EDGE Quality, EDGE Speed – Free Shipping On Orders £15+

Everything you need to know about MTL vs DTL - Blog banner

Everything You Need to Know About MTL vs DTL

This blog aims to cover what you have been wanting to know about the difference between MTL and DTL. If you are relatively new to vaping, or you have never quite seemed to grasp the many initialisms that come with the territory, then this blog is for you. We will take you through everything from the different coils needed for the two forms of vaping as well as what type of e-liquid you should be using. 

First and foremost, let’s start by defining what the initialisms actually stand for.

MTL Vaping (Mouth-To-Lung)

MTL stands for ‘Mouth-to-Lung’ and is often the preferred vaping style that is used if you want to replicate the sensation of smoking a cigarette. This will give you the throat hit you have been looking for. As MTL produces much less vapour, compared to DTL vaping, you will find that you use much less e-liquid and therefore will be a more cost-effective method of vaping. For MTL vaping, a 50/50 consistency needs to be used, which provides the throat hit.

DTL Vaping (Direct-To-Lung)

DTL stands for ‘Direct-to-Lung’ and refers to the process of vaping that means inhaling the vapour directly into your lungs before exhaling.

MTL and DTL require different vaping devices, and different devices often mean that you will get something different out of your vaping experience. 

The main property to note between MTL and DTL is the coil and the power requirements. These are the major differences to consider for either vaping style. DTL requires more power and a lower ohm coil.

The consistency that works for DTL vaping is 80/20, also known as High-VG. As there is less PG, this method is not as harsh as MTL and doesn’t kick as much. 

Gold lightning bolt symbol on a white background

Vape Kit Power

If you take a close look at the coils, you will find that there is writing inscribed on the side very subtly. These portray the suggested wattage as well as the resistance. You will find that these are different for MTL coils than they are for DTL coils. For DTL coils, you should find that the lower the resistance there is, the higher the wattage should be. It is the opposite, however, for MTL coils, and you will be looking for a higher resistance to a lower wattage. 

EDGE Vaping Coil icon in gold

Vape Kit Coils

In a MTL device, the coils are much smaller (in reference to their height and diameter) in comparison to the coils which are found in DTL devices. The reason for this is that the smaller the diameter of the coil, the less air is able to get into the mouthpiece and, therefore, this enables you to replicate the tighter pull that smoking would create. 

When it comes to DTL coils, they are more likely to be sub ohm and therefore, have a bigger diameter. This allows for more airflow and in turn aids the creation of big clouds.

So What About E-Liquid Choice?

If you have decided that a MTL vaping style is right for you, then you should be looking at using a balanced PG to VG ratio (i.e. 50/50), with a max ratio of 60/40.  The reason behind this suggested ratio is due to the fact that a more balanced PG to VG ratio means that the liquid will be runnier and in turn get to the coil quicker. If you want to use vaping as a means to replicate smoking, then you may want to seek out a higher nicotine strength. 

With DTL vaping, you want to be looking at using a ratio that produces a thicker liquid such as 70% VG to 30% PG, as this will ultimately help with the cloud vapour production. This can be pushed up to a ratio of 80/20 if desired. When it comes to nicotine levels with DTL, you will want to be using much lower levels than you would in a MTL, no more than 6mg per ml.

DTL/Sub Ohm

As we mentioned earlier in the blog, DTL vaping is a little different as it is often used to generate vast clouds of vapour. There is still some form of throat hit from DTL vaping, but it will be much less than that of a MTL. You may have also heard this method of vaping be referred to as ‘Sub Ohm’ vaping. DTL is often used by the much more experienced vapers and has also been known to offer a slightly clearer taste in flavour. 

We hope that this has offered some insight into the difference between MTL and DTL so that you can now make an informed decision on what you want out of your vaping experience. Here at EDGE, we want you to get the most out of your vape and offer a vast selection of different vape juice strengths and flavours, so why not explore our extensive e-liquid collection today?