Welcome to the Vape Emporium A to Z of Vaping!
It can be scary and confusing entering the world of Electronic Cigarettes. With the industry booming, and so many companies and products appearing overnight it is hard to know who and what to trust. Whether you are new to vaping, or you are a seasoned pro, this A-Z should clear up any vape terminology that you were unsure of.
There is plenty of jargon out there, please see our FAQ page for any specific questions you are hoping to get answered.
We would also like to point out that because this industry is fairly new and constantly evolving, some terms may be subjective – we welcome suggestions from you (Tweet us) and we will keep this section updated on a regular basis.
Atomizer (Atomiser / Atty / Coil)
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The atomizer is the electronic component inside your e-cigarette / vaporiser that turns the e-liquid into vapour when heated.
See also; Coil, RDA, RBA, RTA.
Adapter (Connector)
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An adapter is a connection piece to fit a specific threading between a battery (aka mod) and a tank/atty. You can also get adapters for drip tips and extensions to mods to extend the battery capacity.
All Day Vape (ADV)
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An ADV is an e-liquid that vapers like to use all day long.
Advanced Personal Vape (APV)
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APV is a term used to describe an advanced vaping device compared to the more basic starter e-cigarette kits a ‘newbie’ may use. One example would be a Box Mod used with an RDA (Dripper).
Aspire
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Aspire is a renowned company that produces tanks and other vape devices. If you have heard of the Nautilus or the Atlantis(names of two of their products) then you will have heard of Aspire.
Batteries
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Batteries can be in-built to your device and charged with a USB cable or are removable and rechargeable. Battery requirements can vary but the most common type used in devices to date is the 18650. It is important to check the user manual for your device to see exactly what type of battery is required for the best performance and safety.
Box Mods
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Box Mods have become extremely popular in the world of Vaping. The box shape allows for more battery capacity, OLED screens, Temperature Control and more. Sizes and styles vary but are either in a square or rectangular form compared to the cylindrical tube shaped devices that are common in the basic starter kits.
CBD
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CBD stands for Cannabidiol one of many compounds active in Marijuana. CBD is NOT psychoactive and is completely different to THC (the chemical that makes you feel high). There are many reports that suggest CBD has many therapeutic properties like reducing anxiety, curing insomnia and other ailments. CBD can be purchased in liquid form and used with your personal vaporisers and e-cigarettes. CBD liquid is legal because it does not contain the THC found in Cannabis.
Charger
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The charger for your device is in the form of a USB cable and can be used at the mains or through a laptop or PC. You can also buy separate chargers for batteries if you have a device with a removable battery function.
Cig-a-Like
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Refers to e-cigarettes that are in the shape and style of a real cigarette (analogue).
Clearomiser (Clearomizer / Cartomizer / Tank)
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Clearomisers holds the e-liquid in your electronic cigarette / personal vaporiser. At the head of the clearomizer you have the drip tip (mouthpiece), inside you have the atomizer coil (which heats up the liquid into vapour), and at the base it connects to the battery. You can buy replacement tanks in a variety of styles, sizes, and materials from pyrex to stainless steel.
Clone
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A ‘clone’ is a counterfeit product. We do not sell clones at Vape Emporium and believe that safety and performance is important, which is why we only stock and use originals from trusted brands.
Cloud Chasers
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Users who seek large clouds of vapour by the use of high-powered devices with atomizer coils under 1.0 ohms and 0.5 ohms. See Sub-Ohm for more information. Cloud Chasing is a term referring to the activity of producing big clouds and is part of ‘Sport Vaping’ where competitions are held to determine who can blow the biggest clouds of vapour.
See Flavour Chasers for alternative.
Coil
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A specific type of material, like nickel, kanthal, or titanium that is coiled up and heated to turn the e-liquid into vapour. The coilis wicked with materials that absorb the liquid, like organic cotton. You can purchase packs of pre-made coils that are easily replaced into your tank. Experienced vapers tend to build their own coils, such as the popular Clapton style, which can be a hobby whilst also being more cost effective.
Cotton
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Cotton is the material most commonly used to wick coils. Two popular types of organic cotton used to re-wick coils in RBAs and RDAs are Japanese and Egyptian.
Drip Tip
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A drip tip is the mouthpiece on your tank (clearomiser) which your inhale the vapour from. Drip tips can be customisable and come in a variety of sizes, textures, styles and performance.
Dripper - (see RDA)
Dry Herb Kits
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Dry Herb Kits (made up of Dry Herb Vaporisers and Dry Herb Tanks) are vaping devices which heat up your tobacco or other dry herbs for the user to inhale the vapour. Dry herb vaping can be seen as a healthier alternative to smoking because there is no burning of the chemical dyed paper which releases harmful toxins from cigarettes.
Dry Hit
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Dry Hits occur when there is not enough e-liquid left in the tank (clearomiser) or the e-juice has not had time to soak into the wick (usually organic cotton), if just re-filled. Dry Hits can damage your coils and reduce their lifespan, so it is important to make sure that you have liquid before hitting the power button.
