Why Vaping is Better Than Smoking*

There are very few things in life that are entirely risk-free, and when you decide to smoke or vape you already know about the risks and make an informed decision based on that.

However, many people use vaping as a way to quit cigarettes for good despite there still being some, albeit it lesser risks; that begs the question, why is vaping better than smoking? 

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Chemical 

We know that cigarettes are jam-packed with chemicals, and most of the time that won’t bother a smoker. But when you hear that it’s things like arsenic, ammonia and lead – it might give you reason to stop and think. 

When it comes to vaping, you don’t have any of those chemicals in a typical liquid. 

Most vaping liquids will have VP and PG, which are food colouring ingredients – and nicotine if you choose to add it. 

Flavours

Cigarettes come in two flavours – regular and menthol (although the mint ones aren’t available as they once were). But with vaping you can choose any flavour you like and when I vaped this was a big part of the appeal.

Feel like smoking blueberry pancakes? No problem. Fancy some strawberry cheesecake? Also possible – check with your local Vape Supplies store what they have available. 

Ease of use

Early models of vaping machines were often fiddly and felt awkward to use. However, modern vaping devices are easy to use, and some have a vast array of options. 

You can buy powerful vape machines that billow big thick smoke clouds or discrete ones that fit in the palm of your hand. It’s up to you what you choose. 

Helps reduce smoking

Many smokers want to quit, but when it comes to it – it can be pretty tricky. It’s not just about the chemicals in the cigarette; it is also about the actions. 

Sitting with a morning coffee and a cigarette – you need something to occupy your hands. You are heading out with friends who smoke? The temptation can be too much – even with supportive friends. 

Vaping can and has helped millions of people reduce how much they smoke or quit entirely. 

Read more about the progress of quitting smoking using vaping and other vaping reviews here: Vaping

Less addictive

It is much easier to stop vaping than it is to stop smoking. Many people start with a vape juice with some nicotine and slowly go down until they just have the experience and the flavour. 

This means that it becomes easier to simply stop vaping if you feel like it. 

If the overall goal is to stop smoking and vaping altogether, then vaping makes it possible to get down to zero nicotine. 

No butts

Even if you don’t personally drop cigarette butts, they are still everywhere. Since there are no butts with vaping, they don’t have the same kind of impact on the environment that smoking does. 

Compared to the smoke that a cigarette emits, what comes from a vape machine is essentially steam, which isn’t harmful to the environment. 

Smoking is a tough habit to kick to the curb, but the more you know about vaping the more you can see why many people have successfully made the switch. 

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The Big Vaping update post

Back at the end of October I wrote my first update on my attempt to quit cigarettes by means of vaping with some help from my friends at e-cigarette direct. If you read that post you may recall it wasn’t going as well as I had hoped, and I was intending to come back a month later (and in fact it is now just over a month) and be able to say I had made better progress…
and have I? Yes, yes I have! I made the decision on the 30th October that I wasn’t going to buy any more cigarettes, if I didn’t have a pack “just in case” then I couldn’t talk myself in to having one and it seems to have worked. I did have on lapse at the end of November when coupled with a few g&ts I did cave in to the lure of a cigarette but I can honestly say it was the most disgusting thing, and I am actually baffled as to how I made it a habit for so long.

I would say I am out of the danger zone now, I find cigarettes repulsive and I have no desire to go back to it. I’m not sure vaping makes me a non-smoker though, I can’t make up my mind on that one- but I do feel it’s a far healthier compromise and certainly making a financial impact if not a health one.

I’ve also been very, very fortunate to have the support of the e-cigarette direct team who got me set up, and have sent out numerous juices for me to try- the latest of which I’m sharing some thoughts on below.

