Drip Tip – What is it in Vaping?

Definition

A driptip is the removable mouthpiece attached to the top of a vapetank, atomiser, or disposable vape that you draw vapour through. Acting as the final section of the vapour path, it is designed to be heat-resistant and comfortable on the lips while allowing e-liquid flavour to come through cleanly. Drip tips come in countless shapes, materials, and bore sizes, letting vapers customise draw tightness, heat feel, and even cloud production. For beginners, it is simply “the bit you puff on”; for advanced users, swapping drip tips is the quickest way to fine-tune a DTL (Direct to Lung) or mouth-to-lung setup without changing the entire device.

Technical Details

Standard drip tips use either a friction-fit 510 connection (8.5 mm base diameter) or a wider 810 fitting (12.5 mm) popular on cloud-chasing atomisers. Inside, the bore can taper from 3 mm (tight, flavour-focused) to 10 mm (open, high-airflow). Materials affect heat dissipation and flavour: stainless steel stays cool but can feel cold; Delrin/PEEK is heat-proof and lightweight; resin and stabilized wood add insulation plus aesthetics; glass and ceramic offer purity but fragility. Some drip tips include spit-back guards, adjustable airflow rings, or built-in 510-810 adapters. High-end “dripper caps” integrate directly into the coildeck, eliminating the need for a separate tip and shortening the vapour path for warmer, denser clouds.

Usage & Tips

  • Match the bore to your style: narrow for cigarette-like draws, wide for DTL cloud chasing.
  • Prevent Hit“>dry hit taste: rotate or swap the tip if residual heat builds; resin/Delrin tips stay cooler than metal.
  • Clean weekly with warm water or a quick alcohol wipe to remove condensed e-liquid and avoid “flavour ghosting” between juices.
  • Check o-rings when moving your drip tip between tanks; a loose seal can cause wobble or spit-back.
  • Safety: ensure the tip is heat-rated for the coil you run; dual-coil builds can overheat low-grade plastic tips, risking deformation or chemical leaching.

History & Context

Drip tips began as simple metal tubes on early rebuildable dripping atomisers (RDAs) circa 2009, letting vapers drip juice straight through the mouthpiece without removing the top cap. As sub-ohm tanks and disposable vapes evolved, the humble tip became a style statement and performance tuner, spawning collector markets for limited-edition resin and stab-wood pieces across Australia and worldwide.

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