Aug 23, 2021

How to choose the right vape tank in 2021

**Disclaimer: All vaping products are for consumers 21 years or older.

The art of vaping is like any other craft. There is a preparation time needed to get the masterpiece. Like any painting, you need to hit the right strokes to get the final product. The colors have to be mixed in advance to get that desired hue that will fill the canvas in interesting patterns such that anyone who views it will be in awe of the beauty presented. Similarly, the right vape is not just bought. It’s built over the years by practicing and testing different pieces.

As personal preferences change, a vape device that fits your needs back in the day might not be suitable anymore. Especially with the rapid technology taking over every aspect of life, it’s crucial to have the know-how needed to choose the right device that you will cherish for years. Every online store claims to have the best products and to find the best one. You need to sift through the ones you think will fit until you find one suitable for your current needs. And that choice might also change after a while.

One of the essential parts of the device is the tank. Think of a vape tank as the fuel tank of your car. It’s important to know what kind of fuel you will fill in your vehicle, but it is also wiser to understand that the tank is working fine before you refill it. Therefore, choosing a good quality tank for your vehicle or your vape is extremely important. In this article, we will share with you how to choose the right vape tank in 2021.

What is a vape tank?

The purpose of the tank in your mod is to hold the e-juice. It connects the battery and connector as it also hosts a coil in it, which is responsible for vaporizing the juice. This cylindrical-shaped part is used to soak the wick of the coil, which is usually made of cotton, and then, when the coil heats up, it vaporizes the juice found on the wick.

What’s airflow got to do with it?

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Airflow is one of those terms that is thrown around when discussing the working of a vape. In the earliest days, the e-cigarette had a minuscule tube that would mimic the inhaling of a cigarette. But since sub-ohm vaping, the airflow can be controlled, which also changes the effect.

Furthermore, passing more airflow through lessens the effect of flavor in the hit, which is a dilemma for many. On the other hand, if we tighten the airflow, we do not get dense clouds. Therefore, this one has to be sacrificed for the other. Beginners usually struggle to understand the airflow as they are new to vaping, and there are no such mechanisms involved in conventional cigarettes.

Nevertheless, it’s essential to categorize the differences between the airflow technique so that those new to vaping get the hang of it.

Allowing more air to flow through the tank implies that we need more vapor and less flavor. Despite that, the throat hit would be less severe as it is marred by more air, but the lung hit will allow for more vapor to be produced.

Contrarily, decreasing the airflow through the device means that we need less vapor and more flavor from the e-liquid. It will result in a less powerful lung hit as the vapor has decreased, but a more robust throat hit as there is less air in the throat.

Consequently, this explains the air rings around the device. They are a source for the user to play with the airflow until they find what they are looking for. There is more satisfaction from the hit when the airflow is less, so that might be the default choice for many. However, as we have stated above, it depends on personal preference.

Vape Tank Resistance

Whenever we start discussing resistance, that is the moment we begin missing the Physics book that we did not care about back in the time. Nonetheless, understanding resistance is vital for anyone stepping up their game. Higher resistance means that the current passing through the coil is less, which gives less output. In contrast, lower resistance means more output.

Moreover, higher resistance implies:

Less vapor
Less heat
More battery life
More e-liquid lifespan
Not-so-harsh hit

On the other hand, minuscule resistance means:

More vapor
More heat
Less battery life
Less e-liquid lifespan
Strong hit

It gives an overall idea of what to expect at which stage. But finding the correct resistance for yourself comes with experience. If you are just starting to vape, opting for plus-ohm coils is better as they have higher resistances. If you are past the stage of wanting some nicotine in every hit, it’s better to switch to sub-ohm vaping to discover the all-powerful effects of vaping with delicious flavors.

Why your choice of vape tank matters

Many of the vapers feel lost and do not know where to start. That’s why reading through guides might seem useless but, in essence, is a crucial step to understanding the product you will use for years. Many of the vapers do not have the best experience no matter which e-liquid they choose, and that is because they do not have the right tank to go along with it.

History of Vape Tanks

What may be the very first US patent for an "electric vaporizer" was filed on May 3, 1927. US Patent via Google Patents

This section covers the milestones in the history of vape tanks for enthusiasts. If you are not one of them, feel free to skip this part. The first step, in this case, was the cartomizer which had a coil fit in it and wouldn’t be able to hold significant amounts of e-juice. Due to that, people came up with the idea that an encasing could be a good idea that would keep the e-juice and let it flow to the porous cartomizers.

