Mtl vs dl for flavor

[Alex Mohler]

I've searched and searched for the answer to this particular question. But I seem to be getting a lot of comparisons of the technicalities of each style of vaping but nothing about the difference in flavor. Would someone please shed some light on this for me.

 

[ScottP]

I've searched and searched for the answer to this particular question. But I seem to be getting a lot of comparisons of the technicalities of each style of vaping but nothing about the difference in flavor. Would someone please shed some light on this for me.

Really either way the vapor is going through your mouth and across your tongue, so I am not sure there would be a difference. It would probably depend more on the specific flavor and device you used it in, more than MTL vs DTL. MTL and DTL are really just an inhalation techniques, so you can try both ways with whatever you have and see. As a side note, this is one of the best things about DIY juice, you can custom tailor it for what ever style and intensity you choose.

 

[Fredman1]

I was a staunch MTLr (the first two years) but really started tasting flavor when I tried DL. Airflow and how close the coil is to my mouth, makes the difference for me.

 

[dennism]

For me dtl provides the most flavor by far, especially on my freemax fire luke mesh and the freemax mesh pro.

 

[Vapemesilly]

There is no either / or answer. You have to figure out what works best for you.

 

[vaper1960]

I started out doing MTL with a Nautilus X tank and 1.8 ohm coils (using 14 watts) I like loose MTL so used it wide open... flavor was great! Then I got a couple RTAs (they have different airflow inserts for MTL and DL) I used the smaller airflow insert and a simple coil I made with 26 ga kanthal (3mm ID 7 1/2 wraps 1.2 ohm) Intake airflow about half way open (made for very loose MTL) Started out using 20 watts... it was OK but not enough flavor and vapor. Finally bumped it up to 25 watts and the vapor and flavor exploded! Found that "sweet spot". That was with cotton wick... trying rayon next (many say it has more flavor) Like ScottP said, MTL and DL are just general technique and also used to reference amount of airflow. My second RTA is built using larger airflow insert (restricted DL) and a clapton coil 0.8 ohms running 30 watts. Unfortunately, my usual juices have 9-12 mg nicotine and blew my head off so had to dilute it with more VG and a bit of water. Can't comment on flavor using that (it was actually my first experience with DL) Hopefully will try some better juice soon and let you know about flavor. What does all this mean? It really depends on the combination of coil (especially in a rebuildable tank) and power used. Also, I don't like overly sweet juices and too much PG bothers my throat (some people like "throat hit"... not me) VG has it's own sweetness that I prefer. That might be part of why I liked the RTA more (higher VG juice) Placement of coil, size of chamber, size/length of chimney, wick material are all factors with a RTA so there is not a simple answer. Others have mentioned they get lots of flavor from full blown DL. I will try some of the same juice juice even if it has too much nic... (I'm also very curious) BTW, it's peach/mango cake flavor (a mix of two premade juices) I also do DIY but out of PG at the moment. Since I'm going to re-wick soon with rayon, going to push the watts even higher and see what happens (that 5 watt difference doubled the flavor!)

 

[Falconeer]

I think Vapemesilly has nailed it - no two folk are exactly the same and all will have their own ideas. You just have to try things all ways then settle for the way that suits you best.

Updating what we used to say on the pipe smoking forums - "Vape what you like, and like what you vape!"

 

[Pigs]

I hear some reviewers say MTL is better for flavour but my experience is the opposite. DL vaping gives me much stronger flavour.

 

[SleeZy]

I still prefer MTL such as the old school kayfuns, i've yet to find something that matches that in flavor.
I've heard that berserker beats it, but i've yet to try it.

I've quite a few drippers aswell that are my DTL but i rarely use them. And they do give atleast initially a stronger flavor hit, but quickly subsides or how i should explain it. MTL seem to retain it's flavor over a long time and not instantly blast you with the flavors which makes you taste them less, IE vapors tounge sort of deal.

That said, i've not tried many of the newer DTL tanks out there as it's not my vaping style so my opinion might be abit skewed twards MTL.

 

[Blitzdonlife]

Using a tank or rda with a small chamber affects flavor more for me than anything. Someone explained it to me once, they said it creates a denser vapor, makes sense. Slowly exhaling through my nose and mouth at the same time also works to increase the taste of my juice.

