Provari + Kayfun Lite Plus (need some guidance)

[Reveen]

Hello all. Please forgive me if this is in the wrong section.

I've had my Provari for about 2 years now and just decided I was tired of cartomizers so I purchased a genuine kayfun Lite Plus. It arrived today and after a few "OP" error messages on the Provari, I got the coil to fire (28g, 8/9 wraps, 1.4ohms, organic cotton wick).

The first thing I notice is that it takes a good 1.5–2 seconds holding the button before the coil starts glowing and producing vapor. I have the Provari set to 3.7 volts and get an "E2" error if I try to go any higher than that. I'm used to vaping cartos at 6v on the Provari, and the kayfun feels about the same and produces the same amount of vapor. How can I get more kick from this setup? Do I need to go for a higher ohm build? The build is wicking perfectly, but I would like a little more heat and vapor if possible. Please forgive my ignorance, this is all new to me and I've struggled to find an answer.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Newportlocal]

This answer may get a lot of heat, but......
I currently have almost the exact same set up. 28 gauge kanthal, koh gen doh cotton,1.4 ohms on my Provari at 4.1 volts vaping great. However, Provaris can get really finicky and start throwing error messages. It appears the newer version the P3 has addressed this issue.
Due to the quirky nature of the older Provari versions. I bought a mech mod to dry fire my coils when building, and subsequently bought a DNA 30. I am glad I still have my Provari mini and it looks great and has its pluses. Anyway just letting you know it isn't the Kayfun if built properly. Just adding this entire story is when my change in vaping habits started after buying the exact same svoemesto. Congrats on the tank. It was a serious change in the quality of my vaping. I even have RDAs now, but my Kayfun is what I vape almost exclusively. Hope to try a Erlkonigin soon.

 

[Baditude]

Hi there. I use an authentic Kayfun Lite Plus on my Provari, too. Kayfun-style RBA's aren't exactly known to be cloud makers, more for being flavor machines. I like to call my KFL a cartotank on steroids.

Most people tend to run their Kayfuns between 1.3 - 2.0 ohms. The Provari probably won't fire a coil less than 1.2 ohm on a Kayfun. Taking a couple of seconds to heat up a 1.5 ohm coil is not unusual. Its good to hear that yours is wicking good, as wicking issues are usually a common issue with novices.

Using thinner wire (30 gauge) will allow the coils to heat up faster, but you'll end up using less wraps which reduces important surface area of the coil. If you haven't tried adjusting the airflow screw, this might increase the airflow and allow for a little more vapor. I actually removed mine altogether and to me its still a tight draw.

You might try experimenting with the coil height over the air hole. Moving it higher or lower should affect the vapor production some.

I often add a little vegetable glycerin (Vg) to my e-liquids for more vapor. Using a rebuildable atomizer often means needing to drop at least one level in nicotine concentration, so adding some Vg is a way to continue to use your current stock without noticing a significant flavor loss. You can find glycerin at Walmart or CVS Pharmacy for cheap.

 

[Reveen]

This answer may get a lot of heat, but......
I currently have almost the exact same set up. 28 gauge kanthal, koh gen doh cotton,1.4 ohms on my Provari at 4.1 volts vaping great. However, Provaris can get really finicky and start throwing error messages. It appears the newer version the P3 has addressed this issue.
Due to the quirky nature of the older Provari versions. I bought a mech mod to dry fire my coils when building, and subsequently bought a DNA 30. I am glad I still have my Provari mini and it looks great and has its pluses. Anyway just letting you know it isn't the Kayfun if built properly. Just adding this entire story is when my change in vaping habits started after buying the exact same svoemesto. Congrats on the tank. It was a serious change in the quality of my vaping. I even have RDAs now, but my Kayfun is what I vape almost exclusively. Hope to try a Erlkonigin soon.

Thanks for the reply! I actually have a mech mod coming in the mail, which I'm sure I'll love, right now just kinda wanted to "get to know" how RDA/RTAs work and building coils for a few days before jumping right into a mech. Super excited though, and I have a feeling that the Kayfun will definitely shine using the mech Good to hear you are enjoying your vape!

Hi there. I use an authentic Kayfun Lite Plus on my Provari, too. Kayfun-style RBA's aren't exactly known to be cloud makers, more for being flavor machines. I like to call my KFL a cartotank on steroids.

Most people tend to run their Kayfuns between 1.3 - 2.0 ohms. The Provari probably won't fire a coil less than 1.2 ohm on a Kayfun. Taking a couple of seconds to heat up a 1.5 ohm coil is not unusual. Its good to hear that yours is wicking good, as wicking issues are usually a common issue with novices.

Using thinner wire (30 gauge) will allow the coils to heat up faster, but you'll end up using less wraps which reduces important surface area of the coil. If you haven't tried adjusting the airflow screw, this might increase the airflow and allow for a little more vapor. I actually removed mine altogether and to me its still a tight draw.

