26/28ga SS316L to 32ga

[m1ke]

I just wanted to share this experience I had with a Berserker Mini tank. I wanted to try a good MTL tank, so I got the Berserker.

I only had 26ga and 28ga SS wire. No matter how I tried wrapping a coil with those gauges, the vape wasn't satisfying. It was either too hot/harsh or the flavor was muted.

I ordered some 32ga 316L and made a 2mm contact coil with like 10 wraps. It's like 2 ohms.. and the quality of the vapor is so much better. It's not harsh at all and the flavor is excellent.

I just cant believe how much better it is. I knew the thinner wire would suit the Berserker better because of the small chamber and tight airflow, but I didn't expect it to be this good!

Has anyone else had a similar experience? or uses 32ga SS? I don't even see many people using 32ga SS for their coils.

 

[zoiDman]

After trying Many types of builds (and I mean Many!) I use 26ga SS almost Exclusively in my Single Coil BF RDA's. There just Isn't anything that I like Better.

But for my RTA's, which I mainly use when I'm on the go, my go-to build is either 30ga SS or 30ga NiChrome 80. They just Taste better than 26ga wire.

I have Tried 32ga. It's just Too Thin for me to Work with. And I Didn't see a Huge improvement in Flavor over 30ga.

So yeah... I can Understand where using a Thinner Wire can give Better Results.

 

[m1ke]

To clarify, the flavor didn't just increase. It changed and increased. I can taste the different flavors that make up the juice more. It's more clean.

 

[m1ke]

After trying Many types of builds (and I mean Many!) I use 26ga SS almost Exclusively in my Single Coil BF RDA's. There just Isn't anything that I like Better.

But for my RTA's, which I mainly use when I'm on the go, my go-to build is either 30ga SS or 30ga NiChrome 80. They just Taste better than 26ga wire.

I have Tried 32ga. It's just Too Thin for me to Work with. And I Didn't see a Huge improvement in Flavor over 30ga.

So yeah... I can Understand where using a Thinner Wire can give Better Results.

I was thinkin' of getting 30ga next. It may be what I settle with.

 

[My Batt Hurts]

I've been using 30ga SS316 or 304 in the few rebuildables I have (inc Berserker Mini) and always aim for >1.5 ohms (the higher the better, basically). I like it - you can close the airflow right down, lower the power and get a nice hit from it. Bonus: longer draws don't warm up very much.

 

[TrollDragon]

I run 28ga SS430 in my Berserker V1.5, it's about as small as I'll go with gauge. I use Rayon which has to be wicked tight in the coils and the 28ga is flimsy enough, I couldn't even imagine 32ga.

Use to run twisted 30ga Ni200 back in the early days of TC, single strand was just too soft even in with Tempered Ni200.

 

[Mordacai]

Hello @m1ke, 29AWG (0.28mm) SS316L is the thinnest I use. Otherwise it's like trying to work with soggy angel hair pasta.

Addendum.

Forgot to mention that I use TC with spaced coils.

 

[Mordacai]

True @zoiDman, if it doesn't work out so well with a single strand. You can always try 2 twisted together.

 

[TrollDragon]

I always filed a notch in the old Kayfun decks for better wire trapping.

 

[m1ke]

I run 28ga SS430 in my Berserker V1.5, it's about as small as I'll go with gauge. I use Rayon which has to be wicked tight in the coils and the 28ga is flimsy enough, I couldn't even imagine 32ga.

Use to run twisted 30ga Ni200 back in the early days of TC, single strand was just too soft even in with Tempered Ni200.

Yea, it's very thin, but I haven't had trouble working with it. Still, I'm gonna try 30 because 32 is damn thin and I was only looking to get a coil over an ohm.

 

[TrollDragon]

I still have a spool of 0.5mm x 0.1mm ribbon Kanthal kicking around, I should try a build in the Berserker with that when it's times to change the current coil.

 

[zoiDman]

I guess that as the wire gets thicker, the vape gets warmer. Beside that, there's not other reason I guess.

There is just a Lot of Stuff going on when you change Wire Gauge. The Biggest is due to that Pesky 2 on the R in the Area Formula of a Circle.

I find, that as a General Rule, I get a Warmer Vape when I use a Thinner Wire. I also get a Faster Ramp-Up/Ramp-Down time.

There is Tons of Threads here that go into the Minute Physical Details (and sometimes Sudo-Science) as to Why something should be as it is. Or why One should be Better than Another.

Something though are Best Shown by just taking the Nike approach. And Just Do It. I think Coilology is one of them.

LOL

 

[Jebbn]

Holy ...., someone else actually uses 32ga wire, heh.. What MTL tank do you use?

