What is Sub Ohm Vaping and How Does it Work?
If you’re new to vaping, you may not be familiar with sub-ohm vaping.
It would make sense, as sub-ohm vaping is a bit more complicated than your basic vaping routine, since it gives you more control over the experience. For this reason, it has a larger tank, wider airflow, and runs at higher wattages.
The result? Bigger clouds, better flavours, and customisable kits.
Many vapers start with mouth-to-lung vaping, then work their way up to sub-ohm vaping. But what actually is sub-ohm vaping, and how does it work? Today, JuiceMate will give you the rundown, so you can decide whether you’re ready to advance in your vaping journey.
Are you looking for the best modern vapes to level up your experience? Browse our new vapes today to find the perfect option for your needs.
What is sub-ohm vaping?
Have you seen people walking around with chunky vapes? If so, it’s most likely a sub-ohm vape.
These use a coil with a resistance below 1.0 ohm, as a lower resistance allows more electrical current to flow from the battery, heating the coil faster and producing warmer vapour, richer flavour, and bigger clouds.
Sub-ohm vapes can be combined with either Direct-to-Lung (DTL) or Restricted Direct-to-Lung (RDL) inhaling rather than a tight Mouth-to-Lung draw.
Why? You generate more power per puff, releasing more vapour, and a DTL/RDL inhale lets you take it straight to the lungs without it feeling overwhelming.
Ohm’s Law explained
For our non-scientists or mathematicians, Ohm's law can seem confusing at first. However, when we break it down, it’s simply an equation that explains the relationship between voltage (V), current (I) and resistance (R): V = I × R.
When we apply this to sub-ohm vapes, the battery supplies a voltage, your coil has a resistance, and together they set the current, determining how quickly the coil heats up.
Therefore, the lower the resistance of your coil, the higher the current. When resistance drops below 1.0Ω (sub-ohm), the same voltage pushes more current through the coil, meaning faster heating, more vapour, and warmer airflow.
Most sub-ohm vapes come with a chipset that lets you set a wattage; then the device quietly adjusts the voltage to match it. Just start at the lowest recommended wattage range, take a few puffs, and nudge it up until you get the desired flavour and warmth.
With unregulated (mechanical) mods, the battery voltage is applied directly to the coil without any electronics to assist you. You must know your battery’s continuous-discharge rating (CDR) in amps and use Ohm’s Law to check that the current draw (I = V / R) stays under that limit.
In summary, Ohm’s Law explains why lower resistance draws more current and increases power, which is perfect for bigger vapour clouds.
How Sub-Ohm vaping works
Sub-ohm vaping is designed for experienced vapers looking for a little more of a hit that you can’t achieve with traditional vaping.
Since the current heats the coil faster and at a higher temperature, more e-liquid is produced per second, resulting in bigger clouds and intense flavour. The mesh wick and coil do most of the work, as the coil has a much larger surface area than traditional round wire.
These vapes tend to have large air slots and wide-bore mouthpieces for wider airflow, pulling in more air and moderating coil temperature to carry out vapour before it overheats. You’ll need to use high-VG e-liquids (commonly 70/30 VG/PG), as they produce dense vapour, suitable for DTL inhaling.
However, the perfect setup makes all the difference:
- Prime the coil: add 2–4 small drops of e-liquid onto the visible cotton ports until the cotton darkens.
- Assemble & fill: fit the coil, fill the tank/pod with high-VG e-liquid, then wait 5–10 minutes for the wick to saturate.
- Set airflow: start half-open to keep things cool and achieve a smooth throat feel.
- Set the power: start on the lowest wattage in the coil’s range so you can adjust as necessary.
- Puff and tune: Take a steady breath in using DTL or RDL vaping methods with no pauses, then raise the power by 2–5 W at a time until it feels right.
What are the benefits of sub-ohm vaping?
Now, there are plenty of reasons why experienced vapers eventually move on to sub-ohm vaping, which we’ll get more into in a second.
Since it’s one of the most customisable ways to vape, the experience is different for each person, but it comes with a lot of set benefits.
Richer flavour
Low resistance coils heat up quickly, resulting in more vapour and intense flavour with each puff.
More e-liquid is vapourised at once, which is why the flavour feels much stronger and more impactful. So those fruity or minty flavours will feel a lot more powerful when you pair them with a sub-ohm setup.
Denser vapour
Have you been watching other vapers produce crazy clouds with ease? They’re most likely using a sub-ohm vape.
Wide airflow and lower resistance result in thicker clouds that last longer, perfect for those who prefer high VG juices. If you like a smooth inhale with plenty of vapour, opt for a DTL or a looser RDL setup.
Smoother vaping experience
Because sub-ohm creates more vapour per puff, most DTL/RDL opt for e-liquids with low-nicotine strength for that smooth throat hit.
You still get a satisfying inhale, but with less throat bite than higher strengths. Since VG is thicker and naturally softer on the throat, high VG e-liquids, such as 70/30 VG/PG, also produce more satisfying hits.
Easy customisation
Sub-ohm kits usually offer adjustable wattage and airflow, allowing you to find a sweet spot for each e-liquid: cool and airy for fruits and a touch warmer for desserts, without changing your entire setup.
Plus, with a regulated sub-ohm vape, you don’t have to do much; you just set the wattage and the chip manages the rest for you. So everything is adjusted without you spending ages trying to tune it.
Best e-liquids for sub-ohm vaping
E-liquids that are high in VG and low in nicotine are your best bet for sub-ohm vape tanks. Why? They’re what will help you produce larger vapour clouds and prevent you from inhaling unhealthy amounts of nicotine for better health.
1) VG/PG ratio: aim for thicker blends
- 70/30 VG/PG is the sweet spot for most sub-ohm tanks and mesh coils.
- 80/20 VG/PG are also compatible with vapes that wick quickly, producing wider airflow and warmer puffs.
- 100 VG is perfect if you’re aiming for the best vapour clouds, but since it requires more power, expect weaker flavours and less battery life.
2) Nicotine strength: keep it low for DTL/RDL
- 0–3 mg are ideal for wide-open DTL and bigger clouds.
- 6 mg works for a slightly tighter RDL draw or vapes with a lower wattage.
- Nicotine salts at 3–6 mg also work, but we advise against using these, as they give no indication whether you’re smoking too much nicotine. These especially aren’t great if you’re overcoming a nicotine addiction.
Is sub-ohm vaping safe?
Yes, sub-ohm vaping is safe when done correctly, but like with anything, there are a few dangers if you stray from the rules.
If you’re new to sub-ohm vaping, then always stick with a regulated sub-ohm vape. Going with a mechanical device means you’ll have to mess around with things you don’t understand.
Since these also use a removable battery, you have to be careful that you’re not using a faulty battery with a low resistance coil, as too much strain on it will cause issues. And unlike regulated vapes, there’s no internal battery as a backup.
Always use the original charger for the vape and don’t charge unattended or overnight. We also suggest keeping devices away from soft furnishings while charging to prevent overheating and fires.
If you’re under 18, you’ve never smoked before, or you’re pregnant, we highly recommend that you stay away from sub-ohm vapes and vaping in general.
Ready to try sub-ohm with Juicemate?
Now that you understand the basics of sub-ohm vaping and how to do it safely, it’s time to try it out for yourself.
We have a range of low-nicotine and high-VG e-liquids today to take your sub-ohm vaping experience to the next level. You can shop our e-liquids by nicotine strength to find something that meets your needs.
If you’re new to vaping and you want something simple to start with, we also sell a range of affordable starter kits, making your switch from cigarettes to vapes feel like a breeze!