In the early days of vaping, we were very limited with our options with vaping, we've come a long way since the plastic cigarette looking vape pen. So we’ve all seen people with some pretty cool looking vape kits creating huge clouds of vapour and you’ve done a bit of research and found out about sub ohm vaping. But what is sub ohm vaping? What are the benefits of sub ohm vaping?
We've created this guide as we often receive questions from new vapers who have heard the term sub ohm vaping on social media and have ended up getting a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information on vaping blog forums. Here we will be covering everything you need to know to help you decide whether this is the vaping style you want.
What is Sub Ohm Vaping?
First of all we need to talk about exactly what Sub-ohm vaping is. Sub-ohm vaping is a style of vaping which is characterised by large clouds of vapour, it is commonly thought that with sub ohm vaping you end up losing flavour from your juice but this is not the case. Even with sub ohm vaping you are still able to get a huge amount of flavour from your favourite E Liquid.
Already this sounds amazing, being able to blow massive clouds and still enjoy the complex flavours in your juice. Not all vape kits are compatible with sub ohm vaping though and that's something you need to consider. The way that you physically vape is different when sub-ohm vaping. It requires a different style of inhaling. Vapers do what is called Direct to Lung (DTL) inhaling, which means breathing the vapour straight into your lungs.
Is Sub Ohm Vaping Safe?
Public Health England (PHE) have found that E Liquids and vaping, on the whole, is 95% less harmful than cigarettes as it does contain and produce no tar and contain no carcinogens. Sub ohm Vaping is no different, there are no additional ingredients in E Liquids that are used for sub ohm vaping other than an increased amount of VG and lower PG. Your body doesn't have any changes when processing the vapour. It’s simply the case that there’s more vapour.
Just like with all vape products, all products must be tested, listed, tracked and certified. These are carried out by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) to ensure that only products that meet rigorous standards are available to vapers.
If you want to know more about the safety of vaping you should check out our article Is Vaping Safe?
What are the benefits of Sub Ohm Vaping?
To see whether you want to take up sub ohm as a vaping style you need to know the benefits. People tend to move towards sub-ohm vaping for various reasons, but what are the main benefits for this style of vaping
Huge clouds/ vapour
Not all devices can achieve the big cloud production that you desire, you will require a sub ohm kit. These kits are able to have outputs of high power and low resistance coils which heats the E Liquid quicker and thus producing large amounts of thick clouds.
Smoother Vape
When sub ohm vaping you need to use a lower nicotine strength in your juice due to the large amount you are inhaling. Due to a lower strength of nicotine there is less of a throat hit which in turns creates a smoother vape. E Liquids with a high VG ratio are designed for sub ohm vaping and the VG makes the juice quicker and helps with creating bigger clouds.
Warmer Vapour
This may sound like an odd one but due to the E Liquid heating up faster and hotter from an increase in wattage, the vapour that's produced is warmer. This warm vapour does give a part of the sensation of smoking and it is very much appreciated by sub ohm vapers.
Better Flavour
One of the benefits of sub-ohm vaping is the flavour you can pull from your favourite E Liquid. The enhanced flavour happens because each draw on your sub ohm kit, vapourizers more juice, so you are getting a more concentrated hit of flavour. Remember to use a lower nicotine strength when sub ohm vaping.
How does Sub Ohm Vaping Work?
As you already know, coils are an essential part of any vaping device. The coil is the metal heating element that is found in tanks and pods, they heat E Liquid turning it into an inhalable vapour. Different coils have different resistances and they don't all heat E Liquid at the same speed, or create the same amount of vapour. Both heating rate and vapour production are decided by a coil’s resistance. A coil's resistance is measured in Ohms. Ohm’s law applies to vapers who need to know the following: the higher the resistance, the cooler the e-liquid (and the lower the resistance, the hotter the e-liquid).
A coil with a low resistance can be used at a higher power level (wattage) and will produce more vapour. A coil with higher resistance will accept a lower power output and will produce less vapour. Any coil that rates below 1.0 Ohm in resistance is known as a sub ohm coil, they are low resistance coils that will produce more vapour.
Sub ohm vaping produces larger volumes of vapour, the sub ohm kits are carefully designed for this vaping style so when looking for a new vape kit, be sure to check that it is compatible with your requirements and remember to check you are also buying sub ohm coils.
Sub Ohm Vape Kits
As we have explained, not all kits are capable of being used for sub ohm vaping. Sub ohm vape kits have a number of features to support the coil. It is these features that lead us to only recommend sub ohm kits to more experienced vapers.
The main difference between a sub ohm kit and a vape starter kit is the amount of power they provide, sub ohm coils will require a larger amount of power to heat E Liquid to the point it turns to vapour. So you can expect a higher wattage output.
