Break through the noise around nic salts
There is a lot of talk about nicotine salts[1] (or nic salts as they are commonly referred to) in the vaping industry currently, and with so much varying information around, I decided to find out more about nic salts and if they really are any good.
What are nicotine salts?
Let’s start from the top; nic salt e-liquid is essentially the same as regular e-liquid. The main difference comes from the nicotine itself, which is designed to mimic the nicotine ‘salts’ found within tobacco leaves, rather than freebase form.
This type of nicotine is supposed to provide a much smoother ‘hit’ from your e-cig. It means you can vape a higher nicotine strength that might otherwise be uncomfortably strong compared with standard e-liquid.
Another big difference between nic salt and freebase nicotine, is how your body absorbs it. With standard nicotine you would generally get an instant satisfaction. With just a few inhalations you can feel the nicotine begin to have an effect. However this is usually goes away in about 15 minutes, although with nic salts this is not the case.
Nic salt e-liquids tend to take a few minutes to really kick in, and maintain a level of nicotine satisfaction which can last a lot longer than regular freebase nicotine. It’s not for everyone, but for those vapers who swear by them, it’s hard to beat.
Bar Salts
Bar salts are a new variation on traditional nic salts. With much more flavour, they aim to replicate the intense experiences of disposable devices. Also, since bar salts contain nic salt, they’re still just as smooth.
The major benefit of this is that it provides an extreme cost saving for single use users, and lessens the environmental impact of vaping this way. In comparison, it would cost roughly £1,822 for a vaper who uses a disposable per day, but the equivalent amount of a bar salt would only cost £292.
Vapers opinions on nicotine salt
I excitedly went round the office asking people to try this nic salt e-liquid to see what they thought. It was here that I discovered that not everyone shared my enthusiasm about how good they were. One colleague in particular did not like the experience that nic salt e-liquids provided. Others were indifferent, saying that they weren’t going to give up their favourite vape liquid to use nic salts.
After listening to the varied feedback from my colleagues, I decided to take a look online. I wanted to see what the wider vaping community had to say about nic salts. Were they really a game changer? Or would there be many people who would simply stick to what they know and love rather than trying something new? The answer I received was mixed.
There were some vapers who swore by nic salts and their new found favourite pod systems. Others preferred to stick with their mods and sub-ohm tanks instead. There seemed to be no clear winner either in favour, or of indifference towards them.
Final thoughts…
I think that nicotine salt e-liquids will become even more mainstream. More people are taking a punt on this type of vaping experience. After my own trial with nic salts, I can say that for me at least, I certainly noticed a difference. Would I give up my larger mods and abandon cloud chasing to pursue that perfect nic salt experience with a pod device? Probably not, but for vapers who are looking for a genuinely different way to vape, nic salt e-liquids could be just the thing you were waiting for.
Sources
[1] Wikipedia. (2021). Nicotine salt: Research on Nicotine Salts.
