Anyone use Samsung 25r 18650 button top? Silica?

[lKeithStone]

I was wondering how well these fit in the Reo? I'm still waiting on my Reo to get here.

Also, is it recommended for Reo Noobs to use Silica wick over cotton? I keep seeing it mentioned, and all I have is cotton. I'm wondering if I should order some silica?

Thanks!

 

[Fishcakes]

Dunno anything about the batteries, i only use aw imr 1600. but ive only used cotton. Got some organic cotton from whole foods, and some koga from rtd vapor. Both work, but the kogas MUCH better. Its up to you, if youre comfortable with cotton, stick with

 

[ancient puffer]

I only use silica, but that's mostly due to laziness. I change my coil/wick about once every 2-3 months. Besides, I kept burning the cotton, so this way, I'm "fire proof"

Some folks can taste a difference between silica and cotton, I can't really see much difference, except the silica can be dry burned occasionally.

 

[Neolithium]

My Reo is in the mail, however a wick is a wick is a wick IMO. All personal preference. I used organic cotton on many builds without issues, I found Rayon though thanks to a few people on here and have been using that as my new favourite. Seems to wick better, plus $13 for a lifetime supply for me and any friends who might need wicks? Can't argue with that. I may still try KGD just cause I found a local place that has it, but then I'd also be stuck with 500ft of rayon LOL.

 

[Mrs C]

Dunno about a 25r button top but the 25r flat tops work nicely.
I used regular cotton for several months and switched over to KGD about a month ago.

 

[ed101z]

The Reo Grand was designed specifically for 18650 Button Top. Robert recommends that type, and recommends AW 18650 from RTDVapor.com. You get batteries that are brand new; not been used; and have passed maximum charge tests.

Getting batteries from a vape store leads to problems. It's best to not trust them. You may get batteries that are knock-offs, and have used by the guys in the store to show customers vaping gear. By the time it reaches you... who knows how longs it's been used? You may get lots of voltage drops.

 

[RGLP4Lyfe]

The Reo Grand was designed specifically for 18650 Button Top. Robert recommends that type, and recommends AW 18650 from RTDVapor.com. You get batteries that are brand new; not been used; and have passed maximum charge tests.

Getting batteries from a vape store leads to problems. It's best to not trust them. You may get batteries that are knock-offs, and have used by the guys in the store to show customers vaping gear. By the time it reaches you... who knows how longs it's been used? You may get lots of voltage drops.

Well said, very well said. I don't need to post anything, other than, read the post above!
-Mark

 

[havok333]

I'm curious, where did you get the button top Samsung 25R batteries from?

 

[lKeithStone]

I'm curious, where did you get the button top Samsung 25R batteries from?

I got the batteries from Lightning Vapes - each came sealed in a thin layer of plastic (it was a pain to take off). They also had a white ring of cardboard with a sticky layer underneath that went around the button top that also had to be taken off. These definitely look legit.

The reason why I asked about the batteries is... I have a stringray clone and these batteries are having trouble fitting. They are a bit long with the button top for that mod. They work as long as I unscrew my Lemo a little bit. I wanted to make sure they work with the Reo, otherwise I will order some more, but with a flat top.

As for the cotton or silica. I ordered some KGD a while ago (should be here on Friday). I will just stick with the KGD for now. I was a little fearful of burning up crap loads of cotton because I'm not used to squanking.

Thanks!

 

[havok333]

I got the batteries from Lightning Vapes - each came sealed in a thin layer of plastic (it was a pain to take off). They also had a white ring of cardboard with a sticky layer underneath that went around the button top that also had to be taken off. These definitely look legit.

The reason why I asked about the batteries is... I have a stringray clone and these batteries are having trouble fitting. They are a bit long with the button top for that mod. They work as long as I unscrew my Lemo a little bit. I wanted to make sure they work with the Reo, otherwise I will order some more, but with a flat top.

As for the cotton or silica. I ordered some KGD a while ago (should be here on Friday). I will just stick with the KGD for now. I was a little fearful of burning up crap loads of cotton because I'm not used to squanking.

Thanks!

I would expect the button top Samsungs would just created a shorter throw to fire the REO. Might help out with arching a bit too, so I'll be interested to know how they work when your REO comes in.

