A Glossary and A-Z of Vaping Terms

Are you confused by some of the vaping terminologies that you have encountered? If so, learn all the essential terms you need to know so you can shop for vaping products confidently. Check out our glossary and A-Z of vaping terms right now.

510 compatible battery connection

The 510 compatible battery connection is the most common fitting size in the industry. The connection connects the battery to the tank.

Adjustable airflow

The vast majority of vape tanks have two or three air vents that enable airflow. Some devices allow you to adjust the amount of airflow to your own preferences to receive more or less vapour intensity or thickness.

All-day vape (adv)

All-day vapes are liquids that vapers can vape all day long without experiencing irritation or discomfort. These flavours tend to offer mild flavours and throat hits.

APV

APV is an acronym for ‘advanced personalised vaporiser’. These devices have detachable batteries and often come with wattage and voltage control.

Atomiser head

An atomiser head is simply another word for a coil. Atomiser heads are small heating elements that are powered by your battery and screw into tanks. The battery enables your atomiser to heat up the e-liquid, so it’s transformed into a vapour.

Battery

Vaping batteries come in various forms and have different mAh numbers. High mAh numbers mean you need to charge your battery less frequently. You will normally need to charge your battery with a USB plug. Read the instructions carefully or you could cause a serious accident including a fire. If you’re interested in sub-ohm vaping, you may need a particularly powerful battery.

Cartomiser

Cartomisers are comparable to clearomisers and come with tanks for e-liquid alongside a mouthpiece and coil. As the coil is usually built-in, you will need to replace the whole item once it burns out. Some cartomisers already have juice in them when they are purchased.

Clearomiser

Clearomisers are refillable tanks for e-liquid which come with mouthpieces and coils. You can normally store up to 2mls of juice in a clearomiser.

Cloud chasing

This is the practice of generating as big a vape cloud as possible. Cloud chasers often use e-liquid with high VG content and sub-ohm tanks to achieve their targets.

Coils

Coils are short lengths of wire wrapped around atomiser wicks. When the battery is activated, coils heat up so the e-liquid can be vapourised. Some seasoned vapers even make their own coils. It’s possible to buy coils made out of various materials, with a wide range of resistance levels.

Drip tips

Drip tips are mouthpieces that fit on the end of vape tanks. Some drip tips push into place, but others need to be screwed into clearomisers. The main purpose of a drip tip is to keep leakage to a minimum and deliver sufficient airflow.

E-liquid

E-liquids are also known as e-juices. When e-liquids are heated up, a vapour resembling smoke is generated. There are scores of e-liquids to choose from, with all kinds of flavours available. Most e-liquids consist of ingredients including nicotine, water, propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin. It’s no longer possible to buy any e-liquid with nicotine over 10mls, though you can purchase nicotine-free juice in large capacities and add nicotine shots.

Flavour chasing

Some vapers are passionate about cloud chasing, whilst others prioritise flavour. A flavour chaser is likely to be more interested in liquids with a high level of PG and less interested in producing vapour. Flavour chasers normally opt for MTL or mouth-to-lung inhalation.

Flooding

If your juice has ever leaked and ended up somewhere you didn’t want it to be, such as your mouth or on your clothes, this is called flooding. This can be caused by putting too much liquid into your tank or by dripping it into a hollow part of your coil. You can prevent flooding by only placing juice into the central column that leads to your mouthpiece and avoids overfilling.

High VG

If an e-liquid has a high VG rating, this means it has substantial vegetable glycerin content. Sub-ohm vapers are big fans of high VG liquids as they help them create substantial clouds. These liquids require a high level of power to transform e-liquid into vapour.

Low resistance

The coil inside your atomiser that vapourises your juice is made from wire. If the wire is particularly thick, this means it has a high resistance. Resistance is measured on ohms. If a coil has low resistance, you will go through juice faster but create thicker clouds.

Mod

‘Mod’ is short for modification. Mods are modifiable vape set-ups. Many vapers customise their devices by using different packs and tanks.

Mouth-to-lung

MTL or mouth-to-lung vaping is where vapour is inhaled into the mouth then the lungs. This is a suitable vaping method for flavour chasers as well as those who have recently moved from smoking to vaping.