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The cartomizers were soon out of fashion and were replaced by glass atomizers, which had replaceable coils. The glassomizers are the basic shape of the tank that is still used. It was an inexpensive option that used the vents in the bottom to produce a desirable flavor. However, users weren’t happy with the amount of vapor that was produced.

Since cloud-chasing has always been one of the top priorities of the vapers around the world, the manufacturers started looking at other designs of tanks that could alter the way we smoke. It led to the introduction of sub-ohm tanks.

If we trace the history of tank designs to the very beginning, CE2 seems to be the first type of tank available in the market. It was a plastic tube with wicks running down the tube. However, what made people drift away from CE2 were the plastic shells that would crack easily and the wicks, which would often be pinched.

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CE2 design was quickly forgotten but gave way to trendy Vivi nova tanks. All the modern tanks are based primarily on the design of Vivi Nova tanks. They had replaceable body parts that excited the users as one non-functioning part did not mean that the whole tank had to be thrown away, which was often the case. The coils could be changed, and various resistance coils could now fit in the same tank. The feasibility of the whole design of Vivi Nova was what set off the revolution of tank shapes in the vape industry.

Types of Vape Tanks

Of course, there are multiple types of tanks available, and we will talk about which one is suitable for you as a user later in the guide. For now, let’s have a quick look at the types of vape tanks available in the market today.

Sub-ohm tank

Sub-ohm tanks have much less to do with the design of the tank and more with the vaping experience. As the makers had begun to explore the options of turning vaping into an unforgettable experience, one of the things they needed to focus on was how to make bigger clouds.

This led to sub-ohm vaping, which meant that as we reduce the resistance of coils, we will let more current flow through the device. Thus, producing a higher wattage output which gives way more clouds.

As manufacturers realized that sub-ohm vaping has gotten popular, they decided to keep decreasing the resistance of coils. Nowadays, any coil with less than 1 ohms of resistance is in the realm of sub-ohming.

Mesh coil tank

Even though users had a potent sub-ohming tank that produces dense clouds, there was a push to do better. That is when makers started experimenting with the coil types and the size of the coils. One of the techniques that got popular was increasing the mass of the coil. Makers were squishing many wires together and had more surface area.

Other than that, higher gauge wires were used as well. All of this gave way more vapor and more clouds. But there was one issue: the batteries had to be extremely powerful to support all the wires to produce the right output. This meant that these devices were only for those who could afford the powerful wattage setup. Consequently, another solution had to be sought.

That brought the idea of the mesh coil to the front. Mesh coil means that no high number of wires are needed. The design consists of a strip, which could be made from Kanthal or steel, which has holes poked in it. The holes increase the surface area and soak more of the e-liquid. It also didn’t need higher output from the device.

Vape Pods

It would be unfair to exclude vape pods when talking about the tanks, as they have a significant mark in the history of vaping now. Pods are extremely easy to use for beginners as they do not have to go into the tiny details of the device. They can start by enjoying the experience and dealing with the physics side of it later once they go for sub-ohm vaping.

Vape pods are plastic devices that have enclosures fillable with e-juice. Once the e-juice has finished, you can throw some of them away while others can be refilled, making them relatively cost-effective. They are usually made from plastic, but many pods in the market are made of glass. Vape pods are light and convenient for everyone so that even experienced vapers carry them as an accessory.

Plastic and Glass Tanks

Undoubtedly, glass is the most popular choice for making tanks. Mostly handmade coils make use of plastic tanks too. One of the major differences between them is that glass is suitable for all flavors of e-juice, while plastic cannot withstand some flavors and might break when the vaporization takes place.

However, the downside of glass is that it is easily breakable, and you might need to replace it fairly quickly. As for the cost, glass is more expensive than plastic. Nevertheless, if you could increase your budget by a bit, it’s better to invest in glass so that you could enjoy any flavor you’d like without the fear of tank cracking.

Why use a vape tank over an RDA?

