Coils: DIY or Pre-Built – which is better

Coils are arguably the most important part of your vape device, and what you use can really enhance your vaping experience. Whatever you choose will end up impacting your cloud production, flavour and how you inhale. We are going to look at all things to do with coils in this blog, from pre-built coils to building your own coils and everything in between. Don’t worry if you are new to vaping and have stumbled across this – it might blow your mind! If you are a beginner, it is probably better to stick to pre-built coils such as SMOK RPM coils and SMOK Prince coils until you have enough knowledge to attempt DIY coils.

So, there are two different types of coils you can look at using: pre-built or rebuildable coils. Prebuilt coils come packaged up and are ready to use in your device straight away. You need to make sure that you have the correct coil of course, there is no point searching for SMOK Nord coils in the UK if you need SMOK Prince coils! Rebuildable coils are coils that you literally make from scratch and tend to be used by more experienced vapers who can tinker with them to get the exact experience they are looking for.

Coil Materials

Before we look at what you need to build a coil, we’re going to look at what materials you can use as different materials will have a different effect on the flavour, cloud production and lifespan of the vape coils.

• Ceramic – this can withstand very high temperatures which means it usually has a longer lifespan than other materials and won’t burn your cotton as quickly, as well as being tolerant to high wattages.
• Mesh – These use a strip of metal with holes punched into it which means it has a fast heat up time with more vapour and a more intense flavour.
• Wicking material – This is what the e-liquid will soak into and can be made of anything from cotton, ceramic wick, rayon wick and silka wick. The most common option is silka wick as this does not burn when it is dry. 
• Titanium – titanium wires are very malleable, so they are easy to twist and to cut. As this is a very flammable material, it should only be used in devices where you can control the temperature.
• Stainless Steel – this is a very versatile wire that is easy to form and will keep its shape well.
• Kanthal – kanthal wire will create dense vapour and is soft while still being long-lasting. You can only use kanthal wire in wattage mode, and mouth to lung vapers tend to prefer this wire.
• Nichrome – This wire has a fast ramp up time and manages to hold its shape well while still being nice and easy to work with. It does have a lower resistance and melting temperature, so you need to be careful not to burn your coils.

• 
  DarkStar E Liquid – Purple Slush – 100ml
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• 
  SMOK RPM Coils & Replacement Pods
  £5.99 – £9.89
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You will find that many pre-built coils, such as SMOK RPM coils and SMOK Nord Coils in the UK will offer a variety of different materials for each coil, usually ceramic and mesh. You can test them out and find which is the best option for your style of vaping. 

What do you need to build a coil?

Building a coil requires a lot of preparation, a good workspace and patience – as well as a good working knowledge! The essential items that you will need to build your own coils include:

• Resistance wire
• Tweezers
• Flush Cutters
• Scissors
• Wicking material
• Small metal rod
• Ohm reader (optional but can detect resistance accurately which may be necessary)

There are a lot of kits available on the internet that include all the above, but you can buy them individually if you know what you are looking for. Whilst building your own coils can be cheaper in the long run, you need to be confident with your set of tools and you do need to understand Ohm’s Law. There are a lot of websites that explain in detail exactly how to make the coil, so once you have decided which materials you want to work with make sure you do your research!

Pre-built vs. rebuildable

Whilst rebuildable are a lot cheaper in the long run, it can be very time consuming to make your own coils. You also need to make sure that they are safe enough to use before you use them with your vaping device. If you still prefer to use pre-built coils, then take a look at our wide range now online at Vape and Go.