Consensus of Vaping Terminology

[J.R.R.Tokin']

Let me tell you all why I started this thread.

When I first looked into vaporizing about a year ago I basically had no idea about vaporizers. I'd been a joint smoker for over 20 years and had only owned 1 bong in my life about 18 years ago that got little use. I didn't know a single person with a vaporizer and had only spoken to maybe 2 people that had even hit a Volcano bag once or twice.

I tried to do some reading up on forums and review sites and looked at a few youtube videos, but I found it all way too difficult to understand. Now, I consider myself a relatively intelligent guy but I didn't know WTF anyone was on about. They may as well all have been talking about building a jet engine for all the sense it made as I had no frame of reference.

Anyway, midway last year my uncle gets diagnosed with lung cancer and I was determined then to re-investigate the whole vaporizer thing again. So I came back to FC, which I had encountered in my search before but found way too daunting to stick with, and started reading. I was reading without really understanding all I was reading to begin with. Then slowly, after a few months, I got to grips with the terminology, the technology and the industry and made a decision to make the leap and buy a DESKTOP and PORTABLE within 2 days of each other and gave up smoking for good - one of the best moves I ever made!

Not everyone has the motivation I did to research a new field where new technological advancements are happening almost monthly. Maybe in the US you have a greater exposure to vaporizers in head shops and dispensaries, but over here in the UK there is no such thing. I had to take a real leap of faith to spend about $500 on technology I had never used before and didn't know anyone else that had used before and only had strangers postings on forums to say they worked at all!

I used to run a wine shop. I studied and obtained my WSET (Booze Diploma). In the wine industry there are very specific categorisations and terminologies that help describe all elements of wine. From the growing to the fermenting, for flavours and colours, for smells and how the wine feels on your tongue.

All of these terminologies allow people to talk about all the different aspects of wine much more easily. Even when trying to describe quite abstract concepts the terminology allows for quick understanding by all. I think vaporizing is also a complex field and would benefit from something similar.

I want this thread to build up the terminology so that when people are investigating vaporizing they have a reference and basic understanding of what people are talking about. I honestly believe that it would make it a lot easier for people that come to it in a similar situation as I did, i.e. with no understanding what so ever, and would give them a better chance of investigating more.

Sorry for the rant, but I think it is a good thing to be doing, think it's very possible to do and think it will be an interesting process. So, all of you experienced FC'ers out there join in the debate and help build up something that will help the general public get to grips with the great thing that is vaporizing.

 

[Jeppy]

JRRT, I admire yout mental strength and tenacity as well as your quest for wisdom. Yes,,,,, you are a certified 'vapologist'.

 

[friedricey]

This is definitely a good idea. A lot of the terms are tricky for the new. And considering that this area of Vaping is beginning to take on a life of it's own as reflected by the plethora of products being pumped at recent a wiki would seem fit.

http://vaporpedia.com/wiki/Main_Page

 

[vorrange]

J.R.R. Tokin' , i appreciate your thourough explanation although i don't see it to be necessary.

The ones who don't understand the reason or don't need further explanations, can just not participate in this thread.

I congratulate you on your persistence since this thread has gone off topic more often than not.

So, to get back on topic, I believe we should keep the desktop vs portable definition since it is intuitive and easy for newbies to comprehend and help older members help them.

About the subcategories of the desktop vapes, i think we were on the right track as well. The only term i didnt understand as well was the "flash" regarding nails and etc, but i haven't really got into those areas much.

 

[pakalolo]

This is definitely a good idea. A lot of the terms are tricky for the new. And considering that this area of Vaping is beginning to take on a life of it's own as reflected by the plethora of products being pumped at recent a wiki would seem fit.

http://vaporpedia.com/wiki/Main_Page

I don't understand what you're driving at with "the plethora of products being pumped at recent a wiki" [sic]. The drift I got from your comment is that you are implying Vaporpedia is being used for marketing. That is definitely not true. As someone who has put a lot of work into Vaporpedia, I hope that's not what you meant because that sort of slander pisses me right off.

Vaporpedia is the right place for this sort of exercise. In fact, it would be much better if this discussion were happening in its talk pages, but no one would see it there so this is the best alternative. Vaporpedia is only as good as its contributors, but few seem willing to put in any time working on it. There are some really good articles but a lot of holes. If you really want to help, register at Vaporpedia and contribute.

 

[friedricey]

The drift I got from your comment is that you are implying Vaporpedia is being used for marketing.

