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Choosing the wrong replacement coils for the user's needs is the top reason that vapers get dry hits, weak flavour production or burn through their e-liquid faster than they necessarily need to. If you’ve ever just grabbed a replacement coil, installed it and then find yourself wondering why your vape tastes like singed cotton, the coil itself is almost always the problem.

This complete guide for UK vapers cuts through the confusion and misunderstanding around vape coils that UK shoppers face on a daily basis. Covering resistance ratings, coil wire materials, as well as how to perfectly match a coil to your vaping needs, devices and your favourite e-liquids.

Table of Contents

• What Is a Vape Coil and Why Does It Matter

• Coil Resistance Explained: Ohms, Sub-Ohm, and Above

• Wire Materials: Kanthal, Mesh, Stainless Steel, and More

• Matching Your Coil to Your E-Liquid

• Coil Type Comparison: Which One Is Right for You

• How to Prime a Coil Correctly

• Coil Lifespan and When to Replace

• Buying Replacement Coils in the UK: What to Look For

• Frequently Asked Questions

• References

Quick Takeaways

What Is a Vape Coil and Why Does It Matter

A vape coil is the core to vaping, it is the part that heats the e-liquid inside your vape, which is what causes vapourisation. Vape coils consist of a strand of resistance wire, which is wound into a coil shape - similar to that of a compressed spring, and it is wrapped in a wicking material - typically organic cotton. When you hit the fire function on your vape kit via inhalation or by holding the fire button, an electrical current passes through this wire which causes it to heat up, which then instantly vaporises the e-liquid that is saturated into the wick. The end result of this is the inhale of vapour that you take.

The coil is the one component that will affect flavour quality, vapour density, vapour production, nicotine delivery and battery life. Every other component on your device be it the tank, the chipset or the airflow adjustment ring/slider all provide a service to the coil. If you get the coil wrong, none of these premium features will matter

In reality, most vapers will replace their coils reactively, whether that’s when the flavour starts decreasing or tasting tinged or when the wick has completely burnt out and gives them a dry hit. It is best practice to understand which coil your device actually needs, as well as what e-liquid is best suited for that coil and then buy these accordingly. This guide covers all of the information that you need for this.

Coil Resistance Explained: Ohms, Sub-Ohm, and Above

Resistance is measured in ohms and printed on every coil. It is the most important number on the packaging. Lower resistance means more current flows at a given voltage, which means more heat and more vapour. Higher resistance means less heat, tighter draw, and a vaping experience closer to a cigarette.

MTL Coils: 0.8 ohm to 2.0 ohm

Mouth-to-lung coils replicate the draw resistance of a traditional cigarette, this is achieved by pulling vapour into your mouth first, then inhaling to the lungs. MTL coils are ideal for beginner vapers, whether you have been vaping for a short time already or if you are just making the switch from smoking to vaping and they’re also best for nicotine salt users. The Vaporesso XROS pods, for example, include a 1.0ohm and a 1.2 ohm coil that both pair incredibly well with 5mg - 20mg nicotine salts.

MTL coils always require lower power outputs, which preserves battery life and makes smaller pod devices practical. Flavour is much more saturated because there is a smaller amount of vapour being produced and because there is much less heat being run through the coil, which can also provide a cooler vaping experience.

Sub-Ohm Coils: 0.1 ohm to 0.9 ohm

Sub-Ohm coils run at higher power outputs, typically anywhere between 25W to 80W, with some exceeding the 80W mark; the higher power output means that sub-ohm coils produce a much larger amount of vapour. Direct-to-Lung (DTL) vaping is where you inhale the vapour directly into your lungs, much like breathing. DTL vaping is best suited to experienced vapers who are primarily looking for flavour complexity as well as cloud production and density.

A common mistake is fitting a 0.15ohm coil and pairing it with 20mg nicotine salt e-liquid. The high heat and vapour production makes high-nicotine liquids extremely harsh on the throat and can cause coughing or nausea - this harshness is what deters most new vapers. Sub-ohm coils are designed for High VG (70VG+) 3mg or 6mg freebase nicotine liquids, or at most 50/50 5mg nicotine salts if the coil is on the higher end of the sub-ohm resistance range.

