How Do I Use Variable Voltage?

[MsShona]

I picked up a Kangertech EMOW a couple of days ago. I've been vaping for about a month now, and I was using a hand-me-down Bulldog battery (900 mah) that was stripped and fell apart. I was also using the cheapie disposable CE4 clearos.

In the vape shop, the owner remarked that I would most likely be wasting a lot of money in the long run with disposable clearos (I order off of eBay, but about 25% end up being duds). He invited me to try some of the upgraded equipment, like the Eleaf iStick and the EMOW. I had my eye on the Vision Spinner II initially, but if I was going to buying an upgraded tank and charger, the EMOW (he was selling the kit for $45) kit was cheaper overall. Plus it was smaller.

I was drawn in primarily by the vastly improved performance of the EMOW (the iStick too, but I like the "pen style" so much more). Didn't have to suck as long to get a satisfying vape. The tank has the adjustable airflow too. That is pretty intuitive and works well. I like the tighter draw if I'm vaping at work with smoking co-workers and I only have 10 minutes; more airy draws when I'm at home vaping for 20 minutes or so.

But what I don't get is the variable voltage. The EMOW has three distinct voltage settings: 3.7v, 4.2v and 4.8v. I've cycled through all of them, and can't seem to determine a difference. I use 50/50 juices. I thought that perhaps it was a heat thing (lower voltage = cooler vape), but the EMOW gets pretty warm in general. I've gotten "warm" hits with just the 3.7v....depends more on how long I've been vaping then voltage it seems. I just don't get it.

I'll admit I haven't really tried mixing up voltages with various airflows consciously. Is there any rule to follow in regards to which airflow matched with a particular voltage results in a certain type of vape?

 

[Ryedan]

With a given atty resistance, the higher the voltage is the more power (watts) is applied in the atty (Ohm's law). That means more heat. Lowering atty resistance will also increase the power developed just like increasing the voltage does with a given resistance. Think of it like turning up the stove to boil water. Once the water is boiling the higher you set the element the faster the boil (more bubbles) but the temperature stays the same 212 deg F.

Changing the power will give you more or less vapor and also flavor. With regard to cooler and warmer vape, that depends more on air flow in the atty than power.

Having the ability to adjust voltage only between 3.7v, 4.2v and 4.8v will limit you in exploring this because you have big steps between voltage settings, but essentially if you increase voltage you should get more vapor and flavor until it tastes burnt. Once the vape becomes burnt you need to back off the volts and that will become the most voltage you can apply with hat setup.

 

[Trailz]

To keep it simple, if you're using a 1.5 ohm coil, start around 3.6V and work your way up until you find your "sweet spot". If using a 1.8 ohm coil, you'd start around 3.9V and go from there. If you get a burnt taste, dial it down a bit.

Different flavors taste better at different voltages. The reason you change your voltage ranges with different coils is that it takes more voltage to heat up a 1.8 ohm coil because it has higher resistance. For 1.5 ohm coils, I like to be around 3.8-3.9V and 4.1-4.2 for the 1.8 ohm coils.

Difference between the coil resistances:

1.5 ohm - lower resistance, heats up faster, hotter vape, more vapor and flavor
1.8 ohm - higher resistance, heats up slower, cooler vape, possibly less flavor

The coil resistance you choose is based totally on personal preference, I like the lower resistance coils because they produce a better throat hit.

My rule of thumb regarding the airflow: increase the airflow as you increase the voltage for cooling purposes. If you're at a high voltage with low ariflow the juice may burn. Play around with it and you'll find your preferred settings.

Congrats on your new setup. I have an EMOW as well and it vapes well.

 

[ElConquistador]

There's an old power chart floating around that might give you an idea of what kind of power you're vaping at with different voltages and coil resistance. I'm attaching a customized version, created just for you and your EMOW, that shows what your power would be on your battery at different settings on the battery. Supposedly, green is good and red could burn the coil, but these days it's not exactly the case.

