History of Vaping

Vaping, a trendy way to explain the use of an e-cigarette or vapor inhalation instead of tobacco-infused cigarettes, has a surprising history.

Like many other trends, vaping got a rather bumpy start. The first patent for an electronic cigarette was filed way back in 1963 by Herbert Gilbert of Pennsylvania, but it took two years for the patent to stick. In 1965 Gilbert got a little bit of attention from Popular Mechanics magazine when they plugged his invention along with other ideas that had come through the patent office.

Unfortunately the design was never manufactured, an example of an idea presented too early for its own good. After all, cigarettes were an accepted part of 1960s society and many didn't realize the risk of smoking.

Fast forward to 2003. A medical researcher from China by the name of Hon Lik supposedly dreamt of the design for a smokeless cigarette. He was incredibly motivated to see the idea to fruition since he hated his own smoking habit and had lost his father to lung cancer. After working on the idea for a few years he released the first e-cig to the people of the world in 2006.

Lik's e-cig had a simple design. It was just a battery, a plastic cartridge with nicotine, and an ultrasonic atomizer. The design has been simplified by changing the atomizer into what is known as a cartomizer that is composed of a poly-fill material that absorbs the flavor of the nicotine or e-juice, surrounded by a heating element.

As the popularity of the e-cig has increased, the complexity of the e-cig has also increased. While before the product came in the same shape and size and was pretty generic, now people wanted their e-cig modified to look like something else. The first design was a flashlight "mod," a pretty simple design since a flashlight was already a hollowed tube. The word "mod" came to be known as any e cigarette that doesn't look like a cigarette.

Of course people's tastes got more complicated and as a result do did the 'modded' designs. Now it is not uncommon to see someone vaping with what looks like a perfume bottle or a pen or something even more distintinctly NOT cigarette-like. And if that wasn't enough to make the head spin, there are also dozens of types of atomizers to choose from when picking out an e-cig. From premade cartomizers, dripping atomizers and clearomizers to custom-made "from scratch varieties" that let the user pick her own wick material or build her own coils.

Vaping is here to stay, and so is the subculture that goes along with it. The designs, flavors and methods of use will continue to get more complicated and varied as time goes on, but that just means more people will be drawn to try the e-cigarette and put down those cancer sticks in favor of a friendlier and healthier nicotine experience. 

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What is VG and PG? Why are they in my E-juice?

An electronic cigarette is a device that conjures ups the act of smoking traditional cigarettes through producing vapor instead of smoke. It is for this reason, "smoking" an e-cigarette is commonly known as "vaping". Vaping offers an authentic alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes by providing the same feeling and nicotine content (if required) but eliminates a lot of harmful side effects of smoking. The vapor produced by an e-cigarette does not smell like smoke and more significantly, it does not contain the 4000 toxic chemicals produced by traditional cigarettes such as tar, carbon monoxide, Arsenic among others. E-juice or e-liquid is the fresh liquid solution made with USP grade ingredients that when heated by an atomizer, produces vapor.

E-liquids are generally made of four ingredients that are water, flavoring nicotine and Propylene glycol (PG) / vegetable glycerin mixture (VG). PG and VG are the primary and most essential ingredients. All e-liquids contain VG and PG, or a mix of the two and both ingredients are non toxic. Extensive research has determined that 70/30 (PG/VG) is ideal and able to deliver a satisfying vaping experience.

Both vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol are found in an array of foods that we consume on a daily basis, and are believed to be quite safe for consumption.

Vegetable glycerin is a natural organic glycerol made from vegetable oil, mostly extracted from plant oils such as soy, coconut or palm oils. VG is a heavy, thick and sweet tasting liquid that gives your e-cigarette a pleasant sweet flavor and creates large amounts of vapor. Vegetable glycerin is considered completely natural and safe. VG creates an incredible smooth throat hit that many people highly appreciate. It is also used as a sweetener in a variety of cosmetic products and also used in place of alcohol to botanical extracts. VG imparts a slightly sweet flavor, but it does not contain sugar and is metabolized by the body in a different manner than sugar. Food grade vegetable glycerin is 99.7% pure and 0.3% water.
Propylene glycol is an organic glycerol, made from propylene oxide. PG is very thin compared to VG but even sweeter than Vegetable Glycerin. It is known to produce a great throat hit, and it is for this reason that many people opt for it in their e-cigarettes. It is generally recognized as safe by the US Food and drug administration and this is why you find it in a host of healthcare products from body products such as food preservatives to skin care lotions, solvents, it is an ingredient in asthma inhalers among other personal care and pharmaceutical products.

