Vaping Glossary

Adapter: It is used for connecting one threading type to another. Users usually lean toward utilizing the clearomizers with the eGo threading. With a 510 connector an adapter is used to connect to the eGo clearomizer

Adjustable Airflow (Airflow Control): It is to control the air intake on an atomizer. Adjustable Airflow is used to help increase the vapor production and also to cool the vapor. The airflow control option is now also available on drip tips as well.

Advanced Personal Vaporizer (APV): It is a vaping device that is considered to be more sophisticated than other e-cigarette devices. An APV features more innovative functions like an OLED Screen, a Variable Wattage, and an elaborate Menu System.

All Day Vape (ADV): The All Day Vape is an e-juice flavor that can be inhaled or vaped nonstop for the whole day without any irritation.

American Wire Gauge (AWG): The AWG is the regulation that is used in the United States to regulate the resistance and diameter of electric wires used to create the coils in atomizers.

Amperage (Amps): It is the current of energy along a circuit. The lesser the amperage is, the lesser capable you’ll be of using higher voltages on a low resistance atomizer. This is very common with high voltage low resistance atomizers.

Analog: The analog is a terminology that is used to describe a regular tobacco cigarette in the Vaping Universe.

Atomizer (Atty): The atomizer is the part that turns the e-juice into vapor. It is considered to be one of the most vital parts of your electronic cigarette. An atomizer normally consists of an outer body and a wrapped inside. When the atomizer is powered up, the coil starts to provide heat, thus vaporizing the e-juice.

Automatic (AT): A style of electronic cigarette/vaporizer battery that does not have a button to activate the heating element. They are unsealed, which allows airflow. When the user draws on the mouthpiece, a special sensor within the atomizer is activated by changing air pressure.

Battery: The battery is the most necessary part of the electronic cigarette. The battery used with a device can be internally or externally charged. The sole purpose of the battery is to provide power to the coil, which will then heat up and vaporize the e-liquid.

Battery Venting: It is a process where a battery is pushed passed its limits and chemicals inside the battery have gone into melt down.
Box Mod: A box mod is a device in shape of a box that provides more space to insert a bigger battery and other components.

Carcinogen: Any chemical, compound, or substance thought to cause cancer. When e-liquid is heated and reaches high temperatures can produce some carcinogens.
Cartomizer (Carto): A cartomizer is a kind of an atomizer that is a small metal tube that contains a filler material toward the top that acted as a wick. The wick would hold more e-juice than a standard atomizer. Though a cartomizer is no longer included in the products these days that available in the market.
Charger: A charger is a device made up of a wire and an adaptor and is used to charge a battery once they it has been exhausted.

Cig-A-Like (E-Pen, Stick eCig): It is an electronic cigarette that looks similar to a regular tobacco cigarette.

Clearomizer (Clearo): The Clearomizer is basically an atomizer that is created around a clear tank. The clearomizer is made with different materials and utilizes replacement coils offered in various resistances. The clearomizer became highly popular due to its ability to store e-liquid, eliminating the need to drip.
Coil (Burner): The purpose of the coil is to heat up and vaporize the e-liquid to generate the smoke clouds. There’s a wire wrapped up into a coil. Clearomizers have coils, but has a body around them. With a Rebuildable Atomizer, the user builds the coil and inserts it into the posts, the coil being exposed inside of the atomizer.

Competition Cap: It is a cap made to increase the airflow and to help create more vapor production.

Deck: The deck is the bottom part of the atomizer, it’s the part where the positive and negative posts are.
Diacetyl: It is a flavor that is used in e-liquid production to provide a creamy taste. Many e-liquid manufacturers today have stopped using flavors that contain Diacetyl due to its dangerous side effects, like causing Bronchiolitis and other Lung related problems.

Direct Dripping: The procedure of directly dripping onto a coil.

Disposable E-cig: An electronic cigarette that is to be disposed of either when the battery is exhausted or when the e-juice has run out.

DNA: This is a computer chip produced by Evolv vapor. The company is known for its high quality DNA Boards, which have introduced a new technology to the electronic cigarette industry.

Do It Yourself (DIY): This is a term typically used when a user mixes the e-liquid himself/herself.

Drip: The act of dripping down the e-liquid into the coil.

Drip Cap (Drip Top, Chuff Cap): The Drip Cap is a large cap that not only provides a better airflow, but also allows the user to drip the e-juice without having to remove the cap.

Drip Tip: The cap used on an atomizer or clearomizer.

Drip Well: It is the area on the base of the atomizer. If excess e-liquid is dripped, the extra e-liquid will sit into the Drip Well, thus preventing any leakage from the atomizer.

