What Is Vaping and How Does a Vape Work?
Vaping means inhaling an aerosol produced by heating a liquid. Most of the confusion around it comes from the word "smoke" being applied to something that is not smoke, so it is worth understanding what actually happens inside the device.
Nicotine is an addictive substance. These products are sold to adults aged 18 and over only.
The four parts of a vape
Almost every device, from a disposable to a large mod, is built from the same four components.
- A reservoir — a pod, cartridge or tank holding the e-liquid.
- A coil — resistance wire, usually wrapped in or sitting against cotton that draws liquid from the reservoir.
- A battery — built in on small devices, removable on larger ones.
- A mouthpiece and airflow path — which sets how tight or open the draw feels.
What happens when you inhale
Drawing on the device triggers it, either through an airflow sensor or a fire button. Current passes through the coil, which heats rapidly. The liquid held in the cotton against that coil reaches its boiling point and turns to vapour.
That vapour meets cooler air in the chimney and condenses into very fine droplets suspended in air. That suspension is an aerosol, and it is what you actually inhale.
Why it is not smoke
Smoke is a product of combustion. Burning breaks material down and creates new compounds that were not present in the original material, along with solid particulate and ash.
A vape burns nothing. It heats a liquid past its boiling point and that liquid becomes vapour. The aerosol carries the same components as the liquid that formed it — propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, flavourings, and nicotine where present.
Combustion versus vaporisation is the actual technical distinction between the two, and it is why the visible cloud from a vape disperses far more quickly than smoke does.
What is in the liquid
E-liquid is a short list of ingredients. Propylene glycol is thin, carries flavour well and gives a firmer throat sensation. Vegetable glycerine is thicker, sweeter, and produces most of the visible cloud. Flavourings and nicotine make up the remainder.
The ratio between the two base liquids is what the numbers on a bottle label mean, and it decides which devices the liquid suits. Our guide to choosing e-liquid covers ratios and strengths in detail.
Where the cloud comes from
Visible vapour is mostly vegetable glycerine. A high-VG liquid in a high-power device produces a large cloud; a 50/50 liquid in a small pod produces very little. Power matters as much as the liquid — the same bottle in two different devices will behave differently.
This is why a discreet pod and a sub-ohm mod look so different in use despite working on identical principles.
The three types of device
Disposables — pre-filled and pre-charged, used until empty. Nothing to assemble or maintain.
Pod systems — a small battery with a refillable or replaceable pod. Compact, with a tight draw. Our guide explains how pod systems work.
Mods — larger devices with adjustable power and replaceable tanks and coils, for people who want control over how the setup performs.
Frequently asked questions
Is vapour the same as steam?
No. Steam is water in gas form. Vape aerosol contains almost no water — it is condensed propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine carrying flavour and nicotine.
Why does my device sometimes taste burnt?
The cotton has dried out, usually because the coil is worn, the liquid is too thick to wick quickly, or the device was fired before the wick had soaked. See how to change a vape coil.
What does mouth-to-lung mean?
A draw style. You pull vapour into your mouth first, then inhale it — a tight, restricted draw. The alternative, direct-to-lung, is an open draw inhaled straight down. Pods are built for the first; sub-ohm mods for the second.
Shop at Vapor Space
We are a licensed retailer in Al Nahyan Camp, Abu Dhabi, trading since 2019. Browse disposables, pod systems, e-liquid and salt nicotine, delivered across the UAE.
