Should you Quit Smoking with an Electronic Cigarette or Vape Pen?
A question we get very frequently is whether it is better to quit smoking with electronic cigarettes (ecigs) or vaporizer pens (vape pens). The short answer is that it’s really up to you and they are both great choices. The longer answer is that there are pros and cons to each option, and an informed choice is one you are going to be happier with in the long run. So here is our comparison between e-cigs and vape pens to help you choose.
Design of Electronic Cigarettes and Vape Pens
E-cigarettes are designed to look like cigarettes. You can hold them between two fingers, like a regular cigarette. They have a similar size, shape, and weight to regular cigarettes. They even have an LED light on the end that lights up, just like the end of a cigarette lights up when you inhale it! Vape pens, on the other hand, have a design that is all their own. They are not meant to look like cigarettes, or like anything else for that matter. They are designed to fit nicely in the hand and to be easy and pleasant to use. You hold them in your whole hand, not just between two fingers, and you push a button on the side with your thumb or finger to make the atomizer coil fire. In terms of aesthetics, this is purely a personal choice. There are no real pros and cons, but a lot of people who have been vaping for a while will also tell you that it really doesn’t matter. They say they don’t miss having a cigarette between two fingers, if they switch to a vape pen, because what matters is the vape, not how it’s held. Besides, vape pens are much more customizable than e cigarettes, so if you ever get very into vaping you will probably end up going to a vape pen model anyway.
Price of Electronic Cigarettes and Vape Pens
Up front, vape pens and e cigarettes have similar price points. However, e cigarettes are a bit more expensive in the long run than vape pens. This is because e cigarettes have cartridges that you use to refill them, while vape pens have you pour in e juice from a bottle to refill. The price per cartridge is usually a lot more than the price per refill for a vape pen. Also, vape pens are made so that all the parts are interchangeable and replaceable. When an individual part breaks, you can replace it without having to replace the entire thing. E cigarettes are somewhat replaceable like this, but they tend to have fewer parts you can replace, and they generally cost more in the long run.
Flavors of Electronic Cigarettes and Vape Pens
Vaping is all about the flavors you can get with your e juice, and there are some really delicious flavors out there! In general, you can get more flavors for your vape pen than for an e cigarette. This is because e cigs tend to have brand-specific cartridges, so you can only refill your e cig with cartridges that are made for that brand. This means you are limited to the flavor options that the e cig company offers. With vape pens, you can refill your pin with absolutely any flavor, manufactured by absolutely any brand. There is no restriction or limitation on it. Whether you love a flavor you found in your local e cig store or one that you get shipped to you from Timbuktu, you have total control over your choice. The options for vape pen flavors are absolutely endless!
Quality of manufacture
Obviously, this really depends on the brand. There are some cheaply made e cigarettes and cheaply made vape pens; there are very expensive e cigarettes and very expensive vape pens. Some of the things we look for in quality include how long the device is going to last, how much it costs to get replacement parts, whether the quality of the vapor goes down after you have used it for a little bit, and the overall experience of vaping with the device. Vape pens are made of several different parts, some of which will wear out at different rates than others. The atomizer tank, being just a solid piece of plastic and metal, is going to last basically forever, as long as manufacturers are still making atomizer coils and batteries that fit onto that threading. The atomizer coil, on the other hand, is one of the fastest things to wear out. The wick will wear out, the coil itself will eventually go out, and fortunately you can replace them for very little money. If you buy a rebuildable coil and start getting into vape mods, your prices go down even further because you will be buying wire and wick in bulk instead of buying the whole piece one at a time. The battery is rechargeable, and based on your own use patterns you can probably expect to get a good six months to a year out of a single battery before it starts to lose charge quickly. As far as vaping experience goes, this is completely personal. Some people will prefer a heavier vape pen, some people will prefer something light, some people really like the feeling of having an e cig between their fingers, and for some people it doesn’t matter. Just try out different kinds and see what you like!
Ease of use
If you are looking for something that is completely simple and easy to use, then nothing beats a disposable e cig. Pop open the package and you’re ready to go. Once the battery runs down, the e juice runs out, or it stops working well, throw it out and get another one. Nothing could be easier! If you’re looking for something that is easy to take care of but doesn’t have quite such a heavy burden on the environment, a regular vape pen starter kit is great. You fill it up, charge the battery, and you’re ready to go. Clean out your atomizer coil once in a while and replace it when the wick is starting to get too small or it’s not producing good vapor. If you really want maximum customizability and don’t care about how easy it is to use, you will love a vape pen mod. These allow you to build your vape pen completely to your own specifications, and rebuild it to get gigantic clouds of vapor or any other customizations you want.