The Ultimate Guide To Vape Coils & Vape Pods
Welcome to our ultimate guide about vape coils and vape pods! Whether you're a seasoned vaper looking to buff up on your vaping knowledge or someone who's just starting out on their vaping journey looking to gain a full understanding about what exactly a vape coil does for a vape kit, this guide will have everything you need to know about the most essential part of any vape device and how to maintain it properly to ensure a smooth and satisfying vape experience every time!
What Is A Vape Coil?
Whilst they are widely referred to as a coil, the official term for these are "atomiser heads" and the coil is actually enhoused within the metal casing which makes up the atomiser head part. A coil to a vape is like what the heart is to a human body, it keeps the vape running how it should and if it's not looked after, then chances are your vape isn't going to function properly!
A vape coil (or atomiser head to keep things official) is comprised of a piece of wire which is wrapped a specific number of times to create the coil shape and this then produces an ohms rating. The wire coil then has a small piece of cotton threaded through it which is called the "wick" and this is where the e-liquid you use in your vape tank or vape pod absorbs into.
And ultimately, the biggest job that a coil does is heating up your e-liquid to turn into vapour after it's had power sent to it from your vape device battery.
What Is A Vape Pod?
A vape pod is what's used in a pod vape kit and this is what houses the vape coil as well as what's filled up with your e-liquid of choice to be heated up by the coil.
Vape pods offer a convenient way to vape as many pods, like the one pictured, have the coils integrated in the pod and the entire pod is disposed of once the coil has burnt out, meaning you don't have to get your hands messy with changing coils.
But there are also vape pods which uses replacement vape coils, and these are often a push fit design, making it simple and easy to remove and install a new coil as and when you need it.
We explain more about the different types of pod further down in this blog.
Different Types Of Vape Coil Explained
Whilst all coils may look alike on the surface, there are some distinct differences between them and we're going to take a look at the two most popular types of vape coil on the market today.
Wire Vape Coil
You might be wondering what defines a "regular" coil as on the outside one looks similar to the other, but it's what is inside that sets them apart. Inside the atomiser head casing will be a small coil, made from a specific type of wire such as Kanthal or Stainless Steel, and this piece of wire has been tightly wrapped a specific number of times to make the coil shape and this creates an ohms resistance.
The coil then has a piece of cotton threaded through it to act as a wick and it's then housed inside the atomiser head casing. These types of coil are the OG of vape coils and are still commonly used with vape kits today, but there is a different type of vape coil which has started to become the new norm for vaping and we'll explain below.
Mesh Vape Coil
Mesh vape coils differ from the traditional regular vape coils we mentioned above in the way that they are designed. Instead of a wire coil being used, a strip of metal with a series of small holes punched into it to create a mesh design is used instead. This is normally formed into a cylindrical shape and the cotton wick is threaded through it like a traditional vape coil or it's wrapped around the mesh cylinder.
These have become very popular with vapers as the mesh design boosts the flavour of the e-liquid being used due to the fact that more e-liquid is able to get to the wick and then be heated up to turn into vapour. As well as this, they also last slightly longer than a normal vape coil as the wire coil tends to become burnt and worn out after frequent use, however a mesh design coil tends to not have a similar issue and lasts longer, offering overall better value for money and a more satisfying vaping experience!
How Long Should A Vape Coil Last?
The average timeframe for how long a coil should last is anywhere between 7 days to 14 days. This time frame can be less but it can also be longer as it depends on different factors such as what vape juice you're using, the wattage settings of your vape device and how often you're vaping. We've explained this in more detail in our feature blog which you can read by following the link below.
Different Types Of Vape Pod Explained
Whilst a vape pod does the same thing regardless of which style it is, there are two different types of vape pod which we will explain both in detail below.
Pods With Integrated coils
A vape pod which has an integrated coil is one where the pod itself is factory sealed (minus the filling port) and has the coil inside the pod. And the whole pod is then disposed of once the coil has burnt out. These types of pod are good for new vapers who may not want the hassle of changing coils around and offer a layer of convenience where you just dispose of the old pod and put a new one in the device once the coil has reached the end of its life.
Notable vape devices that use pods with integrated coils are the incredible Aspire Pixo, the Geekvape Sonder Q2 and also Innokin Klypse Pro!
pods that use replacement coils
There are certain pods which use replacement coils instead of having them integrated. These offer you a little more freedom for choosing which ohms resistance coil you want to use should you be seeking an alternative vape experience such as restricted direct to lung or direct to lung. More on this further on in this blog.
If you're looking for a pod vape kit that uses replacement coils rather than replacing the whole pod, try out the Aspire Flexus Pro that pairs with Aspire AF Mesh coils.
Choosing The Right Wattage For Your Vape Coil
Knowing what wattage you need to set your vape device to solely depends on what ohms resistance the coil is that you are using. It's imperative to get this right, as if you have the wattage set too high, it'll instantly burn the cotton wick as the coil will overheat too quickly and will render your coil useless should this happen.
