To Pod or not to Pod, that is the question.

If you’ve heard anything about vaping recently, you have no doubt heard of Pod Systems in one way or another. Pod systems eliminate the need to carry around a pound of metal, batteries, e-liquid and breakable glass just to vape. They are also much simpler devices than mods. Pods have internal batteries, simple charging, no glass, no confusing coils and many are small enough to fit in the tiniest of pockets. They are ideal for anyone who prefers a smaller, more discreet device that delivers amazing flavor and satisfies the craving for nicotine.

What is a pod system and how do they compare to typical (mod and tank) E-cig devices and why would you want to use a small device that doesn’t blow huge clouds?

That’s a great question, and I’m here to answer that for you! Here at Indy E Cigs Fort Wayne, we are always trying to help customers get the device that satisfies their nicotine cravings and best fits their lifestyle. In my opinion, a pod-based system is the easiest, most cost-effective way to achieve this. They consist of a battery device and a disposable pod. There are two main kinds of pod systems; open pod systems and closed pod systems. Closed pod systems, like Nicostic and Juul, come pre-filled and are not meant to be refilled. Open pod systems, like the Suorin air, Aspire Nautilus AIO and Lost Vape Orion, supply you with an empty pod that you fill with your own liquid of choice and vape it until the pod or coil is burnt. For the purposes of this article, I will be talking about open pod systems. Most pod systems you just fill a pod, prime it, slap it on your device and you are good to go. Burnt taste or no flavor anymore? Just get a new pod, toss the old one, and you are back in business. Like being able to change up your flavor quick and easy? POD systems are perfect for that. Since the pods are small and easily thrown in a pocket or a purse, it’s a breeze to pre-fill an extra one at home to take with you. Like everything else in the world there are a few pod systems that can be a little more complicated than this, come in and see us and we can explain those in more detail.

But how do they work?

Pod systems use higher concentrations of nicotine e-liquid at a much lower wattage than your typical mod set-up. To put it simply these devices are lower power and lower temperature. The e-liquid they use are frequently referred to as salt nicotine.

What makes salt nicotine different and why do I want it?

Nicotine salts are made using a process of combining benzoic acid (a common, naturally occurring substance found in many foods we eat daily) with freebase nicotine to lower the ph, which results in a smoother vaping e-liquid. Since the wattage that you will be vaping this juice at will be much lower, you will need more nicotine to achieve this. Normally that would result in a very harsh and almost unvapable e-liquid. However, in this case, the addition of the benzoic acid allows us to add that high concentration of nicotine and still have a smooth, delightful vape. Most regular freebase nicotine e-liquid is found in 3/6/12mg/ml concentrations. Salt nicotine e-liquid generally ranges from 35mg/ml to 50mg/ml. That last set of numbers may seem high, but remember that this is nicotine per ml vaporized and you are vaporizing much less liquid with a pod device.

Wow, that's a lot of nicotine! That can’t be safe, can it?

if you were to fill your sub-ohm tank with salt based 35mg e-liquid and vape it, you would consume a dangerously high amount of nicotine. Pod systems allow you to vape higher nicotine content by using high resistance coils and low wattage. These coils generally have resistances of 1-1.5 Ω (ohms) compared to the sub ohm tanks that run less than 1 ohm. When vaped on a low wattage pod device like a Suorin air, you get small, satisfying hits of nicotine with discreet vapor production instead of looking like a human fog machine and still wanting more nicotine.