Different types of vaping

By: Nicholas King.
Last Updated: November 25th, 2018.

 

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Newcomers to the vaping experience are often looking for the best way to enjoy their new lifestyle and many use vaping to quit smoking.

They search for the right devices, preferred e-juice flavors, and sometimes even delve into more complex customization options.

For many of those who are just starting out, however, the most important concern often focuses on learning how to vape. And that comes down to a choice between the two different types of vaping available to all users: mouth hits known as mouth to lung vaping and lung hits, better known as direct lung inhales.

 

The Mouth Hit - Mouth To Lung Vaping

The mouth hit is exactly what it sounds like.

It is a type of vaping draw where the user inhales the vapor directly from the vaping pods into the mouth before allowing it to pass through to the lungs.

This is actually the inhalation method used by most people who smoke filtered cigarettes since those filters prevent large plumes of smoke from being drawn at one time.

As a result, many vapers continue to use this drawing method, since it has the benefit of familiarity. If your looking for an e cig to quit smoking, then we have put together a guide of the best just for smokers!

There is an important distinction to be made between vaping mouth hits and tobacco cigarettes, however. With tobacco, the nicotine never enters the body until the smoke passes from the mouth to the lungs.

The vapor produced by electronic cigarettes has the advantage of being subject to absorption by the mucous membranes in the mouth and nose even before it reaches the lungs.

That process takes several seconds longer than lung absorption but can enable an even richer nicotine experience.

The most common way a smoker switches to electronic cigarettes is by using the mouth to lung inhale. This is where you draw the vapor into the mouth then after a slight pause draws the vapor into the lungs.

The best type of e-cigarette for this is either a cig-a-like type which you can read more about in our guide to the best Cigalike e cigs or an alternative type would be either a vape pen or box mod but using a higher resistance coil of more than 1 ohm.

 

The Lung Hit - Direct Lung Inhales

With the lung hit, you draw vapor directly into the lungs.

Yes, that vapor does pass through the mouth on the way there, but you don’t hold it in your mouth for any length of time.

Some cigarette smokers understand this drawing technique, especially those who spent years smoking filter-less cigarettes that allow large plumes of smoke to be drawn with a single inhalation.

This method is favored by many more experienced vapers who are looking for huge clouds of vapor, even if that added vapor volume comes at the expense of getting through a lot of e-liquid.

With the direct lung inhales, it does take a little to get use too, so not ideal for a smoker looking to quit smoking. But if you’re used to vaping and not getting enough of a hit, then start looking for devices that support this type of vaping.

Some vapers say the flavor can be muted with direct lung inhales, although we slightly disagree. You can expand the flavor by exhaling the vapor, through your nose. That allows the taste to be picked up by the taste buds and the nasal cavity.

Now with the lung inhale it is important to have a device with good air flow and less of resistance, as I mentioned before with sub-ohm vaping, i.e. less than 1-ohm resistance coil.

The best devices to achieve a good lung inhale experience with are both vape pens and box mods.

 

What You Need for Each

As you might expect, you cannot simply pick up any given vaping device and choose between these two vaping options.

Direct lung inhalers require a device with looser airflow like sub ohm tanks, as that is the best way to generate a larger volume of vapor.

As a result, the disposable e-cigs you can regularly find in gas stations and vape shops are not suitable for direct lung hits. They are designed for the more traditional mouth to lung hits, and thus require more inhalation pressure to draw out even an average amount of vapor volume.

Most atomizer rigs are however capable of enabling mouth hits, but those that lack air flow control are usually better-suited for that vaping preference. Devices that offer flexible airflow management are the best option for lung hits since they provide greater control over the size of the vapor clouds produced.

There is a simple rule that you should remember:

  • Any E-Cig with over a 1-ohm atomizer or coil is suited for mouth to lung vaping.
  • Any E-Cig with below a 1-ohm coil is suited to direct lung inhales.
 

Which is Right for You?

Of course, the most important question comes down to choice. Which one of these options is better for you?

That will ultimately depend upon your preference when it comes to flavor and vapor volume. Smaller clouds of vapor tend to better maintain overall e-liquid flavor.

When large clouds are created, that flavor becomes diluted by the expanded vapor volume. Moreover, lung hits mean that the vapor quickly passes through the mouth, leaving the taste buds with little time to actually enjoy.

Check Out The Different Types Of E-Cigarette

More advanced users may rely on more expensive modifications in an attempt to gain maximum control over both flavor and vapor volume, and those devices do tend to work up to a point. However, most vaping enthusiasts have a choice to make when it comes to the mouth versus lung hit debate: flavor or vapor.

Neither option is better than the other in any general sort of way. For vaping fans who truly love the taste of their e-juice, the mouth hit is the only way to go.

Likewise, those vapers who crave that powerful throat and lung hit demand the type of vapor volume that only their chosen vaping method can provide. For those who simply want the best of both worlds, there are many coils on the market today that provide a nice meeting ground between moderately high volumes of vapor and rich taste.

In the end, the choice is yours. There is no right or wrong answer, and the only really important thing is that you find the vaping technique that helps you to best enjoy your vaping experience.

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