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Vaping for Beginners

Essentials For New E-Cigarette Users

If you’re thinking of making the switch to e-cigarettes, there are a few things you’ll need to know to get started.

We recommend starting off with our Beginners Guide to Vaping to learn a little more about the different types of devices and how they work. You can then check out some more information on each type of device in this article. Once you have an idea of which type of e cigarette you would like to try, this guide will then help you make sure you have everything you need to get started.

What Do You Need To Get Started?

1. An E-Cigarette Or Vape Starter Kit

The first thing that you will need, of course, is a starter kit. This will include all the essentials needed to get started with your e-cigarette or vape kit.

The following are the most common types of device that you can choose from:

Cigalike E-Cigarettes

This style of e-cig looks like a cigarette and uses disposable 'refills'. These simply screw onto the battery then are used until they no longer create any vapour. The refill can then be disposed of and replaced with a new one. These refills are tobacco or menthol flavoured and can be purchased with no nicotine, or in various strengths up to 20mg.

Pod Vape Kits

Similar to cigalikes, pod vape kits use disposable refills, but these are known as 'pods'. They contain the coil and up to 2ml of e-liquid. These pods are available in a range of flavours and nicotine strengths and are designed to be thrown away once empty. Pod devices usually look quite different to a cigarette but are very popular due to their ease of use and sleek designs. Plus, they tend to have larger batteries so last longer between charges than cigalike style devices and produce more vapour, which some users prefer.

Many choose pod vapes over a refillable devices as there is no need to deal with changing messy coils or carrying bottles of e-liquid and filling the tank every time it runs low.

Refillable Vape Kits

These devices usually consist of a battery and refillable tank. The tank is intended to be used for the life of the device and can be refilled countless times. However, refillable vapes contain coils within the tanks, which need to be replaced approximately every 1-3 weeks.

Refillable vape kits are popular with vapers who like a wide choice of flavours and the ability to have some level of customisation with their device. This usually involves being able to change the power output of the battery, and to use coils with different resistances. The resistance of a coil changes the amount of vapour and quality of flavour a device produces - you can find out more about this here.

2. Refills, Pods Or E-Liquids

Depending on the type of device you choose, you will need to purchase refills or vape juices to use with it. Some starter kits, such as the OK Cigalike Classic kit come with a couple of refills to try, but once these run out you'll need to stock up on your chosen flavour and strength.

Pod devices are similar to cigalikes in that they use disposable, prefilled flavour pods.

Refillable vape devices use e-liquid, otherwise known as 'vape juice'.

Cigalike Refills

Cigalike refills are, as the name suggests, for use with cigalike batteries. These are available in tobacco or menthol flavours and a range of nicotine strengths. OK Cigalike Refills are supplied in packs of 5 for £7.00.

Pod Refills

OK Pod Refills are available in packs of 3 and in a wide range of flavours and nicotine strengths of 12mg & 18mg. Regularly check the level of liquid in the pod you're using and replace it once it's empty.

E-Liquid

If you choose a refillable device, you'll want to keep stocked up on vape juice for your tank. E-Liquids are available in a huge variety of flavours, from classic tobacco and menthol flavours, to fruits and more exotic combinations such as Lemon Sherbet or Rainbow Burst.

OK 50/50 E-Liquid is suitable for use in most refillable devices and vape tanks and are available online from just £2.17 for a 10ml bottle.

You can find out more about types of e-liquid here.

3. Replacement Coils

You will only need replacement coils if you choose to buy a refillable vape device. When you begin to notice a slight burnt taste or a deterioration of flavour in the vapour from your device, it's time to replace the coil.

Most starter kits come with 1 or 2 spare coils, however, these tend to only last between 1-3 weeks before they need replacing. We stock replacement coils for all the Uwell, Innokin and Aspire vape kits available to buy on our website.

If you're not sure which coils you need, check the instructions for your kit, or you can contact us for advice about any of the products that we sell.

4. Chargers & Charging Accessories

E-cigarette and vape batteries will only last so long, and need to be charged regularly. To avoid disappointment when you fancy a vape and find that your e-cigarette is out of power, you should also make sure that you have a spare charger.

Cigalike devices tend to have their own, dedicated USB chargers - one of which is included in all our cigalike starter kits. You can also buy spare OK Cigalike USB Chargers here.

Most other devices will be supplied with a micro USB or USB-C cable for charging. Make sure you check the instructions included with your device to ensure you use the correct charging cable.

USB chargers and cables can be plugged into a computer, laptop, powerbank or mains adapter.  However, to ensure safe charging, only use a charging device with a maximum output of 1A/5V.

Read our full e-cigarette battery safety guide.

5. Spare batteries

Most vapers find it useful to have at least one spare e-cigarette battery. This is especially applicable to Cigalike style e-cigarettes. In order to replicate the look and feel of a real cigarette, the batteries need to be small and therefore can only hold a certain amount of charge.

Spare batteries are not always available for other devices, however OK Pod starter kits are very affordable, so you can always buy another kit to ensure you have a spare to use whilst the other is on charge.

The vape kits we sell from brands such as Uwell, Innokin and Aspire don't usually have spare batteries. However, some devices have very long-lasting batteries or can still be used whilst on charge, so you may find you don't need a spare.


Need More Help?

The above should cover everything you need to know about the essentials required to both get started, and keep vaping with your new e-cigarette or vape kit.

If you would still like to find out more about the different types of e-cig, you may find our beginners guide to vaping helpful. This guide walks you through everything from how to vape, which devices are available and what you'll need to buy for each device.

You can also contact our friendly customer service team who will be happy to offer advice on getting started with your first e-cigarette.

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