Dual-coil vaping and single-coil vaping both have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. The number of coils in an atomizer can vary widely. Some will have one while others might have eight. If your vape only has one or two coils, you’re likely working with a rebuildable atomizer (or an RDA). Vaporizers like these give you the option to build and install your own coils.
Despite having fewer coils than most tank atomizers, rebuildables are typically best for cloud-chasers that want the highest vapor production possible. So which are better: single-coil or dual-coil vapes? It’s a matter of preference. Let’s talk about it.
Single-Coil vs. Dual-Coil Vapes
If you’re mainly focused on portability and efficiency, a single-coil vaporizer could be a great option. There are a lot of dual-coil vaporizers that are fairly compact, but they simply can’t compare to the level of portability offered by single-coil vapes.
On the other hand, dual-coil vaporizers offer vapor production that a single-coil vape just can’t match. The disadvantages of dual-coil vapes are insignificant enough that most cloud-chasers are willing to deal with them, in order to get the superior cloud-production that dual-coils offer.
Which Single-Coil RDA Is Best?
Single-coil RDA users typically prefer a compact vape setup, so you’ll likely want a compact RDA and a highly-portable mod to compliment it. Larger single-coil RDAs don’t fully take advantage of the single-coil RDAs potential.
The smallest single-coil RDAs worth using are typically 22mm wide. They get smaller, but there seems to be a steep drop in both quality and practicality when it comes to RDAs under 22mm.
Vapers looking for a high-quality, compact single-coil RDA will appreciate the Ghoul by Blitz. Its 22mm diameter makes it the perfect single-coil RDA for a highly-portable vape setup. In terms of quality, the Ghoul is one of the best RDAs, period. Its stainless steel design is both practical and attractive, while its ceramic clamp post system makes coil installation as easy as possible. To make coil installation as easy as possible, Blitz made the Ghoul with a side-mounted post system.
Its unique, adjustable airflow system was designed to provide ideal airflow to this RDA’s odd post orientation, and it works extremely well. Plus, this single-coil RDA is squonk-compatible, so you can use it with your favorite squonk mod. A compact squonk mod will compliment it best, as larger mods usually supply more power than you could comfortably handle with only one coil. You get all of these features and a high-quality design for only $27, so the Ghoul is a steal.
Which Dual-Coil RDA Is Best?
The vaporizer market is absolutely saturated with great dual-coil RDAs. The best dual-coil RDAs have very similar feature sets, so your final choice could very likely come down to the RDA’s physical appearance.
If you want a great cloud-chasing vape setup that won’t break the bank, check out the Dead Rabbit RDA by Heathen and Hellvape. While its retail price is $35, you can usually find it for $25 or less. Its design is fairly simple, but it works extremely well. First of all, this is a squonk RDA that comes with a regular 510 pin as well as a squonk pin.
The Dead Rabbit’s build deck is very easy to work with thanks to its postless design, and its airflow slots are located close to the top of the cap. This makes it great for squonking, as your juice is very unlikely to leak through these elevated air slots.
If you’re not held back by a tight budget, your best bet is probably going to be the Goon RDA V1.5 by 528 Customs. At $60, this RDA costs about twice as much as the Dead Rabbit, but a lot of cloud-chasers swear by it. Despite its relatively high price, it’s one of the most popular atomizers among cloud-chasers, which speaks volumes.
First of all, the Goon V1.5 is squonk-compatible. It comes with a regular 510 pin as well as a squonk pin. Its wide airflow slots make it perfect for cloud chasing, and, yes, they are adjustable. You’ll especially appreciate the superb airflow if you’re using the Goon V1.5 with a powerful mod, as it keeps your vapor nice and cool. Its stainless steel design looks fantastic, and it’ll hold up very well over time.
Which Vape Coil Is Best?
Whether you’re using a dual-coil RDA or a single-coil RDA, the quality of your vaping experience will depend largely on the coils that you’re using. Regardless of your preference, these recommended coils will perform like champs.
