The ultimate guide to temperature control in vaping
Temperature control simply, without debate, enables a better vaping experience. Find out how temperature control works and why it makes for a better vape.
Understanding how temperature control work means first understanding the role that temperature normally plays in vaping. All e-cigarettes contain “e-juice” or “e-liquid”. E-liquid is usually made up of three or four different ingredients: vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, (optional) nicotine and flavourings. This e-liquid must be heated so that it can change from a liquid into a gas that can be inhaled by the user. E-liquid is normally housed in a cartridge or tank. When the user inhales, the e-liquid travels through a steel wick from the cartridge into the vaporization chamber (also referred to as an atomization chamber). As the e-liquid travels into the vaporization chamber, it is heated up by the heating coil and turned into ‘vapor’. The vapor is then inhaled by the user into the mouth through the ‘drip tip’.
What does the heating coil do in an e-cigarette?
The part we’re interested in today is the heating coil. In a ‘standard’ e-cigarette, the heating coil isn’t particularly sophisticated… it simply heats up when turned on. The problem is that it has the potential to overheat. Overheating your e-cig is not good news as it can burn your e-juice, burn your wick and produce an unpleasantly hot inhale. If your e-cig is too cool then your e-liquid won’t ‘evaporate’ in the first place. Temperature control is the solution to this problem. It allows you to choose your preferred temperature (right down to the degree). It works by measuring the heat of your coil, then cutting the power (or limiting it) just as you reach your preferred temperature. This means that your e-cigarette can’t overheat and you get the temperature which you enjoy every time.
What are the benefits of temperature control vaping?
There are some distinct benefits of using temperature control:
No ‘dry hits’. A dry hit is the unpleasant inhale that you get when you didn’t notice that you were low on e-juice, or there’s something off with the wick or dripper. Temperature control prevents this from happening.
Healthy vaping. It’s not settled science, but the evidence seems to suggest that overheated vapor isn’t good for you. In fact, the relatively low heat of vaping is one of the reasons why vaping is safer than smoking. By keeping the temperature just hot enough to ‘vaporize’ our e-liquid, we prevent unnecessary overheating.
It’s better for your vape pen. Both your coil and cotton will need to be replaced less frequently if you vape at a lower temperature. Your battery will also last about 1.5x longer as it doesn’t waste power on unwanted heat.
You can choose the setting which suits your tastes. Some people like a red-hot vape, others like it cool. Some people like to vape all day while others like to blow massive clouds. However you want to vape, there’s a temperature that’s best for you.
Temperature control is a premium feature, but that doesn’t mean premium prices. The Eleaf iStick comes with temperature control and costs just $50. To use a temperature control mod, simply switch your mod from VW (variable wattage) to TC (temperature control). A mod like the iStick TC40W gives you a range of heats to choose, from 300-600°F or 100-315°C. Lower temperature means cooler, thinner clouds, while a higher temperature means warmer, thicker clouds. We suggest starting low then adjusting upwards slowly according to taste.
What’s the science behind temperature control vaping?
So far we’ve just talked about what temperature control is and why you might want it. But if you are interested in diving a little deeper, you might be interested in learning more about the science behind temperature control vaping. Resistance describes how easily electrons flow through a material — in this case we’ll be talking about metals. Basically, metals with low resistance conduct electricity really well, while metals with low resistance don’t conduct electricity so easily. Different metals have different levels of resistance and most metals become more resistant as they heat up. Kanthal is the metal alloy that is commonly used as a heating coil in e-cigarettes. One specific property of Kanthal is that it’s resistance doesn’t change predictably when its temperature changes. Other metals do change their resistance as they heat up, sometimes in a predictable fashion. Ni200 (a pure form of nickel) and titanium have a predictable temperature/resistance relationship, are heat-resistant and have good conductivity, so they are the most popular choice for temperature control coils. Temperature control vaping requires using a metal with a predictable temperature/resistance relationship. The temperature control chip works not by measuring the metal’s heat with a tiny thermometer, but instead by measuring the change in resistance of the metal. If the resistance to heat relationship in the metal is predictable, this means that it can ‘work out’ how hot the metal must be based on its resistance value. It’s a really smart solution.
The Electric Tobacconist stocks e-liquid of varying nicotine levels, including nicotine-free, as well as all your favorite e-cigs from the likes of VUSE, VUSE Pods, JUUL, blu, and Zyn. Spend over $150 with us on any eligible order and get FREE shipping. Please note, Heated Tobacco products are currently only available for sale from our UK store and cannot be shipped to the US.