As for wicking, I use japanese cotton all day everyday. You won't need to use very much cotton at all. Probably the best way to get used to the squonk action is just leave the top cap off your RDA and watch how the juice flows when you mash the bottle. I do a test squonk every time I screw a RDA on, or fill the bottle. Heavier VG juice will require you mash and hold for a few seconds but once you see how your juice of choice and RDA work together, squonking becomes second nature pretty fast.
[emoji4]

 

[Mrs C]

There is room in a Reo to tuck a bit of cotton for spare wicks by the cap of the juice bottle. With that and a nail clipper you can easily fix a toasted wick on the go while you learn the art of the squonk.

 

[Rmcgloth]

My only concern with the button tops is if the spring is compressed too much, it cannot collapse properly in the event of a hard short. I have purple efests that are marginally too long, so I only use them after I am sure a particular build is safe. Japanese cotton is the bomb, and so is ready x wick, if you fear burning.

 

[Fuzzy Bruce]

Congrats!!

Wicking is a personal preference. I have used them all and prefer KGD pads with the outside "skins" removed.

I do use a 25R button top as part of my current battery rotation of eight, along with Orbtronic SX 30's and even LG HE2's. I like the button tops only because of the shorter throw but the flatties work fine, too.

Three Reo Grands and always have at least one loaded with juice and fresh battery for a quick get away.

 

[lKeithStone]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'm sure I will get the hang of squonking. I like the idea of keeping extra wick by the bottle.

I'm going to wait until I get my Reo before I order new batteries. I will take a few pictures, and get everyone's opinion on the battery size. I'm hoping they don't compress the spring too much!

 

[lKeithStone]

Congrats!!

Wicking is a personal preference. I have used them all and prefer KGD pads with the outside "skins" removed.

I do use a 25R button top as part of my current battery rotation of eight, along with Orbtronic SX 30's and even LG HE2's. I like the button tops only because of the shorter throw but the flatties work fine, too.

Three Reo Grands and always have at least one loaded with juice and fresh battery for a quick get away.

Awesome! I would like a shorter throw as well. Do you notice your 25R's compressing the spring too much?

 

[Fuzzy Bruce]

As far as I can tell, the button portion of the battery fits into the cutout of the Delrin cover and does not have an effect on battery/spring compression. Just guessing, but that may be the reason for the cutout.

 

[olefolks]

I have the Samsung 25R 18650 3.7v 2500mah flat top in my rotation and find that they perform very well. I have not had any connection problems. Wick wise, I use RxW almost exclusively in my Reos. If I try a new coil, then I will wick with KGD to see if I like the coil. If its a keeper, then, RxW goes in the coil.

 

[TheBikeGuy]

I use Samsung 25R flat tops in my Grand. They work fine. If you have a button cover the contact may not reach a flat top. I had to pull the button cover off and stick a spacer in it to give it more reach. The button tops would be better because of the shorter throw. I haven't had the 25Rs very long and I am too cheap to buy more.

I've always liked cotton best, but I've been using silica since I got my Grand. I was told it's easier to use it while you're getting used to squonking. Cotton should be fine if you keep an eye on it. If you do burn it, it's easy to replace. I already had a roll of silica that wasn't getting used, so I figured, "why not?"

 

[K31Scout]

I use the Samsung 25r ($6.00 from illumn.com) flat tops that are 64.85mm and the button top are 66.85mm. Either will work great. The AW IMR 1600 is 65.9mm in length which is right in the middle. You'll need a very sensitive thumb to tell the diffence in throw. I tend to mash what ever I have in there.

I use Rayon so I can't help with silica but I have some I might give it a try. I like the Rayon because I can rewick without recoiling. I think with silica I'd need to wrap the coil around the wick rope.

 

[TheBikeGuy]

I use the Samsung 25r ($6.00 from Illumin.com) flat tops that are 64.85mm and the button top are 66.85mm. Either will work great. The AW IMR 1600 is 65.9mm in length which is right in the middle. You'll need a very sensitive thumb to tell the diffence in throw. I tend to mash what ever I have in there.

I use Rayon so I can't help with silica but I have some I might give it a try. I like the Rayon because I can rewick without recoiling. I think with silica I'd need to wrap the coil around the wick rope.

I don't recoil just to re-wick with silica. I wrap my coils around a 14 gauge blunt tip Luer lock needle then feed a 2mm silica wick into it. It's kind of a pain, but it will go. It fits a little loose, so I pull the wick through the coil and rough it up a little so it thicker then I pull it back into the coil. It fits good then. Silica doesn't expand as much as cotton from being loaded up with juice so it needs to fit a little better. You can get a lot of miles out of a silica wick because you can dry burn the crap out of it.