Vaping hardware falls into three broad groups: vape pens (the devices first known as e-cigarettes), vape mods, and pod systems, with JUUL as the pod discussed here. They differ in size, power, upkeep and how much you need to know before using them. This guide walks through each so you can work out which one suits you, much as you would compare cars before buying one.
All three do the same basic job. They heat a liquid containing nicotine until it turns to vapor, and you inhale that vapor. That is where the word vaping comes from.
Pens: the starting point
A vape pen has three main parts: a battery, a compartment for liquid and a heating coil. The liquid, called e-juice, e-liquid or vape juice, is made of vegetable glycerin, propylene glycerin, nicotine and flavor. You hold a button down as you inhale, the coil heats the juice, and vapor comes out.
What pens do well:
- They are small and discreet, and fit a pocket or purse.
- They come in many colors and styles.
- There are hundreds of e-juice flavors to fill them with.
- You can adjust nicotine intake and vapor volume.
The drawbacks are mostly about the battery, which is slow to charge and runs down quickly. Pens are also easy to drop and break.
Mods: more power, more to learn
Mods exist because experienced pen users asked for more. The name is short for modified vaping device. A mod is larger and stronger than a pen and is built for bigger clouds, a firmer throat hit and lung inhale, and more flavor from the juice. The cost of that is bulk: a mod is harder to carry and harder to keep out of sight.
Mods are a poor first device. They are meant to be set up to the owner’s taste, and that brings complexity. Batteries come in different voltages, and coils and wicks can be mixed and matched. Before moving up, learn thoroughly how a pen works and which parts of vaping you like, so you know what you are trying to change.
Mods cost more than pens, and the price climbs with the parts you pick. In return the battery lasts longer and the body is made of tougher materials, so a mod generally has a longer working life.
Pods: the JUUL approach
Before JUUL came out, the pen was the simplest vape you could buy. JUUL shares the battery, the heating element and the slim look, and it is just as easy to carry. The difference is the liquid. A pen has a compartment you fill, while JUUL takes a sealed pod that comes filled with nicotine salt e-juice.
Other points that set it apart:
- Size: about as big as a cigarette and very light. Some pens are as large as a cigar, and mods are heavy.
- Activation: no button. Sensors register your draw, switch on the battery and heat the liquid.
- No mess: the sealed pod keeps juice from coming up the mouthpiece or spilling. A spent pod is thrown away and swapped.
- Nicotine salts: the liquid has a very high nicotine concentration and hits harder, so fewer puffs are needed, and the draw and throat hit resemble a cigarette.
There are limits. When this was written JUUL had only about 8 flavors, far fewer than the juices sold for pens and mods, and a pod runs out sooner than a bottle of e-juice. JUUL also did not yet let you pick a nicotine level the way bottled juice does.
What a JUUL Starter Kit involves
JUUL was sold either as the device with its charger or as a kit that added two pods. A pod lasts around 3 days on average, so pods are an ongoing purchase. That makes running a JUUL more costly than running a pen, though still well below what a mod costs.
Choosing
Some people want the basic model that just works. Others want every adjustable feature. Get to know the options before you decide, and keep in mind that vaping carries risks. Nicotine is a toxic and addictive substance, and smoking of any kind is potentially harmful to your health.