The Vaping Panda's Lexicon

It's the rechargeable battery that powers your mod. A battery is characterised by:

• its size, always defined by its 5 numbers, such as 18650 or 18350
• its voltage
• its discharge rate
• its autonomy, expressed as a mAh capacity, for example 2500mAh
• its chemical composition

The battery is one of the key parts of any electronic cigarette. It's the heaviest component. It has a 510 threading on one end, enabling you to screw on an atomiser or a clearomiser. Inside this part is a built-in battery that cannot be removed, and determines how much autonomy your electronic cigarette has. Nowadays, most batteries let you adjust the power output, and they have a USB port to charge it back up.

'Bottom Feeding' is the response to the main problem vapers encounter when using a dripper, ie. the need to constantly feed the coil wick. Thus, a 'BF' atomiser has a system that allows the e-liquid to rise up to the tank, generally by squeezing a soft plastic bottle.

A clearomiser is called bottom-coil when its coil is located at the bottom of the tank. Thus, the coil is closer to the battery, and the vapour produced is lukewarm or cold. This type of setup is more recent than top-coils, and it's more efficient than the latter as well. Here, the coil is better fed with e-liquid.

The action of increasing a concentrate's dosage in an e-liquid.

As the name implies, a box mod is a box-shaped mod. This term is used to distinguish it from the tube-shaped mods. Box mods can hold 1 or 2 batteries, depending on the model, and are available in electronic or mechanical variants.

Some atomisers use a braided cable, often made from stainless steel, to deliver the e-liquid from the tank to the coil.

A battery's capacity determines how much autonomy it has, how long you can use it for. Its unit of measurement (electrical charge unit) is the ampere-hour (Ah). It's a unit of electrical charge, having dimensions of electrical current multiplied by time, equal to the charge transferred by a steady current of one ampere flowing for one hour. It defines how long a battery can be used without running out. So, the higher the value, the longer the battery lasts. This capacity can vary between 300 and 3400 mAh.

A cartomiser (contraction of 'cartridge' and 'atomiser') is a cartridge with a built-in and non-removable atomiser. It contains a wad of cotton that surrounds one or two coils, and the whole constitutes only one single element. You cannot repair a cartomiser, it's a disposable item.

Similar to chain smoking, chain vaping is the action of inhaling on your electronic cigarette several times in a row. You need an atomiser with a decent capillarity to do so, otherwise you'll get 'dry hits'. Doing this can also decrease the lifespan of said atomiser.

A clearomiser is an atomiser with a clear tank, thus allowing you to see how much e-liquid is inside the tank. Clearomisers use ready-made coils, usually made from a wick of fibrous that's wrapped around a resistive wire. The latter is responsible for vapourising the e-liquid once it's heated. There are 2 main types of clearomiser:

• Top-coil clearomisers ( TCC ), whose coil is above the tank. They tend to produce a hotter vapour.
• Bottom-coil clearomisers ( BCC ), whose coil is below the tank. They tend to produce a cooler vapour.

Cloud Chasing, or Power Vaping, is the name given to a particular vaping practice, born in the USA. The goal here is to produce large clouds of vapour with your electronic cigarette, and there are even Power Vaping contests ! This practice is not recommended for beginners, as you need a bit of experience and a good knowledge of vaping gear.

A coil is the resistive wire that's inside every atomiser, clearomiser and cartomiser.

Diacetyl is a chemical compound, used to give a creamy taste to some dessert-flavoured liquids. It is potentially carcinogenic if vaped daily at a very high dose.

In the world of vaping, DIYing refers to the practice of making your own e-liquids. When you DIY, you mix one or several flavour concentrates with a nicotined or nicotine-free base liquid (a mixture of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine).

The name given to an electronic cigarette's mouthpiece, which allows the vapour to exit the device and then be inhaled by the user. There is a wide variety of drip tips available for customising and improving your electronic cigarette's comfort.

A dripper is a type of rebuildable atomiser that doesn't have a tank. Instead, it has a well below the coil, in which you 'drip' the e-liquid and soak the coil's wicks. Drippers are usually smaller than the typical atomiser. They're great for testing e-liquids as well, as they only require a few drops to work. They also produce more accurate flavours than other atomisers.

The process of firing an atomiser without any e-liquid, thus heating the coil and burning off any old eliquid residue.

This is what happens when your electronic cigarette runs out of e-liquid. The vapour tastes burnt.

Dry vaping is a technique where you pour a few drops of e-liquid directly onto the atomiser's coil. You need the right gear for this practice.

