Single Vs Dual Coil and tanks?
- Thread starter MikeRocGuy
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Ok, first off I've never heard of a dual coil atomizer. Most atomizers don't use a coiled wire but instead, they use a steel mesh.
You may be thinking of dual coil cartomizers that are pre-punched and put into a tank.
A single coil cartomizer is just that...one coil. It will be rated with an ohm ratings like 1.7 or 2.0 or 2.5, etc.
Dual coil cartomizers have two coils running in tandem. These are usually but not always rated at 1.5 ohms. So you have in theory at least, two low resistence coils which produce greater amounts of vapor and obviously go through more juice.
If you plan to run dual coils, I would only advise you to do so if you already have a variable volt device or a higher volt fixed device. Standard 3.7 volt vape set ups just aren't powerful enough to run a dual coil to its real potential, because those two 1.5 coils really just equal a 3.0ohm resistance. Something like an ego battery (non twis) can't keep up. You need to hit a dual coil with higher voltage.
Also, if you are using a kick in a tube mod you will be disappointed with dual coils. This is because the kick will read the dual coils as a single 1.5ohm and adjust you voltage accordingly to get the desired wattage.
You may be thinking of dual coil cartomizers that are pre-punched and put into a tank.
A single coil cartomizer is just that...one coil. It will be rated with an ohm ratings like 1.7 or 2.0 or 2.5, etc.
Dual coil cartomizers have two coils running in tandem. These are usually but not always rated at 1.5 ohms. So you have in theory at least, two low resistence coils which produce greater amounts of vapor and obviously go through more juice.
If you plan to run dual coils, I would only advise you to do so if you already have a variable volt device or a higher volt fixed device. Standard 3.7 volt vape set ups just aren't powerful enough to run a dual coil to its real potential, because those two 1.5 coils really just equal a 3.0ohm resistance. Something like an ego battery (non twis) can't keep up. You need to hit a dual coil with higher voltage.
Also, if you are using a kick in a tube mod you will be disappointed with dual coils. This is because the kick will read the dual coils as a single 1.5ohm and adjust you voltage accordingly to get the desired wattage.
Thank you, that did clear up the dual and single coil issue quite a bit for me. What is a "kick in a tube mod" ?
I use 1.5 ohm dual coil tank cartomizers. They provide a warmer vape without burning the eliquid. I agree you should only use them with a PV that has a strong enough battery to handle them. A straight 3.7 volt PV just won't cut it.
I don't have a Kick but do use a Darwin which the kick is based off of. I have absolutely no problem using regular dual coil cartomizers or tank dual coil cartomizers with the Darwin. At 12.2 watts using the 1.5 ohm dual coils, they adjust to 4.4 volts and provide nice warm consistent vapor. And even being a heavy vaper, I still get 18+ hours on a charge.
I don't have a Kick but do use a Darwin which the kick is based off of. I have absolutely no problem using regular dual coil cartomizers or tank dual coil cartomizers with the Darwin. At 12.2 watts using the 1.5 ohm dual coils, they adjust to 4.4 volts and provide nice warm consistent vapor. And even being a heavy vaper, I still get 18+ hours on a charge.
A kick is a small electronic chip type device that turns any tube mod into a variable wattage device. This is different from a variable voltage device.
What you do with a kick is, figure out what your wattage sweet spot is. Say it's 7.5 watts for example. You adjust the kick to 7.5 watts and insert it into the mod, screw it all back together. Now regardless of what type of atomizer, carto etc that you put on there you are going to get 7.5 watts. If you put a 3 ohm on there, the kick will sense that and adjust voltage to give you 7.5 watts. If you put a 2.0 ohm there, same thing, it adjusts voltage to give you 7.5 watts.
The problem comes in when you have dual coils because the kick is fooled. Instead of reading a dual coil at the combined resistance of 3.0 ohms, its reading the whole thing at 1.5ohm and is making its voltage adjustments based on that instead of the true 3.0 ohm resistance.
If you tell me your set up, I can give you some options that would probably work for you.
What you do with a kick is, figure out what your wattage sweet spot is. Say it's 7.5 watts for example. You adjust the kick to 7.5 watts and insert it into the mod, screw it all back together. Now regardless of what type of atomizer, carto etc that you put on there you are going to get 7.5 watts. If you put a 3 ohm on there, the kick will sense that and adjust voltage to give you 7.5 watts. If you put a 2.0 ohm there, same thing, it adjusts voltage to give you 7.5 watts.
The problem comes in when you have dual coils because the kick is fooled. Instead of reading a dual coil at the combined resistance of 3.0 ohms, its reading the whole thing at 1.5ohm and is making its voltage adjustments based on that instead of the true 3.0 ohm resistance.
If you tell me your set up, I can give you some options that would probably work for you.
yeah i was wondering about that...if you could just push the wattage way up to work around...i've never tried it myself
Dual coil cartomizers are available in a variety of resistances, at least up to 3ohms. What has been said above is really what you need to know about the difference between single and dual coil. I think dual coils really become popular because they allowed a much warmer vape from an unregulated device like a simple one-battery mod. I have had some bad luck with dual coils burning out quickly or being doa, so I stick with the single coils.
It sounds like you are thinking about a cartomizer tank like the Dual Coil Tank (DCT) Smok Tech. They typically are shipped with dual coils, but you can easily swap them out with single coil replacements. Depending on your device, you will probably want to try a variety of resistances to see what suits you best.
It sounds like you are thinking about a cartomizer tank like the Dual Coil Tank (DCT) Smok Tech. They typically are shipped with dual coils, but you can easily swap them out with single coil replacements. Depending on your device, you will probably want to try a variety of resistances to see what suits you best.
