If you've never tried DTL vaping before, you're in for a treat. DTL, also known as Direct-To-Lung or Direct-Lung vaping, is the vape style favoured by many advanced vapers.
If you want to try DTL vaping, you'll need the right tank with sub-ohm coils, adjustable airflow, and a wide drip tip for those airy puffs. To help you find your perfect sub-ohm tank for DTL vaping, we've put together this guide with everything you need to know about DTL vaping and the best sub-ohm vape tanks on the market.
What is DTL vaping?
To explain how this style of vaping works, we'll need to take a closer look at the two main vape styles: MTL and DTL.
Mouth-To-Lung
Mouth-To-Lung vaping is the style most similar to how you would smoke a cigarette. First, you take a puff from your vape and draw the vapour into your mouth and hold it there. Then, you inhale that vapour into your lungs. Finally, you exhale the small cloud of vapour.
MTL vaping is the type of vaping associated with disposable vapes, cig-a-likes, and low powered vape kits and pod kits aimed at beginner or casual vapers. A vape tank designed for MTL vaping will usually have less airflow, smaller coils, and a thinner drip tip than a sub-ohm tank. Usually, MTL vaping is done with 50/50 or high PG e-liquids or nic salts, and this style of vaping produces a noticeable throat hit like smoking a cigarette.
Never tried MTL vaping before or want to learn more about it? You might be interested in our guide to the best beginner vape tanks which is a great place to start.
Direct-To-Lung
In contrast to MTL vaping, DTL vaping involves taking a drag on your vape and inhaling the vapour directly into your lungs. Then, you exhale big clouds of vapour. This style of vaping is more similar to that of using a shisha, which is why it is sometimes referred to as shisha-style.
DTL vaping is also called sub-ohm vaping because it uses vape coils with a resistance of below 1 ohm. These low resistance coils allow more power to move through the coil wire, heating the coils more and allowing them to vaporise more e-liquid to create those huge vapour clouds.
DTL vaping is considered by many vapers to be the best style of vaping because of the amazing clouds of vapour and pure flavours it provides. If you've never tried a sub-ohm vape before, read on to get to grips with this amazing vaping style.
What is a sub-ohm tank?
Sub-ohm tanks, also known as DTL tanks, are vape tanks that have been designed with DTL vaping and big clouds of vapour in mind. There are a few key features that distinguish a sub-ohm tank from an MTL vape tank.
Coils
The first unique feature of sub-ohm tanks is that they are used with coils that have a resistance of below 1 ohm, and often below 0.5 ohm. These sub-ohm coils are often larger and with thicker wire than your standard vape coil.
Mesh coils are a style of sub-ohm vape coil that instead of using a twisted wire use a thin sheet of metal with holes punched in it. This mesh-like appearance is what gives mesh coils their name. Mesh coils are favoured by some vapers for sub-ohm vaping because their high surface area and flat construction allow them to heat very evenly. This provides great clouds of vapour, prolongs the lifespan of mesh coils, and reduces the risk of burnt spots in your cotton wick.
Airflow
Most sub-ohm tanks feature adjustable airflow, a feature that allows you to change the amount of air that moves through your vape. This is often done with an adjustable airflow ring which can be rotated to cover or open the adjustable airflow slots. In general, sub-ohm vaping requires a large amount of air to move through the tank to produce those airy and huge clouds.
Side note: adjustable airflow also allows you to control the temperature of your vapour and the strength of the throat hit. A higher airflow results in a cooler and looser draw with less throat hit, while a decreased airflow has the opposite effect.
E-liquid capacity and filling
To create those impressive clouds of vapour, sub-ohm vaping needs to get through a lot of vape juice. Due to TPD regulations, sub-ohm tanks in the UK and EU are limited to an vape juice capacity of 2ml. This can mean that the biggest cloud-chasing vapers may find themselves having to refill the vape juice frequently, so a good filling mechanism is important. Many vapers favour a top-fill design, which is easy to use and reduces the risk of leakage.
For vaping with a sub-ohm DTL tank, it's important to choose an e-liquid with a high VG ratio and low or zero nicotine.
Why high VG e-liquids?
