Lexicon of the electronic cigarette

What are the words you need to know to use an electronic cigarette?

Vapoter, atomiseur, e-liquide, … : les termes utilisés par les utilisateurs de la cigarette électronique peuvent paraître barbares aux oreilles des néophytes. Pour pleinement intégrer l’univers de la e-cigarette, Mistersmoke vous a préparé un petit lexique pour vous aider à y voir plus clair !

Accu : Terme abrégé pour accumulateur, il s’agit de la pile rechargeable qui stocke l’énergie nécessaire au bon fonctionnement du mod. Il est généralement de forme cylindrique et s’insère dans le corps de votre mod.

Additive: An additive is used to modify an e-liquid to make it sweeter, spicier or more minty. Anything is possible to transform an existing e-liquid in your own way.

Airflow: Allows to adjust the airflow, it is integrated in a number of clearomiseurs. It is a perforated circular ring that gives the possibility to adjust the volume of air entering the electronic cigarette.

Aroma: No aroma, no liquid! Natural or artificial, the aroma will thus reproduce flavours intended to be vaporised. Your liquid will thus have a taste based on tobacco, fruit, or any other unimaginable flavor (energy drink, coffee, chocolate, ...) to provide a fragrant vapor.

Atomizer: this is the element that allows the liquid to vaporize. Commonly called "ato" by the vaporizers, it has a braid or wick that is soaked with e-liquid. The atomizer is screwed on the battery.

Reconstructible atom izer: This is a customizable atomizer, allowing you to choose its own resistance adapted to its type of vaporization. Two types are to be noted: with Tank or Dripper type tank, either with fiber wick or steel fabric.

Autonomy: Expressed in mAh (milliamps/hour), autonomy is the time that a battery will provide you with energy. There are all kinds of batteries ranging from 320 mAh to 650 mAh (the most well known) or even up to 4000 mAh.

Base: Consisting of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), the base is used as a carrier where the flavours are added to produce the e-liquid.

Battery: This is the heart of the electronic cigarette, the element that powers the whole. You can find all kinds of powers and sizes depending on the use you are looking for. The battery has a screw thread (510, eGo, ...) and often a button to operate it.

Booster: A booster is used to increase the nicotine dosage of your e-liquid base. Generally sold by unit, the booster has a pure dose of nicotine that you will have to add directly into your liquid bottles.

BottomCap: Bottom part of the mod that can be unscrewed to integrate the battery.

Bottom Coil: Cartomizers and clearomizers with their resistance located at the bottom of the tank have a configuration called Bottom Coil. Compared to the Top Coil, this system allows for greater performance and a better supply of e-liquid.

Bottom Feeding: This system avoids having to permanently moisten the braid of the atomizer during dry spraying. To do this, a simple pressure on the tank will send drops of liquid on the braid.

Filler: This is the element that is located in the cartridges of e-liquids to feed the atomizer. Most clearomiseurs do not use a wadding for their operation.

Bypass: The system used on electronic mods to transform them into secure mechanical mods. In bypass mode, the battery delivers the maximum power it has.

Cartridge: This term is a contraction of "cartridge" and "atomizers" and refers to a cartridge with a built-in atomizer.

Cartridge: The tank of the electronic cigarette containing the e-liquid. There are two types of cartridges: cartridges with the stuffing and Tank cartridges with a tank without stuffing.

Chipset: It is an integrated circuit in the e-cigarette, whose main mission is to manage its voltage and power while ensuring sufficient security in case of operating problems.

Clapton Coil: This is a resistive cable thatcoils another, much thinner cable. This type of mounting allows for the creation of resistors with a larger heating surface while being very low.

Cloud Chasing: A practice often subject to worldwide competitions. The goal? To produce the biggest cloud of steam with a single puff on the vaporizer.

Coil: This is the common term for the resistance built into reconstructable cartomizers, clearomizers and atomizers.

Concentrated: A preparation for creating your own e-liquid. Several flavours are mixed together to form a product ready to be integrated into your PG/VG base.

Temperature control: Spraying system preventing dry hit problems, i.e. dryness of the resistance wick. The temperature control is carried out using special resistive wires such as Ni200, Ti or SS.

