Vaping appeals to many because you have choices. A choice to be free from smoking cigarettes and a choice to personalize your vaping experience. If you arm yourself with the right vaping knowledge, your chances to quit smoking increases dramatically.
Mouth to lung inhale and direct lung hit is a word you will hear often in the vaping community so let’s go through what it means.
WHAT DOES MOUTH TO LUNG MEAN?
Mouth to Lung (MTL / ML) means inhaling by filling the mouth with vapor before further inhaling into the lung.
- Similar to the way you puff a cigarette
- Think about drinking through a straw instead of chugging a beer
- Drinking beer from a straw is not normal :)
WHAT IS DIRECT LUNG INHALE?
Direct Lung Inhale (DLI) / Direct to Lung (DTL) / Direct Lung (DL): Inhaling vapor straight to the lung.
- Think about sucking in air from a balloon
- Another way to think about it is inhaling straight from your lungs instead of your mouth
- Often compared to how you hit a bong or a hookah
WHY THE HELL IT MATTERS!
Different methods results in different experiences. Choosing one method over the other is crucial to understand because it will be affected by several factors:
- How you interface with your device
- Airflow setting
- Coil type
- E-juice VG and PG Ratio
- Wattage of battery
Explaining someone the significance of how to inhale seems frivolous as showing someone how to breathe. However, understanding the differences between mouth to lung and direct to lung will determine what vaping device you choose as well as what kind of vape juice you will enjoy most.
THE MOUTH TO LUNG EXPERIENCE
MTL devices are recommended to smokers since it mimics the smoking sensation. Before sub-ohm vaping became popular, all vaping devices were MTL to create a smoother transition into vaping.
Here are common characteristics in MTL vaping:
- Low Wattage Devices: Less than 20 watts and are not for cloud chasing, meaning it does not have high cloud production
- Ultra-portable Devices: Due to smaller battery size, devices are pocket-friendly compared to sub-ohm devices and have fewer features such as variable wattage or temperature control
- Tighter Draw: Mouthpiece is narrow and the tighter the draw, the closer it is to a mouth to lung device
- High Resistance Coils: Coils are greater than 1.0 ohm. Coils with high resistance will produce less vapor.
- High Nicotine Strength: More effective with high nicotine strengths such as nicotine salts (25-50 mg) due to lack of vapor production
- Weaker Throat Hit: Less cloud production equals less throat hit. It makes it easier to chain vape.
- More Flavor: MTL vape has high flavor intensity since the vapor lingers in your mouth longer.
Note: Throat Hit can be adjusted by using higher nicotine strength, higher PG ratio, increasing wattage/temperature, and using specific flavors such as pure menthol
Note: flavor intensity can be fine-tuned by tweaking wattage/temperature settings, reducing airflow for warmer and concentrated vape, types of coil, higher PG ratio, and e-liquid quality
EXAMPLES OF MOUTH TO LUNG VAPING DEVICES
Read our different types of vapes article for detailed information on each device!
- Open pod systems
- Closed pod systems
- Cig-a-likes
DIRECT LUNG INHALE EXPERIENCE
DL devices have become a popular choice among vapers due to the mainstream adoption of sub-ohm vaping. Mods are known for its power and advanced personalization features.
Here are common characteristics of DTL vaping:
- High Wattage Devices: Increased power equals greater cloud production resulting in higher e-liquid consumption. Tend to use higher VG ratio for smoother throat hit and thicker clouds.
- Larger Devices: Compared to MTL devices, DLI devices are larger due to battery size.
- Sub-ohm coils: Coils are less than 1.0 ohm. Coils with lower resistance increase cloud production. DL devices are not limited to sub-ohm coils and can use higher resistance coils depending on the device.
- Airflow Control: Larger mouthpiece but can adjust airflow to increase/decrease throat hit.
- Intense Throat Hit: Higher wattages create bigger clouds and a warmer vape for a fulfilling throat hit. Throat hit is essential in vaping to replicate the feeling smokers are accustomed to when smoking cigarettes.
- Lower Nicotine Strength: High nicotine strength is not necessary due to an increase in power. DL vaping requires only 3 - 6 mg of nicotine. Higher than 12 mg nicotine is not recommended.
- Less Flavor: DL vaping results in less flavor since the vapor goes directly to the lung. The more air flowing through your coils, the vapor density decreases which results in less flavor but more voluminous clouds. However, higher flavor intensity can be achieved by tweaking wattages/temperature settings, restricting airflow, and experimenting with different resistances in coils.
Note: Increase cloud production by using higher VG ratio, lower resistance coils, increasing airflow, and wattage.
Note: Throat Hit is adjustable by increasing wattage/temperature for a warmer vape, reducing airflow, vaping higher nicotine strength, and dependent on the flavor of the vape juice.
EXAMPLES OF DIRECT LUNG INHALE DEVICES
Read our different types of vapes article for detailed information on each device!
- Box Mods
- Tube Mods
- Mechanical Mods (Not for beginners)
MOUTH TO LUNG (MTL) VS DIRECT LUNG (DL) VAPING
MOUTH TO LUNG DEVICES
Pros:
- Less e-juice consumption
- High nicotine strength - subdue nicotine cravings
- Great Flavor- premium e-liquid flavors are designed for low wattage devices
- Ultra-portable - convenient to carry around
- Mimics smoking experience - mouth to lung inhale
- Fast Charging
- User-friendly devices - great entry level vaping device
Cons:
- Weaker throat hit - not as satisfying as sub-ohm vaping due to lower wattages and tighter draw
- Shorter battery life - needs to be charged more often
- Fewer features - not able to personalize the experience
DIRECT LUNG INHALE DEVICES
Pros:
- Appreciable Cloud Production
- Intense Flavor - finding the sweet spot to intensify flavor
- Strong throat hit
- Longer battery life
- Advanced features to personalize your experience
Cons:
- Longer charging time
- Bulky device - not as pocket-friendly as MTL devices
- Longer learning curve to understand the features
- Higher e-juice consumption - requires more refilling
WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU?
MTL are recommended for new vapers for three reasons:
- Simplicity - user-friendliness of the device makes a more natural transition from smoking to vaping.
- High Nicotine Strength - experts recommend 50 mg of nicotine for heavy smokers.
- Mouth to lung inhale - resembles the way you inhale a cigarette.
DL devices allow for greater flexibility but come with a steep learning curve. Here are some reasons you would get a Direct lung inhale device:
- Ideal for cloud chasers and for those who want to play around with the settings to hit the sweet spot for maximum flavor
- Devices with an airflow control and variable wattage can allow you to create a MTL experience.
- Lower nicotine strength is used because of more significant cloud production. More clouds = greater nicotine consumption
Different types of vaping devices offer different experiences. It’s up to you to decide what works best for you. Understanding the differences between MTL and DL will guide you in picking the right device! Happy vaping and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! As always, browse our collection of vape juices to find your favorite all day vape!