When you are looking to buy your first atomizer or tank for your mod, you’ll notice that some are labeled dual coil and others are single coil. Which one provides a better vaping experience? The answer: it depends. I know that’s not the answer you were looking for, so let me explain:
What is a coil?
A coil is the heating element in your atomizer or tank (formerly known as a cartomizer or clearomizer). It is a looped resistance heating alloy wire, with one end connected to a positively charged terminal, and one end connected to a negatively charged terminal. Every device that vapes e-liquid will have one of these heating elements.
So what is the difference between single coil and dual coil?
As you can guess from the names, a single coil device has only one of these heating elements, while a dual coil device has two of them. In a dual coil device, the vaporizer battery sends the power to coils instead of one, with each receiving an equal amount of power. This creates heat which is then transferred to the e-liquid, which causes it to be vaporized.
Single coil pros and cons
Pros:
- Tanks with single coil configuration consume significantly less battery power. Less power output means that you’re battery will last anywhere from 10% to 50% longer, depending on what kind of vape battery you use.
- Your e-liquid will last longer. With only one coil in contact with the e-liquid, you’ll tend to go through vape juice a lot slower. If you want to conserve your e-liquid, it’s probably a good idea to vape with a single coil device.
- Single coil devices are easier to rebuild. If you’re interested in rebuilding as a hobby (which not everyone is), it’s a good idea to start with single coil devices. The simpler design makes a single heating coil ideal for people who are new to rebuilding. The coil heads are much easier to access, since you’ll have more space to work with.
Cons:
- Vapor density is lower with single coil tanks.
- Single coil devices have a longer heating time (usually too small of a difference to be significant for the casual vaper)
Dual coil pros and cons:
Pros:
- A larger amount of vapor is produced by dual coil tanks. If you’re obsesses with blowing big clouds, then dual coil is the way to go for you. With two coils both in contact with the e-liquid, the heat is transferred faster and more efficiently, resulting in more vapor production.
- The vapor is produced with a faster heating time. The dual coils in contact with the e-liquid produce heat faster, the same principle that applies to vapor production applies to heating time. Of course this also depends on how you set up your box mod, especially the resistance level and wattage).
Cons:
- Uses much more battery power. It’s a good idea to keep a fully charged spare battery handy, because vaping with a dual coil setup will deplete your vape battery much faster than vaping with a single coil device.
- Burns through e-liquid much faster. With two coils in contact with the e-liquid, you will vaporize your e-liquid much faster.
- Harder to rebuild. If you’re new to rebuilding, we recommend that you start with a single coil tank instead. Rebuilding dual coil devices is only recommend for advanced vapers.
So which one should I choose?
Hopefully after looking at the pros and cons list above, you’ve been able to figure out which type of coil setup meets your vaping needs. If you’re brand new to vaping and still unsure, start off with a single coil. The single coil setup is the baseline that will let you figure out what you like and don’t like. Once you’ve gained some experience vaping, you’ll be able to ascertain whether or not the features in a dual coil setup will meet your needs better. If you decide to start dripping, you’ll want to look into an RDA. If you’re not sure whether to get a tank (if you run across an older product that’s labeled as a “clearomizer”, it’s just an older version of what we now call “tanks”), be sure to read the article I wrote earlier comparing the pros and cons of each device, and sign up for our email list in the box on the side of this page to get the latest vaping information.
So, now that you know there is a positive and negative side to both options, do you use a single coil or dual coil?