You might try experimenting with the coil height over the air hole. Moving it higher or lower should affect the vapor production some.

I often add a little vegetable glycerin (Vg) to my e-liquids for more vapor. Using a rebuildable atomizer often means needing to drop at least one level in nicotine concentration, so adding some Vg is a way to continue to use your current stock without noticing a flavor loss. You can find glycerin at Walmart or CVS Pharmacy for cheap.

View attachment 364777 View attachment 364778

Oh man, don't even get me started on the flavor! Best tasting vape I've ever had!

I guess I'm just used to a little more "heat" an throat hit when vaping. I just lowered to 6mg juice today for the first time . . . maybe that has something to do with it not feeling quite the same as I'm used to.

I probably watched 2 hours worth of youtube videos showing Kayfun builds over the last week, so that was one part I was pretty well prepared for. It's a tight little micro coil with a nice fluffy (but not too dense) piece of cotton that wicks better than anything I've ever tried. It's vaping perfectly in that aspect. I'll mess with the coil height and the airflow a bit to see if I can get any different results, thanks for the tips!

Right now I'm using 80vg/20pg juice (which is pretty much what I usually vape, but it is a new flavor and less nic, so the juice might be effecting it as well.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Ozwald]

Try twisting some lower gauge kanthal for your build. I use twisted 32g. It acts more like 28 or 29, but you get more surface area & a quicker heat-up time. If you want to push max power out of a Provari, push the build up to 1.6 ohms - lower isn't more on an accurate regulated device like that. Other than that, upping the VG will help a bit.

At the end of the day, the KFL is built more for flavor than vapor production though. Good luck & happy building.

 

[Reveen]

Try twisting some lower gauge kanthal for your build. I use twisted 32g. It acts more like 28 or 29, but you get more surface area & a quicker heat-up time. If you want to push max power out of a Provari, push the build up to 1.6 ohms - lower isn't more on an accurate regulated device like that. Other than that, upping the VG will help a bit.

At the end of the day, the KFL is built more for flavor than vapor production though. Good luck & happy building.

Awesome, nice tips. I'll do a rebuild hopefully tomorrow and see if I can get the ohms up a little higher. I'm not necessarily looking for more vapor, just more throat hit I guess. It's not even really a big deal, I'm getting used to it already. I think the new juice I'm using doesn't pack as much of a punch as I'm used to either.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Ozwald]

No worries.

For throat hit on a KFL, simply raise the coil off the deck a bit more.

Lower will give you more flavor, but you have to be careful how low or you can create a siphon & a big leaky mess.

Higher will give you that throat hit you're looking for, but the flavor will be dialed back. Too high & it will start to get rather harsh. Take it in steps & I'm sure you'll find your happy place real easy.

I vary the height of my coils depending on the liquid I'm using - I have a sweet morning vape I keep really low & I have a semi-sweet NET that I like a little more punch out of, so I keep it a bit higher.

 

[Reveen]

No worries.

For throat hit on a KFL, simply raise the coil off the deck a bit more.

Lower will give you more flavor, but you have to be careful how low or you can create a siphon & a big leaky mess.

Higher will give you that throat hit you're looking for, but the flavor will be dialed back. Too high & it will start to get rather harsh. Take it in steps & I'm sure you'll find your happy place real easy.

I vary the height of my coils depending on the liquid I'm using - I have a sweet morning vape I keep really low & I have a semi-sweet NET that I like a little more punch out of, so I keep it a bit higher.

Tonight I think I'm going to mess around with some different builds (coil height, wraps, etc) and see what I discover. Unfortunately I only have 28g kanthal to work with right now... I might as well order some other sizes since it's so cheap anyway. What is NET?

 

[crxess]

Might I make the simple suggestion of building a 1.4 ohm 30ga. micro-coil.
I'm using this on all my Kayfuns since I use several kicks and 2 eVics.

Regulated Mods are a little sluggish in getting thick wire coils firing. However, the Kayfun works great even with thinner wire coils.

Best of luck with it!

 

[Reveen]

Might I make the simple suggestion of building a 1.4 ohm 30ga. micro-coil.
I'm using this on all my Kayfuns since I use several kicks and 2 eVics.

Regulated Mods are a little sluggish in getting thick wire coils firing. However, the Kayfun works great even with thinner wire coils.

Best of luck with it!

Sounds good! I'm going to order some 30g and 32g kanthal tonight so I can play around a bit more. My first build was 1.4ohm so hopefully I'll be able to replicate it with the thinner wire. I do have a feeling, however, that I'll be using my new mech as a main device over the Provari, as the mech will be more flexible and frankly, my Provari looks pretty beat up these days.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Ozwald]

Tonight I think I'm going to mess around with some different builds (coil height, wraps, etc) and see what I discover. Unfortunately I only have 28g kanthal to work with right now... I might as well order some other sizes since it's so cheap anyway. What is NET?

