The Different Types of Vape Coils Serious Builders Should Know

Have you outgrown your pod system and are looking for more of a challenge in terms of upkeep? Well, if you have already been building basic vape coils for a while, you might be interested in learning different types of coils you can create that are more exotic and deliver better performance and flavor. If you’re ready to take the next step in your coil building career, here are some exotic vape coils you should know if you plan on becoming a serious builder.

NOTE: The information below is for advanced coil builders; if you are not familiar with Ohm’s law, battery safety, or how to measure resistance, please do not attempt to re-create these advanced vape coil builds.

Table of Contents:

1. Clapton Coil
2. Fused Clapton Coil
3. Staggered Fused Clapton
4. Alien or Alien Clapton
5. Staple Coil
6. Framed Staple Coil
7. Conclusion

Clapton Coil

The first exotic coil we’ll take a look at is the Clapton coil. The Clapton coil is created by taking a thin gauge wire and wrapping it around a thicker gauge wire (using a drill), so it looks like a guitar string. The Clapton brings out more flavor from the vape juice because it covers a larger surface area. The Clapton gets his name because its creator got the inspiration from watching his friend play guitar, and as any guitarist can tell you, one of the best guitarists to ever live is Eric Clapton, hence the name. 

Clapton coils can vary in resistances, from sub-ohm to above one ohm, but are most suited for rebuildable atomizers or RBAs. Clapton coils might also have slower ramp-up times due to their surface area, but this depends on the device. This is the first exotic coil beginners might try to make, and with the right tools relatively easy to make. 

Fused Clapton Coil

The second exotic coil vape enthusiasts might attempt to make the Fused Clapton. Using the term “fused” in coil building, we mean that a thinner wire is wrapped around two or more thick wires. Fused can also be referred to as a parallel build. The advantage of the Fused Clapton is that it has a faster ramp-up time and creates better flavor for the user since there is twice as much surface area as the Clapton coil. 

Depending on the three wires’ gauge, they can be used for both mouth-to-lung or direct-to-lung vaping, although due to their size, you will most likely see them in RBAs, which are direct-to-lung vapes. These are harder to build than the Clapton Coil, but if you can easily create a Clapton coil, a Fused Clapton Coil should be no problem.

Staggered Fused Clapton

From here on out, the builds get harder and harder to do. Take, for instance, the Staggered Fused Clapton. Essentially a Staggered Fused Clapton is a thinner wire wrapped around two Clapton Coils. Although this build has a slow ramp-up time, it beats the Fused Clapton Coil when it comes to flavor. Staggered Fused Claptons have low resistance, which makes them perfect for direct-to-lung vaping. They also require RBAs with building decks that have large post holes to hold them in place. Again only try if you have truly learned how to make Clapton and Fused Clapton coils.

Alien or Alien Clapton

An alien Clapton, or simply Alien coil, is a Clapton coil where the core or thick wire (or thicker gauge wire) is removed, leaving only the wrapped thin wire, and then this thin wire is then wrapped around three thicker wires that equal the same gauge as the core wire that was removed from the initial Clapton Coil. 

These coils often come in low resistances and require big decks that have clamps or large post holes. Aliens have a prolonged ramp-up time, but they do have a larger surface area than Fused Claptons. To make Alien coils or Alien Clapton coils, you must be able to make both Clapton and Fused Clapton coils perfectly.

Staple Coil

A staple coil is entirely different from a Clapton coil. In essence, a staple coil is a skinny wire wrapped around a stack of 8 to ten ribbon wires held together by tape. The result is a square, almost rectangular coil with a fast ramp-up time and increased surface area that, because of its tiny grooves in the wrap, catches more vape juice and enhances the flavor. It was named the Staple coil because when finished, it looks as if there were a row of staples covering the eight ribbon wires. 

These Staple coils are for low resistance only and direct to lung vaping, again. For this exotic vape device, you’ll need a deck with large post holes or clamp style since the coil is very thick. To learn how to make a Staple coil, you’ll need to become an expert at making Fused Clapton coils first.

Framed Staple Coil

The Framed Staple coil is achieved using two types of wire, round wire, and ribbon wire, which are fused, and then are wrapped by a thinner round wire. This peculiar combination of ribbon and round wire creates spaces in the coil, which give great flavor and also allows it to ramp up quickly. 

These types of coils have low resistance and are best used for direct to lung vaping. Again you’ll need a deck with large post holes, or it has to be clamp style. 

Conclusion

We hope that with this brief introduction into the world of exotic coil building, you get excited about the possibilities where coil building can take you. Remember, however, that you should only attempt to make these builds if you are well-versed in Ohm’s law, battery safety, and have at least a couple of months building and making basic coils.