What is sub ohm vaping?

You may have heard about sub-ohm vapes and be wondering exactly what they are. Maybe you’re an experienced vaper wanting to try a sub-ohm vape, or wanting more information. This guide will explain what a sub-ohm vape is and how you can get started or improve your vape experience with a sub-ohm vape.

What is a sub-ohm vape?

A sub-ohm vape is an ecig that produces more vapour and is very popular amongst regular and experienced vape users. To be more specific, it is any type of device that uses a coil with a resistance below 1.0ohm. This also means it runs at a higher and will heat up much quicker.

How to sub ohm vape

Sub-ohm vaping is best reserved for regular or advanced vapers. The vaping experience is nothing like smoking as the airflow is wide open and you need to direct lung (DL) vape, so new vapers may not get the right kind of throat hit and flavour experience that they need from sub-ohm vaping.

What Are the Benefits of Sub Ohm Vaping?

Sub-ohm vaping is an extremely specific vaping experience like no other. There are many pros to this style of vaping and once you get used to it most people can never go back to regular vaping. Let’s take a look at some highlights.

Cloud Production

Sub-ohm vaping produces huge clouds of vapour, this is the main draw for most people. Have you seen videos and pictures of people exhaling huge, thick clouds of vapour? They are vaping sub-ohm.

Intense Flavour

As more e-liquid is being vapourised to produce the huge clouds of vapour, you can achieve a more intense flavour experience. This does depend on the type of e-liquid though, so stick to something with a strong flavour and nothing that is 100% VG.

Smooth Vaping Experience

When you sub-ohm, it produces so much vapour that most people use little or no nicotine in their e-liquid or nic salts. This means you get a very smooth vape.

Satisfying Lung Hit

Again, down to vapour production. There is so much vapour that this requires a DL vape, where you inhale the vapour directly into your lungs. This makes for a satisfying throat and chest hit.

Drawbacks of sub-ohm vaping

Not for MTL Vaping

This type of device creates large clouds of vapour for direct lung vaping. If you attempt to use a mouth-to-lung technique the vapour will be too dense and cause you to cough.

Battery Life

As the coil requires more power, it will drain the battery quickly.

Extra Juice

Another drawback with creating large clouds is that it requires more e-liquid. This means MTL vapers get much better value.

Not for stealth vapers

Sub-ohm vaping produces large clouds, which isn’t ideal when trying not to be noticed.

Cost of coils

Using thick high VG e-liquid will degrade a coil much quicker than 50:50 liquid. As a result, you’ll need to replace the coils more often.

Sub-ohm dangers

Although sub-ohm vaping is fun, it is important to ensure you are using your device safely. As long as you are using a reputable vape kit and vape coils, then sub-ohm vaping is as safe as any other style of vaping.

Batteries

One thing to consider is that when you use sub-ohm coils, especially those that are very low resistance, they put more of a strain on your battery. So, battery safety is key for a great sub-ohm vaping experience.

This only really applies if you use removable vape batteries, such as an 18650 or 21700. As you can remove them from the device, they are more likely to have a damaged casing. Internal batteries are sealed inside your e-cig, so it is very unlikely that your batteries will be damaged.

If your removable battery has sustained damage and then you use a very sub-ohm coil, the strain on the battery can cause it to vent inside your mod. So, make sure that you are taking good care of your batteries.

To vape safe read our Battery Safety Guide or for more info check out our Guide to Batteries.

Nicotine

If you are switching from MTL to DL vaping it is important to lower the nicotine strength of the e-liquid. As previously mentioned, sub-ohm vaping uses more e-liquid. This means if you stick with the same strength, you’ll consume more nicotine. The best way to manage this is the lower the coil resistance, the lower the nicotine strength should be.

Hybrid tanks

The tank itself is not what determines whether it should be used for MTL or DL vaping, it is the coil inside. Most tanks are compatible with a wide range of coil resistances, which means they can be used for both mouth-to-lung and sub-ohm vaping. As discussed earlier, sub-ohm vaping requires coils with a resistance below 1.0ohm. Make sure to check the wattage range on the side of the coil to avoid accidentally burning it. For more information read our Guide to The Best Sub Ohm Tanks.

