Learning the basics of optimising airflow for your vaping style is necessary to get the most out of your mod. Adjusting airflow is an excellent method of improving your device’s performance, so let’s look at how airholes affect your vaping experience.
What Is Airflow?
When you suck on your drip tip, a vacuum is created in the atomizer drawing the air through the airhole, cooling the air and causing condensation of the steam – hence we have “vapour”.
The wider the diameter of the airhole, the easier air can pass through, and subsequently, more vapour can be produced.
How Can Air Holes Affect Vape Airflow?
Airflow is determined primarily by the size of the airhole on your atomizer and the design of the atomizer. The most common type of airflow comes from a hole on the side of your atomizer. This is the easiest to customise. Most designs come with adjustable airflow control (aka AFC), which allows you to choose the size of your airhole.
Does more airflow make bigger clouds?
Yes, to a certain extent. Increasing the airflow allows more air to cool the coils, making vapour more comfortable to inhale and increasing the volume. Suppose you are looking to vape bigger clouds. In that case, the simplest way is to use a sub-ohm tank designed to increase airflow and produce more vapour, especially when paired with a high-power battery.
Vaporesso – iTank
The Vaporesso iTank Vape Tank is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a durable and reliable tank. Featuring an 8mL refillable capacity, GTi Mesh Coil Compatibility, and a dual-slotted airflow control ring, this tank is perfect for those who want to customize their vaping experience. Equipped with a sliding top fill system, the iTank Vape Tank delivers delicious flavour and vapour from your favourite e-Juice when used with the GTi mesh coils.
9.5
Does airflow affect Coil & Battery Life?
Coils should be placed as close to the airhole as possible to maximize efficiency. The further away from the airhole, the less vapour is produced, along with a harsher throat hit. However, it is vital to ensure that the coil is NOT touching any part of the top cap or the atomizer’s base since this will cause a short, resulting in ruining your battery.
Big Vs Small Air Holes
Smaller airholes provide better throat hits, as well as more pronounced flavours. Airholes that are too wide also tend to mute flavours, so if massive clouds are not your primary reason for vaping, smaller air holes will be better in terms of flavour!
Another thing to consider is the personal preferences of the vaper.
Some like it tight, while some like it lose. Those like a tight draw are classified as “mouth hitters”; this vaping method closely mimics the actions of smoking tobacco cigarettes.
You take a puff on your device (keeping the vapour in your mouth) and then inhale the vapour into the lungs and some fresh air. This method is excellent for tasting e-liquid flavours since the vapour is in contact with your taste buds for a period of time, but not so good for making large clouds.
“Lung hitters”, on the other hand, takes a drag off the e-cigarette directly into the lungs, with each drag lasting several seconds. This results in a much smoother throat hit and significant vapour production. Whether you employ mouth or lung hits is totally up to you, as they give different vaping experiences.
I prefer mouth hits when relaxing with some good liquor but switch to lung hits during stressful situations or when I need to get a lot of work done (since I feel this delivers more nicotine). If you are a beginner at vaping, I suggest using a smaller airhole since it is the closest to a real cigarette.
How to adjust the airflow on vape
Most atomizers these days do have adjustable airflow control. Changing airhole size takes seconds, and you can freely switch between a small and larger diameter airhole.
Older atomizer designs usually have fixed air holes. You have to drill out yourself if you wish to have a larger air hole.
It is atomizers with this type of design that has the potential to create the largest amount of vapour. It is not uncommon to see a variation of this type (two extremely large airholes) used with dual coils in so-called “vape competitions”.
Types Of Atomiser Airflow
The size of the atomizer affects vapour and flavour! Smaller atomizers (specifically, the chamber where e-liquid is vaporized) make flavours more pronounced and a hotter vape.
Side Airflow
Older atomizer designs usually have fixed air holes, which you must drill out yourself if you wish to have a larger air hole.
It is atomizers with this type of design that has the potential to create impressive vapour. It is not uncommon to see a variation of this type (two extremely large airholes) used with dual coils in so-called “vape competitions”.
Bottom Airflow
The second airflow system has air coming through the bottom of the atomizer.
This system is notorious for giving excellent flavour. However, it may be more challenging to customise if the atomizer does not come with adjustable airflow control. Some variants of this system (like disposable cartridges) have airflow that comes through the 510 connectors to the bottom of the atomizer, further limiting the flow of air. This system also produces less vapour compared to the system discussed earlier.
Extreme Airflow: Modifying Existing Airholes
Suppose you own an atomizer without an adjustable AFC. In that case, you might want to consider drilling out the airhole since this significantly improves performance – stock airholes usually come too small in the first place.
If you have no experience with larger air holes, you should also consider trying out a friend’s atomizer (with a larger air hole) or one from your local vape shop so you can get a feel of how it performs. If you can’t try one out, drill out a cheap atomizer like a $4 clone or an IGO-L, so if you don’t like it, you can easily replace it.
Here are some additional tips for drilling out an atomizer:
- Use safety equipment at all times, especially protective eyewear.
- Use the correct drill bits for the job – ask your local hardware for drill bits that can work with stainless steel. Buy extras since you will most likely break them!
- Make smaller holes first, and test them out before making bigger holes. You might not like larger air holes. I suggest you start with a 1.5mm diameter hole. If you feel you need more airflow, then you can try increasing in 0.5mm increments – keep in mind that even a slight increase in the size of an airhole can profoundly affect the quality of your vape!
- Do not use too much pressure or RPMs – you will quickly wear out the drill bits.
- When drilling, you can use a drop of e-liquid for lubrication. This also makes it easier to clean later.
- A drill press makes drilling airholes easy, but a regular drill will work.
- After drilling, wash out the top cap with soap and hot water to remove any residues – you don’t want to inhale any of those!
