It depends on how you vape and what you’re running through the coil. For a detailed breakdown by vaping style, see our how long do vape coils last guide. As a rough guide: MTL coils used at moderate frequency tend to last one to three weeks. Sub-ohm coils run hard at high wattage, especially with thick or sweetener-heavy e-liquids, often need replacing every seven to ten days. Heavy vapers will always burn through coils faster than light users. The biggest killers of coil life are sweetener-heavy liquids (which caramelise on the coil), high wattage above the coil’s recommended range, and chain vaping without giving the wick time to re-saturate.

A burnt taste usually means the wick has dried out and the cotton is scorching rather than the e-liquid vaporising. The most common causes are: not priming the coil before first use, vaping above the recommended wattage, chain vaping too quickly, running your tank too low on juice, or using high-VG liquid in a coil that can’t wick it fast enough. Sweetener-heavy e-liquids also gunk up the coil over time, creating a dark, caramelised layer that produces a burnt or muted flavour even on a reasonably new coil. See our full guide on why your vape tastes burnt for a step-by-step fix.

A standard coil uses a single strand or parallel strands of wire wrapped in a spiral. A mesh coil uses a flat, net-like sheet of metal. The mesh has far more surface area in contact with your e-liquid, which produces faster, more even heating and better wicking. In practice, this means cleaner flavour, fewer dry hits and slightly better coil longevity. The downside is that mesh coils are more sensitive to running dry, so priming properly matters. Our mesh coils vs regular coils guide goes deeper if you want the full comparison.

Coils are brand and tank-specific. A SMOK coil won’t fit a VooPoo tank and vice versa. The safest approach is to check the coil name printed on your current coil, or look up your tank model. Some coil families do cross-fit – for example, the Innokin Zenith coil fits across multiple Innokin tanks. If you’re unsure, check the product description on the coil listing and match it against your tank name.

For nic salt e-liquids at 10 to 20 mg/ml, use a coil at 1.0 ohm or above. MTL coils in this resistance range produce less vapour and a tighter draw, which balances out the higher nicotine concentration. Running nic salts through a sub-ohm coil at 0.2 or 0.3 ohm will produce a harsh, overpowering hit because you’re vaporising far more liquid per puff. For lower-strength nic salts at 5 to 10 mg/ml, an RDL coil at 0.4 to 0.8 ohm can work, but high-strength salts belong in MTL territory. See our choosing the right nicotine strength guide for more detail.

Priming stops you burning out a brand-new coil on the first hit. Before fitting the coil, put a few drops of e-liquid directly onto the wicking ports (the holes in the side of the coil) and a single drop down the centre. Fit the coil, fill your tank, and wait five minutes before vaping. When you do start, begin at the lower end of the recommended wattage range and work up over a few puffs. Skipping this step is the number one reason for a burnt first hit. Full instructions in our how to prime a vape coil guide.

No. Coils are designed to fit specific tanks and pod systems. The threading, diameter and depth all vary by brand and product line. Some coil families share compatibility across a brand’s own range – check before you buy if you’re unsure. Using a coil that’s technically the wrong fit can cause flooding, misfiring or connection issues.

MTL coils sit above 1.0 ohm, run at lower wattages, and produce a tight, restricted draw with less vapour and a stronger throat hit. Sub-ohm coils sit below 1.0 ohm, require higher wattage devices, and produce dense vapour with more open airflow. MTL is closer to the experience of smoking a cigarette. Sub-ohm suits vapers who want bigger clouds and more intense flavour. Your e-liquid and nicotine strength need to match whichever style you’re using.

Significantly. High-VG e-liquids are thicker and can struggle to wick efficiently in coils that weren’t designed for them, leading to dry hits. Sweetener-heavy liquids – many dessert and candy flavours – leave a sticky residue that caramelises on the coil surface and shortens lifespan noticeably. A coil that might last two weeks on a simple fruit juice might only last five or six days on a custard loaded with sweetener. Sticking to the VG/PG ratio recommended for your coil type and avoiding excessively sweet liquids are the two most effective ways to extend coil life.

Replace your coil when you notice a burnt or muted taste, a drop in vapour production, a gurgling sound, or a visible darkening of the coil if you can see it. Don’t wait until flavour is completely gone – by that point the wick has usually been damaged for a while. If you’re changing coils while there’s still e-liquid in your tank, our guide to changing coils with juice in the tank walks through how to do it without wasting liquid.

RDL (restricted direct-to-lung) is a style that sits between MTL and full DTL. The draw is more open than MTL but not as loose as a full sub-ohm setup. Vapers who find MTL too tight and DTL too intense often settle into RDL. Coils for RDL vaping typically run at 0.4 to 0.8 ohm and suit nicotine strengths of 3 to 10 mg/ml freebase. Many modern pod mods and intermediate kits are optimised for this range.

Sometimes, but with significant caveats. A coil with gunky residue from sweetener-heavy liquid can be soaked in warm water and left to dry fully before reuse – this can recover some flavour quality, but rarely gets the coil back to new. A coil where the cotton has been scorched is past saving. Cleaning is worth trying if your coil is recent and the issue is residue build-up rather than burn damage. That said, coils are consumables and cleaning is a short-term fix. If flavour hasn’t returned after a full dry-out, replace it.