WHAT IS A CIG-A-LIKE?
A Cig-a-like is an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), also known as an ‘electronic cigarette’ that looks and feels very close to a tailor-made cigarette, with a view that smokers trying to quit smoking using an E-Cigarette would make the switch easily if the device resembled a tobacco cigarette as much as possible.
INTRODUCTION
When you are thinking about making the switch from cigarettes to vaping it can be intimidating. The amount of names, numbers and phrases that some “experts” throw around make it seem that you need a degree in vaping to understand them!
Today then we are going to break down what a Cig-a-like is, what makes it different to other types of vaporizers and how it works.
WHAT IS A CIG-A- LIKE?
A Cig-a-like is exactly as the name implies, something that has a cigarette style, so looks and feels like real cigarettes.
They are E-Cigarettes that are designed to look and feel as close to a cigarette as possible to help smokers make the switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes. That’s why they are generally shaped in the same style as a tailor-made cigarette.
A good example of a cig-a-like is our E-Cigarette starter kit. If you look at it you can see how we tried to make it all look and feel as close to the cigarette you are using at the moment. This goes as far as to have a light on the end of the battery (the long barrel part) which lights up whenever you take a puff.
The other part of the electronic cigarettes is also inspired by cigarettes, with the refill (the part of the E-Cigarette that holds the nicotine e-liquid) looking like a filter from a cigarette.
This refill of a cig-a-like is almost always pre-filled as well, so the user never has to refill the e-liquid or change coils as that is all built into the refill.
If you have a look at our E-Cigarette you can also notice that there aren’t any buttons or displays on the E-Cigarette. This is another feature of a cig-a-like, which is simplicity. To use it you just puff on it like you would a cigarette.
Lastly cig-a-likes are almost always going to be MTL or Mouth To Lung. This means that the vapour is drawn by the user from the cig-a-like and you breath in the vapour like you would smoke from a cigarette. This makes the cig-a-like feel more like a cigarette and helps with the psychological cravings that smokers have.
Compare that to what other (normally larger) devices do, which is push the vapour into your lungs. This is called DTL or Direct To Lung and the vaporizer actually actively pushes the vapour past your mouth into your lungs rather than letting you breathe it in. This is meant to help get more vapour into your lungs (and so more nicotine) but can feel strange to smokers who have been using cigarettes for years.
HOW DOES A CIG-A-LIKE WORK?
Cig-a-like’s are pretty simple, and are made up of three main parts:
RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
REFILLS OR CARTOMIZER
E-LIQUID OR VAPE JUICE
RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
Unlike other types of vaporizers the battery of a cig-a-like isn’t just the Lithium-ion battery inside. It is the main part of the cig-a-like and holds the circuit board which allows the cig-a-like to work.
However the actual battery is part of it and it’s main job is to power the E-Cigarette and send the electricity to the refill. These batteries come in two types, rechargeable and non-rechargeable. Our E-Cigarette for example is rechargeable, so when you run out of electricity you just plug the battery into the USB charger and charge it for a few hours.
Unlike the other types of vaporizers cig-a-like batteries have a fixed voltage, meaning that you can’t make the cig-a-like produce more vapour with a push of a button. For many smokers this helps make it feel more like a cigarette.
The non-rechargable batteries, as the name implies, can’t be charged and have a single battery life and are found in disposable cig-a-likes.
REFILL OR CARTOMIZER
This is the mouthpiece which looks like a filter of a cigarette and screws into the battery. In the refill there are two parts, the coil comes pre filled with e-liquid. When you puff on the refill electricity is sent from the battery and into the coil inside the refill.
The coil acts like a wick on a candle and soaks up the e-liquid and when electricity is passed through it heats the e-liquid, producing the vapour you puff on.
E-LIQUID (VAPE JUICE)
Held in the refill the E-liquid is perhaps the most important part of the cig-a-like. It is what will be turned into vapour and enter your lungs after all.
Held in the refill the E-liquid is perhaps the most important part of the cig-a-like. It is what will be turned into vapour and enter your lungs after all.
There is a huge amount of variation in e-liquid, from where it is made to what it is made of and the percentages involved. It is not exaggerating to say that the e-liquid is what makes or breaks a cig-a-like!
