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RBA vs pre-built - Please explain

Silica wicks are meant to last a lot longer than wool. Plus with the benefit of no dry hits, it becomes fool proof for a beginner such as myself. There's no harm in trying different things. I'm sure over the years something new will come out and cotton may become obsolete for example. Or a new metal mix of coils might come out and kanthal will go out the window. There's plenty of people out there who swear by Silica wicks and wouldn't go back to anything else. It's personal preference.


You're absolutely right to try different things. That's how we all learn. I don't think anyone wanted you to feel criticised.:)

You're actually where I was about 4 years ago. I hadn't got a clue when I started using rebuildables but just like you I watched plenty of videos, read various things online and asked plenty of questions. I don't work in the vape industry and I'm not someone who frequently likes to keep tinkering and trying out too many different things so I'm never going to win any prizes as being the best around but I've played around with enough vape kit and tried out enough different things to have a pretty good idea what I like.

I think you're doing brilliantly so far so you decide where you want to go from here and we're always going to be happy chip in with useful ideas when you want to know anything.
 
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A lot of complex coils like fused claptons/staples/framed staples will look the same externally as they have a clapton outer wrap so you can't see what is on the inside. If you unwind some of that outer wrap to expose the inner cores you will see what the inners are - and you will be able to confirm that the inner cores are all different and will be as listed in the specs.

There will be similarities because all coils work the same way - and in the case of the coils kin that pack are made from multiple wires instead of one solid wire because using multiple wires creates more surface area for the liquid to coat and vaporise on, hence more vaporisation and, theoretically, better flavour.

Although all of them look similar, there are other differences that aren't so immediately obvious - the mass and different resistances of the coils -

The triple 26 core fused claptons for example are noticeably larger than the other claptoned types in there. i really like using this coil in a single coil atty, but don't like it at all for dual coil builds. Not that there is anything wrong with the coil itself - it's just that, for my preference, it needs more than 80 watts in dual coil mode and that produces more vapour than i prefer lol. For a dual coil build i would go for the higher resistance dual 26 core, the multi core fused claptons, or the Framed Staples - but that is because all 3 coil types work well for me in the 60 to 75 Watt zone which is my preferred power level for most dual coil atties. If I vaped below, or above that wattage area with dual coil atties i probably wouldn't like them much.

I never liked the staple coils - don't know why, as i like the framed Staples, and they are a similar resistance to other coils i like in the pack, but I just found the staple coil rather bland. The Juggernauts and Hive wires i simply didn't like at all.

But everyone is different and what works for me could be bloody awful to someone else lol.

I'm glad you got a good price on those coils, and there's nothing wrong with a bit of experimentation - i was just a bit concerned you could be on the verge of blowing a thick wad of cash just because some wide boy salesman said 'those are shit, what you want is these'.

It's too easy to get caught up in the entire 'which coil/cotton/tank' is best as it can be an emotive subject and we all have different tastes and opinions, but the best info anyone has given so far is @MarylinC37 's comment about the juice. The juice you're using is the biggest factor of all. Trying to assess how good/bad something is using a juice you've never tried before is a waste of time. First make sure you're vaping something you know you like and are very familiar with.
 
The other thing is, no matter how well engineered the coil is, within the first hour you start vaping on it it's going to start becoming covered with a layer of gunk so it's liable to start to behave very differently and most of that advantage will begin to disappear.

The thing that really keeps your build working well is what the juice is doing.

I'm still vaping right now on the new dripper I got last Wednesday. I haven't yet changed either the coil or the cotton since then and there is a decent layer of gunk covering the metal coil and yet the spaces between the wraps are still allowing plenty of juice to get through and it's still vaping like a trooper and the flavour is still gorgeous.

It could do with a clean up and some new cotton but I was holding off waiting for my new squonker before then trying @Crispycritters suggestion on a different coil setup.
 
You're absolutely right to try different things. That's how we all learn. I don't think anyone wanted you to feel criticised.:)

You're actually where I was about 4 years ago. I hadn't got a clue when I started using rebuildables but just like you I watched plenty of videos, read various things online and asked plenty of questions. I don't work in the vape industry and I'm not someone who frequently likes to keep tinkering and trying out too many different things so I'm never going to win any prizes as being the best around but I've played around with enough vape kit and tried out enough different things to have a pretty good idea what I like.

I think you're doing brilliantly so far so you decide where you want to go from here and we're always going to be happy chip in with useful ideas when you want to know anything.

Thank you :)
I love tinkering with stuff and I find setting up a deck quite therapeutic. So I just want to try lots of different things.
 
A lot of complex coils like fused claptons/staples/framed staples will look the same externally as they have a clapton outer wrap so you can't see what is on the inside. If you unwind some of that outer wrap to expose the inner cores you will see what the inners are - and you will be able to confirm that the inner cores are all different and will be as listed in the specs.

There will be similarities because all coils work the same way - and in the case of the coils kin that pack are made from multiple wires instead of one solid wire because using multiple wires creates more surface area for the liquid to coat and vaporise on, hence more vaporisation and, theoretically, better flavour.

Although all of them look similar, there are other differences that aren't so immediately obvious - the mass and different resistances of the coils -

The triple 26 core fused claptons for example are noticeably larger than the other claptoned types in there. i really like using this coil in a single coil atty, but don't like it at all for dual coil builds. Not that there is anything wrong with the coil itself - it's just that, for my preference, it needs more than 80 watts in dual coil mode and that produces more vapour than i prefer lol. For a dual coil build i would go for the higher resistance dual 26 core, the multi core fused claptons, or the Framed Staples - but that is because all 3 coil types work well for me in the 60 to 75 Watt zone which is my preferred power level for most dual coil atties. If I vaped below, or above that wattage area with dual coil atties i probably wouldn't like them much.

