What are Vape Coils? A complete guide for Beginners

Nobody picks up their first vape kit thinking about coils. You just want to stop smoking. But within a week or two, you start noticing the flavour has gone a bit flat, or there is a faint burnt edge to every draw, and someone tells you to change the coil. And then you are standing in a shop or scrolling online wondering what any of it means. 

It is not complicated, it just has its own vocabulary. This guide by Tidal Vape cuts through it. 

So, what does a coil actually do?

Inside every vape tank or pod, there is a small component made from a coiled length of resistance wire wrapped around a cotton wick — the wicking material. When you take a draw or press the fire button, the battery sends power to that wire. It heats up, the e-liquid trapped in the cotton vaporises, and you inhale the vapour. 

That is all it is. The vape coil is the bit that actually does the heating. Everything else in your vape kit, the battery, the tank, the airflow, exists to support it. 

The catch is that coils wear out. The cotton wick gets saturated with residue, the resistance wire degrades slightly with repeated heating, and at some point the flavour drops off or turns genuinely nasty. That is your cue to replace the coil. Most people get through one every week or two, though it depends on how much you vape and what you are vaping. 

What does the ohm number on the packet mean?

The number you see on coil packaging, something like 0.6 ohm or 1.2 ohm, is the resistance value measured in ohms. It tells you how much the coil itself resists the electrical current, which affects how hot it runs and what kind of vaping experience it is designed for. 

In practical terms, there are two camps.

1. Above 1.0 ohm – mouth to lung
   Higher resistance coils run cooler and draw tighter. If you are coming from cigarettes, this is the one that will feel familiar. You pull the vapour into your mouth first, then inhale, the same way you would smoke. The vapour is cooler, the clouds are smaller, and it tends to feel less overwhelming.
   
   These coils pair with 50/50 e-liquids and nicotine salts. Kits like the OXVA Xlim Pro 2 or the OXVA NeXlim Go, both stocked at Tidal Vape, use coils in the 0.6 ohm to 1.0 ohm recommended wattage range and are built specifically around this style. They are solid starting points if you are new to all this.
   
   
2. Below 1.0 ohm – direct to lung
   Sub-ohm coils run hotter and produce much more vapour. Instead of holding the draw in your mouth first, you inhale directly to the lungs, more like a deep breath. The result is bigger clouds and a warmer vape. These need high VG e-liquids to work properly, typically 70% VG or higher, because thinner liquids flood the coil at higher wattages.
   
   Voopoo's PnP and TPP coil ranges sit in this territory. PnP coils work across the Vinci, Argus, and V Series kits. TPP coils are for higher-wattage devices like the Drag X Plus. They are not interchangeable, so check which one your device takes before you order. Tidal Vape stocks both series with the compatible vape kits listed on each product page. 

Priming: the step most people skip and then regret

Priming means getting your coil wet before you use it for the first time. It sounds minor, but skip it and you will almost certainly get a dry hit on your first few draws. A dry hit tastes horrible, like burning cotton, and it can ruin a brand new coil before you have even properly used it. 

The process takes about thirty seconds and saves a lot of frustration: 

• Find the small wicking holes on the side of the coil and put a few drops of e-liquid directly into them. Not a flood, just enough to dampen the cotton wick.
• Add a drop into the top opening of the coil itself as well.
• Fit the coil, fill your vape tank with e-liquid, then leave it alone for five to ten minutes. The cotton needs time to fully soak.
• If your device has adjustable power setting, start at the bottom of the recommended wattage range on the coil and work up gradually over your first few vapes. 

Do that every time you fit a new coil and you will notice a real difference in how long they last. 

How do you know when a coil needs replacing?

Your coil will usually tell you when it has had enough. The signs are not subtle once you know what to look for. 

• A burnt or harsh taste on every draw, even with a full tank.
• Noticeably less vapour than usual.
• The flavour has gone flat or tastes wrong, even after changing e-liquids.
• A gurgling noise when you draw, often a sign the coil is flooded or breaking down.
• Dark gunk visible on the coil when you take it out and look at it. 

Most vape coils last one to two weeks. Sweeter e-liquids shorten that because the sugar content caramelises on the resistance wire and gunks up the cotton wick faster. If you are vaping a lot of dessert or candy flavours, expect to replace coils more often. 

Trying to get a few extra days out of a dead coil is rarely worth it. The flavour is unpleasant, and it will not suddenly improve. 

Does your e-liquid match your coil?

This catches a lot of people out. The coil you are using determines what kind of e-liquid will actually work in your device. Get it wrong and you will either get dry hits, flooded draws, or a coil that burns out far too quickly. 

If you are on a high resistance coil above 1.0 ohm, stick to 50/50 or nicotine salts. These are thinner liquids that absorb into the wick quickly and work well at lower power settings. 

If you are on a sub-ohm coil, you need a high VG liquid. Something at least 70% VG, ideally more. These thicker liquids handle the heat better and produce the kind of vapour output a sub-ohm coil is designed for. Pouring a thin 50/50 into a sub-ohm tank tends to result in flooding and spitting. 

For coils in the middle, around 0.6 ohm to 1.0 ohm, a 50/50 or a slightly VG-forward blend like 60/40 usually works well. These crossover coils are common in pod kits and give you a bit more flexibility. 

Getting more life out of your coils

A few simple habits make a genuine difference to how long each coil lasts. None of them require much effort. 

• Always prime a new coil. This cannot be said enough.
• Keep your tank reasonably topped up. Vaping with the liquid level very low means the wick can run dry mid-draw.
• Stay within the recommended wattage range printed on the coil. Running the coil too hot shortens its life considerably.
• Do not chain vape. Taking draw after draw without a brief pause does not give the cotton wick time to re-saturate between hits.
• Use the right liquid for your coil resistance. Mismatched viscosity is one of the biggest reasons coils fail sooner than they should. 

Make sure you are buying the right coil for your kit

Coils are not universal. Each vape tank or pod system is designed to work with specific coils, and using the wrong one will either mean it will not physically fit or that it performs badly. 

If you are not sure which coil your device takes, check the original packaging or look up your vape kit model online. Tidal Vape lists compatible devices on each coil product page, which takes the guesswork out of it. They stock coils from Aspire, Voopoo, Innokin, Freemax, OXVA, Uwell, and most other major brands. 

If you would rather just ask someone, any of the Tidal Vape stores across the UK, in Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton, Bournemouth, Reading, Gloucester, Wolverhampton, and elsewhere, can check coil compatibility in seconds. They deal with this question every day. 

For online orders, anything over £24 ships free with next day delivery, and orders before 1pm go out the same day. Worth keeping a spare pack of coils at home so you are not left waiting when a coil dies.