What is a Vape Pen and How to Use it Properly? A Complete Guide for Beginners

A vape pen is a source of power or a device that is used for heating a cartridge/vape tank to generate vapor. It is a rechargeable battery-powered gadget whose size can easily fit in your pocket and is cylindrically shaped just like its name “pen”.

These products hit the vaping market first a decade ago and revolutionized the industry by providing a bigger battery capacity, offering users the opportunity to swap their atomizers and cartridges, as well as a long time of operating. Before these devices, the then available e-cigarette devices were small units almost the same shape and size of an ordinary cigarette.

The battery is the source of power in the device and is often the largest part. Technology advancements have enabled the manufacture of small-sized yet powerful batteries resulting in newer and more appealing vape pen designs. Two options of batteries exist for vape pens: batteries that must remain in the devices and those that can be removed and replaced with spare batteries. Know more about vape battery safety.

A tank is different from a cartridge in that a tank is designed to be refilled when the e-juice is depleted whereas a cartridge is replaced with another one when the content in it is depleted. Other vape pens allow the combination of both devices.

Most tanks are crafted out using stainless steel, glass, or even plastic depending upon the design or price. The majority of vapers prefer transparent tanks or cartridges to allow them to view the e-juice levels as they consume.

An atomizer is considered as a generic term given to a device used to convert the liquid into vapor. The atomizer is the chamber/compartment where the concentrated cannabis oil, e-juice, dry herb, or wax is put in order to heat until a vapor is generated. This section is attached to the battery. The strength of an atomizer is measured in ohms.

Understanding how this part works is simply as paramount as understanding the other sections of the vape. The vape is switched on through the engagement of the battery to trigger the atomizer resulting in the rise of temperature. A wick is located above the atomizer and it’s meant to transfer e-juice from the tank/cartridge to the coils.

There are the rebuildable atomizer (RDA) types that enable the building of vapor within their coils. When considering what type of atomizer to purchase, factors like the budget, requirement to customize, time spent, and level of experience are vital.

As we continue to witness the vast advancement of technology, we expect to see exemplary properties included in vape pens in the future. As we talk, some vape pens with awesome features have been implemented and are available in the market like PAX Era that is known to allow session control via Bluetooth capability.

The mouthpiece is the section of the device where the vapor draws the e-juice vapor and it is attached to the atomizer. It is the only part that connects the user with the vape hence its design and composition influence the experience the user gets. A wide mouthpiece allows deep and large hits to be achieved while a narrow mouthpiece offers long and extended puffs.

A charger is separate from the device and it is often a micro-USB that is utilized for charging the battery. It operates in the same way a cell-phone charger works and it is connected to the vape pen with a port and often features an indicator light (LED) to alert the user when the battery is fully charged.

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Whether a newbie or a pro, the first thing you must do is knowing how a vape pen works. The majority of vape pens come with similar parts – battery, an atomizer (heating chamber), charger, mouthpiece, though a portion of them differ in slight ways.

Typically, vape pens work by offering power to the atomizer where the e-juice is heated to generate vapor. This vapor is drawn through the mouthpiece into the mouth and later lungs of the users, ie, mouth to lung vaping. Truly, it is a simple process!

Just like any other device, a vape pen comes with a variety of accessories. Whereas these devices are easily portable, they are as well very fragile, especially the type that comes with pre-filled oil cartridges.

For users of wax and smoking dabs, they should avail themselves with small airtight containers for storing them. They also require a dabber – a small metallic tool that is used for scooping wax and placing it into the atomizer. Also, they require silicone wax mats to avoid ending up with small balls of oil cannabis.

There are different forms of cannabis concentrates. A renowned type of concentrates is the pre-filled oil cartridge. Others include wax, sugar, and budder, which are named according to their consistency and appearance.

These types are easy to use and load. Most importantly, it is paramount to ensure that the vape pen you are using is meant for application with your preferred type of concentrates.

Loading the atomizer by picking up the wax with your index finger as most vapers would think is a NO! Doing this actually degrades your wax. Rather, use a dab tool to collect wax from the container when placing it into the heating chamber.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to be bothered loading and reloading the atomizer every time you want to enjoy your favorite e-juice, consider purchasing the replaceable pre-filled oil cartridges.

Imagine your vape pen is loaded and ready for use. Mount its mouthpiece on your lips, press the button and draw vapor while depressing the button. Nevertheless, some vape pens do not feature press buttons, particularly those used with cannabis oils hence the vaper is required to draw the vapor.

Vapers are advised to inhale small sips to prevent hard and deep inhalations that can interfere with their respiratory processes. Also, vapers have varied preferences concerning the types of models –activation buttons or auto-draw (implying they are activated by simply inhaling). Activation buttons are more advantageous as they provide a controlled vaping temperature experience.

The majority of these vape pens need you to click them five times before turning them on. While the button is held down, the atomizer heats the e–juice implying you need to keep the button depressed as you are drawing that fine hit.

For newbies, there is the need to learn some fundamental button settings that are considered to be less intuitive and subject to error. That’s why some vapers prefer the “auto-draw” models.

If you’re planning to carry your vaping device for a vacation, it is vital to keep it charged and store it in airtight and smell-proof storage. Another recommendation is to ensure that you have a standby spare battery to avoid running completely out of power.

As mentioned earlier, before purchasing your vape pen, always consider the types of concentrates you will want to use. Also, disposable vape pens are preferred when traveling for a vacation if you don’t want to be bothered by the hassle of recharging the battery or maintaining the device.

The disposable type is small in size and more discreet compared with reusable vapes. They usually come as a single unit without a removable battery and no refillable atomizer and are auto-draw (buttonless vape pens). They are discarded upon depleting the concentrate supply.

Vaporization is used to convert botanical compounds and oils into vapors or gaseous form. Vaporization is attained by heating these substances to a certain range of temperature to prevent combustion. Temperature greatly influences the vapor quality by releasing various amounts and even forms of compounds at various temperatures.

For instance, heating the atomizer at low temperatures generates thin and wispy, yet flavorful e-juice vapor. Vaporizing at high temperatures generates thick, dense, and even visible vapor. Different botanicals come with a variety of compounds hence it is important to understand how temperature affects the release of these components.

Vape pens enable vapers to set their own/preferred temperature range or select from various available presets. The latter gives vapers decent temperature ranges allowing them to target a couple of terpenes simultaneously. On the other hand, the temperature-controlled vape pens provide vapers with the capability to target particular compounds by setting their preferred temperature ranges.

Over the years, there has been a vast evolution of vape pens in terms of features and design. Modern vapes offer better flavors and functionality compared with vapes of the early days. Others have additional features such as large battery capacities and numerous coil options.

The challenge is learning to use these devices properly. Once that is done, the other problem is how to choose the right vape pen from a pool of several varieties. This will depend on your budget, experience, or requirement for customization. Also, you should know what your favorite e-juice is before purchasing a vape as they are specific when it comes to what sort of e-juice requires vaporization.