One of the fun features of many modern vaping devices is that they have the ability to detect the resistance of the connected atomizer coil and automatically suggest an appropriate vaping wattage. In some cases – if the vaping device and tank are manufactured by the same company, for instance – the suggested wattage is perfect and will give you an excellent vaping experience.
Most of the time, though, you’re going to need to do some tweaking to get the experience you want – so it can be very helpful to know where to begin and to have an idea of how to know if you’ve made a mistake. Even if you’re buying from a vape shop with amazing prices like E-Cigarette Empire, vape coils aren’t cheap. You want them to last as long as possible, but you also want them to give you the best vaping experience possible.
So, what’s the right vaping wattage for a sub-ohm tank? This article will help you answer that question in three easy steps.
Step 1: Check Your Coil’s Recommended Wattage Range
The first thing to do when determining the correct wattage for a sub-ohm tank is look at the tank’s coil. A modern vaping coil will always have a suggested wattage range etched into the side of the coil. Start your device at the low end of that range – especially if the coil is new. A new coil needs to through a break-in period before the wick begins to function optimally. Generally, a new coil only needs a few puffs to get up to speed. After you’ve puffed on a new coil a few times with no problems, you can decide whether you’d like to start ramping the wattage up.
Step 2: Consider How Vaping Manufacturers Calculate Recommended Wattages
Remember that a coil’s suggested wattage range is only a rough guideline. You can vape below the suggested wattage, but you may find that the coil takes a bit longer to heat up and produce a substantial vapor cloud. It’s even possible in some cases to use a coil above its maximum suggested wattage without damaging the coil. To determine a coil’s wattage range, the manufacturer installs the coil in a tank and connects the tank to an automatic puffing machine. The machine puffs for about 2-3 seconds at a time, so the manufacturer uses that puff length to determine the coil’s ideal wattage range.
Step 3: Adjust as Necessary
When you vape, do you typically puff for around 2-3 seconds at a time, or are your puffs significantly longer or shorter than that? Your puff length determines the maximum wattage at which you can safely vape. If you’re the type of person who takes extremely short puffs, you can push your device’s wattage and may even be able to vape at a higher wattage than what the manufacturer of your coil recommends.
As a general guideline, it’s safe to vape at a given wattage only if your coil’s wick isn’t completely dry at the end of a puff. If the wick is dry, it can burn – but if your puffs are very short, you won’t burn the wick.
On the other hand, some people prefer to take slow, deep puffs when vaping. If that’s the case for you, you’re going to want to vape at the low end of your coil’s suggested wattage range. You may even want to vape below that range to be absolutely certain that you won’t burn the coil’s wick.
In addition to the length of your puffs, the other factor that you need to consider when choosing a vaping wattage is your tank’s airflow setting. If you like to close your tank’s airflow collar slightly to make the vapor warmer, you’re reducing the amount of air that flows through the tank and keeps the coil cool. You’ll need to vape at a lower wattage to compensate for that.
What Are the Signs That You’re Vaping at the Wrong Wattage?
The fun thing about the modern vaping experience is that there’s almost no wattage setting that’s completely wrong. If your wattage setting is too high, you’ll risk burning your coil’s wick. You’ll need to replace the coil if that happens, but it isn’t the end of the world. If your wattage setting is too low, your coil won’t operate efficiently – but there are no other negative side effects. If your wattage setting is wrong, in other words, you’ll know it because you won’t have a very good vaping experience.
So, what are the signs that you’re vaping at the wrong wattage?
If your wattage is too low, you’ll get an extremely airy draw. You’ll still exhale a visible vapor cloud, but you’ll notice that the vapor has very little flavor. Most of what you’ll inhale will be air rather than vapor, so in addition to a lack of flavor, you’ll also notice that you’re simply not satisfied in terms of getting the amount of nicotine that your body expects. If you want to make the draw a little less airy, you can try closing your tank’s airflow collar slightly. What you really need to do in this case, though, is increase the wattage.
If your wattage is too high, you’ll experience a burning sensation at the end of your puffs because your coil’s wick will be dry. You’ll also notice that your coils won’t last long before you need to replace them. Most vape coils use cotton wicks, and cotton burns easily if it’s dry. When that happens, the coil’s flavor is ruined forever. If you get a burned flavor from a coil and remove the coil from your tank only to find that the coil’s metal interior is still shiny and white, it’s likely that the wick is burned. When you vape at the correct wattage, you never have to worry about burning your wick because the wick draws fresh e-liquid in from the tank as quickly as the coil vaporizes it.