Rebuildable dripping atomizer (RDA)

As a new vaper, you want to try something new eventually. Many people think RDA is the way to go as it is the ultimate last step in vaping. In RDA, there is no need for a tank, so you have to keep your e-liquid portable as you go. In essence, RDA is better as it allows you to try more e-liquid at the same time. As soon as the wick is dry, you can use a new e-liquid on the wick with the dripper. RDA also gives you the option of using your custom-built coil, so there are many endless coil possibilities with an RDA.

On the other hand, tanks provide the option of storing your e-liquid for days. If you are constantly traveling, it is a hassle to keep the liquid with you at all times. Therefore, tanks seem like a superior option in this case. As you are starting, you also do not need to worry about coils until much later as most of the coils are built-in in the tank, and you can use them for a reasonable amount of time before changing them. Once you have found the coil you consider best, you just have to keep replacing it in your tank rather than using RDA to tinker around.

Choosing the right vape tank for your setup

As a vape enthusiast, it is vital to assess where you rank in the skills and choose the tank according to that. It is very easy to overestimate your skills and buy a tank for extreme professional vapers. As a new user, it is recommended to stay away from sub-ohm tanks. As they have very low resistance, the vapor amount that gets to you is way more, leading to denser clouds, but the nicotine strength in these devices is way lower.

Once you have climbed the ladder to the point where you do not need nicotine hits and decided to become a professional cloud-chaser, then find a sub-ohm tank that fits you. There are some rules to sub-ohm vaping that you need to be aware of. However, apart from that, the sub-ohm vaping technique provides you with good taste and cloud-forming, which means that happiness does come in small devices!

Once you feel you have mastered the plus-ohm vaping and sub-ohm vaping and think there is no step up the ladder anymore? Well, you are wrong. There are RBA (rebuildable atomizers) where you create the device of your choice by wounding the coil. You put in hours of effort, and then you find a device that you curated for yourself at the end.

RBA has many types, such as RTA ( rebuildable tank atomizer). RTA allows you to make the coils and fit them in the tank. Once that step is done, you can begin your vaping session. However, for RDTA (Rebuildable drip tank atomizer), you need a dripper to either drip on your coil or utilize it as a tank. In the end, there is RDA (Rebuildable Drip Atomizer) which is basically carrying your e-juice with you and soaking the coil whenever you need to start vaping.

It all depends on personal taste. To rank one better than the other would be not factual as they all have different properties and factors, making them distinguishable in the market. What can be a disaster to one can be absolute bliss to the other person.

Vape Tank is a Matter of Choice

Keep in mind these few things that might help you enhance your vaping experience:

Clean your vape tank

There is an intricate process involved in cleaning the tank. But it should also not hinder you from keeping your tank clean as this will affect the flavor and, subsequently, the vaping experience.

To have a basic cleanup, just remove all the tank parts and run the tank through the water. The amount of separable parts varies from tank to tank. For the wicks, try to dry them as much as possible so that the water evaporates from them, or else it will hinder when inhaled because water will mix with e-juice.

One solution is to keep it covered in rice for a while so that all the water gets absorbed. Furthermore, pure grain alcohol is also recommended for some coils, but it is better to make sure the coil can withstand that by contacting the manufacturer or asking the seller.

Prime your coil

If you haven’t used your device before and the coil wick is dry, you will burn the wicking material once you try to vape, which means replacing the coil. Therefore, you need to prime the coil before you insert it into the tank. To prime the coil, pour some e-juice on the wick using a dripper. Use the wicking holes for that and let it rest for some time. Once that is done, insert into the tank and vape away.

Filling the vape tank

Filling the tank is a delicate process but should not be cumbersome once you get a grip on it. For this, you need to begin with tilting your vape tank and using the tip of e-liquid to fill. You also need to know whether your tank is bottom-filled or top-filled. Fill it from the recommended side and make sure that you don’t cross the marking on the tank, which is the maximum point of the e-juice, and going past it might be a messy situation with spills.

Conclusion:

With multitudes of possibilities around us, we have to make educated choices. Therefore, we hope this guide will help you on your journey of finding the best tank for your needs. But once you get the right tank, make sure to take care of it and follow the instructions thoroughly to make it last longer. Nowadays, we recommend using tanks over RDA due to the numerous benefits they have. Having said that, the tanks, like all other vape parts, are all about making your experience enjoyable. So follow your instincts.