I never liked the staple coils - don't know why, as i like the framed Staples, and they are a similar resistance to other coils i like in the pack, but I just found the staple coil rather bland. The Juggernauts and Hive wires i simply didn't like at all.

But everyone is different and what works for me could be bloody awful to someone else lol.

I'm glad you got a good price on those coils, and there's nothing wrong with a bit of experimentation - i was just a bit concerned you could be on the verge of blowing a thick wad of cash just because some wide boy salesman said 'those are shit, what you want is these'.

It's too easy to get caught up in the entire 'which coil/cotton/tank' is best as it can be an emotive subject and we all have different tastes and opinions, but the best info anyone has given so far is @MarylinC37 's comment about the juice. The juice you're using is the biggest factor of all. Trying to assess how good/bad something is using a juice you've never tried before is a waste of time. First make sure you're vaping something you know you like and are very familiar with.

Oh yeah the guy on the phone advised that I tried this, that and the other and "I have a sale on right now for xxx". One of the coils he recommended was "Coils by Scott". I had a look but ordered handmade coils from elsewhere that were cheaper than his.

Yes the juice. I've been using the same juice for the last 2 weeks. Black cherry and raspberry by Kingston. I love it. It's my favourite for an all-day vape.
Expecting delivery today of lemon meringue, apple crumble and New York cheesecake. Looking forward to trying them.

I also didn't like the Juggernauts. At all. Not one bit. I found it gave an odd taste to the liquid for some reason.
My favourite so far is tri-core clapton and stainless steel mesh. I'm wondering because I liked stainless steel mesh a lot more than kanthal mesh, maybe I would like stainless steel coils more than ni80 coils? I hear SS is suitable for both wattage mode and temp control mode?

One thing, what is it that defines the resistance of the coils? How tightly they are wound? The density or mix of the metal? The core count?
 
Oh yeah the guy on the phone advised that I tried this, that and the other and "I have a sale on right now for xxx". One of the coils he recommended was "Coils by Scott". I had a look but ordered handmade coils from elsewhere that were cheaper than his.

Yes the juice. I've been using the same juice for the last 2 weeks. Black cherry and raspberry by Kingston. I love it. It's my favourite for an all-day vape.
Expecting delivery today of lemon meringue, apple crumble and New York cheesecake. Looking forward to trying them.

I also didn't like the Juggernauts. At all. Not one bit. I found it gave an odd taste to the liquid for some reason.
My favourite so far is tri-core clapton and stainless steel mesh. I'm wondering because I liked stainless steel mesh a lot more than kanthal mesh, maybe I would like stainless steel coils more than ni80 coils? I hear SS is suitable for both wattage mode and temp control mode?

One thing, what is it that defines the resistance of the coils? How tightly they are wound? The density or mix of the metal? The core count?
If you think of a hosepipe, the larger the bore the less resistance to the passage of water, in a multi strand coil each strand will act like a pipe so say a clapton of 2 x 28g core will have a higher resistance than a clapton of 2 x 26g core given that any other strands used are the same in both coils. It is the total length of the wire offering resistance which determines the overall resistance, so a 4" piece of wite wound into 6 turns will have the same resistance as the same wire wound into 4 coils on a bigger mandrel.
 
If you think of a hosepipe, the larger the bore the less resistance to the passage of water, in a multi strand coil each strand will act like a pipe so say a clapton of 2 x 28g core will have a higher resistance than a clapton of 2 x 26g core given that any other strands used are the same in both coils. It is the total length of the wire offering resistance which determines the overall resistance, so a 4" piece of wite wound into 6 turns will have the same resistance as the same wire wound into 4 coils on a bigger mandrel.

Got you. Thanks for explaining.

On a typical RTA/RDA, does the current come from both sides to the coil, or just one side? Perhaps different ones do different things?
Obviously it needs to have contact on both ends, sure. But I mean just the current? Both or one?


Also, do you steep your liquids?
I've started to put mine in zip lock bags and put them in hot water. Replacing the water as it cools, for about 2-3hours. Then I shake them and leave them stood with the tops off for 3-4hrs. I find it intensifies the flavour a lot. I've read that some people leave them out with the lids off for like 1-2 weeks. I can't wait that long to try new flavours lol.
My new ones just arrived and I have them in the hot water now.
 
Oh one other thing...
You know for the mesh deck it's better to cut the cotton and shape it rather than thin it with the tweezers so that the cotton doesn't thin under the mesh?
Can I also do that with a normal coil?
 
Look very closely at the base of the rda posts, the one with the peek is the positive. If you're unsure put up a deck pic.
 
Got you. Thanks for explaining.

On a typical RTA/RDA, does the current come from both sides to the coil, or just one side? Perhaps different ones do different things?
Obviously it needs to have contact on both ends, sure. But I mean just the current? Both or one?


Also, do you steep your liquids?
I've started to put mine in zip lock bags and put them in hot water. Replacing the water as it cools, for about 2-3hours. Then I shake them and leave them stood with the tops off for 3-4hrs. I find it intensifies the flavour a lot. I've read that some people leave them out with the lids off for like 1-2 weeks. I can't wait that long to try new flavours lol.
My new ones just arrived and I have them in the hot water now.
The current from batteries is direct current (your household supply will be alternating current).
Nowadays I buy pre made juices, so by the time they arrive they are steeped
 
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