Mouth to Lung vs Direct to Lung

If you’re new to vaping, or looking to make the switch from cigarettes, you may be interested to know that there are two kinds of vaping hits to enjoy. We take a closer look at mouth to lung vs direct to lung vaping, so you can see which is going to be best for you......

Mouth to Lung vaping

With mouth to lung (M2L or MTL) vaping, you inhale the vapour into your mouth first, collect it there, then breathe it fully into your lungs.

Smokers will be particularly used to mouth to lung vaping, as it’s a similar process to smoking cigarettes. This is because of the way smokers have to suck in the smoke from cigarettes and gather it in their mouth before they can inhale the smoke into their lungs. Early adopters of e-cigarettes also had to vape like this, because of the way basic e-cigarettes mimicked tobacco cigarettes.

Now that vaping has become more sophisticated and e-cigs more accessible, people enjoy a mouth to lung vape because of the benefits it offers rather than from necessity. For a mouth to lung vape, an e-liquid with a high PG level will help you get great flavour, and you can get your e-liquid at a nicotine level that suits you – which is often a key consideration for people who are using e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking.

Direct to Lung vaping

Unlike a mouth to lung vape, direct to lung (DL) vaping is more like simply breathing air normally – you suck the vapour straight into your lungs without letting it linger in your mouth. For this reason, direct to lung vaping can be more intense and satisfying than MTL vaping.

Most people don’t vape like this when they start out, but it has become popular in recent years due to the rise in hobby vaping and cloud chasing. That is, assuming that your e-cig is compatible with DL vaping - some e-cigs are designed to be used specifically for MTL to simulate smoking.

If you try direct to lung vaping, you’ll find that you need to go with a low nicotine or nicotine-free (ie 3mg or even 0mg) e-liquid. This is because the nicotine will hit you in a more direct way, and a high nicotine strength (or high PG strength) could make you cough or feel unpleasant.

You’ll also want to find an e-liquid with a high VG level, which means less PG (and therefore less of a lung hit) but a lot more cloud. A kit with air flow control is also great for direct to lung vaping, as you can adjust air flow to satisfy your needs.

M2L vaping vs DL vaping

There are a few factors that come into play for both mouth to lung and direct to lung vaping, which may help you decide which is right for you.

Mouth to lung vaping gives a better throat hit than DL vaping does, which of course simulates the sensation that smokers are used to. You’ll also find that mouth to lung vaping makes your e-liquid last longer than it would if you were DL vaping. Because of this, and because the action of a mouth to lung vape is similar to cigarette smoking, this is often a good way to vape for most everyday vapers, and it’s the best method to start with if you’re making a move from tobacco cigarettes.

Direct to lung vaping is great if you want to produce great vapour clouds using sub ohm kits, which is why it’s often the preferred method for cloud chasers.

Which vape do you prefer – mouth to lung or direct to lung vaping?