I personally like somewhere in the 7-10 watt range on most juices, some higher, some lower, but it'll give you an idea where to start.

 

[MsShona]

Awesome pointers! Yeah I forgot to mention that the included coil is 1.5 ohms

 

[MsShona]

I personally like somewhere in the 7-10 watt range on most juices, some higher, some lower, but it'll give you an idea where to start.

Yeah one thing that confused me is that the sales guy said he liked the iStick because it vapes in watts, not volts. I have my associate's degree in electronics, so I know that watts is simply volts x amps; so simply a function of voltage. So I'm not sure what he meant by that...

 

[Trailz]

With variable voltage, you control the input. As the battery drains and the resistance of the coil changes, you need to increase the voltage to keep the same vape.

With a variable wattage device, you control the power output. As the battery drains and the coil resistance changes, the device compensates to keep the same output and thus you don't have to adjust the settings to compensate for these factors.

The voltage values on that chart seem high, I'd fry a coil if I vaped at those voltages. I tend to vape between 8-10W.

If you end up going with a VW device, aim for 30W or higher should you decide to upgrade to a sub ohm tank like the Atlantis.

While the iStick is very popular, I sold mine because I vape 18mg juice and it was too harsh of a vape. It uses mean as opposed to RMS for power regulation and thus if you vape at 9W on a RMS device, you'd need to bring it down to 6.5-7 on the iStick. Eleaf will get it right with the iStick 2.

 

[jambi]

Bought the EMOW kit for my mother, a very casual, 0 nic vaper. I like the tank, particularly the airflow control. Much more refined than the Aerotank.

But the battery is another story. It isn't really 'variable voltage' in the strictest sense of the term. Instead, it has three distinct settings, as you mentioned. Using the 1.5 coils included in the kit, my mother also doesn't notice much difference, other than slightly more vapor at the highest setting.

Explanations like 1.5 ohms + 4.2 v = 'this or that vape experience' are essentially theoretical and thus probably aren't going to help you much since you only have the EMOW to experiment with. Remember, the EMOW is designed to provide an acceptable vape without exceeding the performance potential of the Kanger coils. In other words, it's a highly regulated, conservative setup. Impossible to experientially answer your question within its limits.

What I would do is fill your MOW with your favorite liquid, take it back to the vape shop, screw it onto the Istick, start at the lowest wattage setting and gradually increase the power so you can experience it for yourself. The Istick gives you 20 watts to play with. If I know my Kanger coils, that's around 6 watts more than you'll ever want to fire them at, but try for yourself, then come back and post your results.

Have fun!

 

[jambi]

Yeah one thing that confused me is that the sales guy said he liked the iStick because it vapes in watts, not volts. I have my associate's degree in electronics, so I know that watts is simply volts x amps; so simply a function of voltage. So I'm not sure what he meant by that...

He probably meant that he understands vaping in terms of power (watts), as opposed to "something x something = electronics degree. Totally jesting! Have fun!

 

[Trailz]

Another reason I sold the iStick is because with my Kanger coils, even at the lowest wattage, I was getting a burnt taste on a draw longer than 3 seconds.

You say the wattage/voltage settings I mentioned are theoretical. Incorrect, it's quantitative and what works for me. It's also in the range specified by the coil manufacturer. You don't want to turn a 1.5 ohm Kanger coil up to 4.8V.

 

[jambi]

You say the wattage/voltage settings I mentioned are theoretical. Incorrect, it's quantitative and what works for me. It's also in the range specified by the coil manufacturer. You don't want to turn a 1.5 ohm Kanger coil up to 4.8V.

I wasn't responding to anything you said, but true, the part in bold. Perhaps I chose the wrong word. I used 'theoretical' simply because equations are equations. The charts are fine as general guidelines, but there's a lot of variance with the actual equipment. Example: I've got '1.5' Kanger coils that read 1.4, 1.6, 1.7 on my ohm meter straight out of the box.

