Break it off for me: High vs Low Voltage, High vs Low Ohms, Variable Voltage vs Variable Wattage

[Amsterdamm]

First time posting!

I quit smoking combustion cigarettes four weeks ago when I switched to V2 electric cigarettes and have never looked back. I LOVE vaping and prefer it in every way over smoking, but now I want to take my new found love to the next level.

I have been spending a lot of time reading about the topic, learning about the different equipment, reading product reviews -- really just trying to learn as much as I can.

What I could use though is a bit of a primer, just a little basic information -- just one or two sentences -- about the following topics.

High vs Low Voltage - Other than the obvious, what is the effective difference between high and low voltage vaping? What differences of effect does it produce?

High vs Low Ohms - Likewise, other than the obvious, effective difference between high and low voltage coils? What differences of effect does it produce?

Variable Voltage vs Variable Wattage - What is the effective difference between being able to adjust the voltage and/or wattage of a mod? What differences of effect does it produce?


Thank you all so much in advance for just filling In the gaps here for me!

 

[Baditude]

In order to explain your questions one could write an entire chapter of a book. I'll just give you a link where you can find the info for yourself. The Vapers Table Electronic Cigarette Support

Low vs high voltage, low ohm vs high ohm, and variable voltage vs variable wattage are all preferences individuals gradually settle on after personal experience. All are factors which can affect the vaping experience.

 

[wedoitall]

In order to explain your questions one could write an entire chapter of a book. I'll just give you a link where you can find the info for yourself. The Vapers Table Electronic Cigarette Support

Low vs high voltage, low ohm vs high ohm, and variable voltage vs variable wattage are all preferences individuals gradually settle on after personal experience. All are factors which can affect the vaping experience.

Thanks for the link. I've learned so much just from your blogs and some links you've posted in the past few days. I really really and greatly appreciate it.

I'm hoping *fingers crossed *that I will get my MVP 2 tomorrow or Friday at the latest. I have been using a ego style cheap puffer I picked up at a tobacco store and some juice (that I'm sure is cheap too) a few days ago. From what I've read the MVP should blow away the setup I've been using. Pretty sure I will be diving head first into Vaping, IMO much better than analogs. Oh yea , I live in the sticks but just found out there is a B & M about 45 minutes away. Hoping to hit it up Friday to do some sampling and hopefully pick up some tanks. ( which I haven't made up my mind on)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Vlad Vapus]

In order to explain your questions one could write an entire chapter of a book. I'll just give you a link where you can find the info for yourself. The Vapers Table Electronic Cigarette Support

Low vs high voltage, low ohm vs high ohm, and variable voltage vs variable wattage are all preferences individuals gradually settle on after personal experience. All are factors which can affect the vaping experience.

Excellent info link bless you.

 

[Katya]

Hello Amsterdamm and welcome to ECF. This is as basic as I can possibly make it:

Disclaimer: This is the most simplistic explanation and is addressed to new vapers mostly or vapers who are happy within the recommended "just right" power zone (4.5-8 watts). If you are using dual coil atomizers or are interested in high wattage vaping, it's a different conversation altogether. You will also have to understand the concept of amp limits and how it applies to high power vaping. In short, dual coil atties consist of two coils configured in parallel, which means that a 2.1Ω atty is really two 4.2Ω coils--so calculate your wattage based on the 4.2Ω number--not 2.1Ω--roughly. To make it simpler--dual coil atties require more wattage than singles, but not quite twice as much. They produce more vapor due to increased surface. When in doubt--start low and adjust up as needed.

Ohm's Law as it pertains to vaping is really not that complicated--and it's very useful when you want to know what you're doing.

Voltage and wattage are often misunderstood by new vapers. Wattage is the power (heat, sweet spot) that your PV (battery and atomizer) generates. Wattage = Voltage (of your battery) squared divided by Resistance (Ω) of your atomizer [P=V[SUP]2[/SUP]/R]. If you're not good at math, don't worry, use this easy calculator:

Online Conversion - Ohm's Law Calculator

Of course, if you own a VW (variable wattage) device, you don't really need this calculator because your device will do the math for you.

The wattage you want, especially at the beginning of your vaping career, should be somewhere between 4.5 and 8.5 Watts. Anything lower than 4.5 watts may not vaporize your juice properly and will not produce enough warmth and vapor. Anything above 8.5 watts increases the risk of burning the filler in your cartomizers (if you're using them) and even some juices, especially the delicate ones.

There are, of course, other variables, like eliquid and JDD (juice delivery devices) that you're using on your batteries. Seven watts on a filler type cartomizer may feel different than the same 7 watts on a fillerless clearomizer or a dripping atomizer. The same is true for different eliquids; tobaccos, chocolate and coffees generally require more wattage (heat), while fruit and other delicate flavors do better with less heat. Everyone's sweet spot is different--those are just very general guidelines.

Experiment and you'll find your own bliss in no time!

The chart below is a good guide to safe vaping, even though some think it's a bit conservative.

 

[happydave]

In short, dual coil atties consist of two coils configured in parallel, which means that a 2.1Ω atty is really two 4.2Ω coils--so calculate your wattage based on the 4.2Ω number--not 2.1Ω--roughly. To make it simpler--dual coil atties require more wattage than singles, but not quite twice as much.

why would i calculate wattage this way? over all circuit resistance (of the load) is 2.1 ohms when running 2, 4.2 ohm coils in a parallel circuit.
example
4.2 ohms with 3.7 volts = 3.25 watts
2.1 ohms with 3.7 volts = 6.50 watts.
if you did that your calculation for wattage would not be correct.

