7 Vapes to Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking is hard. It’s especially difficult when you have nothing to replace it with. That's one of the reasons why millions of smokers have turned to vaping to become smoke-free. The act of vaping is basically just like smoking but without carcinogens, tar, carbon monoxide, and obnoxious odor.

If you're new to vaping, fear not. We kept it simple for you with a variety of products suited to light or heavy smokers.

Most of the vapes on this page are nicotine-based. However, we've also added one of the best CBD vape pens because there's some evidence, both anecdotal and clinical evidence, that suggests that CBD can help in reducing tobacco consumption. Whether nicotine vapes or CBD vapes, they both have an edge over the patch or chewing gum. Those OTC methods simply don't scratch the itch like a vape can. One scientific study about vaping to quit smoking concluded, "those who report using e-cigarettes for smoking cessation are more likely to quit smoking over time than those who do not use e-cigarettes." The products on this page might just make that process easier for you.

Side effects of vaping

The potential side effects of using a vape with nicotine is similar to that of using a nicotine inhaler.

• Dry mouth
• Sore throat
• Coughing
• Headaches
• Dizziness or headrush
• Nausea

If you are experiencing these issues, or if you just have concerns or questions, consult with your doctor. Nicotine is considered a drug no matter the source you get it from.

Vaping vs. Smoking: is vaping safer?

There is a growing debate about the absolute safety of vaping, but there’s little question about its safety in comparison to smoking. For instance, Public Health England (PHE) says e-cigarettes are 95% safer than tobacco. PHE is a branch of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom.

As a part of their effort to reduce cigarette smoking, PHE produced a short YouTube video of an experiment to demonstrate the visible differences in residue from cigarette smoke vs e-cigarette vapor. It’s a stark contrast. The experiment was conducted by Dr. Lion Shahab, a leading smoking cessation academic from University College London, and Dr. Rosemary Leonard, a journalist and general practitioner.

It should be noted that England is much more supportive of vaping than in other parts of the world. But even in the US, the American Cancer Society says, “Based on currently available evidence, using current generation e-cigarettes is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, but the health effects of long-term use are not known.”

That’s the thing to remember. Vaping is safer than smoking, but vaping carries its own risks that may not be immediately evident. E-cigarette vaping has only been around for a little more than a decade.

The jury will be out for some time until vaping has been around long enough to study true long-term effects. The longest-term information we have on the health of vapers was conducted over a 3.5-year time.

A team of researchers from University of Catania (Italy) and the University of California Los Angeles, led by Dr. Riccardo Polosa, carefully monitored the participants coronary, circulatory, and pulmonary vital signs over the course of 3.5 years.

The scientists measured participants’:

• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Body weight
• Lung function
• Respiratory symptoms
• Exhaled breath nitric oxide
• Exhaled carbon monoxide
• High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the lungs

The study concluded that the e-cigarette users had no negative health outcomes based on what was measured, and actually showed results that were virtually indistinguishable from those of the non-users. “Even in the heaviest e-cigarette users (i.e. those with the highest e-liquid consumption and longest vaping history), there was no indication of emerging lung injury as reflected in these physiological, clinical, radiological and inflammatory measures.” And the unique aspect of this study was that the participants had never smoked. If they had been smokers, there would’ve been no way to isolate the causes and effects.

Does this mean vapes are 100% safe? No. Adults choosing to vape should be clear that those types of health claims can’t be made. There are still things to study. Health is a complicated matter and it may take decades of research to fully understand the ramifications of vaping, if there are any. The simple truth is the safest and most healthy thing to breathe is unpolluted air.

Will these products help you quit smoking?

How best to quit smoking using nicotine vapes

The first thing to remember is that vaping is not smoking, so by replacing your cigarettes with a vape, you are already smoke-free! And while each of us is different, there are some steps that would probably work for most people when trying to give up smoking with the use of vapes.