Dual-coil is the name of a particular coil build, where an atomiser or clearomiser functions with 2 coils at the same time. The benefit of this build is that it increases the surface that's in contact with the e-liquid, thus producing more vapour without increasing the heating temperature. Also, the coils won't wear out as fast as if there was just a single coil heating the liquid.

The solution that’s vaporized to create vapor, e-juice comes in a variety of nicotine strengths and flavours. It is made from propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), flavouring, and nicotine (there are also some without nicotine).

An european initiative for independent vaping
http://efvi-france.com

A wick made from Silica fibre, generally used on genesis atomisers, which is threaded onto a piece of mesh or a steel cable.

An electronic mod is fitted with an electronic chipset that allows the user to adjust the voltage the battery sends to the coil. The higher the voltage, the more the coil heats up.

Interprofessionnal vaping federation
http://www.fivape.org

Term used to say when an e-cigarette's battery is flush with the atomiser tank.

A training centre in France that offers courses for electronic cigarette and vaping professionals.
http://www.forvape.fr

Full mech is the name given to vaping with a mechanical mod. These mods don't have an electronic chipset, therefore you can't adjust the voltage or wattage, and there's no electronic protections. Particular care must be taken when choosing a battery for this type of mod.

There can be a fuse in mechanical mods to protect the batteries from any short-circuiting.

The name of a specific type of rebuildable atomiser. Its distinctive feature is that it uses a tightly wrapped coil of stainless steel mesh, instead of the usual cotton or silica wick. The mesh must be oxidised with a blowtorch before use. Genesis builds are renowned for their robustness but are more difficult to build due to their tendency to short-circuit.

A mod with an atomiser built into the mod's top cap.

Term used for electronic cigarette parts or components that are produced in limited quantities, and therefore rare and often numbered.

The name given to the muscular contraction felt in the larynx when smoke or vapour reaches the throat. The more nicotine the e-liquid contains and the more it's heated, the stronger the hit is, resembling the one produced by a traditional cigarette.

A hot spot appears when a rebuildable atomiser's coil heats abnormally. This is caused by a lack of contact between the coil's resistive wire and the wick. This issue is easy to spot, as the wire will become red hot when you heat it, and that should never be the case. Hot spots can also be a source of bad flavours.

The resistive wire used to make the coils in rebuildable atomisers, which is available in several diameters.

A round electronic circuit that can be inserted inside a mechanical mod, thus transforming it into an electronic mod with an adjustable Wattage and Voltage output. The kick also protects the mod against any short circuits and unwanted battery discharges.

An e-cigarette kit includes all the necessary parts to get you started, which include the battery and a clearomiser or atomiser, depending on the kit. Sometimes, the kits come with spare coils, USB chargers or carry cases, among other items. It is generally cheaper to buy a whole kit than each part separately.

Some atomisers can use low-resistance coils (of about 1.5 ohm), which, when used with a standard mod, can improve the hit and the amount of vapour the electronic cigarette produces. These coils are fragile and must always be soaked with liquid before use.

The maximum discharge current is the maximum intensity a battery can provide, without damaging itself. Depending on the shape or chemistry of the battery used, the MDC can vary. It's expressed in relation to the battery's capacity (C): For example, 2C means that the battery can discharge a current that's 2 times greater than the capacity provided by said battery. Thus, an 800mah battery with a 2C maximum discharge current can provide a maximum current of 2 x 800mah = 1600mah. However, this also discharges the battery twice as fast.

The abbreviation of milliampere-hour, a unit of electric charge that tells you how much capacity and autonomy a battery has. The higher the value, the greater the autonomy will be and the longer it'll last without having to recharge it. An electronic cigarette battery's capacity usually ranges from 300 mAh to 3000 mAh. Most models have a capacity of 650 mAh to 1000 mAh.

A very fine mesh of stainless steel is sometimes used for coils, in place of silica or cotton. It's liked for its capillarity and durability. It's also used to create wicks for 'Genesis' builds.

The name given to atomiser builds that use cotton wicks and resistive wires, instead of silica fibres.

The mod is the part of an electronic cigarette that powers the whole kit. It can be tube or box-shaped, and either has a built-in battery or uses removable batteries.

A mechanical mod is a type of mod that doesn't have an electronic chipset. The power goes straight from the batteries to the coil. The more discharged the battery is, the less the coil will heat up.

Nicotine is a substance found in tobacco leaves. It's used in the manufacture of electronic cigarette e-liquids, where it increases the throat hit and flavour rendition. Following the implementation of the European TPD, e-liquids cannot contain more than 20 mg of nicotine per ml of e-liquid. Although nicotine is non-carcinogenic, it can nevertheless be fatal in high doses. It doesn't last long in the body (more or less 30 minutes), so it's almost impossible to die of 'over-vaping'. Do not drink e-liquids, obviously, and keep them out of child's reach.

