What Is Sub-Ohm Vaping? Three Types of Sub-Ohm Atomizers

Mar 12, 2024Updated Sep 17, 20266 min readVape School

Sub-ohm vaping simply means vaping with a coil whose resistance is below 1 ohm. Sub-ohm coils are built to run at higher power, so they heat more vape juice at once for bigger vapor and more intense flavor.

This guide covers how sub-ohm vaping works, how it came about, the three main types of sub-ohm atomizer, and how to set one up with the right juice and battery habits.

How sub-ohm vaping works

Resistance, measured in ohms, is one part of the relationship between your battery’s voltage, the current it delivers and the power that reaches the coil. For the math, read What Are Ohms? The practical takeaway is that sub-ohm coils are designed for more power, so they vaporize more liquid with each puff. That changes a few things:

• The draw. Most sub-ohm setups have wide airflow for direct-to-lung vaping, rather than the tighter mouth-to-lung draw of a pod or starter kit.
• Nicotine strength. Because each puff vaporizes more juice, sub-ohm vapers usually use 0, 3 or 6 mg freebase. High-strength nic salts are made for low-power pods and are far too harsh in a sub-ohm tank. See our nicotine strength guide.
• The juice. High-VG blends, around 70% VG or more, suit sub-ohm coils. Read What Are PG and VG? to learn why.
• Running costs. Expect to refill, recharge and replace coils more often.

How sub-ohm vaping came about

Vapers have always chased more flavor and vapor. Early cartomizers couldn’t wick fast enough at low resistances, so hobbyists turned to rebuildable atomizers, including rebuildable tanks such as the Kayfun and rebuildable dripping atomizers (RDAs). Builders started above 1 ohm and gradually pushed lower as they learned what their atomizers and batteries could handle.

Plenty of vapers wanted that experience without building their own coils. Sub-ohm tanks with prebuilt, replaceable coils answered that demand and changed the market. All three types are still popular, and many vapers stick with the type they like once they find it.

A quick note on rebuilding

Rebuilding means wrapping your own coils from wire and installing them on an atomizer’s build deck, with the coil leads secured in the positive and negative posts. Stock coils, by contrast, simply screw into place. Rebuilding costs very little per coil and lets you fine-tune flavor and vapor, but it takes practice. Always check each build with an ohm reader and make sure the resistance stays within your battery’s limits, especially on mechanical mods, which have no built-in protection. Start with our guides to mechanical mod battery safety and recommended batteries for vaping.

The three types of sub-ohm atomizer

1. Rebuildable dripping atomizers (RDAs)

An RDA is a build deck with no tank. To keep the wick wet, you drip vape juice straight onto the coils every few puffs, which is where the name comes from. RDAs are the easiest rebuildables to build on. Getting the coils on both sides of the deck to glow evenly from the inside out takes a little practice, but most vapers pick it up quickly. Many vapers love the hands-on ritual of dripping, and some RDAs have a bottom-feed pin so a squonk mod can push juice up from a bottle instead.

• Pros: very cheap to rebuild, lots of room to customize flavor, quick to switch flavors
• Cons: constant dripping, a learning curve, higher juice consumption

2. Rebuildable tank atomizers (RTAs)

An RTA is a rebuildable deck with a tank around it. You build and wick your own coils, just like an RDA, but the tank keeps the wick fed so you don’t have to keep dripping. RTAs are trickier to master. There are more parts, and wicking has to be just right: too little cotton can leak, and too much can starve the coil. If a fresh build tastes burnt, you usually need to empty the tank, take it apart and re-wick. Once you get the hang of it, an RTA delivers excellent flavor in a device you can carry all day.

• Pros: no constant dripping, grab-and-go convenience, very cheap to rebuild
• Cons: harder to build and wick than an RDA, slower to change flavors

3. Sub-ohm tanks

Sub-ohm tanks gave vapers rebuildable-style vapor without any building. You screw in a prebuilt coil head, fill the tank and vape, much like a basic starter kit but with far more vapor. When a coil wears out, you swap in a new one in a minute, and many tanks let you change coils without draining the juice first.

• Pros: easy to use, simple coil changes, tanks are relatively inexpensive
• Cons: replacement coils add up, coils don’t last long with heavy use, you need coils made for your tank

Some devices offer temperature control, which, with compatible coils, can help keep a dry wick from scorching. Even with an easy tank, battery basics still matter: know your battery’s amp limit, and don’t use a sub-ohm tank on a hybrid mechanical mod.

At a glance

Feature	RDA	RTA	Sub-ohm tank
Build your own coils	Yes	Yes	No
Juice supply	Dripped by hand	Tank	Tank
Learning curve	Moderate	Steepest	Easy
Coil costs	Very low	Very low	Higher
Changing flavors	Quick	Slower	Moderate

Getting started with sub-ohm vaping

1. If you have never built a coil, start with a sub-ohm tank.
2. Choose high-VG vape juice at 0, 3 or 6 mg.
3. Prime every new coil and start at the low end of its wattage range. Our guide to why your vape tastes burnt shows how.
4. Use quality batteries from a reputable source, stay within their limits and carry spares in a case.
5. Keep your tank clean with our guide on how to clean your tank.

Sub-ohm setups go through vape juice quickly, and that is exactly what the Zamplebox Club‘s Big Juice Box is built for. You can also browse all our vape juice.

Common questions

WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. For adults 21+ only.