NET stands for Naturally Extracted Tobacco. Most of the tobacco flavored e-liquid on the market is made with a synthetic flavoring - which typically doesn't taste very good IMO & probably part of the reason people don't like tobacco e-liquids. NETs are made by soaking real tobacco leaves in PG or some other medium & using that as the flavoring. It's a completely different world from the synth tobaccos.

Sounds good! I'm going to order some 30g and 32g kanthal tonight so I can play around a bit more. My first build was 1.4ohm so hopefully I'll be able to replicate it with the thinner wire. I do have a feeling, however, that I'll be using my new mech as a main device over the Provari, as the mech will be more flexible and frankly, my Provari looks pretty beat up these days.

Thanks for the reply!

I have 3 Provari's & 2 Poldiacs. A well made mech certainly has some advantages over a regulated device, but a well made regulated device has some advantages over the mechs as well. It's hard to compare them - just like it'd be hard to compare the world's best dump truck to the world's best sports car, not a direct comparison but in the sense what are you going to use it for, what kind of features do you need & what are you willing to sacrifice for the situation at hand.

 

[classwife]

Thread is more about Kayfun Lite Plus
Moved to Rebuildable Atomizer Systems from APV Discussion

 

[heyilikethis]

oh man ive def had the provari give me some strange error while rebuilding, i tend to dry burn the coils at 3.3, i found most nething higher and i get error messages like e1 e2 e4 and even a damn e8, seems to be a common issue and if its not happening during normal operation(with wick and juice in the coil) it shouldnt be a problem, it does get finicky with rebuildables tho, also have found 1.5 to be the sweet spot and if flavor is not right or u try raising the coil about the height of the deck screws and see if that helps, finding the correct coil height for me was the last piece of the puzzle for me getting the kayfun to do what it should do, good luck!

 

[Reveen]

oh man ive def had the provari give me some strange error while rebuilding, i tend to dry burn the coils at 3.3, i found most nething higher and i get error messages like e1 e2 e4 and even a damn e8, seems to be a common issue and if its not happening during normal operation(with wick and juice in the coil) it shouldnt be a problem, it does get finicky with rebuildables tho, also have found 1.5 to be the sweet spot and if flavor is not right or u try raising the coil about the height of the deck screws and see if that helps, finding the correct coil height for me was the last piece of the puzzle for me getting the kayfun to do what it should do, good luck!

I've gotten OP, LO, E1, and E2 so far. Not that often, just when I try to bump the voltage up a notch. I've discovered that I can get a much bigger hit if I start pressing the button as I'm bringing it up to my mouth . . . gives the coil some extra time to heat up. I messed with the coil height a bit today while putting in a new juice, I could feel some subtle differences in heat.

Question about putting in a new juice: how much do you clean the atty? What parts are safe to clean? I washed everything in hot water except the part with the coil on it, that I just wiped up with a paper towel and did some dry burns. Do you guys clean everything up or just give it a all a quick rinse and put in your new wick? I love how easy it is to change flavors, my second cotton wick is working just as good as the first one I tried. Its amazing how little cotton you actually need for it to wick properly. Now I'm vaping some Nicoticket: Custard's Last Stand. Tastes delicious, but I think it will be even better after it steeps (just came in the mail today.)

Loving the Kayfun, really can't wait for my mech to arrive!

 

[Ozwald]

I'm a cleaning freak, so this is probably a bit more than the norm.

I completely disassemble each of mine roughly once per month. I pull the post, the insulators, remove all the o-rings from the connections, everything. I'll let them soak in some hot soapy water for a short bit & give everything the once over with a clean wash cloth as I'm pulling them out. I make sure the threads get some attention as well as the hole in the base where the post goes. The other thing I use is Keg Lube on all the rings to keep them in top notch shape & prevent them from drying out or cracking. It doesn't take much.

One major tip for whenever you do clean... reassemble & double check everything before you dump out the water. It's too easy to look over one of those tiny screws & send it down the drain if you're not careful.

 

[Newportlocal]

I just rinse everything off in hot water and set it on a paper towel. I do throw the wick away and my nest/donut of cotton when I am rinsing. Occasionally, I scrub the coil with a toothbrush lightly while I am running hot sink water. Dry everything off and do a a few dry burns and rewick. More often than not I just build a new coil since I already have it apart. I have never messed with my O-rings or done full tear downs. If I ever get a vacuum leak I will replace the offending O-ring. I do put a little extra effort wiping the inside and top of the chimney with paper towel. There is usually some residue in there.

 

[Knifemaker]

When I have a Juice that isn't hitting strong, I simply raise the ohm a bit. A 2.0 or 2.1 with 30 ga can be set in the Provari to be mild, or blow your head off hot and throat killer. Don't get hung up on low ohm. A bit higher in the provari, and raising the voltage will do the same, but heat the coil faster, and give very good results!

KnifeMaker