How to Choose the Right Vape Coil for Your Device

When you have a reusable vape, it’s necessary to change your coil from time to time. If you’re a frequent vaper, you may find this is required every couple of days or so, while others may use their vape coils for many weeks before needing a replacement. The question here is, which vape coil is suitable for your device? With so many available to buy, it can be a little overwhelming. Not to worry – this guide will help you make the right choice. 

Vape Coils Explained

It helps to understand vape coils and how they work before your purchase. The primary purpose of a vape coil is to heat the liquid so you can inhale it. As you take a drag of your vape, the e-liquid passes through the coil and goes through this process. Different factors influence the effect of the coil on the vaping experience, including coil design, resistance, and materials. 

Vape Coil Materials 

The most common materials used in vape coils include: 

Kanthal: This material is a combination of iron, aluminium, and chromium and can heat up to 1400 degrees. Kanthal is technically a brand name for vape coils, but it’s evolved into the name of this specific combination of metals. It’s popular due to its ability to heat up fast while giving the user lots of flavour. This one is best for higher-resistance vapes – anything above 1.0 is considered part of this category. 

Stainless Steel: Stainless steel is a combination of nickel, chromium, and carbon, which ensures a fast heating time. One of its main benefits is its longevity – it tends to last far longer without needing replacement compared to other coil materials. 

Nickel: Nickel offers a wonderfully smooth vaping experience and is only used in vapes that provide temperature control, putting the user in charge of the hits you get. 

Titanium: Like nickel, titanium is another vape coil material singularly used in vapes with temperature control. 

Ceramic: Ceramic does not interact with the flavour of the e-liquid at all, which makes this one favourable to purists. It offers good airflow, too. 

In terms of the wicking material, these are often made from cotton but can also be made of flax, hemp, silica, rayon, and ceramic. 

Coil Resistance

Coil resistances are something every vaper should be looking into when purchasing a new coil for their device, as there’s a significant difference between high resistance and low resistance. The width of the gauge usually determines this; with an increase in diameter comes a decrease in electrical resistance. 

Sub-ohm (0.1-0.6ohms): This category is the lowest resistance coils, which are used for direct to lung (DTL) vapes. This creates a more intense vaping experience, leading to denser clouds and a lot of flavour – for this reason, it’s typically used by more experienced vapers. 

Medium Resistance (0.6-1.0 ohms): Medium resistance, as you would expect, falls right in the middle. This is usually referred to as restricted direct to lung (DTL). 

High Resistance (1.0+ ohms): High resistance coils are anything above 1.0 ohms and are used for mouth to lung (MTL) vaping, a vaping style that involves holding the vaper in the mouth for a couple of seconds before drawing it into the lungs. It also gives a decent throat hit and tends to be good for beginner vapers – particularly those who want to swap traditional cigarettes for vaping. 

Types of Coils

The final thing to consider is the different types of coils, which generally refer to the shape. The range includes: 

Vertical Coils: A coil with one wire placed in a vertical, upright position. 

Dual Coil: Two wire wraps for more e-liquid to pass through.

Triple Coil: Three wraps of wire meaning even more e-liquid can pass through. 

Twisted Coils: When the coils are wrapped around one another, giving a twisted appearance. 

Mesh Coils: The wire comes in minuscule holes that allow the vapour to pass through perfectly evenly – this is very popular.

Net Coils: Like a mesh coil, but the holes are bigger. 

So, all in all, your vaping experience will be significantly impacted by the coil you choose, specifically regarding the material, design, and resistance. 

Choosing the Right Vape Coil: What to Consider

You now have a better idea of the various types of vape coils, but you may still be confused as to which one you should choose. To help you pick the correct replacement coil, here’s what to consider. 

The Device You Have

First and foremost, the most important factor when choosing a vape coil is the vaping device you already have, as you need the coil and the device to be compatible. It’s essential to know which coils are compatible with your device (and which ones aren’t). This is usually determined by the brand and model of your vape tank. 

Your Vaping Preference

Next, consider your vaping preference. Do you enjoy producing a lot of clouds? What about the intensity of flavour? There’s a lot to consider here. A higher resistance (like MTL vaping) is known for its clearer flavours and less cloud density, leading to a subtler vaping experience. On the other hand, sub-ohm vaping is more intense – it produces more clouds, and the flavour is enhanced. 

Affordability

You may consider affordability when choosing your vape coils. While vape coils are typically cheaper than vape kits, they must be replaced often, so the price should be of some concern! The affordability depends on a range of factors, including the brand you prefer and whether you choose DTL or MTL vaping (with mouth-to-lung vaping being the cheaper option most of the time). 

