As we are deep into summer here in the UK (I know right? We do occasionally get sun without rain and temps that reach 30 degrees celsius!) one of the main questions I get asked is how to get the best out of your coil life span.
Over the last 6 years of working in a vape shop I’ve picked up some tricks that I still use to this day and I thought I’d share some with you guys!
- Proper priming is KEY! - I know there’s been a lot of talk on how to prime the coils properly and let me tell you - there’s no right or wrong answer! Some people prefer soaking the coil first, some just whack it all together and leave it. With the ever popular pod systems however, pre-soaking it isn’t really and option so what do you do? Well, everyone has got their own ways of doing it.
I prefer the whack it together option, however I’m far too impatient to wait the 15-20 minutes recommended for it to soak through. For pod devices like Xros, you’ll find me sucking on just the pod for a minute or two after filling it up to speed up the process and it’s ready to go almost instantly. I don’t even put the pod into the device until I’ve given it couple of proper ‘dry draws’.
For coil devices (And yes, I use the XR Max pod with the coil in my Luxe X Pro), I again whack it together, give it couple of dry draws and then I simply bring the power all the way down to 5watt and start pulling it though while increasing the power in increments of 2. Sometimes I do over do it and end up with spit back in my mouth, however, I’d rather that than a burnt hit and this method hasn’t failed me yet. If that happens, just turn your vape upside down, hold onto your pod and flick it out.
- Choosing the right liquid- sweeter flavours like strawberry cheesecake tend to shorten the coil life whereas with flavours like strawberry kiwi or even strawberry ice you might find your coils lasting you a bit longer!
Finding the right liquid for your vape is as important as letting it soak through properly. For the summer, I prefer something with a cooling background as menthol tends to mask the burning taste meaning I get couple of extra days out of my coils.
I currently use Ohm Brew Passionfruit and Mango from their Double Brew Originals range that I’ve turned into a Longfill as on it’s own it’s just a bit too over concentrated for me- even with 30ml with of flavour, 1 filler and 2 nicotine shots decanted into a 60ml bottle borderlines a bit too sweet for me. As this liquid is 50/50 mix, I’d recommend it to coils that are 0.4 and higher (with the 0.2 coil, specially in this heat, it’s bound to have leaking issues).
As a general rule of thumb, the smaller the coil(and lower the power), the thinner the liquid you want in your vape so leave the 70/30 mixes to the bad boys that run 40 watts and higher.
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keep it running on the right power and properly topped up - I always recommend running towards the lower end of the coil rather than higher (I run my GTX 0.4 coil on 28w as it’s recommended between 28-32w) and I never let the liquid get below half a tank.
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Never leave it in your car/direct sunlight specially on hot days. - Not only does your liquid get thinner and cause leaking problems, they do have lithium batteries in them which can turn into massive problems if not handled properly. don’t forget, outside is 30 degrees, inside your car is 50, so even if you pop into the shop for 5 minutes, have your vape in your bag or pocket. And definitely remember to turn it off when it’s in there. Treat your vape like you would treat your phone, and you should be golden!
What are your go to tricks for soaking the coils and what liquids do you prefer?