Tanks 101

A tank is the reservoir of an e-cigarette that holds e-liquid to be vaporized. These sections will normally house the coil inside of them so that the e-liquid can be wicked into the atomizer and be vaporized.

There are a few different types of tanks that are used for different styles of e-cigarettes. Let’s go over the main kinds of tanks you’ll find.

Cartomizer

“Cartomizer” is the term given to the cartridges used in cigalikes. These tanks use an absorbent polyfill to wick e-liquid to the atomizer, and are disposable once the atomizer has been exhausted. Cartomizers may or may not be refillable.

Clearomizer

A clearomizer is a refillable tank with a clear reservoir window to display the e-liquid level. Clearomizer tanks are often found on pen vapes, but can be used with box mods as well. Clearomizers are reusable since the atomizer coil can be replaced, so the tank can be rinsed out regularly to keep them free of e-liquid buildup.

Sub-ohm Tank

Sub-ohm tanks became popular with the introduction of high-powered box mods. “Sub-ohm” refers to the atomizer coil, as these refillable tanks use coils with a resistance of less than 1ohm (Ω). This style of tank will require higher power levels than clearomizers, and produce a large volume of vapour. As they are reusable, sub-ohm tanks may need to be rinsed under warm water periodically to rid them of any e-liquid residue.

Pod

Pod vapes are a fairly new style of the e-cigarette, using a detachable pod tank with an internal coil to produce vapour. Some pods may be refillable (open-system pods), while others are pre-filled and not refillable (closed-system pods). Pods require no maintenance aside from replacing them once the coil has been exhausted.

Related: Mouth to Lung vs Direct to Lung Tanks