A Comprehensive History of Vaping

This in-depth article delves into the fascinating origins of e-cigarettes, tracing their development from early prototypes to cutting-edge modern devices.

E-cigarettes, AKA vape devices, are fairly new technology. Invented within the last two decades, electronic cigarettes were designed with the intention of giving smokers a cleaner nicotine delivery system.

Ever since the discovery that smoking causes cancer, tobacco enthusiasts have been looking for ways to change the tobacco industry for the healthier. E-cigarettes are the ultimate weapon in the arsenal against smoking.

E-cigarettes were invented by a pharmacist as a tool to quit smoking with. Since the early days, however, using e-cigarettes became known as vaping. Vaping became popular and flavour ranges expanded. Now, vaping is challenging smoking in numbers. Smoking could effectively become a thing of the past in future cultures.

What is Vaping?

Vaping evolved as a colloquial term which westerners applied to the use of e-cigarettes. Why do they apply the term vaping to e-cigarettes? It is all about the makeup of the devices themselves.

An e-cigarette is a vaporiser. A small one, but a vaporiser, nonetheless. The device contains a battery pack on the bottom, which connects to and heats a coil when activated. The coil contains the wick, which heats up inside the tank filled with e-liquid. As a result, vapour travels up and out through the mouthpiece.

“Vaping” became a term because e-cigarettes are vaporisers. If you fancy trying one, we recommend you shop for disposable kits to taste-test until you find a flavour that you like.

The Invention of the E-Cigarette

The e-cigarette was invented by a Chinese man named Hon Lik. He worked as a pharmacist. The story goes that he watched his father suffer through smoking related diseases and decided to come up with an alternative nicotine delivery system which was cleaner than a cigarette. He invented the first real e-cigarette in 2003.

Hon Lik was the first person to place an atomizer, vape juice, and a battery together in the same compact device. His design prompted the Ruyan E-Cigar launch in 2004.

Of course, you couldn’t have the first e-cigarette without the first e-liquid to put into it. Ruyan – Hon Lik’s employer – therefore also invented and marketed the first e-liquid juice. In the beginning, those early vape juices were like cigarettes. Each flavour was a slightly different type of tobacco, made to match the tastes of different types of cigarettes. The hope was that by imitating the tobacco flavours the e-liquid would sell faster. It wasn’t until later that vape juice became flavoured.

Early Prototypes and Designs

The invention of the vaporiser as we know it today took a long time to evolve. All the way back in 1927, a man named Joseph Robinson patented the first ever design for an electronic vaporise. It was never intended for use as a nicotine delivery system, but rather as a way to vaporise medicinal compounds. Another two similar patents following in the next decade, though nothing was ever produced commercially.

In 1963, the unfortunately named Herbert Gilbert sought a patent to develop this medicinal vaporiser idea into use as a nicotine delivery system,. He wanted to create a smokeless cigarette. One which avoided the use of tobacco altogether. Of course, big tobacco companies had their own opinions on this. He received the patent in ’65 but it never took hold. He invented it at the wrong time – back when people still thought smoking was safe.

A plastic version of a smoke-free cigarette was marketed in 1986 as an alternative. The FDA clamped down on them and production ceased.

Vaping Technology Advancements

Vaping arrived in the US and Europe in 2006 and took a firm hold. By 2015, vaping had grown in popularity throughout the states and countries such as the UK and Spain. Australia banned the use of nicotine-containing vape devices, further adding fuel to the rebellious fire. Canada and Hong Kong followed suit. In the UK and the US, however, things progressed. Technology advanced to accommodate the regulations.

Vape technology advancements include:

• Temperature controls, increases, and then decreases to sub ohm vaping
• Batteries became far more powerful. The old 550mAh batteries are now reserved only for disposables and cheap vape devices. 1000mAh is the new baseline in power.
• Coils went from holding cotton wicks to self-contained units capable of producing bigger clouds, faster, and cooler.
• Tanks evolved first to become larger, and then in the UK to hold the regulation 2ml maximum. As a result of this cap, vaping tech scientists had to find new ways to increase the number of puffs each 2 ml tank can hold.
• Originally, vapes held only a few hundred puffs. Nowadays a disposable vape device in the UK can stretch to 600 puffs.
• Smart tech was applied to vapes so that high tech devices like vape mods come with the ability to sync with your other devices

LED screens, puff-to-activate, vape device recycling, user-friendly designs, and even aesthetic changes have all made a mark on the technological advancements which have come together to create the vapes we know today.

Regulations and Safety Concerns

Vape Regulations in America are strict although the FDA are lax when it comes to the ingredients within vape juice. Since many of the ingredients used in US vapes have use in different industrial contexts, the FDA won’t ban them outright. This means that certain chemicals are legal in American vapes but not in UK made versions.

Why is this important? Because it explains why we see so much misinformation in the media here in the UK. A high percentage of smokers still believe that cigarettes are safer than vapes. The media reports on cases of harm caused by illegally imported vape devices, or spreads awareness of ‘popcorn lung’ a condition caused by a chemical which is actually banned within the UK.

Other safety concerns about vape devices were battery focused. There were initial worries that devices would explode in hands or pockets. Although isolated incidents did occur initially, these were caused by faulty devices, illegally imported devices, and incorrect charging procedures.

The Growth of Vaping Culture

Vaping culture definitely started slowly. In 2008, the World Health Organisation made demands that nobody claim the vape device was useful as a smoking cessation tool. Fortunately we now have the studies to show the efficacy and prove them wrong. Since the very first reports, the vape industry and the culture surrounding it has been rebellious. Ruyan responded with a quantitative analysis based on the chemicals within their e-liquids. Their analysis showed that any carcinogens or toxicants were below harmful levels… unlike that of the many, many chemicals in cigarettes.

This first incident set the tone for massive backlash against vaping which has never ceased. To this day, vaping culture has become rebellious. Choosing an alternative to cigarettes went against the control big tobacco had on the market. It was either move with the times or become obsolete, so there was a barrage of vaping misinformation in those early days.

Vaping culture truly made its mark on society with the introduction and growth of vaping competitions. Cloud chasers, as the competitors are known, go head-to-head in battles where they do incredible tricks with their e-cigarettes. There are championships where experienced vapers use Vape Mods to create massive clouds of vapour. Vaping culture has become an underground activity. A hobby frowned upon by the mainstream media.

All this has only helped its popularity grow.

Conclusion: Vaping Will continue to Evolve

Vaping has come a very long way since that early design Hon Lik presented to Ruyan back in 2003. Tank sizes have grown and then shrunk in response to regulations. E-liquids have evolved to introduce different flavours, a greater range of nicotine strengths, and a choice in making your own custom mixes using shortfill and nicotine shots.

Vape devices are more powerful, can heat liquid with less electricity, charge faster, and do more. They have advanced controls, and if you choose to invest in mods then you have a whole range of interchangeable parts and products to explore.

Vaping isn’t just about quitting smoking anymore. It is a hobby all of its own.