A watt is a watt is a watt. Or not?

[OGNDY]

So I'm at the point now where I've amassed a few different devices (mods/batteries) and I'm playing around with different tanks, settings, tank/device combos and whatnot. I've noticed that the exact same tank with the exact same coil and juice tastes different (sometimes very different) depending on the mod. Say I have 3 different mods lined up set to the exact same wattage. Switching the tank between them, within seconds, gives a noticeably different vape; warmer, cooler, more flavorful etc. I find this odd because I thought a watt was a watt whether it came from a Vamo, a Sigelei or an iStick. The only explanation I can think of (and keep in mind I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed) is that the different devices not necessarily display the output accurately. I'm sure some of the veteran vapers here have noticed this and maybe have an explanation.

 

[Woofer]

Well an istick 20 watt is a not watt for sure.
You may also be notice PWM, I have no knowledge of the other mods you mention.

 

[Thrasher]

Watts are indeed watts but how you get to those watts is the difference.
Not all chips are efficient meaning you may not get what you set. Or they may not be able to hold the setting you ask for.

There is also the way the power is sent through the coil some use a steady pure current others use PWM or pulse width modulation simply put they pulse the power

Then there is vv versus vw but I'll leave that one to others lol

All of these differences can affect the Vape and the way it is perceived and produced.

 

[rogergendron1]

You know why ....

Because differsnt mods have differant batterys and differant circutry , and differant methods of delivering the power ....

For instance a mechanical relies on just the battery itself, so when you hit the button it fires at a spacific voltage depending on charge and wile fireing the voltage drops off and lowers and also depending on how many amps it has it may heat the coil fast or slow

Now a dna mod has a set wattage and it delivers hatever volts and ps it can within its limits to maintain that based on the resistance ,thus there is no voltage drop off.

Some of the older vv mods like the origional vamo fired a dc voltage at 333hurts and this produces a hissing sound as it fires the atty, i believe the provarie fires at 800 providing a smoother power delivery

There are custom mods that deliver constant voltage also with no variation in frequency

And some mods can switch between ( rms ) root mean square and pm... whatever mode and those two modes determain how the power is delivered ....

So yes a wat is a wat.... but when you say a certain mod delivers x wattage, do u mean in the instant the fire button is pressed and then it fades like a mech or x wattage rms during the duration of the button press or x = average wattage delivered over power arc during fire time or x wattage delivered via strait dc voltage with no drop off ???

Differant mods operate and deliver power differantly the term wattage or your wattage setting is just a basic guide to how mutch power you have it set to .... without more info its just a guide, this is why it feels differant between mods

The most noticable would be if you had a mech and a fresh charged 4.2 volt 30 amp battery fireing a 1 ohm coil and that same coil on a vaporshark or a hana mod fireing whatever volts it wants to match the initial wattage you calculate your getting from the mech. The mech will fire and heat the coil faster because its raw amperage from the battery but it will drop off in voltage during the press of the button, as the volts drop, the watts will lower as u puff .... with the dna style mods the chip detects the resistance and fires whatever volts it need to put out within reason to make the watts and maintain it however the power is limited by the circutry and it may not be able to deliver the raw power of the battery across the board, like a mech can via direct contact thus depending on your coil it may take longer to heat up

 

[OGNDY]

Interesting, and definitely a lot more complicated that I ever thought vaping would be. I appreciate all your explanations. I've seen mention of the DNA chip everywhere, but didn't (still don't) know what it was all about. I'm assuming it's the gold standard for vaping chips?

As an addendum to my initial post let me say that the iStick seems to deliver a way hotter/stronger/harsher/"cruder" (if that makes sense) vape at the same power setting as my other mods. This is true even if I dial it down; the vapor tastes (subjectively, of course) harsh, not pleasant, and this also holds true across all my attys. It's small, cute and inexpensive, but I can't say I like it much.

 

[Thrasher]

The dna came along and changed a lot of things,
the original VW device called the darwin set the industry upside down. It was the first time you could set a battery to a certain power and it stayed there, before that we had batteries that as they died the vapor died with it

The DNA chip is China's shining moment, the real one is made in America and it took china years to crack the coding.

Unless some things have changed many of the China versions dont act exactly the same way. In that way evolv has remained a top contender

Like many do not know the real dna constantly monitors the resistance and changes the voltage to match while early china versions just checked when you pressed the button set the voltage and didnt adjust.

 

[DavidOck]

Assuming an Istick 20, I'm not surprised. It's using mean voltage regulation and will run hot. Very hot at the lower end.

All the above, and one other. Calibration. Do you see a calibration sticker on ANY mod? Nope. So you can't use them as "benchmark" meters, just rough indication. Not knowing the tolerance limits of any, they could be + or - a decimal place easily. So 10 watts on one might be 9 on another and 11 on the third...

 

[edyle]

Interesting, and definitely a lot more complicated that I ever thought vaping would be. I appreciate all your explanations. I've seen mention of the DNA chip everywhere, but didn't (still don't) know what it was all about. I'm assuming it's the gold standard for vaping chips?

As an addendum to my initial post let me say that the iStick seems to deliver a way hotter/stronger/harsher/"cruder" (if that makes sense) vape at the same power setting as my other mods. This is true even if I dial it down; the vapor tastes (subjectively, of course) harsh, not pleasant, and this also holds true across all my attys. It's small, cute and inexpensive, but I can't say I like it much.

Yes this is a well known problem with the istick; it was made to be cheap;
it does not report the correct voltage or wattage because it uses a voltage MEAN value internally in it's calculations instead of the RMS value which is the practical number to use when calculating wattage on a modulated voltage.
It's still a good device for somebody on a tight budget.

 

[Thrasher]

Oh yea on a side note

There is a lot of technical stuff with vaping but it is not manditory to know, the cool part is it will only get as technical and involved as you want it too.

 

[OGNDY]

Oh yea on a side note

There is a lot of technical stuff with vaping but it is not manditory to know, the cool part is it will only get as technical and involved as you want it too.

I know, but I always like to have some basic understanding of why things are the way they are even if I'm not shooting for an engineering degree, so expect me to keep on asking. I watch a lot of YT videos, but nothing beats asking a direct, specific question and getting a direct, specific answer.

And once again, I really appreciate all the help you guys/gals give so freely. I, and I'm sure a lot of other beginners, would be lost, and possible give up, without this great resource that is ECF and its members.

 

[Thrasher]

We love helpin dood. Ask away,

i still read more then i answer and i have been through tons and tons of gear. Yet there is always some little tidbit to learn.

The thing that is cool is ECF is old now and there is literally tons of information hidden away here. As well as all the personal experiences.

 

[edyle]

I know, but I always like to have some basic understanding of why things are the way they are even if I'm not shooting for an engineering degree, so expect me to keep on asking. I watch a lot of YT videos, but nothing beats asking a direct, specific question and getting a direct, specific answer.

And once again, I really appreciate all the help you guys/gals give so freely. I, and I'm sure a lot of other beginners, would be lost, and possible give up, without this great resource that is ECF and its members.

here's phil busardo's review where he points out the voltage/wattage display issue on the istick

 

[daviedog]

A watt is a watt, no matter how it is generated. Sure there a variances due to manufacturing tolerances, state of battery charge, etc.
The real difference is your own perceptions of taste, which changes during the day. Your prejudices toward brands that may have been faulty. Your acceptance of opinions by 'Authority' figures, who might not be.

75 years of blind testing proves NO ONE can recognize their liquor, their cigarette without visual confirmation.

You have the right to indulge in brand loyalty. It's what makes Mercedes world go round. Or Marlborough. Or Provari. Or 'you fill in the blank'..