While the evolution of vaping has been covered in great length, the development of disposable coils over time is also worthy of discussion. Something that many of us toss after use, this small metal piece has influenced vaping dramatically, and so gone through it's own evolution along with the world of vaping. It's time to pay some appreciation to the coil, for without it, vaping wouldn't even exist.

The Beginning

The atomizer was the first basic home for coils. Atomizers house the coil and heating unit that creates the vapor that one inhales when they vape, along with a wicking material to draw e-liquid to the heating element. The atomizer was originally surrounded by a wicking material that, saturated, would hold 1-2 ml of juice. This combination is referred to as a cartomizer. This was not ultrasonic in nature, like the first vape atomizers, instead it was built on the basic concept of a resistance wire heating element with a cotton packing. While the cartomizer was a big advancement, it was limited by power output, with most coil resistance being around two ohms, allowing for a maximum power output of 6-10 watts before the wicking material would start to burn.

Early 'screwdriver' mods, predecessors to the eGo, and variable voltage mods allowed for more current to be delivered to a coil than cartomizers were capable of handling. With the increase in power came dual coils and high capacity cartomizers, which in turn brought larger vapor production. As coils and power advanced, the carotank was created -a ported cartomizer inside a metal tank- which boosted the amount of e-liquid that could be held in a device between refills.

The DIY Market

Soon the concept of build-your-own took off and many individuals were testing their skills to create their own coils, reaching new heights of advancement. Rebuildable Dripper Atomizers (RDAs) became popular due to their easily accessible build decks, which let users build multi-coil sub-ohm setups capable of withstanding greater power loads. For those who preferred drippers, dual coils became a standard. More advanced builds developed using wire wrapping techniques that gave birth to Clapton coils, parallel coils, and twisted wire, among many others.

The Updated Mass Productions

As little as three years ago, it was uncommon to find clearomizer tanks that relied on more than one coil in their disposable atomizers. As more vapers clamored for multi-coil devices, companies developed new systems to meet the demand. This lead to more customization options for vape devices than had previously existed.

While most coils of the first generation of clearomizers ran at 1.6 or 1.8 ohms of resistance, some began dropping their dual coils as low as 0.8 ohms, to create more vapor through the first 'sub-ohm' mass market setups. Market demand not only pushed for multiple coil setups but also lower resistance, with the Aspire Atlantis releasing a full-power mass market sub ohm tank at 0.5 ohms resistance - revolutionary for its time. Much of the advancements made during this period came from DIY hobbyists trying to create their perfect vape. New coil designs were released, which took advantage of the large coil casings. Soon triple coils, quad coils, and even a daring octocoil came to market.

What's to Come

The impact consumers have on the marketplace is demonstrated perhaps more clearly than anywhere in the vape world. Do-it-yourself options pushed the limit of vaping until the vape producers took notice and created new ideas and products from the advancements of hobbyists. While the concept of vaping has come a long way, coils have had their own advancements along the way. With the changes that have occurred, who knows what vaping will bring us next!