What is Mouth-to-Lung (MTL) vaping?
Cigarettes have a tight or restricted inhale, which is comparable in vaping to the Mouth-to-Lung (MTL) inhale. The term MTL indicates in which order the vapour travels through the body:
- The user inhales from the device into their mouth.
- The vapour settles there momentarily.
- The user then inhales further into their lung.
- The vapour is then exhaled.
MTL vaping results in a small cloud of vapour. This is similar to the amount of smoke created by a cigarette. This experience is close to the experience of smoking, which is why MTL vaping is usually recommended for new vapers.
What is Direct Lung (DL) vaping?
Direct Lung (DL) vaping is very different to MTL vaping. Again, the term indicates in which order the vapour travels through the body:
- The user inhales deeply from the device directly into their lung.
- The vapour is then exhaled.
This results in a large cloud of vapour, and it is precisely for this reason that it needs to be inhaled this way. The amount of vapour produced by DL devices is too uncomfortable to hold for any period of time in the mouth, and so it must be inhaled deeper.
This image shows the different styles of inhaling. On the left is an MTL inhale, and on the right is a DL inhale. Notice the difference in movement of the vapour.
Which style would I prefer?
This differs from one person to the next.
While there are some exceptions to this rule, most people need to get used to the differences between smoking and vaping before they can inhale deeper.
Likewise, experienced vapers will get used to the smoothness of vapour and the increased size of vapour particles. Most people will be able to transition to a bigger inhale as their lung capacity increases.
Should I vape differently? Or is the style determined by the device?
Inhaling Mouth-to-Lung or Direct Lung is determined by the style of device you’re using. Some devices are capable of both styles of vaping just by using a different coil, but we’ll get into that another time.
Most beginner starter kit devices can be used for MTL vaping. They use higher-resistance coils which mean the device runs at a lower wattage (less power) and won’t burn as much liquid. These coils are often thinner, with less room for air to travel through them. This results in the restricted inhale necessary for MTL vaping.
Direct Lung devices are usually more expensive for many reasons. They have what’s called adjustable wattage, which allows you to change the amount of power going through the device. For this reason they require an LED screen so you can see your settings. They are usually more robust in their build quality, with more complex and costly components. The coils used in these tanks are bigger, with more cotton that holds more juice, more wire, and bigger holes for the air to travel through. This results in the open, deep inhale necessary for DL vaping.
What’s the best MTL device? How about DL?
Vape Central - Capalaba sells a range of devices in each of these styles.
With MTL, beginner starter kits are going to be best. The
Innokin Endura T18 is one of the best on the market, as are the more recent
Innokin Endura T20 and slightly less-restricted
Innokin Endura T20-S.
In terms of DL, there are hundreds of combinations you could choose, so we will just list a few of the most popular ones here for you.
Moving on from the starter kits, the
Eleaf iStick Pico 25, the
Vaporesso Revenger , the
Vaporesso Tarot Nano Kit, the
Smok Mag 224W Kit, and the
Smok G-Priv 220w Kit all house between 50 and 225 watts of power, so they’re going to provide a bigger inhale. Some of these will require
separate 18650 batteries, too (check the individual product descriptions).
We hope this clears up some of the confusion surrounding the different styles of vaping. If you need any more information, please feel free to
contact us at our Capalaba QLD Store
This image shows the different styles of inhaling. On the left is an MTL inhale, and on the right is a DL inhale. Notice the difference in movement of the vapour.
