You’re sitting in the living room reading the newspaper in a double-breasted Italian suit puffing away at your pipe. Elegant, sophisticated, classy–all words that could be used not only to describe a traditional pipe but an e-pipe as well. E-pipes are the electronic equivalent of traditional tobacco pipes, and with a wooden body and gold or silver trimming, you may not even notice the difference from the exterior. While they may not get the hype cigarettes do, pipes are nonetheless detrimental to your health and overall well-being. So, if you want to take steps to avoid the long list of potential harms, e-pipes are the way to go. If you’ve read Vape Australia’s guide to e-cigarettes, you already have a pretty good idea of how e-pipes function, but here we’re going to discuss them in detail. In the paragraphs that follow, we’ll tell you exactly how vape pipes work, why you should use one, and where you can purchase them.
How Do Electronic Pipes Work?
vaping pipes work very similarly to e-cigarettes–that is to say that they have the same internal structure. Every vaping pipe is made up of three components–the inhaler, the atomizer, and the battery. The inhaler includes a chimney, which allows you to suck vapour from the atomizer into your mouth, and, of course, the mouthpiece. It’s important that the mouthpiece be coated in plastic, rubber, or some other insulating material so that it can protect your lips properly when the device heats up.
The second part of the vape pipe is the atomizer. The atomizer, sometimes referred to as the coil, is a small, round device that functions as a heating element. The wicking material, typically cotton, will draw the e-liquid from the cartridge or tank into the atomizer, which will, in turn, heat the e-liquid until it evaporates thereby becoming the vapour you inhale.
The final component, and arguably the most important, is the battery. While it may be self-evident that an electronic pipe runs on battery power, a good-quality battery can make all the difference in your vaping experience. Besides determining how long you can vape before recharging, your battery will determine how powerful your hits are and how large and dense your clouds are.
Are ePipes Safe?
When inhaling on an e-pipe, you’ll still get an intense throat hit that will mimic that of a traditional pipe almost exactly. However, you won’t get any of the harmful side effects because there is no combustion involved.
Combustion, the process, in this case, of burning raw plant matter, releases toxic chemicals many of which are carcinogens. In an electronic pipe, no tobacco or flames are involved whatsoever. You can purchase a tobacco-flavoured e-juice, but the tobacco is just a flavouring and the heating element is electronic. On the other hand, you can choose whether and how much nicotine you’d like to vape if you, in fact, are still dependent on nicotine.
However, the nicotine on its own without the combustion won’t do much damage. Otherwise, the ingredients in e-liquid, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, are perfectly safe to use assuming they’ve been blended in a certified lab according to industry standards. Any of the e-liquids you purchase from ePuffer, South Beach Smoke, VaporFi, etc. are made with food-grade or pharmaceutical grade ingredients that are perfectly safe to inhale.
You do have to worry about the construction of your vape pipe though. A poorly constructed vaping pipe made with plastic components won’t be able to withstand the high temperatures required to vaporise e-liquid. The atomizer in your vape pipe should be made of durable metals like stainless steel, and your coils should be made of stainless steel or kanthal wire. Weaker metals alloys can start to break down under intense heat. However, if you follow our guide and stay away from cheap overseas products, then you should have no problems.
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Why Switch to a Vape Pipe?
There are plenty of reasons to switch from traditional pipes to electronic ones. They are easier, cleaner, and healthier–plus they come with fantastic e-liquids in a whole host of flavours. Maybe the better question would be, why wouldn’t you switch to an e-pipe?
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Can Be Used in Public Areas
Since smoking is forbidden in most public areas now, regular smokers can often find themselves slinking off to remote corners and hanging out in the rain to get in a puff or two. Electronic cigarettes, on the other hand, don’t necessarily fall into the same category. In Australia, nicotine is classified as a Schedule 7 poison. Therefore, it is illegal to sell it unless state law claims to the contrary. However, in most cases, it is not illegal to import electronic cigarettes from overseas. Again, this depends on each individual state, so it’s best to check first to verify what the laws are where you reside. That being said, the use of nicotine and nicotine-free e-cigarettes is allowed in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory, and Tasmania. Again, laws concerning the purchase of these products vary. So, make sure to read our article outlining Australian law and e-cigarettes.
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Better for Your Lungs
While pipe smokers usually believe the common misconception that pipes are somehow less harmful or addictive than cigarettes, they are very wrong. Pipes are just as harmful for your lungs as cigarettes, and you can easily become addicted if you have a few smoking sessions per week. In fact, pipes put you more at risk for certain types of oral cancers than cigarettes do. electric pipes on the other hand are totally harmless. Because no tobacco is involved whatsoever, you won’t be pumping carcinogens into your lungs, and, best of all, you won’t be pumping carbon monoxide and other toxins into the atmosphere. So, you won’t be producing any second-hand smoke either. Not only will your lungs thank you, but your friends will as well.
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Cleaner
Vapor pipes are far cleaner and, as a result, more portable than traditional pipes. Since there’s no tobacco, you won’t have any messes or ashtrays for that matter. All you need is your vape pipe and a few cartridges. Then you’re ready to go.
