Vape Atomizers for Vapers – Terms and Abbreviations, Part III
In an atomizer, whatever the model, e-liquid is heated by electrical current passing through the coil, and what you inhale is vapour.
Cartomizer
Cartomizers were originally disposable: a plastic component with a heating coil and filler material that could still be refilled. In a way, the cartomizer is the ancestor of all the plastic tanks that followed.
Clearomizer
A modern tank may be more advanced than the early clearomizers, but clearos still have their advantages. Clearomizers are usually made of plastic and don’t use filler material; depending on the model, they use cotton wicks instead. The downside is that they’re less durable than glass tanks, and e-liquids with menthol crystals are not suitable for plastic housings. In terms of flavour, they’re also not as neutral as modern atomizers.
Dual Coil Tankomizer (DCT)
Unlike modern tanks, the DCT is simply made of plastic. The DCT principle isn’t dead, though; you’ll come across it again in the coils we buy for tanks. The BDC – Bottom Dual Coil – works on the same principle.
The only difference is that DCT coils simply have two or three holes directly in the coil itself, while more modern coils are more sophisticated and the airflow can be adjusted separately on the tank. Again, the plastic tank has its drawbacks depending on the e-liquid, but it’s much cheaper than a modern tank and still great for testing liquids. Plus, if you drop it, you might have to hunt for your mouthpiece, but the tank itself will still be in one piece.
Bottom Dual Coil (BDC)
This simply describes where the coil head sits and that it’s a dual coil, meaning an atomizer head with two coils. The position of the coil also affects the flavour of the e-liquid. Bottom, meaning at the base of the atomizer, is the standard today.
Atomizer
Originally, an atomizer was a part with very little space for e-liquid and was considered ideal for dripping. So it was used as a synonym for a dripper. Today, the term is used more broadly, even when it isn’t actually a dripper. In short, you’ll also find clearos or tanks referred to as atomizers! And that’s correct, because the principle of vaporising a carrier liquid using an atomizer was invented for the film industry. Every fog machine works on the atomizer principle, which was developed by Günther Schaidt in the 1970s. In short, every atomizer basically works on the same principle as a dripper, just with more capacity.
Dripper
A dripper is an atomizer without a tank – in other words, a tankless atomizer. These days, it’s usually associated with rebuildable atomizers. Instead of using a tank, you drip a few drops of e-liquid directly onto a wicking material – basically onto a wick. Some vapers swear by this style of vaping because of the flavour.
If you’re vaping to get away from cigarettes, however, you’ll probably be happier with a tank, at least at the start of your vaping journey – because a dripper needs fresh e-liquid every few puffs.
There’s still plenty more to say and explain about atomizers. Next week, Part IV is all about coils and topics such as sub-ohm vaping.
