Gennies... am I missing something?

[ConradM]

I picked up a RSST from the local B&M, and to be honest I'm not that impressed with it. Spent yesterday learning to wrap the coils. Using 32 ga Kanthal with (I think) 6 wraps came out to 1.9 ohms. Redid it this morning with 3 wraps of 32 and got it down to 1.3 ohms. Better, but the flavor of my black honey tobacco is no where near as good as on either my tank/carto, or my Aspire BDC Viva. Using wire rope with some ekowool on top under the coils. It hits kind of airy as I think the previous owner drilled the air hole out to 1/16+ I guess. Its a very airy hit. Am glad the guys let me have it for 20 bucks, so I dont feel I wasted too much cash on it. Bought it mainly to mess around with actually. Maybe its because I'm using it on an SVD at around 13 watts right now, but have tried different watts and voltages. I've got a mech mod coming so maybe it do better with it. Oh well.

Few things, these are just my observations from using the RSST for a few days... The draw isn't like a BCC or BDC clearo. It is more airy but I think that's how it's supposed to be, takes some getting used to. I find that when I vape my Aspires now it feels like I'm trying to suck a tennis ball through a garden hose. So maybe clearos just have a very tight draw?

The top cap on the RSST is big so it seems like a lot of people use air reducers in them. I wet a cotton ball and stuck in the top in the shape of a horse shoe. Flavor is much better that way although I didn't mind the flavor before.

Aside from oxidizing the wicks are you burning them with juice a few times before use?

I've made about 4 different coils for my RSST, 2 normal and 2 micro so far and in any configuration it blows my clearos away. Especially the vapor production and nicotine.

 

[Thrasher]

The top cap on the RSST is big so it seems like a lot of people use air reducers in them. I wet a cotton ball and stuck in the top in the shape of a horse shoe. Flavor is much better that way although I didn't mind the flavor before.

this is very true, as many of the genis considered better for flavor have very tight or reduced topcaps. and now it seems they are all starting to catch on.

 

[jhelliwell]

I had the same problem. I couldn't get round the hot top leg problem, and was constantly folding around with the coil spacing to get rid of hot spots and after 20 minutes of getting nowhere compromised at it being good enough despite the top wrap still glowing more than the others. The result was always a mediocre vape.

Then it all clicked into place, but this took a good 2 months of a learning curve. Now when I wrap a coil, there are no hot spots on the first test fire. I do all the right things, making sure there are no frayed ends of the mesh with a quick torching and a good creased fold, and getting the wire tension just so on the coil. Getting that wick as vertical as possible, not making the mistake of leaning it towards the positive post, doing a juice soak and burn on the wick. And when you find that sweet spot and it's absolutely perfect, and you prime the wick, fill the tank and take your first test vape, and have your 1.5 ohm coil gunning at just the right power setting, and produce the hugest cloud of saturated flavourful vapour ... And it's taken you AGES to get to this sweet spot, then you realise...

Genny's absolutely ROCK

And after a while your build consistency falls into place. And you love it.

Genny's are so much fun cause you have to work for it. Take the kayfun I mean you can wrap the poorest looking coil on the planet and the thing still gives the most amazing vape. With a genny at least you know you've achieved something.


Keep at it

 

[cramptholomew]

Last night I did a juice burn 3 times. I always crease the edge of the mesh, and I usually wrap the coil on the wick. I haven't tried doing a micro on a Genny yet, since I use mechs, and I fear that the resistance would be too high with the amount of wraps I'd need. Or, I'd need to reduce the diameter of the coil, which would make for a pretty thin wick. I *could* use a kick, I suppose, but I'd rather not. Am I over thinking this?

After last night's rebuild session I see some improvement. Almost no hot legs. Took about 30 seconds to work out the kinks. I suppose I'll try a micro with about 5 wraps on a 5/64" bit. Does that sound like a good idea?

 

[ConradM]

The nice thing about micros is no hot spots... From my experience so far. I just ran out and grabbed some 28 gauge and a cheap torch from walmart. This is my best micro yet @ 1.4 ohms and I've only been at this for 3 days. Vapes like a dream.

 

[ConradM]

Oh and that's 8 - 9 wraps on a 5/64th bit.

 

[Myk]

Then it all clicked into place, but this took a good 2 months of a learning curve. Now when I wrap a coil, there are no hot spots on the first test fire.

I was amazed. I didn't have a lot of trouble building but there was a lot of poking, even some burning through the mesh (especially with 500). This last time I made wicks I decided to use up my open 500. It was instant, almost no shorting/hot spots. I've dry burned them a few times and no burning through.
Twas the night before Christmas and I remembered I'd broke my coil and was working with a turn taken off. Not wanting to be stuck at Christmas with a broken coil I decided I'd better rebuild. Again it was instant.
Now it's a fairly new wick, a new coil. It works it's way into dropping Ω (less than before), a quick bump and it's fixed.

