With e-cigs becoming increasingly popular, the terminology associated with e-cigs and vaping is growing. With the exception of letters Q, X and Y (which we were unable to find terms for), we’ve put together an A-Z guide to give you a better understanding of some of the terms you might come across.
A:
Atomizer: The electronic component inside your e-cig or vaporiser that turns the e-liquid into vapor when heated.
B:
Battery: Built in your e-cig and charged with a USB cable or is removable and rechargeable.
C:
Cartomizer: Holds the e-liquid in your e-cig or vaporiser. Made up of a mouthpiece at the head, and a coil inside which heats up the liquid into vapor. Its base connects it to the battery.
D:
Diacetyl: A harmful compound which has been found in some e-juices, although generally far below levels found in regular cigarette smoke.
E:
E-liquid: A liquid solution which usually contains nicotine (some do not), propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine.
F
Flavour chaser: Vapers who prefer the flavor above all else with their vaping experience. To achieve a better level of flavor intensity, high PG e-Liquids are thought to be the best taste carriers.
G
Genesis atomiser – A style of RBA that consists of a tank below the coil deck. A wick (often stainless steel mesh) is fed through a hole into the tank and through the coil on the deck.
H
Hot spots: Part of the coil which can cause burning or bad taste. Some regulated mods have features to avoid this.
I
IBVTA: Independent British Vaping Trade Association, a trade association set up to support the independent vape industry.
J
Joules: A measure of energy. Can be described as the work required to produce one watt of power for one second.
K
Kanthal wire: Trademarked name for a family of alloy used in resistance wires.
L
LED: The light at the end of the cigarette which lights up when the user inhales. Can also indicate battery level on some models.
M
Mod: Refers 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.
N
Nickel Wire: A type of wire used to build coils with temperature controlled devices.
O
Ohms: A measure of electronic resistance used to measure the resistance of heating coils in atomisers.
P
Propylene Glycol: A colourless liquid that forms the majority of the solution in e-cigs.
R
Resistance: Refers to the resistance of the coil in the atomiser (measured in Ohms). A lower resistance produces more heat and vapour.
S
Sub Ohming: Vaping with a coil with a resistance set below one ohm.
T
Throat Hit: The feeling when the vapor hits your throat.
U
Unregulated: A term usually attributed to mechanical mods because there is no circuit board in them to regulate the current.
V
Vape: To inhale vapour from an e-cig.
W
Wick: A small piece of fabric or cotton which is found in the cartridge. The wick absorbs the e-liquid and holds it until is vaped.
Z
Zero Nic: E-Liquid or cartridges that contain no nicotine.