Before using a new clearomiser for the first time, or when changing your coil, we recommend you prime them by inhaling a few times, in order to get rid of the air trapped inside and help the e-liquid enter the atomizing chamber. This is an important step, as it prevents the coil from heating without any e-liquid on it, which produces an unpleasant burnt taste.

As its name implies, it's a separate charger for charging your electronic cigarette batteries on the fly.

This ingredient is sometimes used instead of propylene glycol.

One of e-liquid's two main ingredients, the second one being vegetable glycerine, or VG. Along with nicotine, it boosts the 'hit' and turns into vapour when it reaches a temperature of about 60°C. PG is only slightly toxic and non-carcinogenic. For instance, the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries use it. It's also a great flavour enhancer.

A rebuildable atomiser allows you to fit your own coil onto your atomiser.
It can be:

• a 'dripper', which doesn't have a tank
• a 'tank', which, as its name implies, does have a tank

A rebuildable atomiser is more expensive at first, but in the long run it greatly reduces the cost of everyday vaping. Indeed, consumables you make yourself, such as fibres and resistive wires, cost less than ready-made parts.

A type of coil where the Kanthal wire is flattened, thus producing a ribbon that's particularly suited to Genesis atomisers.

Rebuildable atomisers allow you to use home-made coils. The main benefit of rebuildable vaping is that it lowers the cost of consumable parts, but it requires a bit of patience.

The resistance, also called coil, is the electronic cigarette's heating element. When the battery is turned on, a specific voltage is sent to the coil ends. This heats the coil up to about 60°C, which is the temperature at which an e-liquid turns into vapour. A coil's resistive value is measured in Ohms. This resistance has a direct impact on the hit, flavours and vaping experience as a whole. The lower the resistance, the more the coil will heat up, thus increasing the hit and the amount of vapour that's produced. Be careful, though, as excessively heating an e-liquid will alter its taste.

Another name for a complete e-cigarette kit.

The action of leaving a home-made e-liquid mixture for a few days before vaping it, so that the flavours can fully mature.

Sub-ohm devices are equipped with coils whose resistance value is lower than 1 ohm, used at a relatively high power (at least 20/30 W.) Sub-ohm kits can produce large amounts of vapour and a very strong hit, even if there's no nicotine. Therefore, we recommend using e-liquids with a lower nicotine content than usual.
Sub-ohm clearomisers generally have wide e-liquid intakes so that the fibre is always soaked with e-liquid and thus, never taste burnt.
With this type of clearomiser, the resistive value is much higher than with a more traditional device. This results in a greater e-liquid consumption, and potentially more carcinogenic molecules being produced.

The perfect vape, achieved after finding the right resistance, e-liquid, nicotine level, etc.

An electronic cigarette's switch triggers the battery. There can be manual or automatic switches, depending on the model. E-cigarettes with automatic switches only require a few presses to be turned on or off.

The 'Syndicat National des Professionnels de la Cigarette Electronique'.
http://www.synapce.org

510 and eGo are the names of the two most common screw threadings in the electronic cigarette world. Some batteries even come with both the 510 and eGo threads, allowing you to equip all sorts of clearomisers.

The part of an atomiser or clearomiser that holds the e-liquid. It can be made of PMMA, Pyrex or other materials. It's a fragile piece of your vaping gear.

Ultra Low Resistance is a technology used by mechanical mods with dry or Genesis atomisers. The coil generally has a resistive value of less than 1 ohm, which allows you to produce a maximum of vapour in no time.

It is one of e-liquid's main ingredients, as it evaporates at a very low temperature (60°C). It typically produces more vapour than propylene glycol (PG), but less of a hit, and it isn't as good for producing strong flavours. It is sometimes preferred to propylene glycol, because it isn't as aggressive for the throat.

Term used by some vapers to name vaping as a whole, making it sound like a posh discipline like oenology.

Another name for an atomiser.

The act of inhaling the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette.

Many electronic cigarettes let you adjust the voltage of their batteries, thus changing the power output and the amount of vapour that's produced. It's important to know what resistance your coil has to adjust the voltage, following Ohm's law: P = V²/R.

Some electronic cigarettes let you adjust the wattage, which also changes how much vapour the device produces.

The wick is the part of the atomiser that holds and delivers the e-liquid to the e-cigarette's coil, so that the liquid can be vapourised. Wicks are usually made from silica or cotton, but some are made from stainless steel mesh or ceramic, to name a few.