJust AIO upholds this outstanding reputation. This is another pod kit but with the added addition of variable power, meaning if you need that extra bit of a hit, you can just turn up the power! This doesn’t use a screen, but is instead achieved by quickly clicking the power button three times while the device is on. This will cycle through the power settings, displayed by the light flashing behind the power button. Red = low / Blue = medium / Green = high. Higher power will give more of a throat hit with larger vapour production. These same lights can be used to show how much battery life you have left, which is a very handy feature as not a lot of the pen-style devices have this. Quickly click the power button twice to display battery life. There is an impressive 1500mAh battery capacity with this device which should be sufficient to see you through a full day of vaping. However, this does depend on usage, plus the battery will drain quicker as you increase the power setting.
The coil is really easy to change; just pop the pod out, pull out the coil from the base and push in a new one. The coil that comes with the kit is 0.6Ω which gives a powerful MTL experience or a restricted DL experience. A 1.2Ω coil is available for a lower power MTL vape. The power outputted by the device automatically scales depending on which coil is installed. So for example using the 1.2 coil on high power (green) would output about the same as using the 0.6 coil on low (red).
To fill the pod, rotate the middle metal sleeve of the pod to reveal the white fill port. When rotating ensure you do not hold the mouth piece or the battery because it won’t rotate properly; either the whole pod will rotate or nothing will rotate at all. The fill port is a white rubber membrane with a slit in the middle. Push your e-liquid bottle’s nozzle through the slit in the membrane, fill up your pod, then remove the nozzle. The membrane will seal itself back up. Rotate the metal sleeve to cover the fill port back up, then you’re ready to go. Rotating the whole pod will open & close the airflow hole on the side of the battery at the top where the pod sits.
This kit is a great option for someone who would like a bit of personalisation with their vaping experience. Maybe first thing in the morning the throat hit is a bit harsh, so turn it down to low power and you’re sorted!
This is the first of the kits in this post that isn’t a pod kit (they just seem to be really popular at the moment), but it’s with good reason because this is arguably our most popular starter kit!
As with the other starter kits above, the Pockex is a remarkably easy kit to use. We believe ease of use is essential for new starters because it’s a big step to make, so making the whole process easier to get used to by ensuring there’s no complications is key to a kit’s effectiveness. With the Pockex, Aspire did just that. There’s just one button to press, and both filling and coil changing is done via the top of the device. Similar to most kits, quickly click the power button 5 times to turn the device on/off, then hold it down to take a draw (when filled with e-liquid of course). To fill up, just unscrew the top cap, then fill straight into the glass tank section up to the ‘max’ line. When unscrewing the top, the coil unscrews at the same time, so whenever you need to change it you can just unscrew it from there then screw in another one.
Similar to the iJust AIO, the Pockex has two coil options; a 0.6Ω coil (pre-installed) and a 1.2Ω coil (spare in the box). The Pockex does not have variable power, so it will automatically read which coil is installed and output an appropriate power. The 0.6 coil is the stronger of the two so will give more of a throat hit and more vapour production (powerful MTL or restricted DL). The 1500mAh battery capacity should be enough to see you through a full day of vaping (depending on usage), however bear in mind that the 0.6 coil draws more power out of the battery meaning it will drain it quicker.
This is a solid kit that has become one of our go-to starter kits for those looking to stop smoking.
Conclusion
There is a plethora of kits to choose from these days; although I’ve suggested a few different kits we recommend in this post, the best advice I could give to someone wanting to make that transition from smoking to vaping is to simply come and chat with us in store. This is because you can see the device in front of you and also ask any questions that come to mind.
One final thing to consider when making the jump from smoking to vaping is that it’s not a miracle cure for a 10-year habit but something to aid you when trying to quit. Patience is a virtue. Although more people have statistically quit because of vaping, it doesn’t mean that it’s purely vaping that has made them quit. Willpower is definitely needed and you have to want to quit in order to make it happen.
