Everything a first-time vaper needs to know.

A vape is four parts: a battery, a coil, some cotton, and liquid. The battery heats the coil. The coil heats the cotton. The cotton holds the liquid. The liquid turns into vapour. Disposables, pod kits, big tank kits — all the same four parts in different shapes. Once you see that, every product on the shelf stops feeling mysterious.

Disposables come pre-filled and pre-charged. You vape them until the battery quits, then throw them out.

Pod kits are small refillable devices. You fill the pod from a bottle, charge it on USB-C, swap the pod every week or two.

Pod systems use pre-filled or refillable cartridges with replaceable coils. Same idea as pod kits but the coil sits inside a longer-lasting pod.

Sub-ohm tank kits are bigger, hotter, and built for low-strength freebase nicotine. They're a step up, not a starting point.

Most first-time vapers want a disposable or a refillable pod kit. The other two are next steps once you've figured out what flavours and strengths you actually like.

A disposable costs $15 to $25 and lasts a few days to a couple of weeks. A refillable pod kit costs $30 to $60 once, then $20 to $30 a month in juice. The kit has a small learning curve: how to fill it, when to swap the pod, what strength to buy. The kit costs less to keep going. Both work. The math tips in favour of the kit around month two.

Strength is measured in milligrams per millilitre. 20 mg salt nic is the Canadian legal max — that's where most pack-a-day smokers settle. 10 mg suits half a pack or less. 5 mg is for tapering or for people who never smoked. 0 mg is flavour only. If you cough or feel lightheaded, you went too high. If it feels like nothing, you went too low. Walk it up or down a step at a time.

Salt nic is the smoother form of nicotine. It sits well at high strength (10 to 20 mg), which is why every disposable and pod kit is built for it. Freebase is the older form — harsher at high mg, cleaner at low mg, made for sub-ohm tanks and mods. Two rules cover almost every case: if your device is small, it wants salt nic. If your device is large with a glass tank, it wants freebase. Mixing them up isn't dangerous, just unpleasant — too harsh, or too weak.

Inside the pod is a coil wrapped in cotton. The cotton soaks up juice. The coil heats it. After a week or two, the cotton picks up burnt sweetener residue from the e-liquid, and the flavour turns muted or harsh. That's when you swap. Some devices replace the whole pod. Others let you replace just the coil inside the pod. Either way, it's the only routine maintenance a refillable vape needs.

Buying a big sub-ohm kit because someone on YouTube said so. Too much device for someone trying to replace cigarettes.

Picking 3 mg salt nic and wondering why it feels weak. Cigarettes deliver more nicotine than that; you'll chain-vape it.

Hammering a brand new pod the second you fill it. Let the cotton soak for a few minutes or you'll burn the coil on the first pull.

Refilling a disposable. The pod and coil inside are single-use. Once it's empty, it's done.

Trying to copy a cigarette drag. Vapes are sipped, not pulled hard. Long slow inhale, not a quick deep one.

Decide the device first, then match the juice to its chemistry. Want simple? Get a disposable, pick a flavour that looks good, done. Want it to cost less over a month? Get a refillable pod kit, a 30 or 60 mL bottle of the strength you need, and a spare pod. Want the smallest learning curve while still being refillable? The Uwell Zetta paired with a Cloud Haven Indisposable bottle is the team's default starter pairing. It's what most of us recommend when someone walks in unsure.

We sell hundreds of these every month, most of them to first-time vapers. The most useful thing you can tell us is what you smoked, or whether you smoked at all, and how often. From there we'll point at one of three setups and you'll be set in five minutes. No upcharge, no commission, no quota. If something doesn't taste right after a few days, bring it back and we'll diagnose it together.