Switching to an Advanced Kit? 9 Mistakes to Avoid

• Drop your nicotine strength. Never put 18mg or 20mg liquid in a sub-ohm kit. Sub-ohm set-ups suit 3mg or 6mg.
• Change your liquid too. Sub-ohm coils below about 0.6 ohm want high-VG 70/30 shortfill, not the 50/50 or nic salt from your pod kit.
• Prime every coil and start low. Soak new cotton for five to ten minutes and begin at the bottom of the wattage range printed on the coil.
• Treat removable batteries with respect. Plastic case, intact wraps, no loose cells in pockets, and charge with the supplied cable from a low-output plug.
• Expect to use more liquid. Bigger coils vaporise more per puff, so budget for shortfills rather than 10ml bottles.

Who this guide is for

This is for vapers who already know their way around a pod kit and are moving to a box mod with a sub-ohm tank, or a higher-powered all-in-one. If you are brand new to vaping, start with our common vaping mistakes beginners make instead; if you are moving on from a prefilled device, see mistakes to avoid after prefilled kits.

Advanced kits are not harder to use than pod kits, but they are less forgiving. A pod kit is designed around one coil, one power level and one type of liquid. A mod lets you change all three, and most first-week problems come from changing one without the others.

Mistakes 1 to 3: nicotine, liquid and priming

1. Keeping your pod-kit nicotine strength. This is the most important one to get right. A sub-ohm coil vaporises far more liquid per puff than a pod coil, so the same nicotine strength delivers much more nicotine per puff. Never put 18mg or 20mg liquid, or high-strength nic salt, in a sub-ohm kit. Sub-ohm set-ups suit 3mg or 6mg. The usual route is a 0mg shortfill plus a nicotine shot; our guide on how to mix nic shots into shortfill shows the ratios, and how much nicotine should I vape explains strengths by device.

2. Using the wrong liquid for the coil. Thin liquid floods big sub-ohm coils and leaks; thick liquid starves small MTL coils and burns them. The rule is simple: 50/50 suits MTL coils of 0.6 ohm and above (typically 0.6 to 1.2 ohm); high-VG 70/30 suits coils below about 0.6 ohm. Most sub-ohm tanks sit well below that line, so they want 70/30 shortfill e-liquid. Our guide to PG/VG ratios explains why.

3. Firing a coil before it has soaked. New coils have dry cotton. Fire one straight away and it chars in seconds, and that burnt taste never leaves. Drop liquid onto the exposed cotton through the wicking holes, fill the tank, and leave it five to ten minutes before the first puff. Then take a few gentle puffs without firing to pull liquid through.

Mistakes 4 to 6: wattage, airflow and coil choice

4. Going straight to maximum wattage. Every coil head has a recommended wattage range printed on it. Start at the bottom, take a few puffs, then go up a couple of watts at a time until the flavour peaks. Above the range you burn the cotton and chew through coils; below it the coil gurgles and floods. A 200W mod does not mean you should vape at 200W.

5. Ignoring the airflow. Sub-ohm tanks are built for an open, direct-lung draw. Fully closing the airflow on a high-wattage coil traps heat and gives hot, harsh puffs; opening it right up at low wattage gives thin, cool vapour. Match them: more power, more air. If you still prefer a tighter draw, an MTL advanced kit may suit you better. Read MTL vs DTL vaping to work out which you are.

6. Choosing the lowest-resistance coil available. Lower resistance needs more power, uses more liquid and empties the battery faster. Many people are happier on a mid-range head such as a 0.3 ohm coil at moderate wattage than on the lowest option in the pack. The Voopoo Drag 4 Kit and Vaporesso Gen 200 Kit with iTank 2 come with sub-ohm tanks; check which coil family your tank takes and try a mid-range head before the lowest one.

Plan for the 2ml limit. In the UK a nicotine tank or pod is limited to 2ml, and that includes sub-ohm tanks sold here. At high wattage a 2ml tank empties quickly, so you will refill far more often than you did on a pod kit. Keep a bottle with you, refill before the level drops below the wicking holes, and never let the tank run dry while you are still firing. A tank that is run empty at 60W or 70W burns the coil in a couple of puffs, and no setting can undo that.

Take your time with the draw. A direct-lung puff is a slow, steady breath straight in, not the short sharp pull you use on a tight pod. Long, hard pulls at high wattage are the quickest way to spit, gurgle and use up liquid. Give it a week at modest settings before you judge the kit.

Mistakes 7 and 8: batteries and charging

7. Handling removable cells carelessly. Many mods take 18650 or 21700 cells. They store a lot of energy, and the plastic wrap is the only thing insulating the outer casing. Keep spare cells in a plastic case, never loose in a pocket or bag with keys or coins, and stop using any cell with a split, nicked or peeling wrap. Use cells rated for vaping from a reputable brand, and on dual-cell mods, use two cells of the same make and age that are charged and used together.

8. Charging it like a phone. Use the USB-C cable supplied with the kit, plugged into a standard low-output USB plug or a computer port. Avoid fast-charge bricks, which can push more current than the kit is designed for, and do not charge unattended overnight. Kits such as the Innokin Endura T22 Pro (3000mAh) still run on lithium-ion cells, so the same rules apply. More detail is in our guide to looking after your vape battery.

Mistake 9: skipping maintenance and ignoring cost

9. Treating the tank as fit-and-forget. Advanced tanks have more seals, a glass section and a threaded base, and each is a potential leak point. Rinse the tank in warm water when you change a coil, dry it fully, check the O-rings and wipe the 510 pin. Change the coil when flavour fades rather than waiting for it to burn. Our guide on why vapes leak covers the rest.

Budget for liquid. A sub-ohm kit vaporises much more liquid than a pod kit, so most people move to shortfills. From 1 October 2026 Vaping Products Duty applies at £2.20 per 10ml, or £2.64 with VAT, on every liquid whatever its nicotine content. It is the same per ml on every format, so a 60ml mixed shortfill carries £15.84 and a 120ml bottle £31.68. Our article on how much vape prices will go up breaks it down.

Choosing your first advanced kit

If you want a big jump in vapour, a 220W kit like the Vaporesso Gen 200 with the iTank 2 gives you room to grow. And if you mainly want longer battery life and still like a tighter draw, the Endura T22 Pro is an MTL kit with a 2ml tank and 1.7 ohm coils, so your usual 10ml liquid still works in it.

Compare the full range of advanced kits, read our pick of the best box mods, and pick up a spare pack of replacement coils with whatever you choose. If a pod kit still fits the way you vape, pod kits vs box mods may save you an unnecessary upgrade.

Advanced kits, coils and shortfills

Free UK delivery over £15, 1.8 reward points on every £1 and 20,000+ five-star reviews. New here? Register at checkout for 10% off your first order.

Quick answers