Venting

We have already touched on battery safety, however, it is just as important to ensure the mod you are using is safe. Make sure there are visible vent holes around where the 18650 battery is stored. This allows the heat generated inside to escape and stop the device from overheating.

What Is Ohm’s Law?

Ohm’s law is a simple mathematical formula that expresses the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance. It states that you can change the current and power in your e-cig by simply altering the voltage and resistance. When you lower the resistance of your coil and increase the voltage of your e-cig, the current from the power in your battery is increased. This means you get more vapour produced as there is more power passing through your vape coil.

It is expressed as V=IR.

V – Voltage | I – Current | R – Resistance

In terms of sub-ohm vaping, unless you are going to build your own coils and use a mechanical mod with no internal protections, then you don’t really need to get into the mathematical formulas of Ohm’s Law.

All you need to understand is that the lower the resistance of your coil, the higher the power it will need and thus the more vapour your coil will produce.

If you ever get confused with what wattage your coil should use, then don’t worry. Most vape coils have their ideal wattage range printed on the metal casing of the atomizer head, so have a look there.

Safety Tips for Sub Ohm Vaping

Using a reputable vape kit and high-quality vape coils ensures that sub-ohm vaping remains just as safe as other vaping styles.

However, one important factor to keep in mind is battery safety. Sub-ohm coils, especially those with very low resistance, demand more power, which can put additional strain on your battery.

This is particularly relevant if you're using removable batteries like 18650 or 21700 cells. Unlike internal batteries, which are securely enclosed within your device, removable batteries are more exposed to potential damage, such as tears in their casing. Any damage can compromise safety, especially when paired with high-power sub-ohm coils.

If a damaged battery is used in a high-drain setup, it may overheat or even vent inside your device. To prevent this, regularly inspect your batteries for any signs of wear and handle them with care.

For essential tips on safe battery use, check out our Battery Safety Guide or explore our Guide to Batteries for more details.

Best e-liquids for sub-ohm vaping

High VG juices naturally go better with sub-ohm vapes because they create higher clouds of vapour. However, most e-liquid can be used, it all comes down to personal preference. The level of vapour and flavour is determined by the two diluents that make up most of the e-liquid.

For sub-ohm vaping, you want a thick e-liquid that is designed to give thicker clouds of vapour. Going off the descriptions above it becomes obvious that the e-liquid best suited to sub-ohm vaping is one that is higher in VG.

Nic Salts for sub-ohm vapes

If you use nic salts, which are usually always a very high nicotine strength, in a sub-ohm kit, you will never know you are vaping too much nicotine as there is no physical feedback from the fluid, i.e. no massive throat hit to warn you the nicotine is too strong.

Shop Vape Liquids here

Best sub-ohm tanks

Now we have learned all about sub-ohm vaping, let’s take a look at some of the best tanks available at The Electronic Cigarette Company.

Best sub ohm vape for flavour chasers

The VOOPOO PnP X Pod is the best choice for flavour chasers. It can be used with the full range of PnP coils to suit any preference and adapt to the e-liquid being used. Plus, it continues to be fitted to VOOPOO’s biggest releases, showing how good this tank really is.

Large capacity sub-ohm tank

Although there are plenty of tanks with large liquid capacities, in the UK they all have to be 2ml or less.

Easiest sub-ohm tank to refill

Tanks with a sliding top fill like Vaporesso iTank are the easiest to refill. This is because it can be done without removing it from the device. Plus, the liquid level is clearly visible through the glass tube which prevents accidental overfilling.

Most powerful sub-ohm vape tank

How powerful a tank is will depend on the coil inside. Those that use low resistance coils are seen as the most powerful as they can be used at the highest power settings.

Best looking sub ohm vape

The best looking tank depends on personal preference. However, we think the GeekVape Z Tank is on of the best on the market. It is available in a variety of colours. Plus, the image of Zeus inside adds a level of elegance to the design.

Small sub ohm vapes

There aren’t many small sub ohm vapes, however the SMOK TFV18 Mini Tank is an exception. It is just 59mm wide and weighs 66g, but it is designed to create large clouds of vapour. It uses 0.15ohm and 0.33ohm coils designed to be used with high VG e-liquid.