New to vaping or just unsure what a term means? Here are the words you'll see across our product pages and guides, explained simply.
- MTL (Mouth-to-Lung)
- A vaping style where you draw vapour into your mouth first, then inhale — like a cigarette. Tighter draw, less vapour, ideal for pod kits and nic salts.
- DTL (Direct-to-Lung)
- A vaping style where you inhale vapour straight into your lungs. Airier draw, big clouds, used with sub-ohm devices and high-VG e-liquid.
- Nic Salt
- Nicotine in a smoother "salt" form that gives a faster, less harsh hit at higher strengths (10mg/20mg). Best for pod kits and MTL devices.
- Freebase Nicotine
- Traditional nicotine used in most shortfills. Harsher at high strengths, so it is usually sold at lower mg (3–6mg) for sub-ohm vaping.
- Shortfill
- A larger bottle of 0mg e-liquid (usually 50ml/100ml) with room left to add a nic shot. High-VG, made for sub-ohm devices.
- VG (Vegetable Glycerine)
- The thicker e-liquid base that produces vapour/clouds. Higher VG = bigger clouds, smoother inhale.
- PG (Propylene Glycol)
- The thinner e-liquid base that carries flavour and throat hit. A 50/50 VG/PG blend suits pod kits.
- mg/ml
- Nicotine strength — milligrams of nicotine per millilitre of e-liquid. UK legal maximum is 20mg/ml (2%).
- TPD
- The UK Tobacco Products Directive rules: e-liquid pods/tanks capped at 2ml, bottles at 10ml, and nicotine at 20mg/ml. All our stock is TPD compliant.
- Puff Count
- The manufacturer’s estimate of how many puffs a device delivers. Real-world life depends on how hard and often you vape.
- Coil
- The heating element that vaporises e-liquid. Coils wear out and need replacing when flavour fades or tastes burnt.
- Mesh Coil
- A coil with a mesh strip instead of wire, giving more even heating, better flavour and longer life.
- Pod
- The part that holds e-liquid and clicks into a pod kit. Can be prefilled (sealed) or refillable (you fill it yourself).
- Prefilled Pod
- A sealed pod that comes ready-filled with e-liquid. Click it in, vape, and swap for a fresh one when empty.
- Sub-ohm
- A coil with resistance below 1.0 ohm, used for direct-to-lung vaping and large clouds at higher wattage.
- Wattage
- The power a device sends to the coil. Higher wattage = warmer vapour and bigger clouds; pod kits run low.
- Draw-activated
- A device with no buttons — you just inhale to activate it. Most prefilled pod kits work this way.
- Priming
- Letting a fresh pod/coil soak in e-liquid for a minute or two before vaping, to avoid a dry, burnt hit.
- Throat Hit
- The sensation at the back of the throat when you inhale. Stronger with higher nicotine and more PG.
- Disposable Vape
- A single-use vape thrown away when empty. Now banned in the UK — replaced by rechargeable prefilled pod kits.
- Nicotine Pouch
- A small tobacco-free pouch placed under the lip that releases nicotine with no smoke or vapour. Also called snus.
- mAh
- Milliamp-hours — the battery capacity of a device. Higher mAh means longer between charges.
- Vaper’s Tongue
- A temporary loss of flavour perception from vaping the same flavour too long. Fixed by switching flavours or staying hydrated.
- Airflow
- How much air passes through the device as you draw. Tighter airflow suits MTL; open airflow suits DTL.
For adults 18+. Nicotine is an addictive substance.