Vaping Glossary

Vaping Glossary

       The Vaping Industry is such an exciting and relatively new field that is unlike anything before it. We are a community of people with a specific interest, knowledge, and lingo. I know that when I was introduced to vaping the terminology was like another language to me. Words like atomizer, dripper, coil, and mod had me feeling like my head was in the clouds (pun intended). However, after working in the industry and vaping for over a year I have become more confident in my vape knowledge. Those of you who are new to vaping, you are the inspiration for this post. The following is a glossary of terms that are commonly used in the industry.

A

Adjustable Airflow: This refers to the part on your tank that allows for more or less air to be received while vaping. Adjusting this piece results in more or less vapor. Additionally, the more air you allow the cooler the vapor will feel.

All Day Vape: The eJuice that is your go to. You can vape it all day and not get tired of it.

Amperage (Amps): A measurement of electrical current that is delivered through the system.

Analog: A term used to reference traditional cigarettes.

Atomizer (Atty): This is the metal piece that attaches to the battery. It also houses the wick and coil. It is the part that is responsible for heating eLiquid to the point of vaporization.

Automatic: A type of electronic cigarette that does not require a button to active that heating element. This type of ecig is activated when the vaper draws on the mouthpiece.

B

Battery: Provides power to active the heating element. There are two types: Manual, which requires a button to active whereas Automatic batteries are activated upon inhalation.

Box Mod: Any APV or PV that is box shaped and comes in a variety of wattage selections. (10-100+ watts).

Brick and Mortar: Any physical store that provides eLiquid, eCig and eCig accessories

Bridge: Metal piece in anatomizer that wicks the eLiquid from the cartridge.

BT: Slang or abbreviated term referencing big tobacco companies.

C

Cartridge: Plastic or metal piece that contains absorbent material that holds eJuice.

Cartomizer: A device which holds eLiquids and is typically made of poly-fill surrounding a type of absorbent material. They are a combination of disposable cartridges and atomizers. There are single and double coil cartomizers. Double coil cartos produce more vapor.

CASSA:  Consumer Advocacy for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association is nonprofit organization that campaigns for the rights of eCigarette users.

Cig-A-Like: Any PV that has the look of an analog cigarette.

Clearomizer: A clear version of a cartomizer which allows the user to see the amount of eLiquid they have in the device

Clouds:  The vapor that is exhaled after hitting an eCigarette

Coil:  The part of an eCig that is made from metal wire and vaporizes the eLiquid by creating an electrical circuit

Coil Winder: A tool used to make your own coils

Connection: The connection that allows you to connect your atomizer, clearomizer, or cartomizer

Custom Build: Any device that was handmade from parts that were not originally made for vaping purposes

Cut-off: Safety feature that interrupts a drag if it is too long. This prevents the atomizer from overheating

D

Dewick: Removing a wick from an atomizer

Disposables: eCigarettes that are designed to be used and then discarded

DIY: Term used to reference “Do-It-Yourself” which applies to those who make their own eJuice

Doubler: A double-strength flavor that increases the flavor in mixes that are 50/50 based or max VG which can decrease the amount of flavor produced in a final eJuice

Drip: To drip eLiquid directly into the atomizer chamber. This results in a lot of flavor and vapor

Dry Hit: An unpleasant sensation and taste that happens when the wick is not saturated with eJuice

E

eCig Accessories: Products that enhance your vaping experience such as batteries, cases, chargers, etc

eLiquid: The solution that is vaporized which consists of Vegetable Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, and/or Liquid Nicotine, and flavor concentrates.

