Sigelei 50 Watt VR2 and Subtank Mini Upgrade Opinions Needed

[SuperFuzz]

Hey all. Been awhile since I’ve posted but I still snoop daily. Happy to say that this month makes a year off the cigs!!

I’m hoping for some advice on a setup I’m considering upgrading to.

For awhile now, I’ve been rotating a nautilus mini between my provari mini 2.5 and an istick 20w. I find I still get a more consistent flavor and vape on the PV but the istick comes in handy when I’m out and about. Ultimately, I’m looking to enhance my vape experience and hope to get more flavor and more vape production. I typically vape 70VG/30PG 6mg nic juices

I’ve been thinking of moving on up to a kanger subtank mini (found on sale for $30) so I can begin to learn how to build coils, etc. in hopes of saving some extra $$$ on replacement coils down the road. I’m also considering upgrading to a Sigelei 50 Watt VR2 (found them on sale for $50) so I’ll have plenty power for the tank. However, I have no experience with the Sigelei’s, just see that they are a fairly popular box mod with the community and online reviews. Also found the Sigelei 150w on sale for $80 but feel it may be too much for my needs.

So here’s my questions to you fine folks:

- In your opinion, do you think this setup (subtank mini w/ Sigelei 50w VR2) would be a nice upgrade for me based on the price? I’d really like a good setup that I can use to begin learning how to build but also want a mod that is powerful enough so that I won’t feel like upgrading a few months down the road. I also like the fact that I can still use/buy premade coils.

- To build a good sub ohm coil, what supplies are necessary such as what gauge/brand wire, cotton types/brands, tools needed, etc. Keep in mind that I’ve watched a few videos on building coils for this tank but am a complete novice and would need to purchase all the supplies/tools.

- Also, what are the best/safest 18650 batteries to power the sigelei?

I realize that I could probably search for this information individually through this forum and various review videos but am hoping for some additional input/opinions as well. Plus, there's so much information available online it becomes overwhelming and confusing to a noob such as myself.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Tmg666]

I love my sigelei 100w. To be honest your better off going with the 150w if you can get it for 80$. Not much of a price difference and should you ever want to go above 50w you'll be able to. I like using my purple efests as its a regulated mod and don't need top of the line batteries for it.
As for the coil, you don't need subohm with the higher wattage mods, just crank up the watts and a 1.2 ohm coil will outperform a .5 or lower.
but if its what you want youll need a gauge of wire you like (i like using 26 or 28) but its really a preference thing. Youll need something to wrap the coil on (i use the fasttech screwdrivers as they make a good size coil, but you can buy drill bits or a coiljig) cotton from walgreens or cvs is fine for the organic stuff, or walmart for the cheaper bleached stuff). Then something to cut the wire(nailclippers work fine) and tweezers to keep the coil tight and make sure it heats up evenly. Aswell as a multimeter ,or a ohmreader to test the build.
i suggest flatop batteries though as they fit better vs button tops where kind of have to cram them in. (150 may be different)
lightningvapes is pretty good for wire, like 100ft for 5$ usually so can always get 2 gauges to see what you like.

 

[roxynoodle]

I have 4 Sigeleis, including one 50W. I've not had any problems with any of them. Honestly, I think they offer good quality for the price. I had some initial concerns about the switches on the 50W seeming chintzy, but so far so good. I would buy another.

I don't have a Subtank, but most folks like them a lot. I agree they seem like an excellent first rebuildable since you can also use and rewick the factory coils.

Buy a decent battery. The Samsung 25r's are great and also a good value.

 

[SuperFuzz]

I love my sigelei 100w. To be honest your better off going with the 150w if you can get it for 80$. Not much of a price difference and should you ever want to go above 50w you'll be able to. I like using my purple efests as its a regulated mod and don't need top of the line batteries for it.
As for the coil, you don't need subohm with the higher wattage mods, just crank up the watts and a 1.2 ohm coil will outperform a .5 or lower.
but if its what you want youll need a gauge of wire you like (i like using 26 or 28) but its really a preference thing. Youll need something to wrap the coil on (i use the fasttech screwdrivers as they make a good size coil, but you can buy drill bits or a coiljig) cotton from walgreens or cvs is fine for the organic stuff, or walmart for the cheaper bleached stuff). Then something to cut the wire(nailclippers work fine) and tweezers to keep the coil tight and make sure it heats up evenly. Aswell as a multimeter ,or a ohmreader to test the build.
i suggest flatop batteries though as they fit better vs button tops where kind of have to cram them in. (150 may be different)
lightningvapes is pretty good for wire, like 100ft for 5$ usually so can always get 2 gauges to see what you like.

