Coil Types of Extract Vaporizers

Quartz Rod Coils

These consist of a metal wire wrapped around a small quartz rod. The metal is usually titaniucm and a vape pen can have one or more quartz rod coils though dual quartz rod coils are the most common. The more coils a vaporizer has, the more intense the heat that it produces and the faster it heats up. Those are the main benefits of quartz rod coils but they also produce harsh, intense vapor and big clouds, so those are also advantages for people who enjoy those attributes when they vape.

There are some negative aspects to quartz coils as well, of course. One of the big problems with quartz rod coils is that they are hard to clean, which can make maintenance a chore. Also, quartz coils don’t retain heat well so users need to keep their vape pens turned on for a longer time in order to keep up the temperature. That results in vape pens with quartz rod coils using more power than other types of coils over the same amount of time. They are also more difficult to load than other coils because you have to place your dab on a narrow strip of coil. For these reasons, quartz rod coils are better for intermediate and advanced users instead of beginners.

Some vapes like the KandyPens Amber come with two coils- Ceramic and Quartz Rods, so you can try both and decide which works better.

PROS

• Fast Heat Times
• Pure Flavors
• Thick Clouds

CONS

• Low Heat Retention
• Higher Maintenance 
• Vapor Can Be Too Harsh For Some People

Ceramic Coils

These can more accurately be described as bowls or dishes rather than coils. That gives them an immediate advantage of being easy to load and easy to clean. There are other advantages to ceramic coils as well, one of them is that they produce great-tasting vapor because ceramic is a neutral material. That means it does not have any effect on the flavor of the wax so the taste is always pure. Another positive that may seem like a negative at first, is that ceramic has a slow heat time. That might seem bad, but what it means is that since the wax heats up more slowly, the vapor produced is not harsh or intense. That means ceramic coils produce a smooth vaping experience that is more palatable for most users.

Ceramic also retains heat well, so the vaporizer does not need to be constantly fired up while you vape, which increases the battery duration. Ceramic coils aren’t fragile but they can crack or break if they are dropped. This shouldn’t be a worry to most users but it is something that they should be aware of. Cloud chasers will be disappointed by ceramic coils because they don’t produce big, dense clouds. For everyone else, the high flavor quality, and all the other positive attributes of quartz coils will be enough to overcome that minor shortcoming.

A few examples of Ceramic Coil Pens- CloudV Flash (Review | Buy) and the Qloudup Nexus.

PROS

• Great Flavor Quality
• Easy to Load
• Good Heat Retention
• Relatively Easy To Clean

CONS

• Can Be a Little Fragile
• Produce Smaller, Less Dense Clouds Than The Other Coil Types

Quartz Coils

The name might suggest that these are similar to the quartz rod coils, but there are significant differences. For one, they are bowls or dishes—much like ceramic coils—rather than actual coils. That means they have many of the strengths of both quartz rod coils and ceramic coils with fewer of their weaknesses. That means they are easy to load and easy to clean, like the ceramic coils, plus they have the fast heat times of quartz rod coils. Quartz coils also produce great flavor because quartz is a neutral material that preserves the purity of the wax.

Of course, quartz coils also have some of the weaknesses of the other coils as well. They have the same poor heat retention as quartz rod coils and are similarly fragile to ceramic coils. Nonetheless, they have a lot to offer to vapers of all experience levels.

A few examples of Quartz bowl pens- KandyPens Crystal (Review | Buy) and the Linx Blaze (Review | Buy).

PROS

• Great Flavor Quality
• Speedy Heat Time
• Easy to Maintain
• Easy to Load

CONS

• Low Heat Retention 
• They Can Be a Little Fragile

Final Thoughts

The type of coil you choose depends on the type of vape pen that you buy since most only include one type of coil.

Quartz rod coils are better for experienced vapers because they provide an intense vaping experience and generate big clouds, though loading and maintenance can be a chore.

Ceramic coils are better for beginning and intermediate users because of their emphasis on strong flavor. They also provide a smooth vaping experience because their slower heat times means that the temperature ramps up gradually instead of in a big spike. They are also fairly easy to maintain.