All About Vaping Styles

Everything You Need to Know about Vaping Styles

First of all, congrats if you're going from smoking to vaping! You are on your way to leading a better, more healthy life! But, you will also have to choose the kind of vaping method you wish to apply. Though it sounds confusing, don't worry; I'm here to walk you through every style and show you what tools and e-liquid you need to optimise each!

But first, let me quickly introduce you to the three distinct vaping techniques.

The Three Vaping Styles

You can split vaping styles into three distinct variants:

• Mouth to Lung (MTL): Mouth to Lung is when you inhale vapour into your mouth, and then with a small intake of air, inhale it into your lungs and then exhale.

• Direct to Lung (DTL): Direct to Lung is a vaping style that involves inhaling vapour directly into the lungs before exhaling.

• Restricted Direct to Lung (RDL): The Restricted Direct to Lung vaping style sits in between MTL and DTL. Like DTL vaping, vapour is inhaled into the lungs, but it's far more restricted, just like MTL, so you can get the best of both worlds.

I'll be going into the details of each vaping style as we go through the blog, so keep reading!

The Mouth to Lung (MTL) Vaping Style

As described, MTL vaping is inhaling vapour from your vape kit into the mouth and then into the lungs. Most people using this vaping method are former smokers turning to vaping. This style is important in allowing you to stick to vaping and cut out the cigarettes since MTL closely mirrors the sensation of smoking because of the tight draw and mouth-to-lung inhalation.

This is and still is my preferred method of vaping. I always feel satisfied getting that cigarette-like throat hit that MTL provides, even five years after quitting smoking.

MTL Vaping Equipment - Vape Kits

If you’ve chosen MTL vaping, you will want to know which kind of vape kits fit it. Three varieties of vape devices—disposable vape kits, pod vape kits, and MTL tanks—can make use of MTL.

• Disposable Vape Kits: Thanks to their simplicity and price, disposable vape kits are the most often used worldwide. There are many flavours of these vape kits, all featuring 2ml of 20mg nicotine-strength e-liquid. They're a great choice if you're switching over from smoking thanks to the smoking-familiar MTL draw, a strong throat hit and intense tastes. However, once the e-liquid or the battery has run out, they must be thrown away. A very important piece of information that I'd like to bring to your attention is that as of June 2025, the sale of disposable vapes will be banned in the UK, so I'd suggest getting ahead of the curve and picking up a pod kit as your first MTL vape. More on those next!

• Pod Kits: Next up are pod kits that have a rechargeable battery device and come equipped with either a refillable pod or a prefilled pod. Prefilled pods are much like disposable vapes in that they are filled by the manufacturer with 2ml of 20mg strength e-liquid, and once it's finished, you simply throw it away. They will need a little upkeep, and when they're empty, you can simply top them up once more. Depending on use, refillable pods feature a built-in coil that lasts roughly one to two weeks, so you will have to change the pod when the flavour starts to fade or when vaping produces a burnt taste.

• MTL Tanks: If you love your high-tech gadgetry (like I do), then you may want to go for a more advanced mod device. Normally, these would be used for DTL vaping, but you can purchase special MTL tanks for these devices that allow you to use the same MTL style as pod kits and disposable vapes but with far more flexible options. It's important to note that these tanks and devices are far more complicated than the other two in this section, with extra maintenance, coil changes, and settings to worry about. If you do go for this option, keep the power setting (wattage) to about 15W to get the best out of your MTL tank.

Both pod kits and MTL tanks will have airflow options, which dictates how much air circulates the vape coil when you inhale. For MTL vaping, it's a good idea to keep your airflow to a minimum for the best MTL vape.

MTL Vaping Equipment - Vape Coils

Vape coils are the heart and soul of your vape kit. They come in different Ohms ratings, determining how your vape will work. For MTL vaping, you'll typically want to choose vape coils with a 0.8 Ohm rating or higher. The higher the rating, the less power the coil needs to vaporise your e-liquid, which is ideal for producing the MTL vaping style you're after. Ecigone has a great guide all about coils that you can use to get the best out of them.