 

[suspectK]

I'm sure katya meant to find optimal performance of the dual coil...

 

[happydave]

I'm sure katya meant to find optimal performance of the dual coil...

im sorry can you explain? i must me missing something..

 

[Katya]

why would i calculate wattage this way? over all circuit resistance (of the load) is 2.1 ohms when running 2, 4.2 ohm coils in a parallel circuit.
example
4.2 ohms with 3.7 volts = 3.25 watts
2.1 ohms with 3.7 volts = 6.50 watts.
if you did that your calculation for wattage would not be correct.

A 2.1Ω DC atty consists of two 4.2Ω coils configured in parallel. However, the battery doesn't care how many coils are attached to it--it just reads the final resistance of the atomizer. A 2.1Ω single coil atomizer will run much hotter than your 2.1Ω DCC, which splits the load between two 4.2Ω coils (thus producing a cooler but more voluminous--due to increased surface area--vape). The main reason DC cartomizers were invented in the first place was to decrease the heat of the coils to prevent burning of filler in cartomizers (the first dual coils were used in cartomizers).

It will also increase the demand for amps the battery needs to supply and decrease the overall heat (power) of each coil, thus requiring higher voltages.

This is how I see it. Let's say I like to vape at 8 watts. If I tell my PV to supply 8 watts to two coils, my atomizer will not vape the same as it would if it only had to apply 8 watts to one coil--a single coil would be working at 8 watts, two coils--at 4 watts each, more or less. In theory, at least, as I explained above.

In the real world, the realized, true experience would be probably somewhere between the two wattage figures--when using a dual coil device.

In my own experience, I can't put a 1.8Ω single coil stock cartomizer much above 4volts (8.9W) and enjoy the vape--it's too hot and harsh for me. The highest I can comfortably go with a single-coil 1.8Ω atty is maybe 3.6 volts or so (7.2 watts). However, I have absolutely no problem vaping a 1.8Ω DCC at 4.0v and I have no issues with dry hits or burnt taste whatsoever.

 

[Katya]

I'm sure katya meant to find optimal performance of the dual coil...

Hey, stop picking on me!

 

[happydave]

"A 2.1Ω single coil atomizer will run much hotter than your 2.1Ω DCC"

this would only be true on a VV device if the VV device put out a fixed amperage as well.
never tested it guess its easy enough to try out.

 

[suspectK]

The circuit is seen as the "2.1ohms," but there is 4times the surface area comparing a dual coil to a single coil of same resistance, more distribution of that heat.

Edit

this would only be true on a VV device if the VV device put out a fixed amperage as well.

Sorry, I should go to sleep, but...what?

 

[happydave]

The circuit is seen as the "2.1ohms," but there is 4times the surface area comparing a dual coil to a single coil of same resistance, more distribution of that heat.

Edit

Sorry, I should go to sleep, but...what?

volts x amps = Watts
as ohms decrease, amps increase

if i throw a .4 ohm duel coil on my mech mod i will pull 10.5 amps from the battery
if i use a .8 single coil my mech mod will pull 5.25 amps from the battery.

in a parallel circuit, amps are divided up among the parallel branches. how the amps are divided up is based on the Branch Resistance. and its directly proportional to the number of ohms each branch has.
example:
4.2 volts with a .8 ohm coil uses 22 watts of power
4.2 volts with duel parallel .8 ohms coils uses 44 watts of power divided by 2 branches of equal resistance (22 watts per coil).

so because both coils will have the same exact amount of power one coil will get pretty much exactly has hot as the other one... one .8 coil will have the same temp as two .4 ohm coils, in a parallel circuit.

 

[Amsterdamm]

Ok, so, is there really any difference between VV and VW gaping? Are they simply two ways to the same end? My VAMO v5 is VV and VW and it seems to me that going by one or the other is the same thing.

 

[Katya]

Ok, so, is there really any difference between VV and VW gaping? Are they simply two ways to the same end? My VAMO v5 is VV and VW and it seems to me that going by one or the other is the same thing.

Yes--and no. It is all about wattage--voltage alone tells you nothing about how powerful (hot) your setting is. You may vape at 6 volts, but if you're using a high resistance atomizer, your wattage will be lower than a very low resistance atty on lower voltage.

So yes, if you check the resistance of your atomizer and then do the math to calculate your wattage correctly (to find your sweet spot), then yes, you just need to adjust your voltage accordingly and you'll be fine. While using a the vw mode, you don't have to check the resistance or adjust the voltage--your PV does it for you. All you need to do is set the wattage you like and vape.

 

[Katya]

volts x amps = Watts
as ohms decrease, amps increase

if i throw a .4 ohm duel coil on my mech mod i will pull 10.5 amps from the battery
if i use a .8 single coil my mech mod will pull 5.25 amps from the battery.

in a parallel circuit, amps are divided up among the parallel branches. how the amps are divided up is based on the Branch Resistance. and its directly proportional to the number of ohms each branch has.
example:
4.2 volts with a .8 ohm coil uses 22 watts of power
4.2 volts with duel parallel .8 ohms coils uses 44 watts of power divided by 2 branches of equal resistance (22 watts per coil).

so because both coils will have the same exact amount of power one coil will get pretty much exactly has hot as the other one... one .8 coil will have the same temp as two .4 ohm coils, in a parallel circuit.

No. That's not correct.

4.2 volts with a .8Ω atomizer = 22 watts of power and 5.25 amps, no matter how many coils your atomizer has in parallel circuit.

However, if you throw 22 watts at a single coil, that coil will receive 22 watts; if you throw 22 watts at two coils, each coil will get 11 watts.