Best beginner RBA for Provari mini and me :)

[LV SuzyQ]

Hi my peoples!

I think I want to try a rba... I keep reading and hearing how the performance is so much better .. Am I really missing out? I like my cartotanks .. Is it a big difference? What would you recommend for me? I'm not too handy but I am determined and I don't give up easily.

 

[Torment]

Z-Atty Pro. I like RBAs better than cartos but I still vape cartos every day.

 

[LV SuzyQ]

Z-Atty Pro. I like RBAs better than cartos but I still vape cartos every day.

Geesh I know about the ZAP .. I asked about a beginner one.. To see if I can do it and see if I like tinkering.

 

[adeline]

Are you thinking about a drip style or a tank style?

The IGO-L is a fantastic drip style RBA.
The Drunker tank is a fairly easy tank style.

I'm currently playing around with the A8 tank .. haven't had it long enough to really recommend it, but it should prove to be interesting. It's similar to the Drunker in that the coil is separated from the juice, but it has posts (you put the wire through the hole and tighten a screw) instead of a rubber grommet (you feed the wires through the bottom and mash it down with the rubber thing). It's very sturdy and quite nice looking!

I would stay away from mesh at first. I still haven't touched mesh. Too many steps, so many problems, and just added frustration that I don't need right now.

 

[Baditude]

I kind of sat back and studied the Genesis style RBA's from the back row for a couple of months before settling on the AGA Tiamat plus from Discount Vapors for $30. It was the glass tank included that finally got me to press the "confirm order" button.

I looked on the rebuildables in an intimidated fashion, too. I like things to work right out of the box; not a tinkerer at all. That's why I like my cartotanks, I found a method that works great for me and there is no tinker involved anymore. But I wanted to have a rebuildable in my possession just to play around with, to see what all the fuss was about.

It took me about two weeks (4-5 actual hours) to actually get it up and running, but a good week of that was waiting on more wire to arrive as my first coil broke while fiddling with it, and the remainder wire from the kit looked too wonky to try to mess with.

The hardest part is definitely making a small enough wick from the SS mesh. The wick hole in the AGA is really small, and at first you think no way can you roll a steel mesh that small of a diameter. But, it CAN be done.

My first coil ended up being 1.5 ohm. The Provari proved invaluable with this in determining the ohm rating and finding shorts that aren't apparent visably. It can see what you can't, and lets you know there's a short somewhere by giving an error message. Takes a lot of fiddling to find shorts in the coil, but with patience you find and fix them.

I made my second coil the other night. I wanted to try a higher ohm coil. This turned out to be 2.0 ohm. So far the vapor is less than the first, and no change in the flavor end. So far I'm disappointed in the flavor of mine, not up to par with my cartotanks yet. But I'm still in the learning phase and I can see great potential once I get this all figured out.

Watching the Zen demo from the Provape website is really helpful, and there were several videos specifically for the AGA on YouTube that helped me. Definitely read up first to get an idea of what is involved; but this is not rocket science as they say and if you make the committment to use one, you can do it. If I can do it, you can too.

Hope that helps some.

 

[darkhood]

Phoenix style RBA is the best for a beginner from what I hear...it's what I'd start with.

 

[KraKsX]

AGA-T2 Genesis RBA Tank 3ml - ALL Stainless Steel

 

[LV SuzyQ]

Are you thinking about a drip style or a tank style?

The IGO-L is a fantastic drip style RBA.
The Drunker tank is a fairly easy tank style.

I'm currently playing around with the A8 tank .. haven't had it long enough to really recommend it, but it should prove to be interesting. It's similar to the Drunker in that the coil is separated from the juice, but it has posts (you put the wire through the hole and tighten a screw) instead of a rubber grommet (you feed the wires through the bottom and mash it down with the rubber thing). It's very sturdy and quite nice looking!

I would stay away from mesh at first. I still haven't touched mesh. Too many steps, so many problems, and just added frustration that I don't need right now.

Hi Adeline!

Definetly tank style.. Want something inexpensive that I can try tinkering but won't get me so frustrated

 

[Hello World]

Geesh I know about the ZAP .. I asked about a beginner one.. To see if I can do it and see if I like tinkering.

Not sure what you consider 'beginner', but the ZAP is pre-coiled and all set up for those getting their RBA feet wet, and of excellent quality. In fact it comes with pre-made SS wicks, I can't see it getting any easier for those just starting out.

The AGA-T2 is well-priced and works great. You'll enjoy playing with this one.

 

[adeline]

Hi Adeline!

Definetly tank style.. Want something inexpensive that I can try tinkering but won't get me so frustrated

The Drunker can be had for $13-15 depending on where you shop.
Smoktech "Drunk Tank" ecig clearomizer tank (No idea how much shipping is. Surevapes has it for $16 and free shipping)

The A8 seems fairly new -- ran me $25 at Empiremods (They have since sold out).. I think you can find that from $20-30 though.. It's harder to find. I found it for $30 at vaporbank.com .. but I saw it somewhere else (for cheaper, I thought) and I can't find it now! I'll look around!!


EDIT: found it, $25 at HDV. This will hopefully start popping up everywhere though!
http://highdesertvapes.com/products/A8-Rebuildable-Tank-Atomizer.html

 

[jasl90]

Here are two tanks that I've been eyeballing myself...
http://www.madvapes.com/smok-tech-r-tank-chrome.html
http://www.myvaporstore.com/AGA_T_PLUS_Genesis_Rebuildable_Atomizer_p/yd-aga-tplus.htm

The 2nd the AGA-T that's been mentioned earlier in this thread. It's got lots of good reviews and has been compared favorably to genisis atomizers costing 5 times as much.

If you're not digging the idea of jumping straight into the deep end using ss wicks the 1st link may be the way to go.

