UB Max coil, X1, X2 or X3 to match your e-liquid

On shop pages, each Lost Vape UB Max coil fits on a single line, a resistance in ohms and a wattage range. Search results for the coils talk about clouds and flavour, and rarely about the liquid that goes in the tank. Yet choosing between the X1, X2 and X3 depends as much on the bottle as on the mod. Four criteria are used here to separate them, wattage, PG/VG ratio, nicotine strength and nicotine form.

UB Max coil, which value for which bottle

Lost Vape’s UB Max coils come in three values, the 0.15 Ω X1 for 80 to 100 W, the 0.2 Ω X2 for 60 to 80 W and the 0.3 Ω X3 for 40 to 60 W. All three are mesh coils built for direct-lung vaping, and retailers recommend a liquid rich in vegetable glycerine (VG) for each of them, with the threshold set at 50 per cent.

That VG floor is shared by all three values. The difference then comes down to how thick the liquid is and the wattage you aim for. A 50/50 bottle belongs on the X3, the gentlest of the three, a 70/30 VG shortfill suits the X2, and the X1, which runs hottest, makes the most of the highest-VG liquids.

Nicotine strength is decided after the ratio, and it stays low at these wattages. The form of nicotine comes last.

What the UB Max name covers at Lost Vape

The name refers to a coil platform, not a tank. Before comparing the values, it helps to know what they are made of, which generation you have in hand and which tank they fit.

Three values, two alloys and a press-fit design

The X1 and X2 are built from Ni80, a nickel and chromium alloy, while the X3 uses Kanthal, an alloy of iron, chromium and aluminium, according to several retailers. All three use a mesh strip, a fine metal lattice that heats across a wider surface than a wound wire.

Each UB Max coil pushes into the base of the tank, with no thread to screw. Shops sell them in packs of three.

V2 Edition and X1 wattage, product pages that disagree

Lost Vape now sells a generation called the UB Max V2 Edition. On the product page for its Centaurus Sub Ohm V2 tank, the brand rates the 0.15 Ω X1 at 80 to 100 W, the X2 at 60 to 80 W and the X3 at 40 to 60 W. Several retailers, in the UK as in France, list 80 to 120 W for the X1, as does the brand’s own UB Max platform page.

The brand does not explain the gap, so the range printed on the coil box remains the reference. Pushing an X1 V2 beyond 100 W takes it outside the maker’s range, with a risk of a dry wick.

The tanks that take them

Retailers list them as compatible with the Centaurus Sub Ohm tank, its V2 version and the UB Max Pod Tank. The Centaurus Sub Ohm V2 holds 5 ml or 3 ml in its international version, with top filling and top airflow.

In the UK, refillable tanks are capped at 2 ml, so it is the 2 ml TPD version that is sold here, supplied with an X1 and an X3. As for the X2, the middle value, it is bought separately.

UB Max coil comparison, X1, X2 and X3

The table brings together the product page data and the bottle reading that follows from it. The last column is our own reading, not Lost Vape guidance.

Value	Rated wattage	Alloy	Recommended ratio	Best-suited bottle
X1, 0.15 Ω	80 to 100 W	Ni80 mesh	50 per cent VG minimum	80/20 VG or thicker
X2, 0.2 Ω	60 to 80 W	Ni80 mesh	50 per cent VG minimum	60/40 or 70/30 VG
X3, 0.3 Ω	40 to 60 W	Kanthal mesh	50 per cent VG minimum	50/50 or 60/40 VG

The logic fits in a sentence. The lower the value, the higher the wattage range, and the more liquid each puff vaporises. A thin blend then passes more easily through the wicking holes, hence the leaks and spitting that the VG minimum is meant to avoid.

A French retailer goes further and recommends 70 per cent VG for the X1 and X2, a strength of 0 to 3 mg/ml for the X1 and 0 to 6 mg/ml for the other two, and considers these coils unsuitable for nic salt liquids. These pointers line up with our table.

Reading the ratio on a bottle meant for a UB Max coil

The 50 per cent VG threshold is checked on the front label. It has to be worked out again as soon as a nic shot goes into the blend, because the shot brings its own ratio.

A 50/50 sits right on the line

A 50/50 bottle holds exactly half VG. It therefore sits right on the threshold, which some retailers phrase as more than 50 per cent and others as 50 per cent minimum. At 40 W on an X3 that limit leaves a fair margin, whereas an X1 set near 100 W leaves almost none.

