Vape Anatomy Explained: The Parts of a Vape

What exactly IS that vape pen made of?

Vape pens are a great alternative to smoking and even act as a good middle-man between the smoker and the ex-smoker . They get their name from what they do.

A vape pen heats up a liquid solution that contains varying amounts of nicotine, vaporizing the liquid for inhalation. It's like a cigarette but healthier.

At first glance, vape pens make look like pretty simple pieces of technology. In fact, a lot of engineering ingenuity went into building these things.

Here, we'll go over the different parts of a vape and how they work in conjunction to get that e-juice into your lungs.

Battery

All e-cigarettes contain a battery to keep things running smoothly. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are generally used for convenience.

There are two ways that the batteries can operate on a vape. There are automatic batteries that engage when the user sucks on the mouthpiece and manual batteries that are engaged using a button on the side.

Press the button to turn the vape on. Pretty simple stuff!

Atomizer

From there, things get a little more scientific. The battery connects to the heating element, which is called the atomizer. The atomizer is powered when the battery is engaged. It heats up a coil that vaporizes the e-juice. The atomizer = vaporizer. 

Tank

The tank is the thing that holds all of the e-juice. In re-useable vaporizers, you buy e-juice refills and fill up the tank. In disposable vaporizers, the tank is more commonly referred to as a cartridge.

Most disposable vaporizers combine the cartridge and the atomizer, which is conveniently called a "cartomizer".

The liquid sits in the tank, and as the heating element becomes hot, it vaporizes the liquid in it. Once the liquid is vaporized, it's ready to inhale via the mouthpiece.

Mouthpiece

Lastly, the mouthpiece is the part of the vaporizer that comes in contact with the user's lips. As you inhale, it funnels the vapor from the heated e-juice into your mouth.

Some vaporizers are engaged by sucking on the mouthpiece to activate the heating element. Others use a button attached to the battery to turn the atomizer on, which allows you to inhale the e-juice.

E-Juice

E-juice is the liquid solution used in vaporizers. It contains propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, and usually contains a specific set amount of nicotine or cannabis.

Most retailers have a wide selection of flavors of e-juice. They range from sweets and sours to milk and fruit. E-juice also comes in a variety of strengths, containing smaller and larger amounts of nicotine.

Parts of a Vape Work Together

All of the parts of a vape work together to get the e-juice from the tank into your mouth. Every piece is equally important and one part won't work without the one before it.

The atomizer won't work without the use of the battery, the tank holding the e-juice won't vaporize without the engaged atomizer, and nothing will come through the mouthpiece without the tank of e-juice.

All the parts work as a team to give you the best vaping experience possible.

For more posts about vaping and what types of e-juice are good for beginners, visit our blog.