The Difference Between Ohms Ratings

So you’ve been vaping for a little while, but want to take the everyday experience to new heights? Then adjusting the ohms in your vape is the easiest way to do just that.

If you’re after a fully customised vaping experience where you have full control over the throat hit, flavour and vapour of every puff you take, learning about ohms is vital. They can take your vaping to the next level, but understanding the difference between low and high ohms is the key to success.

So what exactly is an ohm, and do I even have the right device to change any settings? Our guide will help you with everything you need to know about ohms and vaping.

Let’s take a look.

Ohm, watt the volt?

Knowing your ohms from your watts and volts will help you to understand what’s going on when you’re customising your vape. We’ll try not to be too technical here!

In the simplest terms an ohm is a measure of electrical current, or resistance. The more resistance in your vape, the less electricity can pass through it; the less resistance in your vape, the more electricity is going through. Changing the resistance up or down has a marked effect on your vape, depending on what you like more.

Ohms interact with wattage and voltage and affect each puff on the vape; changing either of these depends on what kind of battery you have.

Variable voltage (VV) battery

If you have a VV battery in your vape, you can manually control the voltage flowing through the device, which in turn increases the wattage. If you increase the ohms, you should change the voltage to compensate for the less vapour being produced.

Be careful here - the combination of lower ohms and higher voltage can cause the coil to burn out much more quickly. Finding the best setting for your personal needs will take some practice.

Variable wattage (VW) battery

A VW battery is more common on newer vape models. On a VW battery you only need to change the wattage, which then automatically adjusts the voltage depending on your resistance level.

This ensures the power output stays largely the same, no matter what customisations to the ohms you make.

What type of vape do I need?

A lot of the newer models, including some disposable vapes, have the option to control your ohms setting with a simple up or down button. The higher spec your vaping kit is, the more control you’ll have over settings like changing the ohms.

Typically, while heavier and potentially more expensive, box mod vaping kits are the best to go for customising your everyday vaping experience.

It’s also worth getting to know your types of coils. A standard coil will do the job but there’s also ceramic coils, which are better for nicotine salts and last longer, while mesh coils focus more on flavour and vapour.

How do ohms change my vape?

Now you understand the basics behind ohms, you can control the difference in the throat hit, flavour and vapour.

Lower ohms in your vape

Lower ohms, or resistance, in your coil means it generates more heat. As a result, the vapour is warmer and there’s more of it. This can diminish the taste of the e-liquid, but if you’re going for big vapour clouds then lower ohms in your vape is the way to go.

Going for lower ohms may improve the mouth-feel, but there are some drawbacks. Because the vape runs hotter, this can drain the battery faster and run through your vape juice more quickly than if you had a higher resistance setting - so it could cost you more in the long run.

With a lower resistance setting the coil in your vape also runs the risk of burning out more quickly, so make sure to stay on top of cleaning your vape and keeping some coils in stock so you can avoid the dreaded burnt taste or ‘dry hit’.

Higher ohms in your vape

Setting your vape to a higher resistance means the coil has less electrical currency running through it. The vape therefore heats up less, resulting in a cooler vapour, and less of it. This intensifies the taste of the e-liquid, but compromises the amount of cloud you’ll breathe out.

This is the ideal setting for those looking to maximise the flavour of their vape juice and make it go further. The battery life will also last longer on this setting, as the coil isn’t heating up as much. You’re also less likely to experience a dry hit, and look after your coil for longer before it needs replacing.

Sub-ohming

This is a practice for the true vaping evangelical, with many who vape singing its praises. Sub-ohming is where the vape’s ohm range is under 1.0, generating much more vapour and a smoother drag on the vape.

Sub-ohming is direct-to-lung vaping, which goes directly into the lungs and produces a bigger flavour hit on the exhale rather than the inhale.

Once the domain of die-hard vapers with the skills to modify their devices, gone are the days of having to essentially build your own device to accommodate sub-ohming. Now, you can buy vapes equipped with sub-ohming tanks and fine-tuned coils to handle the wattage and ohms needed for that intense hit of flavour and huge vapour clouds.

While it’s worth experimenting with sub-ohming if you’re into vaping for the long term, make sure your device can handle the difference in ohms and read the manual before trying to sub-ohm.

Final thoughts

By now, you’ll know how customising the ohms on your vape can make a big difference in your enjoyment - a small change can go a long way. It’ll take some time and practice to find out what you like the most, but we think it’s well worth investing the time (and sometimes money) if you can increase your satisfaction each time you vape.

Be prepared to stock up on your e-liquid flavours while you’re experimenting with whether vapour or intensity is more your style.