At the risk of diminishing my small position in this thread I can only anecdotally state my perspective which is... indeed whatever you're vaping is better than smoking it.
To address your comment about nicotine, vaping nicotine salts (what is the standard now; juul, vuse, etc.) is a huge upgrade from cigarettes. My lungs have literally healed. My doctor (who disapproves but admits the difference) and I would love to see a reply refuting this.
But later when vaporizers got popular they changed the tune to "tobacco is bad, no matter how you consume it". Honestly, I don't know which is true.
Nobody chain smokes joints all day unless they're Snoop Dogg or something.
There are many somethings out there. But vapes are indeed more convenient.