Vape Coils: An Overview
Vape Coils, such as the Aspire Clearomizer BVC Replacement Coils, is a part of the vaporizer that contains a metal atomizer wire and a wick all together. Typically, this metal wire is made of Kanthal, but it can also be made of other metals like nickel or stainless steel for vapes that are temperature-controlled.When you vape, an electric current passes through the wire, heating it up. Like a radiator or stove-top heating element or burner, the atomizer coil will actually glow orange once it’s sufficiently heated up. The e-juice within a vaporizer will evaporate during this heating process. However, if the atomizer’s wick is dried out, then the heat will burn it, leading to a distasteful, burnt taste during your vape session. Wicks can be made from a variety of materials, such as ekowool, silica, organic cotton, and in stainless steel. Wicks are kept in constant, direct contact with the atomizer coil. Unless the vape coil is properly primed with a sufficiently saturated wick, the wick will burn once the atomizer coil heats up.
The two most popular vaporizer coils are the sub ohm coils and Mouth-To-Lung (MTL) coils. MTL coils are coils that have a resistance greater than an ohm, while sub ohm coils have a resistance less than an ohm, as the name suggests. Remember to pay close attention to the recommended wattage settings as determined by the vaporizer’s manufacturer. Failing to do so will like lead to overheating the vape coil and burning the wick. Priming a vape coil involves slightly different steps, depending on whether the vape coil is a sub ohm coil or a MTL coil.
Priming a Vape Coil
Sub ohm coils have atomizer resistances that are less than 1.0 ohms, like the 0.4 ohms of the Smok TFV8 X-Baby Beast Brother Replacement Coils. This low level of resistance equates to more power being drawn from a battery during a vape session. This high power consumption leads to large clouds when you pull from the vaporizer, but this reinforces the fact that it’s important to prime the vape coil. Doing so allows the coil to handle this large power draw without burning the wick.To prime vaporizer coils, follow these steps:
- Carefully thread the vape coil into the vape tank’s base.
- Take your e-liquid and put a few well-placed drops from above the coil, landing the drops directly into the wick.
- Place a few more drops into the parts of the wick that are accessible through the e-juice ports.
- Put your vape tank back together.
- Take your vape e-liquid and fill up your vape tank.
- Wait between 5 to 10 minutes for the wick to reach full saturation.
The vape coil manufacturer’s user manuals for some coil only suggest waiting 5 minutes. However, it’s advisable to give the wick a few minutes to fully saturate. Not all wicks are exactly alike: some are a bit denser, and thus will need more time to saturate sufficiently. Your patience here will truly pay off once the vape coil is fully primed and will give you a satisfying vaping experience.
Breaking In New Coils
Priming your vape coil is important for it to work properly and to not burn your wick. But to ensure that the vape coil has the longest lifespan possible, it needs to also be properly broken in. This is a gradual process, but a necessary one for the most effective use you can get out of your coil and your overall experience with vaping.Here are the steps for breaking in a new vape coil:
- Make sure to set your vaporizer’s wattage to its lowest recommended setting once you start to vape.
- Take several, small hits on the vaporizer with short durations, as this starts the breaking in process for the coil.
- Bump up the vape’s power by 5 watts.
- Take in 3 regular vapes, and the bump up the power by 5 watts again.
- Repeat step 4, gradually increasing the wattage each time by 5 until the power setting that you desire is finally reached.
Priming your vape coil ensures that the wick is fully saturated, thus avoiding coil damage, a burnt wick, and/or a foul, burnt taste while vaping. Breaking in your vape coil extends its life significantly. When it’s all said and done, your vape coil’s life will be ultimately impacted by your vape frequency and your desired wattage level. Priming and breaking in vaporizer coils are just means of getting the best, longest-lasting vape experiences that you can from each vape coil that you use.
Priming MTL Coils
MTL coils have resistances higher than 1.0 ohms. Very popular with current and former smokers, these vaporizers draw vapors into the vaper’s mouth and then into their lungs through inhalation.The steps for priming a MTL vape coil are fairly similar to those of sub ohm coils, except that it isn’t necessary to place a few e-liquid drops onto the vape coil to prime it. All you need to do is place the new vape coil into the vape tank’s base, fill the tank, assemble the vape tank, and then wait between 5 to 10 minutes to allow the wick to reach full saturation. Then, you’re all set to enjoy vaping.