E-Cigarette (E-Cig, Vaporiser, Vape Device)
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The most common name used to refer to vaping devices, especially by newbies/non-vapers who don’t know about the breadth of products on offer, which are quite unlike analogue cigarettes. There is no burning of tobacco or any smoke produced from an E-Cigarette. An E-Cigarette can be one of many different devices on the market that allows a user to inhale a liquid vapour with or without nicotine. It is a healthier alternative and substitute to smoking tobacco and shisha. An E-Cig can come in a variety of styles from disposable pens, to cigarette-style devices, to a tubular device, box mod devices and even in the form of old fashioned pipes or cigars.
E-Liquid (E-Juice, Vape Juice, V-Juice)
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The liquid required to use and enjoy your electronic cigarette – this is what you end up inhaling. Commonly available in a variety of nicotine levels, from 0mg (zero nic) up to 24mg of nicotine. There is also a mix of ingredients between Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerine (VG) which can alter the taste, flavour, throat hit and vapour production. Flavours of E-Liquid come in a large range and variety.
Flavour Chasers
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Vapers who prefer the flavour above all else with their vaping experience. To achieve a better level of flavour intensity, high PG e-Liquids are thought to be the best taste carriers.
See Cloud Chasers for alternative.
Grub Screws
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Common screw posts found on the decks of rebuildables (RDAs) or (RBAs) that hold the coil in place.
Hookah – See Shisha
Hybrid
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A Hybrid Mech Mod (mechanical mod) is a high quality device without a standard threaded 510-connection. The atomizer is fitted directly to the battery which can transfer power better and sits more flush to the device.
Innokin
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Innokin is aleading force in today's vape industry. The Chinese company produces popular e-cigarettes and advanced personal vaporisers, including the CLK, Cool Fire, and the Disrupter.
Joules
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Power measured in Joules (Units) used in Temperature Control mods. Manufacturers are now including Joule settings which can be adjusted like Watts and Volts. Higher Joule setting = more heat.
Kangertech (Kanger)
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Kangertech is company renowned for producing vape mods and tanks. One of the most popular and reliable companies on the market. The EVOD 2 is popular starter kit, whilst the Kanger SUBOX Mini has become more appealing to vapers looking to upgrade.
Kanthal
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Kanthal A1 is seen as the best type of Kanthal wire to use for building coils.
Li-Po / Li-Ion
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Lithium Polymer and Lithium Ion. Lithium-based rechargeable batteries and the most commonly used in powering-up devices.
Low Resistance
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Referring to the ohms on an atomizer (See sub-ohm for more details).
Lung Hit (Direct Lung, DL, Direct Lung Hit)
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A direct hit of vapour to the lungs as opposed to a mouth-to-lung hit (MTL). A direct lung hit can be achieved depending on the type of device, tank and coils used. Sub-ohm vaping is best to achieve a big lung hit because the resistance of the atomizer is below 1.0ohms. Due to nature of the direct lung hit, Vapers usually lower their nicotine levels when switching from MTL vaping.
mAH
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Means milliamp/hour and is the measure of the energy storage in the battery. The higher the mAH on your battery, the longer it will last and run for before having to be charged.
Mechanical Mod (Mech Mods)
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A mechanical mod simply delivers power from a battery to your atomiser (tank) without any electronic regulations. Because of this, mechanical mods are losing popularity due to the lack of safety features. The rise in production of regulated devices with a chipset has allowed vapers to experience sub-ohm vaping without the need to use a Mech Mod. However, mechanical mods are still favoured amongst some members of the vaping community as DIY/customisable mods or collectables.
Mod
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A Mod is an advanced e-cigarette. Short for ‘modification’ and originally used to describe custom builds. Today a Mod can refer to any vaping device that is not a cig-a-like and is available in a variety of builds. A majority of mods allow you to modify the settings like wattage, voltage, temperature control and other functions. See also: Mechanical Mod, Box Mod.
Mouth to Lung (MTL)
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Mouth to Lung refers to the vape experience when using a coil resistance of 1.0 ohms and higher. MTL is commonly associated with starter kits and simulates the hit of an analogue cigarette. For sub-ohm vaping experience see Lung Hit.
Nickel Wire (Ni200)
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A type of wire used to build coils with temperature controlled devices.
Ohms
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The unit measurement of resistance. Standard pre-made coils usually vary from 1.2 ohms to 2 ohms. We recommend you do your own research on Ohm’s Law for more information.
O-ring
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A rubberised ring that you may find on parts of your tank, it allows for safe and easy screwing and unscrewing, especially if it’s glass to metal. The term can also be used to describe a vape trick in which the vaper blows a ring of vapour (similar to a traditional smoke ring).
