Shaking the tree - terminology...

Status
Not open for further replies.

Mike.S

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Sep 30, 2013
158
165
Michigan
OK, I'm a newbie. Picked this up as about a month ago as what I believe to be a better alternative to smoking tobacco. I've spent much more time than necessary understanding what's what. All I read/hear in the "vaping" world reminds me of all the BS in the audiophile world of subjectivity over objectivity, form over function, obscure terminology for obfuscation instead of understanding.

The terminology just seems to be part of an exclusive, private club. You're either in or out, and it's a bar to entry.

Peeves:

"vaping." OK, I understand the desire to differentiate from smoking tobacco, I really do. But please understand that "vaping" is likely to convey (illegal) drug connotations to the general public, right or wrong. I can't pretend to have come up with something better, but "smoking alternative" or "vapor smoking" is probably better received, whether it looks like a cigarette or not.

"Analogs." Just call them cigarettes, which is what everyone else does. If you want to make people think they're not part of the club, calling them analogs is a good start.

"Cartos." "Attos." "Clearos." "Glassos." etc. They're all atomizers/vaporizers (pick a term). I get the whole custom/differentiation thing, but lose the cuteness and use one all encompassing term to refer to this part. Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo are OK.

"e-juice," "e-liquid." It's not the juice of anything. It's not electronic ("e") in any way. It's a liquid, just call it that. Or maybe "e-cigarette liquid."

... does "mod' mean? Perhaps it at one time meant modified. But, if you can buy a "mod" off the shelf, it's not modified, is it? Just call it a battery. Maybe it's fancy. It doesn't matter, it's a battery (holder).

VV/VW. VV is really CV - sure, you control (vary) it, but you're telling it to deliver a Constant Voltage. VW is the same only different, it's actually Constant Wattage. Plain batteries with no electronics provide VV/VW - the Voltage/Wattage varies as you drain the battery. And that terminology come from a long history of professional, lab grade, voltage sources/power supplies, don't try to change it. But it is, first and foremost, a battery.

Having said all that (and I'm sure I could think of more), I don't expect to change the industry. But many here seem to want to encourage this to go mainstream faster than it already is. The whole terminology thing makes that hard, and presents a barrier to entry - fundamentally there are only three things involved - a power source (call it a battery), a liquid, and a vaporizer. Don't make it harder than it is, that comes later. If you try to get someone into it, tell them to get a battery (and charger), a vaporizer which fits it, and a liquid which tastes good to them - the detail comes later.

Or, don't. But expect that big tobacco will make it easy to understand/buy/use, and that's where the market will go. This industry is its own worst enemy.

Now, get off my lawn.
 

riseabovethestorm

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 22, 2013
536
653
Grayling, MI, USA
www.kalkaskamma.com
This seemed appropriate:

troll-troll-face-l.png
 

vaperature

Moved On
ECF Veteran
Oct 8, 2013
1,752
1,869
Chicago
OK, I'm a newbie. Picked this up as about a month ago as what I believe to be a better alternative to smoking tobacco. I've spent much more time than necessary understanding what's what. All I read/hear in the "vaping" world reminds me of all the BS in the audiophile world of subjectivity over objectivity, form over function, obscure terminology for obfuscation instead of understanding.

The terminology just seems to be part of an exclusive, private club. You're either in or out, and it's a bar to entry.

Peeves:

"Vaping." OK, I understand the desire to differentiate from smoking tobacco, I really do. But please understand that "vaping" is likely to convey (illegal) drug connotations to the general public, right or wrong. I can't pretend to have come up with something better, but "smoking alternative" or "vapor smoking" is probably better received, whether it looks like a cigarette or not.

"Analogs." Just call them cigarettes, which is what everyone else does. If you want to make people think they're not part of the club, calling them analogs is a good start.

"Cartos." "Attos." "Clearos." "Glassos." etc. They're all atomizers/vaporizers (pick a term). I get the whole custom/differentiation thing, but lose the cuteness and use one all encompassing term to refer to this part. Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo are OK.