If you want to know more about quitting smoking, come down to our store and have a chat with one of our helpful team members. Alternatively you can get in touch via email, phone, or even on our social pages (info and links are down below).
Phone – 01773 687073
Email – support@thebestecigarette.info
Thank you for reading.
Cal
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We are officially back in lockdown! Stay safe everyone.
This week it’s going to be a quick post about the lockdown and what we will be doing from the 5th of November till the 2nd of December (End date may be subject to change).
So with the lockdown, as you may have heard in the news, all non-essential shops must be closed to the public, however, if a business is able to provide an online service or click and collect then they may remain operational so long as they do not allow customers in-store. Just like last time, we will be sending orders out for delivery via Royal Mail and DPD, but unlike last time our click and collect service can remain open! Below we will be going over how Click and Collect is going to work and how you can get ahold of all your E-Cig essentials.
Ordering Online
So as always, our website is available to place your order. When it comes to wanting to collect your order from our store, simply select the “Click & Collect from our Alfreton Store” at the last stage of checkout (you still need to fill out address details before getting to this stage). This is completely free to do so if you live local to the store then it saves you money on postage and time waiting for your favourite flavours or new kit to arrive!
Once you have completed your order, you can start making your way down to the shop as the turn around time for collection is pretty fast – we can get your order ready within minutes.
Once the order has been picked and checked, we will notify you via e-mail (please make sure it’s correct at checkout) that your order is ready! From there, simply press the doorbell on the front of the shop and provide your order number & name, or a copy of the invoice from your confirmation email at hand.
Telephone Orders
If for any reason you cannot use our website, don’t panic, as we can also take orders over the phone as well (it’s probably easier this way in all honesty)!
To place a telephone order, simply call the shop (01773 687 073) and we will take your order and payment over the phone.
When it comes to collecting your order, we will give you an order number which you can quote to us along with your name so we can then hand over the order to you. Again please press the door bell upon arrival.
If you can’t collect from store, then don’t panic as we are still operating delivery with Royal Mail and DPD. These options are still available on the website or over the phone for if you are either shielding or are too far from the store.
So whether you need a new kit or just a top-up on supplies, then we are still here ready to help.
If you have any queries about ordering then feel free to contact us.
We will be available for Click & Collect seven days a week at normal opening times, any order placed by our website for delivery will be dispatched on the same day providing the order was placed before 3pm, Monday to Friday.
Thanks again for reading and we hope you are all staying safe.
Hope you are all well and keeping good in 2020 (all things considered of course). As you are probably aware, it has been a good few years since we last did a blog post and to be quite frank, we’ve missed doing these blogs so we thought we would jump right back into it and get them going again!
We will be covering a wide range of things here from e-liquid to hardware; deals to outright bargains; tips to tutorials; latest news to regulations; and everything else e-cig related!
In this particular post, I thought it would be best to write about changes that have happened during the lockdown, the first being that we have had a bit of a make-over instore which was long overdue! We’ve had new carpets, decorated the walls and had perspex put up to keep in line with COVID guidelines.
We’ve had quite a few new e-liquid ranges in-store which we will be getting into in our next post, along with lots of new hardware including the latest vaping trend, Pod systems. These particular systems couple well with Nicotine Salts which work slightly different to freebase nicotine; they are absorbed into the body faster to satisfy nicotine cravings quicker, and although they come in a higher nicotine content (20mg is the average) they are a lot smoother on the throat than freebase meaning you can use max strength without the extreme harshness.
As I said previously, this is just a quick “hello” to say we will be doing blog posts as regular as we can, so keep your eyes out for them!
We’re also posting regularly on social media to showcase our products. I’ll pop a link just below so you can check them out as well.
The TPD (Tobacco Products Directive) is just around the corner, so we’d like to keep you up to date (as much as we can) and let you know what’s in store for this year!
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first!
