Vaping vs. E-Cigs

Jun 22, 2022Updated Sep 17, 20266 min readVape School

E-cig, e-cigarette, cig-a-like, vape pen, pod, mod: if the names blur together, you’re not alone. The short answer is that all of these are vaping devices, and “e-cig” is both an older name for the whole category and a label for one specific early style.

This guide explains what each term means, how the first cigarette-shaped e-cigs turned into the pods, mods and disposables sold today, and how to tell which style fits the way you vape.

What is an e-cig?

E-cig is short for electronic cigarette, and you’ll also see it written as ecig or e-cigarette. In everyday use, it usually points to the early devices built to copy the shape and size of a tobacco cigarette. Those are also called cig-a-likes: a slim battery, often with a light at the tip that glowed when you puffed, and a mouthpiece where the filter would be.

First-generation e-cigs came in two main styles:

• Disposable: use it until the battery or the liquid runs out, then replace the whole thing.
• Rechargeable with cartridges: a reusable battery paired with prefilled cartridges that attach where the filter would be on a cigarette.

Cig-a-likes were many adults’ first look at a device that doesn’t burn tobacco, and you can still find some at convenience stores. Many people who started on them found the small batteries and short-lived cartridges underwhelming, though, and quickly moved on to larger devices with more power, battery life and flavor.

What does vaping mean?

Vaping is the act of inhaling the aerosol a device produces when it heats e-liquid, which you’ll also hear called vape juice or e-juice. Most people call that aerosol vapor, which is where the name comes from. Technically it’s a mist of tiny droplets rather than a true vapor, which is why public-health agencies such as the CDC and FDA describe it as an aerosol.

E-liquid is usually a mix of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), flavoring and nicotine, unless you choose a nicotine-free option. Our guide to what e-liquid is goes deeper, and What Are PG and VG? explains the base.

The word itself has a story, too. Vapers embraced “vaping” to set their hobby and culture apart from the smoking image that “e-cigarette” brings to mind, and the term went mainstream fast: Oxford Dictionaries named “vape” its word of the year in 2014. Our post on what vaping means has more.

The real difference

Put simply, “e-cig” names a type of device, and “vaping” names what you do with any of them. The cig-a-like at a convenience store and the big box mod you’ve seen producing huge clouds are both vaping devices. But only one of them is an e-cig in the cig-a-like sense.

The law doesn’t draw that line at all. US regulators treat every one of these as the same category, which the FDA calls electronic nicotine delivery systems, or ENDS. The same rules apply whether a device looks like a cigarette or a brick:

• The federal minimum age to buy any tobacco or vaping product has been 21 since December 2019.
• Every vaping product needs FDA premarket authorization through the PMTA process, and many products are still under review.
• Since 2021, the PACT Act has restricted shipping vapes: USPS does not deliver them to consumers, and carriers require an adult signature.
• Flavor rules vary by state and city and change often, so check the current rules where you live.

From cig-a-likes to today’s devices

Vaping hardware has changed a lot since the first e-cigs. Here is how the main styles compare:

Style	What it is	Refillable?
Cig-a-like	The original e-cig: cigarette-shaped and low powered	Usually not
Vape pen	A slim tube battery with a refillable tank	Yes
Pod system	A compact device that takes a refillable or prefilled pod, often used with nic salts	Depends on the pod
Box mod	A larger device with adjustable power and room for sub-ohm or rebuildable tanks	Yes
Disposable vape	A prefilled, ready-to-use device you replace when it runs out	No

Which style suits you?

• Want the simplest option? A disposable or a prefilled pod needs no setup at all. Browse our disposable vapes.
• Want a tighter, mouth-to-lung draw? A refillable pod system with nicotine salts is a popular middle ground.
• Want big clouds and lots of control? Look at a box mod with a sub-ohm tank, and start with what ohms and sub-ohm vaping mean.

New to all of this? Our beginner’s guide to vaping walks through devices, e-liquid and nicotine strength step by step.

Whichever style you land on, the Zamplebox Club can keep it stocked. Members get a monthly box curated to their taste, with bottle boxes for refillable devices, a Salt Nic Box for pods, and a Disposable Vape Box with three devices.

Vaping, smoking and the culture around it

Vapes heat e-liquid instead of burning tobacco, and a whole culture has grown up around them: flavor makers, shops, reviewers and online communities like the ZampleBox family, where vapers swap tips and flavor recommendations.

That said, nicotine is addictive, no vaping product is FDA-approved as a quit-smoking aid, and public-health bodies still disagree on many of the details. If you smoke and are thinking about switching, talk to your doctor first, and check cdc.gov and fda.gov for current guidance. Our post on vaping vs. smoking covers that comparison in more detail.

Common questions

WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. For adults 21+ only.