Fundamentally, practically any e-cig device (whether a vape pen, a cigalike or a mechanical mod) is made up of the same constituent parts as any other; stripped to its essentials it features a heating element, an atomiser and the e-liquid that fills it up, is heated and then transformed into vapour to inhale… and exhale.
Where the difference comes in is in accordance with the specific vaping experience you desire; different devices then are manufactured for different vapers with different needs. For instance, a brand new vaper who’s looking to kick a tobacco habit isn’t likely to reach for a 12-coil cloud tank that can vaporise thick e-liquid made up of 100 percent vegetable glycerin (VG) content. Yet, equally, those wanting to generate huge plumes of vapour (i.e. cloud chasers) won’t be after a tobacco-like throat hit, so won’t be after a single-coil, narrow tank that best is filled with propylene glycol (PG)-dominant fluid. Different strokes for different folks.
Differences in hardware
Now, fair dos, experienced vapers will be well aware – and those new to the vaping game will, in time, grow to become aware – that along with on the many and various e-cig devices there are on the market, there are a vast array of e-cig device tanks available to buy from a vaping outlet (whether it’s, say, an e liquid store London or an online retailer). Yet, because they definitely feature pre-made coils and empty tanks that require filling (and so unquestionably qualify for what we’re talking about here), we’re going to look only here at two broad kinds of tank – mouth-to-lung (MTL) and sub-ohm tanks.
To wit, they distinguish themselves from each other in the following ways:
MTL tanks
- Intended for seekers of a ‘genuine’ smoking-like vape
- Usually feature pre-made, pre-installed coils
- Often deliver restrictive juice flow/ airflow
- Best suited for PG-based e-juices of a thin consistency
- E-fluids with high nicotine contents tend to go better with MTL tanks than sub-ohm tanks
Sub-ohm tanks
- Enable the use of coils made to take electrical resistance lower than 1.0 ohm
- Often deliver copious juice flow channels
- Usually feature adjustable airflow settings (semi-restrictive to fully open)
- Best suited for big, direct-to-lung hits and generating a lot of vapor
- Require more power and e-fluid consumption than MTL tanks
The role of e-liquid in tank choices
Undoubtedly, there’s a direct correlation between the type of tank you should aim for when purchasing (or building) a new e-cig device and the type of e-fluid you wish to vape; it’s only natural, given that it’s the tank that’ll actually store the liquid in the device, after all. So, MTL tanks, because the vaping they’re suited to doesn’t require the provision of a lot of heat, don’t need a strong flow of e-liquid (relatively speaking) to ensure a device’s wick remains saturated. Fluid-wise then, this means a thinner liquid’s ideal – say, 50 percent PG content or more – for delivering a great throat hit, a satisfying amount of nicotine satisfaction and a well-defined flavour.
Conversely, for sub-ohm vaping (and, therefore, the deployment of a sub-ohm tank) it’s all about aiming to produce a nice, constantly thick supply of vapour. Thus, this necessitates a relatively large amount of heat and e-liquid whose VG level is high. Dense, viscous fluid – along with juice flow channels that can be really opened up – is just the ticket for generating those big, big vapour clouds. However, it also means you’re going to be getting through more e-liquid and more often, which means it’s more expensive than MTL vaping, over time.
Where does nicotine fit into all this?
Good question. For newbie vapers who’ve moved on to e-cigs from tobacco-packed ciggies (in an effort to kick that tobacco habit but still receive a fair load of nicotine, at least to begin with, so they can do so successfully), they’re going to want high-nicotine (obviously) and high-PG e-fluids. To that end, they’re strongly advised then to kick off their lives as vapers by using MTL tanks to adequately cater for those high nicotine concentrations. This is most of all because the copious vapour inhalations that this kind of tank enables inevitably results in potentially big, highly satisfying nicotine/ throat hits. In time, however, as these would-be-ex-smokers become ex-smokers/ fully fledged vapers, they may well want to substitute an MTL tank set-up for a sub-ohm one (and the corresponding e-liquid); when nicotine-featuring hits become less necessary and, frankly, for the good health of their throats – there’s only so many humungous throat hits even the hardiest of vapers can take!