The Best E-liquids For the MTL Vaping Style

For MTL vaping, you'll want to pick an e-liquid best suited for this style. Freebase e-liquids and Nic Salt e-liquids are the primary types of vape juice you'll be using in MTL vapes, and before you commit, you'll also want to keep an eye on VG/PG levels and nicotine strengths. Confused? Not to worry, I will clarify:

• Two of the main components in vape juices are vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol, VG & PG. While PG is a great taste carrier and helps provide the throat hit many of you ex-smokers will be yearning for, VG assists with vapour generation. MTL vaping calls for a 50VG/50PG or 60VG/40PG ratio. For low-power vape kits, PG is thinner than VG, so it takes less power to vaporise, so these ratios are perfect.

• If you are a new vaper, you will want a vape juice that will meet your nicotine needs. If you choose a Freebase e-liquid, be sure the nicotine level doesn't surpass 18mg. This is so because Freebase is quite severe on the throat - any higher, and the throat hit would become painful. If you choose a Nic salt e-liquid (and I'd recommend these), then you don't want to exceed 20mg of nicotine. UK TPD laws cap nicotine strengths at 20mg/ml, so you can't go any higher than that anyway. You'll find that Nic Salts provide a much smoother throat hit, thanks to their chemical makeup, which allows them to handle higher nicotine strengths.

MTL Vaping Style Summary

• Perfect for ex-smokers transitioning to vaping.Perfect for ex-smokers transitioning to vaping.
• Less vapour and smell, so they're more discrete. 
• A cost-effective way to start vaping.
• Can vape higher nicotine strengths thanks to nic salts to satisfy cravings.
• MTL tanks use less e-liquid thanks to the low power of the vape kits that utilise them.
• Gentler on the lungs compared to DTL vaping.

The Direct to Lung (DTL) Vaping Style

The Direct to Lung (DTL) vaping style is one more commonly used if you're an experienced vaper. It involves inhaling the vapour directly into the lungs before exhaling. This is the vaping technique used if you have ever witnessed somebody puffing out large, thick vapour clouds. If you're not used to inhaling right into the lungs, it can be really strong, so if you're new to vaping, I would advise beginning with MTL to first get acclimated to the experience.

Although I'm not too familiar with the DTL vaping technique, I can tell you that blowing out large clouds is a lot of fun!

DTL Vaping Equipment - Vape kits

If you're going with DTL vaping, then you're going to need a high-powered device that can handle both higher VG e-liquids and low-resistance or ‘Sub-Ohm’ vape coils. Some pod kits, also known as pod mods, can do this and are a hybrid between a pod kit and a box mod. These are great if you want the best of both worlds, providing the ease of use of a pod with the power and versatility of a box mod.

They're not as common as box mods, though.Box mods are the most popular DTL vape. They consist of a powerful battery device that's packed full of different features and settings, along with a vape tank (purchased separately or with a box mod as part of a kit) specifically designed for DTL vaping. Box mods provide the ultimate flexible vape, with many of the parts being swappable and coils even being rebuildable, along with power settings ranging from 40W all the way up to 300W!

Airflow is just as important for DTL as it is with MTL. For DTL vaping, however, you’ll want to set the airflow to maximum, allowing as much air as possible to circulate the coil.

DTL Vaping Equipment - Vape Coils

The DTL vaping style requires coils with an Ohms rating of less than one - something you may have seen referred to as ‘Sub-Ohm’. Vapes coils with a rating of 0.6 Ohms and below are perfect for DTL vaping, as the lower the resistance, the more power needed to vaporise your e-liquid - something that the DTL vaping style needs in order to produce big vapour clouds.

