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The longer you vape, the more tools and accessories you tend to collect – and if you’ve been vaping for a while, you probably have a box full of spare parts like atomizer coils, o-rings, and replacement glass. Do you really have everything you need, though, to continue vaping – and to vape safely – no matter what might happen? What if your only pair of batteries get damaged? What if you run out of coils or e-liquid and forget to order replacements from your favorite online vape shop?
If you happen to live in an area with a local vape shop that’s well stocked and doesn’t charge insane markups, consider yourself lucky. In some cities, the local vape shops charge markups as high as 300 percent compared to online prices. If you want to avoid high local markups, you need to make sure that you’re prepared for anything. These are the tools that you need to add to your vaping arsenal right now.
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Unflavored E-Liquid
Unflavored e-liquid is dirt cheap when you buy it in bulk. It’s great to have a big bottle handy for those times when you run out of your usual e-liquid and don’t want to pay an inflated price at your local vape shop while you wait for shipping. Since you most likely won’t enjoy unflavored e-liquid as much as you enjoy your usual flavor, you’ll have no problem leaving your unflavored e-liquid in a cool, dark place until you really need it. Who knows – you may even find that you actually like unflavored e-liquid. It’s cheap and helps your coils last longer. Vegetable glycerin has a neutral, slightly sweet flavor of its own that you might find quite pleasant.
Did you know that some vapers are now are trying to use cannabis indica strain as e-liquid? According to studies, this medicinal herb can help users to relax and relieve them from chronic pains.
Battery Wraps
On a 18650 battery, the round portion at the top is the positive terminal. The entire rest of the battery is the negative terminal. If something metal touches the top and side of the battery simultaneously, you’ll have a short circuit. Battery wrappers aren’t just there to look pretty. They’re there to prevent metal objects from touching things they shouldn’t touch. If you have a battery with a wrapper that’s torn, you have a severe safety issue on your hands because the battery compartment of your mod may contain metal components that could potentially touch the side of the battery.
This is actually a case in which it can be useful to call your local vape shops for help. Many vape shops offer free or cheap battery rewrapping services. If you don’t have that service available locally, you need to buy a tube of battery wrap. A large tube costs only a few dollars and will likely last several years. You can find detailed instructions online for rewrapping your batteries. In short, though, you simply need to remove the damaged wrapper and cut a length of tube that’s a bit longer than the battery. Place the tube over the battery and apply light heat with a hair dryer to make the wrap shrink over the battery.
Battery Cases
If you have a mod with removable batteries, you’re going to encounter situations in which you want to transport an extra set of batteries – and if you spend any time reading news headlines, you know that transporting batteries in your pocket is extremely dangerous. If other metal objects in your pocket touch the batteries, they can cause a short – and a fire in your pocket. You should always have a padded battery case available so you can transport batteries without the risk of foreign objects touching the metal. The website eCig One created the Internet’s first comprehensive list of e-cigarette battery explosions reported in the media. As of November 2017, 57 explosions had occurred due to incorrect battery handling. Don’t let that happen to you.
Coil Building Supplies
Even if you prefer to use a tank for vaping, it’s a good idea to keep a basic coil building kit – a rebuildable atomizer or rebuildable head for your tank, a spool of wire and some organic cotton – available for those times when you run out of coils unexpectedly. Given the popularity of heavily sweetened e-liquids these days, sub-ohm tank owners are going through coils more quickly than ever. You do not want to vape on a burned coil for several days while you wait for new coils to arrive in the mail. Having the ability to build your own coils in a pinch can be a lifesaver.
If you’re not worried about building perfect coils, you can decent results by cutting your wire with scissors and wrapping it around a drill bit. You’ll have the best results, though, if your coil building kit includes the following:
- Rebuildable atomizer or rebuildable head for your tank
- Spool of kanthal wire
- Organic cotton
- Coil jig
- Wire cutters
- Ceramic tweezers
- Resistance meter
Extra USB Cables
If you have a mod with a fixed internal battery, you are dead in the water if you don’t have a USB cable available for charging. Let’s be honest, though; the USB cables included with most mods aren’t exactly durable. It’s very wise to have a couple of spare charging cables available for the day when your main cable finally gives out.
Spare Mod
If you buy new mods frequently to take advantage of the latest features, having a spare mod available isn’t a problem for you. If your newest mod stops working, you can always take an old device out of retirement. If you only own one vaping device, though, it’s a great idea to have a spare mod available – even if it’s an inexpensive one – in case your main device gives out. It’s okay to pay a high markup at a local vape shop once in a while if you need a bottle of e-liquid, but you do not want to pay a big markup for a new mod.
About the Author
Jason Artman is the owner and author of eCig One. Through his website, Jason offers freelance writing and SEO services to sellers of vaping supplies, e-liquid and CBD products as well as legal cannabis companies and brick-and-mortar vape shops.