The 0.3 - 0.6 Ohm Middle Ground

Coils in this range of resistances offer a great balance of MTL and RDL vaping. Devices such as the OXVA Xlim Pro 3 and other similar kits use pods and coils that are within this zone. These devices are perfect for vapers who want more vapour than a typical mouth-to-lung device but also find the typical sub-ohm kit to be too intense. This range of kits pair superbly with 5mg - 20mg nic salts or 3mg - 12mg freebase e-liquids.

Wire Materials: Kanthal, Mesh, Stainless Steel, and More

The material of the wire that is used to create the coil affects multiple factors of vaping, such as heating speed, flavour quality, longevity and even heat distribution. The vast majority of vapers use pre-built replacement coils or pods and don’t need to think of these factors too deeply, but knowing the differences will help you to understand why despite being the same resistance, some coils perform better than others.

Kanthal Wire

Kanthal is the most commonly used material for coil wire in pre-built coils. It is made up of iron-chromium-aluminium alloys and has an excellent resistance to oxidisation. Kanthal coils are durable and can last a long time, they’re also incredibly consistent in the firing speeds and heat dispersion and they only work in standard wattage modes. They are an incredibly reliable choice for the majority of MTL setups.

Mesh Wire

Rather than being wound into a traditional coil shape, Mesh coils use a flat strip of perforated metal, which provides a much larger surface area to heat up. This provides faster heating times, even heating and heat dispersion, as well as significantly better flavour quality. The data consistently shows that vapers switching from round-wire to mesh coils report improved flavour in direct comparison. Most modern tanks from brands like Vaporesso, OXVA and Uwell now ship with mesh as standard.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel coils work in both wattage mode and temperature control (TC) mode. TC mode allows the device to set a maximum coil temperature and keep it regulated, which can prevent dry hits and provide better coil longevity. Stainless steel also has a neutral flavour profile, making it a favourite for vapers who want to taste the e-liquid without any metallic influence.

Matching Your Coil to Your E-Liquid

This is a key factor that most vapers get wrong. The coil’s resistance only gives you half of the information needed, the other half is entirely dependent on your e-liquid’s nicotine strength and the VG/PG ratio.

Nicotine Strength Pairing

MTL coils with higher resistances, typically 1.0ohm or higher, are manufactured with the intent to be used with 50/50 VG/PG e-liquids with low to high nicotine concentration levels, depending on your preferences: 5mg to 20mg nicotine salts or 3mg to 18mg freebase e-liquids.

Sub-ohm coils below 0.5ohm should only be used with 3mg or 6mg freebase High VG e-liquids. When vaping at higher power outputs, higher concentrations of nicotine become an issue as they will be considerably harsher, which can lead to coughing, nausea and an irritated throat, which ruins the vaping experience.

Nicotine salts in particular are formulated with benzoic acid to reduce harshness, but that only compensates so far. Run 20mg nic salt e-liquids through a 0.15ohm coil at 60W and you will find out immediately why matching your e-liquids and coils matters.

VG/PG Ratio and Coil Wicking

Vegetable Glycerine (VG) is the compound that acts as a thickening agent, the higher the VG percentage the thicker the e-liquid will be. E-liquids that are a consistency of 70% VG or higher need coils that have wider wicking ports, this is to allow the liquid to flow through the organic cotton at a fast enough rate to keep up with each inhale. Sub-ohm tanks like the Vaporesso GTi Tank 2 or the GeekVape Z Fli Tank have these wider ports built-in.

50/50 e-liquids are a much thinner consistency because they are only 50% VG. These 50/50 e-liquids will wick easily through the smaller ports of an MTL tank or pod. Using a higher VG e-liquid in an MTL tank will produce dry hits a lot more frequently and in a short span of time. This is because the wicking ports aren’t big enough to allow the high VG e-liquid to flow through to the organic cotton at a fast enough pace, which results in the cotton drying out and giving that burnt tasting dry hit.

Pro Tip: If you are buying e-liquid and coils at the same time from Vape Town, check the e-liquid's VG/PG ratio on the product listing before selecting your coil. A 70/30 VG/PG liquid needs a sub-ohm coil with large wicking ports. A 50/50 liquid works with any MTL coil because they were designed to work harmoniously together.

Coil Type Comparison: Which One Is Right for You

The table below compares the three main coil categories that cover the vast majority of devices sold through UK retailers including Vape Town. Use it as a quick reference before making a purchase decision.