TPD Regulations
We’re aware that these reminders are probably wearing a bit thin by now, but we just want to make sure that everyone is aware of what the TPD is and how it will affect you as vapers. The TPD is Government legislation that aims to regulate and control E-Cigarettes to make them ‘safer’. As you’re probably aware, as of May 20th 2017, E-Liquids will no longer be sold in bottles with a capacity higher than 10ml. This means that we have not been able to order any more 30ml bottles in since November 2016, so any we have left in stock are our final ones! The strength of E-Liquid will be capped too; 20mg will be the highest strength E-Liquid you can buy (the highest we will sell will be 18mg just to be on the safe side).
In addition to this, E-Cigarette Tanks are also subject to change; they will no longer be manufactured or sold with a capacity higher than 2ml. Similarly to the 30ml E-Liquids, any tanks we currently have in with a capacity higher than 2ml are our last ones and will not be sold after May 20th 2017. Don’t worry too much though, we’re hoping you will still be able to buy the coils for these tanks, plus TPD compliant versions of them will most likely be made.
On with the positives!
Kit Offers
Don’t forget we’ve knocked 10% OFF ALL of our Ego K Starter Kits for January, so you haven’t got long to make the most of this offer! Offer ends 1st February 2017.
Discounted E-Liquid
We have some massive discounts on E-Liquid for you to take advantage of! Hangsen, Liqua and T-Juice E-Liquid have as much as 75% off in some cases, but act quickly because they really do go fast! We can usually replenish discounted stock, however with the TPD Regulations not allowing us to order any more 30ml bottles, this is no longer the case!
New Products
We’ve had some fantastic new products in over the last couple of weeks, most of which are TPD compliant meaning they will not be eradicated when the regulations arrive! This is only the beginning; there will be hundreds more new products arriving throughout the year, ranging from TPD compliant replacements of old products, to fresh new innovative products for you to enjoy! We’re confident that the E-Cigarette industry will power through the TPD.
It doesn’t end here, we have an abundance of new products ready to be announced very soon! This includes two new TPD Compliant E-Liquid Ranges and a huge array of kits, batteries and tanks!
The Tesla Touch is the first touchscreen mod by Teslacigs and it’s definitely impressive. There are a lot of incredible features on here so before we take a closer look at them, here’s a quick round-up of the main ones:
Resistance Range: 0.1ohm – 3.0ohm for VW mode (variable wattage)
0.5ohm – 1.0ohm for Ti/Ni200/SS316/TCR mode.
Touchscreen/Home Screen
Obviously the feature that makes the Tesla Touch stand out is its touchscreen menu; at 2.4” it is bright, clear and easy to read, with all the information you need on the homescreen. The main screen displays what mode you’re in and how much battery you have left (both appearing at the very top of the screen), there is a lock option which will show blue when unlocked and yellow when locked (press it when blue to lock it, and slide the bar across the screen when yellow to unlock), and a settings button and a back button (all of these appearing at the bottom of the screen). Above this, close to the bottom of the screen is a series of values; in the centre of this is your temperature/wattage control (which can easily be changed), on the left hand side of this, the ampage and the ohms of your tank are displayed, then on the right, if you have the centre button as temperature control then the wattage option and the equivalent in voltage is shown. However, if you have the centre button as the wattage control then the temperature control and the equivalent in voltage will appear on the right. To switch from temperature control to wattage control and vice versa, simply press the button above the voltage setting (this will show as wattage if temperature control has been selected or temperature if wattage control has been selected). The touchscreen opens up many possibilities, including multiple menus and settings, complete control over these settings, customising capabilities, easy mode switches and a quick lock system that eliminates any accidental changes.
Menu Options
To access the display menu (shortcut menu) from the main screen, press the back button or press the settings button, then the back button. This menu will give you the following options:
Screen sleep (15sec, 30sec, 45sec, 60sec, Always and Never)
Brightness
Wallpaper (4 different options)
Language (Chinese and English)
About
Software Update (possible only with a computer)
This menu allows for total control over your display settings. Screen too bright in the evening? Turn down the brightness. Tired of looking at the same wallpaper? Change it to a fish. Sick of your display taking too long to turn off? Change the time it takes! Everything you could possibly want to change, you can with this mod, which is exactly what sets the Tesla Touch apart from most other mods!
The red settings button will take you straight to the settings menu which will give you the following:
Lock Vaping
Resistance Lock
Material Set (Kanthal, Ni200, SS 316, Ti)
Speed Mode (Soft Mode, Standard Mode, Powerful Made)
Memory (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5. Each of these in customisable and will save your preferred setting so that you can easily access it at a later date).
TCR (SS, TI, NI)
This menu allows for control and customisation over your vaping settings. You can tell the mod what material your coil is made of and what speed you want the mod to work at. You can set up to five different memory modes, which is perfect for vapers prone to switching between tanks; you can easily access the settings for each tank without having to remember what you prefer it on for each of your tanks.
Power
With capabilities of 150 watts and 600°F, the Tesla Touch is one of Teslacigs’ most powerful. This, combined with its ability to work with atomisers as low as 0.1ohm on wattage control and 0.05 on temperature control, means this mod will work perfectly with most, if not all Sub Ohm tanks, and will satiate even the most advanced vaper.
Size and Shape
The Tesla Touch has clearly been ergonomically designed with a human hand in mind. The mod itself is no wider than the palm of a hand and therefore fits snugly. It is easy to switch hand positions (from using the screen, to using the fire button) without having to fumble about. The top of the mod where the tank sits is curved downwards slightly to accommodate the firing button, so there’s no uncomfortable reaching for the firing button with your thumb. The curved edges feel smooth against the hand so there’s no discomfort where there can often be on box mods. There is definitely some weight behind the mod but this only makes it more stable and less likely to slip out of your hand or be knocked off a table.
Protection As an added bonus, and because this is a touchscreen mod, the Tesla Touch comes with a screen protector and a cloth to clean your screen, so there’s no need to go out and buy one yourself! Not only does this kit come with physical protection, the mod itself comes with many device protections too:
10s Over-puffing
Low Voltage Alert
Atomiser Short-Circuit protection
Reverse Connection
Material Set Error Alert
Upgrade
The Tesla Touch is protected from all angles both physically and electronically, so there’s no need to worry about experimenting; this mod is pretty smart and will keep you from doing anything that you shouldn’t be done with this mod.
Battery The Tesla Touch takes 2 x 18650 batteries, which has great potential for long battery life between charges. We do suggest that because this mod takes two batteries, that these be charged out of the mod using a separate battery charger, much like the two-slot Trustfire charger; this will allow for a better charge, rather than all the charge going to one battery and therefore only lasting half as long. There are two strong magnets holding the battery chamber door to the rest of the mod. These feel really secure, making it a lot less likely for the back to fall off like with some other mods.
Overall, there are some incredible features on the Tesla Touch which really make it stand out from the rest, and marks this as a step up in the world of touchscreen mods. Completely customisable, comfortable to hold and catering to all levels of expertise, the Tesla Touch 150W mod is a great choice if you’re wanting to delve further into the world of E-Cigarette mods.
The TPD Regulations are Government laws aimed at controlling the way in which E-Cigarettes (and E-Liquids) are manufactured and sold. These regulations become fully effective on May 20th 2017, however E-Cigarette companies have up until 20th November 2016 to order in any non-TPD compliant products they wish to sell before 20th May. However, this is at their own risk, as anything non-TPD compliant left over after 20th May will go to waste as it will be illegal to sell.
Here are the regulations for E-Cigarettes and E-Liquids that are coming into place. Anything that does not meet this criteria is deemed non-TPD compliant and is therefore illegal to sell:
-E-Liquid bottles can be no larger than 10ml
-The nicotine concentration (strength) in E-Liquid can be no higher than 20mg. The highest strength we will sell is 18mg just to be safe.
-E-Cigarette Tanks can be no larger than 2ml. This means Sub Ohm tanks will be illegal to sell, along with larger standard tanks such as the Aspire Nautilus. We will be selling extender kits for some products to increase the capacity.
Just to be clear, these rules do not come into action until May 20th 2017, so nothing will change until then; you will still be able to buy E-Liquid in 30ml bottles, E-Liquid with strengths higher than 20mg, and tanks with capacities over 2ml. The November 20th deadline is just for us as a company to order stock (non-TPD compliant) that we think we can sell before May 20th 2017. Please bare in mind that just because we can still sell non-TPD compliant products up until 20th May 2017, it doesn’t mean we will have everything you need in stock; due to people stocking up on non-TPD compliant products, there’s a high chance we could run out quickly, so get what you need while you still can!
We appreciate this is all probably a bit confusing as to what you will and won’t be able to purchase once TPD takes effect, so here’s a table to summarise exactly what will happen to the products we sell, and some alternatives that will hopefully be coming into place.
Hangsen E-Liquid in 10ml bottles in all strengths up to 18MG. ALTERNATIVE: Hangsen E-Liquid in 30ml bottles in 0MG with Nicotine separate for you to add to make it your desired strength.
We hope this clears things up for you! If you have a query about a product related to the TPD regulations, feel free to get in touch and ask us about it! You can email us at support@thebestecigarette.info, call us on 01773 687073, visit our Facebook, Twitter or Google+ pages to ask us on there, or pop in-store! Our store is located at 86 High Street, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 7BE, United Kingdom.
Ingredients, Tools and Procedures needed for DIY E-Liquid
DIY E-Liquid is the process of making homemade E-Liquid by using a PG (propylene glycol) or VG (vegetable glycerin) base, your own flavourings and nicotine to create your very own personalised recipe!
The majority of prepared E-Liquids, as well as most DIY recipes call for a mixture of PG and VG, commonly at a 50/50 ratio. However, the concentration can vary up to 80% vg/20% pg and beyond in some preparations to cater for personal preference. Both PG and VG offer different attributes to your DIY E-Liquid, so it can be handy to know plenty about them in order for you to find your perfect balance of the two. For starters, both are approved as safe for human consumption by the FDA.
PG is a popular base for DIY E-Liquid due to it being the thinner, less viscous liquid of the two bases; therefore it is easier to handle when filling tanks and is less likely to leave build-up in your vaping system overtime. It is also harsher than VG and provides a much more satisfying throat hit.
VG is less ‘harsh’ than PG and provides a lighter throat hit for those vapers who prefer it. Additionally, something that appeals to a lot of vapers is that VG offers huge vapour production; if you fancy becoming a human fog machine then use plenty of VG!
Due to its thickness, VG also makes your liquid take a bit longer to fully heat up and become vapour. This demands more power from your E-Cigarette Mod or Battery, meaning higher powered mods (20watts onwards) are more suited to high VG liquids.
Nicotine
If you’re one of the many converts from analogue smoking to the world of vaping, you’re familiar with this ingredient, but not as familiar as you may think when dealing with homemade DIY E-Liquid:
Undiluted liquid nicotine is a poison even in small amounts, please handle with extreme caution. Use protective clothing, gloves and goggles to ensure no contact is made with skin or eyes. If any contact is made with skin or eyes ensure you thoroughly wash affected area with water for at least 15 minutes. If you feel unwell seek medical attention immediately.
Concentration of nicotine is an important factor in DIY E-Liquid as it can greatly affect the flavour and overall experience of using DIY E-Liquid.
The most common nicotine concentrations are 3 mg and 6mg, but the range of safe levels can range from 0mg (the safest possible level) all the way up to 36mg (very high).
Equipment Needed For Making E-Liquid From Scratch.
We stock base mix which has all of the PG, VG and nicotine mixed together ready to go; all you need to do is add some concentrated flavourings!
When making your own E-Liquid you have to have a desired PG/VG ratio in mind; the more VG you use the thicker and smoother the liquid is going to be. The more PG you use the thinner and harsher your liquid will be when you vape it.