Nic salts

The term ‘nic salts’ is short for nicotine salts. This is a special type of nicotine that will give you a stronger and faster hit. This nicotine is absorbed easier than freebase nicotine and will give a weaker throat hit. A juice with nic salts should give you plenty of strength and flavour but less harshness.

PG

PG is short for propylene glycol. This ingredient is found in the vast majority of e-juices. PG is a colourless liquid that has a modestly sweet taste. It is also used in fizzy pop, ice cream and salad dressings, to give just a few examples. A liquid with a high amount of PG will give you a bigger throat hit and produce thinner vapour.

Pods

Pods are vaping components that come with a built-in coil and are normally designed with mouth-to-lung vaping in mind. Most pods are designed for nic salts and high PG juices. Many pods come with liquid already in them and can be disposed of when the juice runs out. However, refillable pods are also available. These can be used until your coil burns out.

RBA

An RBA is a rebuildable atomiser. Rebuildable dripping atomisers (RDAs) and Rebuildable tank atomisers (RTAs) are both types of RBA. With these atomisers, you can build your own coil and wick. Many people use organic cotton to do this. You’ll also gain more control over resistance. Pre-made coils also tend to last longer than readymade ones, and you can simply replace the cotton once it wears out.

Short fills

Short fills are large bottles of nic-free liquid with enough space for nicotine or nic shots. As you can no longer buy juice with nicotine in bottles over 10ml of capacity, a good way around this is to purchase shortfills with nic shots.

Starter kits

Starter kits are ideal for those that are new to the world of vaping. Kits often include chargers, clearomisers, batteries and e-liquid. These allow people to get started with vaping without needing to make multiple purchases.

Sub-ohm

Sub-ohm vaping is vaping with a coil resistance of less than 1 ohm. This kind of vaping is ideal for those seeking a direct-to-lung vaping experience, with more power being permitted to flow through the wire and more vapour being delivered.

Tanks

The tank is the part of a vaping device where e-liquid is held. Vaping tanks are generally refillable. You can refill them either via the top or the bottom of the tank.

Throat hit

A throat hit is the sensation felt at the back of the throat during vaping. Many new vapers seek powerful throat hits as they get used to vaping instead of smoking. Vapers seeking a powerful throat hit can opt for juices with high levels of nicotine and PG.

Vapers’ tongue and vape mouth

If the flavour of your liquid becomes weak and bland, you may be experiencing vape tongue. This can happen if you have a dry mouth or have been using the same juice for some time. You can resolve this issue by cleansing your palette with water, changing your e-liquid every so often or by opting for a liquid with a high VG rating.

Variable voltage/wattage

Some mods have features that allow you to change the amount of wattage and voltage your battery is producing. This gives you greater control over your vaping experience, allowing you to change the thickness, heat, and volume of the vape you’re producing.

VG

VG is short for vegetable glycerin and is a key ingredient of many e-liquids, VG has no colour and barely any smell. It is sweeter and thicker than PG and is used to produce a variety of foods, toiletries, and cosmetics. If you require a smaller throat hit and thicker vapour, upping your VG levels may be the solution.

Wicks

The wick is the part of your atomiser that draws juice from the tank to send it to your coil. When the battery is activated, the coil heats up to produce vapour. A wicking material often used to make coils is organic cotton.

About Next Day Vapes

If you have any important questions about vaping or are confused about any of the terminologies around the subject, feel free to get in touch with Next Day Vapes. At Next Day Vapes, we are passionate about helping you achieve the perfect vaping experience for your needs. We are one of the UK’s most prominent suppliers of vaping products and have helped thousands of people to switch to vaping from smoking. Our vaping specialists can give you all the advice you need to make purchases you won’t come to regret. Why not browse the catalogue today?

Contact us

We will respond as soon as possible once you’ve left us a message via our site or sent an email to Next Day Vapes. Use the form on the site to get in touch or send a message to info@nextdayvapes.co.uk. We have all the products you need to enjoy a richly satisfying vaping experience.

Image Credits: Vaporesso, VapeClubMY and Chiara Summer