Pros and Cons of Vaping

The popularity of vaping in the UK has steadily increased in recent years. UK data suggests that the number of people who choose to vape has grown to around 50% of the number of people who choose to smoke. If you’ve recently joined the surge in new vapers taking to the high street or shopping online to pick up vaping products, you may be wondering about the pros and cons of vaping.

Pros of Vaping

We’ll begin by covering the often divisive issue of the health concerns that surround vaping. The Royal College of Physicians has stated that smoking is the biggest cause of avoidable death, disability, and social inequality in the UK.

Furthermore, The RCP states that provisions for nicotine that remove tobacco (and therefore remove the harmful components associated with tobacco) can serve to prevent “most of the harm from smoking” - around 95% of the harmful effects of smoking are avoided by vaping.

Now we’ll move on to some of the other pros of vaping.

The aroma

One of the major complaints about cigarette smoke is the dull and foul smell that lingers long after the smoke has cleared. Not only does vaping remove this issue, but onlookers often compliment the sweet and bright aroma left by the vaporised e-liquid - even tobacco flavoured e-liquid does not leave a foul odour.

Control over your nicotine intake

Vaping is often seen as a stepping stone between smoking cigarettes and quitting smoking. Many people who wish to quit smoking turn to vaping because e-liquids come in a range of nicotine strengths. This means that vapers can choose to begin with a high nicotine vape juice and gradually reduce their nicotine intake over several months.

Cloud density (VG/PG ratio)

Some people are drawn to vaping because of the options regarding cloud density. Both the choice of vaping device and the choice of e-liquid can help to limit or maximise the density of the cloud produced. This can be understood by looking at the VG-PG ratio. A high VG ratio is linked to greater cloud production, whereas a high PG ratio is linked to a more intense throat hit and flavour. 50/50 liquids are also available - a great starting point for beginners.

Beginners should also note that the largest clouds are produced by vaporising high VG e-liquids in ‘sub-ohm’ devices, which gives a less intense throat hit typically preferred by experienced vapers.

Choice of flavours

Cigarettes typically come in a limited range of similar tobacco flavours. Vape juice, on the other hand, comes in a variety of flavours that number in the thousands. Flavours such as fruits, foods, beverages, and other mixed concoctions are entering the market all the time. This means that vapers are presented with an almost endless supply of e-liquid flavours.

Speed of use

Setting up your vaping device is typically quick and easy. Once set up, vapers benefit from the speed of use of their device. Filling the device with vape juice takes a few moments and there is almost no delay between pressing the button that heats the coil to vaporise the e-liquid and enjoying a vape hit.

Low price e-liquids

E-liquids don’t have to break the bank. Cheap vape juice is widely available. The question is, how long does a £1 10ml bottle of e-liquid last? The answer is that if you are transitioning from smoking cigarettes, and if you usually smoked around 15 cigarettes per day, you can expect a 10ml bottle of cheap vape juice to last around two to three days.

Cons of Vaping

One of the biggest cons of vaping (and perhaps the least talked about aspect of vaping) is the cultural perception that vaping is for young adults. This can mean that many people who wish to quit smoking choose to put off making the switch to a vape device. However, overcoming these cultural perceptions can be paramount in saying goodbye to cigarettes forever.

Now we’ll move on to some of the other downsides, or cons, of vaping.

Multiple options (learning curve)

Vaping can be daunting to newcomers. First, there is a choice between vaping devices. Typically, beginners may feel more at home with entry-level e-cigarettes, whereas experienced vapers tend to progress to box mods. Next, there is the issue of e-liquid VG/PG ratio. A higher VG ratio produces thicker clouds and a higher PG ratio contains more flavour.

Battling the stigma of being a smoker

Vaping removes around 95% of the harmful health effects associated with smoking tobacco. However, because of the similarity in appearance between smoking and vaping, the stigma attached to being a smoker also tends to be attached to being a vaper. This means that vapers may sometimes encounter negative and judgmental opinions from onlookers.

Pros and Cons of Vaping - Conclusion

For people looking to quit smoking, there are many benefits to vaping. These benefits include reduced health risks, low-cost e-liquids, and a choice of flavours. In contrast, the downsides to vaping mainly pertain to overcoming cultural perceptions and learning how to use a vape device. This means that vaping is the clear option for anyone serious about quitting smoking.