Have you ever been waiting for a green light and suddenly a big puff of vapor bursts from another waiting vehicle’s open window? That’s how I’d like to vape, you’ve told yourself, someday! Such vape clouds are possible through a style of vaping known as sub-ohm vaping. Besides the startling clouds sub-ohm vapers can blow, sub-ohm vaping can also intensify vaping’s flavor.
In essence, sub-ohm vaping refers to vaping on a device with a coil that has a resistance of 0.5 ohms or less. When you “sub-ohm,” you increase the power output of a fixed voltage vape or mod.
Sub-ohm vaping is popular among advanced vapers. To find out if sub-ohm vaping is for you, keep reading.
How Does It Work?
Ohms are units that measure electrical resistance. All vaping coils have a resistance reading, and you will likely find a coil’s resistance on the coil itself or its packaging.
To understand sub-ohm vaping, one has to take a look at Ohm’s law. This law says that in an electrical circuit, current is directly proportional to voltage and that there is an inverse relationship between current and resistance.
In other words: Volts = Amps x Ohms. Amperage measures electric current and refers to the flow of electric charge.
Now, if the voltage is fixed and you increase the resistance in an electrical circuit, the current decreases. On the other hand, if the voltage in an electric circuit is fixed and you reduce the resistance, the amps will increase.
How does this apply to sub-ohm vaping? All mechanical mods, regulated mods, and vape pens have batteries. Batteries are fixed-voltage sources that increase the power output in wattage if you reduce the resistance of your coil.
In short: the lower the resistance of your coil, the more power you will be able to pump through it, which means more flavor and bigger, denser smoke clouds.
By reducing the resistance of your coil to less than one ohm, you effectively increase the amps and, therefore, the strain on your battery since it has to meet a higher demand in stored energy.
Every battery has a recommended amperage limit. When you use a coil with lower resistance, your risk of reaching this amperage limit increases. At extremely low resistance measurements, the amperage can be so high that you effectively short circuit your battery, which can cause it to stop working, vent, or even explode.
Is Sub-ohm Vaping Dangerous?
Since a lower resistance results in an increase in amps and risk for battery failure and addiction to nicotine, the obvious question is whether sub-ohm vaping is safe. The answer is yes – if you follow the basic safety rules for sub-ohm vaping.
Sub-ohm vaping safety tips include:
- Invest in high-quality batteries designed for sub-ohm vaping
- Measure low ohm resistance with a dedicated device
- Inspect your cells regularly for signs of stress
- Keep your mod as simple as possible
- Make sure that your mod is clean and well-vented
- Don’t overcharge your batteries, and replace them regularly
While these safety rules may seem extensive, advanced and passionate vapers won’t let these recommendations intimidate them.
Benefits of Sub-ohm Vaping
The first thing newbie vapers think when they hear “sub-ohm vaping” is big clouds. There are, however, several advantages to sub-ohm vaping over other styles.
More Airflow
One of the most significant differences between sub-ohm vaping and starter vaping is that a sub-ohm vaporizer features unrestricted airflow to allow for direct-to-lung inhales, and you don’t have to inhale into your mouth and then into your lungs.
More Flavor
Since sub-ohm coils increase the power output of your mod, it will vaporize a lot of e-liquid during one pull and release intense flavor.
Warmer Vapor
The higher power output means that more heat is produced. Many vapers that prefer the warmer vape tend to switch to sub-ohm vaping at some point.
Big Clouds
Blowing out big, dense, billowing clouds grabs attention. To many vapers, producing sizable clouds of vapors is the most appealing aspect about vaping. If you are a competitive vaper, you need a sub-ohm device.
Cloud Chasing
Cloud chasing is about more than blowing out thick plumes of vapor. Cloud chasers spend a lot of time perfecting techniques to blow out thicker clouds. Some may even consider it to be an art form.
Cloud chasing is a niche within vaping. There are a lot of aspects to cloud chasing, including inhaling and exhaling techniques, body posture, and even genetics.
Cloud chasing is a far cry from conventional smoking, as many cloud chasers are not addicted to nicotine, and their objective is mainly to produce vapor plumes that are as big as possible.
If you want to start cloud chasing, a sub-ohm mod is a must. Thanks to sub-ohm coils, cloud chasing is more accessible to casual vapers, as it allows them to blow big clouds without relying too much on technique.
Since cloud chasing can put a lot of strain on mod batteries, safety should come first. Sound knowledge of Ohm’s law, considering your battery’s amperage limit, and sticking to high-quality products is crucial to prevent battery failure.
Is Sub-ohm Vaping for you?
Although sub-ohm vaping may sound fun, it is not for everyone. Generally speaking, cloud chasers and other advanced vapers regard sub-ohm vaping as a big part their lives. They are knowledgeable about the scientific principles behind this type of vaping, and they exercise diligence to reduce all risks and vape in the safest manner possible.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of time on vaping, your pen vape is nothing but a nicotine delivery system, or you don’t want to waste time and effort on safety, sub-ohm vaping may not be for you.
You don’t necessarily have to start sub-ohm vaping to get bigger clouds and flavors, however. With a high-power VV / VW regulated mod, you can have a lot of vaping fun, even if your coil has a resistance of more than one ohm.
On the other hand, if you are an advanced vaper and you obsess about cloud chasing, deriving intense flavors, and producing thicker clouds, sub-ohm vaping may be suited to your lifestyle, and you should treat yourself to a sub-ohm kit immediately.