Best beginner RBA

[mgalyan]

Hello,

I would like to move up to rebuildables.

I'll be using a vamo v5 and a efest 2000 mah 18650.

I'm not at all apprehensive about tinkering with things or trial & error.

The biggest catch is money. I can't spend hundreds of dollars for the project. In fact, I'd like to keep it well under $100.

I'd like to get a consensus on what some of the experienced rba users think would be a good place to start...

E.g. What gauge of wick and coil, how much to buy, user friendly atomizer's, etc.

As well as anything else I should consider.

BTW.. Not looking to drip at this point.

Thanks in advance.

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[Kegan]

Ok, I'm a newbie with rebuildables. Have my first on the way. BUT...I have been a vapor for over 3 years, so I've been around. I got a trident rda from madvapes for $20. I'll have to let you know how it goes. Added some Kanthal 29 gauge for a couple more dollars. I don't know if madvapes is a dirty word around here, but they have great prices!

 

[suspectK]

AGI. My first, can use as a dripper or genesis. Any dripper would be good. IGO l, trident, patriot.. and so forth.

 

[SonHouse]

Highly recommend the RSST. Easy to build, great vape with lots of flavor when you're done. Should be able to pick one up for about $30 shipped from a US vendor. Temco has great prices on Kanthal, pick up a 100 foot roll of 28 gauge. You should be able to pick up stainless mesh on eBay cheap. Get yourself a butane torch and hand tools and you should be under $100

 

[Jazzi Mike]

The total resistance of your coil will be the length of Kanthal between the positive and negative posts. The Vamo will not fire on atomizers whose resistance is below 1.2 ohms. I liked 32 gauge Kanthal when I was building for regulated devices, such as the Vamo. You can also use 30, but you will have to use more wraps to have it fire on your device. In all reality, you will probably use around 1.5-2 inches between the positive and negative posts. 32 gauge is 13.75 ohms/foot which means it will make things easier if you are wanting your builds to be in the 1.8-2.5 ohm range. 30 gauge Kanthal is 8.36 ohms/foot, so you will have to use more wraps to get above the 1.2 level of your device. 28 gauge is out of the question for a regulated device. You will have to use a ton of wraps just to get 1.2 ohms. Temco is where I buy my Kanthal.

As far as what to get first, drippers are the easiest RBA to learn by far. The Kayfun Lite and its various clones are pretty simple builds as far as tank RBAs go. The Ithaka clone is nice, but it is a bit harder. I liked that and the Kayfun Lite pretty much equally. The thing that scares off a lot of newbies are the use of no-resistance wire. However, the 'ready-wires' available at vendors make things much easier.

I think both of these options are much simpler than trying to get SS Mesh in a genesis (AGA T2, RSST, etc...) setup working properly. I made the mistake of thinking I could get SS Mesh to work on my first try. A month later, I gave up on rebuildables, thinking I just could not do it.

Lastly, good luck. You are headed in the right direction. It is definitely a good idea to test out your coil making abilities with a regulated device. It takes some time, but now I can wrap a coil in around 5-10 mins.

 

[pianman6954]

It depends on a couple things, like are you planning on using tank cracking juices. For most the RSST is the answer as a first time RBA, I would not advise on 28 gauge or ribbon wire at first as the vamo will not vape sub ohm and you need quite a few wraps of 28 to hit that 1.2ohm minimum of the vamo. I chose the AGA T2 as my first and mastered ss mesh before realizing how much easier micro coils and cotton could be, given the several bores and the raised post, I give the AGA the winner as it is quite versatile and its usually barely 30$.

 

[SonHouse]

Looks at 28 gauge coil firing perfectly on Vamo/RSST combo, looks at Mike, goes back to vaping happily...

 

[Mark Anthony]

My first was the Aga T2 and I love it. I use 32 gauge kanthal and organic cotton. I haven't tried mesh yet but it comes with a piece so I will eventually give it a shot.

 

[Jazzi Mike]

At 5.27 ohms/foot, 28 gauge is not something I would recommend to a newbie. You would need to use something like 3 inches of coil at the very least. It is do-able, but not easy.