Brands do not all print the two figures in the same order. Our guide to reading an e-liquid bottle shows where to find the ingredients list when the front label is unclear.

The nic shot that shifts the ratio

A 50 ml shortfill at 60/40 VG/PG, topped up with one 10 ml, 18 mg/ml nic shot at 50/50, holds 20 + 5 = 25 ml of PG out of 60 ml. The blend ends up at about 58 per cent VG, with a strength of 3 mg/ml. With two shots, where the bottle has room, it drops to 57 per cent VG at about 5.1 mg/ml.

The same sum with a 50/50 shortfill gives a 50/50 blend, however many 50/50 shots are added. The full method, from the space left in the bottle to the final strength, is set out in our piece on 100ml e-liquid and nic shots.

Nicotine strength and form at these wattages

Once the ratio checks out, the rest of the label is read against the chosen coil. Between 40 and 100 W, the same figure in mg/ml does not produce the same vapour as in a pod running at 15 W.

A low strength at high wattage

Strength measures nicotine per millilitre of liquid, not per puff. An X1 at 90 W vaporises far more liquid per puff than a pod coil, so a strength that feels comfortable in a pod gives a harsh vapour here. The retailer pointers quoted above, between 0 and 6 mg/ml, reflect that gap. In the UK, nicotine e-liquid is in any case capped at 20 mg/ml and sold in bottles of 10 ml or less.

Nic salt bottles

Nic salt liquids are mostly designed for low-wattage pods. On a UB Max coil, the reading rule does not change, the printed ratio decides first, then the strength, ahead of the nicotine form. Exactly the same reasoning applies to the Zeus tank from Geekvape, another sub-ohm tank whose bottle is chosen on its ratio first.

Verdict, the right value for the bottle in hand

Each of the three values suits different bottles. The verdict therefore starts from the liquid you already have.

A 10 ml bottle at 50/50

The X3 is the only value that leaves it a margin. Its 40 to 60 W range suits a liquid sitting at the floor of the recommended ratio.

A shortfill at 60/40 or 70/30 VG

The X2 is our pick for this profile, and for anyone who only wants to buy one pack. It takes a blend recalculated after a nic shot without running at the edge of its range.

A liquid at 80/20 VG or thicker

The X1 gets the most out of it, provided it stays between 80 and 100 W. A very low strength, or none at all, goes logically with that setting.

FAQ

These five questions come up in the exchanges published under retailer product pages. The answers stick to what those pages and the labels let you check.

Can a UB Max coil take an 80/20 VG liquid?

Yes. Retailers set a VG minimum, not a maximum, and one of them replies under its product page that a 70/30, or even 80/20, VG blend is acceptable, but not beyond. A very thick liquid takes longer to soak the cotton between puffs.

How long should a new UB Max coil sit before use?

One retailer advises letting the cotton soak for 5 to 10 minutes after filling, before the first puff. Starting at the bottom of the wattage range and stepping up gradually also spares the coil.

Do you need a new coil when you change liquid?

It is not essential, but the cotton holds on to the previous flavour for several fills. Moving from a menthol to a fruit on the same wick gives a mix of both for a while, which is why some vapers keep one coil per flavour family.

How often should a UB Max coil be replaced?

One retailer suggests two to three weeks, depending on use and liquid. A caramelised taste that persists from puff to puff points to a gunked wick, and very sweet recipes usually get there faster.

Is there a 0.4 Ω UB Max coil?

Two retailers list a 0.4 Ω value alongside the other three, without saying which generation it belongs to. This comparison sticks to the three X1, X2 and X3 values of the V2 Edition.

UB Max coil, the bottle decides before the mod

For a UB Max coil, the ratio on the bottle sets the floor, 50 per cent VG, then points to the X3, X2 or X1 depending on how thick the liquid is. Nicotine strength is chosen next, kept low at these wattages, and the blend is worked out again whenever a nic shot goes in.

The same reading applies to any sub-ohm coil on the shelf. Whether it is a UB Max coil or another one, the resistance is chosen by looking at the bottle, and the mod is set last.

On the same shelf

La Fiole Bleue publishes editorial content for adult readers only. Vaping products may contain nicotine, a substance that causes dependence, and vaping products are not for sale to anyone under 18 in the UK. This article describes bottles and is not a buying recommendation.