If there is one thing in the this industry that constantly requires creativity and innovation, it has to be vape drip tips. These accessories are some of the most common when it comes to vaping, yet the experience they account for is tremendous. Since it’s the only part of a vape that comes in contact with the user’s lips this is also one of the most subjective. And once you find a model you are comfortable with, you usually stick with it regardless if you replace your tank or atomizer.
What is a vape drip tip
A vape drip tip is also referred to as the mouthpiece and it’s the section of an atomizer or tank that comes in direct contact with the lips. Many this this accessory is removable and even replaceable with other drip tips. The way it does this is with one or two O-rings. These O-rings are either placed on the drip tip itself, or inside the top cap of the atomizer.
How do vape drip tips work
Vapor produced by the atomizer passes through the drip tip and gets inhaled by the user. This way the drip tip directly influences the experience depending on how wide or narrow it is. Narrower drip tips account for a tighter mouth to lung or direct lung draw. Wider drip tips allow for much more airflow and account for a looser direct lung draw.
510 drip tip vs 810 drip tip
510 drip tips are the most commonly used in vaping. This is the industry standard for a couple of years now and most of these mouthpieces are interchangeable. You will find 510 style drip tips with a wide majority of vaspe pens and box mod kits, especially those that don’t come with very powerful sub ohm tanks.
The standard 510 mouthpiece usually has one or two small O-rings around its base, which measures 8.5mm. There are however non-standard 510 drip tips that don’t have O-rings at all. In this case the seals are placed inside the top section of the tank, and therefore will not work with regular 510 drip tips.
810 drip tips on the other hand are much wider. These were first introduced by some of the top RDAs for flavor like the Goon and the Kennedy, and quickly became very popular. These tips have base diameter of 12.5mm and come with the O-ring on either the accessory or inside the top cap. An important thing worth nothing is that the type of 810 drip tip you can use depends only on the placement of the O-ring. You will only be able to use non O-ring drip tips with RDAs or tanks that have the seals on the inside of their top caps, and vice versa.
The most common vape drip tip materials
Delrin - or more commonly referred to as POM - is in fact Polyoxymethylene, a type of plastic that is resistant to heat and prevents its transfer. Many vape companies use this material for their drip tips and it’s one of the most common.
ULTEM - drip tips are made from thermoplastic polyetherimide. They are similar to Delrin, however they have improved heat and solvent resistance. These have become very popular in the last years and their fan base continues to grow.
Resin - drip tips are the most beautiful. They are similar to heat resistant plastic in terms of performance, however they are more colorful and with unique designs. These mouthpieces have also become increasingly popular and for good reason.
Stainless Steel - is also a very popular choice for drip tips. These are affordable and durable, however they transfer heat rather quickly and tend to get hotter than most of the other materials. Some vapers hate their metallic taste and that’s why their popularly has slowly decreased across the years.
Other materials like glass, stone, ceramic or wood have also been used to make drip tips - however they are not as popular as the categories we mentioned above. Most of these mouthpieces are more expensive, and tend to end up as collectibles.