When using a 100ml bottle 70%, VG would equate to 70ml, 30% PG would equate to 30ml and vice versa. You’re going to want to leave room for your flavouring which contains PG, as well as room for your nicotine which will contain either PG or VG.
As an example, if using a Subtank such as an Aspire Triton Tank or a Horizontech Arctic Tank, it’s recommended you have your liquid smooth with less of a kick (because Subtanks make E-Liquid seem much harsher), so to achieve this consistency you need to use a higher VG ratio (example 80% vg/20% pg) and a lower nicotine concentration such as 3mg or 6mg. You do not have to abide by this recommendation though, as not everyone likes their liquid smoother; you can tailor your liquid to your own personal preference.
If you are using a standard clearomiser such as an Aspire Ce5 tank or a Kangertech T3D tank you’re going to want to make your liquid thinner by using more PG. This is because thick liquids (High VG) aren’t compatible with these type of tanks as they aren’t as powerful and are unable to burn the liquid hot enough. This means your tank becomes clogged with liquid which effectively breaks the coil.
How to make your E-Liquid
Step 1) Gather all required equipment (as above) and have your empty E-Liquid bottle ready.
Step 2) Once you have your desired ratio in mind, start by adding your chosen flavour concentrate(s). Use syringe to measure volume. You should aim for anywhere between 5%-15% (This varies due to personal preference and the flavour intensity of chosen concentrate). In a 100ml bottle this would equate to anywhere between 5ml–15ml. When making our own liquids we opt for 15% flavour concentrate (15ml in a 100ml bottle). As mentioned earlier, if you’re going for a 90% VG/10% PG mix then the maximum concentrate you can use is 10% as this accounts for your PG. If using multiple flavour concentrates, this does not mean use 5%-15% of each concentrate; the 5%-15% figure refers to the total volume of concentrates.
Step 3) Add your nicotine carefully using your syringe and protective clothing/gloves. Nicotine is 72mg per 100ml, so if for example you want 3mg it will require 4.2ml of nicotine. See below for calculation to work out required nicotine volume. You can purchase nicotine in a VG or PG base and this will contribute to the overall PG/VG ratio of your mix, so be careful which one you buy! If you’re aiming for a 90% VG/10% PG mix and have already added your 10% concentrate, you do not have any more room for PG, so using PG Nicotine would ruin your mix! FOR THIS STEP PLEASE FOLLOW SAFETY ADVICE UNDER ‘NICOTINE’ SECTION OF THIS ARTICLE.
Step 4) Once both nicotine and flavourings are added, fill the rest of your bottle with your PG and VG. Quantities of these will vary depending on what consistency and ‘harshness’ you’d like your liquid. VG = Smoother & more Vapour. PG = Harsher & less vapour.
Step 5) Once all products are added, put the lid on your bottle and shake well.
Tip: Get a bowl of warm water, place closed bottle with mixed ingredients in warm water for 2/3 minutes . This allows the liquid to thin quicker and mix more efficiently . Continue to shake afterwards for an equal amount of time.
Calculation for working out how much nicotine you need (in ML) to get your desired E-Liquid strength:
mixing bottle capacity DIVIDED BY nicotine strength = volume of nicotine needed for 1mg nicotine concentration MULTIPLIED BY desired E-Liquid strength = volume of nicotine needed for mix.
Example (3mg desired E-Liquid strength, mixing in 100ml bottle with 72mg nicotine):
100ml DIVIDED BY 72mg = 1.4ml MULTIPLIED BY 3 = 4.2ml nicotine needed for 3mg E-Liquid strength in 100ml bottle.
Steeping
Steeping is the process in which you leave your finished, sealed liquid to stand so the flavour can develop properly. It is recommended to leave the liquid to stand at room temperature out of the way of any heat, for example in a cupboard.
Depending on which flavourings you have used, steeping time can vary between different flavours.
Desserts and custard flavours take around 2/3 weeks to fully steep. This is because these flavours need plenty of time for their flavour to develop fully.
