A drip tip is the removable mouthpiece that sits at the top of a tank, RDA or clearomiser. It is the part your lips touch, and the part vapour passes through on the way in.
The name is a leftover from early vaping. People used to drip e-liquid straight down the tip onto the coil, so "drip tip" stuck even though most vapers now just refill a tank.
"Drip tip" and "mouthpiece" are usually the same thing. The exception is pod kits, where some brands sell a device-specific replacement mouthpiece cap rather than a standard 510 or 810 tip. If a term is new to you, the vaping glossary has plain-English definitions.
What's the Difference Between 510 and 810 Drip Tips?
The number refers to the fitting size, not a brand. Get the size right first, because a 510 and an 810 are not interchangeable without an adaptor.
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Feature: 510 drip tip: 810 drip tip
Base fitting: Narrower, around 8.5mm external base: Wider, around 12.5mm external base
Draw style: Tighter, suits mouth-to-lung: Looser, suits direct-to-lung
Feel: Warmer air, more concentrated flavour: Cooler air, more vapour
Usually found on: MTL tanks, many pod tanks, pen-style clearomisers: Sub-ohm cloud tanks, RDAs and RTAs
Fit type: Push-in with o-rings, or seals inside the tank: Wide-bore push-in, sometimes with o-rings, sometimes without
The short version- 510 is the slimmer, restricted fitting, and 810 (sometimes called goon-style) is the wide-bore fitting built for airflow. Most tanks are designed around one or the other.
Should You Go MTL or DTL, Narrow or Wide Bore?
Draw style is the honest deciding factor. A narrow bore concentrates the vapour into a tighter stream, which most mouth-to-lung vapers prefer. A wide bore opens the airflow up for a looser, cooler direct-to-lung pull.
If you run a restricted setup and want a cigarette-style draw, a slim 510 tip on one of our MTL tanks is the natural match. Warmer air and a tighter channel bring the flavour forward.
If you chase clouds, a wide 810 bore on a sub-ohm setup moves far more air. Pair it with one of our DTL tanks for the looser, airier draw those coils are built for.
There is no single correct answer. Bore width is personal, and swapping tips is the cheapest way to fine-tune a device you already own.
What Materials Do Drip Tips Come In?
Material affects heat, grip, flavour and looks. It is worth a moment's thought, especially if your device runs hot.
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Material: What it is like
Stainless steel and metal: Hard-wearing and sleek. Can warm up on high-wattage DTL setups.
Delrin and POM: Heat-resistant and stays cool to the touch. Matte finish, common on RDAs.
Resin and epoxy resin: Colourful and patterned, insulates well against heat. Popular in 810.
Acrylic: Light and low-cost, with a wide range of colours.
PCTG and food-grade plastic: Durable, and common on pod replacement mouthpiece caps.
Ultem: Amber-toned and very heat-resistant.
Glass: Clean, neutral flavour that holds no taste. More fragile than the rest.
If you sub-ohm at higher wattages, resin, Delrin or Ultem stay cooler than bare metal. If flavour purity matters most, glass gives you a neutral finish that never picks up a residual taste.
Which Drip Tip or Mouthpiece Fits Your Device?
Fitting comes down to two things: the bore size (510 or 810) and how the tip seats. Most standard tips are push-fit, held by O-rings on the tip or by seals inside the tank's top cap.
Check the fitting listed on each product before you buy, and match like for like where you can. If your tank came with an 810 tip, replace it with an 810, not a 510.
Some devices do not take a universal tip at all. A number of pod kits use a moulded, device-specific mouthpiece cap instead, so if you own a pod system, look for the replacement part made for that model rather than a generic drip tip. Our refillable pod kits section lists the kits those caps belong to.
RDAs and RTAs are the natural home of the 810 wide bore, and many rebuildables ship with both a wide 810 and a narrower 510-in-810 adaptor. If you build your own atomiser, browse compatible vape mods to see what your tip will be sitting on. A worn tip is also a good moment to check your vape coils, since both wear out with use.
Pirate Vapes lists genuine UK-market accessories, so a like-for-like replacement matches the original fitting rather than something close enough to leak.
How Do You Fit and Clean a Drip Tip?
Fitting a push-in tip takes seconds. The only trick is o-ring tension, which controls how firmly it seats.
- Pull the old tip straight up out of the tank's top cap. A slight twist helps if the O-rings are snug.
- Confirm your size. Fit a 510 to a 510 tank and an 810 to an 810 tank. The two do not swap without an adaptor.
- Line up the new tip and push it straight down until the O-rings grip. It should feel firm, not loose or wobbly.
- If it sits too loose or too tight, swap or add an O-ring to correct the fit. Keep the spares that come in the pack.
Cleaning is just as quick, and a clean tip keeps flavour sharp.
- Remove the tip from the tank.
- Rinse it under warm running water. Warm, not boiling, so you do not warp plastic, acrylic, or resin.
- For sticky residue, soak in warm soapy water, then rinse thoroughly.
- Dry it fully before refitting, so no water sits in the airflow path.
Do Drip Tips Change Flavour, Heat and Airflow?
Yes, more than people expect for such a small part. Bore width changes the draw, and material changes the temperature at your lips.
A narrow bore restricts airflow and holds the vapour warmer and more concentrated, which sharpens flavour on an MTL setup. A wide bore lets in more air, cools the vapour and boosts cloud volume for DTL.
Material matters on hotter builds. Metal tips conduct heat and can get warm during long DTL sessions, while resin, Delrin and Ultem insulate and stay cooler. It will not transform a bad coil, but the right tip makes a device you already like more comfortable to use.
Are Drip Tips and Mouthpieces Legal in the UK?
Drip tips are accessories, not nicotine products, so the strength and volume limits do not apply to them. The 2ml pod cap, 10ml refill bottle and 20mg nicotine ceiling all sit on the liquid and the pod, not on the mouthpiece.
They also fit the post-ban landscape cleanly. Single-use disposable vapes have been off sale in the UK since 1 June 2025, and a legal reusable device relies on replaceable parts. A fresh drip tip is one of those parts, keeping a rechargeable, refillable setup going instead of throwing the whole thing away.
As with everything on the site, these are sold to adults only. Age is checked at the point of order, and the products are intended for existing over-18 vapers. Compliant is not the same as safe, and these accessories are for adult use.
Related Collections
Looking after the rest of your setup? These sit alongside this collection:
Why Buy Drip Tips and Mouthpieces from Pirate Vapes?
Small parts still deserve genuine stock. Everything here is UK-market gear, so a replacement fits the way the original did rather than almost fitting.
Order before 4 pm and it ships the same day, tracked and packed to protect it in transit. Spend over £40 and delivery is free with Free Pirate Post, and age verification is built into every checkout.
If you are not certain which fitting your device takes, match like for like or check the size on the product page before you order. For everything else across kits, tanks, coils and accessories, Pirate Vapes keeps the reusable side of vaping stocked and simple.
