How to Wick a Vape Coil
How to Wick a Vape Coil with Cotton (RDA Mod): The Beginners Guide
Learn how to wick a vape coil, why you should prime your coil and what cotton you can use.
Though it’s relatively simple, there are a few helpful tricks to wicking a vape coil.
Whether you’re a beginner to vaping or you just need a refresher, this guide will explain how to wick a vape coil, which cotton you can use and how to prime your coil so it’s a smooth and tasty hit from the first puff. Let’s get started.
Check out the tutorial video below so you can follow along:
To wick a vape coil, you will need:
- Fresh cotton
- A tool to pack the cotton into the well.
- E-liquid, shortfills or nic salt.
- Nic shot (optional)
- Scissors
- A vape mod (we’re using a GeekVape L200 RDA).
Jump to a section:
Here’s a quick summary of how to wick a vape coil for those who just need a refresher.
- Tear off a thin strip of cotton.
- Fit the cotton into the coil/s.
- Trim the ends of the cotton.
- Pack the cotton into the well.
- Saturate the coil and cotton with e-liquid to prime the coil.
How to wick a coil: Step-by-step tutorial
1. First, let’s choose our cotton.
There’s lots of different types of cotton available for wicking coils. The most popular types tend to be organic cotton (sometimes known as Japanese organic cotton) and hemp.
We’re using Cannacotton, which is 80% cotton and 20% hemp.
2. Tear off a strip of cotton.
Tear off a thin strip of cotton roughly around 3mm thick, per coil.
We’re using the Geek Vape L200 RDA which is dual coil mod, so we’ll need two identical strips.
3. Now, pinch and roll the cotton strip/s.
Roll the cotton between your hands or fingers so its thin enough to fit into the coil.
It can help to pinch and twist the ends of the cotton too, to make it easier to insert it through the coil.
4. Insert the cotton into the coils.
If you twisted the ends, they should fit straight through.
Then pull the cotton through the coil so each end is the same length either side.
5. Bend the cotton around the well.
Bend the ends of the cotton around the well to figure out where you should make the cut.
Push the cotton against the well to indent the cotton, which will act as a guide for where to cut.
6. Cut the ends of the cotton so it will fit into the well (the empty space around the coils).
Use scissors to trim down the ends of the cotton where you made the indents. Make sure they’re the same length.
It can help to trim the ends slightly at an angle to help it fit into the well easier.
7. Fluff the ends of the cotton.
Use your fingers or a tool to fluff the ends of the cotton.
This will help the cotton absorb more e-liquid when we start to add it later. It also reduces the chance of dense, dry cotton burning when you fire the coil.
8. Now we need to pack the cotton.
Now, our cotton has been trimmed and fluffed, we need to pack it.
Use a tool to gently push the ends of the cotton into the well.
Take care not to pack it too tightly as this will make it harder for the cotton to absorb e-liquid effectively.
9. Now our cotton is ready, we need to add e-liquid or nic salts.
This is an important stage of wicking a vape coil. It’s essential you fully saturate both the coil and the cotton with e-liquid, taking care not to leave any dry areas.
If you don’t get both soaking with e-liquid, you could burn out the coil or burn the cotton and ruin the taste and flavour.
This is called ‘priming the coil’ and lets you get a great tasting vape from the first hit.
10. Once the coil and cotton are saturated, lightly fire the coil as you continue adding e-liquid.
This will help prime the coil further and prevent any burning taste on the first few puffs.
Be careful not to get the coil too hot or to burn the cotton, and make sure it’s already we before you do this.
11. Add more e-liquid. Then add some more.
Again, make sure the coil and cotton are fully saturated with e-liquid.
Double check there are no dry patches left.
12. Replace the cap and you’re all done!
Once the coil and cotton are fully saturated, refit the cap.
All that’s left to do is try out your freshly wicked vape!
Where can I buy the products in this tutorial?
That’s all there is to it! If you want to get hold of any of the products we’ve used in this tutorial, we’ve included them below.
You can also head over to our online vape store where you can find hundreds of e-liquid flavours in a range of sizes and nicotine strengths.
We also stock a range of quality vape hardware including mods, coils, cotton, tanks and more to help along your vaping journey.
We are a proud member of the UKVIA and our products are TPD and TRPR compliant.