Fruits and sweetie flavours take little to no time to steep fully meaning it is possible to smoke it almost instantly after it has been made. This is something a lot of vapers call “shake ‘n’ vape”.
Once all instructions have been followed carefully your liquid will be ready to vape.
If you have any questions on how to make your own liquid, feel free to email us at support@thebestecigarette.info, call us on 01773 687073, visit our Facebook, Twitter or Google+ pages to ask us on there, or pop in-store and we’ll walk you through it! Our store is located at 86 High Street, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 7BE, United Kingdom.
Stoptober 2016, Public health England (PHE) have stated that UK smoking rates are the lowest they have ever been.
A mere 16.9% of UK adults described themselves as smokers in 2015 compared to 19.3% in 2012.
Since 2012, prescriptions for smoking cessation aids such as patches and gum have dropped, with the NHS dishing out two million in 2004 compared to 1.3 million in 2014.
During the four years sales of e-cigarettes have increased, showing the dramatic effect of vaping in England.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Gina Radford said: “The best thing a smoker can do for their health is to stop smoking. There is more help and support available now than ever before.”
These figures have been released by PHE as part of the ‘Stoptober’ campaign, which encourages smokers to quit during October.
One review from the NHS website sums up a typical reason for using E Cigarettes.
I used e-cigarettes because the habit of smoking was one of the hardest things to manage when quitting. So this way, I got the nicotine hit with less of the harmful effects
E-cigarettes allow you to inhale nicotine through a vapour rather than smoke. Using an e-cigarette is around 95% less harmful than smoking and can help you quit.
E-cigarettes are particularly effective when combined with support from local stop smoking services – people who choose this route have some of the highest quitting success rates. E-cigarettes aren’t currently available on NHS prescription but they can be bought in pharmacies and other retail outlets.
Is it right for you?
Speak to your GP, pharmacist or local stop smoking service for advice.
The more support tools you use the more likely you are to succeed in your quit attempt. Think about using other support tools to help with quitting.
Stoptober is back for a fifth year to encourage the nation’s remaining 7 million smokers to quit together this October.
Smokers across the country are being urged to take part in Stoptober (the mass quitting challenge from Public Health England (PHE) starting on 1 October) and join nearly 15 million people who have already quit.
Last year, out of the 2.5 million smokers who made a quit attempt, 500,000 people (20%) were successful; the highest recorded success rate and up from just 13.6% 6 years ago.
This increase in successful stop smoking attempts reflects the high number of people using quitting aids. In 2015, just over a million people (1,027,000) used an e-cigarette in a quit attempt while around 700,000 used a licensed nicotine replacement product such as patches or gum. In addition, over 350,000 people used their local stop smoking service in 2015 to 2016.
Alongside this, according to the latest data from Nielsen, the number of cigarettes sold in England and Wales has dropped by 20% in the last 2 years.
The smoking rate in England has also fallen to below 17% for the first time. The biggest decreases in smoking over the last 4 years can be seen in the South West (18.7% to 15.5%), the North East (22% to 18.7%) and Yorkshire and Humber (21.9% to 18.6%).
Dr Gina Radford, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said:
While we know that quitting smoking is not easy, this Stoptober is a perfect time to try again. The best thing a smoker can do for their health is to stop smoking. There is more help and support available now than ever before. The introduction of standardised packs removes the glamorous branding and brings health warnings to the fore and e-cigarettes, which many smokers find helpful for quitting, are now regulated to assure their safety and quality.
We also have a range of free support that can go direct to your phone, laptop or tablet via the Stoptober app, a daily email service or Facebook Messenger bot. The new Stoptober website also has advice and information on stop smoking services and quitting aids. Stoptober has helped lots of smokers quit for 28 days and beyond. So if you smoke, why not make this Stoptober the time you quit – for good.
Professor Kevin Fenton, National Director of Health and Wellbeing for PHEsaid:
While it is amazing that there are over twice as many ex-smokers as current smokers in England there are still over 7 million people regularly lighting up.
