Alternates for XC-116?

[Borescoped]

Ok, I’m still new to vaping and this forum (just joined yesterday!). Been reading a lot and watching videos, and I’m ready to step up to RBA’s. I’m ordering up my RSST this Thursday, and was looking for info about wicks/wire ect. I plan on getting some mesh, some Ekowool and some SS wire rope/cable to try out. I also read about this stuff you all have talked about, called XC-116 (Nextel 312), and how only a handful of vendors carry it for sale to the vaping community. It’s been written than this stuff is the bomb, so I went and looked up who’s selling it and for how much.

I had a bit of sticker shock.

I said to myself….”Is there a cheaper alternative?”

So, I looked at that company many folks said they were trying to order from, that sells it in longer lengths (10+ ft at a time). They are picky who they sell to. OK. I see that folks wrote that it is not supposed to be exported outside the US, since it has USG applications.
That got me thinking… wait a second…. If that is the case… there must be a NSN for XC-116… and therefore a cross reference to possibly other stock numbers or part numbers… perhaps even other vendors of the same/similar materials! (admittedly, I also wanted to know if I could find it at work, see who uses it, and see if I could get a small piece of scrap to try out, to see if it would be worth spending the $7 a foot on).

I started running some searches for alternate vendors/manufacturers of the same or similar products to XC-116… but this is where I need everyone’s help (since ya’ll are WAY more experience with vaping and rebuildable materials than I am… and come from all sorts of backgrounds/training).

Here are a few links to some items that I found, and I wanted to know if folks could/would take a look at them, and figure out if they would be good substitutes for XC-116!

Federal Mogul – Thermojacket C:
http://www.federalmogul.com/digital...guages/English/Documents/BH_ThermoJacketC.pdf
ThermoJacket® C - Nextel braided sleeve with outstanding resistance to high temperatures; used as a long-term heat protection

Sunwell – Sunwell/Suntex CF103:
Ceramic Fiber Sleeve (sunwell Cf103) - Buy Ceramic Fiber Sleeve,Ceramic Fiber Sleeving,Ceramic Fiber Sleeving Product on Alibaba.com

Ningtex – NINGTEX CF101 (yarn), NINGTEX CF103
Ceramic Yarn | Insulatin Ceramic Fiber Yarn - China Manufacturer & Supplier
Ceramic Sleeve | Insulation Ceramic Fiber Sleeve - China Manufacturer & Supplier

Metaloffers.com – Ceramic Yarn
Ceramic Yarn Products from Jiangxi Aidmer Seal And Packing Co., Ltd.

Morgan Thermal Ceramics – KAOTEX 2200 and KAOTEX 2500
Kao-Tex Thermal Insulation Products | Textured Ceramic Fibres

Foundryservice.com – Nextel 312 (possibly a new vendor?)
Nextel 312 Woven Ceramic Fiber Fabrics (2300ºF+ Abrasion Resistant Fabrics) On Foundry Service & Supplies, Inc.

Lastly, a report regarding (and more importantly… LISTING) various materials tested for “Fire resistant and fragment penetration resistant blankets for protection of stored ammunition”
Page 2 for listing!
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA383514

So… all you folks out there…. Is any of this information helpful and/or useful in finding alternate materials for XC-116?

PS - If this has already been brought up, dissected and discussed ad nauseam and discredited... just chalk it up to me being a noob!

 

[darkzero]

Exactly the reason why I haven't tried the XC. I would like to & I'm not afraid to pay for quality stuff but imho XC is way overpriced. I'm using Ekowool & have been pretty happy with it. I hear it doesn't wick as well as Nextel but everything has their cons. I don't have an issue with wicking though. Way better than regular silica that I was using previously in many aspects.

 

[Statistic]

I've been using XC and Ekowool both. They perform VERY similarly. For me it's nearly a toss up with XC taking a slight lead, although considering the price gap I'll probably order more Ekowool first when I need to order again.

 

[Jeremy Evans]

The key when looking at other options is the fact that XC is lead free, lots of ceramics contain lead

 

[Borescoped]

Well, was hoping that some of these that I linked to might be able to get a little more thoroughly checked out for substitution for the XC.

 

[Borescoped]

The key when looking at other options is the fact that XC is lead free, lots of ceramics contain lead

Ya know... I didn't even think about that. Thanks for pointing that out, is why I asked for helps on that!

 

[Jeremy Evans]

Federal Mogul, is just reselling NEXTEL and so is the last one Foundry Service. The stuff from China I wouldn't want to try or even try to figure out what it's chemical make up is.

 

[Borescoped]

Dang... guess I'll stick to the original plan of Ekowool, kanthal A1 and 7x7 from that UK site. At least they can ship to my door, and I don't have to pick it up on base, LOL.

 

[Borescoped]

Oh, how about Morgan Thermal Ceramics KAOTEX 2200? Reseller also? Looks like it might be a little different.