When choosing a vape kit or e cigarette, you may come across the terms 'MTL' and 'DTL'. These are acronyms for the terms 'mouth to lung' and 'direct to lung'.
These terms define the different vaping styles used by vapers and relate to how you inhale the vapour created by your e cigarette. Keep reading to find out more about vaping styles and how they can influence which type of e-cigarette or vaping device will suit you.
What is Mouth to Lung Vaping?
Mouth to lung vaping is where the vapour from an e-cigarette is inhaled into the mouth, then into the lungs. This style of vaping is best suited to beginners as it resembles the way in which most people smoke a cigarette.
What Are MTL Vape Kits?
Vape kits suitable for mouth to lung vaping require coils with a higher resistance. This resistance is measured in ohms and MTL devices tend to use coils with a resistance of 1 ohm or above.
This essentially means that the liquid in the tank is vapourised at a cooler temperature and therefore a cooler, thinner vapour is produced. This is similar to the density of cigarette smoke and another reason why devices designed for MTL vaping are often favoured by beginners.
Which E Liquids Are Suitable For Mouth to Lung Vaping?
All e liquids will contain a certain ratio of the ingredients propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine. This ratio is usually indicated on the box or bottle. For mouth to lung devices, you'll need to use e-liquids with at least a 50% ratio of propylene glycol or 'PG'.
Vape juices with a higher ratio of VG are thicker and therefore your MTL device will struggle to soak up the liquid and heat it quickly enough. This can lead to a burnt tasting vape and shortening the life of your coils.
What Are The Benefits of Mouth to Lung Vaping?
- Similar to smoking and therefore helps the transition to vaping
- MTL kits use less vape juice and therefore tend to be more cost-effective
- Brings out the best of the flavourings in your e-liquid
- MTL kits tend to be cheaper & simpler to use
What is Direct to Lung or 'DTL' Vaping?
This style of vaping, otherwise known as 'sub ohm', involves inhaling the vapour from an e-cigarette directly into the lungs, just like taking a normal breath. This is usually favoured by more experienced vapers as the vapour is more dense and can be a little overwhelming for new users.
DTL vaping can take some getting used to for new vapers as, unlike mouth to lung vaping, this isn't generally how you would inhale smoke from a cigarette. That being said, mouth to lung vaping is sometimes favoured due to the thicker clouds and warmer vapour. If you're completely new to vaping and think that mouth to lung vaping will suit you better, there are some great entry-level sub ohm kits we have.
What are DTL Vape Kits?
Unlike classic MTL style kits and tanks, DTL hardware will need coils with a resistance below 1 ohm. The lower resistance allows the coil to heat e liquid at a higher temperature and therefore creates warmer, more dense clouds of vapour. This is otherwise known as 'sub ohm' vaping.
Sub Ohm devices are usually bigger than classic, MTL devices and often include an LED screen with different wattage and other settings that can be altered by the user to personalise their vaping experience. This means they can often be a little more complicated to use and are generally suited to more experienced vapers. However, there are some excellent entry-level sub ohm devices such as the Aspire PockeX that are perfect for new vapers who want try DTL vaping.
Which E-Liquids are Suitable for DTL Vaping?
Due to direct to lung, or 'sub ohm' kits producing more vapour, you'll need to use a lower nicotine strength because you'll get a stronger hit of nicotine in one go.
A good place to start is 3mg and you can then increase this if you find this isn't strong enough.
The ingredients in e liquids for sub ohm vaping are also important. Propylene Glycol (or PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG) are two of the main ingredients in e liquids and the ratio of PG & VG will affect their suitability for MTL or DTL vaping. E-Liquids with at least 50% VG content are best suited for use with sub ohm kits.
Vape juices with more than 50% PG will often be quite harsh in a direct-to-lung kit.
What Are The Benefits of DTL Vaping?
- Creates a smoother, warmer and thicker vapour
- Thicker vapour means more nicotine with each draw and therefore you can use a lower strength and get the same satisfaction
- DTL kits often have more settings and can be customised to suit your preferences
