Wednesday, August 9, 2017

How To Choose the Right Nicotine Strength for Vaping

Among the many choices you need to make when switching to vaping, the nicotine strength of your e-juice is among the most important. Choosing a liquid that matches your current nicotine level is essential for a successful switch. If the nicotine level is too low, you may smoke even more to compensate; if it’s too high, the intensity can create an unpleasant experience. So how do you find that sweet spot in the middle?

It helps to first know how much nicotine you’re currently smoking with cigarettes. The average nicotine level of a traditional cigarette is between 8 and 20 mg, although most are closer to 12 to 18 mg.

Before we launch into a  breakdown of various nicotine strengths that are traditionally offered among big brands, a quick note: the technology in newer vaping devices or mods with higher power capacities cause them to produce more vapor and require much lower nicotine strength. Most people (including heavy smokers) will use 3 mg of nicotine or less. Of course, there are always exceptions, as well as older devices for which 3 mg may not be enough (or could be too much). Our breakdown below should help guide you on your DIY vaping journey, whatever device you’re using!

No Nicotine: This level will work for you if you just want the feel of smoking a cigarette. Zero nicotine offers optimal flavor and vapor production but lacks a throat hit.

1.5 mg/ml or 0.15%: This level offers supreme flavor and vapor production with an almost nonexistent throat hit, making it a perfect starting strength for the “once in a blue moon” light cigarette smoker.

3 mg/ml or 0.3%: If you prefer ultra-light tobacco and can count your monthly cigarette intake on one hand, we recommend beginning at 3 mg/ml. This will be a good balance for many of the newer, more powerful vaping devices.

6 mg/ml or 0.6%: A level of 6 mg can be effective if you are not a heavy smoker and are used to smoking one to five ultra-light cigarettes a day.

12 mg/ml or 1.2%: This is a light-level nicotine strength for most e-cigarette brands. If you smoke a light cigarette, especially if you smoke less than a pack a day, we advise this level to deliver a healthy balance of flavor and vapor with a mild throat hit.

18 mg/ml or 1.8%: If you smoke a full-flavored or unfiltered cigarette and smoke up to a pack a day, you will probably want your e-liquid to contain around 18 mg of liquid nicotine to deliver a medium throat hit.

24 mg/ml or 2.4%: It’s very rare that this level of nicotine would be used, but if you smoke more than a pack a day of a full-flavored cigarette, you could find this is the best option for you.

36 mg/ml or 3.6%: While it’s extremely rare to reach this level of nicotine, this could be an option for the heaviest of smokers who is used to two or more packs a day and needs extra nicotine to be satisfied.

Choosing the perfect nicotine level for you can be a tricky business, especially depending on your usual cigarette intake, the PG and VG ratio of your e-juice, and whether you’re trying to wean yourself off nicotine or simply remain at your current intake level. With this guide and a little bit of trial and error, we’re sure you’ll find the perfect nicotine level to suit your needs. 

What nicotine strength works best for you or your friends? Sound off in the comments section below!