Nasty Juice wicked haze* short fill (£15.99) is a blackcurrant and sparkling lemonade flavoured juice- despite loving the drink that inspired it I did find this a bit sickly sweet for me, however, Bob (who if you remember rightly has also switched cigarettes for vaping) loved this and it was his default juice for a while.
I prefer the 10ml bottles of juice for when I am out and about as they are more convenient so I was excited to try the selection from Double Drip* (£3.99 each). Out of the three flavours I was sent, twisted ice cream was my favourite by a long way- uncannily reminiscent of a favourite summer ice-lolly (I got through boxes this year) it made the darker winter days seem that bit brighter. These juices are an 80:20 vg-pg ratio meaning they produce a lot more cloud than I am used to, I don’t think I’d seek out this ratio too often going forward, but the flavours are delicious and I’d be keen to try more.
Mostly Bob and I have been buying shortfill juices and mixing them up to suit our nicotine needs then decanting them for portability. The idea of shortfills was daunting at first as they seemed quite complicated to put together, but actually they aren’t really, as illustrated in this video from the e-cigarette direct team.

As ever, if anyone else reading this is a vaper and has any product recommendations or experiences to share then please do leave them in the comments. I’ll continue to share my journey and product reviews on the blog as and when, hopefully with continued progress to come- next step is weaning down the nicotine content!

My Vaping Journey (part one)

It’s been a little over a month since I started my journey in to serious vaping with a little (lot) of help from my friends at e-cigarette direct. Quitting smoking has been high on my agenda once more, and something I have had in my mind as something I would do as soon as I felt my anorexia recovery was complete.

Well, my recovery isn’t quite complete, but my motivation was high, so I gratefully accepted the opportunity to pick out some kit and wean myself off cigarettes- hopefully for good this time.

Tank wise, I got Bob to help me pick out a good set-up as he’s also joining me on this journey and has a lot more experience of vaping than I do. We decided on the Wismec CB80* which is designed to give an experience as close to smoking a cigarette as possible as I knew this is what I would struggle with the most. We also picked out two different types of coils* so we could see which I preferred.

Getting the kit set up was super simple, and it looks and feels substantial whilst remaining lightweight and portable enough to come with me where ever I go. Another big plus for the tank I chose was that it charges via USB as well as supporting rechargeable batteries, meaning I am less likely to run out of power, and therefore reach for a cigarette.

Picking which vape juice to choose was another minefield. There are so many flavours and strengths available that I just did not know where to start. In the end, after consulting with Bob we decided to jump in with some high strength nicotine as although I didn’t smoke that many cigarettes (between 5 and 10 a day) we thought starting high and weaning down would be our best bet, and it meant that Bob, a heavier smoker than I was, could share.

These little bottles of juice are great for carting around on the go and means you don’t get stuck on one flavour consistently. As you can see, I’m definitely attracted to the sweet flavours! Vampire Vape’s Heisenberg was hands down my favourite though.

In terms of juices I’ve found I much prefer shortfills, I thought they would be more complicated as you have to mix them up yourself, but I think they represent better value for money, and I’ve generally found the flavour experience much better (and you can make it up as strong, or weak as you like). I’ve been spoilt really though as I was sent the set of Gloop shortfill which I reviewed a few weeks ago, and I have another bunch just arrived to try out and review (coming soon!).

I can’t fault the service, or value provided from e-cigarette direct, and I find their website, and blog a really valuable resource when it comes to learning more. This infographic around vape juice is definitely worth a read if you’re looking to learn more!

I guess the big question here though is how am I doing?

Well, in all honesty, I’m not quite there yet. I still find myself wanting the feel of an actual cigarette and I am still caving in, albeit much less than I used to. The savings are clear to see on a financial level, and I resent paying out now for even one packet a week. Today is actually the day where I feel ready to say “no more” and just stop buying the damn things. Everything about the vaping experience is better, apart from the fact it feels so big and clunky at times. But I need to learn to live with that, and so I will.

Whilst I certainly don’t intend for my blog to become solely focused on vaping you will find a couple more reviews coming up, and a progress update on how I’m doing in a few weeks time.

Now I’ve moved house and I am settled in I’ll be looking to return to blogging in a way I haven’t for quite some time. I’m looking forward to getting back in to the swing of outfit photos, general life musings and updates, wish lists, food, you name it, I’m probably gonna cover it. I’ve felt detached from the blogging world for some time now, not sure if I still fitted in, and during that time away from it I’ve realised that really, it doesn’t matter. This is my place to say, and share what I want to say and share. The fact I’ve had such fantastic opportunities, that any one even bothers to read it, is just one big old happy bonus.

All products in this post were sent to me free of charge. All opinions, and decision to post are mine and mine alone.