Just wanted to clear some things up. You said "Dual coil cartomizers have two coils running in tandem", this is not accurate, dual coils have two coils that are run in parallel, not series, there is a big difference in the two.
You also said "So you have in theory at least, two low resistence coils" and "because those two 1.5 coils really just equal a 3.0ohm resistance" and this is also not true because the coils are run in parallel, not in a series. A 1.5 ohm dual coil is two 3 ohm coils run in parallel, if you know electrical theory, this means the effective resistance is half ie, 1.5 ohms.
Now it is true that a dual coil will produce more vapor, this is because with two coils you have twice the surface area to vaporize the e liquid.
You did get this right, "This is because the kick will read the dual coils as a single 1.5ohm and adjust you voltage accordingly to get the desired wattage."
I'm not trying to be confrontational, just trying to explain how dual coil carts work.
Correct. DC carto's are wired in parallel, not series. They're typically 3 Ohm each, which in parallel presents a 1.5 Ohm load to the device.
thank you sober synper ...you are correct in that i really dont know much about electricity theory etc...i used tandem but perhaps your terminology is correct
i dont really feel much of a need to go and become an electrician for vaping etc...i doubt the OP wanted that techincal of an answer but more information is always good
i dont really feel much of a need to go and become an electrician for vaping etc...i doubt the OP wanted that techincal of an answer but more information is always good
Seeing you two guys from LA makes me sad I missed Mardi Gras. 
Lake Charles is my hometown.
Lake Charles is my hometown.
If you're referring to using cartomizers in a tank, both single and dual coils work for me. The advantage of dual coils in general is that it's harder to get a burning vape, as those two 3 ohm coils in a typical 1.5 ohm model won't scorch the juice easily. They work fine in tanks and also by themselves. I find single low resistance coil cartos - 1.7 - 2.2 ohms - require frequent "topping off" when used alone or they can easily burn and leave you with a bad flavor. As a result I only use LR single coils in a tank so that they stay wet at all times.
I've used 1.5 ohm dual coils on regular 3.7 volt mods, from the ego on up, for over a year and they haven't given me any problems whatsoever. I'll still use them alone or in tanks, while single coil LR cartos only go in tanks for me. Good luck finding a good fit for you!
I've used 1.5 ohm dual coils on regular 3.7 volt mods, from the ego on up, for over a year and they haven't given me any problems whatsoever. I'll still use them alone or in tanks, while single coil LR cartos only go in tanks for me. Good luck finding a good fit for you!
the_vape_nerd
thank you sober synper ...you are correct in that i really dont know much about electricity theory etc...i used tandem but perhaps your terminology is correct
i dont really feel much of a need to go and become an electrician for vaping etc...i doubt the OP wanted that techincal of an answer but more information is always good
No problem man, I just didn't want people to think their kick was getting fooled, it is not. There are reasons why people don't like dual coils, I am one of those people, but to fully understand why, it helps to know basic DC circuitry.
thank you sober synper ...you are correct in that i really dont know much about electricity theory etc...i used tandem but perhaps your terminology is correct
i dont really feel much of a need to go and become an electrician for vaping etc...i doubt the OP wanted that techincal of an answer but more information is always good
No problem man, I just didn't want people to think their kick was getting fooled, it is not. There are reasons why people don't like dual coils, I am one of those people, but to fully understand why, it helps to know basic DC circuitry.
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Seeing you two guys from LA makes me sad I missed Mardi Gras.
Lake Charles is my hometown.
Don't feel too bad, I missed Mardis Gras to, I am at work in Africa at the moment.
my photo is from last year's mardi gras....i like it when i have people in from out of town..otherwise i dont really go to mardi gras anymore...its more of a traffic hassle than anything if you live here
I've actually had just the opposite experiance. I prefer the single coils over dual coils as I don't get the occassional burnt taste I got with dual coils.
My personal theory is as a carto in a tank is vaped, the upper to mid-portion of the cartomizer can become dry just from the suction action of vaping. You can see this after vaping for a while, the top of the polyfill appears dry no matter how well you prepped the carto prior to inserting it into the tank.
With a dual coil carto, the upper coil lies somewhere in the middle of the carto. As juice is sucked down, that carto may not get enough juice to keep it from burning the polyfill that surrounds it.
A single coil's heating element is located toward the bottom of the cartomizer, where it is kept bathed in juice continuously, so no burning of the polyfill. The below cut-away diagram of a cartomizer shows this (click to enlarge detail).
I've been using dual coil cartos, both in a tank and regular cartos, for over a year and have never had a burning issue. Just like single coil cartos, as long as you keep them moist, there is no burning problem. If one has a burning problem, it's either a defective carto or, more likely, user error.
First thing I wanna do is clean this mess up. ALL atomizers have a coil in them. Just because all you see when you look into many atomizers is wire mesh doesn't mean that there isn't a coil under that mesh (bridge). There are also a dual coil atomizer, Clouds of Vapor carries them for one.
See the coil?
There are a lot of folks that like DCC's, you just need sufficient amperage to drive them. There are a lot of PV's that simply can't do that, and as a result you will hear folks say that DCC's don't work. The kick is a perfect example with it's 10 watt limit .. well .. that's only 5 watts going to each coil which equals a pretty cold vape IMO.
However in the real world you need to find a happy middle ground with DCC's. While the 8 watts that so many like with a single coil, that would only be 4 watts per coil in a DCC, and most would not like them. If you ran 16 watts total (8 watts per coil) most would have smoke coming out their ears. So most that like DCC's run about 12 watts total (6 watts per coil). BUT .... that requires 3 Amps, so if your PV has a 2.5 amp chip in it ... sorry ... you're out of luck.
For the more advanced vapor we have RBA's and Gennies that make DCC's totally obsolete now.
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