How to make your own vape setup: mods, tanks, coils and batteries

If you want to make your own vape, the better way is to put a setup together from parts made for the job: a regulated mod, a tank, the right coils, batteries if the mod needs them, and an e-liquid that suits the lot. You get a vape tuned to how you like to vape, and every part has been designed and tested to work with the others.

Building the device itself, with a homemade case, your own wiring and bare batteries, is not something we recommend. Here is why, and what to do instead.

Vapes are for adults (18+) who smoke or used to smoke. They are not for non-smokers or young people.

Why not build a vape from scratch?

A shop-bought mod is more than a battery in a box. Inside, a chip watches the battery and the coil and cuts the power when something is wrong: a short circuit, a coil with too little resistance, a battery running too hot or too low. A homemade device has none of that, and no testing behind it.

The batteries are why this matters. The lithium-ion cells used in vaping store a lot of energy. Short one, overload it or damage its wrap and it can overheat quickly. Leave the electronics to the manufacturer and put your effort into choosing and matching parts instead.

The parts of a setup and how they fit

1. The mod

   The mod is the power unit. A regulated mod lets you set the wattage, shows the coil resistance and battery level, and carries the safety cut-offs. Some have a built-in battery that charges over USB-C. Others take removable cells, usually 18650 or 21700 size.

2. The tank

   The tank holds the e-liquid and the coil. Most tanks and box mods share the same 510 thread connection, so a tank screws straight onto the mod. Tanks sold in the UK hold up to 2ml.

3. The coil

   The coil heats the e-liquid to make vapour. Each tank takes its own coil range, so buy coils made for your tank, not ones that just look similar.

4. The batteries

   Only needed if your mod takes removable cells. See the battery safety section below before you buy any.

5. The e-liquid

   Match the liquid to the coil. Thicker, high-VG liquids suit lower-resistance coils. Thinner 50/50 and nic salt liquids suit higher-resistance, mouth-to-lung coils.

Regulated or mechanical mod?

A regulated mod controls power through its chip. You choose the wattage (many also offer temperature control) and the mod handles the rest. Fit a coil with too low a resistance for it and it shows a warning and will not fire. Most also protect against short circuits, overheating and draining the battery too far. For almost everyone, regulated is the right choice.

A mechanical mod (a "mech") has no chip at all. Pressing the button connects the battery straight to the coil. There is no wattage setting, no resistance check, no short-circuit protection and no cut-off. The only thing keeping it safe is the user's own knowledge of coil resistance and battery limits, and the habit of checking both before every use.

That is why mechanical mods are for experienced users only. A mistake a regulated mod would simply refuse to fire can, on a mech, push a battery past what it can safely deliver. If this is your first setup, choose regulated.

Coil resistance and Ohm's law, in plain terms

Every coil has a resistance, measured in ohms and printed on the coil or its box. Ohm's law links three things: the voltage from the battery, the resistance of the coil and the current that flows. The plain version is this: at the same voltage, the lower the resistance, the more current the battery has to supply.

What that means day to day:

• Sub-ohm coils (below 1 ohm) are made for higher power, more vapour and a looser, direct-to-lung draw. They pair with high-VG e-liquid at lower nicotine strengths.
• Higher-resistance coils (around 1 ohm and up) run at lower power for a tighter, mouth-to-lung draw, closer to a cigarette. They suit 50/50 and nic salt e-liquids.
• Stay inside the coil's wattage range. It is printed on the coil. Go too high and the wick dries out and tastes burnt. Go too low and the vapour is thin and weak.

On a regulated mod, the chip looks after the electrical side and will stop a coil that is too low for it. On a mech, nothing does.

Battery safety

Batteries are the part to take most seriously, whether they are built in or removable.

If your battery is getting old, see how to know when your vape battery needs replacing.

What about rebuildable atomisers?

A rebuildable atomiser (an RTA or RDA) takes coils you make yourself from wire, wicked with cotton, instead of ready-made coils. For most experienced vapers, this is what "making your own" really means.

Treat it as a skill for later, not a starting point. Get comfortable with ready-made coils first, and only ever use a rebuildable on a regulated mod that reads the coil's resistance before it fires. If you do take it up, our guide to the best cotton for vaping covers wicking.

Start with a ready-made kit

The simplest way to make your own vape is to start with a kit: a mod and a tank sold together, with coils that fit, so the parts are already matched. Use it for a few weeks and learn what you like (a tighter or looser draw, more or less vapour, which liquids you reach for). Then change one part at a time: a different tank, another coil resistance, or a new mod.

Browse vape mods, vape tanks and vape coils, or start with a sub-ohm kit. For something smaller and simpler, a refillable pod kit puts the battery, pod and coil in one compact device.

Choosing e-liquid for your setup

• Sub-ohm tank, direct-to-lung: high-VG e-liquid at a lower nicotine strength. Shortfills are nicotine-free e-liquid in a larger bottle with room to add a nicotine shot.
• Mouth-to-lung tank or pod: 50/50 freebase e-liquid or nic salts, at a strength that matches how much you smoked.
• Avoid strong nic salts in a powerful sub-ohm setup. All that extra vapour means far more nicotine per puff. Read the side effects of too much nicotine before you mix and match.

Shop vape kits→