Electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or vapes, are battery-powered, handheld nicotine delivery devices that mimic the sensation of smoking a real cigarette but are not as harmful as cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes are an alternative to traditional cigarettes, helping to reduce the harmful effects of cigarette smoke on health and the environment.
E-cigarettes contain essential oils with or without nicotine, with a variety of flavors such as fruit, candy, drinks, etc. Some essential oils can also be mixed according to the user's preferences.
Electronic cigarettes come in many types and shapes such as Cig-a-like, vape pen, box mod, mech mod... But regardless of the shape, they still have the same operating mechanism and structure of components, and can adjust the power, temperature, air flow and other parameters to suit the needs and feelings of the user.
Currently, there are hundreds of reputable e-cigarette manufacturers in the world, with many different designs, qualities and prices. Some famous brands are Gcore Vape, Vaporesso, Geekvape, Voopoo, dotMod... E-cigarettes also have many accessories such as leather cases, straps, covers, LED lights, display screens...
Electronic cigarette structure
Regardless of shape or form, electronic cigarettes have 5 key parts: body, battery, burner, essential oil and coil.
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Body: The main part that connects the atomizer and the battery. The body comes in many shapes, such as cylindrical or round, the most common shape is rectangular. The body in a vape is divided into two categories: “regulated mod” and “mech mod”:
Regulated mods contain electronic circuit boards with safety features for the user. There is a button to activate the vaporization process, and several other buttons to adjust parameters. Some models also have a display screen for easy monitoring and setting.
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Mech mods do not contain any electronic components inside, instead using the electrical conductivity of ultra-precisely designed metal pieces assembled into a cylindrical or rectangular shape, combined with insulation techniques to directly connect the battery and the atomizer (that's why mech mods are only for long-time vapers and have knowledge about battery safety).
Burner: The part to install the coil and cotton. Burners are divided into 2 main types according to the mechanism:
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RDA: Rebuildable Drip Atomizer - The atomizer has the ability to replace the cotton wire, has a simple operating mechanism and design, with the heating wire chamber and the suction mouth separated only by a chamber with air holes, opened when adding juice, closed when starting to use. RDA gives better flavor, but requires frequent dipping of essential oils.
RTA: Rebuildable Tank Atomizer - Atomizer with replaceable cotton coils, with an e-juice tank. Users also have to roll the coils and replace the cotton themselves, but there is no need to dip the e-juice, instead just pour the e-juice into the tank. RTA provides a more convenient experience, but need to pay attention to the problem of e-juice leakage.
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In addition, we have RDTA: Rebuildable Dripping Tank Atomizer - a combination of the two advantages of both RDA and RTA, RDTA has a convenient essential oil chamber like RTA, but also has the ability to bring out the strong flavor and thick smoke of RDA.
Battery: Provides power to the device, the type of battery commonly used in vapes is Li-on or LiPo batteries with an average capacity of 1500mAh to 3000mAh. The battery can be built into the body of the device, or can be removed and charged separately, depending on the body design of each brand. Batteries come in many different sizes, the most common being the medium size “18650” and the small size “18350”. Batteries need to be used and stored properly to avoid the risk of fire or explosion.
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Coil: The heating core converts electrical energy into heat energy to vaporize essential oils. There are two types of coils: “ready-made coils” and “manual coils”. “Ready-made coils” are coils that are mass-produced into heating cores with cotton and heating wire, which can be easily replaced. “Manual coils” are coils that the user rolls themselves from pure metal wire and cotton. Coils have many different resistances, which greatly determine the power limit that should be used when combined with the body of the device. Coils need to be replaced periodically to ensure the quality of smoke and flavor.
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Essential Oil: The main ingredient of electronic cigarettes, essential oil has 5 main ingredients: PG, VG, flavoring agent, nicotine and water. PG is propylene glycol, which is the flavoring and throat feeling agent. VG is vegetable glycerin, which is the smoke and sweetness agent. Flavoring agents are synthetic or natural chemicals, creating different scents. Nicotine is an addictive substance, found in traditional cigarettes, which has a stimulating effect on the nerves. Water is a diluent, helping essential oils to vaporize easily. The flavor composition of essential oils is very diverse.
The mechanism of converting electrical energy into heat energy to vaporize essential oils of vape is the same between types of devices, the specific process is as follows
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When the user presses the activation button on the body, the battery will supply power to the burner.
Electricity will be transmitted through the coil, heating the coil up to a certain temperature, depending on the coil resistance and the machine's capacity.
The coil will come into contact with the cotton, which absorbs the essential oil. The essential oil will be vaporized by the heat from the coil, creating flavored smoke and nicotine (if any).
When the user inhales from the drip tip, air is drawn in from the air holes on the body of the atomizer. The air mixes with the e-liquid smoke, creating a mixture of flavored gas and nicotine (if any). This gas mixture goes into the user's lungs, creating the feeling of smoking a real cigarette.