Why do e-juice manufacturers use a percentage of each ingredient instead of just one?

When it comes to great vaping experiences, there are certainly important factors about VG and PG that you should keep in mind. PG tends to give you a lot more flavor and a better throat hit that simulate the smoking experience, and that is the reason it is used in a higher ration compared to VG. VG, on the other hand, is slightly more viscous and slightly sweeter then propylene glycol. It allows your atomizer to produce more vapors that simulate the cigarette smoke with less throat hit. A combination of these two ingredients gives a most pleasurable vaping experience.

The vaping community is divided when it comes to e-liquid preference; some enjoy sweet, viscous vapor plumes while others enjoy intense throat hits more than vapor and flavor.

Basically, the choice narrows down to your personal preference whether you ultimately decide on a full PG, A 100% PG or a mixture of the two. PG or VG is used as a carrier of nicotine to the user; however, users can use e-liquids with zero nicotine content.

The mix of VG PG that you can order from Oak City Vapor, contains ideal measures of the two types allowing you to experience the best of each. This mixture combines the sweetness and the great throat hit of PG- e-liquid with tons of vapor production along with the thickness offered by VG e-liquids.

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Is vaping bad for you? Is vaping really safer than cigarettes?

Posted by on January 30, 2015

There is a new sheriff in town. Vaping, or E-cigarettes have taken the world by storm and are quickly becoming the go-to alternative to smoking. We all know that smoking kills. It says so right on the package, so anyone who doesn't know that is falling behind. Vape juice contains propylene glycol, nicotine and flavoring ingredients. Cigarettes contain toxic paper, toxic filters, tobacco, carcinogenic preservatives, added nicotine and occasional additives such as menthol which can be dangerously addictive.

While we know that cigarettes are dangerous and addictive, we still have much to learn about vapor. Some studies have suggested that vaporized propylene glycol may produce small amounts of formaldehyde, the chemical used to embalm bodies that has been abused as a dangerous psychogenic drug. Personally, I've never had a psychedelic episode from vaping, and the research seems somewhat flimsy.

There has been little discussion of the other ingredients in vapor, as everyone knows that nicotine is an addictive drug that levels the user's mood and provides a more stable, focused attentiveness until it begins to wear off. Of course, being an addictive drug, another dose is necessary to maintain this state and the withdrawal symptoms can be powerful and uncomfortable. Many of the flavorings are either naturally derived or similar to the flavorings used in contemporary potato chips.

Cigarettes and other similar tobacco products are wrapped in paper or leaves. Both paper and leaves produce carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and particulate matter when they burn. The tobacco, itself produces those same poisons as it burns. These poisonous gasses are the same culprits that help produce the deadly smoggy haze near wild fires and factories.

Directly inhaling the particulates from tobacco can fill the mouth, sinus cavity and lungs with tiny particles of ash that choke the victim. This can cause inflammation of those tender, fragile tissues and reduce the natural immune response to common infections such as the Rhino Virus and Influenza. It can also elict an unwanted immune response to the damaging inflammation, causing an autoimmune response that can cause damage without outside instigation. These particles can become permanently lodged in the delicate lung alveoli, and are often coughed up by heavy smokers as a well-known thick, brown sputum.

Tobacco also contains tar. Tar in a cigarette is not really any different from the tar on your driveway. It literally paves the tongue, taste buds, esophagus, tonsils, sinuses and lungs with a thick, black coating that denies oxygen from being absorbed into the bloodstream. This carcinogen can remain in the lungs for many years after a smoker quits. It reduces the ability to taste food and drinks and can cause damage up to and including Cancer. Studies have shown that the reduced oxygen can have profound effects on memory and other brain functions.

It is sufficient to say, that at this point the jury is still out on the dangers of vapor inhalation. There will be much research over many years before we know everything we want to know. Evidence shows that smoking will kill you and vaping seems to be a better alternative.

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