Pen, Mod, or Pod: Consider the Juul Starter Kit

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After years of Surgeon General warnings, more and more Americans are deciding to kick the habit smoking in favor of the healthier option of vaping.* Smoking cigarettes exposes you to thousands of toxic chemicals, especially carbon monoxide, while with e-cigarettes, you inhale vapor that is created by heating nicotine that has been removed from tobacco.  Hence….”vaping”.

The growing demand for vaping products has led to modifications and advances to the vehicles by which you vape and some can be quite complicated.  There are three major types of vaping instruments; vape pens (more commonly known as e-cigarettes), vape mods, and vape pods, specifically JUUL.  It is always important to do your research to determine which vaping vehicle suits you best.  After all, you wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it first, would you?

Vape Pens

The vaping phenomenon began with e-cigarettes, now called vape pens because marketing executives decided that e-cigarettes didn’t sound any better for you than regular cigarettes.  The vape pen consists of three major components; the battery, the liquid compartment, and the heating coil.  E-juice (a/k/a e-liquid and vape juice) is a combination of vegetable glycerin, propylene glycerin, nicotine and flavor.  The vape pen is activated by pressing a button while inhaling, which activates the heating coil to heat the e-juice, thereby producing vapor.   

In addition to being a healthier alternative to cigarette smoking, it is also more cost-effective.  With cigarette smokers spending between $2,000.00 and $4,000.00 per year on packs of cigarettes, a vape pen will cost you approximately between $20.00 - $40.00 with e-juice costing around $7.00 for a 10mL bottle and $30.00 for a 50mL bottle, you will definitely end up with more money in your pocket.

Other pros of vape pens are that they’re small, discrete and easily transportable in a pocket or purse.  They come in a wide variety of colors and styles and there are hundreds of e-juice flavors.  If you think of it, it probably exists.  Vape pens allow for the customization of nicotine intake and vapor volume.  However, the battery takes a while to charge, doesn’t last very long and are easily dropped and broken.

Vape Mods

Avid users of vape pens and expert vapors were looking for ways to enhance their vaping experience and manufacturers heard their demands. So was the invention of the “mod” or modified vaping device.  A vape pen on steroids, mods are bigger and more powerful than its predecessor that was designed to produce a larger vapor cloud, increase the throat hit and lung inhalation, and increase the flavor burst of the e-juice.  Mods are much bigger than vape pens, making them less transportable and discrete, due to its big and bulky size.

Vape mods are not recommended for those beginning their vaping journey, as they can be personally customized for each vaper’s personal preference.  With customization comes complication.  Mods are self-regulated with a variety of batteries (with varying voltages), heating coils, and wicks that are available for mixing and matching with a vape mod.   Before graduating to a mod, you should have a comprehensive understanding of how a vape pen works and what you enjoy most about vaping so you know how and what you want to adjust to improve your overall vaping experience.

Because vape mods are larger and more complicated to use, they, of course, are more expensive.  The price of a mod can cost you around $40.00 for the most basic mod and upwards of $100.00, depending on the parts you choose to build your mod around.  Expert vapers may not think that price is an object, when you consider that the battery life is longer on a mod then a pen, and that they are made from stronger and more durable materials than a pen, therefore, typically lasting longer; the mod pays for itself in a short time.

JUUL Pods

Recently, the vaping community was introduced to a new kind of vape called JUUL. Prior to the release of JUUL, the vape pen was considered the simplest form of vape. They both contain a battery and heating element and have simple, sleek and attractive designs, but the difference between JUUL and a vape pen is that the vape pen has a liquid compartment in which the e-juice is contained while the JUUL has a closed pod system that comes pre-filled with e-juice infused with nicotine salts. The JUUL about the same size and is just as transportable as a vape pen, but there are several key differences between the two.

The JUUL is the size of a regular cigarette and very lightweight, while pens can be as large as a cigar and mods are heavy and bulky.  The JUUL is activated by simply inhaling rather than pressing a button while simultaneously inhaling.  Sensors pick up the draw that activates the battery, powers the heating element and vaporizes the e-juice.  The closed pod system, which is filled with liquid containing nicotine salts, eliminates any e-juice from escaping through the mouthpiece and prevents spillage.  When the pod is used up, the pod is discarded and replaced with a new one. Nicotine salts provide a more powerful hit and, therefore, require fewer inhales to catch your nicotine buzz.

Nicotine salts also have a very high concentration of nicotine, which mock the draw and throat hit of an actual cigarette. Unfortunately for vapers, JUUL only has about 8 flavors compared to what is available for pens and mods and the pods don’t last as long as e-juice.  JUUL also unfortunately doesn’t provide users the option to choose their nicotine level, yet, like you can with various e-juices.  Since JUUL is relatively new, there is no doubt that more options are soon to be available to consumers.

Juul Starter Kit

            The price of a JUUL starter kit can range from about $35 for just the JUUL vape itself and the charger, to about $40 which includes the vape, charger and two pods.  With pods only lasting on an average of 3 days, JUUL users will need to continue purchasing pods, which can drive of the overall expense of vaping compared to a vape pen, but still significantly less than a mod.

            With the variety of options available to vapers, it is important to do your research, just as you would for a car.  Some people prefer a standard model that is easy to use, while others prefer all the bells and whistles of a premium model.  Whatever your choice may be, it is important to become familiar with your options and to remember that vaping does not come without risks.  Nicotine is a toxic and addictive substance and smoking of any kind is potentially harmful to your health.