Mouth to Lung vs Direct to Lung. All about puff: which is for you?

At vaping.com we’re focussed on ensuring that you find your perfect vape in the shortest time possible. Choosing between a Mouth to Lung and Direct to Lung puff style will determine what kind of hardware and liquid you use.

This choice will shape your overall vaping experience so it's the most important thing to know when starting out

There's no right or wrong here, it's just preference. So let's have a look at what each entails:

Mouth to Lung

Mouth-to-lung (MtL) is essentially the same as how most people drag on a cigarette. You suck the vape into your mouth and then inhale into your throat or lungs.

People that MtL aren’t focussed on generating huge clouds of vapour. Instead, flavour and nicotine are key to delivering the satisfaction they crave. MtL vapers usually have a setup which outputs at under  15 Watts.

The all time best selling refillable mouth to lung tank is the Aspire Nautilus, and we sell the newly updated version, the Aspire Nautilus 2. Not only is the Aspire Nautilus 2 the best mouth to lung tank, it is one of the 13 best vape tanks currently on the market.

If you want a super compact MtL option, newer pod mods like myJet, iCare Solo and others have massively rekindled interest in Mouth to Lung vaping, especially when paired with nicotine salt vape juice.

Main benefits of Mouth to Lung

Stealthy: less visible vapour/smell

Convenient: The devices tend to be smaller and less vape juice consumed overall.

The main disadvantage of MTL is that you might not get sufficient nicotine to satisfy you, and you might find higher strength nicotine vape juices harsh on your throat. This is why we suggest trying a high strength nicotine salt.

Direct to lung

Direct-to-Lung (DtL) vaping is exactly that! You don’t suck or puff with your mouth, but “breathe through” your atomizer, inhaling larger clouds of vapour off the coil. DtL is sometimes referred to as lung-puffing, or lung-hitting. They’re the same thing

Direct lung isn't just for "cloud chasers". It's a style of vape that many people prefer, even those who aren't looking to chuck vast clouds.  You can take smaller inhales, or big deep old chugs - the cloud you generate is up to you

Direct to lung vapers typically consume more eliquid per day than MTL vapers, especially at higher powers (see, “What’s Watt - a guide to power in vape”)

DtL users typically run their devices at a minimum of 20 watts, with some going up to as high as 300 watts! We've found that most vapers run their equipment at modest power, only going up to the full output very occasionally, or never. A bit like owning a performance car - the pleasure's in knowing you can hit 62 in under three seconds, not actually doing it every time you pull away!

DtL vapers fill their atomisers with lower nicotine strength e-liquid, typically around the 0-6mg mark. They’re consuming more vape juice overall, so it this makes sense: high strength nicotine would be harsh on the throat and could lead to nicotine overconsumption (which can make you feel nauseous and lightheaded)

The DtL vaper’s focus is on sensations of warmth and flavour and the visual satisfaction of the exhale of a larger cloud of vapour

Main benefits of Direct to lung

Sensation: Direct to Lung creates unique sensations of warmth and 'lung-fullness'

Visual aspect: Yup, bigger clouds. Very important for many vapers to see a nice exhale of vape

Flavour: Many juices are designed for this style of vape, so present their flavours best

The main disadvantage of direct to lung vaping is that it requires more of a commitment, with bulkier hardware and more liquid consumed overall

Our pick for the best intro to direct to lung vaping is the Innokin Slipstream starter kit

Hybrid vape styles

MtL and DtL are two broad categories, but they’re not the whole story. As vapers experiment, they often find they enjoy both styles of vaping and choose one over the other depending on the setting.

One device that's great for experimenting between lung and mouth puff styles is the Kangertech Subvod. In fact, it's our overall recommended starter kit for the novice user for that exact reason.

As with the Subvod, many of today’s atomizers have adjustable airflow which allows you to set it tight, for a mouth-puff, or open, for a lung-puff. You may find that your perfect vape isn't neatly described as MtL or DtL

At the end of the day, it’s about finding out what you like through a process of experimentation. Hopefully you found this a helpful guide