@Aesthete Great, thank you, that's a lot more information for us to work with.
I'm sorry, kind of hard to tell what RDA you're using based on that information but is
THIS it? If yes, then that is definitely more of a cloud chasing atty which you said you don't care about, so I'd concur that maybe something more your speed is needed. To be sure, you can get perfectly good flavor from a cloud chasing RDA with the right build, but it's not what a specifically-cloud-chasing topper is made for and IMO it's better to have something designed for your purpose if you can afford it. Even if that's not your exact RDA, it doesn't particularly sound like you are getting quite the experience you are hoping for.
It's a little unclear whether you are building yourself yet or if someone is building for you, but that is something to consider when looking for a new topper. Frankly, with all the regulations in the US, I DO recommend that US-based members who are at all interested get into building while there's time. Wire will continue to be available whereas stock coil heads may not. If you are not in the US, this is a little less of a concern and it also doesn't mean you have to start building RIGHT NOW if you are. Just something to consider, and it sounds like you are.
Are you hoping for a draw that is closer to a cigarette, or are you happy inhaling directly as long as the flavor is good? "Mouth to Lung" (MTL) vaping is like smoking, wherein you first draw the smoke or vapor into your mouth and then take a gulp of air to inhale into lungs. Direct-lung vaping is what it sounds like; rather than first drawing into your mouth, you bypass that step and take a deep, direct inhale. This is PROBABLY what you are doing with your RDA, depending on what it is.
I'm not going to start throwing out a bunch of toppers and devices in this post yet just because I have a few more questions and there may well be people who are better versed in the type of atomizer I think you need. I can definitely help with mods, though. Just generally, it sounds like dual-battery would be a good option for you if you're wanting the battery life. There are a lot of dual-18650 mods around now that are not gigantic and you are more than welcome to never surpass 40W if you don't want to, but have the option if you do. And again, if you're going to be vaping at 40-50W on a 150-200W mod, your battery life will be fantastic. As for overheating, it's hard to say. You definitely don't want your devices getting too hot, so I don't want to be flippant. BUT devices will get warm, that's for sure... most of this comes from heat conduction coming from the topper. A dual battery mod won't necessarily help that. If your mod is getting hot, make sure the heat is not coming directly from the battery, but at 40W you're not necessarily taxing it like crazy. IF it's a good battery. What is it?
Also, just to be crystal clear, I have no problem with IPVs at all. It's just not a line I have gotten into and we all develop our loyalties.
You will need to make a new coil if you want to raise your resistance significantly. It is normal for the resistance of a given coil to change slightly while vaping, but a .3ohm coil isn't going to suddenly turn into a 1ohm coil. If it does, you've got a problem.
The one exception to this rule is removing coils from a multi-coil set-up. I'm not going to get into quads or sextuples or anything insane, but dual coils-- which should be a matched pair-- run at half the resistance as one of those coils would. So, if you're using a .3 ohm dual coil and remove one of them, it will then be a .6 ohm build.
Not all dual coil capable RDAs can run in single coil mode, but if you are using the one shown in the link, I think it can. ESPECIALLY when new to building, make sure you are using a
coil calculator.
Sub-ohm builds-- to a certain point-- will indeed typically be more flavorful, but it's not a rule. It is absolutely possible to get more flavor from an above-ohm build than sub, and I think the flavor starts to break down at SUPER low resistances anyway. IMO there is a flavor sweet-spot that, based on personal preferences, is anywhere from 0.5-1.5 ohms. There are many, many other factors that influence the flavor you get from a given set-up besides resistance. In fact, resistance is probably one of the less defining factors on that front, but it certainly plays a role.
I can't tell you whether you are accidentally fiddling with temperature control, but I can tell you that kanthal is not a wire that can be temp-controlled on the vast, vast, vast majority of mods. (Actually, I can only think of one chip that can temp-control kanthal.) So if you are somehow accidentally using a temperature control mode, don't. Kanthal and Nichrome should be used in power mode, at least on that device.
There are benefits and drawbacks to dual or multi coils, and it has gotten even more complicated with some very beefy single coils now "standard" repertoire for a serious builder, not that anyone has to go crazy with coil making... just that there are exceptions to every rule. However, if we're just talking about simple coils made with round wire and nothing else fancy, dual coils increase your surface area (good for flavor and vapor), lower your resistance (good for those who DO like cloud chasing, especially on mechanical mods), and create denser vapor. The downside is that they require more power, more airflow than a single coil would, take more time to build, can be complicated to install in certain decks, and some rebuildables simply aren't made for dual coils. This is less common today though.
That all said, just as an example, even a simple single coil made with very thick wire-- say 22g-- is going to require more power and airflow and have a much lower resistance than a dual coil made with 30g wire, so the above is
very general.
Hope that helps, gonna stop before this turns into a novel but will come back with device recs.