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Less Expensive
A traditional wooden pipe probably won’t cost you any more than $50, and even that is on the pricey side. You’re far more likely to pay around $30. A standard vape pipe starter kit will cost somewhere between $70 and $90, and you’ll have to purchase replacement atomizers and cartridges, which cost about $20/5 and $10-12 respectively.
However, each cartridge can hold enough e-liquid for 900 puffs, which is roughly equivalent to 75 cigarettes or 3-4 packs. The average cost of a pack of Marlboro cigarettes in Australia is $27 or $21 in USD. Your average 30ml bottle of e-liquid only costs $15 and will last you around ten cartridges. That’s equivalent to about $1.50 per cartridge and less than 50¢ per pack of cigarettes. Imagine that! 50¢ for a pack of cigarettes after start-up costs. Talk about a money-saver! An average pipe holds just under 3g of tobacco, and 85g of tobacco costs about $5, so you may not be winning financially if you’re transitioning from traditional to electronic pipes. However, you’ll definitely be saving some money if you’ve been smoking cigarettes. In any case, it will be more than beneficial in the long run if it saves your health.
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Keep You Looking Gorgeous
Tar stains your nails yellow both because of its own physical properties and the fact that it prevents oxygen from flowing to your fingertips. Instead of getting a manicure, switch to epipes. It won’t give you bad breath either, and if you vape fruity e-liquids, your breath might even smell delicious.
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Better Tasting
Traditional pipes only come in one flavour–tobacco. On the other hand, you can use e-pipes with almost any flavour you can imagine. e-Puffer offers apple, cherry, Cuban cigar, and premium tobacco cartridges. However, you can also purchase blank cartridges and vape blueberry cheesecake or mocha latte if you want to. It wouldn’t necessarily be as traditional, but it certainly would be delicious!
Buying Your Electronic Pipe
You have a range of options when you’re ready to buy an epipe. You can go to a traditional brick-and-mortar store, which could be useful if you’re a novice and want a bit more advice before making any decisions. On the other hand, many online vendors have good customer support teams and are happy to answer questions via e-mail.
It may be a good idea to go with an epipe starter kit, as this will provide you with all of the equipment you need to get vaping straight away. ePuffer, one of our favourite vaping companies, offers an excellent range of e-pipe starter kits. Some even come in a wooden gift box, which, along with the wooden device, conjures up an image of the classic gentleman. The Epuffer 605 Kit is a fantastic starting point. As with many ePuffer products, this electric pipe includes a number of user-friendly features including a manual switch to save battery power and tanks with either gold or silver trim. Also, since the cartridges are disposable, you can simply replace them when they’re empty. Cartridges keep your device clean and tiny because they don’t leave residue or nicotine build-up in the device. You can also purchase blank cartridges and purchase standard 30ml or 60ml e-liquid bottles, which just happen to be much cheaper than cartridges.
For more guidance, you can read the many online reviews of different e-pipes and starter kits. Peruse reviews from at least three different independent websites as well as those on manufacturer sites to ensure you’re getting a balanced range of opinions.
Factors to Consider When Buying E-Pipes:
- Battery life: How long will your battery last after each charge? If you want to take your pipe with you, you’re not going to want to have to recharge it after only a few hours. The batteries for epipes from ePuffer, 18350 cells, have a capacity of 1100mAh, and since the tank doesn’t have a sub-ohm build, it should last you at least 8 hours. Assuming that, if you are taking your epipe with you, you’re probably only going to be out for the evening, 1100mAh should be more than sufficient. After all, this is not the kind of vape you take to work with you. Since you’re not dealing with sub-ohm tanks, you shouldn’t need anything close to 3000mAh or 4000mAh like you would find in advanced box mods.
- Tank Size: How many milliliters of e-liquid can you store in your tank? Will you constantly have to be re-filling, or can you vape for awhile on one tank. 2.5-3.5ml should be sufficient considering, again, that these tanks are not going to be juice-guzzlers. Anything less than 2.5ml though will be pretty small.
- Extras: Does the starter kit come with any extras like car chargers or accessories? What materials does the bowl come in–wood, marble, stainless steel? Does the tank come with silver or gold trimming? What about a wooden storage box? If you’re spending a good amount of money on the kit, you want to know that what you receive will be worth the price.
Conclusion
e-Pipes are quickly replacing traditional pipes because they offer a classic smoking experience without any of the smoke, tar, or carcinogens that come associated with it. If you are worried about your health, then you should be. Pipes are just as dangerous as cigarettes, and when they take a toll on your health, those evening smoke sessions will start seeming considerably less classy and elegant. Don’t wait until you are faced with lung cancer or mouth cancer. The time to act is now. epipes are clean, convenient, portable, and, best of all, affordable. Even if you’ve only just smoked cigarettes, there’s no reason why you can’t try an electric pipe even if you have e-cigs on the side. Whatever your story, head on over to ePuffer today to pick up your very first e-pipe!