Let’s start with this: the reason some people fail to quit smoking using vapes is the fear of nicotine. Quitting smoking using zero-nicotine vapes is practically quitting cold turkey, as nicotine is the addictive substance in both cigarettes and vapes. If you are a moderate to heavy smoker, it is advisable to actually start with a relatively high-nicotine vape and gradually wean off. Your first goal is to quit smoking, and a vape will provide enough nicotine to ease your cravings.

Once you are not craving a cigarette anymore, you can take one of two routes. Either gradually lower your consumption (puffs) or gradually lower the nicotine level. While the latter is usually preferable—because it’s easier to monitor—if you are using prefilled pods or disposable vapes, you are at the mercy of product availability. Some companies offer various nicotine strengths, but most do not.

How do these products work?

How to vape and inhale

How you inhale a vape is important! If you inhale it wrong, it may end up making you cough. Or, you may even get an unwanted rush of nicotine. Either way, it wouldn’t be a good way to begin.

The best way to inhale a vape is pre-determined by the type of vape it is. There are basically two types: mouth-to-lung vapes which feel like a cigarette draw, and direct-lung vapes which are like taking a deep breath and blowing it out.

Mouth-to-lung vapes
Often these are smaller vapes with high nicotine, like the Puff Bar and other disposable vapes. When you draw on the device, the airflow will feel restricted — similar to that of a coffee straw. This is designed to mimic the feeling of pulling on a cigarette.

• Slowly draw vapor into your mouth for a few seconds
• Hold the vapor in your closed mouth for a second
• Open mouth and breathe in the vapor to your lungs
• Exhale

Direct-lung vapes
Vapes with this type of draw are often larger kits with low nicotine. When you draw on these devices, the airflow you take in will like it’s coming from a milkshake straw. These are devices made for making larger clouds of vapor, which is why the nicotine is low.

• Inhale the vape deeply to the lungs
• Exhale

Cigar puff 
One technique some vapers employ is the cigar puff. This takes out a lot of concerns about the lungs. And since nicotine can be absorbed through the mucus membranes, it truly is a viable option. The cigar puff is also a versatile inhale technique. This type of puff can be used with small mouth-to-lung vapes or even direct-lung vapes.

What mg/nicotine strength should I vape to quit smoking?

The ideal nicotine strength depends on the device you are using, how heavy a smoker you are, and personal preference.

On a disposable vape, heavy smokers should start by trying the highest nicotine available. In the U.S., this is usually 50 mg/mL (5%). In the EU and the UK, it is 20 mg/mL (2%). This sounds like a huge discrepancy (and it is,) but some manufacturers fine-tune their vapes for the different nicotine levels.

Light and moderate smokers can also give these strengths a go, but it’s often worth checking for mid-strength options. Finally, nicotine-free vapes are worth a try if you only smoke socially and want to get the hand-to-mouth action.

As for vape juice on refillable vapes, it depends on the hardware. For small, low-powered pod vapes, heavy smokers should probably start with the highest nicotine options available; 50 mg nicotine salt (20 mg in the EU/UK) or 12 mg freebase. The more powerful a vape you are using, the lower the nicotine should be since you’ll be consuming more e-liquid per puff. Thankfully, there is a lot of variety in e-juice nicotine strengths, so with a bit of experimenting, you’ll be able to find your sweet spot.

What is the best vape juice to quit smoking?

For most smokers, the best vape juice to quit smoking is tobacco-flavored e-liquid. And if you are a menthols smoker, there are many tobacco-menthol options on the market.

The reason we suggest tobacco and menthol is obvious: the easiest way to quit is by substituting cigarettes with a vape that closely resembles the smoking sensation. But bear in mind that the average tobacco juice will not taste like a cigarette. In fact, “tobacco” has come to have a very broad meaning in vaping. Some tobacco juices don’t even contain tobacco flavorings! If the taste has a certain “dark” quality to it, people will usually name it “tobacco.”

