There are a lot of things to learn if you’re new to vaping. While the act itself may seem as simple as it looks, there are a lot of things to consider if you really want to optimise your inhale. That’s why we thought it'd be great to create this codex page so you can use it to your advantage if you have a question, feel unsure about a specific term, or want to know more about a different kind of vaping style, this page is for you. So, we hope you can peruse this glossary and add your own comments below!
The industry is constantly evolving and we’re going to be here, updating this collection as more terms are introduced over time too!
Atomiser
This is an electrical component that turns e-liquid into a vapour. This is commonly referred to as a coil.
ADV
ADV, or All Day Vape is an e-liquid flavour that vapers are happy to vape throughout the day rather than changing flavours midday. It's usually associated with stronger, more subtle flavours rather than sweeter profiles.
APV
Stands for Advanced Personal Vaporiser. This is typically referred to as a mod. These e-cigs have larger units with replaceable batteries, variable voltages or wattage depending on the make.
Airflow
Airflow is the amount of air that is sucked in with each drag. Looser airflows usually result in more vapour while tighter airflows produce less but leave a more intense flavour. The amount of airflow can change your overall experience of vaping.
Automatic
This is a term used to describe an e-cigarette that doesn’t have a button. The device recognises when the user draws on the device.
Automatic Shutoff
This is a safety feature most regulated e-cigarettes have, to prevent overheating of the battery.
Battery
The battery is the main part of an e-cigarette. This term typically refers to e-cigs that don’t have a replaceable battery as they charge up manually or cannot be used once the power has run out. This can also refer to battery cells that can be replaced and charged separately.
Blend
A term that refers to the ratio of propylene glycol to vegetable glycerine in e-liquid.
Box Mod
A type of mod that is supported by a box-shaped battery.
Bridge
A Bridge is a disposable atomiser where the e-liquid is held.
Clearomiser
This is a combined cartridge and atomiser, this is usually transparent and allows vapers to measure the e-liquid level.
Cig-a-like
This is a type of e-cig that resembles a tobacco cigarette. They're currently quite out of fashion, but these types of devices and becoming more popular every day!
Clouds
Clouds describe how much vapour a person creates with each puff.
Cloud Chasing
This term refers to vapers seeking an e-cigarette that blows massive clouds.
Coil
A coil is an essential component in the atomiser that heats or vaporises the e-liquid.
Coil Jig
A Coil Jig is a metal tool meant for rebuilding the coil in an e-cig.
Concentrates
Produced to be used as stand-alone flavour recipes or blended to make your perfect flavour cocktails. The flavour concentrate liquids are predominantly sold in 30ml bottles and allow users to create their own flavours with their preferred nicotine quantity.
Custom Mod
This is usually referred to vapers who have made their mod rather than purchase a factory-built one.
Disposable
Disposable vapes or puff bars are single-use vapes prefilled with e-liquid or nic salts in different flavours and nicotine strengths. They come complete with an internal battery and are draw-activated making them easy to use. They're the perfect gateway device for those looking to start vaping.
DIY
In this sense, DIY usually refers to those who make their own e-liquid. It's a process that can often involve
Drip Tip
This is the (often) removable mouthpiece of an e-cigarette device.
Dripping
This refers to the process of putting liquid onto the coil instead of in a cartridge. When changing coils, you should always let the liquid soak into the wicking material so you don't get a burnt hit where the cotton is heated prematurely.
Dry Burn
This is an after effect from an e-cigarette when there is insufficient or no liquid in the device.
Dry Hit
A term used to describe the drag of an e-cig when the coil has burnt out.
DTL
DTL refers to the act of breathing vapour directly into the lungs. This allows for more flavour, bigger hits, and larger clouds. DTL devices are suited to higher VG liquids so look out for 70/30 & 80/20 VG to PG ratios when purchasing.
E-liquid
A liquid solution that usually contains nicotine, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine. However, you can get liquids that don’t contain nicotine.
Hybrid
A hybrid is a device is where the atomiser directly connects with the battery with no 510 connection.
LED
The light on the e-cigarette that glows when it’s in use. These lights also indicate battery life by flashing rapidly when running low.
Low Resistance (LR)
LR causes an e-cig to produce more vapour but it is known for reducing the battery life.
Mechanical Mod
A Mechanical Mod is a device that has a battery and a switch. These often lack in common safety features and should be handled with care.
Mesh coil
Mesh coils are better than regular coils because they are not made of wires, instead, they are made of a mesh strip. This mesh strip is wound into a tight cylinder shape and installed vertically to produce a smooth airflow. In some cases, more advanced and high-end mesh coils might utilise multiple mesh strips that work together for greater vapour production. There are two main benefits to using a mesh coil over a traditional vape coil. They offer a greater surface area and better wick-to-wire contact. Mesh coils will produce larger clouds, perfect if you like tricks. They are also much quieter than traditional coils and will generally last longer because they heat so evenly.
