Top vs Bottom Coils

[Cowbell]

The first tanks that I bought for my first mod were top coil tanks with the long wicks, and later on got bottom coil clearomizers. I've found that I cannot stand using my top coil tanks anymore, because the bottom coils seem to vape and taste significantly better than the former, even though they seem to be more prone to leaking (in my experience anyway). What is the reason for this? I don't think its just in my head. I do find that I like tanks with an easier draw, even though I was accustomed to smoking light cigarettes for many years, and my bottom coil tanks are more "airy". I was wondering if the wick style could be a factor in it.

The top coils I have are all iClear 16's and an iClear 30 that came with my MVP, and bottoms are a Smok T-Dux 2 which I adore, no-name EVOD style tank and a Nautilus.

 

[scratchtheweasel]

Hi Cowbell, I think your question can be summarized as "why are bottom coils better than top coils?". Different people are going to have different opinions about what is better as it will come down to personal preferences. One point in particular you mentioned is leaking. The difference here is maybe easier to qualify. I have had problems with iclear 16 top coil setups due to different replacement heads being used. Some replacement heads I used with an iclear 16 did not line up very well (I believe these were not original iclear 16 parts). If the alignment of the mouthpiece and the rubber top of the replacement head is off you can have juice leak in and come out the mouthpiece. I have had this happen to me at least.

Generally speaking I think it comes down to preference and the specifics of what tanks you are using. As I sit here I have one iclear 16 that has a lot of air flow and another (that happens to be running a dual coil iclear 30 replacement head) that has a very tight draw. If you've found that bottom coils are more enjoyable to use, then great! I have had to try lots of different combinations to find what works and I am still very much still in the process of figuring it out.

 

[InTheShade]

I suppose the biggest difference between top and bottom coils is how the wicks work in each.

In top coils, the primary function of the wick is to submerge in the e-liquid and wick it (against gravity) to the coil. In a bottom coil clearo, the primary function of the wick is to control the flow of juice to the coil head. Being that the coil is submerged in the e-liquid, this often means that a bottom coil will not produce dry hits but is susceptible to gurgling, leaking and flooding.

As for being more airy, this is really a question of how the airflow is designed into the clearo. A lot of top coil designs have the airflow built in to the 510 connector that screws in to the battery. This can mean it's constricted - esp when the clearo is fully tightened onto a battery.
Most bottom coil designs have the airflow built in to the base of the clearo (on the outside) so this usually means a better airflow.

So it's not your imagination. The above info is an example only and there will be exceptions to what I said. I was specifically thinking of the differences between a Vivi Nova top coil and an EVOD BCC.

 

[Zanaspus]

I agree with the improved taste, but not with the leaking. My 30s leaked a lot, and my Aspire Nautilus has only leaked twice from user error (never ever get even a drop of water in the coil chamber).