Alongside unhealthy diet, smoking is the biggest cause of preventable early death in England, accounting for over 78,000 deaths a year. Quitters will soon see they have reduced blood pressure, easier breathing and better circulation. Stopping smoking is the best thing a smoker can do to improve their health.
Ex-England cricketer and Question of Sport captain, Phil Tufnell, comments:
I’m really pleased to be supporting Stoptober this year. I have smoked pretty steadily since I was a teenager, even through my cricket career. I have tried to give up before and know how tough it is, but I am going to try and quit again from 1 October.
Even if you have tried quitting before like me and failed, just give it another go and keep trying. The more you try to quit the more likely you are to get there. Stoptober is here to help, so let’s try and get through to 28 days without a fag by taking it one day at a time.
Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said:
Quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for your heart health. Coronary Heart Disease is the UK’s single biggest killer and by giving up smoking you’ll be dramatically reducing your chances of having a potentially deadly heart attack or stroke.
Stoptober is the perfect opportunity for people to take action to protect their health and join thousands of others who are also making a quit attempt this month.
Stoptober is back for a fifth year, having driven almost a million quit attempts to date. It starts on the 1 October and is based on research that by the time you have quit for 28 days you are 5 times more likely to stop for good.
For more information, search ‘Stoptober’ online and choose the package of support that will help you quit for good.
Our journey with Hangsen E Liquids first began in 2010, after realising at an early stage that Hangsen were already world leaders in the manufacture of E-Liquids.
Working closely together, The Best E Cigarette and Hangsen had the challenge of TPD. I have to admit I was worried at first; we had many UK E-Liquid manufacturers calling trying to convince us that Hangsen would not be compliant. However, our business was built on a partnership with Hangsen, one that we were not prepared to give up on.
After much hard work, we now have over 200 SKU’s that are TPD compliant, with more to come, along with higher VG content for cloud chasers. A broad selection of tobacco, mint, menthol and fruit are flavours on offer.
Being Hangsen’s global partner has been at the forefront of our success and we will continue to work with them as a global partner for the foreseeable future.
Although TPD will have an effect on bottle size (going from 30ml down to 10ml) and E-Liquid strength (limited to 20mg, although many will safeguard this by opting for 18mg), the majority of flavours will be available at TPD stage with the remainder to follow very quickly.
Some promising research conducted by the University of Bristol which states that Human Heart cells show stress response to Cigarette Smoke, but NOT to E-Cigarette Vapour. Here’s the article, we found it on Bristol University’s website:
“Human heart cells show stress response to Tobacco Smoke, but not to E-Cig Vapour
New research has showed substantial differences in the way human heart cells respond to e-cigarette vapour and conventional cigarette smoke.
Researchers from the Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit (MRC IEU) at the University of Bristol investigated how the same type of cells as those found in the arteries of the heart, known as human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC), responded when they were exposed to both e-cigarette aerosol and conventional cigarette smoke.
Their results were published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Professor Marcus Munafò, who was part of the study team, said: “The past few years have seen a rapid growth in the use of e-cigarettes, which deliver nicotine via inhaled aerosol. It’s thought that e-cigarettes are unlikely to be as harmful as conventional cigarettes, but little data exists to show their relative harms, or the long term effects of e-cigarette use. Therefore, research into these biological effects is critical. Our study looked at the stress response in heart cells in response to cigarette smoke and e-cigarette aerosol.”
The researchers created cigarette smoke extract from a conventional cigarette and electronic cigarette aerosol extract from an e-cigarette aerosol. Both were passed through a culture of the cells. The researchers then analysed the gene expression patterns of the heart cells to see if the cells exhibited a stress response to either the cigarette smoke or e-cigarette aerosol exposure.
Professor Munafò said: “We found the cells showed a stress response from the cigarette smoke extract, but not from the electronic cigarette aerosol extract. This result suggests tobacco smokers may be able to reduce immediate tobacco-related harm by switching from conventional cigarettes to e-cigarettes.”
