How to Use Nic Salts: Kits, Coils, Wattage and Bottles
How to use nic salts: fill a refillable mouth-to-lung pod or pen kit from the bottle, give a new coil five to ten minutes to soak, then vape at low power. Nic salts are usually paired with coils of about 0.8 to 1.2 ohms at roughly 10 to 18 watts, rather than with sub-ohm tanks.
How to use nic salts: what kit do you need?
You need a refillable mouth-to-lung (MTL) kit: a pod kit or a pen-style kit with a small coil that runs at low power. With an MTL kit you draw vapour into your mouth first and then breathe it in, through fairly tight airflow.
That is the kind of kit nic salts are bottled for. Every Elux Legend nic salt and Elux Firerose 5000 nic salt is a 10ml bottle of 50/50 VG/PG liquid, thin enough to soak quickly into a small MTL coil. The two ranges differ in flavours and strengths, not in how you use them, as Elux Legend vs Firerose 5000 explains. We sell the liquid, not the kit, so you will need a kit of your own.
Nic salts are usually 10mg or 20mg, strengths meant for kits that make a small amount of vapour with each puff. Our guide to what nic salts are explains how nicotine salt differs from the freebase nicotine in most other e-liquids.
What ohm coil for nic salts?
Most coils used with nic salts are rated between 0.8 and 1.2 ohms (Ω), and some retailers’ guides put the line at 1.0Ω and above. Pod makers commonly sell mouth-to-lung pods in this range, often at 0.8Ω, 1.0Ω and 1.2Ω. The resistance is usually printed on the pod, the coil or its packaging.
Within that range, a higher resistance gives a tighter draw and a little less vapour, and a lower one a looser draw and a little more. Sub-ohm tanks are a different kind of kit. They typically run coils of about 0.2Ω to 0.4Ω at 40 watts or more and are built for high-VG shortfill e-liquids, not nic salts.
What is the best wattage for nic salts?
For coils between 0.8Ω and 1.2Ω, the usual setting is somewhere between about 10 and 18 watts, and the lower the resistance, the more power the coil is rated for. Makers’ own ratings sit inside the ranges below: one widely sold pod range, for example, rates its 1.2Ω, 1.0Ω and 0.8Ω pods at 10W, 12W and 16W.
| Coil resistance | Kind of draw | Typical power |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2Ω | Tighter mouth-to-lung | About 8–14W |
| 1.0Ω | Mouth-to-lung | About 10–16W |
| 0.8–0.9Ω | Looser mouth-to-lung | About 12–20W |
| 0.2–0.4Ω (sub-ohm tank) | Direct-to-lung | About 40–70W, not made for nic salts |
Some pod kits have no power setting to change. If yours does, start at the low end of the range for your coil and go up a watt or two at a time, turning it back down if the vapour tastes harsh or burnt. Nic salts are made for low power, and a 20mg nic salt at sub-ohm power feels very harsh.
Can you use salt nic juice in a regular vape?
That depends on what your regular vape is.
- A refillable MTL pod or pen kit: yes. This is the kit nic salts are made for, and it suits every Elux nic salt we sell.
- A sub-ohm tank or kit: not a good match. Sub-ohm kits turn far more liquid into vapour with each puff, so a 10mg or 20mg nic salt delivers much more nicotine per puff than it is made for, and the draw feels harsh.
- A disposable or a prefilled pod: no. Neither is designed to be opened and refilled. If you used Elux disposables, our guide on why Elux disposables were banned explains what you can still buy.
If your regular vape is a sub-ohm kit filled with low-strength freebase e-liquid, see nic salts vs freebase for why each liquid suits a different kind of kit.
How do you open an Elux liquid bottle?
Elux Legend and Elux Firerose 5000 bottles both have a push-down-and-turn child-resistant cap, because UK regulations require refill containers to be child-resistant and tamper-evident. Turning the cap on its own won’t open it, which is why a new bottle can seem stuck. To open one:
- Stand the bottle upright on a flat surface and hold it by the body, without squeezing it.
- Press down firmly on the top of the cap with your palm.
- Keep pressing while you turn the cap anticlockwise. On a new bottle, you may feel the tamper-evident seal give way.
- Once the cap turns freely, lift it off. The narrow nozzle underneath is what you fill from, so leave it in place.
If the cap clicks or spins without loosening, you are not pressing hard enough, so press harder and turn again. A rubber glove or a dry cloth helps if your hand slips, and about half a minute under warm tap water can free a sticky cap; dry it before you try again. Avoid knives and pliers, which can crack the cap.
