What do ohms indicate in the electronic cigarette?

Published on: 07/12/2022

What are ohms and how are they related to vaping?

If you are a novice vaper, chances are you have wondered what ohms are.

Knowing this unit of measurement is essential for choosing the right resistance for your electronic cigarette.

That is why in this article we will give a general overview of the role of ohms in vaping.

Do you already have the feeling that this article is for you?

Happy reading!

Ohms: what they mean in the electronic cigarette

To explain it, we need to dust off our high school physics notions: simply put, it is the unit of resistance.

The higher the resistance (or the number on the coil), the less charge can pass through, and the equation used to explain this is:

I = V / R

Where ‘I’ represents the current, ‘V’ the voltage and ‘R’ the resistance, it can be said that when the voltage is higher and the resistance (ohm) is lower, the current will be stronger. Similarly, when the voltage is divided by a higher number (i.e. standard coil rather than sub ohm) the current will be lower.

To give a real-life example, try to imagine cars on a road.

If there are fifty cars travelling on a single lane, they will have to pass in a row one after the other. This is a bit like the operation of a coil of 1 ohm or more.

However, if the same fifty cars travel on a four-lane motorway, they will be able to move much faster, as happens when you have a sub-ohm coil (a resistance of less than one ohm).

You’re probably asking yourself now: “So what does sub ohm coil mean?”.

Let’s see if we can answer that.

Read also: What are e-cigarette puffs?

What the ohm value means and what difference it makes to the vaping experience

To put it simply, lower ohms produce more heat, and this affects steam production and temperature, throat hit and aroma.

At the experience level, lower ohms (sub ohm vaping):

👉🏻produce hotter steam and in higher quantities;
👉🏻discharge the battery faster;
👉🏻they consume the e-liquid a little faster, increasing the likelihood of a dry hit.

On the other hand, higher ohms:

👉🏻produce a colder steam;
👉🏻produce less steam;
👉🏻produce a smoother steam with less throat hit;
👉🏻allow the battery to last longer between charges;
👉🏻 use less e-liquid.

The role of ohms for the vaping experience

Sub-ohm vaping is more suitable than DTL (direct to lung) vaping, where you avoid having the steam in your mouth during inhalation and instead get the aroma during exhalation.

While this means that the battery needs more energy, it also has many advantages.

💡 Large steam production.

💡Adjustable airflow: On devices with sub-ohm coils there are vents. More ventilation means more vapor and – sometimes – slightly less flavor.

💡 Higher impact: by this we mean that you might feel the nicotine effect more, which is why if you opt for a sub-ohm vape you will have to choose a lower nicotine strength.

💡Bigger devices: it is possible to buy sub ohm vaping kits, but the best models are box mods. They are a bit heavier, but also offer many more options.

In addition, sub ohm devices are often equipped with wattage and temperature control; in fact, to choose the best number to use for your device and coil, the electronic cigarette usually comes with a guide.

Standard coils, on the other hand, are more suitable for MTL (mouth to lung) vaping: they have a lower wattage and are more recommended for those who still want to experience the sensation of smoking. This method consists of inhaling the steam from the e-cigarette and letting it rest momentarily in the mouth before inhaling it into the lungs.

The vapor will be less (due to a higher resistance coil), but this method also offers great advantages:

cooler vapor, because there is less power and therefore less heat passing through the device;
more flavor;
greater discretion;
more efficiency: due to their higher resistance, they also consume less e-liquid and battery, which means the tank stays full longer and does not need to be refilled often.