Good morning! I have been trying to vape for weeks and I need help because I keep getting mixed info from the vape stores. I have an eleaf, nautilus mini, 1.6 ohm coil and have 70/30 juice, 65/35 juice and now 50/50 juice. I started with 70/30 6 mg nic and really enjoyed it but was burning through coils every other day, so I was told to go thinner and they gave me 65:35. Burnt through coils quick again, and was told by another store that the juice was too thick again and to do 50/50. My issue is, I have the 50/50 and it gives me the worst harsh throat hit and it is not enjoyable at all. I have went from 7 watts up to 12 watts, increasing and decreasing air flow and I still can’t get a good enjoyable vape. I loosened the base a little to see if that helped, I make sure my coils ar well saturated and I’m at a loss! I just want to quit smoking and enjoy vaping! Someone please help!!!!
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You may already know, vegetable glycerin or vg and propylene glycol or pg is what the 50 50 ratio is referring to. Pg is thin and has more throat hit or harshness and some people have reactions to it. Vg is thick, high vg juice is thicker and sometimes won't flow through wicking material well, so you get dry hits and coil goes out quicker.
Sometimes certain flavors of juice can be harsh on the throat or lungs also. I had a green tea dragonfruit flavor that was so harsh it was like vaping high nicotine ( i do 3mg ) and made my lungs constricted and I would cough from it...
Ideas.
I'd suggest trying the 1.8 nautilus bvc head,I've never been happy with the 1.6Ω heads, and be sure to thoroughly prime it before use.
Drip drops on top of the screen until wicking material is fully saturated. May take 5 drops or a dozen depending on size drops.
Then thread into base, fill tank, assemble base & tank together, let sit upright for a few minutes. Start off at a low power & gradually work your way up over at least the first half tank.
In my experience nautilus heads do not last long or wick well using dark or colored or overly flavored and especially overly sweetened liquids.
Some flavorings are much harsher than others, but, short head life & harsh TH using 6mg/ml nic sounds like a head priming issue or failure to wick due to goopy gunky liquids.
When new the nautilus is sensitive to over tightening the base to tank the bottom seal takes some breaking in. If over tightened causes inconsistent wicking. As long as the base seal it isn't leaking it is tight enough.
I use 50/50 in everything I vape with no issues, wife uses 40pg/60vg - 30pg/70vg with nautilus bvc heads no problems.
Both of us use clear non sweet liquids.
It could also be the nautilus just isn't the right delivery device for you.
Drip drops on top of the screen until wicking material is fully saturated. May take 5 drops or a dozen depending on size drops.
Then thread into base, fill tank, assemble base & tank together, let sit upright for a few minutes. Start off at a low power & gradually work your way up over at least the first half tank.
In my experience nautilus heads do not last long or wick well using dark or colored or overly flavored and especially overly sweetened liquids.
Some flavorings are much harsher than others, but, short head life & harsh TH using 6mg/ml nic sounds like a head priming issue or failure to wick due to goopy gunky liquids.
When new the nautilus is sensitive to over tightening the base to tank the bottom seal takes some breaking in. If over tightened causes inconsistent wicking. As long as the base seal it isn't leaking it is tight enough.
I use 50/50 in everything I vape with no issues, wife uses 40pg/60vg - 30pg/70vg with nautilus bvc heads no problems.
Both of us use clear non sweet liquids.
It could also be the nautilus just isn't the right delivery device for you.
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I have had issues with nautilus tanks in the past as well though Ive always gotten them to preform reasonably well with 50/50 juices. Some of the issue could be your inhale method, hard draws and direct lung inhales work well with the nautilus. I was also never able to use much more than about 8-10 watts without constant dry hits.
The harshness can be the result of any number of factors:
Smoking vs Vaping Differences
- Pg heavy flavors (50/50 ratio) would be harsh to me. I'm currently using 100% Vg flavors and there is rarely any harshness. I'm not using the Nautilus coils, so they may not vaporize Vg heavy flavors easily.
- Some flavor concentrates are just harsh; and some individuals may just be more sensitive than others to those flavor concentrates.