"e-juice," "e-liquid." It's not the juice of anything. It's not electronic ("e") in any way. It's a liquid, just call it that. Or maybe "e-cigarette liquid."

... does "mod' mean? Perhaps it at one time meant modified. But, if you can buy a "mod" off the shelf, it's not modified, is it? Just call it a battery. Maybe it's fancy. It doesn't matter, it's a battery (holder).

VV/VW. VV is really CV - sure, you control (vary) it, but you're telling it to deliver a Constant Voltage. VW is the same only different, it's actually Constant Wattage. Plain batteries with no electronics provide VV/VW - the Voltage/Wattage varies as you drain the battery. And that terminology come from a long history of professional, lab grade, voltage sources/power supplies, don't try to change it. But it is, first and foremost, a battery.

Having said all that (and I'm sure I could think of more), I don't expect to change the industry. But many here seem to want to encourage this to go mainstream faster than it already is. The whole terminology thing makes that hard, and presents a barrier to entry - fundamentally there are only three things involved - a power source (call it a battery), a liquid, and a vaporizer. Don't make it harder than it is, that comes later. If you try to get someone into it, tell them to get a battery (and charger), a vaporizer which fits it, and a liquid which tastes good to them - the detail comes later.

Or, don't. But expect that big tobacco will make it easy to understand/buy/use, and that's where the market will go. This industry is its own worst enemy.

Now, get off my lawn.

Vaping makes me think of a container of water with a bit of Vicks in it and a little engine on top. Never heard any drug users refer to what they do as vaping. I kind of like being in the club and learning the lingo. I'm also in no rush for it to go mainstream. The suppliers are already out of stock of half their merchandise as it is.
 

Jayvaps

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Sep 22, 2013
614
864
South Florida
Not differentiating between different delivery devices by their proper name and instead callig them all vaporizers or whatever else you think is proper will actually make things worse. As different delivery systems provide different performance to various people. Heck, they need to be broken down even more based on the style, bottom coil, top coil, dual coil, single coil...genisis style, etc etc etc.

Knowing the correct terminology aids new vapers in finding devices that perform correctly for them vs those that do not.

I won't get into the rest of your post.
 

StormFinch

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 22, 2010
2,683
4,811
Arkansas
Woah, dude. Up your nicotine percentage, will ya? ;););)

Most of these terms have been around for years, and almost any activity is going to have acronyms, abbreviations, etc. Just be glad we've moved past the big cartomizer stage for the most part. That means we're not all talking about .... plugs (the small silicone nail shaped piece that goes in the bottom hole) and condoms. (the silicone cap they come in) :lol:
 

riseabovethestorm

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 22, 2013
536
653
Grayling, MI, USA
www.kalkaskamma.com
I won't get into the rest of your post.

Oh, but I will.

My Peeves:
- People that post comments and statements that they are well aware are of an inflammatory nature.
- People that dilute communities. This group of people are very passionate and knowledgeable about the subject matter at hand. Yes, there is a certain swing of lingo that must be remembered to truly gain the most benefit out of these threads. These types are afraid of what they don't understand.
- People that enter these communities and get upset because they are simply overwhelmed.
- We're not on your damn lawn.
 

Ryedan

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Mar 31, 2012
12,869
19,652
Ontario, Canada
OK, I'm a newbie. Picked this up as about a month ago as what I believe to be a better alternative to smoking tobacco. I've spent much more time than necessary understanding what's what. All I read/hear in the "vaping" world reminds me of all the BS in the audiophile world of subjectivity over objectivity, form over function, obscure terminology for obfuscation instead of understanding.

The terminology just seems to be part of an exclusive, private club. You're either in or out, and it's a bar to entry.

Yup, you're right. It would be better if the terms we call things were more accurate. There's a thread on this very thing about weekly. And it gets even more confusing when you go to other places in the world and they have their own terms that are different than ours in NA.

OTOH, it isn't going to change anytime soon LOL. So, are you going to take it or leave it :unsure:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread