The Different Types of Drip Tip Materials: An Overview

Are you looking to buy a new drip tip? If you are but aren’t sure what material to get, then this blog is made for you. In it, we explain each material’s pros and cons and what they are best suited for. So if you’re ready to get down to the grain and read about each material, read on. 

Table of Contents:

1. What is a Drip Tip?
2. Delrin
3. Ultem
4. Teflon
5. Epoxy Resin
6. Glass
7. Wood or Stabilized Wood
8. Stainless Steel
9. Stone

What is A Drip Tip?

A drip tip is an accessory that is used alongside your vape. It’s a mouthpiece that goes on top of atomizers and vape tanks. They were originally intended to be used with drippers (or rebuildable dripping atomizers) since they are hollow and circular, allowing the user to drip straight to the atomizer, but today they are used in all sorts of atomizers and vape tanks, even non-drippers. While they might seem tiny and insignificant, they can greatly impact your vaping experience and also allow you to bring some of your personality into your vape. Finally, drip tips are made out of many different materials, and today we are going to explore how each material affects your vape experience. 

Delrin

One of the most popular materials that drip tips are made from is Delrin. It’s technically a plastic, and its real name is thermoplastic polyoxymethylene (POM). It’s perfect for devices that reach high temperatures since it is highly heat resistant. This drip tip has many benefits, it won’t break or rust, it comes in a variety of colors so you can match it to your device, and finally, it does not stain.  

Ultem

Another important plastic drip tip is Ultem. Ultem is short for thermoplastic polyetherimide (PEI). They are extremely heat resistant and fire-resistant. However, because they only come in a certain yellowish and brownish color, they can’t be easily matched to different colored devices. Still, this is their only drawback, and they come in various sizes that can fit both mouth-to-lung devices and direct to lung vapes.

Teflon

Another important plastic drip tip is Teflon. Teflon is the common name for thermoplastic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). If you look in your kitchen, it’s highly likely that you have cookware made out of Teflon. As a drip tip, Teflon is softer than all the other plastics, which provides a nice mouthfeel, and needless to say, it is highly resistant to heat. Which is no wonder it is among the most popular materials for drip tips. 

Epoxy Resin

Epoxy resin or just resin is one of the most sought-after drip tips materials in the market mainly due to the fact that they are extremely colorful and can come in a great variety of colors and designs. However, that’s not all the pros resin drip tips have. They are also heat resistant and solid, so they won’t easily break. Combine all these factors together, and you get great material for drip tips. 

Glass

There are also drip tips made out of glass. These drip tips aren’t entirely made out of glass. Usually, the top is made of glass, and the bottom is made from stainless steel. Glass is also heat resistant and won’t burn your lips. It also can change the flavor of your vape slightly. On the downside, it may feel a bit weird on your lips and can easily stain, after a while, accumulating dirt particles and gunk. 

Wood or Stabilized Wood

Another material that drip tips are made of, believe it or not, is Wood. Just like the glass drip tip, it comes with a stainless steel base, while the top is made out of Wood. Like all the other materials mentioned above, Wood is also highly heat resistant and can give your device a different, more organic look. However, the drawbacks are that it can collect the flavor of your e-juice, along with moisture, which, when you change into a new flavor, will mix with the old one, often creating unappetizing results. Another drawback is that if they aren’t screwed on or very securely pressed fitted to the stainless steel base, they will easily come loose, and you might lose them, but this all depends on the quality of the wood drip tip you buy.   

Stainless Steel

Another very common drip tip, along with the Delrin drip tip, is the stainless steel drip tip. Perhaps the biggest complaint users of stainless steel drip tips have is that they are not very heat resistant and do not protect the lips against the atomizer’s heat. This is why they are often recommended only on low-power mouth-to-lung devices and don’t generate too much heat. 

Stone

Lastly, there are drip tips made out of stone. These do a great job at providing a cool vape since they are extremely heat resistant and they have a cool mouthfeel, especially on your lips. However, depending on the quality of design, these drip tips can be rock solid or fragile, so you have to choose wisely when buying this type of drip tip. 

Conclusion

We hope that with this short guide on drip tips materials, you can make an informed decision when buying your very first drip tip. To recap, there are a number of different drip tips made out of plastic, with the most popular ones being made out of Resin and Delrin. While stainless steel drip tips tend to be popular, they can sometimes fail to protect your lips from the heat of your atomizer, and wood tips, while they can make your vape look more elegant, tend to collect moisture and vape juice flavors. But just like with everything vape-related, you have to experiment with different materials to see which material you like.