There are challenges to vaping in such a way to preserve the longevity and the flavor of your favorite vape. Choosing a clearomizer vs. an RDA or RAB, making sure the deck is correctly put together, and the juice itself, are all of major impacts on the quality of the vape and the length of the hits.
Having the proper wicking technique is another common area that vapers struggle with. Wicking the correct way will ensure that the flavor lasts and the device you're vaping with doesn't break down. By wicking correctly, air flows through the coil and cotton making sure that the material lasts longer. Too much cotton can lead to very dry hits that only remove moisture from your mouth and reduce the flavor. Lack of any cotton at all runs through the juice quickly and causes you to re-drip more often than you normally would. Whatever your style, there are several different wicking techniques to ensure you strike the perfect balance and let the flavor last! Keep reading below to see if any of these are right for you!
Wicking Technique #1: Single Cotton Piece Between the Coils
This is undoubtedly the simplest technique out there and is perfect for those new to vaping. Take a single piece of cotton, thread it in between the coils, and fold it over between the posts. This means that there should be no cotton behind the coil or under it. This allows the coil to be positioned high above the base which ensures that there's no airflow under the coil. This'll lead to a potentially thick wad of cotton in between the juice and the atomizer, so unfortunately it will mean after only a couple of hits the juice will need to be re-dripped; however, this is the easiest and safest method for those new to vaping. Once vapers are comfortable with this, they can try other methods. The bright side to this method is that it's unlikely someone will get a dry hit from this method, an experience that every person dreads and would be happy to avoid. Pretty much any cotton is suitable for this method, even plain cotton balls.
Wicking Technique #2: Tuck and Clip
This method is a bit more complicated. The first step is to take the cotton and tuck it under the coil. Be careful to let the atomizer rest for a few minutes because touching a recently used coil is an easy way to burn yourself. Once the shorter side gets close to the coil as you're tucking it, that's the proper length. This is when you clip the shorter side as close to the coil as possible. Again, be careful not to clip the coil. Unfortunately, this method takes practice and multiple clips of the coil can lead to wasted cotton. Furthermore, the cotton may choke off the coil and lead to less vapor production. On the other hand, you're guaranteed to get more hits out of this method than the prior, saving money on juice.
Wicking Tip #3: Best of Both Worlds
This method combines the above two methods in an effort to obtain a happy medium with both vapor production and juice consumption. Take both sides of the cotton and cut both with tails of about equal diameter. Fluff them up a little bit to increase their size and also the space between the fibers to allow them to breathe. Next, tuck both ends under the coil. Push the strands to the side to create a path for the air to flow through. This is the most time consuming method but also allows for additional vapor production while also consuming less juice due to the spread of the fibers. This takes practice but will lead to fantastic hits.
As you can see, each wicking technique can differ based upon materials used, skill level, and what you're trying to get out of your vaping experience.
