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 vapor. Instead, flavor and nicotine are key to delivering the satisfaction they crave. MtL vapers usually have a setup which outputs at under 15 Watts.
Main benefits of Mouth to Lung
Stealthy: less visible vapor/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.
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 vapor 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 nauseuous and lightheaded)
The DtL vaper’s focus is on sensations of warmth and flavor and the visual satisfaction of the exhale of a larger cloud of vapor
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
Flavor: Many juices are designed for this style of vape, so present their flavors 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