Today we’re looking at another hugely important element of the building process; wicking your new coil build. A key component of your setup, the wick absorbs your e-liquid and keeps it evenly distributed across your coil. But not all wicking materials or methods are created equal. With differences in the saturation speed of your wick, to the vapour production and even flavour! In fact, plenty of vapers actually view the process of wicking as more important than the coil itself!
This is a follow up to the popular Coil Building Guide we posted recently. In that guide we spoke about the basics of coil building, a few of the many variations of coil types within the vaping community today and the wire and methods used. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t done so already!
SO WHAT WICKING MATERIALS CAN YOU USE?
COTTON BALLS
The first and most obvious choice on this list; standard cotton is one of the best materials you can use for wicking your new coil. It absorbs e-liquid well, provides great flavour, is easy to work with and is the cheapest option by far. You simply pull apart a cotton ball, roll it into a thin strand and thread it through your coil. The only negative as far as I’m concerned, which is true of all cotton based wicks, is the fact it’s easily burnt if not fully saturated. Plenty of vapers recommend boiling the cotton (and allowing it to dry!) before using it to remove any impurities. However, I find this affects the longevity of your wick and therefore I don’t bother. However, you must make sure you buy the sterile, unbleached variety.
SILICA
Extremely popular with manufacturers of early atomisers and pre-built replaceable coils. Silica wicks are strands of twisted rope made from Silicon Dioxide. If you’re not yet building your own coils you’re likely to be using a silica wick in your atomiser right now. Rarely used by Vaping Hardware due to the noticeable lack of flavour, Silica is also known to wick far slower than other materials. However, on the plus side it’s easy to work with and has a high melting point, which means there’s a far lower chance of combustion during dry burning. And let’s face it; not catching fire is pretty handy… You can either build your coil and thread the silica wick through it or actually wrap your coil around the silica itself.
EKOWOOL
Basically just braided Silica, Ekowool is slightly more expensive to buy but produces better flavour. Ekowool holds more e-liquid than a standard Silica wick and can also withstand longer bursts of dry burning without combusting. It’s essentially a tightly braided rope with a hollow centre, which allows for better absorption of your e-liquid and improved air flow. It’s also possible to buy Ekowool with a cotton centre which slightly improves the wicking ability.
CELLUCOTTON RAYON
Sold as a cosmetic product called Cellucotton; rayon is basically semi-synthetic fibres made from processed wood pulp. Which sounds delicious doesn’t it?… Joking aside, Rayon is actually incredibly efficient when it comes to wicking and is known for producing a full, clean flavour. It’s more absorbent than cotton and slightly more resistant to dry burning. The Cellucotton brand also produces a cotton based version. Personally I found this easier to work with but actually slightly less absorbent. Another wicking material extremely popular with the vaping community, Cellucotton rayon or cotton are both a great choice of wick and are highly recommended.
COTTON BACON
Supposedly the first cotton specifically designed for vaping! Cotton Bacon is made from medical grade cotton and processed to remove any impurities. It provides great flavour, is more absorbent than standard cotton and comes in individual strips which make it extremely easy to work with. The only downside is the price compared to some of the other options on this list.
HEMP
This wicking material has quite a following. I assume mainly due to the fact it’s a natural alternative without any chemicals, additives etc. I’m all for the natural approach, however I found this difficult to work with (it’s stiff and stringy rather than fluffy!) and expensive for what it is. I also found it had an obvious ‘earthy’ flavour to it. So much so it really altered the flavour of my e-liquid. All in all, not a wicking material I would recommend.
CERAMIC
Considered the ideal choice of wick for ‘flavour chasers’, these are basically ceramic fibres braided together. They’ve become popular recently, replacing cotton as the choice of wick in many pre-built atomiser coils. Not only do ceramic wicks provide superior flavour, they’re resistant to high temperatures. I’ve also found they last longer than many of the materials on this list. However, this wicking material is more suited to genesis style atomisers and therefore not recommended for beginners.
BAMBOO YARN
This is another wicking method I would highly recommend. It’s far more durable than cotton (and will therefore last longer!), provides great flavour and wicks efficiently. It’s relatively inexpensive and easy to work with. Just keep in mind, it’s advisable to boil before use to remove any impurities. You also need to be careful that the bamboo yarn you purchase doesn’t contain dye!
JAPANESE COTTON (KOH GEN DOH)
ne of the most popular wicking materials, Japanese Cotton is easy to work with and provides amazing flavour. Reported to be free from chemicals or impurities. Japanese Cotton is also highly absorbent and holds a decent amount of e-liquid, which means fewer dry hits. If you can’t tell already, this is my personal favourite! It’s more expensive than buying basic cotton but in my humble opinion it’s worth the extra price considering the benefits. Japanese Organic Cotton comes in square pads and wicking is as simple as cutting off a strip, rolling it between your fingers and feeding it through your coil. A couple of things to keep in mind though; A) you’re likely to notice a very mild cotton taste during your first few hits and B) cotton will burn easily, so make sure the wick is always well saturated before firing.
