Coils

What is a coil made of?

An electronic cigarette coil can have several shapes and sizes, but we’ll come back to this later.

In most cases, a coil is made of resistive wire like Kanthal, Nichrome, or Stainless Steel. This wire is ‘coiled’ (hence the name) into a spiral, which gives the coil a specific resistive value, expressed in ohms.

This value defines the power you’ll have to set on your electronic cigarette, expressed in watts. It corresponds to the voltage the battery needs to heat the wire.

There’s a piece of fiber in contact with this resistive wire, sometimes made from silica, but most often it’s organic cotton. The whole assembly uses capillary action to soak up the e-liquid held inside the clearomizer tank. When said liquid touches the hot wire, it’s vaporized. This vapor rises up the tank’s chimney before being inhaled through the drip tip.

The whole coil assembly is held inside a metal cartridge, which has a few holes in it so as to let the e-liquid inside, but without flooding the fiber.

What’s the difference between the coils?

As we said above, there are several types of coils. Generally, it’s their structure that changes, as they work in the same way, regardless of their shape or size.

The first factor that differentiates coils is their resistive value. This is expressed in ohms, the measurement unit of electrical resistance. The important thing to remember is that with a value of 1 ohm or less (known as ‘sub-ohm’ in the vaping community), your coil will heat up more than if it had a value of 1 ohm or above. This will, by extension, impact how much vapor you end up producing. The lower the coil value is, the more power it’ll require and the more vapor you’ll get.

Secondly, coil designs differ. Manufacturers use various resistive wires to make their coils. The most common builds are made from Kanthal, Nichrome or stainless steel, but some can be made from Nickel or Titanium, especially if they’re intended for temperature control.

Adding to this, a coil can be made up of several resistive wires. Dual coils, for example, are very common. They comprise two separate coils, which divide the resistance value by two and thus produce a lot of vapor.

Some coils use mesh technology. The coil is shaped like a piece of metallic mesh, which is placed against the cotton wick and thus increases the coil’s heating surface. This produces better results at every level, especially with regard to the coil’s lifespan.

The stainless steel (SS), Titanium (Ti), and Nickel (Ni200) coils are designed for temperature control. This mode allows you to set the temperature in degrees instead of setting the power output in watts, but it requires a compatible device (electronic mod).

Finally, there are ceramic coils. These have a resistive wire surrounded by a thin ceramic layer and a small amount of organic cotton. The objective here is to decrease the heating surface and the amount of direct contact the coil has with the e-liquid. The result is a cleaner vape with more flavor, and a much longer lifespan for the coil.

How to choose a coil?

When you choose an All-In-One electronic cigarette or a clearomizer, you’ll notice that the manufacturer offers several different coils for it.

These various wicks allow you to pick the right coil value for your needs.

As we said before, a coil with a value of 1 ohm or above won’t require much power to operate. It won’t produce much vapor, but it’ll allow you to vaporize e-liquids with a high nicotine content, and even e-liquids with nicotine salts or CBD in them. That's why you'll usually find these coils on small electronic cigarettes like podmods.

Conversely, sub-ohm coils (of less than 1 ohm) require a lot of power to operate, but will produce a large amount of vapor. These will tend to vaporize a large quantity of liquid in a short amount of time. Therefore, it’s best to use them with low-nicotine liquids, like 3mg/ml or even 0mg/ml juices, if you want to avoid any throat discomfort.

In summary, if you’re a beginner vaper looking to quit smoking, it’s best to choose coils with a resistance of more than 1 ohm to ensure a tight draw, precise flavors, and a vaping experience that works well with e-liquids containing 6, 12, or even 16 or 18 mg/ml of nicotine.

If you’re a more experienced vaper who wants more vapor, then sub-ohm coils are made for you, provided you have the right equipment and a sufficient power output to heat the coil properly. If you do, favor liquids with less nicotine in them, such as 3 mg/ml juices, for example.

When do coils need to be changed?

In general, a coil lasts for about 2 weeks before it needs to be changed, depending on your use, of course.