 

[jffvera]

I have been messing around with an RSST for the past week. It's easy to build on, cheap I got it for $25 at a local shop, you can get it online for around $20. I have been playing around with builds, and settled on a 9 wrap micro coil with 28ga, checks in at 1.5ish ohms. I have been using cotton as a wick and have had very good luck with it. I have been using it on a VV/VW device and it's working pretty great. I drilled out the air hole to 1/16th, very easy, took me longer to get the drill out and the bit in, then it did to drill the hole.

If you wanted you could probably go with a kayfun light clone. It looks pretty easy to build on and only slightly more expensive. My KFL+ clone is on the way, so please keep in mind this is pure speculation on my part.

 

[mgalyan]

Thanks for all your replies. Sounds like I'd be doing well with an RSST, 30 gauge kanthal, some silica or cotton, and a torch.

I'm frankly getting fed up with these constantly inconsistent coil heads my wife and I have been using in our Davide's and EVODs.

Feel like I'll be happier with more control over everything.

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[deanthemachine]

Thanks for all your replies. Sounds like I'd be doing well with an RSST, 30 gauge kanthal, some silica or cotton, and a torch.

I'm frankly getting fed up with these constantly inconsistent coil heads my wife and I have been using in our Davide's and EVODs.

Feel like I'll be happier with more control over everything.

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That will get you going for sure. I just picked up a KayFun Lite for my first RBA and love it! Only thing I would add is if you are far sighted like me with large hands like me you might want a desk magnifier or something equivalent. There are some small parts you will be working with. Watching videos from Phil shot with nice camera zooms make its look big and easy. Then you sit down at the table and look at the size of these things and I am like Uhhh..I've never seen screws that small. Oh and buy some patience if you do not have any.

 

[spacemanhux]

there are plenty of inexpensive rba that look like good quality clones on fasttech. Up to you, might not think its ethical. Money to be saved though

 

[mgalyan]

there are plenty of inexpensive rba that look like good quality clones on fasttech. Up to you, might not think its ethical. Money to be saved though

I have contemplated the svoemesto clone.

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[Bunnykiller]

my first RBA was a RSST by SMOK 24$USD and that was from a shop ( not fasttrack etc) I luv this thing, easy to rebuild, plenty of options on coil design, wick material, wire size... Im using this with a Vamo3 and am quite pleased with it...

 

[Bunnykiller]

I have contemplated the svoemesto clone.

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A kayfun Clone is my next choice ( I have one on order) and my friend has one and is a total convert towards it nothing else will suffice for him

 

[suspectK]

Get the new version of rsst if you go that route. It's pyrex.

And the kayfun lite is amazing...

 

[SonHouse]

At 5.27 ohms/foot, 28 gauge is not something I would recommend to a newbie. You would need to use something like 3 inches of coil at the very least. It is do-able, but not easy.

That was what I started with, I found it easy. Just my personal experience.

Thanks for all your replies. Sounds like I'd be doing well with an RSST, 30 gauge kanthal, some silica or cotton, and a torch.

I'm frankly getting fed up with these constantly inconsistent coil heads my wife and I have been using in our Davide's and EVODs.

Feel like I'll be happier with more control over everything.

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It'll spoil you, especially if you go for the mesh. It's a few minutes of work a week. If you find it tedious, then you might want to reconsider but personally I find it to be fun. Only problem is now when I go back to my ProTanks and Davide's, I can taste what they're adding to my juice and it isn't good. I really haven't bothered with the silica so far, went straight for mesh and never looked back. I use silica for a number of others but not the RSST. The wick hole being insulated makes this one of the easiest to use mesh with.

 

[andycaps31]

trident dripper, easy build, flat head screw driver and can remove pos and neg screws all the way for easy dual coil. fast tech clone is not a bad idea for the pice

 

[liveformoment]

Highly recommend the RSST. Easy to build, great vape with lots of flavor when you're done. Should be able to pick one up for about $30 shipped from a US vendor. Temco has great prices on Kanthal, pick up a 100 foot roll of 28 gauge. You should be able to pick up stainless mesh on eBay cheap. Get yourself a butane torch and hand tools and you should be under $100

Yes, the RSST is a genesis style atomizer that is a very good springboard for more complex build in the future. It's quick to set-up and a good reliable vape.