Set your wattage output too low, and the coil won't get a chance to properly heat up and it'll likely cause flooding issues where the cotton wick becomes oversaturated and then this will cause issues like leakage or spitback when you go to inhale on your vape device.
How Do I Know What Wattage To Vape At?
More often than not, there will be a wattage range displayed on either the packet of coils or pods, or if you look at the coil, it will occassionally be etched onto the outer casing of the atomiser head for you to read and set the wattage correctly on your device.
This ultimately does come down to whether or not you're using a vape device that has variable wattage settings. If you do not have these settings on your vape kit, then the device will automatically set the wattage output based on what the ohms resistance of the coil is that you are using.
We explain briefly below what the different styles of vaping are, but be sure to check out our extensive blog all about vaping styles and how to know which is the right one for you!
What Are The Different Styles Of Vaping?
Choosing The Right E-Liquid For Your Vape Coil
It's important to pair the correct coil with the type of vape juice you're choosing to use. If you're new to vaping, it's easy to think that one vape coil can be used for every type of vape juice, but this isn't quite accurate. It's crucial to get the right vape coil when pairing with a specific type of vape juice.
The Best Vape Coils For Nic Salt E-Liquids
Nicotine salt e-liquid is commonly mixed at a 50:50 VG/PG ratio, meaning that they are best paired with a higher ohm vape coil for mouth to lung vaping.
Nic salt vape juices are considerably more flavoursome than standard freebase nicotine e-liquids, and to really enhance the flavour of your e-liquid, you could consider pairing them with mesh coils. Most mesh coils are optimised for nicotine salts and are becoming the industry standard design for most coils in pod vape kits these days.
The best vape coil for nic salts would be one rated at least 1.0ohm or higher resistance.
The Best Vape Coils For 50/50 Freebase nicotine E-Liquids
Much like nic salt vape juices, standard 50/50 freebase nicotine vape juices are made to be used wit vape coils which are higher ohms for mouth to lung vaping.
This type of e-liquid is what most new vapers will start out on when quitting smoking, so you'll want to replicate the same mouth to lung effect and using a higher ohm coil will do this perfectly.
For 50/50 e-liquids, we would advise using a vape coil that's a higher ohms resistance of at least 0.8ohm or higher.
The Best Vape Coils For High-VG E-Liquids
When it comes to High VG e-liquids, you're going to need a vape coil that can tolerate being heated to high temperatures/wattages and these are commonly sub ohm vape coils. As High VG e-liquid is mixed at a thicker consistency, it requires more wattage to be sent to the coil to heat the e-liquid up and turn to vapour. This is why it's commonly associated with sub ohm vaping as higher wattages create not only more flavour but bigger vape clouds too!
We'd recommend choosing a vape coil that is around 0.4ohm or lower in resistance as these can tolerate higher wattages for sub ohm vaping.
Choosing The Right Vape Coil For Your Needs
Choosing the right vape coil is an imperative part of the vaping process which you must get right if you want to have success when it comes to vaping, especially if you're on a quest to quit smoking! Picking the right coil ultimately comes down to what you're wanting to achieve with your vape kit and we'll highlight these below and highlight which coils you should be using.
Transitioning From Smoking To Vaping
When moving away from smoking to vaping, you're going to want as close to a like for like experience you'd previously got from smoking tobacco products but with your vape kit in place of them. When you inhale on a cigarette, you do what is called a mouth to lung action. This is where you inhale and the smoke produced from the cigarette hits the back of your throat then a slight pause before exhaling to release the smoke.
You're able to replicate this with a vape kit using a mouth to lung vape coil. These types of coil are easily identifiable based on the ohms resistance of the coil itself. If it's at least 1.0ohm or higher, then this will be fine for MTL vaping. These only require a low wattage output on your vape kit which will produce a similar amount of vapour to the smoke produced from a cigarette.
Looking For Maximum Flavour & Producing Big Clouds Of Vapour
To reach maximum flavour heights from your e-liquid when vaping, you're going to need a device that's capable of running at higher wattages. This creates more power being delivered to the coil to heat up to higher temperatures to heat your e-liquid up and it's been proven that the more power and heat used with e-liquid, the richer the flavour is going to be. Another thing which goes hand in hand with this is creating big clouds of vapour and people who seek this have been nicknamed "cloud chasers" and this style of vaping is mroe commonly associated with sub ohm vaping.
To achieve these two things, you're going to need a lower ohms resistance coil, of around 0.4ohm or lower as these are designed for sub ohm vaping. And remember that the lower the ohms, the higher the wattage so if you get your hands on a 0.1/0.2ohm coil, you're going to be able to get the most flavour possible from your e-liquid as well as nice thick clouds of vapour.
Why Priming Your Vape Coil Is Important
Priming is the name given to what you must do to every new vape coil that you use, whether that be a coil you put into your vape tank or vape pod and even coils that are integrated inside vape pods, a new coil must always be primed before you use your vape!
