Can you look at the resistance of vape coils and determine the pg:vg ratio of e-liquid to use with them?
I received an email recently asking this very question which has inspired this post. I have noticed recently with coils firmly moved to mesh that it seems irrelevant to the average vaper. They just want the vape to work. To find the answer we must look to the past.
Vaping has changed. One area is how the resistance of coils and the thickness of e-liquid is considered by vapers. Resistance values and PG:VG ratios to every day vapers are confusing to say the least. This led me to thinking about how much vaping had changed. Is there any corelation between them today?
Ohms and e-liquid ratio a decade ago
Historically it was mouth to lung from 1ohms to 1.8ohms and 50pg 50vg eliquids. Anything below that 1ohm threshold was sub-ohm. After some big throat hits with higher pg and nicotine it meant using High VG eliquid and low nicotine levels. Right now its entirely to do with the experience you are looking for and not really a simple answer as the device, liquid and the vaper themselves play a big part.
How Ohms and E-liquid Ratios now compare to a decade ago.
Up until we opened the shop in January 2015 there was a clear connection between ohms and the ratio of our e-liquids. I am going to look at two tanks we opened the shop with to answer this question.
I am using the first ever sub ohm tank the Aspire Atlantis as there is a new release of that recently for high vg. The Aspire Nautilus Mini tank with its own changes over the years is where we are going to be looking at the differences in the 50pg 50vg category.
Part 1: Mouth to Lung Vaping – Ohms and PG:VG Ratios
Nautilus Mini from Aspire. This legendary tank is considered one of the best. There is now a Nautilus Mesh coil available in 0.3 ohm recomended between 23 and 28 watts for mouth to lung and 50pg 50vg e-liquid. The lines are already blurred making it tough for vapers to know which ratio to choose. What about the sub ohm tanks?
Part 2 Sub Ohm or Direct to Lung Vaping – Ohms and PG:VG Ratios
The Atlantis sub ohm tank is best used with high vg with its 0.3 ohm coil running at 70 to 80 watts. This is the first time vapers had seen a tank like this. I always think of a vaper called Andy who tried it for the first time with 36mg e-liquid .
The Atlantis GT on the right of the image has a 0.35 ohm coil recommended between 20 to 30 watts taking it into the ohms and wattages of some mouth to lung coils.
Recently Aspire and Typhon joined forces to release the Atlantis GT Sub Tank a higher end modern take on the classic Atlantis. Similar capacity options and coil resistance options. They both are very different in terms of vape experience. They span 10 years of vaping history and represent very different times.
These examples show clearly that there is no longer a connection between the resistance of the coil in Ohms and the Pg:Vg Ratio of the E-Liquid. There are 0.3ohm mouth to lung coils and below for 50pg 50vg and high vg e-liquids. On the other hand there are 0.8 ohm coils and higher using high vg and 50pg 50vg. What is the method to use today?
How do we tell what liquid ratio to use with our coils and do the ohms tell us anything?
The simple answer would be the ohms tell us very little as a stock coil or pod vaper. The recommended wattage is far more helpful. In terms of which ratio then if the coil has large holes in the casing (wick holes) it is designed for higher VG. If the holes are small like the Nautilus example it is designed for 50pg 50vg. The wider the hole and the higher the power needed the more it is suited to vg.
My Conclusions
Today we have devices with a huge range of coils available. They have adjustable airflow and power. There is a huge middle ground where most devices can cope with most liquid. The far extremities of power range is a better guide for us to use. If we vape at 40 watts plus then generally a high vg is used. 20 watts and below is mostly 50pg 50vg.
As time passes more and more vapers are not interested in any of the technical side. My advice would be find the right device for the nicotine strength and liquid you need or want. Unless you make your own e-liquid or build your own coils there are only so many options. Get a device that works well with your chosen eliquid.
If you need any help with vaping please do not hesitate to contact us at support@vapersonline.co.uk
