Making the decision to switch from smoking to using e-cigarettes can be daunting if you don’t know what to expect when you make the change, so since the VE-Team are all ex-smokers we've a list of 6 things you can expect when start your vaping journey...

1. ...Flavour discovery

We stock hundreds of E-Liquid flavours at Vape Emporium which is a big difference to just tobacco or menthol flavourings you have been used to with smoking. Vaping a Strawberry Ice Cream or Lemon Meringue Pie may be strange at first but you can find great joy in trying various flavours at our vape stores in Richmond or Hampstead in London. Alternatively, we do stock a variety of tobacco flavoured e-liquids that many new starters prefer to begin vaping with for familiarity. After a few weeks of vaping (and no smoking) you'll find your taste buds improving and trying new juices to vape will be an enjoyable experience. We categorise the main flavour profiles of our juice range to: Tobacco, Fruit, Menthol, Baked, Creamy, Sweets (Candy) and Cereal so there are plenty of flavours to try within these ranges, find one that works for you.

2. ....Health benefits

You will start to notice health benefits within a few days to a few months of your vaping journey, as long as you have stopped smoking completely.

We’ve had many testimonies from our customers who visited our vape shops in London as 30-a-day or 40-a-day smoker who made the switch to vaping and experienced improved health benefits.

We are not health professionals, but from our own experiences as ex-smokers and from customer stories we know there are improvements to health from making the switch from smoking to vaping.

You may experience some coughing; as your lungs purge all the bad stuff built up from years of smoking, better breathing when pursuing active movement, improved taste and smell and many other improvements that smoking had been the detriment to.

3. ....Temptations

Of course, you may be tempted back to smoking but it is important to give vaping the priority, especially in the first few weeks and months. Some new vapers find a benefit from ‘dual use’ in which they use their new vape kit in addition to smoking. This method helps many vapers eventually make the switch over to full-time vaping, but the process will be longer and more challenging. If you put your remaining smokes out of the way and give your new vape kit a chance, you’ll see the huge benefits to vaping and will not be tempted back.

Remember that Vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking[1] - use this as your motivation to kick the stinky and harmful habit of smoking.

It is also important to note your nicotine strengths with e-liquid. You can not make direct comparisons to real cigarettes and what you require will depend on how and what you smoked – was it rolling tobacco? Cigars? ‘Lite’ cigarettes? E-liquid comes in a variety of nicotine strengths, usually in 0mg (zero nicotine), 3mg, 6mg, 12mg and 18mg. Heavy smokers are advised to start with either 18mg e-liquid nicotine strengths, whilst medium to light smokers would be more suited to 12mg.

If you are still having the urge to smoke after vaping then you may require a higher nicotine strength for you to get the ‘hit’. Don’t be tempted back to smoking and try a higher strength nicotine liquid, you will be surprised how that craving will be soothed by an e-cig and this is usually when the ‘penny drops’ and you realise that vaping can be as good and better than smoking.

4. ….Maintenance

As a smoker, you will only know about ‘maintenance’ in terms of needing a lighter, an ashtray and maybe rizla. With vaping, you no longer need these items but there is some important information you should know about the upkeep.

Pay attention to the battery level of your device and keep your charging cable on you if you are travelling out. Luckily most chargers come with USB cables so charging will be easily accessible in most places.

Apart from replenishing your favourite e-liquid you will also need to change your coils from time to time. The life of a coil can depend on many factors but we find, on average, they can last from 1 to 4 weeks before needing to be replaced. You will notice the need to change your coil once the flavour of your vape starts to drastically dissipate and you experience a dull taste.

5. ….Money saving

Despite the upkeep of vaping listed above, you should expect to save money compared to smoking. The upfront cost of vaping may seem steep but remember that it is worth investing in this one-off purchase. Going forward your cost will be minimal for e-liquid and replacement coils which still remain cheaper than replenishing a 20 pack of cigarettes on a regular basis.

6. ….Enjoyment!

Vaping is enjoyable and you may find you are starting to enjoy it more than you thought possible! Smoking has a lot of negative connotations, we know it is bad for our health and we are conscious of the smells that come with it. Luckily vaping is less harmful to you and the only smell you have to be worried about is the sweet smelling vapour, but even that does not linger. The vaping community overall is a very welcoming and a friendly group who have all made the journey so we encourage you to check out forums or visit your local vape store to expand your knowledge and enjoyment.

We hope you found this post helpful, whether you are a smoker considering making the switch to vaping or a new vaper who can relate to the points made above.

Happy Steeming! VE-Team

Sources: [1] Vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking by Public Health England