- Your vaping technique could be a factor. Vaping is different from smoking. Try a more "gentle", slower draw. Hold the vapor into your mouth to allow it to cool for a moment or two, then inhale into your lungs, or simply exhale through both your mouth and nose. You don't need to inhale vapor into your lungs to absorb the nicotine.
Smoking vs Vaping Differences
It makes me wonder if you have a PG sensitivity, getting harsh throat hit at that low power with 6 mg juice. Maybe I just have a high tolerance, but at 6 mg I feel basically no throat hit whatsoever, though I'll admit that the last time I vaped 6 mg it was out of a Juul pod and that isn't a device that gives you much vapor. But you did say that this problem started when you went to higher PG.
I've been using a Goby tank with a 1.6 ohm coil at 10-12 watts, so similar numbers to what you're using, but I haven't used a Nautilus so I'm sure there are differences. Again I'm a nic fiend so YMMV, but I comfortably vape mouth-to-lung 36 mg juice. If you're doing direct lung hits I suppose that could make a difference as well.
Maybe tighten up the airflow and try hitting it MTL. If that still gives you issues I don't really know what's going on. If it solves the problem you could either just keep vaping that way or maybe look for another tank (I was under the impression that the Nautilus was mainly used for MTL).
I've been using a Goby tank with a 1.6 ohm coil at 10-12 watts, so similar numbers to what you're using, but I haven't used a Nautilus so I'm sure there are differences. Again I'm a nic fiend so YMMV, but I comfortably vape mouth-to-lung 36 mg juice. If you're doing direct lung hits I suppose that could make a difference as well.
Maybe tighten up the airflow and try hitting it MTL. If that still gives you issues I don't really know what's going on. If it solves the problem you could either just keep vaping that way or maybe look for another tank (I was under the impression that the Nautilus was mainly used for MTL).
Have you tried the 0.7 coil? It might be able to handle slightly higher VG (if the harshness you are getting is from too much PG). The other thing you can do to thin your vape without adding harshness would be to add a bit of distilled water (you can use up to 10% but I'd probably experiment with a few drops in your tank first.)
I had to use max VG in a N2 tank starting out as I am PG sensitive, (although DW helped) and my coil life wasn't the greatest. I did things to make it work (continuing to inhale after I hit the fire button to ensure more constant wicking, etc.) but my coil life wasn't exactly what you'd call stellar.
I also ran with the air flow wide open. My favorite Nautilus coil happens to be the 1.6 but I'd say experiment with the others if you haven't you may have a different experience.
I wish you luck. The Nautilus coils don't have the most longevity of all time, but I am usually able to get more time out of them by reducing gunking factors (no overly sweet, dark, or gunky juices) although I also use them for the most part in non-nautilus tanks, where airflow and etc is a bit different.
I hope you meet with more success. Chain vaping is also something that can kill small, MTL tank coils off quickly unfortunately, as too much heat build up will really kind of push them. Now that I rotate setups, I find overall coil life in ALL my coils is better (and not only because I'm not vaping as much in one coil) so if you do have moments of chain vaping and don't have a backup setup yet, I might get one, so you can rotate them (having another setup in case something happens to yours is also a bonus).
The N2 was my quitting tank, and I still think it's a good tank, (my husband is using mine for dual use at the moment) but (in my humble opinion as always) the metal cage is great when it comes to drops but it can cause the tank to sort of heat up more as it can be a heat sink. (Again, just my opinion, but I did notice it, etc.).
Good luck most of all.
Anna
I had to use max VG in a N2 tank starting out as I am PG sensitive, (although DW helped) and my coil life wasn't the greatest. I did things to make it work (continuing to inhale after I hit the fire button to ensure more constant wicking, etc.) but my coil life wasn't exactly what you'd call stellar.
I also ran with the air flow wide open. My favorite Nautilus coil happens to be the 1.6 but I'd say experiment with the others if you haven't you may have a different experience.
