Hello and welcome to the forum
@Treks. Glad to have you here!
I've set it to 35 watts as any higher is causing my throat to burn. Think this is due to me not understanding sub ohm devices and ordering 18mg juices!
think I'll drop down to 6mg!
18 mg is very high for subΩ coils.
- High PG also contributes to throat hit.
- Not priming a coil well (and/or running at too high a wattage) will give very harsh/dry/burnt hits
Nicotine
A "general guideline" for nicotine concentration in e-liquid to the number of cigarettes smoked per day. If you are subohming (resistance under 1.0Ω) cut these nicotine levels by at least 50%.
06 mg = 10 cigarettes or less
12 mg = 20 cigarettes
18 mg = 30 cigarettes
24 mg = 40 cigarettes
eLiquid/Juice
PG = Propylene Glycol - the "flavor carrier" of e-liquid. A secondary source of "throat hit", but not as strong as the nicotine concentration. Some people have a sensitivity or even an allergy to PG. It's very thin.
VG = Vegetable Glycerin - the "vapor maker" of e-liquid. Used as a sweeter in many food sources, and also as a skin emollient. It's very thick. Often labeled just "Glycerine"
PG and VG are often used together in different ratios in e-liquid. For example, a 50/50 PG/VG ratio. Many juice vendors offer a range of different ratios as far as PG/VG.
Priming a Coil
All cotton coils have to be primed well with juice. If they are not primed well the cotton will burn. Once the cotton is burned the burned taste doesn't go away.
To prime the coil, drop 5-8 drops of juice right inside the coil (sometimes less/more depending on the size of the coil head), another drop of juice in all the holes on the side of the coil. I watch the cotton absorb the e-liquid and when it can't hold any more, I put the coil in the base.
- If Bottom Filling - Fill the tank and then screw the base back onto the tank.
- If Top Filling (some tanks are top filled) - Screw the tank on the base and then top fill it.
Once you put the tank on the battery give it several unpowered primer puffs. This will make sure the wick is fully saturated.
Rule of Thumb
The rule of thumb for EVERY vape device you'll ever own is the same (when running in power or wattage/voltage mode). Turn your voltage/wattage down, take a few hits, bump it up, couple more hits. Repeat until you find your "sweet spot". If it starts to taste funny, gets too hot or tastes burnt, back it down. Different flavors will have different sweet spots so you just have to experiment.
The sweet spot is somewhere between the "vape is cool but not too cool" or "warm but not too warm". I like my fruits vapes cooler and my desert vapes warmer. Everyone has their own preferences.
I'm really want to understand how to build my own coils but don't seem to understand the ohms bit .5 .6 1 etc is this based on the wire or how you wrap the wire? Any tutorial links would greatly be appreciated.
The resistance of a coil depends on many things
- wire material (i.e. kanthal, nichrome, nickel, titanium, stainless steel)
- wire profile (i.e. round, parallel/twisted, ribbon)
- diameter of wire (i.e. gauge)
- setup (i.e. # coils)
- inner diameter of coil (diameter of tool you use to wrap your wire around)
Look at a coiling calculator. Enter the resistance you want and then play with all the variables.
In general (when using a mod in wattage/voltage mode).
Lower Ohm Coils Will:
- Heat The Coil Faster
- Produce More Vapor
- Drain The Battery Faster
- Use E-Juice Faster
- Produce A Warmer Tasting Vape
Higher Ohm Coils Will:
- Heat The Coil Slower, Which Will Produce “Less” Vapor
- Provide A “Cooler” Tasting Vape
- Use Less E-Juice
- Prolong Battery Life
_____
If you are interested in learning more about e-cigarettes (and all the parts and pieces) below are some blog posts by
ECF member
@Baditude that I highly recommend for someone new to vaping.