Dry Burn: A dry burn occurs when a coil is heated without the use of the e-liquid. The term is usually used when the coil is being tested in a device in order to regulate the temperature accurately.

Dry Hit: This occurs when a user inhales from a device, but there is no e-liquid present. Instead of the producing vapor, the coil then starts to burn up the cotton, which results in a harsh, dry and uncomfortable hit.

Dual Coil Tank (DCT): The DCT is a tank that uses a two coil cartomizer.

eGo Connector: It is a connector that was invented on a device known as the “eGo”. The eGo device became so popular that manufacturers began creating clearomizers and other products to connect specifically to the eGo connector. The eGo connector became common and was included even on devices that didn’t carry the eGo brand name.

eGo Threading: The eGo connector uses the 510 threading on the inside to accept 510 connectors, but also has a certain “eGo” threading on the outside of the connector to accept eGo threaded connectors.

E-Liquid (eLiquid, Liquid, E-Juice, eJuice, Juice, Nicotine Liquid): The Electronic Liquid is a liquid that comes in various different flavors that is used with the electronic vaping devices to produce vaporized smoke. The e-liquid is made up of four ingredients, these are, Propylene Glycol, Vegetable Glycerin, Flavoring and Nicotine.

Electronic Cigarette (E-Cig, E-Cigarette, eCig, eCigarette): The Electronic cigarette is a vaping device that was designed to allow users to take in nicotine through an inhaling the vapor generated by the e-device. The electronic cigarette was also used as a less harmful alternative to the regular tobacco cigarette as it has minimal ingredients. The electronic cigarette comes in several different appearances, shapes, and sizes.

Exhale: This refers to blowing out vapor steam through one’s mouth.

Flooding: When there is too much e-liquid on the coil so it doesn’t allow the coil to breathe, hence the coil is said to be flooded with e-juice.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA): The FDA is a governing body in the United States that is responsible for making and implementing rules and regulations relating to the safety of food and drug products sold in the country.

Formaldehyde: It’s a dangerous chemical that is produced like acrolein. It is produced when an e-liquid is heated to extremely high temperatures. Formaldehyde is also a known as a cancer-causing agent. Hence, temperature controlled mods have become very popular these days.

Heatsink: Fins on a mod, atomizer, or drip tip. The heatsink is created to disperse heat by allowing increased airflow over more surface area.

High Resistance (HR): It refers to a resistance level higher than a normal or average resistance level. A high resistance is considered to be 3.0 ohm or higher.

High VG E-Liquid: An e-juice that has a higher proportion of Vegetable Glycerin. The High VG e-liquid is usually used with sub-ohm clearomizers and rebuildable atomizers. The Vegetable Glycerin component helps in creating a larger vapor production.

Hybrid: It is the combination of the top part of a vaporizer, like the rebuildable atomizer, and the device, designed to fit together as a one whole unit.

Inhale: To pull in vapor smoke through the mouth.

Joules: Joules is a unit of power used in temperature controlled mods. It is equal to the energy transferred when a force of one newton is applied through a distance of one Newton meter or in passing an electric current of one ampere through a resistance of one ohm for one second.

Juice Hole: The hole opening and covered area with a wicking material (usually cotton) on a replacement coil or rebuildable tank atomizer. The juice hole allows the e-liquid to be drenched up by a wicking material, then sent to the coil to be vaporized.
Kanthal Wire: Kanthal is an iron – chromium – aluminum alloy (FeCrAl alloy) that is used at temperatures of up to 1400 °C. The alloy is characterized by high resistivity and very good oxidation resistance. Kanthal A1 Wire is the best variant of Kanthal wire and is also the most commonly used one in the coils.

Low Resistance (LR): A resistance level that is lower than the standard level. A level of 1.5 ohm or lower is considered to be low resistance.

Lung Hit: The act of inhaling vapor directly into the lungs, bypassing the mouth. Users commonly lower nicotine strength when lung hitting to reduce throat hit, since the nicotine provides a harsh hit.

Manual: A device that is activated by manually by hand. The user must press a heat button or activate the device’s battery manually.

Mechanical Mod: It’s a machine that does not require any wiring or circuit boards to function. The Mechanical Mod functions strictly off the battery completing a circuit with the atomizer.

Milliampere Hour (mAh): A measurement used to describe the power capacity that a battery can hold before it needs to be recharged again.

Milligrams (MG): It is a unit of measure for how much nicotine is present in a tank. Common MG strengths include 0MG, 3MG, 6MG, 12MG, 18MG and 24MG.

Milliliters (mL): The unit of measure for any liquid and amount of liquid in the in a given container. 1000 mL equals to a liter. It’s used to describe how much e-liquid is in a bottle or tank.

