It finally happened. What once felt like a distant date on the horizon, arrived and with it came a wave of panic. On July 23^rd, the Federal government swung their proverbial axe, putting an end to the sales of nicotine products above 20mg in Canada.  Former smokers who relied on these higher nicotine strengths to stay off the sticks were rightfully concerned. I mean, who wants to go back to the cancer sticks after partaking in the delight of vaping? Surely, the only reason people could stay off cigarettes was vaping at high concentrations such as 50mg, right?

So, does this mean we’re doomed? Are all the vapers who were vaping at 50mg condemned to a lifetime of stinky cigarette smoke? 

Fear not, my friends. The vape industry is about adaptability. In the face of adversity, the vape industry rises like a phoenix from the ashes to bring us… 

Hybrid Salts
Hybrid salts, also known as HIT salts, are a blend of freebase and nicotine salts. These have been designed for mouth to lung, or restricted direct to lung vaping. hybrid salts offer a stronger throat hit, with a lower nicotine concentration. Hybrid salts give us the best of both worlds, by providing a more noticeable throat hit, as well as a satisfying nicotine intake. So basically, hybrid salts give us the same feeling of higher concentration nicotine, with less actual nicotine.

Many of our favourite brands, such as STLTH and Ghost have begun selling these hybrid salts. This means that you can keep the convenience of vaping closed pod systems or disposables without sacrificing the throat hit you’re used to. Seriously, the difference is so subtle that you will be left wondering if the labels have been switched!

What to look for?

Many companies are rebranding to adapt to these new regulations. STLTH has acted fast, and are offering Bold 35 and Bold 50. Although the product names suggest a higher nicotine concentration, they are both only at the federally mandated 20mg/ml. The Bold 35 mimics a 35mg concentration, and the Bold 50 mimics a 50mg concentration. Prefer Zpods? The Z Pods Supreme Nic Blend will give a similar throat hit as a 50mg concentration. Ghost Max Bold 50, and Ghost XL Bold 50 are available for those who prefer disposable vapes.

No compromise necessary on flavours, brands, or preferred devices. It’s a win, win for all!

A big bonus of these types of hybrid salts, is that salt nicotine gives us a quicker nicotine “fix”, whereas freebase nicotine is more of a “slow release”. This means that you may actually be reaching for your device less.

You’ve come this far in your journey on quitting cigarettes, why turn back now?

Click here to shop at vape4change!

Entering the world of vaping can be a bit overwhelming at first, and, with so many new products available weekly we thought we would create a basic vaping guide to help you navigate this wonderful world of vaping. I remember when I first started vaping and purchasing products online, it was a bit confusing when I was trying to use the search option to navigate, since I was not sure about some of the terminology used. 

Let's first start with the basics and work our way up. 

Coil – The part of the atomizer used to heat  e-liquid. 

Pods- The pod is the equivalent of a tank that holds your vape juice. Vape tanks can hold  as much as 6.5ml or more, pods typically hold somewhere between 1ml to 3ml of e-juice. Click Here to Shop for pods

 Mouth to Lung  Vaping (MTL) & Direct to lung (DTL) Vaping

DTL vaping is directly inhaling the vape into the lungs like breathing air. In contrast, MTL is more like smoking a cigarette.

Nicotine Levels or MG levels- Stands for milligram strength per milliliter. This is used to determine the nicotine strength of e-liquid. Freebase e-liquid ranges from 0mg-18mg and salt nicotine ranges from 10mg-50mg (1%-5%). An example of this would be if a juice is 3MG this means that there is 3mg of nicotine per ml of ejuice.

OHMS: Lower Ohm coils: Creates more heat at the coil which in turn can create more vapor but uses more liquid. Higher Ohm coils: Creates less heat at the coil which can create "less" vapor but uses less liquid.

Mesh Coils - Their design allows the element to cover a larger surface area and maintain even heating throughout. The large surface area allows a massive amount of e-liquid to be vaporized at once. As a result, you get much more vapor and - by default - better flavor. Since the heat is not focused in a single area, the strain on mesh coils is lower which means that the coil will last longer. 

mAh – milliam per hour. This is used to describe a battery’s capacity to store energy. The higher the mAh, the longer the battery life is. This is good to look for when purchasing a unit with an internal battery.

Priming – Before using a new coil, a few drops of e-liquid are added on the coil allowing it to sit for a few minutes to let the e-juice saturate the cotton completely. If you are using a pod, you can fill the new pod with e-juice and let it sit for a few minutes before hitting it to avoid burning the pod.

Throat Hit – The sensation after vapor hits the throat. Some vapers look for a  "tight" dry harsh throat hit that mimics a cigarette, while others prefer a smoother "airy" throat hit.