The only disadvantages to the 150w from what I can tell is just the size. It's not easily pocketable and may not be a good size for when you're on the go. Thanks for the list of supplies. I wouldn't necessarily need an ohm meter though would I? Cant you test the coil directly using the mod?

I have 4 Sigeleis, including one 50W. I've not had any problems with any of them. Honestly, I think they offer good quality for the price. I had some initial concerns about the switches on the 50W seeming chintzy, but so far so good. I would buy another.

I don't have a Subtank, but most folks like them a lot. I agree they seem like an excellent first rebuildable since you can also use and rewick the factory coils.

Buy a decent battery. The Samsung 25r's are great and also a good value.

Which Sigelei do you prefer? One thing I dislike about the istick is mine has a fire button that rattles, it drives me nuts. With that being said, I may not want the 50w if it rattles. Would the 30w suffice for use with the subtank or would I definitely want more power than 30w? You're the third person now to recommend the samsung 25 r's so they must be solid batteries.

 

[Sir2fyablyNutz]

I have the Subtank Mini and love it. I got it just to learn if I wanted to grow into building coils (it's easy). But the versatility of the Subtank to buy the factory OCC coils if you don't like winding your own is great.

 

[SuperFuzz]

I have the Subtank Mini and love it. I got it just to learn if I wanted to grow into building coils (it's easy). But the versatility of the Subtank to buy the factory OCC coils if you don't like winding your own is great.

That's EXACTLY why I too am looking into getting the subtank. It's versatility intrigues me. What mod you running with your subtank?

 

[Sir2fyablyNutz]

That's EXACTLY why I too am looking into getting the subtank. It's versatility intrigues me. What mod you running with your subtank?

I use the iStick 50W (own 2 and they work great for me) and only run coils around the 1.2 ohm. I generally just fire at 18 watts, and haven't felt the need to go much more. I still use my Nautilus Mini's too.

 

[SuperFuzz]

I use the iStick 50W (own 2 and they work great for me) and only run coils around the 1.2 ohm. I generally just fire at 18 watts, and haven't felt the need to go much more. I still use my Nautilus Mini's too.

18 watts eh? Hmmm, makes me think maybe I should just grab that Sigelei 30w mini for $35... too many decisions!

 

[Sir2fyablyNutz]

I guess it depends on how far you think you may go with your vape. I bought the 50W mainly for the long lasting battery, but know it can handle pushing wattage to 30 and more if I desire. If I thought I was going to be pushing anywhere close to 30W I'd want at least a 50W unit, I don't believe in pushing electronics to their max, I want safety room and life of the product.

 

[themightyturtle]

I'm using a Subtank Mini with a Sigelei 30w right now. The STM thrives in the 20w to 25w range. More power is a nice option, but I don't believe it's right for the STM. A 50w, or even the 150w would need a different atty imho. I'm looking at the IPV4 for $80 for my next mod. 100w and temp control. That's affordable versatility.

 

[SuperFuzz]

I'm using a Subtank Mini with a Sigelei 30w right now. The STM thrives in the 20w to 25w range. More power is a nice option, but I don't believe it's right for the STM. A 50w, or even the 150w would need a different atty imho. I'm looking at the IPV4 for $80 for my next mod. 100w and temp control. That's affordable versatility.