Mini: A smaller version of an e-cigarette device.
MOD: A device that has been created to provide more than the standard electronic cigarette. A mod typically has a much larger battery, a bigger size and offers a better performance.

Modder: Someone who alters electronic cigarettes from their original form. Modders modify to enhance the performance of a device.

Mouth Hit: To inhale vapor in the mouth and then slowly continuing inhaling the vapor further into the lungs.

Newbie (Newb, Noob): A phrase that is used to describe a beginner or someone who is just introduced to vaping.

Nichrome Wire (NiCr, Nickel-Chrome, Chrome-Nickel): It is a resistance wire made from Nickel, Chromium, and Iron. It has a proportion of 80% Nickel and 20% Chromium. Nichrome was at times widely used in wires for coils in vaping devices.

Nickel Wire (Ni200, Nickel 200): The Nickel is a resistance wire that is pure, has good mechanical properties, and is corrosion resistant. It also has good electrical and thermal properties, and is non-magnetic as well. It is usually used with temperature controlled devices.

Nicotine (Nic): A substance found in tobacco and other plants. It is available in various strengths in e-juices but also some e-liquids are non-nicotine.

Nicotine Strength (Nicotine Level, Nicotine Dose, Nic Strength): The percentage of nicotine per milliliter.

No-Resistance Wire (Non-Resistance Wire, NR-Wire): A conductive wire that is used in rebuildable atomizers to complete a circuit to the atomizer coil. No-Resistance Wire doesn’t heat up. Some use No-Resistance Wire with atomizers to ensure heat is applied where the user wants.

OLED: OLED is a light-emitting diode screen having thin sheets of an organic electroluminescent material, used for visual displays. OLED screens are generally used on advanced personal vaporizers.

Ohm: It is the unit of measure of electrical resistance. The lower the number, the lower the and faster heating.

Organic Cotton (OC): Organic cotton is cotton from plants that are grown without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides. This is because Organic Cotton provides a chemical free and purer taste when used as a wick.

Organic Cotton Coil (OCC): It is a replacement coil that uses organic cotton as its wick. The Kanger brand was the pioneer that introduced the Organic Cotton Coil.

Notch Coil: It is a coil made from stainless steel that combines the surface area of a Clapton coil with the ramp up time of the OCC coil. It is used for temperature control. Notch coils provide the best flavor and are easy to use.

Parallel Mod: It is a device in which batteries that are wired next to one another this increases the battery life at the cost of voltage.

Passthrough (PT): It is a tool that lets one plug directly into the USB port of a computer to charge it and allows the user to vape without stressing about the battery life.

Personal Charging Case (PCC): It is basically a Portable Charging Case. This allows a battery to be stored in and charged from the PCC battery.

Personal Vaporizer (PV): A machine that turns e-juice into vapor smoke. A personal vaporizer is also another term used for a vape device or a portable vaporizer.

Posts: The positive and negative sides of a vaporizer that lets a coil to complete the electrical circuit.

Priming: I means to soak up the wick inside the coil to make sure that it has a sufficient amount of e-juice to vaporize in order to prevent it from going a dry.

Propylene Glycol (PG): This chemical is used as a base for the nicotine and flavoring. Propylene Glycol has been generally thought to be safe and is used in medical products as well as in food products. But there have been cases reported of an allergic reaction to it. The PG also consists of a diluted liquid consistency, so it is also used to thin out e-liquid so that it will wick much easily.

Protected Battery: It is a battery with a computer chip that protects the battery and breaks the circuit if the voltage is too high or too low.

Puff (Pull, Draw): To exhale vapor smoke from an electronic cigarette.

Rebuildable Atomizer: The atomizer was created in order to reduce the cost of vaping and increase performance by letting the user fix or set up the atomizer themselves. There are several different kinds of rebuildable atomizers as they vary in design, shape and overall exterior. Many rebuildable atomizers have numerous different kinds of wicking systems and also have the capability to work with several different types of wires like, Kanthal, Nichrome, Nickel and Titanium.

Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer (RDA, Dripping Atomizer, Dripper, Dripping Atty): An atomizer that is fixable. The RDA consists of a body, the inside has a positive and negative post. The user can build a coil, leaving it exposed inside of the atomizer. E-Liquid is dripped onto the coil, rather than relying on a tank. The term was made because the user actually drips into the atomizer.

Rebuildable Tank Atomizer (RTA, Rebuildable Tank, Tank Atomizer, Tank Atty): An atomizer that is rebuildable. The RTA comprises of a body and tank part. Within it is a tube that connects with the coil’s base to the top area of the tank and to the drip tip. E-Liquid is stored in the tank, instead of ceaselessly dripping.