After filling, wipe the nozzle, put the cap back on and turn it clockwise until it is tight, so the child-resistant cap does its job next time.
How do you fill and prime a pod?
Kits vary, so check your kit’s manual, but most pods fill the same way:
- Open the fill port, usually by lifting off the mouthpiece.
- Push the bottle’s nozzle fully into the fill port. Don’t fill down the hole in the centre of the pod, which is the airflow tube.
- Squeeze the bottle gently and stop when the pod is nearly full, or at the maximum line if it has one.
- Close the pod firmly, refit it and wipe away any drips.
A new pod or coil then needs to prime, which means giving the liquid time to soak right through the cotton wick before the coil heats up. Pod makers’ manuals ask for five to ten minutes after the first fill. Firing the coil before the wick is wet can scorch the cotton and leave a burnt taste. After that, refill before the pod runs dry.
How long does a 10ml bottle of nic salts last?
Work it out from the size of your pod rather than a puff count, because the number of puffs varies with the kit, the power and how long each puff lasts. UK rules cap a refillable pod or tank at 2ml and a bottle of nicotine e-liquid at 10ml, so a full bottle fills:
- a 2ml pod five times
- a 1.5ml pod six times, with 1ml left over
- a 1ml pod ten times
Expect slightly fewer fills in practice, because a new pod soaks up some liquid as it primes and you top up before a pod is completely empty. How many days that covers depends on how much you vape: if you empty a 2ml pod a day, a bottle lasts about five days.
The sums work the same for every flavour, because every Elux nic salt is a 10ml bottle, from Elux Menthol to Elux Mr Blue. Each bottle is £2.49, or any 5 for £10 across both ranges, and every flavour is on the Elux nic salts page.
How should you store nic salts?
- Keep bottles upright in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight and heat.
- Wipe the nozzle and close the cap fully after every fill.
- Store them out of the sight and reach of children and pets. The child-resistant cap only works when it is properly closed.
- Keep liquid in its own labelled bottle, so the flavour and strength are always clear.
Our Is Elux liquid safe? guide covers what goes into a nic salt and the UK rules each bottle must meet. It also explains how to spot fake Elux liquid.
18+ only. Contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance.
How to use nic salts: questions
Why can't I open my Elux liquid bottle?
The cap is child-resistant, so turning it on its own won't open it. Stand the bottle on a flat surface, press down firmly on the cap and keep pressing while you turn it anticlockwise. If it only clicks or spins, press harder. A rubber glove or a dry cloth helps with grip, and about half a minute under warm tap water can free a sticky cap.
Is a 0.6 ohm coil OK for nic salts?
It is outside the usual range. A 0.6-ohm coil runs at higher power and gives a looser, warmer draw than the 0.8 to 1.2-ohm coils normally paired with nic salts: one widely sold pod range, for example, rates its 0.6-ohm pod at 21W and describes it as a restricted direct-to-lung pod. More vapour per puff means more nicotine per puff at 10mg or 20mg, so 0.8 ohms or above is the usual choice.
Can I refill a disposable vape with nic salts?
No. Disposables are single-use devices that are not designed to be opened or refilled, and the same goes for prefilled pods. Nic salts are for refillable mouth-to-lung pod and pen kits that you fill from the bottle yourself. If you used Elux disposables, our guide on why Elux disposables were banned explains what you can still buy.
How many times can I fill a 2ml pod from a 10ml bottle?
Five times on paper, because ten divided by two is five. In practice it is slightly fewer, since a new pod soaks up some liquid while it primes and you top up before the pod is completely empty. For another pod size, divide ten by its capacity in millilitres: a 1.5ml pod gets six full fills with 1ml to spare.
Why does my new pod taste burnt?
Often the coil fired before the wick had soaked up enough liquid, or the power is set too high for the coil. Pod makers' manuals ask you to wait five to ten minutes after the first fill before your first puff. A scorched wick tends to keep tasting burnt, so replacing the pod or coil is usually the fix, and the new one needs the same wait.
How often should I change my pod or coil?
There is no fixed schedule, because it depends on how much you vape. Change it when the flavour fades or the vapour starts to taste burnt. One pod maker, for example, suggests replacing its pods every one to two weeks, depending on use. Whatever kit you have, give each new pod or coil time to prime before the first puff.