Stainless Steel? OK or not worth it?

[learnincurve]

I use SS in my builds (and it's usually 0.25), simply because I have several tanks of the same type, but a couple of my mods don't have TC. Clean taste and makes it easier to swap stuff out without thinking.

 

[Mr Numpty]

@cheersm8 in addition to Stealthvape NiFe30, I would point you to NiFe48 (you can get it here). It's accuracy is almost as good as Ti but it is as easy to use as NiFe30. The superior accuracy means you can use thicker or twisted wire and still maintain excellent TC stability. Anything >0.15 Ohm will be nice and stable (NiFe48 = Nifethal 52 on steam engine for calculation purposes). On a spacious deck, you can easily dual coil 26g (0.4 mm) wire without worrying about TC accuracy.

It has a TCR of 400, for the best results you really need a mod with customisable TCR, but you can use it in Ti mode with an offset of around +25C.

As you know, I've been playing around with NiFe48 for a little while now and have to say I find its accuracy of TC just incredible. I find it hits the target temp and just stays there absolutely rock solidly and in that regard is the perfect TC wire. No problem at all to work with either. I wonder if you find though, as I do, that it mutes the flavour of juices to quite a significant extent relative to Ti, SS 316L and NiFe30? I can't even fathom how it would do this unless it is imparting its own flavour to the vape, but I do find it distinctly noticeable when switching from any other TC wire to NiFe48.
I tend to run all my atties with the same wire at any given time so I can transfer them between mods without worrying which settings I should be using, and when switching from all SS or Ti or NiFe30 to NiFe48, that's always the first thing that strikes me. That there is a change to the flavour. That it's a bit muddied. After a while this change is less of a stark contrast and I can get back to loving it for its amazing consistency of TC, but when I change to another wire type it is highlighted again. Have you found this at all? Incidentally, I also find I have to run it at higher temps relative to the other wires to get a similar vape. I don't know why that should bother me, but having to run at 500F and up just jars slightly when I generally vape in the 420-460F range. It's entirely possible I'm not building it optimally as yet and need to experiment further.

 

[Ment]

Not fussed about TC myself but might give it a whirl and see if it makes a difference to the flavour.

It definitely does, I use it now in wattage mode. Because you need around twice as much to achieve the same resistance as Kanthal, it means you can build huge great single coils and still keep the resistance low.

 

[NavahoJoe]

Do you use the same gauge that you'd use if it was kanthal?

 

[Ment]

Yes, so 12 wraps of 0.5 SS with 3.0mm id comes in at 0.6 ohms.

 

[Unclebilbo]

I don't use kanthal either anymore SS316l is just so clean tasting awesome stuff the 28/29g from stealth vape is brilliant for parallel coils.

 

[danb]

I wonder if you find though, as I do, that it mutes the flavour of juices to quite a significant extent relative to Ti, SS 316L and NiFe30? I can't even fathom how it would do this unless it is imparting its own flavour to the vape, but I do find it distinctly noticeable when switching from any other TC wire to NiFe48.

Can't say I've noticed this to be honest, but I haven't done any side-by-side tests. I will be testing this now though - I will switch back to NiFe30 for a week or two and see what happens.

I also find I have to run it at higher temps relative to the other wires to get a similar vape. I don't know why that should bother me, but having to run at 500F and up just jars slightly when I generally vape in the 420-460F range. It's entirely possible I'm not building it optimally as yet and need to experiment further.

Yes, this I have noticed. I suspect that the cause is that the advertised TCR (400) is a bit off, it's probably more like 440. I seem to be running it in the 220-240C (420-460F) range, but with NiFe30 I am usually in the 200-220C (390-430F) range.

After a bit of poking on the internet, I might get me one of these to test that theory...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jazooli-Ha...=1466236739&sr=1-5&keywords=temperature+probe

 

[vapellie]

Is that nife48 very thin like nife30? Been using ss316 pretty much exclusively but it feels like a gamble whether it's going to play nice in TC, and still not worked out what makes it happy to play nicely or not!

 

[danb]

Is that nife48 very thin like nife30?

In terms of TC precision, 26g NiFe48 is slightly less accurate than 28g NiFe30, but close. i.e. the higher accuracy of NiFe48 allows you to use thicker wire compared to NiFe30 and achieve the same level of stability.

 

[conanthewarrior]

I've come to really like Stainless steel as a building material. I tend to use SS316L mostly, as I have the most of this, although 317L also works well, but to me it feels softer to work with.

It is definitely not as accurate as TI, or NI200, but it works well enough to prevent dry hits occuring and TC that does work quite well.

Plus-I don't have to worry about forgetting what material is in what-I can just use it in wattage mode on devices that do not support SS, and use it in temp mode on the ones that do.

I feel it is the way forward, and SS TC will likely become more stable as time progresses. We will probably look back in a few years and think "Wow"-think how far we have come in the past 3 years, with the rise of the regulated mod and now temp control. What is next is anyones guess, but I can only see tech getting better.