If you're using a vape tank or vape pod that use replacement coils, simply take your new coil and apply a small drop of e-liquid to any exposed cotton on the coil itself. This will allow for the e-liquid to begin soaking into the cotton to ensure it's saturated. Then once you've installed the coil, fill up either your vape tank or vape pod with your chosen e-liquid and leave it to fully absorb and saturate the cotton for at least 5-10 minutes before using it.
The same process applies to pods which have coils preinstalled inside them, simply fill the pod and leave to sit for 5-10 minutes before use. By doing this, it means when you go to use it, the cotton wick within the coil will be saturated with e-liquid and this prevents dry/burnt hits when you go to vape with your device.
If your device also has variable wattage settings, we'd also advise having a few puffs at a lower wattage setting when a fresh coil is being used before ramping up to your usual power settings.
trouble shooting common vape coil/vape pod problems
There are going to be issues and problems which arise when it comes to vape coils and vape pods, it's just part and parcel of vaping in general, but fear not as most of the issues which may crop up are relatively easy fixes to prevent them happening any further. We'll highlight a few of the most common below and how to solve them should they happen to you.
Why Do I Get A Burnt Taste When I Vape?
Every vapers worst nightmare is going to have a vape and be greeted with the taste of burnt cotton, it's not pleasant and we would expect every vaper would have experienced this happening to them at least once during their time vaping.
It comes down to a few factors as to why you're getting a burnt taste when you inhale on your vape. And that is either;
- Your vape pod or vape tank has ran out of e-liquid and needs filling up. This is quite a frequent issue to vapers, especially those using pod vapes as normally the pods are concealed within the vape device itself making it awkward to see or know when your vape pod is empty. If this is this case, simply top up your pod with e-liquid and you'll be good to go again!
- Your coil is reaching or has reached the end of it's life and the burnt taste you're experiencing is from the cotton inside the coil not absorbing your e-liquid properly as it's degraded from it's original state. This means it's time to replace the coil or vape pod should your coil be preinstalled with a fresh new one...and don't forget to prime it!
Why Am I Getting Weak Flavour And Less Vapour Production?
This is a tell tale sign that your coil is reaching the end of it's life. Normally you'll find once you start losing the flavour of your e-liquid and not much vapour is being produced, it's probably down to the fact that the coil wire is becoming burnt as well as the cotton wick meaning it will not perform as well as when it was new. Simply get yourself a new coil or vape pod and this should solve the problem!
Why Is My Vape Tank or Vape Pod Leaking when i have a coil installed?
This will be because the cotton wick has deteriorated from being heated up and the vape juice cannot absorb into what cotton is left. Simply replace the coil with a new one and this should stop the leaking! We've explained this in more detail in our feature blog linked below.
Why Does My Vape Device Say No/Check Atomiser?
This is quite a common problem and most vapers will have experienced this dreaded warning popping up on their display screen of their vape kit. There's a couple of reasons why this may be happening; one reason would be the coil isn't fitted correctly into your vape pod or vape tank. Make sure the coil is properly installed by checking it's flush in your vape pod or screwed into the base of your vape tank properly.
The other reason is that some vape kits will have a built in safety feature that will stop you being able to vape if your vape coil is reaching the end of it's lifespan and this will cause the warning message to display. All you have to do is change your coil or vape pod and this should stop the message appearing.
Why Is My Vape Coil Gurgling/Spitting E-Liquid?
This is a classic case of your vape tank or vape pod being overfilled and the gurgling noise or spitting of e-liquid is the excess e-liquid that's not absorbed into the cotton. You can solve this issue by pressing the fire button on your vape intermittently to get the e-liquid heated up and the volume will then decrease to stop it being overfilled.
Why Isn't My Vape Kit Recognising The Vape Pod?
When you drop your vape pod into your device, you may find that it will not read there's a pod connected to it and your vape won't function. All you need to do is give the connection points a wipe with some tissue as this will clear any excess e-liquid or debris away from them and then your vape device should be able to read the pod installed in the device.
why buy your vape coils and vape pods online from edge vaping
Here at EDGE Vaping, we aim to offer everything required for a successful vaping journey from e-liquids to vape kits to replacement vape pods or vape coils, we have everything you need!
Whilst we are most known for our e-liquids, we do stock a wide range of vape kits suited to all levels of vaping experience as well as catering to all styles of vaping as we offer pod vape kits, pen vapes kits, and pod mod vape kits across our vape kit ranges.
And of course, we cannot offer these superb vape kits without offering replacement vape coils or vape pods for them! We have vape coils and vape pods for all of the devices that we offer here at EDGE Vaping as well as select replacement vape coils and vape pods for other popular vape kits too!
You can browse the ranges below from some of the leading brands of vape kits within the vaping world and find the perfect ohms resistance vape coil or vape pod to suit your vaping needs.
With fast dispatch from our UK warehouse, and next day delivery options available, we aim to ensure that you'll never be left without your spare & replacement pods and coils!