PG/VG Ratio - PG stands for Propylene Glycol, which is one of two main ingredients in all e-juices. PG does not make as much vapor as VG, the advantage is the intensity of the hit as well as the flavor. VG stands for vegetable glycerin- the second main ingredients used in e-juices. The advantage of VG for vaping is the tremendous amount of vapor that can be produced from a small amount of liquid. It is a clear, odorless liquid that has a slightly sweet taste.

Typical PG/VG Ratio

• 50% PG / 50% VG – the most common used today for nic salts
• 70% VG / 30% PG – the most common used today for free base e-liquids. This ratio is a blend designed to produce great vapor for sub ohm vaping while at the same time maintaining a crisp flavor.
• 80% VG / 20% PG – This ratio gives intense vapor production and decent flavour 
• Max VG – at least 90% VG. This is designed for maximum cloud production and is mostly used by competition cloud chasers. The flavor is very mild but the vapor production is intense

Draw activated - A pod vape that produces vapor as soon as you pull on the device. Simply inhale and the device will begin to produce vapor, much like a cigarette.

Button activated- A pod vape that requires you to push a button while you draw for it to begin to produce vapor.

What are the different types of e-juices?

Free Base E-Liquid - We wont get very technical with this but basically free base e-liquid is what the vaping industry started with. Free base e-liquid comes in 0MG, 3MG, 12MG, 18MG. Free base provides you with a "wet" throat hit and can be rough on your throat if you go higher than 6MG. Free base e-liquid is vaped at higher temperature than salt nicotine. Most people will vape free base at around 60 - 80 watts and are looking for big clouds. Click to Shop.

Salt Nicotine - is derived from the the tobacco leaf and provides a smoother throat hit with higher nicotine content. Salt nicotine mimics the throat hit that smokers get from cigarettes and is a game changer for people looking to quit smoking. Salt nicotine is more of "dry" throat hit. Nicotine levels start at 10MG and go as high as 50 MG. Typically, nicotine salts perform best within the range of 15 watts to 40 watts. Shop Here.

Disposable Vape - A Disposable vape is a small non-rechargeable device, pre-charged and pre-filled with delicious vape juice. The disposable vape is draw activated so it's ready to vape whenever you are ready. Once the juice runs out you can easily dispose of the unit! The type of juice in a disposable is salt nicotine and ranges from 20MG-50MG of nicotine. The throat hit on a disposable is perfect for people looking to quit smoking. We at vape4change have a recycling program for disposable vapes. Click Here for disposable vapes.

Open Pod System - Open pod system is a unit compromised of a pod or coil that allows you to refill the pod with an e- juice of your choosing. All open pods come with empty refillable pods that you refill yourself. These devices require you to fill the pod however will offer you the best value for vaping and will save you money in the long term. Shop Open Pod Systems here.

Closed Pod System - A unit that comes sealed and prefilled with e-liquid and snaps directly into a battery. Examples of closed pod systems are STLTH, VYPE, JUUL. They are convenient and easy to use. They are more expensive than an open pod system, but if you like convenience and don't mind paying for it then a closed pod system is perfect for you. Please remember that when you purchase a closed pod system such as the Vype/Vuse, you need to purchase the corresponding e-liquid pods made by the same company or compatible with your unit. Closed pod systems contain nicotine salts and come in a variety of flavours and nicotine strengths. Most closed pods come in 2 -4 pods/pack and may contain 0.7ml-2ml of e-juice per pod. Closed pod systems are a great option for people looking to quit smoking without the hassle! CLICK here for Closed Pod System.

Vape Mod Kits - a  box-like device that uses sub-ohm technology to give you more power and more vapor production. These devices allows you a power outage ranging from 20 watts to 200 watts. These kits are mostly used by vapors looking to vape free base e-liquids. Salt nicotine e-juice is NOT recommended in these type of units.

Starter Kit: A starter kit will have everything you need to start vaping. Most starter kits will have the unit, charging cable, pods/cols, tank. The only thing you will need to buy is your juice and batteries if the unit uses external batteries.. The batteries are usually 18650 and are rechargeable.

Which is better Juul or Vype, Juul versus Vype review. Reviewing both pod systems and sharing perosnal experience on using both of the units.

The winter months in most of Canada can be depressing, to state the least. Day after day of bone-chilling temperatures, very little sun and all those necessary layers easily bump people off course and away from those new year’s resolutions- especially those that are food-focused or habit-oriented.

Vape stores are popping up all over the GTA and it’s tough to differentiate one from the other. My fiance has been attempting to make the switch from smoking and would switch up between cigarettes and using his vape device, often trying out different shops for various juice flavours. It wasn’t until recently that he became loyal to one shop, Vape4Change, and the reasons for this have to do with the unique services they offer that no other store in the area seems to.