What’s the Difference Between Vapour & Smoke?

Our vape store Vancouver offers a wide range of vape devices, all of which produce vapour, not smoke. And this is an important difference. The vapour from home vaporizers and vaping devices is often referred to as “vape smoke” but in all actuality, that doesn’t exist. Vapour and smoke are two very different things. Vapour has more in common with steam, or even a cloud, than it does with smoke.

The Definition of Smoke

Smoke is the result of combustion – the result of burning the cigarette and all that it contains from the tobacco and the chemicals used to process the tobacco all the way to the paper. On top of this, when you burn a substance, it creates a multitude of dangerous-to-inhale substances. It is a byproduct of burning something.

Wikipedia defines smoke as: “Smoke is a collection of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires (including stoves, candles, internal combustion engines, oil lamps, and fireplaces)”

The Definition of Vapour

When you vape, however, it’s an entirely different matter. When you vaporize a substance like an e-juice, the molecules of the vapour remain the same as the molecules of the e-juice before it was vaporized. It’s essentially aerosol that stays in the air for short wisps of time until they disappear. These particles are liquid, remember, they are in the same form as the e-liquid itself. 

If you place your hand on top of the vapour, you might feel its humidity and might even see moisture on your hand. You can also try this with your humidifier at home because that too, creates vapour rather than smoke.

So, what’s the difference?

• Different compositions: Vapour and smoke have entirely different compositions. Vape juice is free of the carcinogens and chemicals found in cigarette smoke.
• Vapour has a pleasant smell: E-liquids for vape devices come in a wide range of flavours, leaving behind a pleasant, light smell. If that scent wasn’t there in the first place, it would simply be odourless, like plain water.
• Vapour doesn’t leave a residue: While smoke leaves behind a tarry residue, and can even colour the users teeth and walls of the home, vapour doesn’t. 
• Vapour doesn’t carry the same risks as smoking: Because you’re only inhaling vapour and not the burnt matter of paper, formaldehyde, tobacco and numerous other substances and chemicals, vaping isn’t as big a risk to health as smoking.

If you’re interested in visiting our vape store in Vancouver, please don’t hesitate to stop by. We’d love to educate you on vaping so you can make an informed decision before you transition from smoking to vaping.

Photo by Muhammad Lutfy from Pexels