The Best E-liquids for the DTL Vaping Style

Unlike MTL vaping, DTL needs e-liquid with a higher VG content. You’ll find a 70VG/30PG shortfill vape juice is ideal for this, although you can opt for a 60VG/40PG or 80VG/20PG ratio depending on how much vapour/flavour you like. These shortfills are also nicotine free, and have space for nic shots if you’d like to add some nicotine to your vape. Do keep in mind that you shouldn’t exceed 6mg of nicotine when DTL vaping, as this can cause an uncomfortably harsh throat hit and a much stronger hit of nicotine than you were expecting!

VG vaporises better at higher temperatures, so the higher power box mods are perfect for this vaping style. Your coils should also have much bigger wicking holes if you’re using higher VG e-liquids since it’s much thicker than PG. If the holes are too small, the e-liquid won’t be able to be pulled through quickly enough, resulting in the dreaded dry hit and potentially ruining your coil - not something you want, trust me!

DTL Vaping Style Summary

• Better suited to advanced vapers.
• The sensation feels a lot less like smoking a cigarette.
• Huge vapour cloud production.
• More powerful, advanced vape kits are needed.
• E-liquid is used up a lot faster.

The Restricted Direct to Lung (RDL) Vaping Style

The Restricted Direct to Lung (RDL) vaping style is a mid-point between MTL and DTL vaping. If you’ve tried out both styles but find them too far at each end of the spectrum, then you might want to give RDL a go. The actual inhalation is closer to DTL, but due to restricted airflow, it also has some of the tightness of an MTL draw.

I must admit I haven’t tried RDL vaping as I really enjoy the feel of MTL, but it’s a fantastic option if you’re looking to broaden your vaping horizons.

RDL Vaping Equipment - Vape kits

If you’re aiming for the RDL vaping style, you’ll need a vape kit with a decent power range and the ability to handle different coil resistances. Some more advanced pod kits and box mods are good for this, so it’s all about which vape device you’re more comfortable with. Personally, I would go with an advanced pod kit since they’re a lot easier to maintain.There isn’t a right or wrong setting for airflow to achieve RDL. You’ll be better off playing around with it to find the right level of airflow restriction that works for you.

RDL Vaping Equipment - Vape Coils

Because RDL is a mix between MTL and DTL, the coil selection is a bit different. Anywhere between 0.8 Ohms and 0.5 Ohms is ideal for achieving a good RDL draw, so just like airflow, experiment and see which resistance you prefer.

The Best E-liquids for the RDL Vaping Style

Due to the higher resistance coils used and the restriction of airflow on a DTL hit, you can use high PG e-liquids like nic salts, which would normally be limited to MTL devices. Of course, you can also use higher VG e-liquids like shortfills, and this combination of both types of e-liquids lets you vape a wide range of nicotine strengths. All this makes RDL vaping very versatile and great if you want to be able to explore both ends of the vape juice spectrum.

RDL Vaping Style Summary

• Looser draw than MTL, so more vapour.
• Tighter draw than DTL, so more flavour.
• You get more of a throat hit compared to DTL.
• Flavour production is warmer than MTL.
• Both MTL and DTL e-liquids can be used.
• Lower wattage is needed, so battery life is longer than DTL vape kits.
• Less power needs to be used, so e-liquid lasts longer than DTL.
• A higher nicotine content can be vaped without it being too harsh.

Summary - What Vaping Style is Right For You?

By now, I hope you understand the differences between the three different vaping styles. Each one has its own benefits and suits a different type of vaper better, so when it’s time to choose what style you want, have a think about what you want to get out of vaping. Do you want to puff big clouds? The DTL is for you. Maybe you want something that feels similar to smoking a cigarette. In that case, MTL is the way to go. Or perhaps you want the best of both worlds? This means you’ll need to pick RDL!

If you’ve decided on a style but need help picking the right vape kit, our guide will be perfect for you. Ecigone also has a wide range of other guides and informational blogs to top up your vaping knowledge and keep you clued in on the latest developments in the vaping world!