There is one glaring exception: naturally extracted tobacco (NET). NET vape juice contains tobacco extracts, and its taste is similar to real tobacco (minus the ashy flavor of burning tobacco leaves.) Unfortunately, most NET juices are very hard on vape coils and usually require advanced rebuildable atomizers (or daily coil swaps).

What is the safest vape to quit smoking?

As far as beginner vapes go, there is no safest vape to quit smoking. All vapes are less harmful than cigarettes.

If you want to go the extra mile, vaping unflavored pharmaceutical vegetable glycerin on a low-powered device is, from every perspective, the least harmful vaping can be. No nicotine, no flavors, just one ingredient. But as we mentioned earlier, zero nicotine vapes are not the best option to quit smoking, and an unflavored vape doesn’t sound that attractive (although many vapers swear by it!)

Regarding hardware, the battery-powered products in this list are low-power devices with minimal risk in day-to-day use. The vaping products that carry a risk are more advanced devices, like mechanical mods. These require a certain level of knowledge in battery safety. But devices like these are never recommended for beginners, or even advanced vapers. These are hobbyist devices used by a fraction of vapers out there.

Why we chose these products

Vaping should be simple for beginners. Particularly for smokers that need help. And it can be! That’s why the products considered for this page had to be easy to use, convenient and consistent.

But ask anyone that’s ever shopped for a vape; they’ll tell you that there’s no shortage of products and brands on the market. As a matter of fact, there’s an overwhelming number of products—and many of those products are designed for hobbyists.

We made this page for the person that doesn’t have the time or interest in vaping as a hobby or sport. Someone in need of help doesn’t have time for getting in the weeds. However, it could be that a refillable device or a more electronically complex vape would work better for you. In that case, we’ve provided you with those options too, particularly in the case of the Geekvape Aegis Boost. If you get a refillable device like that, you’re going to need to find the best e-liquid for your preferences.

Important for first-time buyers

These products are for adults only 
E-cigarettes (vape) products are an alternative to combustible cigarettes and are legally only sold to adults. The federal age now to buy vapes is 21. If buying online or at a physical location, you will be asked to verify your age.

Nicotine poses a risk for addiction 
All vape products are required by law, since 2018, to include a specific label that states: “This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.” No matter the source — vaping, over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapies, or tobacco — nicotine is considered highly addictive.

Product care 
The vape pens and kits on this page require little to no maintenance, but they do require certain care to keep them functioning properly.

• Store and care for your vape like other electronic devices. This means avoiding contact with water, exposure to extreme temperatures for extended periods, and accidental drops.
• Keep your vape clean and away from dust and dirt.
• Only use accessories intended for the device.
• In the event of damage or malfunction, only have your device serviced by authorized technicians.
• Do not try to modify or alter your device as it could void the warranty or possibly cause harm to you or the device.

Battery safety
All the vapes on this page contain a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. As with all lithium-ion batteries contained in electronic devices, proper care is needed to keep the battery working safely and properly. Battery safety is important.

• Only charge the device with the included charger, and according to the instruction manual provided with your beginner kit.
• Never use or store the device at extremely high or low ambient temperatures.
• If you find that your device is getting warmer than usual, always contact customer support.
• Do not leave the device charging overnight and/or unattended.
• Always store your device in a cool and dry place and away from direct sunlight.

Travelling with your vape 
Before flying with your vape, always make sure to check for the airline’s rules and regulations. According to TSA (Transportation Security Administration), vapes “may only be carried in the aircraft cabin (in carry-on baggage or on your person)”.

While travelling, vaping falls under the same rules as smoking. Vaping is prohibited in planes, and failure to comply with that may result in an arrest or even at an emergency landing. You may be able to vape in airports before and after your flight, but only at designated smoking areas.

Vaping in public 
The FDA considers vapes to be tobacco products and regulates them accordingly. Although vaping is not smoking, the eyes of the law views them as the same. If smoking is prohibited at a certain establishment, chances are that vaping is not allowed either. Check for smoking areas, and, if you are unsure about the rules of a specific place, always ask.

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