What Is Dripping?

Dripping is one of the oldest and most distinctive practices in vaping culture. Long before modern sub-ohm tanks, pods, and prefilled cartridges became mainstream, vapers were dripping e-liquid directly onto exposed coils to achieve better flavour and vapour production. Although less common today, dripping played a crucial role in shaping how vaping technology evolved.

The Early Days: Cartomizers and Atomizers

In the early 2010s, most e-cigarettes relied on cartomizers and basic atomizers with small internal wicks. These systems often struggled with flavour consistency and could produce dry or burnt hits as the wicking material failed to keep up.

To overcome these issues, experienced users began dripping e-liquid directly onto the coil through the mouthpiece. This ensured the wick was fully saturated before vaping, delivering stronger flavour and more reliable vapour. At the time, dripping was less a hobby and more a practical solution to hardware limitations.

Birth of the Dripping Atomizer

As vaping grew in popularity, manufacturers responded to the practice of dripping by creating devices designed specifically for this purpose. These became known as Dripping Atomizers (DAs) and later Rebuildable Dripping Atomizers (RDAs).

Early RDAs were simple metal caps with exposed coil decks, minimal or no juice wells and direct airflow over the coil

Users built their own coils and manually dripped e-liquid every few puffs, prioritising flavour over convenience.

The Mechanical Mod Era

Dripping reached peak popularity during the rise of mechanical mods. These unregulated devices delivered raw battery power directly to the coil, making them ideal for RDAs. Coil building became more advanced, cloud chasing became a thing and dripping was regarded as the purest form of vaping.

However, safety issues arose, as those with insufficient knowledge of electrical resistance were using unregulated hardware.

Innovation and Refinement

As RDAs evolved, manufacturers added features to improve usability. These included deeper juice wells and decks without posts to simplify coil installation. Dripping became more accessible as a result.

The Rise of Squonking

One of the most significant developments tied to dripping was the invention of squonk mods. These devices included a squeezable bottle inside the mod that fed e-liquid upward into the RDA through a hollow 510 pin.

Squonking offered:

• The flavour benefits of dripping
• The convenience of a tank-style feed system
• Less mess and fewer dry hits

For many vapers, squonking replaced traditional dripping while preserving its core advantages.

Dripping in the Modern Vaping Landscape

Today, dripping is no longer the dominant vaping method, but it remains relevant:

• E-liquid reviewers often use RDAs for accurate flavour testing
• Enthusiasts continue to enjoy the hands-on experience
• RDAs are still popular for custom builds and experimentation

Meanwhile, modern sub-ohm tanks and pod systems have closed much of the performance gap, offering strong flavour with far greater convenience.

Legacy and Influence

Dripping’s influence on vaping is undeniable. It certainly drove advancements in coil design and airflow engineering while shaping flavour-focused vaping standards and inspiring innovation.

Fewer vapers drip today, but the practice has laid the groundwork for many of the features now taken for granted in modern vaping devices.