Complete and total noob

[lefty23]

Hey everyone, I have been vaping for three years, but am a pretty easily satisfied vaper. I have never really grown past my basic tank and mod setup (at the moment I'm rocking an eleaf TC 60W with a nautilus, at about 17W). I tried sub ohm, but it wasn't for me; I won't go into all the reasons, suffice to say I'm an old man who is set in his ways. I have however always been a bit attracted to rebiuldables.

I have been a long-standing and more than regular customer of Heather's Heavenly Vapes (I found them thanks to this forum three years ago and have tried plenty of other stuff but always go back to them) and my recent order had a very minor mixup (the first in three years, by the way) just two $10 18650s that weren't in there. I called, and they profusely apologized and sent them immediately, got here in no time. They also included some of their liquid I hadn't tried (which I'm looking forward to trying) and a Fogger 5.0. Yeah, they just sent me a free one, even though I wasn't even angry. That's how awesome these guys are and I just wanted to plug them because they are amazing and they deserve it.

To the point-- Now I have this tank, which I'm looking forward to trying, but I've never built a coil in my life, don't know the first thing about it. I watched a few videos online which were very helpful, and after a bit of effort put together a working one (well, it lights up but I have some kind of serious airflow problem somewhere, which is why I gave up). I quickly realized this is either something I'm going to dive into and get really good at and make them quickly and have fun with it and save money, or I'm going to just throw in the towel and continue on with my ancient ways. Obviously, considering the audience, I expect a rather one-sided opinion on the matter, but I was wondering what you guys think-- is this worth it? If so, where do I start? What materials should I begin with? I know there are all kinds of fun tools out there, which ones do you recommend for a total noob? I realize this is all that's every talked about on this thread, and that's like asking someone to explain astrophysics to a 2nd grader-- but really I'm just hoping you guys can throw me some very basic guidance on where to start.

Thanks in advance everyone,
Cheers

 

[KenD]

Hey everyone, I have been vaping for three years, but am a pretty easily satisfied vaper. I have never really grown past my basic tank and mod setup (at the moment I'm rocking an eleaf TC 60W with a nautilus, at about 17W). I tried sub ohm, but it wasn't for me; I won't go into all the reasons, suffice to say I'm an old man who is set in his ways. I have however always been a bit attracted to rebiuldables.

I have been a long-standing and more than regular customer of Heather's Heavenly Vapes (I found them thanks to this forum three years ago and have tried plenty of other stuff but always go back to them) and my recent order had a very minor mixup (the first in three years, by the way) just two $10 18650s that weren't in there. I called, and they profusely apologized and sent them immediately, got here in no time. They also included some of their liquid I hadn't tried (which I'm looking forward to trying) and a Fogger 5.0. Yeah, they just sent me a free one, even though I wasn't even angry. That's how awesome these guys are and I just wanted to plug them because they are amazing and they deserve it.

To the point-- Now I have this tank, which I'm looking forward to trying, but I've never built a coil in my life, don't know the first thing about it. I watched a few videos online which were very helpful, and after a bit of effort put together a working one (well, it lights up but I have some kind of serious airflow problem somewhere, which is why I gave up). I quickly realized this is either something I'm going to dive into and get really good at and make them quickly and have fun with it and save money, or I'm going to just throw in the towel and continue on with my ancient ways. Obviously, considering the audience, I expect a rather one-sided opinion on the matter, but I was wondering what you guys think-- is this worth it? If so, where do I start? What materials should I begin with? I know there are all kinds of fun tools out there, which ones do you recommend for a total noob? I realize this is all that's every talked about on this thread, and that's like asking someone to explain astrophysics to a 2nd grader-- but really I'm just hoping you guys can throw me some very basic guidance on where to start.

Thanks in advance everyone,
Cheers

It's definitely worth it. The Fogger v5 isn't the ideal atty to begin with though. It's strictly dual coil, and Foggers are rather tricky to wick. Considering you're using a Nautilus I'd recommend that you get a clone of the Kayfun Mini v3. Single coil, seems to be relatively easy to build on and wick, and can be had for around $10. Stainless Steel 316 wire would probably be best as you can use it in both power and temperature control mode (I don't remember if the istick 60 has ss316 mode though). Gauge 28 should be good. And get some Ko-gen-do or muji organic cotton pads for wicking (don't buy it from vaping shops, b&m or online - it's ridiculously overpriced there).