How to Prime a Coil Correctly

Coil priming is the process of pre-soaking the organic cotton wick before you fire the coil for the first time. There are 2 ways to go about this process, but if you skip it entirely then you will burn the cotton instantly and the coil will be unusable.

Manual Coil Priming Process

To start with, locate each wicking port on the coil you are priming - these are the spots where you can see the white, organic cotton. When you have located these wicking ports, simply squirt 2 to 3 drops of e-liquid onto each wicking port.

Next you should look through the centre of the coil, the organic cotton that is exposed in the centre may look like it is saturated enough, but oftentimes it is still a little dry. So, to ensure that it is properly saturated, simply squirt 1 drop of e-liquid onto 4 evenly spaced areas of the wick.

Finally, install the primed coil into your tank, fill with your desired e-liquid, and you are ready to start vaping. 

Fill and Soak Process

This process is the easiest option and is the one that most vapers choose to go for when it comes to priming their coils, especially those who are running pod systems that use pods with integrated coils.

For the fill and soak process, you simply install your coil into your tank, or insert your pod into your device. Then you fill your reservoir with your desired e-liquid and wait for 5 to 10 minutes before use. If you are using a sub-ohm tank that uses a bigger coil it is recommended to leave it to soak for 15 minutes to ensure that the wick is proper;y saturated.

Pro tip: You can also assist the fill and soak process by removing your pod or tank from your device, closing or blocking the airflow and giving it a few “puffs”, the suction from your inhale will help to pull the e-liquid into the wick faster and will aid with overall saturation. Remember that newly primed coils have a short break-in period, for the first 3 or 4 puffs, make them slower and shorter to help the flavour pull through.

Coil Lifespan and When to Replace

A realistic coil lifespan for a daily vaper is 1 to 3 weeks. The true answer to this will depend entirely on how often you vape, what flavour e-liquid you use, and what wattage you run. Chain vapers who use sweet or dessert flavoured e-liquids will be at the one-week end. Moderate vapers using unflavoured or lightly flavoured liquids may stretch to 3 weeks.

Pro Tip: Vapers who use menthol or ice based flavours also tend to find that they have better coil life than when using flavours that aren't iced or menthol.

Signs a Coil Needs Replacing

The clearest and easiest ways to tell if your coil needs replacing will be whether you are getting consistent dry hits or if you are noticing a decrease in flavour production. If you are experiencing persistent dry hits then you should change your coil at your earliest convenience as no amount of priming will repair that. If you are experiencing a decline in flavour production then that is a sign that your coil isn’t saturating as it did when it was fresh, in this situation you probably have a day or two left of use, but changing it at this stage will prevent you from experiencing any burnt tasting  dry hits at all.

Visually, you can inspect the coil: darkened or visibly degraded and gunked cotton is a clear indicator that you can spot by looking at the wick ports of your coil. Gunked cotton is caused by sucralose in e-liquids caramelising on the coil surface over repeated heating cycles. This is why vapers who use heavily sweetened liquids are met with shorter coil lifespans almost without exception.

Extending Coil Life

Almost every coil or pod on the market will feature a wattage range and sometimes a recommended wattage for each respective coil resistance. If a coil has a wattage range of 40-80W, running the coil at 40W rather than 80W will increase coil life significantly. Avoid heavily sweetened flavours, such as Grape, as these flavours will burn your coils out at a much faster rate.

Buying Replacement Coils in the UK: What to Look For

Before buying replacement coils, UK vapers first need to make sure that the coil is compatible with the tank or pod that you are using. Each coil is specific to certain tanks/pods, cross-compatibility isn’t widely practiced in the vaping scene. For example, a Vaporesso GTi coil will not fit into a GeekVape Z Fli tank.

Secondly, you must check that the retailer of your choice is selling genuine, authentic coils from the manufacturer. Counterfeit coils do exist in the UK market and are an increasing issue, and they are typically sold at suspiciously low prices. Counterfeit coils can use lower quality materials in their coils and inferior wicking materials that could be a potential risk of producing harmful combustion byproducts. Purchasing your coils from a well established and verified retailer, like Vape Town, removes that risk entirely because their products are sourced strictly from verified distributors and are 100% authentic.