WHAT DOES A CIGALIKE CONTAIN IN THE E-LIQUID?
The E-liquid in a cig-a-like is made up of only 4 ingredients (which compared to the 4000+ chemicals and 50+ carcinogens of a cigarette is quite the difference and why e-cigarettes in general are 95% less harmful than tobacco), with each ingredient playing an important part.
The four ingredients in the E-Liquids in most E-Cigarettes are:
NICOTINE – E-Cigarettes (almost) always contain nicotine. After all, nicotine is the reason why people smoke! Cig-a-likes come in all manner of nicotine strengths from 2% (the strongest allowed) to 0% (no nicotine).
PROPYLENE GLYCOL – Commonly known as PG, this is what carries the flavour and nicotine and what creates the “throat hit” in an e-cigarette or vape. The higher the amount of PG in your e-liquid, the more realistic the “throat hit”. To read more about PG we wrote a whole article on it and it’s effect.
VEGETABLE GLYCERINE – Commonly known as VG, it is the main ingredient that creates the vapour. The higher the amount of VG in your cig-a-like, the more vapour you get but less realistic throat hit.
Many people get confused between PG and VG. This article will explain the difference between Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerine.
Many people get confused between PG and VG. This article will explain the difference between Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerine.
FLAVOURING – The varied and great tasting flavours of e-cigarettes, giving you a huge range of flavours from a tailor-made tobacco cigarettes flavour to a crisp apple taste!
But it’s not just what is in the e-liquid that makes it unique, but the mixture as well. For example if you have e-liquid with a lot of the VG in it then when that e-liquid is vapourised you will get a lot of vapour.
For us at SMOKO we wanted to make sure that our cig-a-like feels as close to having a cigarette as possible, so for that we went with a 80% PG 20% VG mix. That means that every time you take a puff on the E-Cigarette you will get the same kind of throat hit as you would with a cigarette.
It also means that the amount of vapour produced is modest, around the same volume as smoke from a normal cigarette. With this kind of mix then you won’t be surrounded by your very own fog every time you take a puff!
In general then we at SMOKO are proud of our e-liquids, not only do we think they are the best tasting e-liquids out there but they are Made in the UK as well.
Not only does that mean that they are tested above and beyond the legal requirement but we can also be certain of what is in them and what isn't.
WHY SWITCH TO VAPING CIG-A-LIKES?
E-liquids though are in every vaporizer, and all e-cigarettes are able to give you the nicotine a smoker needs to make the switch from cigarettes. So what is so good about the cigalike?
The main appeal of a cig-a-like is that it is as close to a cigarette as possible. Unlike a bigger vaporizer a cig-a-like can be used like a cigarette; you can hold it like a cigarette, puff on it like a cigarette and have it taste and feel like a cigarette.
Cig-a-likes are also by far the easiest to use out of all the e-cigarettes. Because the e-liquid and the coil are already in the refill you don’t ever have to re-fill the e-liquid or swap out the coil. This means that the cig-a-like is the least messy (as filling can mean that the e-liquid goes everywhere) and less hassle as you don’t have to worry about changing a coil.
With a cig-a-like all you have to think about is carrying a new pre filled refill with you, and when the flavour disappears you just take the old refill off and screw a new one on.
Compare that to a vapouriser that you have to to unscrew a tank, remove the coil, find your bottle of liquid, pour it into the tank (making sure not to spill any), change the coil if needed, screw the coil back on, and screw the tank back on.
You can see why then cig-a-likes are so good for new users or people who don’t want the hassle of a larger device as it takes literally seconds to put a new refill on and start puffing away.
WHAT IS A CIG-A-LIKE CONCLUSION
If you are a smoker who has been thinking about making the switch, but never been quite sure where to start, then cig-a-like E-Cigarettes might be the perfect start for you.
With no buttons to press, no tank to fill up, no coil to clean or change a cig-a-like is the easiest way to get into e-cigarettes. Add on top of that the fact that they look and feel like a cigarette, which can really help you get used to vaping, and you can see why we normally suggest our cig-a-like starter kit to any smoker who is interested.
So if you are ready to quit smoking cigarettes and want to try the UK's best cig-a-like, check out our most popular cig-a-like e-cigarette and vape starter kit deals to help you live smoke-free!
