I have written a number of times about my use of a vape as a smoking cessation tool. I smoked for a number of years in my twenties before trying to quit a couple of times to no avail. Once I got into vaping, I felt relieved at my ability to kick the combustible cigarette habit. I carry a mod with me when I leave the house, I have one at my office desk, and I’ve recently considered adding another one to my collection. I have realized I may have become enamored with one of the aspects of vaping of which I am usually more critical. Adding a third vape to my collection makes me think I might be interested in variety for convenience and cool.
When I bought my first mod, I didn’t bother asking too many questions about it. I talked to the clerk at the shop about wanting to quit smoking, told them I needed something that’d do the trick, but didn’t even really spend too much time looking at some of the differences between them. I had a budget, too, so there was only so much I could even consider at the time. But, what I ended up with – a Smok Stick X8 – certainly is all that I needed at the time, maybe more. I didn’t know. I’ve been using it daily ever since.
Something about the Stick become a little cumbersome for me, though. Its shape makes it topple easily when standing upright. All I need do is bump my desk, and the Stick falls right over. I know the device is made to withstand a little knock like that, but the design still makes me feel like I made a small error in my purchase decision. It’s also a little big oddly shaped and big for a pocket carry. I find myself holding it in a lot of circumstances when I’m out. I’ve considered getting a carry case, but I certainly don’t want to feel like I need a Batman-esque utility belt for my lifestyle choices.
So, I eventually went back to the shop and picked up a Smok Fit for travel. It’s smaller, lightweight, and manageable for my pocket and my car. The Fit is also less conspicuous and easier to step outside and puff on for a couple seconds when I’m out. I appreciate having the option to take a mod with me dependent on needing it to fill different circumstances. Some of that convenience is sensible to me. That’s an aspect of marketability I appreciate.
Now, I find myself browsing vape sites looking for a new piece to add to my collection. I wonder if I need a square piece, or something more squat. Do I need variable voltage options? Do I want spare tanks to keep different juices in? Do I get some juice with 0% nicotine? Then, I rethink my position. I remember the reason I originally invested in my vape. I’m still working through my smoking habit, and vaping is a step towards a larger goal: quitting. I’m a former smoker who uses vaping to keep from going back to smoking. But, I’ve been vaping for almost a year now. It’s not exactly the same activity it once was, and I don’t have the same relationship to it I once did.
I’m reserving judgment on why other folks maintain a vaping habit, or maintain vaping as a hobby. It’s not my place to determine what is or isn’t a good hobby for folks to get into, for whatever reasons they may. I just never thought I’d see myself developing a habit into a hobby. I think it might be time to revisit one of my local shops, and have a more in depth chat with the folks there about the pros and cons of vaping as a hobby – a follow up to my original discussion with them about vaping as a smoking cessation. Maybe I’ll get another mod.
