How To Vape
How to Vape
A practical UK beginner’s guide for adult ex-smokers plus adult new users. Choose your device. Match your strength. Prime your coil. Draw gently. Refill as needed. Ten minutes to learn and a lifetime of a better alternative to smoking if you stick with it.
Five steps. Pick a pod kit. The simplest entry point for ex-smokers. Match strength to your smoking history. 20mg/ml nic salt if you smoked 20+ a day. 10mg/ml if you smoked 10 to 20. 6mg/ml or lower if you smoked fewer. Prime the coil. Fill the pod, then wait 2 to 3 minutes before vaping. This stops a burnt first draw. Take gentle mouth-to-lung draws. Slow draw into mouth, then inhale into lungs. Like smoking. Refill when empty. 10ml e-liquid bottles top up the 2ml pod multiple times. One device, one coil, one bottle. Ten minutes to learn the basics.
Three numbers every
UK adult beginner should know
Strength cap, tank cap plus safer-than-smoking estimate. The three orientation points.
UK strength ceiling
The maximum nicotine strength legally sold in the UK. Enough to satisfy even heavy ex-smokers when delivered as a nic salt.
Tank capacity
Every UK-legal pod or tank holds up to 2ml. Roughly a day of liquid for a moderate user. Refill with 10ml bottles.
Less harm than smoking
Public Health England’s 2015 estimate updated in 2018. Vaping is not harm-free but it is dramatically safer than tobacco.
Five steps from unboxing your first vape to vaping confidently
Every ex-smoker who has successfully switched to vaping went through the same basic learning curve. The good news is the curve is short. Ten minutes with a new pod kit is usually enough to get the hang of it. Another few days to settle into a strength and style that works for you. Here is the five-step version.
Step 1: choose your device
Three UK-legal formats suit different users. Most adult beginners should start with option one:
- Pod kit (best for beginners). Small device. Refillable 2ml pod. Draws like a cigarette. Examples: Vaporesso XROS, Oxva Xlim, Uwell Caliburn.
- MTL starter kit. Slightly larger. Uses a tank plus separate coil. Also cigarette-style draw. Suits users wanting more flavour plus longer pod life.
- Sub-ohm kit. Big vapour cloud. Direct-lung draw (not cigarette-style). Best for experienced users moving beyond an MTL kit. Typically runs 3mg/ml shortfills.
Step 2: choose your e-liquid strength
Match nicotine strength to your smoking history:
- 20+ cigarettes a day. Start at 20mg/ml nic salt.
- 10 to 20 cigarettes a day. Start at 10mg/ml nic salt.
- 5 to 10 cigarettes a day. Start at 6mg/ml nic salt.
- Occasional or social smoker. Start at 3mg/ml nic salt.
- Never smoked. 0mg flavours only. Adult vaping is not intended for people who never smoked.
Flavour is personal. Menthol, tobacco plus fruit flavours are the most popular starting points for ex-smokers.
Step 3: prime the coil
The single most common beginner mistake is vaping a dry coil. The fix is priming:
- Fill the pod with e-liquid. Use the side fill port on a refillable pod.
- Let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes. The cotton wick inside the coil needs time to absorb the liquid.
- Take a couple of dry puffs without activating the device. This draws liquid through the wick.
- Start vaping with short gentle draws for the first minute. This builds up flavour without scorching the coil.
Step 4: inhale technique
The right technique depends on your device:
- Mouth-to-lung (MTL). For pod kits plus MTL tanks. Slow steady draw into mouth for 2 to 3 seconds. Hold briefly in mouth. Inhale into lungs. Exhale. Matches cigarette technique.
- Direct-to-lung (DTL). For sub-ohm devices. Long deep inhale straight into lungs. No mouth hold. Different sensation to smoking.
- Common mistake. Drawing too hard on an MTL device. Use a gentle cigarette-style draw not a straw-sucking draw.
- Another common mistake. Chaining puffs too quickly. The coil needs 10 to 15 seconds between puffs to rewick. Otherwise you get a burnt taste.
Step 5: refilling your pod
Refilling is a daily ritual for most vapers:
- Remove the pod from the device.
- Find the fill port. Usually a rubber bung on the side.
- Insert the e-liquid bottle nozzle. Squeeze slowly.
- Fill to the marked line. Do not overfill.
- Replace the bung. Wipe any liquid off the outside.
- Reinsert the pod. Wait 2 to 3 minutes before first draw if the pod was dry.
Four mistakes UK beginners
make and how to avoid them
Vaping a dry coil
Skipping the 2-minute prime after filling. Produces a burnt taste that can put beginners off for weeks. Always wait before first use.
Wrong strength
Starting too low means constant cravings and relapse to smoking. Starting too high causes nausea. Match strength to smoking history.
Hard draws on MTL device
Drawing too hard on a pod kit floods the coil plus produces harsh vapour. Use a gentle cigarette-style draw not a straw-suck.
Not replacing coils
A coil lasts typically 1 to 3 weeks depending on use. A burnt taste that does not go away means it is time for a new coil.
Mouth-to-lung vape style vs
sub-ohm vape style
The two main UK vaping styles. Pick MTL if you are an adult ex-smoker starting out. Sub-ohm suits experienced vapers wanting more vapour.
Mouth-to-lung (MTL)
- ✓Draw style matches cigarettes. Familiar for ex-smokers.
- ✓Lower power output. Less vapour cloud. More discreet.
- ✓Uses nic salts at 10mg/ml or 20mg/ml. Matches smoker nicotine needs.
- ✓Long battery life. Typically a full day on one charge.
- ✓Low liquid consumption. 2ml to 4ml per day typical.
- ✓Low coil cost. Often £1 to £2 per replacement.
Sub-ohm (DTL)
- ✗Long direct-lung draws. Different from smoking.
- ✗Big vapour clouds. Not discreet. Can be disruptive indoors.
- ✗Uses 3mg/ml shortfills. Lower strength required due to higher airflow.
- ✗Shorter battery life. Often needs mid-day top-up charge.
- ✗Higher liquid consumption. 10ml+ per day typical.
- ✗Higher coil cost. Mesh coils can be £3 to £5 per replacement.
The basics covered above sit inside the wider UK vape knowledge base. For the full picture visit our vaping FAQs hub. Every major UK vape question sits inside.
Back to the Vaping FAQs hub
This article sits inside our complete FAQs knowledge base. Head back to the hub for the full index covering MHRA rules, TPD, the 2025 disposable ban, the 2026 vape tax plus retailer compliance.
More for UK vape beginners
The basics above cover the mechanics. For the background behind the rules our guide on why nicotine strength is capped at 20mg in the UK explains why the ceiling sits where it does and how nic salts work within it. For the tank size context our piece on why UK vape products are limited to 2ml pods walks through the reasons behind the 2ml rule. For the product-safety reassurance our guide on what it means if a vape product is MHRA compliant explains the label to check before buying.