Thanks to innovations in heat-not-burn (IQOS) and vaping technology (JUUL), there have never been more alternatives to traditional smoking available to regular consumers. That being said, for many first time users, the choice between the two can be somewhat difficult. In this article, we’ll break down how both devices function and the overall experience using heat-not-burn or vaping as an alternative to traditional cigarettes. Please note, both these products should only be used by smokers or ex-smokers who already have some sort of dependency on nicotine.
Heat-Not-Burn
First conceptualized in the 1960s, heat-not-burn devices don’t quite reimagine nicotine consumption, so much as they reinvent how users consume nicotine. At their core, all heat-not-burn devices are composed of three core elements; a heating source, a battery/charging pack, and a tobacco stick. As the name suggests, the tobacco stick does contain actual tobacco.
Despite their use of tobacco, heat-not-burn devices are not the same as smoking and should not be confused with any sort of combustion consumption method. Unlike smoking, which uses a direct flame to burn tobacco, producing inhalable smoke, heat-not-burn devices use electronically controlled heating elements. These heating elements help regulate the temperature used to heat the specially designed tobacco stick. This regulated heating helps ensure combustion does not occur, while still allowing the release of nicotine from the tobacco.
Within the heat-not-burn industry, few devices compare to the IQOS and its effectiveness as a smoking alternative. Developed by Philip Morris Internation, the IQOS was one of the first commercially successful heat-not-burn devices and has proved itself to be a viable alternative to traditional tobacco products.
Vaping/E-Cigarettes
While the concept of vaping has been around for millennia, the modern incarnation of vaping first came to public attention in the early 2000s with the development of the first e-cigarette. Designed and developed by Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist, the first e-cigarette utilized a small lithium battery to heat and atomize a liquid nicotine solution. While this simple design may seem rudimentary compared to modern offerings, the first e-cigarette was incredibly innovative and helped influence all future designs.
Unlike cigarettes and heat-not-burn devices, e-cigarettes do not use any form of tobacco. Instead, e-cigarettes utilize a liquid nicotine solution, more commonly known as e-liquid. While there are various flavours of e-liquid, at their core, all e-liquids are composed of three core components:
Vegetable glycerin: Also known as VG, this ingredient provides the vapor in an e-liquid and does feature a mild sweetness. The substance is quite viscous and e-liquids with a higher VG to PG ratio should only be used with coils that are large and designed to work with high VG liquids. Outside of vaping, VG is commonly used as a sweetener. The substance is derived from vegetable oils.
Propylene Glycol: Also known as PG, this substance is used as the primary flavour carrier in e-liquids, and also provides a less viscous consistency to the vape juice. PG does also offer a slight throat hit, though nicotine will be providing the larger throat hit. Outside of vaping, PG is used in liquid sweeteners, ice cream, whipped dairy products, soda, and pharmaceutical vaporizers.
Liquid Nicotine: While there are some e-liquids that come with zero nicotine, the majority of e-liquids do feature some amount of nicotine. This important ingredient is what makes vaping a popular alternative to smoking, as it allows users to absorb nicotine without also inhaling many of the chemicals associated with smoking.
While both e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn devices use vaporization, e-cigarettes do so by heating a liquid to the point of vaporization, while heat-not-burn devices vaporize a solid. E-cigarettes also allow for a greater sense of personalization, as users can choose what flavour they want to use and the way in which they want to vape (MTL vs. DTL).
Since the release of the first commercial e-cigarette, many brands have emerged as leaders in the vaping industry. That being said, few companies have come close to the success of JUUL. Founded in 2015, JUUL has become one of the largest manufacturers of e-cigarettes and its simple device has prevailed as a favourite among the majority of e-cigarette users.
JUUL or IQOS?
Choosing between the two devices will ultimately boil down the overall experience users want to have. As an alternative to smoking, both devices do allow users to inhale nicotine without as many of the harmful chemicals associated with smoking. However, whereas the IQOS is still tobacco-based, the JUUL uses e-liquid with liquid nicotine. The differences in substance also greatly affect the overall flavour of each device, as well as the associated odour.
Unfortunately, there really isn’t a concrete answer as to what device a person should use. What we can say is that none of these devices should be used by anyone who does not already consume nicotine. Both devices are not entirely risk-free and the only safe option is not to use any sort of tobacco or nicotine product at all.
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