What Components are Important to Get Right on a Vape?

Date Published 04/11/2022

When using a vape, a number of different components work together to provide the user with the experience they’re expecting – if one of them isn’t working right, it can have a huge impact on the overall experience.

Some vapers – particularly those who might be less experienced – might want to know more about the components that make up a high quality vape . What are they, exactly, and why are they so important to get right?

If you would like to know everything about what makes high quality vapes,   just keep reading on.

What are the Components of a High Quality Vape?  

While the parts of a vape can differ slightly depending on the type of vape, the key components of a vape include a battery, an atomizer, e-liquid and the tank or cartridge. We will go through them all here.

_Battery

Not all vape batteries are the same, so it’s important to make sure you’ve got the right one for your device – always consult guidance from the manufacturer if in doubt. In general terms, there are two main types of batteries: integrated or internal batteries and removable batteries.

The former come built into vapes and can’t be removed – the whole device needs to be plugged into a charger, but it’s best not to overcharge as this can lead to reduced battery life. Smaller, more simple devices like pod mods tend to use integrated batteries. They’re convenient, as all you need to do is plug your vape in, or if your vape is a disposable device, simply dispose of it when you’re done.

In contrast, there are removable batteries, which look similar to traditional batteries. You can remove them and either charge them separately or replace them with new batteries. You’ll usually find removable batteries in more advanced and complex devices like box mods.

Vape batteries come in different sizes too, and the right size will vary from device to device. Among the most common battery sizes are 18650 and 26650 batteries – the latter tend to be used in larger, more complex devices.

For most vapers who use a device that needs a removable battery, one that’s fast-charging will be a priority.

Atomizer

An atomizer is found in all vapes, and is the part of the vape that turns the liquid into vapour that can be vaped. The e-liquid is held in the tank, and from here it’s drawn onto the coil by the wick, and heated by the coil to turn it into an aerosol, which is then vaped.

The atomizer is often referred to as the wick or the coil, but in truth, these are two of the components that make up the atomizer itself.

There are disposable atomizers and rebuildable atomizers. The latter are often used by more experienced vapers, and are known as either RDAs or RTAs, depending on whether or not they include a tank. One of the advantages of a rebuildable atomizer is that you can replace the wick or coil when required, without replacing the whole unit.

With rebuildable drip atomizers (RDAs), the user needs to place a few drops of e-liquid onto the coils directly, as the device doesn’t have a tank to carry e-liquid – it must be carried separately. However, this is preferred by some vapers as it lets them switch between flavours easily, and because the e-liquid is dripped onto the coil just before it turns into vapour, it can provide more flavour. Rebuildable atomizers should only be used by more experienced vapers with a good understanding of Ohm’s law and vaping technology. In comparison, RTAs hold more liquid in the tank, so it comes down to personal preference

Other atomizer options include cartomizers, which combine the atomizer with the tank or cartridge. These devices keep the coil and wick without the cartridge to surround the atomizer with e-liquid. You might see cartomizers described as cigalikes because they resemble cigarettes.

E-Liquid

E-liquid is a vital part of the vaping experience, and while not a component of the device itself, it’s held in the tank or in a cartridge until it’s ready to be heated, turned into aerosol, and vaped.

The best e-liquid for your device will depend on a number of factors, and there are a few considerations to think about. The vast majority of e-liquids contain both propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) – the former carries the flavour and gives the throat hit, while the latter helps generate clouds of vapour and is smoother on the throat.

E-liquid comes in varying PG/VG ratios, and as vegetable glycerin is thicker, a high VG e-liquid can cause problems with devices less equipped to handle thicker e-liquid. On the other hand, high PG vape juice can oversaturate the wick and lead to spit back.

It’s also important to remember that e-liquid can go off, meaning that the flavour won’t be as strong and you increase the chance of getting dry hits on your vape, so for a high quality vape it’s worth keeping your e-liquid in good condition by storing it in a cool, dark place.

Something else to consider is the flavour of the vape juice. This won’t affect the device in itself but using an e-liquid you like the taste of will improve the experience of vaping.

Tank/Cartridge

Most vapes will have a tank, in which e-liquid is stored before it gets heated. Refilling your tank can be fiddly, but an important part of the modern vape anatomy is a top-filling tank, which makes it a little easier to fill with e-liquid. You can simply open the top, fill the tank with your e-liquid of choice, and close it.

However, some devices, like pod mods, take pre-filled cartridges instead. These snap into the device, and then when you’ve used the e-liquid inside, you can dispose of them. While these can be more convenient, there might be less choice in terms of e-liquid flavour.

Mouthpiece

Rounding off a high quality vape design is the mouthpiece or drip tip – every vape needs one, as without it you wouldn’t be able to inhale the vapour. Vape mouthpieces are often a regular cylinder, but some are tapered or curved.

Mouthpieces can be replaced on a lot of vape types, either for reasons concerning flavour or vapour production, or just for the look of the device. Push-in 510 or 810 drip tips are the two main types of drip tip and are often used, but there are also drip tips specific to some devices. For starter kits and more simple devices, you can get screw-in CE mouthpieces too. 

As you can see here, there are lots of different components to vapes, and many people will modify the different components to create what they consider to be high quality vape. However, for people who don’t want a complex vape with so many parts to consider, there are other options.

Pod-based vapes, like pod mods, are one alternative to devices like box mods, while IQOS and the use of heated tobacco is another option that some people switching from smoking might consider.