Pod mods have evolved on an impressive scale since they first hit the market a couple of years ago, and one of the most welcomed features is adjustable airflow, which was once reserved strictly for sub-ohm tanks that go with more advanced box mod devices. What kind of airflow system your pod system uses depends on a number of factors, all of which we’re about to get into. But first, let’s take a look at what airflow systems actually offer to vapers.

Airflow Systems in Pod Mods: What Do They Actually Do?

Airflow refers to how much air enters the atomizer when a hit is fired. The amount of air that enters the atomizer has a strong influence on the overall vaping experience, including how warm the vapor is when it enters the mouth, how strong the flavor is, vapor production and density, and the throat hit. Typically, airflow can be experienced as MTL (mouth-to-lung) vaping, categorized by tighter draws and a stronger throat hit, or DTL (direct-to-lung) vaping, which offers a lot more vapor that’s looser to pull, and produces larger and fluffier clouds.

Many vaping systems offer adjustable airflow, which allows vapers to manually adjust how much air does get into the atomizer for a more customized vaping experience. More air dilutes the vapor, resulting in larger clouds but less throat hit. So, less airflow means tighter and more concentrated pulls that really hit the back of the throat, almost like an analog.

More and more pod systems offer adjustable airflow these days, so let’s take a look at how airflow systems can vary depending on the pod system you’re using.

Pod Cartridge vs. Pod Tank

One difference is a pod cartridge vs. a pod tank.

• A pod cartridge is smaller and pod-like in structure, and its airflow system may be a switch that goes between two distinctive airflow options.
• Pod tanks, which look more like miniature sub-ohm vape tanks, may have airflow control rings, aka airflow dials. These are a bit more advanced, and also tend to sit at the base of the pod tank. The ring rotates over a small tube that has different airflow holes around it, and how your ring is oriented determines how many airflow holes are covered, changing how much air can enter at any given time.

Variable Pods or Coils

Many of today’s pod systems use either variable pods with integrated coils, or refillable pods with replaceable coils. This way, the same vaping system can accommodate either salt-based nicotine or freebase e-liquids depending on the configuration of the coil. This works as an alternative to an adjustable airflow mechanism, as each pod or coil has a different inherent airflow level to it. In other words, you don’t need to adjust the airflow, as the coil or pod you use determines the airflow.

How Advanced the Pod System is

Some pod systems are more advanced than others, like open pod systems versus closed pod systems, with the former offering the ability to refill e-liquids, and the latter being a far more simplistic type of device. In fact, many closed pod systems don’t even have any adjustable airflow, and the more advanced open pod systems do.

Size of the Pod System

Yes, the size of the pod system matters. You see, pod systems that are designed to be as small and portable as possible may not have any airflow system to speak of, as they’re too small to fit many features. Larger pod systems are more likely to have adjustable airflow, especially if they use a pod tank rather than a pod cartridge, which is something that we’ve been seeing more and more of as of late.

Bottom Line: Airflow Makes a Big Difference

With an influx of vapers wanting the option to adjust airflow, in order to enjoy that perfect hit of smooth vapor on their terms, you’re seeing the vaping industry responding by integrating airflow options into their pod systems. Again, ranging from simple to advanced. So, if airflow is a big deal to you, then consider the more advanced and larger pod systems hitting the market, which offer the most precise airflow control you can get with this type of vaping setup.