Longevity

Some vapes last longer than others, and this should be something you consider, as most people don’t want to replace their vape every couple of days! Not only is it inconvenient, but it will become more expensive over time if your coil doesn’t last very long. A coil that uses less e-liquid (such as higher resistance coils) will last longer overall. 

The Brand

Most experienced vapers have certain brands to which they are loyal. Usually, this is for a good reason: some vaping brands offer higher-quality products than others. Some of the best brands for vape coils include Smok, VooPoo, Aspire, Innokin, Vaporesso, and Geekvape. Of course, it all depends on your experience and which brands are compatible with your device. 

Your Experience with Vaping

Last but not least, consider your experience with vaping before choosing a vape coil. Are you a newbie to vaping? If so, you’ll likely want to choose a higher resistance coil with MTL vaping, as this won’t be as intense nor produce lots of vapour clouds. This isn’t only for beginners; many experienced vapers also enjoy using higher resistance coils, particularly for longevity. If you have experience with vaping and prefer the intensity of flavour and clouds from lower resistance coils, then sub-ohm coils will be the better choice. 

By taking all of this into account, you’ll be able to choose the best vape coil for your device, preferences, and wallet. Hopefully, you can find one you will return to time and time again, so replacing your coil doesn’t have to be a challenge in the future! 

How Long Will a New Vape Coil Last?

So, you’ve made your decision and bought a new vape coil. How long will it last? The lifespan differs depending on a range of factors, such as the type of coil (specifically the resistance, with low-resistance coils degrading faster than high-resistance coils), how much you use them, and your power settings. Those who frequently use their vape throughout the day will find their coil reaches the end of its life sooner rather than later. 

The type of e-liquid you use also has an impact. E-liquids with additional colouring and sweetness will likely lead to faster degradation. Also, those with a higher VG ratio will result in a coil not lasting as long, as VG is a thicker liquid that can end up clogging the coil. 

So, it’s difficult to say how long your coil will last; it could be anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. The longest you should go without replacing a vape coil is 21 days, even if you’re not a frequent vaper. 

How to Maintain Your Coil

Naturally, you want your coil to last longer – whichever one you choose. While you can’t avoid needing to replace your coil eventually, there are methods to maintain it better. 

Prime Your Vape Coil 

One of the most effective ways to maintain your coil is to prime it properly, which means saturating the wick in the e-liquid you will continue using. It works because it prevents dry hits and increases the efficiency of the battery. It’s pretty simple to do – place a couple of drops of the e-liquid into the coil before attaching it to your device. Once it’s inserted, don’t use your vape for at least ten minutes. 

Use a Low Wattage

To extend the life of your vape coil, use a low wattage when vaping. This cooler temperature produces thinner vapour and a milder flavour but also means a smoother throat hit. Plus, it’s not just your coil lifespan that will benefit – your battery will last longer, too. 

Clean Your Vape Coil

Cleaning your vape coil can also extend its life, so it’s worth doing. You’ll need to remove the coil from your device, remove the wick, and then hold the wick under warm running water for a couple of minutes. After this, wipe the wick and leave it to air dry for a short while before reattaching it to your vape device. It’s that easy! 

How to Know When to Change a Vape Coil

If you are new to vaping, you may be unsure when it’s time to change the vape coil. It’s crucial to be aware, as vaping from an old coil will lead to leaking from your device, which you obviously want to avoid! Here are some signs your vape coil has reached the end of its life: 

A Burnt Taste: If you can taste any burning upon inhalation, that’s a sure sign you should change your coil. 

Little to No Vapour: Once the vapour doesn’t seem to produce any longer, your coil likely isn’t of any use. 

A Bubbling Noise: Sometimes, you’ll hear a bubbling noise from your device while vaping – this is the sound that should alert you to changing your coil!

Little Flavour: Your vape should offer plenty of flavour, whether using a tobacco or sour candy e-liquid. Once this flavour seems to dissipate, your coil is no longer working and requires replacing.

What About a Vape with No Coil?

Did you know you can vape without a coil? It’s true. Certain devices allow you to vape without this usually essential part as they use ultrasonic heating technology. Be aware that this is only for specific devices; you definitely cannot vape without a coil on a regular device, as a vape coil is one of the most crucial components in these. 

In Summary

Choosing the best vape coil means taking a variety of things into consideration, including your device, vaping preferences, and preferred brands. Vaping with a higher resistance coil will always produce a different experience than a lower resistance coil! If you’re a newbie to vaping, it helps to experiment with a couple of different coils to see which one gels with your vaping style. 

If you’re interested in high-quality coils, you’re in the right place, as we have a wide range of vape coils that match various different devices right here at Vape Shop. Not only that, but we also sell vape kits, disposables, vape juices, and much more. If you want to move away from vaping but still want that hit of nicotine, we offer a range of nicotine pouches to suit your tastes. Shop the range right here today!