F

Filler Material: The absorbent material inside a cartridge that holds liquid inside the cartridge and insures that flooding does not occur

Flooding: Occurs when there is too much eLiquid in the atomizer

G

Goose Neck: A long flexible extension for you PV

H

Heat Steeping: The process of accelerating the steeping process by placing eLiquid in hot water or any hot environment

High Resistance: An atomizer/cartomizer with a higher Ohm rating which results in the ability to apply a higher voltage to the coil

HV: High Voltage device which means it operates above the standard 3.7 volts

J

Juice: Or eJuice/eLiquid

K

Knuckle Head: A short adjustable mouth piece that can be placed at any desired angle

L

Leaking: Occurs when eJuice leaks out of the atomizer and potentially onto the battery which can cause damage to the device

Low Resistance: A device with a low Ohm rating

M

mA: A measurement (1/1000th of an Amp) that is typically used to reference the output of a charger

Macro Coil: Large coils that increase vapor production

mAh: An abbreviation for Millampere per hour which refers to the energy that a battery can hold before being recharged

Manual: An eCig that operates when a button is activated

Manual Shut-off: A feature that allows the user to shut off their device usually by click the button a certain number of times which allows for safer transport

Mechanical Mod: A device that does not have wiring. Simply a battery with a connection for the tank of your choosing

Mg Strength: Refers to the amount of nicotine in an eLiquid. Measured as mg/ml

Milliliters: The amount of liquid in a given bottle

N

Nicotine Liquid: Liquid form of nicotine use in eJuice

No Resistance Wire: Conductive wire used in RBAs to complete a circuit. This wire does not heat up

O

Ohm: The measurement of electrical resistance. The lower the number the lower the resistance which means faster heating

Organic Cotton: Absorbent cotton used in devices. The organic cottons tend to last longer than alternatives

P

Passthrough: A device that plugs into a USB port which allows the user to vape while charging and eliminates battery life concerns

Pen Style: A style of eCig that resembles a ballpoint pen

Personal Vaporizer (PV): Another term for Electronic Cigarette

Propylene Glycol: A major component in eJuice

Priming: The process of preparing a fresh wick by dropping eLiquid directly onto the absorbent material in an effort to avoid a dry hit

R

Rayon: A synthetic alternative to cotton, ceramic, and stainless steel wicks

RBA: Rebuildable atomizer

RDA: Rebuildable dripping atomizer

RDTA: Rebuildable dripping tank atomizer

RTA: Rebuildable tank atomizer

Resistance: References the measurement of ohms which allows you to conclude the proper amount of voltage to apply in an effort to result in the best wattage possible

S

Sensor: The device of an eCig that detects when a user has taken a drag

Silica: Material with a very high melting point that is used for building wicks

Standard Resistance: For a cartomizer the standard resistance is about 3.0 ohm and 2.5 ohm for an atomizer

Starter Kit: A vaper’s beginner kit. Usually includes battery, charger, atomizer, and cartridges

Steeping: The process of letting your eLiquid sit in order to develop maximize flavor. This practice is typically more used for high VG percentage

Sub-Ohming: Advanced vaping practice which increases the battery power and reducing the ohms of the coil to achieve massive cloud output

T

Tank: A special cartridge that holds more liquid than most cartomizers or some atomizers which can contain a filler

Throat Hit:  The sensation that a vaper experiences when vapor hits their throat. Those who enjoy this sensation are typically mimicking the feeling of hitting a traditional cigarette

Topper: Any device that attaches to a battery

U

USB Charger: A battery charger that is compatible with any USB port

V

Vaper: The given name that refers to a user of electronic cigarettes

Vaper’s Tongue: Vaping so much that your mouth becomes dry or vaping one flavor so much that your taste buds become desensitized to the taste

Vegetable Glycerin: Common ingredient in eJuice which is usually soy or palm based

Voltage: Amount of energy that creates wattage when paired with resistance

Variable Voltage (VV): Any PV, APV, or Mod that allows the user to control the voltage output of the device

Variable Wattage (VW): Any device that allows the user to control the wattage output

W

Wattage: The amount of heat that the atomizer coil uses to vaporize the eLiquid

Wick: The part of the ecig that delivers eLiquid to the coil. Wicks are typically made of silica, mesh, cotton and sometime ceramic.

       So there you have it! Who knew there were so many terms exclusive to the vape industry? I hope that this glossary has proven to be a useful tool and has helped build your knowledge of the vape lingo. Vaping can seem a little overwhelming but you just have to dive in. There are so many resources and knowledgeable people in this field. Please feel free to like, comment, and share some vaping terms that I may not have included


Written by: Bethany Stinar, Sales Representative