I'm not trolling. I'm implying that the market segment of vaping is getting big and there needs to be a wikipedia on vaping for the beginners - which there already is but is rather incomplete.

 

[pakalolo]

I'm not trolling. I'm implying that the market segment of vaping is getting big and there needs to be a wikipedia on vaping for the beginners - which there already is but is rather incomplete.

Gotcha. Sorry for presuming. Your sentence was a little mangled and I read it the wrong way. I fully agree with your assessment.

 

[Vapinghole]

A wiki for vaping terms would be hot! (pun intended)

Thanks, J.R.R., for bringing it up.

 

[friedricey]

Gotcha. Sorry for presuming. Your sentence was a little mangled and I read it the wrong way. I fully agree with your assessment.

My fault, I should have made my points less convoluted.

 

[J.R.R.Tokin']

The Vaporpedia is an excellent resource and I hope that what gets done on this thread will end up on it.

For now I'm going to crack on with the PORTABLE definitions. This one is a little bit tricky but we'll have a bash.

I would like to propose this sub-categorisation list for discussion:

1) BATTERY (a) INTEGRAL - A unit that has a non-removable re-chargeable battery (Da Vinci)
(b) CHANGEABLE - A unit that has changeable re-chargeable batteries (MFLB / T1)

I think it's quite important to differentiate between the different battery types due to the added longevity of possible use having extra batteries for a changeable unit can make. I'm not crazy about the terms INTEGRAL and CHANGEABLE so suggestions are welcome. How's about something like JUICEBOX and CUP as alternatives? The JUICEBOX implies the fixed amount of charge and the CUP represents the ability to keep adding charge (in the form of batteries).

2) BUTANE - (a) DIRECT – Flame in the air path. (VG)
(b) INDIRECT – External flame utilising retained heat. (gn0me, Vapocane, Ubie)
(c) INJECTION – A vaporizer that uses butane to power an internal system (iolite)

3) SIZE – (a) STEALTH – An easily concealable unit.
(b) STANDARD – A portable unit that is larger in size and not designed for stealth.
(c) PEN – A pen style vaporizer that resembles an e-cig or similar design.

Ok, so this isn’t definitive it’s a starting point for discussion. If you feel there should be other categories or if you have alternative titles or description amendments please chime in.

 

[vorrange]

About 1):

I prefer the terms integral and changeable since they are more intuitive and obvious for the new guys. Although you could argue that the integral are changeable as well. I was thinking more in the terms of specific v. common batteries, meaning that a battery is specific to said vaporizer versus a common battery like AA or AAA.

About 2):

Sounds okay to me.


About 3):

Stealth is not just about size as it is about going unnoticed, although i don't have a better alternative, i consider my wood vaporgenie stealthier than my gn0me, although they are about the same size, because the first looks like a regular tobacco pipe.

I will maintain my previous opinion about the portables: pocket-size vs non-pocket size , and the stealth factor as a more subjective atribute although important in the classification and should be included.

I say pocket as in jeans pocket, to be more precise.

 

[djonkoman]

for the batteries I also think juicebox and cup are a bit too hard, very hard to remember wich is wich(for me)
I would propose something more along the lines of accu vs. batteries
accy is internal and non-changable, batteries are common batteries like AA

instead of stealth I would also say pocketsize, because of the same reason pointed out by vorrange.
pen is ok, standard I would ccall sometthing like home-portable, meaning it is portable, but more in the sense you'll take it with you around the house, or maybe to a friend's house in a backpack, but not something you take anywhere outdoor in your pocket
or maybe backpack-portable vs. pocketsize-portable

the terminology for the butane/airpath sound all good.
maybe also good to include of it requires a torch lighter or not, and of not if it's possible to use a torch lighter

 

[vorrange]

for the batteries I also think juicebox and cup are a bit too hard, very hard to remember wich is wich(for me)
I would propose something more along the lines of accu vs. batteries
accy is internal and non-changable, batteries are common batteries like AA


the terminology for the butane/airpath sound all good.
maybe also good to include of it requires a torch lighter or not, and of not if it's possible to use a torch lighter

i like these two suggestions although i don't know if so many people will understand the meaning of accu.

instead of backpack portable, how about bag portable? For someone who understands the meaning of the portable, i think it would be a easier word to write and remember.