PG/Propylene Glycol
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This is one of the key ingredients in your E-Liquid. PG is a thinner liquid that creates a throat hit and carries a lot of flavour (whilst VG/Vegetable Glycerine creates the vapour). Ratios in E-Liquids vary from 50/50 percentages to higher PG or higher VG.
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Do you know any vaping terms that start with the letter Y that we should list here? Tweet us!
RBA (Re-Buildable Atomiser)
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An RBA allows you to customise and create your own atomiser and coil for your tank (clearomiser). It is for experienced users who know how to build coils and wicks with a choice of materials to create a particular vaping experience.
RDA (Rebuildable Dripping Atomiser)
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An RDA is also commonly referred to as a Dripper - because depending on your RDA of choice, you will have to re-drip the liquid quite frequently. However, RDAs produce great clouds and rich flavours and are a popular choice amongst our customers and staff – who are always on hand in our London vape shops to help you get started with your first dripper.
RTA (Rebuildable Tank Atomiser)
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Similar to the RBA and RDA terms above but RTAs refer to a rebuildable atomiser (coil and wick system) with a tank (clearomizer) basin.
Regulated Mods
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A regulated mod is a type of e-cig battery that has a circuit board to regulate the current. Usually regulated mods will have a function to change the Voltage (V) and the Wattage (W) and are considered the safer option for vapers than mechanical mods, which are unregulated.
Shisha
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Often used to describe a form of smoking using a Hookah kit. Technically Shisha is the tobacco or molasses (fruity tobacco) used with the Hookah kit and the burning of charcoal to create the smoke. In Vaping, Shisha is used as brand names like our E-Shish e-liquid range. We also sell an E-Hookah by Aspire which is to be used with the traditional Hookah kits, replacing the bowl you would normal use to burn the Molasses.
Stainless Steel (AKA SS, SS316, SS317)
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Stainless Steel or SS16 / SS317 usually refers to a wire material used for coils. Stainless Steel wire can be used in normal Power Mode on mods or Temp Control mods.
Sub-Ohm
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The resistance of the atomiser being below 1.0 - If you want to produce big, thick clouds then you should consider a sub-ohm tank set up. You will need a battery/mod that is capable of firing a sub-ohm tank.
Tank (AKA Clearomiser) See Clearomiser
Temperature Control (AKA Temp Control, TC)
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Temperature Control refers to Regulated Mods that use a Chipset capable of performing a Temperature Control mode. You need a TC Mod to use Coils made with certain material wire coils like Nickel (Ni200) and Titanium (Ti). Stainless Steel (SS) can also be used with Temp Control, but unlike the Nickel and Titanium, SS coils can be used in the normal Variable Wattage/Power mode too.
TPD (Tobacco Products Directive)
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The TPD is a directive of the European Union that informs its members states on how to control tobacco. Despite E-Cigarettes not containing any tobacco, they have been included in the latest Directive (Article 20) and regulations are imposed on many countries across Europe in a variable degree of interpretations to the rule. There are Vaping advocacy groups that oppose the regulations.
Tricks
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Common vape tricks include O rings, Dragon Breath (exhaling the vapour through your nostrils) and the Jellyfish (a ring that you then blow vapour through leaving a trail) – Learn how to perform all these tricks and more here or watch this video of Vape Emporium's Chris making a Vape Bubble here.
There are global competitions for vape tricks and those who enter are known as ‘Sport Vapers’ along with Cloud Chasers.
Unregulated
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A term usually attributed to mechanical mods because there is no circuit board in them to regulate the current. It is important to do your own research on Ohm’s law and batteries for your own safety when using unregulated vaping devices.
Vaporiser (Vaporizer)
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Vaporisers are usually referred to our Dry Herb Vaporisers. See Dry Herb Kits for more information.
Vaper’s Tongue
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This is a phrase that’s applied when a vaper has been vaping too much, or they have used the same e-liquid flavour for a long period of time, and can no longer taste the flavour of their liquid as well as they used to. Also, it can affect those who are new to e-cigarettes who have found their taste buds have changed within a few months, since they are no longer smoking tobacco. Find out more about how to solve the issue of Vaper's Tongue in our blog post.
VG/Vegetable Glycerine
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VG makes up a key part of your E-Liquid and is responsible for the vapour production part and is thicker in liquid than PG/Propylene Glycol, which is thinner and gives the throat hit when you vape.
Volts
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Volts or Voltage is the electrical pressure applied.
Watts
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Watts or Wattage refers to the output. The higher the watts the more powerful vape you will receive, but remember your final wattage is configured by the volts and ohms. Check out our box mods for higher watt and variable voltage use.
Wick
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To re-wick is often referred when you have to replace the wick or the cotton in a tank (atomiser). The wick absorbs the liquid.
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Do you know any vaping terms that start with the letter X that we should list here? Tweet us!
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Do you know any vaping terms that start with the letter Y that we should list here? Tweet us!
Zero Nic
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Zero Nic stands for 0 Nicotine for E-Liquids. Yes, that's right you can vape completely nicotine free in your favourite flavour.