Third, all coils sold legally in the UK must comply with UK TPD (Tobacco Products Directive) regulations as retained from EU law post-Brexit. Compliant products are notified to the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency). A reputable retailer will only stock TPD-compliant products. If a website makes no mention of TPD compliance and prices are unusually low, treat it as a red flag and do not purchase from them.

Vape Town offers same-day dispatch and free shipping on orders over £20, which makes stocking up on a multi-pack of replacement coils practical. Buying coils in 5-packs rather than individually costs less per unit and means you always have a replacement on hand when flavour starts to drop off.

Frequently Asked Questions

What ohm coil is best for beginners?

Beginner vapers should start with a coil in the resistance range of 0.6ohm to 1.8ohm. These resistances provide a mouth-to-lung inhale style, which closely mimics a traditional cigarette and they work well with both nicotine salts at 5mg - 20mg and freebase e-liquids at 3mg - 18mg. They operate at lower power outputs and are very forgiving if mistakes are made. Pod systems like the Vaporesso XROS range or the OXVA NeXlim 2 both feature coils within this resistance range and are a great starting point.

Can I use any coil with any e-liquid?

No, the coil resistance, your e-liquids nicotine strength and its VG/PG ratio must all be compatible. MTL coils pair perfectly with 50/50 VG/PG e-liquids, which could be nic salts from 5mg to 20mg of nicotine salts or freebase e-liquids from 3mg to 18mg of nicotine. Sub-ohm coils are best paired with lower nicotine strengths, like 3mg or 6mg in a high VG consistency (70% VG or higher).

How do I know if my coil is burnt?

A burnt coil will provide a consistent burnt/tinged taste. Similar to the taste of a dry hit but it is intensified with each and every puff you take, it doesn’t resolve itself after refilling your tank and only further damages the coil and cotton wick. If you continue to vape on a burnt coil, it may produce harmful byproducts from the degraded cotton. So, in short - if you experience a consistent burnt taste, change your coil as soon as you can.

Are mesh coils better than standard wire coils?

Mesh coils are superior to standard round-wire coils, mesh coils provide even coil heating, an even heat dispersion, increased flavour quality and they heat up faster than standard round-re coils too. The main exception to this is in low-cost MTL kits where mesh coils simply aren’t available as a replacement option. In situations where both mesh and round-wire are available, choosing mesh will be the better option.

How long do vape coils last?

The majority of vapers will get 1 to 3 weeks from each coil. Heavy vapers who use sweeter flavours of e-liquid may find themselves needing to replace coils after 5 to 7 days. Moderate vapers using less sweet or flavour free e-liquids as well as running their coils on the lower end of their power range will often reach 3 weeks. If you want to extend your coil's lifespan, a good way to do so is by running it at the lowest end of its power range as well as ensuring that you prime your coil correctly every time.

Do I need a different coil for nicotine salts?

Yes, in most cases. Nicotine salts are best used with higher-resistance coils, typically 1.0 ohm and above, in MTL or pod kit setups. These coils operate at lower wattages that deliver a smooth, satisfying hit without making high-nicotine liquid harshly overpowering. Some mid-range resistance coils around 0.6-0.8 ohm work with lower-strength nicotine salts at 10mg, but standard sub-ohm coils below 0.5 ohm are not suitable for nicotine salt e-liquids at typical UK strengths.

Typically, nicotine salts are catered for in pods or coils between the 0.4ohm and 1.2ohm resistances. The majority of modern coils, especially in lower powered devices, are designed with nicotine salts in mind. As long as your coil is compatible with lower wattage vaping, with 25-30 watts being a maximum power output, you’ll find no issues when vaping nicotine salts. A great example for nicotine salt e-liquids would be the OXVA Xlim Pro 3, which can run nic salt e-liquids perfectly fine throughout its entire resistance range, which is 0.4ohm to 1.2ohm.

References

• UK Government guidance on e-cigarette regulations and TPD compliance for consumer vaping products

• MHRA official portal for medicines and healthcare product regulation including notified vaping products in the UK

• Statista data and statistics on UK vaping market trends, user demographics, and product category growth

• Forbes consumer product and retail industry analysis covering the UK vaping and nicotine product sector

• Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) research and reports on vaping product use and smoking cessation in the United Kingdom