Resistance: The resistance is a power capacity that is measured in ohms. It allows you to measure the right amount of voltage to get the best wattage. There are two different variations; low and standard.

Ribbon Wire (Ribbon Kanthal, Ribbon): This is a unique type of resistance wire that is used for building coils. Ribbon Wire is more frequently used with top-coil atomizers. Ribbon Wire has a flat cross section instead of it being round.

Standard Resistance: The standard resistance is around a 2.5 ohm resistance, anything higher than this is considered to be high resistance.
Starter Kit: An electronic cigarette kit that offers more than just the device itself. It usually consists of the actual device and some form of atomizer.

Steeping: It is the procedure of letting e-liquid sit in for some time. This allows the ingredients in the e-liquid to process and mix in together. Some mixologists will mix e-liquid and let it go through the process in order to achieve the required flavor.

Sub-Ohm: The practice by experienced vapers to increase the current from a specific battery and reducing the ohms of the coils below one to achieve a larger vapor smoke production. Sub-Ohm is considered to be 0.9 ohm or below.

Tank: A small storage area in the vape device that is used to store e-liquid. They are used with rebuildable tank atomizers and clearomziers.

Temperature Control (TC): A way to control the temperature of the coil. The technology was first developed by the Evolv vapor company.

Thermal Runaway: Thermal Runaway is a rare but severe chain reaction that results in the fire and explosion of a rechargeable lithium based battery. This can happen through overcharging, short circuiting, stacking batteries, and physical damage to the battery or other glitches with a device.

Throat Hit (TH): It is a feeling in the back of the throat when inhaling vapor. The term comes from the harshness and irritation felt. Propylene Glycol and Nicotine both are known to cause the throat hit. The more nicotine the e-liquid has, the more throat hit is felt.

Titanium Wire (Ti, Ti Wire): The Titanium metal wire is a resistance wire with a soft consistency and usually much harder to work with than Kanthal Wire. The wire is considered to be an alternative to the Nichrome, Nickel and Kanthal Wires. Titanium Wire is becoming more common in temperature controlled devices.

Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR): The practice of decreasing harm from nicotine products.

Topping Off: To fill an e-liquid tank to its full capacity.

Tube Mod: A device that carries a form factor of a tube shape. The device is tube shaped so that it can hold a battery, which carries the same shape, in its lower compartment.

Unprotected Battery: These are lithium based batteries that have no guaranteed safety in situations like overcharging and can cause thermal runaway.

Vape (Vaping): A word that defines the act of using a vaping device. An electronic cigarette user is considered as someone who will “vape” since the electronic cigarette produces vapor.

Vaper: A person who uses a vaping device, the E-Cigarette, and vapes through it. A smoker is the one who smokes. A vaper is the one who vapes. Simple!

Vaper’s Tongue: A very common issue among vape users when they inhale too much of a single flavor and their taste buds become desensitized to that flavor.

Vapor: The vaporization of the e-liquid, which results in a fog or vapor smoke. It is commonly accepted to be exhaled as steam. It looks like smoke, just as of a cigarette, but is actually water vapor and is much safer than real smoke.

Vapor Production: It is the procedure of producing vaporized smoke. An increase vapor production is the most sought out perk to vaping. It is known that a higher proportion of Vegetable Glycerin, a high wattage, a lower resistance, and an increase in airflow will help produce more vapor clouds.

Vaporizer: The device that turns the e-liquid into a vapor cloud. It is basically an alternative name for the vaping device or electronic cigarette.

Variable Voltage (VV): Any normal or advanced personal vaporizer mod that allows one control over the voltage output of a device. Usually said to be superior to regular personal vaporizers that have a static voltage output that cannot be modified.

Variable Wattage (VW): Any normal or advanced personal vaporizer mod that allows one to control the wattage output of a device across the vaporizer coil. This differentiates itself from a Variable Voltage device because the voltage is set to arrive at the fixed wattage.

Vegetable Glycerin (VG): It is an alternative substance to the Propylene Glycol, and is usually the base liquid in the e-juice. Vegetable Glycerin is extracted through the production of palm tree oils and can be used in sweeteners and in skin care products.

Ventilation Holes (Vent Holes): Small openings on the body of the device to provide vent to the battery gases away from the face in case of a battery explosion.

Voltage: It’s the amount of current energy that, when combined with resistance, produces wattage.

Wattage: It refers to the amount of heat an atomizer coil uses in order to vaporize the e-liquid.

Wick: Used to deliver e-liquid to the coil in electronic cigarettes. Many atomizers use wicks that are made from silica cord, steel mesh, and cotton. Ceramic materials are also said to be used.

Wrap: One whole revolution of a wire during the process of building a coil.