As sub ohm kits are intended for advanced users, manufacturers for vape hardware create new output modes and functions that advanced vapers can get to grips with. Temperature Controls are a staple part of sub ohm kits and when used properly they offer a more custom experience but can be confusing for new vapers.
Vape pens and pod vape kits aren't designed for sub ohm vaping and therefore don't have a high wattage. Though with sub ohm kits. to support a higher wattage output, they will often use removable, rechargeable batteries. These batteries will need to be charged independently of the device and require more knowledge to use safely.
How do you Sub Ohm Vape?
Once you have picked your sub ohm vape device and you've picked the right sub ohm coils you will want to get started. With your vape kit sorted you can have a great Sub Ohm experience that’ll give you great flavour and those massive size clouds.
As far as how you actually inhale, the style is a little different from mouth to lung vaping which is the typical way of smoking. When you mouth to lung vape you pull vapour into your mouth, then down into the lungs. Sub Ohm vaping, also called direct to lung, which bypasses the mouth. You inhale much more deeply straight into your lungs. Combined with increased air flow, high VG ratio of 70/30 or 80/20 E Liquid and more power from your mod you’ll get super-charged clouds.
How to enjoy Sub Ohm Vaping?
Sub Ohm tanks
Sub Ohm tanks use disposable, pre-made coil heads, which is great for avoiding hassle. Sub ohm tanks are the most common way to enjoy this style of vaping as the coils are pre-made which means you just simply fit it into the tank, always remember to prime your coils too. You can prime your coils by carefully dripping E Liquid onto the cotton before fitting it into your tank. Once you have filled your tank up, we would recommend leaving it for 10 minutes to allow the cotton to absorb E Liquid. Bear in mind that Sub-Ohm vaping will go through a lot of juice, but most Sub-Ohm vapers feel it’s totally worth it.
Rebuildable Dripping Atomizers (RDA’s)
RDAs are Rebuildable Dripping Atomizers, these are also known as 'Drippers' this is a very popular way of vaping. These contain a deck where coils are built and attached using a screwdriver, with cotton for wicking. You drip the juice directly onto the coils and wick the material every few puffs. One of the big benefits of these is that, because the juice is vaped off so quickly, you can change flavour every few puffs. Though when making your own coils and building your own deck, we cannot stress enough that you need to have a great understanding of ohm's Law. Without following the Laws on ohms, it is very dangerous.
Rebuildable Dripping Tank Atomiser (RDTA’s)
RDTAs are Rebuildable Dripping Tank Atomisers, they are similar to an RDA in that you still have to build your coils and the desk of the RDTA but they are a sub ohm tank. The desk is built on top of the tank with the cotton hanging below submerged in the E Liquid. Recently, many RTAs have been geared towards Sub-Ohm vapers with appropriate airflow options.
What is the best E Liquid for Sub Ohm Vaping?
If you're taking the step towards sub ohm vaping and you've picked a new kit and coils, you won't want to ruin your experience by purchasing the wrong E Liquid. When it comes to Sub ohm vaping, it's a different style of vaping which means a different type of E Liquid is required but don't panic it's pretty simple to check.
You're going to need an E Liquid that can help you produce a larger amount of vapour. Thicker E Liquids are the best option, these are e-liquids that have a higher level of VG, 70% VG or higher to be precise. This is because VG produces less of a throat hit when vaped and as sub ohm kits produce more vapour, you’re going to want a smoother throat hit.
When sub ohm vaping you need to ensure you avoid getting a dry hit. A dry hit is when the coil runs dry due to a lack of E Liquid. As sub ohm vaping consumes more E Liquid this will mean your tank can empty quicker so always remember to keep an eye on your juice level in the tank.
You also need to consider the nicotine strength of your E Liquid, when Mouth to Lung vaping you will typically have a higher nicotine strength but with sub ohm vaping you inhale more, if you use the same nicotine strength, this would be too much nicotine to inhale and it won't be pleasant, can lead to a hard head rush and completely ruin your vaping experience. To prevent this we would recommend using an E Liquid that is lower than a 6mg nicotine strength.
The good news is most E Liquid manufacturers create their flavours in many different sizes and strengths, this allows people to enjoy the same juice at different nicotine strengths. Jumponthevape has a wide range of E Liquids which are suitable for sub ohm vaping so be sure to check out our UK Vape Deals.
Is Sub Ohm Vaping Right for Me?
Unfortunately we can't answer that for you. Many experienced vapers prefer this style due to the better vaping experience. Vaping is an extremely personal thing, each vaper wants different things from their device and E Liquids. Some want their vaping experience to mimic smoking a cigarette, others want to enjoy the delicious flavours and cloud chase at the same time. If you want to know whether sub ohm vaping is right for you, you will need to give it a go for yourself to see whether you get along with it.
