Are you a foppotee when it comes to your ecigarette terminology? Sorry, we didn’t mean to misqueme you with our traboccant words from yesteryear … which, if we’re being honest, we had to look up in The Phrontistery’s collection of lost words. Not to worry! We’ll walk you through 10 of the most common phrases and terms to know – and we’ll leave the loquacious and obtuse words at the door (after this sentence).
Atomizer
What it’s not: Something found in nuclear reactors.
What it is: The atomizer – sometimes called the “atty” or “heating element” – is one of the major components in any given ecig. The atomizer is actually the workhorse of an ecig, as it is the heating element that takes your favorite e-juice from liquid to vapor. This can be a standalone component in some units or as a built-in part of one of the next items.
Cartridge
What it’s not: One of the games you had for your old Nintendo.
What it is: Combining the mouthpiece and sometimes filler material to soak in your favorite e-juice, cartridges are the last part of the ecig before the vapor gets to you. In many ecigs, including most of the earliest models that were on the market, these separate pieces connect to the atomizer which then connect to the battery.
Cartomizer
What it’s not: The guy who corrals carts at the grocery store.
What it is: Cartomizers are an all-in-one combination of cartridge and atomizer into one convenient unit. These are most often a drip ’n’ refill style, which uses an absorbent filler material that is soaked with fluid. Sometimes these aren’t designed to be refilled, but instead are designed to be disposed of and replaced as they wear out.
Clearomizer
What it’s not: An invisibility cloak.
What it is: The clearomizer is one of the most common combinations used in most ecigarettes today. These all-inclusive units combine the versatility of a cartomizer with a reserve of e-juice, usually in a tank. These provide a much greater reserve to vape all day long, and will typically use a wick to draw fluid from the fluid reservoir into the atomizer.
Tank
What it’s not: A tank, with treads and such.
What it is: A tank, like for liquid and such, but on a much smaller scale, more like that truck refilling your local gas station. Tanks are designed to hold extra e-juice that is drawn into an atomizer as part of (in most cases) a clearomizer. Tanks vary in size and capacity, as well whether they fill from the top or bottom, but each provides more e-juice capacity for the vaper on the go.
Wick
What it’s not: The lit part of your candle.
What it is: Wicks are found in some form in nearly every atomizer. The wicks draw e-juice from the tank through to the atomizer where it becomes delicious vapor. These can sometimes be very short in systems where the atomizer is nearer the battery or long in setups that have the atomizer placed closer to the mouthpiece. While wicks can be replaced, many users opt to replace the whole clearomizer unit entirely.
Dripping
What it’s not: That leak in your bathroom sink that you swore you were going to fix last weekend.
What it is: Dripping is the action of adding e-juice to your atomizer directly. Some vapers prefer this method to using a cartridge, clearomizer or cartomizer, saying it provides a better vapor cloud and taste. The tradeoff is that drip vapers must more frequently re-wet the atomizer to keep the flavor flowing.
Mods
What they’re not: Agents from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence
What they are: “Mods” is a very broad term for any device or battery system that vapers may use to create that vapor they crave. This may include Ego style batteries, devices that hold batteries themselves (whether regulated or unregulated) and even larger devices with a built-in battery. Though many people in the vaping community have their own specific group of devices they exclusively refer to as mods, we also can’t forget that any MODifications – made to any part of a mod, tank, atomizer and so on – can be referred to as a mod as well.
PG and VG
What they’re not: Movie ratings
What they are: The solutions that make up the base and body of most e-juice. Short for “propylene glycol” and “vegetable glycerin,” respectively, both are perfectly safe and commonly found in other applications. PG is often used in medical devices like inhalers and nebulizers, but can also be found in coffee-based drinks and liquid sweeteners, while VG is an ingredient in most lotions, shampoos and toothpastes. Many of the products you use every day can – and do! – benefit from the inclusion of one or both of these solutions.
At Pink Spot Vapors, we can answer any further questions you may have about these or any other terms. Plus, don’t forget to check out our extensive inventory of delicious gourmet e-juices, ecigs and accessories and mods to help you get the most from your vape. Check out our selection, and happy vaping!
