Turns out e-cigarettes are gaining popularity and with it are massive communities of devoted e-cigarette users out there. Just like all technologies and niche communities there are terms, slang and short hand that get invented to express what’s being talked about. If you’re new to e-cigarettes I’ve decided to make this post so you can learn what these terms mean.

But it’s as much for me as it is for you. I don’t want to have to keep putting simple explanations into parenthesis every time I write a blog entry about e-cigarettes. So instead at the top of each of those blog entries I’ll just link back to this post. I’ll also try to keep this post updated as new terms, technology and slang come about. That said, let us begin.

• Analog = A traditional tobacco cigarette that is burned and inhaled. Get off the analogs they’ll kill ya!
• E-cigarette (e-cig) = Electronic cigarette otherwise called a personal vaporizer
• Personal vaporizer (PV) = A technically more accurate term for an e-cigarette. These aren’t really cigarettes they are personal vaporizers.
• Vaping or vape = The act of inhaling the vapor a personal vaporizer emits.
• Vapers = People who vape.
• E-Liquid or E-juice = Sometimes called smoke juice or rarely e-fluid. Is the liquid that is turned into the vapor you are inhaling.
• Propylene glycol (PG) = The base ingredient in most e-liquid. Same as used in smoke/flog machines.
• Vegetable glycerin (VG) = An alternative base ingredient in e-liquid. Sometimes mixed with PG.
• Milligrams (mg) = The amount of nicotine found in a given e-liquid. (0mg, 4mg, 6mg, 8mg, 11mg, 12mg, 16mg, 18mg, 24mg, 30mg, 36,mg, 48mg) Unless you are a heavy smoker and/or experience with vaping we recommend you stay below 24mg. Good to start with 12-18 and if it’s not strong enough, go up. Just remember that you’ll probably vape more than you smoked. So don’t overdue the nicotine.
• MilliLiters (mL) = The amount of e-liquid in a given container. Be it cartridge, cartomizer or bottle of e-liquid. Typical carts/cartos hold between 0.25-1mL of e-liquid. Bottles can be bought in various sizes.
• Atomizer (atty) = The heating element used to turn the e-liquid into vapor that is inhaled.
• Cartridge (cart) = A plastic cylinder with poly-fill used to absorb and hold the e-liquid that will be vaporized.
• Cartomizer (carto) = A disposable (but often refillable) atomizer and cartridge combined into one piece.
• Auto Battery = A battery that senses either sound or air pressure and turns on the atomizer.
• Manual Battery = A battery that requires you to hold a button to turn on the atomizer.
• Starter Kit = Starter kits are what most people buy when they first begin vaping. They usually include two batteries, a five pack of carts/cartos, one or two atomizers, a usb charger and wall adapter. Cartomizer kits don’t come with atomizers since the cartomizers have atomizers built in. Kits will vary in price and equipment included depending on the model and vendor who sells it.
• Vapor Production = The amount of vapor a particular e-cig model and/or e-liquid produce.
• Throat Hit = How strong of a hit you get at the back of the throat when inhaling vapor. Different combinations of e-cig models and e-liquid can produce stronger or weaker throat hit.
• Dripping or drip = The act of dripping 2-3 drops of e-liquid directly on an atomizer and vaping.
• Driptip = A special open mouth piece that can be put on the end of an atomizer or cartomizer for easy dripping.
• Flooding = When too much e-liquid is added to an atomizer it can flood causing it not to vape properly or at all.
• Ohm = In the e-cig world this term comes up often when talking about atomizers and cartomizers. It refers to the resistance of the atomizer or cartomizer in question. Lower Ohms mean less resistance and higher Ohms mean more resistance.
• Low Resistance (LR) = Referring to Ohms of a atomizer or cartomizer
• High Resistance (HR) = Referring to Ohms of a atomizer or cartomizer
• Voltage = Used in reference to the batteries and what kind of power they push out. (3.2v, 3.7v, 4.7v, 5v, 6v, etc.)
• mAh = How much electricity a battery holds.
• Mods or mod = Modifications made to an e-cigarette. Often used in reference to big batteries.
• Big batts = Big batteries used in place of smaller cigarette sized batteries. Big batts last longer.
• Personal Charging Case (PCC) = They can look like plastic or metal versions of traditional cigarette packs or look completely different. They are used to store your carts/cartos and charge your batteries while on the go.
• Adapter = An adapter is used to convert one e-cig model component to work on another e-cig model.

Model Specific Terminology

• 510 = The most popular model of e-cigarette used by beginners and experienced vapers. 3.2v batteries. Most people prefer the manual batteries on this model since auto batts can be set off by loud music in bars.
• eGo = Based on the 510 the eGo uses a slighly larger and thicker battery for longer run time. 3.2v batteries.
• KR808D-1 = Another very popular model that started the cartomizer trend. Easy to use on the go. 3.7v batteries. The auto batteries on this model are pressure activated so they work just as well as manual batteries.

If you discover anything that needs to be corrected or added, please leave it in the comments.
Thank you