New to the vaping world and curious about the differences in vaping and smoking? We’re here to help. While there’s still some debate about whether vaping is “better for you” than smoking, there are studies that say vaping is 95% healthier and 40% cheaper than smoking. Let’s look.
What is a Vaporizer?
Often simply referred to as a “vape”, a vaporizer generally “consists of a mouthpiece, a battery, a cartridge for containing the e-liquid or e-juice, and a heating component for the device that is powered by a battery. When the device is used, the battery heats up the heating component, which turns the contents of the e-liquid into an aerosol that is inhaled into the lungs and then exhaled. (source)”
From oil pens to dry pens and wax pens, along with desktops and portables, we’ve got a vaporizer for everyone in our selection.
Vaping vs Smoking: Chemicals Ingested
Before diving into this topic, it’s important to note that vaping has only been around since about 2007 — so just over a decade. Because it’s still so “young”, there has not been adequate time to study it and as such, there is a lot of widespread information (and misinformation) that is difficult to prove.
For example, one of the popular claims about vaping is that it is a smoking cessation aid. Many people who are trying to quit smoking turn to vaping. While this hasn’t been formally approved by the FDA (likely due to the short amount of time vaping has been available on the market), it is indeed a common practice to change from smoking to vaping. And even though we can’t say definitively that vaping is “healthier” than smoking, we can easily compare the number of carcinogenic chemicals ingested during the two practices. Smoking releases thousands of chemicals due to the combustion required while vaping releases fewer chemicals thanks to the lack of combustion required. Here’s a quick list to compare chemicals released in smoking and vaping, according to Vaping Daily:
SMOKING:
- Nicotine – The addictive chemical, gives the user the desire to want more. When people say they’re addicted to smoking, they’re addicted to nicotine.
- Hydrogen Cyanide
- Formaldehyde
- Lead
- Arsenic
- Ammonia
- Benzene
- Carbon Monoxide
- Nitrosamines
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
VAPING:
- Nicotine – The addictive chemical, gives the user the desire to want more. When people say they’re addicted to smoking, they’re addicted to nicotine. (NOTE from Lighter USA: Not all vape juice contains nicotine! You can get nicotine-free refills for your vaporizer.)
- Propylene Glycol
- Vegetable Glycerin
- Acetaldehyde
- Nitrosamines
- Flavoring
Vaping vs Smoking: Cost
Vaping may have a higher initial start-up cost than smoking, but beyond that one-time purchase that includes a vaporizer, it’s actually cheaper. According to Nerd Wallet, “The average cost of a pack of cigarettes in the U.S. is $7.04. That’s $2,569.60 per year for a pack-a-day smoker. The yearly expense for a rechargeable e-cigarette for a converted pack-a-day smoker is about $2.66 per cartridge or $605 per year. That comes out to about 227 cartridges per year.
You can buy liquid refills for a kit instead at about $43 per month, or $516 per year, for a pack-a-day equivalent.” Those are some pretty impressive findings that clearly show how vaping is a cheaper investment.
These are some of the high-level reasons that people choose a vaporizer over a cigarette. Another great reason is that such a diverse range of vaping flavors are available, and we have an incredible stock of thousands of vaping juices at Lighter USA! If you have any questions or need help getting started with vaping, feel free to contact us here.
