Glossary of Vaping Terms

Getting used to the world of vaping can be challenging. Whether you’ve been a smoker for years or this is the first time you’ve inhaled anything other than air into your lungs, it’s important to get on board with all the slang, lingo, and technical terminology surrounding vaporizers and vaping in general. Check out the 23 most important vaping terms you need to know:

1. Analog

People who vape refer to smoking as “analog.” Since vaping is digital, burning plant matter and inhaling it is as old-school as wind-up watches.

2. Atomizer

The atomizer is the part of a vape pen that contains the coil and wick, and these parts heat up to vaporize vape juice.

3. Battery

Every vape pen has a battery. These batteries vary in terms of the volts they put out and their capacity.

4. Cartomizer

A cartomizer is a special type of vape cartridge that contains an atomizer. You can dispose of a cartomizer after it’s empty and install a new one that contains a fresh atomizer.

5. Cartridge

The cartridge of a vape pen is the component that holds the vape juice. Cartridges vary in capacity.

6. Cigalike

A cigalike is a type of vape pen that’s designed to look like a cigarette. This term can refer to any type of thin vape pen, but it’s usually used to refer to a vape pen that has a tan section that looks like a filter and a white section that looks like a rolled cigarette.

7. Coil

The coil is the part of a vape pen’s atomizer that vaporizes vape juice.

8. Dry Hit

A dry hit is when you take a hit from your vape pen when it doesn’t contain any vape juice.

9. E-liquid

E-liquid is another term for vape juice. This liquid, which sometimes contains nicotine, is also called E-juice. We’ve covered vape juice in-depth here.

10. GRAS

GRAS is an acronym for “generally regarded as safe,” which is a term that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses to refer to ingredients and technologies which are generally regarded as safe for consumer use.

11. HV

HV stands for “high-voltage,” and a vape pen is considered to be HV if it delivers more than the conventional 3.7 volts. High-voltage vape pens must be paired with high-capacity batteries to avoid battery failure.

12. Lung Hit

A lung hit is a hit of vapor hit that you take directly into your lungs without holding it in your mouth first.

13. Mod

A mod is a modifiable vape pen. These types of vape pens generally have larger cartridges, more powerful atomizers, and longer-lasting batteries. They are also generally larger than other types of vape pens.

14. Mouth Hit

A mouth hit is a hit of vapor you hold in your mouth before you inhale. You can also blow out a mouth hit without inhaling it.

15. MTL

MTL stands for “mouth-to-lung,” and it’s a synonym for “mouth hit.”

16. Ohm

An ohm is a unit of electrical resistance, and vape pens with lower ohm ratings hit harder than pens with higher ohm ratings.

17. Pod

A pod is a type of vape pen that has a short, squat, pod-like shape. Pod vapes are usually significantly smaller than other types of vape pens.

18. PG/VG Ratio

Almost all vape juice is made from a mixture of vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG). VG produces thick vapor while PG produces a stronger throat hit. Every type of vape juice contains a certain ratio of PG to VG, and the concentration of each substance in a vape juice cartridge affects the way the resulting vapor feels when it is inhaled.

19. RDA

While most types of atomizers contain or connect to glass cartridges, rebuildable dripping atomizers (RDAs) are types of atomizers that contain openings that you can squeeze vape juice into without a cartridge.

20. RTA

A rebuildable tank atomizer (RTA) is a type of modifiable atomizer that contains a traditional glass tank for vape liquid.

21. Tank

Also known as a cartridge, the tank of a vape pen is the component that contains vape liquid. We sell replacement cartridges for the range of Suorin vape devices.

22. Throat Hit

The throat hit is a term used by vapers to refer to the way a hit of vapor feels as they inhale it down their throats. People who are used to smoking cigarettes might prefer smoother, gentler throat hits, but expert vapers prefer harsh, intense throat hits.

23. Vape Pen

A vape pen is any type of portable vaporizer that allows you to vaporize vape juice. While traditional vaporizers need to be plugged into an alternating current (AC) power source, vape pens run off direct current (DC) power, and they have batteries of varying sizes. Some vape pens, called mods, are modifiable, but others cannot be customized, and some vape pens are fully disposable.