If you prefer pre-built coils, you’d be challenged to find any that surpass the Alien Coil. A coil’s vapor production is dependent on its surface area, and the Alien Coil was designed with surface area in mind. There’s almost no space between this flat coil’s wraps, so it utilizes more of your wick than most coils can. To further increase their surface area, Alien Coils were made with a signature textured surface. No coil is perfect, but Alien Coils come pretty darn close.
A lot of vapers prefer to build their own coils. DIY coils can’t offer the same advanced design that you get with a lot of pre-built coils, but they get the job done. They work fairly well for cloud-chasing, and they’re far more cost-effective than pre-built coils.
If you prefer to build your own coils, a spool of Clapton Wire is going to be one of your best options. This kind of wire was also designed with surface area in mind. It consists of a central wire with a second wire wrapped tightly around it. This kind of wire is very pliable, making it very easy to build with. When you use Clapton Wire to wrap your coil, it’ll easily retain its new coiled shape.
Which Vape Wick Is Best?
There are a lot of great wicking materials out there made specifically for RDA vaping. Your wick should effectively re-distribute e-liquid when it’s vaporized, and it should have a minimal effect on the flavor of your vapor.
Cotton Bacon Prime is one of the most popular wicking materials used by vapers, and there are a few reasons that contribute to this. First of all, cotton bacon is pure and practically flavorless, so the flavor of your vapor remains uninhibited. That’s the most important factor when it comes to the wick that you use, but to make matters better, cotton bacon comes in convenient strips that make pulling off the perfect amount of cotton easy.
Although Cotton Bacon is extremely popular, it’s been met with high praise from cloud-chasers as well as flavor snobs. If you don’t want to take my word for it, check out the reviews for yourself. One of these wicking materials probably have a slight edge over the other, but the real-world performance is honestly too close to call. Whichever you go with, you can’t wrong.
What Is Vape Coil Resistance?
Different coils resist power differently, and every coil’s resistance can be measured. Typically, a regulated mod will show your coil’s resistance somewhere on its display.
Resistance is measured in ohms. A coil with a higher number of ohms will resist your mod’s power more than a coil with a lower number of ohms. So how does your coil’s resistance affect your vaping experience? In the simplest terms, a coil with higher resistance takes longer to heat up. Depending on how you vape, a longer heat-up time isn’t always bad.
However, if you’re mainly focused on vapor production, you’ll want coils with the lowest possible resistance.
Single-Coil Resistance vs. Dual-Coil Resistance
If you’re using one coil, that coil is single-handedly managing the amount of power that your mod is supplying. If you’re using two coils, those coils are, in a sense, sharing the load. To make things simple, let’s use a 1-ohm coil as an example.
The math is simpler than you might expect. Obviously, a one-ohm coil will show up on your mod’s display as one ohm of resistance. On the other hand, two one-ohm coils will show up on your mod’s display as 0.5 ohms.
Single-Coil or Dual-Coil: The Verdict
Dual-coil vapes and single-coil vapes are both great, but each come with their own unique advantages. Single-coil RDAs are great for vapers that want a compact, highly-customizable vape.
Additionally, single-coil vapes are extremely efficient in terms of their e-liquid and battery consumption. However, dual-coil vaporizers are far superior to single-coil vaporizers when it comes to vapor production. Cloud-chasers typically love dual-coil RDAs despite the fact that they’re usually not as compact or efficient as single-coil RDAs. If you really love your thick clouds, it’s a small price to pay.
If you’re in the market for a new vaporizer, most online vape stores offer a wide variety of vaporizers, but the high-quality vaporizers are mixed in with some really disappointing ones. Who has time to sort through them all?
Skip that headache, and go right to the best vape gear on the market. I spend hundreds of hours testing and reviewing various vape products, and every product on this list was hand-picked for its excellence.