 

[djonkoman]

the accu vs. battery is maybe more dutch, in dutch we call common batteries 'batterijen' while we call the built-in batteries in cellphones etc 'accu', just like the accu in cars

bag-portable is indeed shorter and sounds fine too, I choose backpack as I think that would be a little more accurate since bag reminds me more of shopping bags, garbage bags and purses

o, and I just now realised that bag-portable could be confusing since we also have bagvapes, so backpack would also prevent that confusion

 

[placetime]

"changeable" batteries = "user-replaceable" batteries

 

[vorrange]

the accu vs. battery is maybe more dutch, in dutch we call common batteries 'batterijen' while we call the built-in batteries in cellphones etc 'accu', just like the accu in cars

bag-portable is indeed shorter and sounds fine too, I choose backpack as I think that would be a little more accurate since bag reminds me more of shopping bags, garbage bags and purses

o, and I just now realised that bag-portable could be confusing since we also have bagvapes, so backpack would also prevent that confusion

You're right djonkoman, backpack portable is less confusing. I was just thinking of a good short term since here in FC it will be transformed into BPP instead of backpack portable in no time. , the same goes for "user-replaceable".. the shorter, the better IMO.

 

[pakalolo]

This is starting to shape up like a prescriptive exercise. I think it should be descriptive. Let's face it, we can arrive at a consensus in this thread but we can't make people use the terms. Vaporpedia should describe what people mean when they say "desktop vaporizer", not what we think "desktop vaporizer" should mean.

 

[CentiZen]

Paka is right, and because of the vast difference in types and subgenre's of vaporizers it's hard to have proper terminology that is both short and expressive enough. I think that the best way to go about it is to consider any vape that requires the use of a mains or 120v plug to run as a stationary/tabletop unit. If you can use it on the go, it is a portable. If it's small enough to fit in your pocket, it's a pocket portable. If it's designed for stealth then it's a stealth portable. I think it's better to use a class-subclass type of classification instead of trying to cater a specific term to each form of vaporizer because there are many unique vaporizers and we will be here a while. It's best to leave the big descriptors to vaporpedia

The genus/subgenus classification system if often used in complex naming conventions and I think it is more applicable to this situation that unique names

 

[CentiZen]

derp, double post

 

[vorrange]

You might be right there Pakalolo, but we could find a middle ground between the prescriptive and the descriptive. IMO, we should find a consensus for a few terms, and start employing them ourselves.

With that said, i like the way Centizen crunched it all up.

 

[J.R.R.Tokin']

Some nice debate going on here. Pakololo is right in the sense that we can't make people use any terms we may create - doesn't mean we cant try If the descriptions are good enough and intuitive I think it will happen anyway if just a few start using those terms. However, I think it's best if we can use terms that are already in use as much as possible as it will make it a much simpler and more straight forward task.

I believe we need to keep any new terms as simple as possible. So with that in mind here's a few revisions.

1) When discussing batteries in a vape how about the terms OPEN and CLOSED. Very simple and explains it all. OPEN means you have access CLOSED means no access. What do we think?

2) For the Butane the terms DIRECT and INDIRECT are already widely used. The term INJECTION is not but I think is pretty descriptive. As no one had any comment on these I say we adopt them for now.

3) So this seems to be a bit more contentious. I think we all agree with PEN so we'll leave that for now. I'm not sure that a distinction between a POCKET and a STEALTH is necessary because, as Djonkman suggests above, stealth can be subjective - take the Solo as an example: it has a stealth adaptor that makes it able to be hit out of a Cola cup, but in general I wouldn't put it in a STEALTH category due to it's size.
I think the main thing to distinguish between is the Pocket vs Non-Pocket as discussed. So POCKET seem acceptable to all but I think BACKPACK isn't quite right.
What about distinguishing between different pockets. I guess to a degree all portables I can think of will fit into a pocket. So how about something like JEANS and COAT. Jeans generally having smaller pockets then a coat.
Again just a suggestion. Anyone else have any alternatives?

 

[djonkoman]

I think sizes of pockets would make it too complex, one of my friends once had some jeans in wich the backpocket could fit a laptop(small laptop, big guy, and wide pants with big pockets)
so I think pocketsizes are too variable to make that really work

 

[vorrange]

Djonkoman, i guess ur right but most people will comprehend it is a regular jeans pocket. I would keep the pocket size and find another word for backpack size, i was thinking like a box that its form is worldwide know, like a 20cl coke bottle or something.. any ideas?

 

[J.R.R.Tokin']

Ok, how about POCKET VAPE and LAP VAPE - as in Laptop?

 

[vorrange]

I think it Lap Vape is clear enough, i still think there is a better word though. But Lap Vape is small and easy to associate. i like it.