I don't yet own either... Bot will probably end up buying both.

 

[Baditude]

Here are two tanks that I've been eyeballing myself...
Smok Tech R Tank, Chrome
AGA-T+ PLUS Genesis Rebuildable Atomizer

The 2nd the AGA-T that's been mentioned earlier in this thread. It's got lots of good reviews and has been compared favorably to genisis atomizers costing 5 times as much.

If you're not digging the idea of jumping straight into the deep end using ss wicks the 1st link may be the way to go.

I don't yet own either... Bot will probably end up buying both.

That's a great price for the AGA, but it's sold out.

I'd have big reservations on the Smoktech. I've not read many nice reviews of any of their tanks or RBA's to this point.

 

[Fury83]

Honestly the ZAP is the best beginner genesis RBA for a p-mini if you don't count money. It's well made, parts are available and it comes pre coiled so you can see how it is set up proper and Zen's video on provape is really good too. It also comes with twelve pre-made wicks so you can stage your learning, get coils down before wick making. The plastic insulator is pretty helpful as a noob as well. The minus part is it's 150 and you have to catch it when it pops up.

Another expensive rba that is not bad for a noob is the Cobra, you have a lot of options where to put the wick, so you can find a placement that works for you. These are usually available at a few places, same thing with parts. It's also really light since it's titanium.

And then of course, if you want to try on a budget, the aga-t.

I haven't tried the phoenix style or things like the drunker tank but they don't seem any simpler to me.

 

[jasl90]

That's a great price for the AGA, but it's sold out.

I'd have big reservations on the Smoktech. I've not read many nice reviews of any of their tanks or RBA's to this point.

That may be the case on the Smoktech. I've yet to put my hands on one. I do like the it's basic design and it has a nice clean look. Also looks like a little modding could turn into a nice lil genisis atty. I figure that, for the price, it may be worth a roll of the dice.

 

[Fury83]

That's a great price for the AGA, but it's sold out.

I'd have big reservations on the Smoktech. I've not read many nice reviews of any of their tanks or RBA's to this point.

That Aga-t says the glass tank is sold separately.

DV has it for 30 with the smooth edged glass tank

AGA Tiamat PLUS - Rebuildable Atomizer

 

[donnah]

I tested the rba world by rewicking and recoiling a vivi nova. From my understanding, the SS mesh rba's all operate on the same principle.. prepare the mesh and wrap the coil. I bought a cheap did clone from surevapes to play with. I am now spoiled and don't want to use anything else! Once I found that I loved them and could actually make them work.. I invested in a zap and have a "real" DID on the way

I've heard over and over to try a cheap genny and if you don't like it, you haven't lost much.. BUT the high-end rba's resell pretty close to their purchase price.. so if you don't like it you can resell it for close to what you paid for it. I do like my DID clone.. but the air hole doesn't line up and I have to keep it half unscrewed, which makes it very unstable and easy to knock the top cap off. I know that people grind the caps to get them to line up but I'm not that crafty with a grinder.
I (myself) would rather invest in a couple really nice rba's than buy a bunch of cheap ones. But I do understand why other's would rather have the less expensive ones. There's also a mind-set that goes along with having something nicely machined. I still use carto tanks but I was never, even remotely interested in the more expensive ones. (OK.. I did look at the phiniacs but only a couple times LOL)
The ones I use cost around $5 and work fine and I'm happy with them. So why would I spend hundreds of dollars on two top of the line gennys and still be content to use the cheapest dc tanks? Vaping has not only replaced smoking but it's a hobby. I don't spend spend spend, trying out all the new stuff.. I consider my purchases carefully.

Anyway.. good luck with your journey into the world of rba's.. and it IS a journey! It can be frustrating at times (a lot of times!) but it's also deeply rewarding when it all clicks together and works

 

[donnah]

Honestly the ZAP is the best beginner genesis RBA for a p-mini if you don't count money. It's well made, parts are available and it comes pre coiled so you can see how it is set up proper and Zen's video on provape is really good too. It also comes with twelve pre-made wicks so you can stage your learning, get coils down before wick making. The plastic insulator is pretty helpful as a noob as well. The minus part is it's 150 and you have to catch it when it pops up.

Another expensive rba that is not bad for a noob is the Cobra, you have a lot of options where to put the wick, so you can find a placement that works for you. These are usually available at a few places, same thing with parts. It's also really light since it's titanium.

And then of course, if you want to try on a budget, the aga-t.

I haven't tried the phoenix style or things like the drunker tank but they don't seem any simpler to me.

The main reason I bought a zap is that it came already set up and ready to go.. and all those prerolled, preoxidized wicks was a bonus. I figured if I didn't like it, I could sell it for close to what I paid. For that reason, the zap could be considered a great "beginner" rba. I was already proficient at recoiling a vivi nova so the drunker was a piece of cake, plus for me, it performs MUCH better than the vvn. while I usually leave my gennys at home, the drunker is perfect to take to work with me.

(I decided the zap was a keeper!)

 

[Baditude]

That Aga-t says the glass tank is sold separately.

DV has it for 30 with the smooth edged glass tank

AGA Tiamat PLUS - Rebuildable Atomizer

The reason I finally hit the order now button at Discount Vapors was because it came with the free pyrex tank. I'd been eyeing the AGA models for a couple of months, and when I saw the offer for the new AGA with glass tank offered, it was a no-brainer at that point.

 

[jasl90]

Just placed my order. $32.92 with shipping. Not bad.

 

[Fury83]

DV is good for me because

A. There is a lot of info in the descriptions about what version of something it is
B. I get little plastic dinosaurs in my orders
C. The prices are pretty decent
D. They are in CT so I can drive down and fight them should there be an issue.

Cons

It's in CT so I have to pay sales tax.