Several factors can impact a coil’s lifespan:

• The vaping frequency
• The quality of the cotton fiber and resistive wire
• The type of e-liquid you use

Regarding this last point, you should know that e-liquids with a high vegetable glycerin (VG) content tend to clog coils faster. Juices with very sweet flavors, like most ‘desserts’ and some fruit blends, will also wear out coils more quickly.

In addition, certain signs will indicate that your coil is worn out, such as a change in flavor, low vapor production, a persistent burnt taste, or leaks caused by a weakened cotton wick that can no longer hold the e-liquid.

If you notice these symptoms, the verdict is final: you’ll need to replace your coil with a new one.

How much does an electronic cigarette coil cost?

Quitting smoking for vaping will save you a significant amount of money when compared to the cost of tobacco. Once you’ve purchased your first electronic cigarette, there are only two consumables you’ll have to replace regularly: the e-liquid and the coils.

Most e-cigarette manufacturers will sell their coils in packs of 5, at about 2€ a piece. Knowing that a coil lasts between 2 and 3 weeks depending on your use, they’ll very quickly pay for themselves.

Adding to this, we always try to offer the largest selection of coils for your clearomizers and electronic cigarettes at the lowest price.

How to clean a coil?

If clearomizers are designed to be fully dismantled and cleaned, coils are not.

In the past, you could clean the wicks of the Ego C or Stardust coils if you were patient enough, but today this is no longer the case. If you try to clean a modern coil, you risk damaging it permanently.

Just rinsing the coil with water will drown the cotton fiber. It’ll shrink until it is no longer in contact with the resistive wire, and this will surely cause a ‘dry hit’. You may also notice a lack of flavor and a very low vapor production, that is, if your coil still works.

Thus, it would be better to replace your coil rather than wasting your time trying to save it. On the other hand, it’s important to clean your clearomizer as often as possible if you want to keep it in working order.

Go further

To find the coil compatible with your e-cigarette device, the easiest way is to use our store’s filter by brand or by clearomizer; you’ll save valuable time and avoid unpleasant surprises upon delivery. Podmods, AIO kits, MTL clearomizers: no matter your setup, you’ll find the right products, available individually or in packs.

Not all coils are created equal, and that’s precisely where the selection gets interesting. Some are designed to enhance flavor; this is particularly true of ceramic or mesh coils, while others prioritize vapor production for direct vaping. For pod systems, dedicated cartridges offer several options depending on your desired draw. In any case, be sure to check compatibility with your clearomizer before placing your order.

When it comes to brands, the most popular items in our selection cover most of the market: GTX and PnP coils for Voopoo kits, BVC coils for the Aspire Nautilus, the Z Series for the Geekvape Zeus, Innokin’s Zenith, and Smok’s TFV models. Each product is available in several ohm ratings to precisely match your vaping style. The coil is generally, along with e-liquid, the only consumable part of your e-cigarette.

Its lifespan is usually around 2 to 3 weeks, depending on how often you vape. When you start to taste a burnt flavor or the vapor output decreases, that’s a sign it’s time to replace it. Keeping a few spares on hand prevents you from being caught without a replacement on an inconvenient day, a habit our customers often recommend in their reviews.

Our 3 or 5-pack sets are designed to lower the cost per unit while ensuring you have a comfortable supply on hand. One thing that’s often misunderstood: coils aren’t universal. A Voopoo GTX coil isn’t interchangeable with an Aspire BVC coil, even though both use indirect inhalation. Each part number is designed for a specific model, which can quickly become confusing when you own multiple kits.

That’s what our clearomizer search filter is for: it identifies products compatible with your device in just a few seconds. And if you’re still unsure, the detailed product descriptions and customer reviews are there to guide you. Finally, for those who want to go a step further: a high-resistance coil (above 1 ohm) is better suited for MTL vaping with e-liquids that have a high nicotine concentration, while a sub-ohm coil is better suited for fans of direct inhalation and big clouds. This distinction is essential; it determines not only the flavor profile but also the amount of e-liquid consumed and the power required by your mod.