 

[Oregon Linda]

I hear some reviewers say MTL is better for flavour but my experience is the opposite. DL vaping gives me much stronger flavour.

Totally agree. That seemed to be the conventional wisdom on this forum a few years ago. People were always saying that your lungs don't have taste buds, DL was just for clouds. But they seem to have forgotten that vapor goes over your tongue when you vape. DL gives you more vapor because you have more air. So more of it goes over your tongue where your taste buds are. Once I finally tried DL, I never went back to MTL.

 

[vaper1960]

Update: filled the restricted DL with the same juice I was using with the loose MTL. Bumped them both another 5 watts. Both handled the extra power just fine. The MTL retained the same flavor just more vapor. The DL didn't have more flavor just more vapor. For me, the loose MTL won but it may have to do with coils. I would have thought the clapton (with more surface area) would have helped but the regular round wire coil had more wraps. Not experienced enough to be sure. Could also be with MTL I got more vapor in the mouth (and through nose also on exhale) With the DL it was more like more vapor alone provided flavor. Sort of like quantity vs quality of flavor. I'm not quite nic buzzed... but I did promise to do this.

 

[AngeNZ]

I'm a frankenvaper - I vape MTL on restricted DL atomisers. So I have plenty of airflow, and I always get flavour galore

 

[mcclintock]

It's a different flavor, not necessarily stronger or weaker. The really special, different MTL flavors occur with very tight airflow only. Maybe it's hotter at the coil, or gets concentrated more not being able to immediately leave the chamber. The mouthpiece shape doesn't seem as critical, like it's always turbulent due to the back pressure and a bit of leakage/slipstreaming. It's highly variable and usually the juice doesn't work well in anything else. The liquid has to be strongly flavored because so little is used, but it's more than that.

With DL/loose MTL I think the mouthpiece is a huge factor. When it is large enough to pass a certain amount of vapor, any less vapor production will kill flavor. Yeah, lots of power and big coils ought to have good flavor, but if you could even cram that through a small drip tip it would be too much flavor. The flavor character itself is purer and contains more PG/VG flavor. Less nicotine bite too, if concentration is scaled.

 

[stols001]

Sit down a million people and have them eat (a fairly similar if not identical if we want to get pedantic about it) strawberry, and then write what it "tastes" like.

Quite frankly, every flavor combination, every atomizer, every design is going to give you different things. I can vape THE exact same juice in two different MTL setups (I personally like a very COOL, but airy, so I get plenty of vapor but it's not overly hot, MTL style. That is what I have arrived at.) That is what *I* happen to like. But I can put juice in a drop in coil tank and an RTA set up (both) for like, loose MTL and taste completely different notes, although yeah, I know it's "kind of" the same flavor.

The road to your perfect vaping experience (unless you have a few specific things, like I HATE the tailpipe vape, my lungs don't handle a DL mesh vape with any kind of gracefulness whatsoever but I really pushed my lungs right to... "We are about to like diagnose you with COPD" by my docs. I might enjoy the flavor MORE if I were not, oh, coughing my brains out, it ah, takes away from the flavor experience as it were.)

However, apart from that, your road to perfect vaping will be littered with tanks liberally strewn along the way, so if you aren't CERTAIN what is good for YOU do some experimenting on the CHEAP side. I got a couple Nautilus 2s before I got a couple Kabuki tanks for example.

So there is absolutely NO relevant experience other than YOURS. Buy a mod that can go from 5 watts, say, to 150 (if you must) and get some inexpensive tanks that you can try and perhaps some sample bottles of flavoring of different VG/PG/Nic strengths and etc.

Play around. Discover what you like, Do it soonish, rather than later, at which point you may have to decide which flavor of "cardboard" cigalikes you need to purchase to satisfy your "Flavor" needs in case the FDA "Deeming Date" arrives on time, and you have your choice of really horrible, flavorless vapes (still better than nothing but not exactly awesome.)

Good luck!
Anna

 

[greek mule]

What @Vapemesilly said.

 

[Alex Mohler]

Thank you guys for all your input! I really appreciate it!