The Language of Vaping: How Vaping Jargon Pushes Beginners Away

Whenever you start using a product or device, particularly one that is completely new and unfamiliar to you, there will always be a learning process. With vaping, that learning process can often seem all the harder due to the sheer number of new terms and phrases that surround it.

For some, learning the language of vaping will be just a slightly confusing, but ultimately minor, part of their journey to vape satisfaction. But for some, the unfamiliarity and seeming complexity that terms like MTL, drip tip, coil resistance, and Propylene Glycol introduce can be a barrier to making the switch from smoking to vaping.

In this article, we discuss vaping terminology and how the sheer number of different terms can hold back new and beginner vapers. We also go over some of the most common technical, general, and slang vaping terms so that you can be a more confident vaper!

Vape Jargon Overload

Slang and jargon naturally build up around any product that experiences rapid growth in popularity and cultural significance. Vaping fits that description perfectly, and has certainly spawned many new terms and also made existing terms its own. These range from technical terms like DTL, pulse mode, ohm, freebase, and kanthal, to vape culture terms like cloud chasing, throat hit, rebuildable, dry hit, and squonk.

While some vapers might see learning this new language as claiming vaping as their own or showing that they are part of a “tribe,” for others it makes vaping feel alien and inaccessible. For those people, perhaps new vapers just wanting to make the switch from smoking, there is the very real risk that they will feel like the learning curve is too steep and just go back to what is familiar.

Effects of Vape Jargon Overload

• Feeling like an outsider: Most people want to feel like they are part of something, part of the group, a movement, the latest trend. If we are constantly confused by the terms used on vape packaging, in reviews, or in articles, that can make us stop trying and just go back to the group they know (i.e., smokers).
• Feeling stupid: No one likes to be made to feel stupid, intentionally or otherwise, but this is exactly what too much vaping jargon can do. If you are having to look up every little thing when just trying to work out if you are vaping properly, it could very likely start to feel frustrating and not worth your time.
• Choosing the wrong products: If you don’t understand the technical terms and the jargon, buying the best device and products for your needs becomes much harder. This can potentially waste your money and make switching feel even harder. It will also feed into the feelings mentioned above.

Vaping Jargon and Terminology

There are literally hundreds of terms that vaping has introduced to the world in the relatively short amount of time that it has been a thing. Fortunately, no one needs to know all or even most of them to have a satisfying vaping experience. Below are the vaping terms that are most commonly misunderstood by beginners and those that will make the most difference to your successful switch from smoking.

Technical Vaping Terms

These are the terms you will most likely encounter when choosing a vape device as a beginner. Understanding just these technical vaping terms will help you make better decisions about your first device.

Atomizer – The part of an e-cigarette that turns liquid into vapor so it can be inhaled. It sits inside the pod or tank and comprises the coil and the wick.

Coil – A component inside the atomizer that heats up when battery power is passed through it. Made of metal or ceramic, with either a mesh (common) or spiral (uncommon) shape.

Wick – Cotton or fiber that absorbs e-liquid from the tank or pod and feeds it to the coil in a controlled way. Without this, liquid would flood into the atomizer unchecked.

Pod – A removable cartridge that contains either a fixed or replaceable atomizer/coil. Can be refillable or pre-filled with e-liquid, and usually attached to the battery using magnets.

Wattage – The amount of power sent from the coil by the vape battery. Most vapes use variable wattage, which can be adjusted either automatically or manually.

Resistance – A coil’s measurement of how much electrical current it resists. Measured in ohms, this determines wattage requirements and vapor production. Written as “0.6Ω”, “1.2Ω”, “0.15”, etc.

Sub-Ohm – Technically, any coil that has a resistance below 1 ohm. Most often used to describe high-wattage (100W or more) devices that use coils with resistance below 0.4Ω.

RTA / RDA / RBA – These are atomizers that require the user to build their own coils from wire and install them manually. Can be complex, messy, and time-consuming. Not suitable for beginners.