MG Strength
MG indicates the amount of nicotine in one millilitre of e-liquid.
Mod
Mods are a type of e-cigarette that is made up of separate components.
MTL
Mouth-to-lung vaping is a style of vaping that’s similar to the sensation of smoking, which replicates the act of breathing a tight draw into your mouth. Although MTL vaping won’t create huge clouds of vapour, it will deliver strong flavours and make the most out of your favourite e-liquid flavour. Some people prefer MTL vaping because it can be cheaper. MTL tanks generally use less e-liquid compared to a DTL device.
Multi-Voltage
This refers to a type of mod that comes with various voltage settings which can be adjusted to the vaper's desires.
Nic Salts
Nic Salt e-liquids are fast-acting vape liquids that can be absorbed into your bloodstream within just a few seconds. They’re designed to give a similar feeling to the nicotine rush of a cigarette, with less throat stress and more flavour variety. Nicotine salt e-liquids are great for low-powered starter vape kits like pod kits and vape pens that deliver what’s called an MTL (mouth-to-lung) vape.
Nic Shots
Nicotine shots are formulated to mix perfectly with your favourite 0mg vape liquid to achieve your desired nicotine strength without diluting its taste or affecting its VG/PG rating.
No-Nic
This is a term that refers to e-liquid that doesn’t contain any nicotine.
Ohm
Ohm refers to the resistance of a coil used in an atomiser, it is a term that loosely details how much current can pass through the coil. The most common ohms range between 1.5 & 3 Ohms. A lower ohm typically gives a harder throat hit and a warmer vape, but it can reduce battery life. A high ohm will have the opposite effect.
Pen Kit
Vape pens, or e-cig pens, are the original, and most popular vape devices. They're slim and simple in design with a predominantly cylindrical pen-style design that's the perfect choice for first-time vapers. Modern vape pens deliver exceptional performance and battery life despite their small size. Many vape pens are now available with the latest pod system in place of the standard tank, making them easier to fill and to change coils.
PG
PG stands for polypropylene glycerol which is one of the two base substances used in e-liquids. PG adds flavour to the e-liquid and gives a heartier throat hit.
Pod Kit
Pod kits are small, relaxed, and extremely popular. To use these devices, you just need to fill the replaceable pods with your favourite e-liquid and then dispose of them when the coil eventually burns out. It’s as close as you can get to disposable vaping without having to keep buying a new device every time.
RDTL
It’s a style of vaping that lies between DTL vaping and MTL vaping. It stands for Restricted-Direct-to-Lung and it’s great for those looking for a perfect middle-ground inhale that can deliver a tighter inhale while producing a moderate amount of clouds.
Rebuildables
Rebuildables are tanks or atomisers which vapers can rebuild their own coils and wicks. Such devices are mainly used by veteran vapers.
Regulated Mod
A regulated mod is a device that has safety features to prevent the mod from overheating.
Tanks
Tanks refer to bigger clearomisers that can hold larger amounts of e-liquid.
Shortfill
Simply put, a shortfill is a large bottle of nicotine-free e-liquid. Shortfills can be mixed and matched by the user who can choose the exact amount of nicotine they would like to vape with 10ml nicotine shots (commonly referred to as nic shots). The term ’shortfill’ is derived from the fact that each bottle is always filled to 80% of its capacity or 'short-filled'. Usually, they'll come sold as 100ml of e-liquid in 120ml bottles, but they can also come in 50ml measures, which are sold in 60ml bottles.
Starter Kit
A starter kit is the basic, overall package with all the essentials needed to start vaping.
Sub-ohm
Sub-Ohm, or sub-ohm vape kits refer to the style of vaping that delivers a direct-to-lung vape.
Throat Hit
This is the term used to describe the feeling when the vapour hits your throat.
Vaper’s Tongue / Vape Mouth
Refers to the dulling of taste, mainly due to intense vaping or smoking the same e-liquid for a long period of time.
VG
VG stands for vegetable glycerine which is the second base substance used in e-liquids. VG gives a smoother hit and produces larger clouds.
VV
VV is an abbreviation for variable voltage which refers to the ability to control the voltage on an e-cig.
VW
VW is an abbreviation for variable wattage which refers to the ability to control the wattage on an e-cig.
Wicking Material
A wick is a piece of cotton or fabric in the cartridge that absorbs the e-liquid ready for vaping.
Advanced vaping is hard to wrap your head around. There are a variety of terms to describe components, devices, liquids and even vapers. By breaking it down you can have a greater understanding of vaping and what others are talking about. Comment below if you have any questions!