Sent from my M7_PLUS using Tapatalk

 

[Baditude]

I've been vaping for four years. The first three years were primarily with a regulated mod and a cartotank. In my third year I experimented with a Genesis-style rebuildable tank atomizer, not realizing that it was probably the worse device for a beginner to rebuildables. I wasn't impressed.

Then I got a job at a vape shop, and learned to be more proficient in my rebuilding skills. I used a Kayfun Lite Plus rebuildable tank, and then a rebuildable drip atomizer. Both were much simpler than the Genesis, and the results were stellar. I haven't used a cartotank again in over a year.

Take things slow. Educate yourself, watch a lot of videos, just practice making coils. There's a learning curve involved like anything worthwhile learning. You'll get better as time goes on. Now the only juice attachments that I use are rebuildables.

Here's some resource material to help speed up your learning process. It's not necessarily well organized, but its a collection of the best articles and videos that I came across in my own learning process.

Information Resources for Your First RBA

• An essential read and referrance guide for someone new to rebuilding coils. Includes a multitude of useful links on battery safety, mod safety, coil meters, coil building, and the differences in the three types of RBA's.

Slightly off topic, but the following article has a list of useful tools for rebuilding and local places to find them.

Inexpensive Mechanical Mod and RDA Setup

• A response to the frequently asked question on how to get into rebuildable atomizers with a mechanical mod safely & inexpensively. Includes a list of commonly used tools and supplies for rebuilding and links to where to find them.

 

[lefty23]

Thank you both for all of the feedback and advice. Those resources are going to be particularly helpful. I realize this is going to be a big ordeal, but this is a great place to start. Thanks again, vape on.

 

[sonicbomb]

Firstly, there's no need for self depreciation, the vast majority of people here are only too keen to help anyone irrespective of there vaping style and experience. Read up the links that Baditude supplied, and feel free to ask as many questions as you need to.
An analogy for rebuilding would be the difference between and automatic and a manual gearbox in a car. The manual gearbox is a bit more work, but provides far better control and performance, better fuel economy too. Making your own coils rather than pre-built ones will save you bucks.

 

[DaveP]

Lefty23, the best thing you can do for your pocketbook is to search ECF and YouTube for reviews on the hardware you buy. That in itself will save you a lot of money on things you might buy and find that you don't like.

Do an online search when you are thinking about a particular piece of vaping hardware. You will generally find prices all over the place. Some are full retail and others might be discounted heavily. For tanks and other hardware check out vendors like www.VaporRange.com , www.101vape,com , and www.VapeNW.com for serious deals.

One of the simplest and easiest ways to wind a coil is with a coil mandrel. It's kind of like a metal punch with the shaft turned down in increments of one MM or half MM steps.

Tobeco Coil Tool

Japanese cotton is one of the best vapes just because it's clean and combed into a silky finish. Search Amazon for prices and sizes. I recently bought a package of 80 double sheets that you can pull apart into 160 single sheets, each of which will make about 10 wicks. It was about $12 for the package.

Amazon.com : Koh Gen Do Organic Cotton 80 sheets for Skin Care : Beauty

Juice can be expensive or cheap and the price doesn't necessarily indicate quality. Dekang and Hangsen are some of the cleanest juices around and they are made using tobacco leaf extracts for nicotine and authentic tobacco flavor. E-liquid Market is a good source for Dekang in 50ml bottles for $10.95 and the flavor choices are significant.

e liquid Market

 

[OhTheAgony]

Thank you both for all of the feedback and advice. Those resources are going to be particularly helpful. I realize this is going to be a big ordeal, but this is a great place to start. Thanks again, vape on.

There really isn't that much to it. I only started building a few weeks ago myself and frankly it seemed a lot more complicated when doing the research than it is once you get your hands dirty. If I had known it was this simple I would have started years earlier instead of sticking to my Ego's for so long.

As for the tools needed, you can make it as a expensive or s cheap as you want to basically. You may even have most things you need to get started laying around somewhere already.

I posted some info about a basic build kit I put together last week. Not sure if it's very helpful but have a look if you like: link

You could use different sizes of drills instead (assuming you have those of course) of the mandrel and use your mod for an ohm-meter to keep the costs down even more.

Good luck anyways, and have fun as well