Tanks

An atomizer is the component of a vape device that heats e-liquid into vapor. It contains a coil made of resistance wire wrapped around a wicking material, usually cotton. When you activate the device, the battery sends power to the coil, which heats up and vaporizes the juice absorbed by the wick. Atomizers come in rebuildable and pre-built varieties for different experience levels.

An RDA is a rebuildable dripping atomizer where you manually drip juice onto exposed coils for maximum flavor intensity. An RTA is a rebuildable tank atomizer with a built-in tank that feeds juice to the coils automatically. An RDTA combines both designs with a dripper deck sitting above a tank reservoir. RDAs offer the best flavor, RTAs offer convenience, and RDTAs split the difference.

Pre-built coils typically last 1 to 3 weeks depending on your vaping habits, e-liquid sweetness, and wattage settings. Signs of a worn coil include muted flavor, a burnt taste, decreased vapor production, or gurgling sounds. Sweet and dessert flavors degrade coils faster due to sugar caramelizing on the wire. Priming new coils by saturating the cotton before use extends their lifespan.

Always prime new coils by adding drops of e-liquid directly to the cotton and letting it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before vaping. Avoid chain vaping, which does not give the wick time to re-saturate. Keep your tank above one quarter full so wicking holes stay covered. Running wattage too high for your coil rating also burns cotton quickly. High-VG juices need larger wick ports to flow properly.