Vaping – What is it?

Definition

Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling aerosol—commonly called “vapour”—produced by an electronic device known as a vape or e-cigarette. Instead of burning tobacco like traditional cigarettes, a battery-powered coil heats Juice“>vape juice (e-liquid) until it turns into visible vapour, which the user draws into the lungs. The purpose of vaping is to deliver nicotine or flavour without combustion, offering adult smokers a potentially less-harmful alternative while also enabling cloud-chasing hobbyists to customise flavour, Hit“>throat hit and vapour production.

Technical Details

All vaping devices share three core components: a battery (integral or removable 18600/21700/18350 cells), an atomiser (coil + wick) and a tank/pod that stores vape juice. When the fire button is pressed, the battery supplies regulated power—measured in watts (Variable Wattage, VW) or volts (Variable Voltage, VV)—to the coil. Kanthal, stainless-steel, nickel or titanium wires heat to 180 °C–315 °C, vaporising adjacent e-liquid soaked into into cotton or ceramic wicks. Resistance (Ω) determines current draw; sub-ohm (<1 Ω) coils create denser vapor at 30-150 W, whereas plus-ohm (>1 Ω) mouth-to-lung coils operate 8-20 W for discreet nicotine delivery. Variations include disposable pens, refillable pod systems, single-battery tube mods and dual-battery box mods with temperature-control (TC) circuitry.

Usage & Tips

  • Priming: saturate coil with e-liquid and wait 5 min before first puff to avoid dry hits.
  • Power sweet spot: start at lowest recommended wattage, increase gradually until flavour peaks without burning.
  • Chain-vaping: allow 10–15 s between puffs so wicks re-saturate; prevents coil flooding or cotton char.
  • Battery care: use married pairs in dual-cell mods, store at 3.6 V–3.8 V, never carry loose cells in pockets.
  • Leak fixes: check O-rings, close airflow when refilling, keep tank upright in hot cars.

Remember: Australian law requires a prescription for nicotine e-liquid; always buy from reputable pharmacies or TGA-notified suppliers.

History & Context

Hon Lik patented the first modern e-cigarette in Beijing (2003); by 2007 cigalikes reached Australia. Variable-power mods (2010), sub-ohm tanks (2015) and nicotine-salt pods (2017) evolved vaping from smoking substitute to standalone culture. Today the Therapeutic Goods Administration regulates nicotine imports, while local vape shops focus on zero-nicotine hardware and education.

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