WHAT ARE CIG A LIKES?

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!

Cigalike vapes are a great starting point for beginners and those looking to quit smoking. These devices come in different types, including disposable and rechargeable options, and mimic the appearance and experience of traditional cigarettes, making them an appealing and healthier alternative for new users.

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.

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, commonly referred to as cigalike refills. These refills provide a realistic smoking sensation and come in various flavours and nicotine strengths, making them a popular choice for smokers transitioning to vaping. The convenience and performance of cigalike refills mean 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 breathe 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.

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. Cigarette style e cigarettes are designed to be easy to use and closely resemble traditional tobacco cigarettes, making them ideal for beginners.

However, the actual battery is part of it and its 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-rechargeable batteries, as the name implies, can’t be charged and have a single battery life and are found in disposable cig-a-likes.

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 and tank that 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, it heats the e-liquid, producing the vapour you puff on.

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!

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 in the UK) 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.

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! Tobacco or menthol flavours are particularly appealing for smokers transitioning to vaping, as they can make the switch feel more familiar and comfortable.

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, 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.

Cigalike e-cigarettes are crafted to mimic the look and feel of traditional cigarettes, but they come with several distinct advantages over tobacco cigarettes. Here are some key differences:

• No Tobacco or Tar: Unlike traditional cigarettes, cigalike e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco or tar. This makes them a healthier alternative, reducing your exposure to harmful substances.

• No Smoke: Cigalike e-cigarettes produce vapour instead of smoke. This means you won’t have to deal with the unpleasant odors or second-hand smoke associated with traditional cigarettes.

• Customizable Nicotine Intake: With cigalike e-cigarettes, you can control your nicotine intake by choosing from a range of nicotine strengths. This customisation allows you to gradually reduce your nicotine consumption if desired.

• Cost-Effective: Over time, cigalike e-cigarettes can be more cost-effective than traditional cigarettes, especially for heavy smokers. The initial investment in a cigalike starter kit can lead to significant savings in the long run.

By offering a similar experience to smoking but with added benefits, cigalike e-cigarettes provide a compelling alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes.

SAFETY AND PRECAUTIONS

E-liquids 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. This makes cig-a-likes particularly beneficial for those quitting smoking as they replicate the experience of traditional smoking, making the transition to a healthier alternative more manageable.

Cig-a-likes are also by far the easiest to use out of all the e-cigarettes. As 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 lead to e-liquid going 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 vaporizer that you have 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 - then wait for the wicking material to saturate before taking a puff.

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.