How Do Electronic Cigarettes Work?

19 April 2016

Exhale-ent question, visiting vaper! Pull up a chair, fire up your vape and we shall reveal all.

Vaping Part-y!

Vaporisers and e-cigarettes are fairly straightforward devices both made of slightly different parts that essentially do the same thing.

How Do Electronic Cigarettes Work - E-Cig PartsHow Do Electronic Cigarettes Work - Vapepens

1. The Battery:  

Powering up your vape, batteries give life to your vaping tools, and can be revived again and again, recharged either by USB or mains charger. Lifespan varies from brand to brand and vape-pens will generally outlast an e-cig. Vape Pens also have the added advantage of being able to ‘upgrade’ battery models through various mods, allowing for greater power, greater vapour production and longer life, on the downside these powerful batteries can come with a whole lot of bulk too.

E-cig batteries are easily replaceable by being unscrewed and replaced, and disposable e-cigs are just thrown away altogether once the battery dies. If you’re looking to mod-out your vape-pen to give it super strength, you might need to cough up a bit of cash first, though.

2. Atomiser:

This inbuilt heating device allows your e-liquid to be heated, and produce the vapour you know and love. Like batteries, if you want to go total vape-hulk with your vape-pen's atomiser strength it costs a bit more than your average vape and leads you into the realm of serious modders.

The atomiser your device is supplied with will do perfectly well for regular vapers who aren’t up for pulling things out or putting things into their vaporisers. E-cig atomisers are neatly inbuilt, in keeping with the ‘real cigarette’ look while vape-pen atomisers can be spied at the bottom of the tank.

3. Cartridge:

Found on e-cigarettes, these super easy to use, replace and remove items connect where a filter would traditionally be found. Cartridges hold the e-liquid required by e-cigs, when they are empty they are simply removed and thrown away. Much neater so far as reloading is concerned compared to vape-pens, a new cartridge is simply screwed on and you’re good to go!

4. Tank:

What vape-pens use instead of cartridges, tanks are the see-through part of a vape-pen where you can see the liquid. Varying in size and colour, tanks can be relatively small or fairly huge.

When a tank is empty you have to reload it manually, which can be a bit tricky without practise, luckily most e-liquids come with a dropper or a dropper style tip to make loading easier. While this isn’t as quick, clean, or easy as just screwing on a cartridge, it opens up a whole new world of flavour: if it’s in an e-liquid, it can go in your tank!

5. Inhaler/Drip Tip/Mouthpiece: 

As vape-pens are thicker than e-cigs,  the mouthpiece helps you puff away with a bit more ease. Inhaler styles vary from brand to brand, and these too can be modded if you so desire to be thicker, thinner, longer, shorter or with a rainbow plastered over it.

The Anatomy of Vaping

So, there you go, everything you need to know your vaping device from the inside out, as a reward for your hard studying why not treat yourself to a new flavour of vape juice at our online store? Oh go on, you deserve it!

See Our Trending E-Liquids!

Elf Bar 600 Blueberry Disposable Vape Pen (20mg)

Elf Bar 600 Blueberry Disposable Vape Pen (20mg)

£4.99
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  • Disposable vape pen supplied in a delicious blueberry flavour
  • Provides 600 puffs per bar, roughly the same as 20 cigarettes
  • Compact, portable and drag-activated for a great vape experience 
  • Mix and match 10 of any flavour to reduce price to £3.80 per device
Lost Mary BM600 Pineapple Ice Disposable Vape (20mg)

Lost Mary BM600 Pineapple Ice Disposable Vape (20mg)

£4.95
In stock now  In stock now
  • Disposable vape device in a tasty pineapple flavour
  • Provides 600 puffs per vape, roughly the same as 20 cigarettes
  • Bright and colourful design in a conveniently compact case
  • Mix and match 10 of any flavour to reduce price to £3.80 per device
EDGE GO E-Cigarette Device

EDGE GO E-Cigarette Device

£10.00
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  • E-cigarette device for use with EDGE GO pods
  • Sleek and slender device is discreet to use
  • Buttonless design for easy activation
  • Petite 10.5cm length perfect for on-the-go use
EDGE GO Blackcurrant Refill Pods (5 Packs)

EDGE GO Blackcurrant Refill Pods (5 Packs)

£23.99
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  • Five packs of blackcurrant-flavoured pods
  • Designed for use with the EDGE GO device
  • Easy to use with a simple click-and-go design
  • Available in a range of nicotine strengths
EDGE Strawberry Milkshake E-Liquid (Pack of 5)

EDGE Strawberry Milkshake E-Liquid (Pack of 5)

£11.99
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  • Strawberry milkshake flavoured e-liquid
  • Nicotine strengths: 6mg, 12mg and 18mg
  • VG: 50%, PG: 50%
  • Made in the UK
OK Vape Menthol Medium Nicotine E-Cigarette Refills (12mg)

OK Vape Menthol Medium Nicotine E-Cigarette Refills (12mg)

£6.99
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  • Menthol-flavoured electronic cigarette refill
  • Suitable for the OK Vape Rechargeable E-Cigarette
  • Medium nicotine strength of 12mg
  • Each pack contains 5 refills, with bulk offers available
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Lost Mary BM600 Watermelon Ice Disposable Vape (20mg)

Lost Mary BM600 Watermelon Ice Disposable Vape (20mg)

£4.95
In stock now  In stock now
  • Disposable vape device in an icy menthol watermelon flavour 
  • Provides 600 puffs per vape, roughly the same as 20 cigarettes
  • Bright and colourful design in a conveniently compact case
  • Mix and match 10 of any flavour to reduce price to £3.80 per device
Elf Bar 600 ElfTurbo Ice (Elfbull Ice) Disposable Vape Pen (20mg)

Elf Bar 600 ElfTurbo Ice (Elfbull Ice) Disposable Vape Pen (20mg)

£4.99
In stock now  In stock now
  • Disposable vape pen supplied in an authentic energy drink flavour
  • Provides 600 puffs per bar, roughly the same as 20 cigarettes
  • Compact, portable and drag-activated for a great vape experience 
  • Mix and match 10 of any flavour to reduce price to £3.80 per device
EDGE Strawberry and Lime E-Liquid (Pack of 5)

EDGE Strawberry and Lime E-Liquid (Pack of 5)

£11.99
In stock now  In stock now
  • Strawberry and lime flavoured e-liquid
  • Nicotine strengths: 6mg, 12mg and 18mg
  • VG: 50%, PG: 50%
  • Made in the UK
Blu Pro E-Cigarette Clearomiser

Blu Pro E-Cigarette Clearomiser

£5.99
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  • Ergonomic mouthpiece for consistent vapour
  • Top-filling design makes refills quick and easy
  • Clear window shows how much e-liquid is left
  • Designed exclusively for Blu Pro to ensure compatibility
EDGE Blueberry E-Liquid (Pack of 5)

EDGE Blueberry E-Liquid (Pack of 5)

£11.99
In stock now  In stock now
  • Fruity blueberry flavoured e-liquid
  • Nicotine strengths: 6mg, 12mg and 18mg
  • VG: 50%, PG: 50%
  • Made in the UK
OK Vape Rechargeable Tobacco E-Cigarette Starter Kit

OK Vape Rechargeable Tobacco E-Cigarette Starter Kit

£5.49
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  • Rechargeable electronic cigarette with slim "cigalike" design
  • Includes two tobacco flavoured nicotine refills
  • Starter kit includes everything that you need to start vaping
  • Number of different tobacco and menthol refills available
  • FREE OK Vape Starter Kit Offer: Enter switch2ok at checkout