The search for a cooler vape but with reasonable vapour led me there. I do have some mtl rta's set up with 28ga but only the ones that are a bit more airy, almost rDL.
I also drilled out the airflow under the coil and on the ring of a berserker by .5mm each. Its a pretty cool vape at this stage. But I still DL 95% of the time, less heat, cooler vape similar watts. All my MTL rta's have experienced some airflow modifications in the pursuit of a cooler mtl vape.

 

[zoiDman]

I love 28ga ss316l, but I'm always looking to try new things - how much harder is it to work with 30ga or 32ga?

30ga Isn't that bad. It's Thin. But it Isn't that bad in SS. 32ga is where I Draw the line. It's just Too Thin for Me.

But wire is Cheap. So I would Try them Both.

 

[m1ke]

I love 28ga ss316l, but I'm always looking to try new things - how much harder is it to work with 30ga or 32ga?

It's hard to see sometimes, heh, and clipping it is strange. Maybe I need sharper clippers. Other than that, it's alright to work with.

I have some 28AWG (0.315mm) SS316L @AngeNZ, which is an unusual size. 7 spaced wraps gives some interesting results and reads around 0.7 ohms plus, but it does give a warmer more dense vapour.

And as far as I'm aware with 30-32AWG wire, it's better used for making contact coils. Due to how thin and flexible it can be.

Yea, I can agree with this. I just don't have the tools to make a proper contact coil.

30ga Isn't that bad. It's Thin. But it Isn't that bad in SS. 32ga is where I Draw the line. It's just Too Thin for Me.

But wire is Cheap. So I would Try them Both.

I ended up twisting 2 strands together. 5 2.5mm spaced wraps made a 0.7Ω coil and flavor and vapor are basically doubled. The heat isn't though, so it's really nice.

True @zoiDman, if it doesn't work out so well with a single strand. You can always try 2 twisted together.

That's what I ended up doin' and it's awesome. I recommend it to anyone who has 32ga SS and wants to try something.

 

[Zakillah]

30 and 32G parallel coils were my exclusive go-to for a very long time.

Advantages of thin wire compared to thick:
-Reduced mass at equal surface area which results in...
-Faster heating/cool down
-Cooler vape, as its more efficient. Heats more liquid instead of air, less power loss at the legs, more vapor production at the same power.
-Broader power range. The coils start producing vapor at lower power and still can be cranked up if they are big enough.

I build DTL atties with this also. 80 Watts on a dual 32G build; no problem. You just need an atty with a big build deck, at least 3,5mm diamater (better 4mm) and LOTS of wraps.

For a more mtl style, I think thinner wire is pretty much a no brainer. Of course it´ll work better.

 

[m1ke]

I haven't used 32ga wire since my Kanthal days. It works for decks that have a tight space between posts. My go to wire is 28ga SS316. I sometimes wind a 26ga SS coil and I haven't decided which is better. Both are similar.

So I wanted to try 26ga SS one more time and this is a good deal warmer than the twisted 32ga, but it's also puttin' out more flavor and it's pretty comfortable with with the largest air flow hole. And, it's not taking a very long time to ramp up either, so I don't know what I was doing before I started this thread. It's even more comfortable with the air flow ring removed, but the flavor isn't as great.

32ga is a little harder to get a snug wick through without deforming the coil, IMO. Rayon likes to be a little on the tight side because it shrinks slightly when juiced. Cotton is easier because it swells a little when wet, so you can insert a wick and expect it to grow a little inside the coil once it's wet with juice.

Yea, wicking is definitely a more delicate process using 32ga.

 

[zoiDman]

I was thinkin' of getting 30ga next. It may be what I settle with.

I would. In fact, I Can't think of a Reason not to?

 

[m1ke]

It's interesting that the flavour changed that much. Could it be that the coils were very different in size as i'm guessing that the 26 awg was a much bigger coil mass than the 32 awg?

Yea, the mass of the coil is very different. And, on steamengine, a 26ga build would have a ~35 mJ/K heat capacity. The build with the 32ga is 9 mJ/K, so.. and that would be two coils that have similar width from leg to leg.

 

[m1ke]

There is just a Lot of Stuff going on when you change Wire Gauge. The Biggest is due to that Pesky 2 on the R in the Area Formula of a Circle.

I find, that as a General Rule, I get a Warmer Vape when I use a Thinner Wire. I also get a Faster Ramp-Up/Ramp-Down time.

Well.. definitely faster heating and cooling.. I think the warmth of the vapor is more controlled by wattage and air flow, but what I've determined is this..

Thinner gauge wires put out quality vapor at lower temps, so they suit a tank like the Berserker better. I'm vapin' a 1.6Ω coil at 8.8 watts right now. It reminds me of a carto tank.

The 26ga build I had could put out quality vapor in the Berserker but at higher temps, which I found to be harsh.

Something though are Best Shown by just taking the Nike approach. And Just Do It. I think Coilology is one of them.
LOL

I think that's a great way to put it.