Clearomiseur / Clearomizer : Le clearomiseur est un cartomiseur transparent qui, à la différence de ce dernier, n’utilise pas de bourre. Un système de mèches agit par capillarité pour alimenter l’atomiseur et créer la vaporisation du e-liquide. Il en existe de toutes les tailles, de toutes les couleurs. Les mèches peuvent être situées en haut (pour une vapeur chaude) ou en bas (pour une vapeur froide/tiède).

DIY: The abbreviation of "Do It Yourself" designating the action of making one's own e-liquids. The DIY makes it possible to measure the percentages of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine as well as the aromas to create an e-liquid that corresponds perfectly to the tastes of the apprentice alchemist.

Dripper: This is a rebuildable sprayer without a tank. Its size is smaller than the Tank atomizers and the connectors are present in a special tube.

Drip Tip : Egalement appelé bec », c’est l’élément où se pose les lèvres pour aspirer la vapeur.

Drip Top: Present on some drippers, the drip top is a kind of drip tip that is screwed in place of the top cap.

Dry Burn: System of cleaning of the atomizer thanks to a heating of the resistance without any e-liquid. This is an effective technique to burn all the residues present on the resistance.

Dry hit: If the wick of the clearomizer resistor is no longer soaked in liquid, the resistor will still heat up. This causes the Dry Hit, a burning sensation in the mouth.

Dry Smoking: Vaporization system whose purpose is to pour the e-liquid directly onto the braid of the atomizer. This technique must however be practiced with vigilance and in no case with batteries with an automatic switch.

Dual Coil: This is a rebuildable atomizer without a tank. Its size is smaller than the Tank atomizers and the connectors are present in a special tube.

E liquide : Le e-liquide est l’essence de la cigarette électronique, sans lui, pas de vapotage ! Il se compose de propylène glycol (PG) et de glycérine végétale (VG), mélangés avec des arômes et éventuellement de la nicotine. Celui-ci se déverse dans le réservoir et se transforme, par chauffe de la résistance, en vapeur destinée à être inhalée. Des choix infinis de saveurs sont possibles, avec des dosages en PG, VG et nicotine tout autant diversifiés.

Resistive wire: Main element of the resistor, the resistive wire allows to vaporize the e-liquid at the time of its heating. Note that the larger its diameter, the lower the value of the resistor will be. A varied choice of materials is proposed on the market of the vape as the kantal or stainless steel.

Firmware: Integrated in the mod, the firmware manages the display of the many settings on the screen of the electronic cigarette.

Flush: Term used to indicate the absence of daylight between the spray and the mod.

Giantomizer: Refers to a cartomizer with a very large size and guaranteeing a large quantity of e-liquid.

Glassomizer: A type of clearomizer with a glass reservoir, also called pyrex.

Vegetable Glycerine (GV): Together with propylene glycol (VG), it forms an essential duo for the correct composition of the e-liquid. The higher the percentage of vegetable glycerine, the greater the volume of steam will be. This ingredient is also used in chemistry, food, spirits and cosmetics. Note that the higher the percentage of GV is important, and the faster your clearomizer will clog up.

Hit: When the throat contracts as the steam passes through, it is called a "hit". The bigger the hit, the closer the sensation will be to that of a real cigarette.

Direct / Indirect Inhalation: Either two different ways of vaporizing. Direct inhalation provides vapour going directly from the mouth to the lungs, while indirect inhalation delivers vapour that stays in the mouth for a while before moving to the lungs.

Kantal: A type of resistive wire used to make coils for reconstructable sprayers.

Kick: Located under the mechanical mod, the kick is an electronic element allowing to adjust the power of the mod.

Low resistance: This term refers to atomizers with low resistance that manage to increase the rendering of the e-cigarette when combined with a normal battery.

Wicks: The wicks are located in the clearomizer and allow the e-liquid to be delivered to the atomizer. They are sometimes removable so that they can be replaced.

Mesh: Designed for Genesis assembly enthusiasts, mesh is a stainless steel fabric with very tight fibres.

Micro Coil: This is an atomizer assembly offering a cotton wick surrounded by resistive thread, replacing the silica fiber.

