Do Nicotine Salts Require a Specialized Vaping Device?
October 03, 2019
Nic salts offer a smoother, cleaner throat hit of nicotine. They also generally come in higher concentrations than freebase nicotine-based e-liquids, which means you may need to vape them less frequently to achieve the same results. This can offer significant cost savings by extending the life of your vaping device and reducing the cost overall of your vaping materials.
Upon considering these factors, perhaps you've decided you'd like to give nic salts a try. One question you're likely to have next is whether you need a specialized vaping device to use nicotine salts or if you can use them without one.
Nic Salt Devices
The device used to vape nic salts is called a nic salt pod. They are similar to standard vaping mods used to vape other e-liquids, except that they operate at a much lower wattage. Because these devices are usually smaller, they typically hold less vape juice (i.e., nic salts), and often have a shorter battery life.
Types of Nic Salt Devices
There are two basic types of nic salt devices: open and closed systems. Open system nic salt devices are refilled manually with nic salt e-liquids that can be purchased in a wide variety of concentrations and flavors. Closed system nic salt pod devices only operate using prefilled pods or cartridges that can also be purchased in a range of concentrations and tend to be sold in packs of four. Closed systems come with the disadvantage of requiring you to only use the prefiled pods that are compatible with the device. This will limit you to only the specific flavors and nicotine levels offered by the manufacturer.
How Expensive Are Nic Salts?
When you factor in the other cost savings of using nic salts over freebase nicotine-based e-liquids, the overall savings of using nic salts is clearly considerable. Comparing equal volumes of e-juice, nic salts can initially appear more expensive than freebase nicotine-based e-juices, but the concentration of nicotine in nic salts is also higher than the concentration in freebase nicotine e-liquids. Specifically, nic salts can contain as much as 50 mg of nicotine per milliliter or more, while freebase nicotine-based e-liquids tend to contain between 3 mg and 18 mg. As such, a bottle of nic salts may last considerably longer than a bottle the same size of freebase e-juice.
How Do I Know How Much Nic Salts to Vape?
Figuring out how much to use is based on how much nicotine you're accustomed to. You can also compare the costs. Consider whether you're a light, moderate or heavy nicotine user:
• Heavy nicotine users may use 1.2 to 2 ml of nic salts per day
• Moderate nicotine users may use 0.7 to 1.0 ml of nic salts per day
• Light nicotine users may use 0.2 to 0.5 ml of nic salts per day
Then, compare this to the number of packs of cigarettes you might otherwise smoke per day or week:
• A light smoker goes through a pack a week.
• A moderate smoker goes through a pack per day.
• A heavy smoker goes through two or more packs per day.
If you already vape with standard e-liquids, you may also find that you need to vape less frequently when using nic salts, as they deliver higher levels of nicotine. Thus, you won't go through as much nic salt juice as you would regular e-liquids, which can ultimately save you money.
How Expensive Are Nic Salt Pods?
Despite being specialized devices, nic salt pod devices can actually be less expensive, not more expensive, than regular vaping mods. This is due, in part at least, to their lower power consumption, allowing for a less powerful battery and heating element. The lower cost of nic salt pods over standard vaping devices can also be a result of their typically smaller size. The average cost of a nic salt pod can range from $12 to $50.
Are There Compatible Alternative Mods?
The answer to whether you can vape nic salts in a mod made for regular e-liquid vaping is more complicated than a simple yes or no. Technically, you can use nic salts in any mod designed for vaporizing e-liquids, whether specifically designed for freebase nicotine or otherwise. That is not generally recommended, however, as standard e-cig devices that are larger and more powerful may deliver excessively strong doses of nicotine when used to vape nic salts.
Can I Vape Nic Salts in My Sub Ohm Device?
Because nic salts generally come in higher nicotine levels, they are designed to be paired with lower powered devices so that the overall absorption of nicotine remains in a reasonable range. If, however, you pair a high nicotine nic salt with a high power device, you can far more easily get too much nicotine too quickly. For this reason, unless you are an experienced vaper, we recommend you stick to vaping nic salts only in devices specifically manufactured for nic salt vaping.
In particular, avoid vaping high nic level nic salts (especially 35 mg and 50 mg) using a sub ohm coil. Sub ohm vaping is defined as vaping using a coil with any rating below 1. For example, 0.8 ohm or 0.2 ohm coils would both be examples of sub ohm vaping. Stick to coil ratings above 1 when using high nic level nic salts.
For an in depth look at nicotine poisoning symptoms and what to do if you suspect an overdose, check out our in depth guide.
Can I Vape Nic Salts in My Vape Pen?
Small vape pens are impractical for nic salts due to the fact that their coils are designed for maximum heat, their battery life is short, and they cannot hold very much vape juice at once. Likewise, a mod that has been modified to produce thicker clouds and plumes of vapor may be neither efficient nor effective for vaping nic salts. For best results when vaping nic salts, it is recommended that you use a pod system made specifically for the purpose of vaping nic salts.
Check out Kai's Virgin Vapor's selection of vaping hardware and high quality vape juice or read our Vaper's Guide to Nicotine Salts which delves into the fascinating history behind the nic salt phenomena and offers a handy quiz to help you determine if nic salts are right for you.
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