Contact Coil – What is it in Vaping?

Contact Coil – Definition & Purpose

A Contact Coil is a vape coil whose individual wire wraps are pressed tightly together so each loop touches its neighbour, forming a solid “spring-like” cylinder. The purpose of this compressed build is to create a uniform heating surface that concentrates heat quickly, delivering dense flavour and large vapour clouds while using less power than spaced coils of the same resistance. Beginners often start with pre-built contact coils because they are forgiving to wick and fit easily into most cartridge or RBA decks.

Technical Details

Electrically, the tight wraps reduce the coil’s total surface area in contact with air, lowering the resistance slightly compared to a spaced version of the same length. Typical inner diameters range from 2 mm to 3.5 mm, with 5–8 wraps of 24–28 gauge Kanthal, Ni80, or SS316L wire. Contact coils can be simple round wire, flattened Clapton Coil cores, or even multi-strand braids—so long as the wraps remain touching. When pulsed on a Mod“>regulated mod at 15–50 W, the outermost wraps glow evenly from the centre outward, indicating balanced current flow and optimal cloud chasing potential. Because the wraps are compressed, hotspots are normally eliminated once the coil is pinched and strummed during installation.

Usage & Tips

• Wicking: Use enough Cotton to fill the coil with slight resistance when pulling the wick through; too little causes flooding, too much strangles wicking.
• Hot-spot Fix: If you see glowing spots between wraps, gently squeeze the coil with ceramic tweezers while firing at low wattage until the glow is even.
• Safety: Always check resistance on a regulated mod or Ohm Reader”>ohm reader before vaping; avoid dry-burning nickel or titanium contact coils above 600 °F to prevent oxide formation.

History & Context

Contact coils became popular in the early 2010s when rebuildable atomisers moved from experimental mech mods to mainstream regulated devices. Their compact shape allowed higher resistance builds in tiny RTAs, bridging the gap between basic Coil heads and exotic spaced macro coils favoured by hobbyists today.