Have you had any issues with the 510 threading on your sig 30w? Saw some video review comments where several people had issues. I do like the price on the 30w and the red with the STM would look pretty dang sweet

 

[Ohm Gnome]

If you think you may like a lot of vapor production I'd say get at least the 50 watt. If you decide you want to try dripping then I think new builders should build around 1.0 ohm with a single coil . 40 watts with that is nice. 30 watts is enough for the Subtank Mini but if you decide to get a newer tank down the road you likely will need more power. I wasted a LOT of money buying what I needed at the time instead of what I would need later. Besides just because you have 50 watts or more doesn't mean you have to use them but if you wind up needing them and don't have them then you gotten buy something else. That's my two pennies

 

[roxynoodle]

No button rattle on the Sig 50W, but then I don't shake them . I guess I like the 100W+ the best, but they are big mods.

 

[SuperFuzz]

If you think you may like a lot of vapor production I'd say get at least the 50 watt. If you decide you want to try dripping then I think new builders should build around 1.0 ohm with a single coil . 40 watts with that is nice. 30 watts is enough for the Subtank Mini but if you decide to get a newer tank down the road you likely will need more power. I wasted a LOT of money buying what I needed at the time instead of what I would need later. Besides just because you have 50 watts or more doesn't mean you have to use them but if you wind up needing them and don't have them then you gotten buy something else. That's my two pennies

True. I do want to get something that can serve me well for awhile so maybe the 50w is the way to go. It seems like every 2-3 months I'm buying another mod for an extra 10 watts. I'd rather spend my money on juice dangit, lol.

No button rattle on the Sig 50W, but then I don't shake them . I guess I like the 100W+ the best, but they are big mods.

Good to know, janky fire buttons drive me mad!! I thought about the 100w but it appears to still be priced around $100 and I found the 50w VR2 on sale for $50 which I thought was a decent price. Just wish it came in red and didn't have the swirl marks down the side. Guess I could always cover it. The 50w appears to be smaller than the 100w which may still make it easy to carry on the go.

 

[roxynoodle]

It is smaller. And it comes with a silicon sleeve so you don't need to wrap it.

 

[themightyturtle]

Have you had any issues with the 510 threading on your sig 30w? Saw some video review comments where several people had issues. I do like the price on the 30w and the red with the STM would look pretty dang sweet

No issues with the threads. I primarily use the STM but my Kayfun sees time on there as well.

 

[Tmg666]

The only disadvantages to the 150w from what I can tell is just the size. It's not easily pocketable and may not be a good size for when you're on the go. Thanks for the list of supplies. I wouldn't necessarily need an ohm meter though would I? Cant you test the coil directly using the mod?

I havnt held the 150 before but my 100w fits nicly in my pocket.
As for the ohm reader. The saftey nuts here will tell you yes you need one. But unless your going very subohm (like .3 or lower) the mod should suffice. If your at .6 or higher the mod works fine for a regulated device.

 

[Ohm Gnome]

I'm a hybrid. I'm half safety nut and half beer nut. And I'm sometimes salty lol

 

[dhood]

I have an iStick 50 and a Sigelei 30. I don't usually drive my Subtank above 20 watts so both work fine for me. I got the iStick 50 for battery life, not for power. I agree that the Sigelei 50 will probably satisfy your needs, but for just a bit more you can get so much more versatility. As far as threads on the Sigelei 30, I have 8 Kayfuns and two Subtanks. All but one screws down smoothly. I have no idea why the one won't and I don't try to push it. All of them are smooth on the iStick.

 

[SuperFuzz]

Well today I pulled the trigger. Traded my istick 20w to a subtank mini at a local shop and picked up some cotton and 28 awg kanthol. Also ordered the sigelei 50w VR2 and a couple samsung 25r batteries. When I got home, I just couldn't wait to try out the tank so figured I would juice her up with the 1.2ohm coil since my provari mini can read it up to 4.2 volts and give it a try. Needless to say, the vape production was crap, the flavor was crap, and the throat hit about knocked me down, lol. I tried a voltage range of 3 up to 4.2 and it was all terrible. A friend told me even though the provari mini can fire the tank with the 1.2ohm coil, it's just not the right device for it. He suggested I hold off until my sigelei arrives next week. Anyone else had a similar experience? Do you think using the higher powered sigelei with the tank will be a much better experience?

Also, I've watched a few videos about building coils. Will I need to invest in a butane handheld torch to heat the coils? I see them heating the coils up red hot after wrapping them. I recall them saying that the heat cleans any contaminants that may be on the wire. Is heating the coil necessary?