I wish you luck. The Nautilus coils don't have the most longevity of all time, but I am usually able to get more time out of them by reducing gunking factors (no overly sweet, dark, or gunky juices) although I also use them for the most part in non-nautilus tanks, where airflow and etc is a bit different.
I hope you meet with more success. Chain vaping is also something that can kill small, MTL tank coils off quickly unfortunately, as too much heat build up will really kind of push them. Now that I rotate setups, I find overall coil life in ALL my coils is better (and not only because I'm not vaping as much in one coil) so if you do have moments of chain vaping and don't have a backup setup yet, I might get one, so you can rotate them (having another setup in case something happens to yours is also a bonus).
The N2 was my quitting tank, and I still think it's a good tank, (my husband is using mine for dual use at the moment) but (in my humble opinion as always) the metal cage is great when it comes to drops but it can cause the tank to sort of heat up more as it can be a heat sink. (Again, just my opinion, but I did notice it, etc.).
Good luck most of all.
Anna
Welcome and glad you joined.
The brand/type of nicotine along with percent of PG in the e liquid seems to be the two leading causes of harshness.
Harshness can be caused by many other factors, below is a ton of information, hopefully, supporting all the answers you have received and then some:
r/electronic_cigarette - Resistance is futile. Ohms are not king. Wattage is.
Why is My Ejuice Harsh? (Beginner DIY Ejuice Tips) – DIY OR DIE Vaping
Wattage vs. Flavor | E-Cigarette Forum
How many watts do you vape at?
How to adjust your base to reduce that peppery harsh Nicotine taste | E-Cigarette Forum
7 Easy Ways To Stop Your Coil From Burning - Ashtray BlogVape Tastes Burnt? Main Reasons and How to Avert That
Please do not give up, the amount of effort you invest in vaping will pay dividends to a happy healthy life.
Since you were happy with the 70/30 blend ...
+1 on using high vg and just thin it out slightly with a few drops of distilled water.
You could do as Anna suggests by putting a few drops directly in the tank or you can use a small 10 or 15 ml bottle. Fill it 3/4 of the way with your juice and add a few drops of distilled water and shake well. Then put that juice in a freshly coiled tank and try it.
Hopefully, you will see an immediate improvement in the coil life and still be very satisfied with the taste. You can always add more drops of distilled water so start off using only 1 or 2 drops. Less is better. You can also keep your wattage down as you had mentioned you preferred.
It also depends on the flavors you use. I've now "graduated" to mainly making my own coils and, because of the flavors that I use, my coils get gunked up very quickly and I change the coils every few days. Since I am making my own it is fast, easy and inexpensive.
When I was buying my own I was going through premade coils very quickly due to the juices I use.
You have to find what works for you. I'd rather go through more coils and the expenses associated if the vape was enjoyable to me and I could stop analogs. ymmv
After a while, you just sort of know if it's too thick. I use max VG and can have one flavor that is a great consistency and another that is not. I keep a 60ml of distilled water in a sterilized bottle with a dropper top on it and use as needed.
+1 on using high vg and just thin it out slightly with a few drops of distilled water.
You could do as Anna suggests by putting a few drops directly in the tank or you can use a small 10 or 15 ml bottle. Fill it 3/4 of the way with your juice and add a few drops of distilled water and shake well. Then put that juice in a freshly coiled tank and try it.
Hopefully, you will see an immediate improvement in the coil life and still be very satisfied with the taste. You can always add more drops of distilled water so start off using only 1 or 2 drops. Less is better. You can also keep your wattage down as you had mentioned you preferred.
It also depends on the flavors you use. I've now "graduated" to mainly making my own coils and, because of the flavors that I use, my coils get gunked up very quickly and I change the coils every few days. Since I am making my own it is fast, easy and inexpensive.
When I was buying my own I was going through premade coils very quickly due to the juices I use.
You have to find what works for you. I'd rather go through more coils and the expenses associated if the vape was enjoyable to me and I could stop analogs. ymmv
After a while, you just sort of know if it's too thick. I use max VG and can have one flavor that is a great consistency and another that is not. I keep a 60ml of distilled water in a sterilized bottle with a dropper top on it and use as needed.
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