Glossary Of Vaping Terms
An In-depth Look At Common Vaping Terms & Expressions
The vaping industry can be technical and is filled with niche words that link to e-cigarettes, e-liquid and all even the style of vaping. With that, we’ve decided to piece together a glossary of all the vaping terms to help you to understand vaping and exactly what your fellow vapers are talking about!
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Atomiser | 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. |
| 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. |
| APV | Stands for Advanced Personal Vaporiser but is typically referred to as a mod. Such e-cigs have larger units with replaceable batteries, variable voltages or wattage depending on the make. |
| Automatic Shutoff | This is a safety feature most regulated e-cigarettes have, to prevent overheating of the battery. |
| Automatic | Is a term used to describe an e-cigarette that doesn’t have a button. The device recognises when the user sucks on the device. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Cig-a-like | Is a type of e-cig that resembles a tobacco cigarette. |
| Clearomiser | Is a combined cartridge and atomiser, this is usually transparent and allows vapers to measure the e-liquid level. |
| Cloud Chasing | This term refers to vapers seeking an e-cigarette that blows massive clouds. |
| Clouds | Clouds describe how much vapour a person issues with each puff. |
| Coil Jig | A Coil Jig is a metal tool meant for rebuilding the coil in an e-cig. |
| Coil | A coil is an essential component in the atomiser that heats or vaporises the e-liquid. |
| Custom Mod | This is usually referred to vapers who have made their mod rather than purchase a factory built one. |
| DIY | In this sense, DIY usually refers to those who make their own e-liquid. |
| Drip Tip | A removable mouthpiece for an e-cigarette. |
| Dripping | The process of putting liquid onto the coil instead of in a cartridge. |
| 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 or DL | Standing for Direct To Lung. It's a style of vaping where the vapour is drawn directly into the lungs, like taking a deep breath (also see MTL) |
| E-liquid | A liquid solution that usually contains nicotine, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine. However, you can get liquids that don’t contain nicotine. Also known as vape liquid or vape juice. |
| Hybrid | A hybrid is a device where the atomiser directly connects with the battery with no 510 connections. |
| LED | The light on the e-cigarette glows when it’s in use. Such lights also indicate battery life, most flash rapidly when the battery is running low. |
| Low Resistance (LR) | LR causes an e-cig to produce more vapour but it is known for reducing battery life. |
| Mechanical Mod | A Mechanical Mod is a device that has a battery and a switch. These often lack common safety features and should be handled with care. |
| 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. A style of vaping that closely mimics the act of smoking. Vapour is drawn into the mouth before being transferred to the lungs. (also see DTL) |
| Multi-Voltage | Is a type of mod that comes with various voltage settings which can be adjusted to the vapers desires. |
| No-Nic | Is a term that refers to e-liquid that doesn’t contain any nicotine. |
| Nic Salt | Also known as nicotine salts. A form of nicotine used in e-liquids that is more easily absorbed and has a smoother throat hit, similar to smoking. |
| Ohm | Ohm refers to the resistance of a coil used in an atomiser, loosely it is 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. |
| PG | PG stands for propylene glycol 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. |
| 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. |
| RDA | Rebuildable Drip Atomizer. A coil/atomizer that can be rebuilt. Unlike RTA's, the liquid is 'dripped' directly onto the wick. |
| RTA | Rebuildable Tank Atomizer. A coil/atomizer that can be rebuilt, and used within a standard tank. |
| Starter Kit | A starter kit is the basic, overall package with all the essentials needed to start vaping. |
| Tanks | Tanks refer to bigger clearomisers that can hold larger amounts of e-liquid. |
| Throat Hit | This is the term used to describe the feeling when the vapour hits your throat. |
| Vaper’s Tongue | 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 the 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. |
| Wick | A wick is a piece of cotton or fabric in the cartridge that absorbs the e-liquid ready for vaping. |