My (latest) vaping experience with e-cigarette direct & giveaway

I always feel like this kind of blog post is a bit taboo- you don’t see smoking, or vaping mentioned all that much within the blogging community but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only smoker out there, or the only person seeking an alternative.

I’ve been a smoker since I was 17, that’s almost 13 years now and to be honest I haven’t enjoyed it for probably the last 5 years. Add to that the ever-rising cost of cigarettes, the fact I’m not getting any younger and of course all of the health dangers that come with smoking I’ve been mulling over the idea of quitting for a while now.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not quite ready for cold turkey. Smoking has always been related to my mental health and a coping mechanism when anxiety gets too much. I’ve tried patches and gums in the past but it’s the hand to mouth action that I missed and the inhalation so vaping has always held some kind of appeal. I’ve given it a go once or twice in the past but didn’t get much from it if I’m honest- however with the idea of stopping the cigarettes firmer in my mind than ever it was timely when e-cigarette direct offered to set me up with the kit so I could try again.

For the device itself I picked out the Halo Tank Kit* based on the reviews (and the aesthetic I’ll admit). The kit itself represents excellent value, currently on offer at £17.59 but only £21.99 full price. That’s just one week’s worth of cigarettes for me so already you can see the money saving potential as this will last a heck of a lot longer!

I went a bit crazy ordering all kinds of flavoured liquids, again from the Halo Brand*. At £3.99 the liquids are cheaper than a ten pack of cigarettes and again last an awful lot longer- I’m two weeks in and still on my first bottle. I like the fact you can pick from a whole range of flavours, the novelty appeals to me but even the regular tobacco flavoured ones are a lot more palatable than an actual cigarette.

It has been a slow process but this is the longest I have stuck with vaping and whilst I’m not completely off of cigarettes yet I am getting there. This would be a good time to add that I AM NOT ADVOCATING VAPING AS HEALTHY, or indeed any better for you than smoking as I know there is still a lot of research in to the effects going on. From a financial point of view it has already had clear benefits and I’ve found that I’m actually reaching for both cigarettes and the vape kit less and less which is hopefully a sign that I am heading in the right direction to stopping full stop.

Until I’m ready to stop completely though I will be giving my custom to e-cigarette direct. The speed of service was the most notable part of the experience- I placed my order on the Wednesday and had it with me on the Thursday!

For anyone else thinking about giving vaping a go I always have a giveaway running to win yourself £100 worth of kit! Just follow the simple instructions below! Giveaway runs from 26/1/17 until 17/2/17, UK only.

Win an e-cigarette kit worth £100 #17

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All products were sent to me by the brand for blog consideration but I was under no obligation to post.

Review: Orca Solo Plus*

[ad: gifted item]

With all that’s going on at the moment it’s been hard to pull myself together to write much in the way of blog posts. I’m a “key worker” in a field that is being hit full force by the Corona Virus and when I’m not in work, I’m in an exhausted, anxious and fairly brain-dead heap.

If anything was going to drive me back to cigarettes it would be this, and to be honest I can’t believe that (apart from the odd one) it hasn’t. I put this down in large part to having a really decent vape set up, my main mod, plus a sleek new addition to my collection courtesy of e-cigarette direct has kept me mostly on the straight and narrow.

The Vaporesso Orca Solo Plus kit is a neat little set up that has become my go-to for when I’m out and about. It has an impressive battery life, is super simple to set up and despite being dinky and very lightweight it delivers a powerful hit.

“This easy to use vape device comes with a choice of two coils. The 1.3Ω ceramic CCELL coil combines great taste with a smooth airflow and is ideal for use with nicotine salts. Meanwhile, the 0.6Ω OC meshed coil utilises a mesh design for an even temperature distribution, improved flavour and vapour and a punchier throat hit.

The Orca Solo Plus comes with 6 power settings which are controlled by pushing the fire button three times.”

I let Bob have a try on this too, as he is even more picky over his set-up than I am and even he was pleasantly suprised at how good this was, especially for it’s £17.99 price tag. I think he’s considering getting one as a back up kit, and I can’t blame him.

The Orca Solo Plus comes in four colours, comes with a free e-liquid to get you started and would be an ideal kit for anyone wanting to test the waters of vaping.

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