VG or Vegetable Glycerine is the ingredient in your vape juice that produces those lovely huge clouds. For sub-ohm vaping, it's important to find a vape juice with a VG percentage of 70% or above to get the best vaping experience.
Why low or no nicotine?
Because so much e-liquid is turned into vapour in each puff, using an vape juice with nicotine can lead to quickly consuming too much nicotine and feeling unwell. It can also cause an unpleasant throat hit. Therefore, we recommend using a shortfill vape juice with little to no nicotine added.
Which sub-ohm tank should I choose?
Now, the question everyone's asking: what is the best sub-ohm tank? As your trusty online vape store, we try all types of vape tanks and we can say with certainty that these are some of the best sub-ohm tanks currently on the market.
For best performance
To get the absolute best vaping experience from your sub-ohm tank, we can't recommend the Hellvape Hellbeast 2 Tank highly enough. This is a truly outstanding 24mm sub-ohm tank which features an easy-to-use top filling mechanism, top-to-bottom adjustable airflow, and an easy-grip adjustable airflow ring for smooth airflow control. With a 0.2 ohm kanthal mesh coil pre-installed, this vape tank from Hellvape provides an exceptional sub-ohm vaping experience. Plus, its anti-condensation drip tip is a great feature that improves the overall experience. Available in five great colours, this is an attractive and amazing addition to your vape kit.
For a budget-friendly sub-ohm tank
Want a great sub-ohm experience without spending a huge amount of money? Look no further than the GeekVape Zeus Sub-Ohm Tank -- an excellent vape tank from GeekVape that won't break the bank. With both direct top airflow and top-to-bottom airflow, this sub-ohm tank can generate some huge clouds from your high VG vape juice. GeekVape have added a quick slide coil design to make this vape tank super easy to operate, as well as a new fill port which reduces the likelihood of spillages when refilling with vape juice. It also uses GeekVape's mesh Z1 coils, with the 0.2 ohm pre-installed coil operating best at 70-80W and the additional 0.4 ohm mesh coil performing optimally at 60-70W.
Overall, we'd say that this is the perfect sub-ohm tank for anyone new to the world of sub-ohm e-cigarettes due to its budget-friendly and easy-to-use nature.
For vapers who enjoy RDTL vaping, too
Enjoy switching between DTL and RDTL (Restricted-Direct-To-Lung) vaping? The perfect sub-ohm vape tank for you is the Hellvape x WiRice Launcher Mini Sub-Ohm Tank. Simple and easy to use, this sub-ohm tank is compatible with the new T3 series coils which are available in a 0.7 ohm mesh coil and 1.2 ohm Kanthal coil. It also features a top fill hole which reduces leakage and adjustable bottom airflow. Providing pure and powerful flavours as well as impressive, dense vapour from the low resistance mesh coil, this sub-ohm tank is a truly versatile piece of hardware that will delight many vapers.
Some of our other favourite sub-ohm tanks
Because sub-ohm vape mods and tanks are our favourites, here are just a few more of the best ones that vapers really need to try.
We love Freemax's Fireluke 4 Tank, a powerful and attractive little sub-ohm tank. Using the impressive FM Coiltech5.0/Double D Mesh coil technology, this vape tank from Freemax will blow you away with its delicious flavour and vapour production.
Another excellent vape tank for all your sub-ohm needs is the Lost Vape Centaurus Vape Tank. Stylish and ergonomic, this high quality sub-ohm vape tank from Lost Vape has top-to-bottom airflow with stepless adjustable airflow control, a large fill port for easier filling, and easy push and pull coil installation. Plus, it's one of the best looking vape tanks on the market!
Finally, we can't forget to mention the Horizontech Aquila Tank. Easy to use with an innovative upright rising airflow design and a plug-in-out coil change system, this vape tank from Horizontech is ideal for any sub-ohm vaper. We love the included E1 and P1 coils which use a flavour enhancing mesh design.
Conclusion
Sub-ohm vape tanks are a necessity if you want to enjoy the biggest vape clouds and best vaping experience. With amazing vape tanks being released all the time from our favourite vape hardware brands such as GeekVape, Uwell, Freemax, Vaporesso, and more, there are hundreds of high quality and affordable vape tanks on the market.
Still searching for your perfect vape tank for DTL vaping? Browse our full range of sub-ohm vape tanks today.