Last night I did a juice burn 3 times. I always crease the edge of the mesh, and I usually wrap the coil on the wick. I haven't tried doing a micro on a Genny yet, since I use mechs, and I fear that the resistance would be too high with the amount of wraps I'd need. Or, I'd need to reduce the diameter of the coil, which would make for a pretty thin wick. I *could* use a kick, I suppose, but I'd rather not. Am I over thinking this?

After last night's rebuild session I see some improvement. Almost no hot legs. Took about 30 seconds to work out the kinks. I suppose I'll try a micro with about 5 wraps on a 5/64" bit. Does that sound like a good idea?

I use VV and go for 2Ω but my voltage is usually low enough a mech could do it. That's just what I like.
2Ω with .5mm ribbon on a normal sized mesh wick almost requires the coils be touching. That is my version of "micro-like" on a gennie. You could easily knock a wrap or two off or adjust wire gauge to get lower Ω and still keep the tight spacing.

 

[cramptholomew]

I like my resistance to be between .8Ω and 1.0Ω. That seems like a hard thing to do on a genny, unless you're doing a 4/3 coiling on the wick. I just tried a 6 wrap micro (1/16") and it's a disaster. Came out to 1.14Ω, which is acceptable, but it's hot leg city. Even with a VERY oxidized 500 SS mesh wick (which isn't wicking vey well at the moment). Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Here's pics.

Edit: wow that looks ugly. I'm tremendously embarrassed.

 

[Equality 7-2521]

One of the issues with this atty is that the negative upright post is very far away from the wick, and may be giving you those hot legs. What I did was get a ss fender washer, and ground it down to a sort of pie wedge shape, the apex of the triangle sits on the post and the fat part of the wedge reaches out to the wick reducing the length of the negative leg, and get's rid of the hot leg issue.it ground down narrow on the backside so it will fit in the reduced chamber.

I like my resistance to be between .8Ω and 1.0Ω. That seems like a hard thing to do on a genny, unless you're doing a 4/3 coiling on the wick. I just tried a 6 wrap micro (1/16") and it's a disaster. Came out to 1.14Ω, which is acceptable, but it's hot leg city. Even with a VERY oxidized 500 SS mesh wick (which isn't wicking vey well at the moment). Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Here's pics. View attachment 288905 View attachment 288906

Edit: wow that looks ugly. I'm tremendously embarrassed.

 

[xyanide]

My painless solution to gennies was to leave all my screws out as I vape it and leave some ample wiggle room for the wick. This seemed to do the flavor good. What made it even better was using a microcoil and an insulating material like cotton or silica sleeve over my untorched SS wick.
Now I just do microcoils in my kayfun lite because I'm lazy like that, but I'll never forget those moments of joy I felt with my first steps into decent gennie builds.

 

[cramptholomew]

Finally, some flavor. Flat .8mm kanthal over some 500 mesh sleeved 1/16" cable. Tried this build before, but didn't have these results. "Things are getting better. Things are getting better everyday."

 

[Equality 7-2521]

sounds as if your hooked.....

Finally, some flavor. Flat .8mm kanthal over some 500 mesh sleeved 1/16" cable. Tried this build before, but didn't have these results. "Things are getting better. Things are getting better everyday."

 

[cramptholomew]

sounds as if your hooked.....

I'm hooked on trying to master these beasts. They propose a technical challenge. One that's not easily overcome without lots of finesse, and trial & error. Getting a Genny to work well is a craft.

 

[Equality 7-2521]

Yeah it is, and I think it's worth it

I'm hooked on trying to master these beasts. They propose a technical challenge. One that's not easily overcome without lots of finesse, and trial & error. Getting a Genny to work well is a craft.

 

[Myk]

Finally, some flavor. Flat .8mm kanthal over some 500 mesh sleeved 1/16" cable. Tried this build before, but didn't have these results. "Things are getting better. Things are getting better everyday."

Funny thing my first one was a mini-did clone that I built with ribbon and kept it that way but I didn't use it much.
When I went to AGA's I tried ribbon and didn't like it. I don't know how many round wire builds I went through but now all of mine are ribbon. I tried it with one flavor that wasn't working with round and it worked so good I swapped them all over.

There must be some unnoticeable learning curve thing going on.

 

[cramptholomew]

I think the ribbon is the key. Wick to wire surface area is much greater, and I *think* the ribbon actually heats up faster (I have no way of knowing if that's the case, but with the same amount of wraps of 28g vs. .8mm ribbon, the ribbon seems to glow faster). I've been chugging away on my Aga-T3 since last night. 2 tank fulls and it's just gotten better. YAY!!!

 

[Redlig]

I LOVE my aga t3 flavors great even the draw is great no drilling needed for me learning too about two or three weeks till I got Ss mesh pretty good not great but pretty good takes a while but flavor is great. Some juice I didn't like I even like now. I wicking issues no hot spots just Ahhh sweet vape. But I will say it is finiky with that top leg but practice makes perfect