Glossary of Vaping Lingo

Vaping is a hobby revolving around quickly evolving technology, one that's created an entire subculture that started online but has since spilled forth into brick-and-mortar vape shops across the country and around the world.

Within the confines of web forums and vape lounges across the world, a specialized jargon designed by and for the vaping community has emerged as an integral part of the culture itself. In this article, we’ll try to run down a handful of terms that are the most pertinent to vaping and integral to navigating through the tech specs on device lineups here at Breazy.

This isn’t a complete list - the wild world of vaping is constantly expanding to include new technology and new techniques - consider this an attempt at a beginner’s glossary, one that will get you up and running...

18650 High Amperage Battery - The most popular battery size for advanced vaping, these are 18 mm wide, 65 mm long, and usually, come with flat tops rather than the button tops on the similar-in-size-yet-vastly-different-in-composition household AA. These are the only batteries sold at Breazy and are designed to give vapers the high power that modern vapor devices demand.

Airflow - Advanced devices allow the user to set the amount of air that flows through a coil while vaping, allowing for loose direct-lung draws that combine with high power to produce huge clouds or tighter mouth-to-lung draws that, combined with a lower power setting, more closely mimic the draw of a cigarette. With tanks, the airflow is commonly processed through the base but with rebuildables, the airflow is typically through the slots on both sides of the coils.

Amps - The flow of energy along a closed circuit from the atomizer to a battery. Batteries with more amps handle more power and are in less danger of overheating, which is why batteries safe for vaping have a continuous draw of 20 amps or higher, compared to less than 2 amps in a household AA cell. With unregulated devices (mods that do not have a chip based processing) this information is crucial to safety.

Box mod - One of the most popular models of the Advanced Personal Vapes (APV). Box mods are in the shape of (you guessed it) a box and can hold up to four 18650 batteries, making them more powerful than tube vapes. We sell a variety of box mods at Breazy.The box mod powers your atomizer coils and regulates your vaping experience via its user interface where you modulate how output the device delivers to your atomizer. Box mods come in different sizes and should be selected based on how much power you will require from it. These units include chip processors that provide protections from reverse polarity, straining the amperage of your selected batteries, and even temperature control modes.

Cartridge/Pods/Refills - Small mouthpieces that hold both e-liquid and an atomizer, usually available pre-filled for one-time use in a cigalike or pod mod. They are also available Unfilled replacement cartridges/pods are sometimes referenced as “blanks.” Refills typically only apply to cigalikes which are usually shaped like traditional cigarettes.

Cigalike - A simple vaping device similar in size to a combustible cigarette and can be held in a similar way. The vaping industry started with cigalikes, shifted to more complex tanks and mods, but now that technology is advancing, cigalikes are all the rage again. Cigalikes only require you puff on them to work and offer no customization options. Cigalikes sometimes overlap with pod mods because they are not disposable and in some cases like the JUUL only require you change the liquid capsule or pod.

Charger - Devices that replenish the power in rechargeable batteries. Not all devices or batteries are rechargeable, and not all chargers work for all batteries. It’s important to check before purchasing a charger. Here are a few that we recommend for recharging 18650 batteries. While many box mods offer charging via USB this process can be slow and ineffecient. Charging externally with a charger approved for vape batteries means longer cell life as well as safer way to charge. Never leave batteries unattended while charging regardless of your charging method.

Clearomizer/Tank - Cylindrical device with a clear tank, usually made of Pyrex glass, that contains an atomizer surrounded by e-liquid. The clear tank allows you to keep an eye on the level of e-juice inside.These tanks offer coil options that fit every need you might have and are reliable for long term use.

Atomizer/Coil - The part of the atomizer used to heat or vaporize e-liquid. Simply put, a coil is a wrapped strand of resistance wire through which a wick is threaded and the ends are attached to oppositely-charged posts conducting electricity (an atomizer), but often this entire assembly is referred to simply as a 'coil.' Coils need to be replaced occasionally depending on how often you vape, which you can either buy or build and replace yourself and save some money! For more info, check out this 3 part series on coils and coil building: PART 1, PART 2, PART 3.

Direct-lung - A type of vaping that is more like breathing - with loose airflow that allows for a heavy inhale, direct-lung is the technique used by advanced vapers looking to produce the biggest clouds.

Drip tip - This is the mouthpiece of an advanced vapor mod - many styles are interchangeable to allow for user customization. In earlier generations of vaping users dripped liquid directly on the coil through the mouthpiece, which is how it acquired its moniker and the reason there’s a “D” in the “Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer.”

eGo - A popular model around the time e-cigarettes first started receiving mainstream attention, these devices were the first to incorporate clearomizer-style tanks and, being about the size of a small marker, were dubbed 'vape pens' by many. They still exist as a popular starter option.

E-liquid - Also known as e-juice or “juice” - this is the liquid solution that turns into vapor. E-juice comes in a variety of strengths and flavors and is made from propylene glycol (PG - see below), vegetable glycerine (VG - also see below), flavoring, and, sometimes, nicotine that's either synthesized in a lab or extracted from tobacco plants.

mAh - An abbreviation of “milliamp hours,” this term describes a battery’s capacity to store energy. The higher the mAh, the less often it will need to be recharged.

Mouth-to-lung - Inhaling the vapor into your mouth first, collect it there, then breathe it fully into your lungs. Similar to the process that most smokers use with tobacco cigarettes. Typically used with devices employing a tighter airflow, like cigalikes.

Nicotine - This drug is a mild stimulant, with effects on the nervous system similar to caffeine, though for regular users it can also sometimes act as a relaxing agent. Though debates exist over how harmful nicotine is on its own, the substance's highly-addictive nature makes its presence in both conventional tobacco and vapor products controversial.

Ohms - A unit of measurement used for electrical resistance. Applying the same power input (in amps) to various coils, ones with lower resistance (in ohms) will produce more power output (watts).

Propylene Glycol (PG) - One of the two main bases used to make e-liquid, PG is thin, viscous, and believed to be responsible for transmuting both flavor and the 'throat hit' reminiscent of cigarette smoke. PG is found in household products including medical-grade inhalers as a humectant, and also in automotive antifreeze as a means of making the substance less toxic for animals that might consume a puddle beneath a leaky vehicle.

Pod-Mod - A replaceable, pre-filled juice pod. These have grown exponentially more popular as technology has gotten more advanced. Some pod mods are disposable, while others have replacement e-liquid pods. These combine the convenience of a cigalike with the improved performance of a traditional mod. You can find out more here.

Tank: Simply, a vessel for holding liquid. Commonly used as a synonym for clearomizer.

Throat Hit: Familiar to current and former smokers, this sharpness at the back of the throat occurs when inhaling smoke or high-PG, high-nicotine vapor. Recent tobacco quitters will frequently seek out this sensation in a vapor product to replicate the feel of smoking.

Vegetable Glycerol or Glycerine (VG) - A base substance in e-liquids along with Propylene Glycol (PG). VG is thicker than PG and imparts a sweet note when it's used. Most food-grade VG like that used in e-liquid is derived from palm or soy.

Wick - This is a porous material threaded through or wrapped around a coil that draws liquid to the coil, allowing it to be vaporized when heated. Usually made of organic cotton.