READYWICK (XC-116)
Made from braided ceramic fibres, ReadyWick is pre-treated with extreme heat to remove any impurities or contaminates. One of the more expensive materials on this list, ReadyWick claims to provide amazing flavour and virtually non-existent dry hits, even at crazy-high wattage! ReadyWick also claims to be reusable (by simply burning off any gunk) and would therefore last longer than other materials on this list. Aside from one user claiming it was difficult to use, I couldn’t find a single negative review of this wicking material online! However, un-treated XC-116 is hazardous to health and should not be used under any circumstances. Having not yet been tested by the Vaping Hardware team, this is a wicking material we’d love to hear your thoughts on!
As you can see from the varied list of materials, there really is no ‘right or wrong’ when it comes to wicking your coil. We all have our personal favourites depending on our vaping style and budget. The only advice I can give is to experiment until you discover what works best for you!
But just remember, a poorly wicked coil can result in weak flavour, poor vapour production, leaking/spitting and a whole host of other issues! So for those of you new to vaping, look no further! We’ve prepared a step-by-step wicking guide to get you started!
SO LET’S GET STUCK IN AND WICK THAT NEW COIL!
THINGS YOU’LL NEED
- Wicking material – for this guide, we’ll be using Japanese Organic Cotton
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- E-liquid
Assuming you read our Coil Building Guide, you will also have a freshly wrapped coil installed on the build deck of your atomiser.
STEP 1
Ok, so first things first; take a square of your Japanese Organic Cotton and remove the outer layer. This outer sheet is too thick to allow sufficient airflow or properly absorb your e-liquid.
STEP 2
Next, using your scissors cut roughly half a centimetre off one side. As it’s a square, it doesn’t matter which side, as long as you’re left with a length of cotton approximately half a centimetre in width. It’s not a problem if you cut a strip wider than this, we can trim it down later.
STEP 3
Pinch and roll one end of the cotton strip between your fingers to gently compact the fibres. You want to be careful here, as rolling too tight will prevent the wick from fluffing up properly once you’ve fed it through your coil.
STEP 4
Slide the pinched end of your cotton strip through your coil, far enough that you can grab it with your fingers on the other side. You should have a small amount of friction but not so much that you have to fight to poke it through. If the wick doesn’t fit, don’t despair! Simply remove it, gently unroll it and using your scissors, trim it down to size.
STEP 5
When you’re able to comfortably thread your wick through the coil (just far enough to see the rolled /pinched end poking from the other end of your coil), take your tweezers and gently pull it through. You want the coil to be central, with an equal length of wick protruding from each end.
STEP 6
Now your wick is in place, you need to trim the ends. Using your scissors, trim each end of your wick until you have approximately 1.5cm of cotton at each end of your coil. It’s important not to trim the ends too close to your coil because you want enough wick to efficiently absorb your e-liquid.
STEP 7
Once you’ve got each end of your wick exactly how you want it, it’s time to saturate the wick. Take your e-liquid and give the coil and wick a good soaking. You’re only a few steps from firing that baby up and inhaling that sweet vapour!
STEP 8
Now depending on whether you’re building on a RBA/RTA or RDA will alter how you approach this next step. Basically, the RBA/RTA will have juice channels which supply e-liquid from your ‘tank’ to your coil. In this case, you’ll need to take your scissors or tweezers and, using the flat edge, tuck each end of your wick down and flat against the side of the build deck. If you can imagine a rabbit with both floppy ears pressed against the side of its head, you’ve got the right idea. You need to make sure the wick is not completely covering the juice channels otherwise the wick won’t properly saturate. If you’re building on your RDA, the simplest method is to tuck each end under the coil. This will hold the wick in place and soak up any e-liquid sitting in the well. However, with your RDA you want to leave a small space beneath your coil for airflow. Fail to do this and you run the risk of suffocating the coil.
STEP 9
Finally, the moment of truth… Fire your mod before you put everything back together. If you’ve followed steps 1 – 8 correctly, the coil will heat and the wick will sizzle baby! If you’re happy that everything works, put the rest of your atomiser back together and you’re good to go!
It’s as simple as that. However, this is just a basic wicking method to get you started. There are literally dozens of different wicking methods out there for you to experiment with! For those of you looking for more information, I highly recommend the legend that is Rip Trippers. Rip has a YouTube channel with a huge fan base, dedicated to all things vaping. If you’re looking for a more advanced wicking method, his Pancake or Scottish Roll wicking tutorial videos are a great place to start!
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