How do vape coils work?

The coil inside your vape is essentially what provides the heat to turn the e-liquid into vapour (that you’ll then inhale). When you press the button on your e-cig, the battery provides power for the coil, and that energy is converted into heat.

What are the coils made of?

Vape coils are typically made of wire from stainless steel, kanthal, ceramic, nichrome, nickel and titanium. Stainless steel is a popular choice as it’s inexpensive, but it’s worth trying a selection of coils as different materials can have minor effects on the flavour.

Different types of coils

Aside from the material itself, you can get both sub ohm and plus ohm coils which makes a difference to your overall vaping experience. The next question will explain further.

How to choose the right coils

The easiest way to choose is to decide on the sort of vaping experience you want. Where sub ohm coils produce bigger clouds and warmer vapour, they also eat through your e-liquid at a much faster rate than plus ohm coils, which are steadier on battery use and produce less vapour. The vapour itself is much cooler too with plus ohm coils. If you’re new to vaping, you could always choose one of each and see how you get on, as your coil will need to be changed.

How often should you replace vape coils?

The rate at which you should replace your e-cigarette’s coil mostly depends on how much you’re using it. Heavy vapers can expect to replace the coil around once a week to every 10 days, whereas light vapers could get as much as a month out of an e-cigarette coil. If you’re a very infrequent user, you should still look to replace the coil at least once a month so the flavour of your e-liquid isn’t compromised.

A common issue with coils and how to solve it

A common problem with e-cigarettes is that the coil may start to taste burnt. If this happens, there are several reasons why this could be the case, but there are also some solutions too:

• You’re subjecting your coil to too much power from the vape’s battery, in which case you need to check wattage/voltage range or simply stay on the lower side to be safe.
• You’ve worn out the coil by vaping too heavily, which just means you need to buy a replacement.
• You’ve not primed the coil properly. In this case, all you need to do is allow a new coil to sit in the e-liquid and fully saturate for around 5-10 minutes before you start using it.
• You’re running out of e-liquid and need to top up.