Mili-Ampere-Hour (mAh): A unit of electrical charge indicating the capacity of a battery and therefore its autonomy. The capacities generally range from 300 mAh to 3000 mAh.

Mod : Abréviation de « modifié », on parle d’un mod lorsque la batterie offre la possibilité de modifier son niveau de puissance ou de tension, dans le but d’obtenir des résultats de vaporisation personnalisés. Les mods sont la plupart du temps alimentés par des accus.

Full meca mod: This battery-powered device is a subcategory of the mechanical mods and does not contain any electrical or electronic components.

Mechanical mod: Mainly designed in steel, aluminium, stainless steel or brass, the mechanical mod is a device that works with batteries. It is usually presented in the form of a tube, but can also be of any other type of shape.

Nicotine: Substance naturally present in nature (tobacco leaves, in particular), it is nicotine that causes addiction to the traditional cigarette. Contained in more or less large quantities in the e-liquid, nicotine acts directly on the brain and causes a fleeting sensation of well-being. Its concentration in the e-liquid can vary from zero to a maximum level of 20 mg/ml.

Notch Coil: A type of stainless steel resistor for clearomizers or reconstructible materials, which is joined to a non-resistive wire. The notch coil has liquid-absorbing striations that absorb liquid quickly and benefits from a good reactivity to heating.

Screw Thread 510: This is a standard "external" screw thread of a battery or clearomizer.

eGo screw thread: "External" screw thread of a battery or a clearomizer.

Passthrough: Technique offering the possibility to vaporize on the battery or the mod while charging.

Propylene Glycol (PG): Alloyed to glycerine glycol, this ingredient is related to the manufacture of e-liquid. Propylene glycol is an element identified as harmless to inhalation and frequently used in the food, pharmaceutical, textile, or entertainment industry (smoke machine). The higher the percentage of propylene glycol is, the more the flavours of the e-liquid will be marked and the more important the hit.

Variable power: Via a mod, the power in watts can be adjusted. This will result in a more or less intense heating of the atomizer.

Reconstructible: Said of an electronic cigarette whose consumables can be changed independently in case of wear (wicks, atomizer, etc..).

Resistance: This is the part located in the atomizer. The lower the value of the resistance, the more it will heat up to produce more smoke. As for the hit, it will also be more pronounced.

Nicotine salts: In their natural state, nicotine salts are found in tobacco leaves, whereas with the electronic cigarette, they allow you to regain sensations similar to the traditional cigarette. By using liquids provided in nicotine salts, the perception of hit will be softer.

Set up: This is simply the composition of the atomizer and the mod.

Subohm: Refers to a clearomizer that has a low impedance resistor. A Sub-ohm clearomizer will provide a high vapor with a hit feeling whether or not there is nicotine in it.

Steeping: This term defines the sufficient maturation time to design DIY (Do It Yourself) e-liquids.

Switch: The switch is a button to activate the battery. It can be automatic with a simple vacuum, or manual via a button. It is he who triggers the heating of the atomizer, and thus the vaporization of e-liquid.

Tank: Another term for "tank", the Tank is a wadding-free cartridge into which e-liquid is poured.

Top cap: Located at the top of the clearomizers, atomizers and drippers, the top cap is designed to house the drip tip.

Killer: This is the term used on electronic cigarette forums to describe the classic cigarette.

Twisted Coil: Several wires, regardless of their shape, are braided together to form a twisted cable. The purpose of the twisted coil is to allow drops of e-liquid to easily fit into the wire slots to double the surface area of the vape.

Vaporization: This term refers to the transformation of e-liquid to a gaseous state.

Vapour: Common term to refer to the use of an electronic cigarette. Vaporizers have thus created this term to clearly distinguish themselves from "classic" smokers.

Vaporize in "Dry": Vaporization technique that involves pouring a few drops of e-liquid directly on the resistance of the atomizer. The hit felt is then much more powerful than for a conventional vaporization.

Variable wattage (VW): This is a configuration model allowing the adjustment of the steam power while controlling the volume of steam delivered. The VW is often offered with variable voltage (VV).

Variable voltage: On mods and some batteries, it is possible to vary the voltage, expressed in volts. The higher the voltage, the greater the volume of steam.