Mouth-to-Lung (MTL) vs Direct-to-lung (DL) Vaping

Mouth-to-Lung Vaping

With mouth-to-lung (M2L or MTL) vaping, you inhale the vapour into your mouth first, collect it there, and 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 draw in the smoke from cigarettes and gather it in their mouths before they can inhale the smoke into their lungs. Early adopters of e-cigarettes also had to mouth-to-lung vape, because of the way basic e-cigarettes mimicked tobacco cigarettes.

Now that vaping has become more sophisticated and e-cigarettes more accessible, people enjoy a mouth-to-lung vape because of the benefits it offers rather than of 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, or a straight-to-lung vape 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 an MTL vape.

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 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 airflow control is also great for direct-to-lung vaping, as you can adjust airflow to satisfy your needs.

MTL 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 and how to inhale vape.

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.