Pulse Mode – A firing mode built into many modern vapes that rapidly varies power output to provide consistent vapor and flavor from each puff. Useful, but not essential.

Battery Mod – The main body of the vape that contains the battery and powers the atomizer. Originally referred to modified devices, mods use either built-in (USB recharge) or removable cells (18650 or 21700 batteries).

Box Mod – A box-shaped vape device, most often used for sub-ohm vaping, that offers adjustable power and supports a separate tank or atomizer. Generally not very beginner-friendly.

Pod Mod – A vape combining the convenience of pods with features found on larger devices, such as low-resistance coils and high wattage.

Drip Tip – The mouthpiece of a vape, but usually only found on those that use tanks. The mouthpiece of a pod is technically a drip-tip, but rarely described as such.

Tank – A more complex version of a pod for box or battery mod devices, but still comprising an e-liquid reservoir and a coil or atomizer. Tanks usually have several parts, including glass tank walls, drip-tip, O-rings, and metal top and bottom caps.

General Vaping Terms

These are more general terms relating to the experience of vaping and how it feels to you as a user. Understanding these will help you make better choices about how you use your device, how good it tastes, and how satisfying it is.

Direct-to-Lung (DTL) – A vaping style where the user inhales the vapor directly into their lungs in a single non-stop breath. Can feel unfamiliar and strange to ex-smokers.

Mouth-to-Lung (MTL) – A vaping style much more like smoking a cigarette, where vapor is first taken into the mouth, and only then inhaled into the lungs. Often favored by beginners.

Restricted-Direct-to-Lung (RDL) – A hybrid style that is most similar to DTL, but the volume of vapor that can be directly inhaled is restricted by wattage, airflow, and coil resistance.

VG – Vegetable Glycerine, one of the two main non-flavoring ingredients in e-liquids. The higher the ratio of VG, the smoother and thicker the vapor produced will be.

PG – Propylene Glycol, one of the two main non-flavoring ingredients in e-liquids. The higher the ratio of PG, the more intense the flavor and throat hit of a liquid will be.

Mg/Ml – Abbreviation of “Milligrams per Milliliter”. Denotes the amount of nicotine in each milliliter of e-liquid in a bottle, i.e., the strength of the e-liquid.

Freebase – Traditional nicotine used in many e-liquids, providing a stronger throat hit than nicotine salts.

Nic Salts / Nicotine Salts – A smoother form of nicotine that allows higher strengths with less throat irritation. Read more about the difference between freebase and nic salts.

Throat Hit – The sensation felt at the back of the throat when inhaling vapor. Throat hit can play a big part in how satisfying ex-smokers find a device or e-liquid.

Priming – The process of saturating a new coil with e-liquid before first use to prevent dry hits.

Airflow – How much air can enter the device when drawing on the drip-tip or mouthpiece. Airflow volume controls flavor, warmth, and vapor production.

Common Vaping Slang

As a new vaper, there is no need to learn or understand the slang that is used unless you really want to. However, if you visit vape stores regularly, you might encounter some slang that confuses you, from other patrons and from the staff. Here are some of the more common vaping slang terms.

Cloud Chasing – Vaping specifically to produce large clouds of vapor. Usually only possible with a sub-ohm device and low-strength e-liquid.

Juice – An informal term for e-liquid. Others include “vape juice”, “e-juice”, “vape oil”, and “vape liquid”.

Rip – Taking a strong or long puff from an e-cigarette (“take a rip”).

ADV – Short for All-Day Vape. Used to describe a favorite flavor that someone can happily vape all day.

Stealth Vape – Taking discreet puffs while producing as little visible vapor as possible.

Coil Killer – An e-liquid that causes coils to wear out quickly, often because it’s very sweet.

The Bottom Line

Unfamiliar and seemingly complex vape terminology can be a barrier to beginners trying to find their feet after making the switch from smoking, but it doesn’t have to be. You don’t need to learn every vape-related term to have a good vaping experience, just like you don’t need to know everything about your phone to make calls and send messages. Even a quick read through the list here will make a new vaper feel much less like a beginner.