Vaping Terminology made simple
Wanting to get down with the vaping lingo? Become a vape guru with this 10 minute A-Z breakdown.
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20700 Battery – The type of battery that is typically used with advanced box mods, large mech mods, and even everyday objects.
510 – The most common style of atomizer/tank, its threading has become the industry standard with most vape mods, tanks & cartridges using it.
18350 Battery – A vaping battery preferred by advanced users for its diminutive size, these are usually used in small stealth devices.
18650 Battery – The most popular vaping battery size in the market, these batteries give users power and battery life all with less bulk than 26650/20700s.
A
AFC – Airflow control. This refers to a small screw found in the base of atomizers and clearomizers/tanks to adjust the airflow and drag of an e-cig.
Airflow – The amount of air sucked into an atomizer or tank. Looser airflow results in more vapour, while tighter airflow results in less vapour but a more intense flavour.
ADV – A term used to describe e-juice that you prefer i.e., “I only ever use Cola Ice vaping juice, it’s my ADV!”
Allen Key – The vaping savour, a small tool usually used to adjust allen screws in a rda or tank, not to be mistaken for the Blue Screw (blue screwdriver).
Amps – Amperage, describes the flow of energy in a circuit board. Batteries with higher amps can draw atomizers with lower resistances without overheating.
Atomizer – Also called “Atty” for short, this is part of an e-cigarette that houses the coils and cotton, without this it wouldn’t function as a vaping device.
Automatic Shutoff – A safety shutdown feature found in most regulated e-cigarettes to ensure devices are safely regulated.
B
Battery – The main part of an e-cigarette, the term usually refers to an e-cigarette that doesn’t have replaceable batteries.
Box Mod – An advanced vaping device, these can come in either mechanical or variable configurations. Some box mods are capable of housing up to four 18650 batteries. Typically, box mods are more powerful than their tube counterparts, with power outputs ranging from 10 watts up to 300 watts.
BIGT – Short for Big Tobacco (original tobacco manufacturers).
C
Cartridge – A small cartridge filled with e-liquid, it’s attached to an atomizer and usually comes pre-filled, these were the first type of devices available on the vaping market and normally look like a traditional cigarette.
Charger – A charger for e-cigarette batteries i.e “I have a 18650 Charger by Nitecore”.
Clapton Coil – An advanced coil which normally looks similar to a guitar string with a wire wrapped around it.
Clouds – A term that describes the vapour production a device/tank makes, i.e., “My vaping setup is kicking out some ridiculous clouds!”.
Coil – The part of the atomizer which is used to heat e-liquids.
Coil Jig – A spool setup for creating custom coils.
Cancer Sticks – Another term for Cigarettes, due to a medical history of smoking-induced cancer.
Coil Porn – A custom-made vaping coil that is pleasing to the eye.
D
DIY – Do-it-yourself. This usually means home-mixed vape e-juice.
Deck – The part of a vaping device in which the positive and negative posts are homed.
DNA – A chip made by Evolve which can be found in high-end mods,
Draw – The inhaling of vapour from the device.
Drip (Dripping) – Dripping e-liquid directly onto the coil of an RDA.
Drip Tip – A accessory used to replace the original mouthpiece of an atomizer.
Dry Hit – Something we have all done in the past, taking a drag off your e-cigarette that’s run out of e-juice.
E
E-Juice or E-Liquid – A solution that’s heated up via the coil and cotton to create vapor, e-juice comes in a variety of nicotine strengths, flavours, and colours. It is normally made from USP propylene glycol (PG), USP vegetable glycerine (VG) and concentrated flavouring.
E-Cigarette – The device you use instead of original tobacco products which is normally formed from the combination of a mod, batteries, and tank.
F
Flavors/Flavours – *see E Juice terminology.
Flooding – The art of overfilling your tank or RDA, let’s be honest it happens to the best of us. insert vaping “gurgling noises” here.
FDA – The government in charge of the rules and regulations involving safety.
Fused Clapton – The most popular type of coil in today’s market, the Clapton coil consists of two or more core wires.
G
Glassomizer – A clearomizer with a glass reservoir tank instead of the standard ce4 one.
Grub Screw – A screw that clamps the wire in the atomizer posts.
GOV – When speaking about TPD, GOV means government.
H
High Resistance – A coil with a high ohm reading.
Hot Spots – Coils with glowing spots that indicate uneven wrapping of a coil. This often results in areas of the cotton/wick being burnt resulting in dry hits while vaping.
I
ICR – A Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Battery
Inhale – The act of inhaling the vapour into your lungs or mouth. There are two main variations: lung inhales and mouth-to-lung. Lung inhaling is when vapour goes directly into your lungs. This is often used by cloud chasers “people who love big clouds of vapour”. mouth-to-lung is when vapour is inhaled into the mouth, then down to the lungs. This type of vaping is the most common and used by cigarette smokers.
J
Juice – A shortened term for e-liquid or e-juice, for use with vaping kits.
K
Kanthal – The brand name that commonly refers to an alloy wire used in high-wattage devices. People normally use Kanthal as its properties are perfect for making coils.
L
Leaking – When e-liquid leaks out of your vape tank or RDA, etc. this is normally the reason for vape devices breaking due to the liquid leaking onto the circuit chip or batteries.
LED – light-emitting diode, normally use on fancy devices but has no impact on performance.
Liquid – Another term for e-liquid/e-juice.
Li-Po – Lithium Polymer rechargeable battery.
Lithium-Ion Batteries “Li-Ion” – Rechargeable batteries that come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
M
mA – 1/1000th of an amp.
mAh – An abbreviation of milliampere-hour, this is the term used to describe a battery’s capacity to store energy.
Mechanical Mod – Also referred to as mech mods, mecs, or mechs, these are e-cigarette mods for advanced users only. These mods normally have no wires or regulating chips and are used with RDA.
MG – The amount of nicotine (in milligrams) in one milliliter of e-liquid, this can also be displayed as a percentage.
Mod/Modifications – Ecig mods usually employ larger batteries to give users longer battery life and smoother vapor production but at the cost of size. Mods are built to give users the ability to experience optimal performance of their equipment due to having circuit chips that allow you to change the voltage, temperature, and ramp up time.
Mouthpiece – The tip found on most tanks, RDA’s and disposable e-cigarettes.
Mouth-to-Lung – The traditional way of inhaling smoke by cigarette smokers. For vapers, the vapor is inhaled into the mouth and then into to the lungs. This provides less vapor than lung inhalers, but this method provides more flavour.
N
Nic Juice – An e-liquid that contains nicotine, these are normally only 10ml due to the TPD.
Nicotine – A toxic colorless or yellowish oily liquid which is the chief active constituent of tobacco. It acts as a stimulant in small doses, but in larger amounts blocks the action of autonomic nerve and skeletal muscle cells.
Nicotine Level – The nicotine concentration in an e-liquid, measured in mg/mL.
Noob – A term used to describe the beginners, it is short for “newbie.
P
Parallel – Mods that can use two or more batteries are wired as parallel, effectively doubling the battery life.
Puff – The action of pulling the vapor into the user’s mouth.
Pass-through – This means the vape device can be used while it is on a charge.
Propylene Glycol (PG) – One of two base substances used in e-liquids. PG is an over-the-counter substance used in many foods, cosmetics, and oils.
Priming – The action of priming the cotton to ensure you don’t get a dry hit after changing the cotton or coil.
R
Rebuildables – This can refer to both tanks or atomizers that let users rebuild their own coils and wicks. The advantage to re-buildable(s) is you can adjust resistance, cotton/ wicks, and experiment with various setups to achieve the sweet spot for each juice.
RDA – “Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer” mostly used with Mechanical Mods.
RBA – Rebuildable Atomizer
RTA – Rebuildable Tank Atomizer
Resistance – Measured in ohms, resistance depends on the thickness of the coil wire, the number of coils, circumference of the coils, and how close the coils are wound.
S
Series –Mech mods with dual batteries, effectively doubles the voltage output at the expense of battery life.
Stacking – Stacking batteries end-to-end in a mech mod for amplifying the power *PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS A VERY RISKY PRACTISE*.
Steeping – Steeping e-juice involves letting it age to achieve better flavour.
Sub-ohming – A practice used by advanced vapers to produce thick clouds of vapour by building coils with low ohm readings normally below 1.0 ohm.
T
Tank – Clearomizersmade of glass or plastic, which hold larger amounts of e-liquid. They can either be fitted with cartomizers, pre-built coils or rebuildable decks.
Throat Hit – The sensation after vapor hits the throat. Many vapers look to simulate the harsh hit of traditional cigarettes, while some prefer a silky smooth throat hit.
TPD – Standards for the safety and quality of all e-cigarettes and refill containers.
V
Vaper’s Tongue – A sensation that causes the tongue to become desensitized from over vaping one flavour, this will also mute the flavour.
VV or Variable Voltage – Any type of e-cig or PV that allows users to adjust its voltage output.
Vaping – The activity of using electronic cigarettes.
Vegetable Glycerol or Glycerine (VG) – One of two base ingredients used in the production of e-liquid. Vegetable Glycerol typically produces more vapour than Propylene Glycol (PG). Users who are allergic to PG often use 90%/100% VG solutions.
Voltage – Electrical potential of a power source.
Vent holes – A slit or hole used to prevent batteries from overheating.
Vaper – Used to describe anyone who vapes.
Vapor – This is normally referred to as “clouds” that simulate smoke.
W
Watt/Wattage – The amount of power used by the coil. The higher the wattage on your device – the more vapour is produced.
Wick – This is the material that holds the e-liquid close to the coil. that is usually made of organic cotton.
Wire – This is the term that refers to the material used in a coil.
Wrap – This refers to the number of revolutions used in the wrapping of a coil. The more wraps a coil has, the higher the resistance will be.
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