Vape Coils

A coil is the small heating element that turns e-liquid into vapour. It sits inside your tank or pod, and every time you take a draw, the coil heats up and vaporises the liquid soaked into its wicking.

It's a small part, but it does more for your vape than almost anything else. The coil shapes how much vapour you get, how warm the draw feels, and, most of all, how your flavour tastes. A fresh coil tastes clean and full; a worn one goes muted or burnt.

Coils are consumable, so they wear out and need replacing regularly. That's normal, not a fault. At Pirate Vapes, we list coils by the exact kit and tank they fit, because the one thing that matters above all is buying the right one for your device.

Popular Coils

Set this strip to your genuine featured coils.

• Vaporesso GTX Coils

• Uwell Caliburn Coils

• SMOK Nord Coils

• Voopoo PnP Coils

• Aspire Nautilus Coils

Coil Resistance and Ohms Explained

Every coil has a resistance, measured in ohms, and it's the single most useful number to understand.

Put simply, resistance controls how much power flows through the coil, which sets how much vapour and warmth you get:

• Sub-ohm coils (below 1.0 ohm): lower resistance, more power, more vapour, and a warmer, fuller draw. Made for sub-ohm tanks and direct-to-lung vaping

• Higher-resistance coils (1.0 ohm and up): less power, less vapour, and a cooler, tighter draw. Made for pod kits and MTL tanks

Neither is better; they're built for different styles. If you like big clouds and warm flavour, you want lower resistance. If you like a tight, cigarette-style draw with nic salts, you want higher. Your device is usually built for one range or the other, so the resistance you pick should match both your kit and how you like to vape.

Mesh vs Wire Coils

Coils come in two builds, and it's worth knowing the difference.

Mesh coils:

• Use a flat sheet of mesh with lots of tiny holes

• Heat evenly across a bigger surface, so the flavour is cleaner and the vapour smoother

• Tend to last a little longer

• Found in most modern tanks and pods

Wire coils:

• Use traditional wound wire wrapped around the wicking

• Still reliable and widely used, especially in older or simpler kits

• Heat a little less evenly than mesh

Most new devices use mesh, and if you've got the choice, it's usually the one to go for. The flavour difference is genuinely noticeable.

Coil Materials

The wire itself is usually made from one of a few metals, and it mostly matters if your mod has temperature control:

• Kanthal: the most common, simple and reliable, for standard wattage vaping

• Stainless steel: works in both wattage and temperature-control modes

• Nickel and titanium: used specifically for temperature control

For most people running a pod kit or a standard tank, you don't need to think about this. Just buy the coil made for your device. It only really comes into play if you're using an advanced mod with temperature control.

Where Your Coil Lives: Pods vs Tanks

On some kits the coil is built into the pod, so a fresh pod is a fresh coil. On others, the coil is a separate part you screw into a tank or pod and replace on its own.

It's worth knowing which you have, since it changes what you buy. If your pod has a replaceable coil, you can swap just the coil and keep the pod. If it's an all-in-one pod, you replace the whole pod when the coil wears out. Our Vape Pods and Tanks collections list what each device takes.

How to Fit and Prime a Coil

Fitting a coil is quick, but priming it is the step that saves you a burnt first puff.

• Screw or push the new coil into your tank or pod, depending on the design

• Drip a few drops of e-liquid directly onto the exposed cotton wicking holes

• Fill the tank or pod, then leave it to stand for five to ten minutes so the wick soaks through fully

• Start on a lower wattage for the first few puffs, then build up

That soak time matters. Firing a dry coil, even for a second, scorches the cotton and gives you that harsh burnt taste that won't shift. A couple of minutes of patience is all it takes to avoid it.

Running Your Coil at the Right Wattage

Most coils have a recommended wattage range printed on the side, and staying inside it makes a real difference.

Run a coil too low and the vape feels weak and cool. Run it too high and you'll burn through the wicking fast, or get a scorched taste. Somewhere in the middle of the range is usually the sweet spot for flavour and coil life.

If your kit sets the wattage automatically, this is handled for you. If you're on a variable mod, start at the lower end of the range and work up until the vape tastes right.

How to Choose the Right Coil

Two things decide it: compatibility and resistance.

Compatibility comes first, always. Coils are made for specific kits and tanks, so match yours by device and model. A coil that isn't made for your device won't seat, won't connect, or won't perform.

Then pick the resistance within the range your kit supports. Lower for more vapour and warmth, higher for a tighter, cooler draw. Every coil we list shows exactly what it fits and its resistance, so you can match both without guessing.

How Long Do Coils Last?

There's no fixed figure, because it depends on how you vape. As a rough guide, most coils last one to two weeks, less with heavy use.

A few things wear a coil out faster:

• Sweet, dark e-liquids: high-sugar and heavy dessert flavours gunk up coils quickest

• High-VG liquids: thicker liquid is harder on the wick

• Chain vaping: not letting the wick re-saturate between puffs

• Running too hot: above the coil's wattage range

You'll know a coil is done when the flavour turns muted or burnt, the vapour drops off, or you get a gurgle. Because they're consumable, buying a multipack keeps a spare to hand so you're never caught out.

Tips to Make Your Coils Last

A little care stretches a coil a long way:

• Always prime a new coil and let it soak before the first puff

• Avoid chain vaping, and give the wick a moment between draws

• Keep the tank or pod topped up, since firing near-empty burns the coil

• Run the coil within its wattage range, not above it

• Rinse a tank when you switch to a very different flavour

• Buy a multipack so a fresh coil is always ready

Look after them and you'll get the most out of every one, with better flavour along the way. Every coil we stock at Pirate Vapes is genuine, so you get the performance and life the manufacturer intended.