Also, I don't know the math and haven't got the equipment or know-how to test mine, but I've heard that the most the EMOW batt is capable of delivering at any resistance/volt setting is 9.5 watts before the protection circuitry kicks in.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but that seems low to me. I mean, right now I'm vaping the MOW tank with a broken-in 1.5 coil (that actually reads 1.5) on an SVD at 13 watts and it's performing very adequately. Not in the same league as my Kay/Taifuns, but it's meeting my expectations based on what it is. It appears that 13.5 - 14 watts starts to push these coils into burnt taste territory, I think because they just can't wick fast enough, but I've run them at (my current equipment limit of) 15 watts and haven't destroyed one yet. I don't know what that is in volts, and honestly don't understand why I'd need to know. Feel free to enlighten me...SVD at 15 watts, Sony VTC 4, 1.5 coil, how do I convert that to 'volts', and why should I do so?

Ultimately, my point is that the EMOW is a reliable, solid device, but the OP's question exceeds its limitations. She shouldn't regret buying it, but should definitely explore higher ground if so inclined.

 

[Trailz]

Agreed, the EMOW is a great little tank. And the most common piece of advice I see is start low, work your way up and stop when you find your sweet spot. It does all come down to personal preference I've noticed that with some of my juice when I move up to 10.5W it starts to turn brown. Thanks for sharing that you've pushed your coils that high, I'm going to see how far I can push the 1.8 coils in the Aerotank V2 on the IPV 2S Do you have the airflow setting wide open at that wattage and how long are your draws?

 

[jambi]

I take 4-5 second draws at almost wide open airflow.

 

[TorontoOntario]

Edit: sorry wrong thread

 

[AttyPops]

Yeah one thing that confused me is that the sales guy said he liked the iStick because it vapes in watts, not volts. I have my associate's degree in electronics, so I know that watts is simply volts x amps; so simply a function of voltage. So I'm not sure what he meant by that...

Just for clarification....

You're correct about the formula (although that's not the formula the device uses). However, the confusion comes in because the sales guy didn't explain.

With VW devices, you set the desired wattage. The device "reads" the ohms of the coil, and selects the voltage automatically to achieve the desired wattage. This is also why most VW devices will have an option to display coil ohms. It has to know that anyway, and may as well tell you the result on command.

Interestingly, there's various methods for achieving the desired wattage...due to PWM voltage regulation from the device. Some use a simpler calc than others. So it's debatable as to results from device to device (AVG vs RMS). But regardless, it's all personal preference...you adjust it to get the results you want.

Bottom line is that the VW stuff will auto-adjust based on coil-ohms. Nice as it changes with use, and/or you switch similar toppers (like swapping flavors). Of course, if you switch to very different toppers with different characteristics, you may have to adjust the desired wattage anyway.

To me, VW is a "nice to have but mostly meh" thing. I don't even have a readout for voltage on my simple box mod...just a dial. Start low and adjust till it works. Easy.

 

[MsShona]

Just for clarification....

You're correct about the formula (although that's not the formula the device uses). However, the confusion comes in because the sales guy didn't explain.

With VW devices, you set the desired wattage. The device "reads" the ohms of the coil, and selects the voltage automatically to achieve the desired wattage. This is also why most VW devices will have an option to display coil ohms. It has to know that anyway, and may as well tell you the result on command.

Interestingly, there's various methods for achieving the desired wattage...due to PWM voltage regulation from the device. Some use a simpler calc than others. So it's debatable as to results from device to device (AVG vs RMS). But regardless, it's all personal preference...you adjust it to get the results you want.

Bottom line is that the VW stuff will auto-adjust based on coil-ohms. Nice as it changes with use, and/or you switch similar toppers (like swapping flavors). Of course, if you switch to very different toppers with different characteristics, you may have to adjust the desired wattage anyway.

Ah, I got it now! Thanks so much for the explanation.