As you enter the world of vaping, given that it’s a fully realized industry with its own terminology and culture, it can feel a little daunting. As a multi-million dollar commerce, it’s little wonder why you may find yourself among those ready to take the plunge whether for curiosity, investment, or to partake yourself. To have a little linguistic know-how is also to have the first elements of a working knowledge in vaping.
1- Coil
Coils are metal conductors that are used to heat of e-liquids. They are part of the greater atomizer module and can be made of various types of metal. Stainless steel, nickel, kanthal, or titanium are among the most common materials used for coil construction. Most coils also have a wicking mechanism. Most often the wick is made of silica, but is sometimes stainless steel mesh, cotton, or ceramic. The wick is what brings an e-liquid to the coil for vaporization.
2- Atomizer
In order for vaporization to occur, e-liquids have to be heated up to a point where vapor occurs instead of liquid. Any given device will have a coil system (the items that heat the given product) that are housed within the atomizer. An atomizer will have a head piece and a base piece, all of which are ultimately contained in a tank (see definition below) component. An atomizer is at its core, any device that yields vapor in the place of a liquid.
3- Tank
A tank is the coil, atomizer, mouthpiece, glass containment tube, wick, and chimney altogether in one cohesive piece. They also often have a 510 thread male attachment in order to allow it to be paired with a variety of mods (see definition below). In essence, tanks are where e-liquids are placed, heated, and drawn from.
4- Mod
This word is among the most common in the industry. It also has wide-ranging relevance as far as vaping products go. Mod is short for modification and refers to units that have larger capacity batteries installed, produce enough power to create massive vapor, and can often be used with various products. A fairly common industry standard is for mods and tanks to have 510 thread attachments in order to allow mods and tanks to be interchangeable.
5- Airflow
Airflow is simply the amount of air that is able to pass through a device during an inhalation. A small amount of airflow would generally mean that the user would experience a more intense flavor. A high amount of airflow would ultimately create a dense vapor. Many devices provide adjustable airflow options to help accommodate every user’s preference.
6- VG and PG
VG is an abbreviation for vegetable glycerin while PG is an abbreviation for propylene glycol. Both of these are common bases and ingredients in e-liquid formulas. A high concentration of VG would usually mean that an e-liquid produces an intense amount of vapor. PG is where flavor is housed. When an e-liquid has a good formula between the two, the vapor payoff is satisfying, but not at the expense of fully realized flavor.
7- Ohm
An ohm is a unit that measures electrical resistance and relates directly to coils. When a device’s coils provide a small amount of ohm resistance, the coils heat more quickly and produce a more concentrated vapor. When the coils offer a higher amount of resistance, a vaping draw is cooler and less vapor packed.
8- VV and VW
VV is an abbreviation for variable voltage and VW is an abbreviation for variable wattage. A device can be either, both, or neither of those things. When something is VV or VW that simply means the voltage and wattage can be adjusted by a user. When wattage and voltage output are high you get a hotter draw. When the output is low, users will get a cooler draw.
All of the terms defined above play off of each other and ultimately work together to make up the backbone of basic vaping knowledge. They are extremely common terms in the industry and are crucial in developing an understanding of what is involved when delving into the world of vaporization.
