When you swap your tobacco cigarettes for an electronic cigarette, it is fair to say that purchasing the essentials you need to get started isn’t always easy. When you browse online vape shops and read product descriptions or reviews, it is likely that you will come across words and terms that you have never heard of before.
It isn’t uncommon for vaping beginners to have to look up the meaning of different things they come across online and getting your head around vape jargon can take a little while. To help any newbies who are purchasing a vape device for the first time, below we have put together a short glossary covering all of the basic words, terms and phrases that are beneficial to know when entering the big wide world of vaping.
Atomizer
An atomizer is the part of your vape device that heats the vape juice/e-liquid and this is essentially another word for the coil and the wick. You may hear some people call an atomizer an ‘atty’ for short too.
Blend
When you hear someone referring to the blend of their vape juice or e-liquid, this simply means the Propylene Glycol (PG) to Vegetable Glycerin (VG) ratio in the bottle.
Cigalike
It may be recommended that you try a cigalike when you first start vaping and this is an electronic cigarette that is designed to look like a traditional tobacco cigarette. It is a very simple vaping device that is easy for beginners to use.
Clearomizer
Lots of people use clearomizers when they vape and this refers to the top part of your device which screws onto the part that holds the battery. Clearomizers are made up of a tank, a coil and a mouthpiece. You may hear them called ‘clearos’ for short.
Cloud chasers
When you visit a vape shop, you may hear people talking about cloud chasers and these are vapers who enjoy creating large clouds of vapour.
Draw
Similarly to how people may take a ‘puff’ of a cigarette, they will take a draw on a vape device. This is just another word for taking in the vapour and you may sometimes be asked by someone if they can have a draw on your vape, for example.
Dry hit
This is a term that is used when you get an unpleasant burnt taste and a harsh throat hit when vaping because there is no vape juice left in your device. If you get a dry hit, you will want to ensure that you top up your device.
DTL vapers
DTL stands for Direct To Lung and this is a vaping style where you take the vapour directing into your lungs. DLT vapers won’t hold the vapour in their mouth at all.
Flavour ghosting
You will hear people talking about flavour ghosting when they have just changed vape juice/e-liquid flavour. This term refers to when you can still taste the flavour of the old juice as you start vaping the new one.
MTL vapers
MTL stands for Mouth To Lung and it is the opposite of DTL vaping. MTL vapers draw the vapour into their mouth before inhaling it, the same way most people smoke a tobacco cigarette or a cigar. This tends to be the most natural way of vaping.
Nicotine salts and nicotine shots
Both nicotine salts and nicotine shots are forms of nicotine that you can vape. People use ‘nic salts’ and ‘nic shots’ when they want to have some nicotine in their vape juice.
Throat hit
You will probably come across the term throat hit a lot, but this is simply the feeling that you get at the back of your throat when you inhale the vapour. You will probably need to try a few different vape juices until you find the perfect throat hit for you.
VV and VW
Simply put, VV means variable voltage and VW means variable wattage, and both of these terms are used when talking about devices that allow you to change the settings to improve your vaping experience.
Picking up your essentials from a local vape shop
If you’re completely new to vaping, hopefully, the information above will be beneficial to you. Whilst the names of vape hardware and the terms used by those who vape may seem like jargon at the moment, once you’ve been vaping for a while you will soon get used to them and you’ll no longer need to look up different words and phrases.
When searching for somewhere to purchase all of your vape essentials, be sure to visit The Vape Life website. We can supply you with all of the vape products you need, from vape juice to spare tanks, and we pride ourselves on only stocking the best brands. If you’re still unsure what you’re buying when you’re shopping online, why not pop into our Dublin vape shop instead. A member of our friendly experienced team will gladly provide you with any assistance that you may require, whether you need a new vape device or just some top ups.