Contact Micro Coils Vs Spaced Coils
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I don't have enough personal experience to draw my own conclusion, but I'm surprised that most people find that contact coils gunk up easier. I would think that since the coils are touching and they heat up faster that anything collected in the crevasses would be instantly burned up, but I guess not. The only explanation I can think of is that spaced coils have more "spring" in them that contacts, so maybe that added flexibility is better at preventing build up.
I've been using 2.5mm 28g 1.3R contact coils in my KFL+ for the past month or so. With the juice I'm currently using, I had to dry burn every day.
In my veritas, I switched around coils A LOT. I don't seem to like dual coil setups, so I ran the gamut of singles. Same deal as the KFL.
Recently switched them both to closely spaced coils. These didn't really gunk at all. They do darken, but much slower than my previous setups. Its been about 3 days on the veritas, and 1 day on the KFL.
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Any difference between how the wick is able to keep up between the two? Mostly in an rta? Does cotton burn more easily with contact coils?
I vape NET's and unflavored, I'll give it a try. I did try spaced coils some time ago and couldn't tell any definite diff in flavor, but didn't think to take notice of gunking speed, and went back to contact coils. So here goes. First thing I noticed on firing this spaced coil with no cap was the vapor squirting out between all the coils, making more like a wall or sheet of vapor, different to a contact coil. Normally I'll get 16 work hours and around 8ml from this setup with a contact coil of 9 turns, this one is 8 turns.
Is it possible a spaced coil cools faster after the fire button is released?
No. The juice determines that. Thicker juice wicks slower. I use Muji cotton pads, and need to rewick every day with contact coils. This was because the juice I'm using would gunk the coil and then it would burn the wick.
It wasn't so much that the wick couldn't keep up, but more that the scale/crud/carbon that forms over the coil insulates it, concentrating all of its heat on the wick with no way to draw that heat off.
THIS is why I had to rewick everyday.
Today is my 3rd day with the spaced coil. I should probably rewick at some point today.
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That could be a distinct possibility.
There is more exposed surface area on the spaced coils so therefore the heat can dissipate more effectively. I would theorize that it is a bit like when you put your wet clothes on the washing line (or clothes dryer), they dry far more quickly if there is ample space between the clothes rather than if they are all in close proximity. (Obviously the analogy is water rather than heat but both behave in the same manner i.e they both try to equalize through flow from high to low)
On a separate but related issue, how does the cotton look after using a micro/contact coil (when you change it) once you have given it a rinse?
The reason I ask is because I have seen a lot of people using them in videos and to me they always look slightly burnt after usage, which is one of the reasons that I use spaced coils (as once rinsed the cotton looks like new).
Mine always had a black ring from the coil. I never really rinsed them, but it looked like more than just coil gunk. It actually looked like it had been cooked.
Once the coil is gunked up, that outer crust prevents your airflow from drawing heat off the coil, and actually insulates the inner portion where the wick is, causing it to scorch and/or burn it.
The coil I have currently in my KFL+ is sort of a mix between contact and spaced. Some parts just barely touch, others have about 0.25mm of space between them. After 2 days of Vaping, the parts that just barely touch had a tiny bit of gunking. The rest were clean. The wick looked like this (not rinsed):
There is still some juice left, thus the dark pinkish spots, but there are also some black flecks. These are from the coil gunk and wipe right off.
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Thanks for sharing that Moxienator, and for the good explanation, it is much appreciated.
Looks pretty clean! It is good to see that after two days vaping.
I would like to see more of the youtube 'experts' using spaced coils, (and far less wick in a lot of cases) but I will try not to lose sleep over them not using them.
So, does this mean that you favour the spaced coils?
That coil I posted a pic of to do a test 5 days ago - well the test didn't happen, I intended to vape it at work for 2 x 8 hour shifts for the test, as I normally do. But I was sick this week and just vaped it and forgot all about it. Will have another go next week.
Absolutely.
Thank you to the OP and everyone else for this thread. Really made me think! My coils will be spaced from now on. It just plain works! I can't wait to throw some NETs in there and see how they do.
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Almost 3rd day with this same cotton, using the same juice's i use with standard contact and non-contact barrelled coils that i get gunking after only a day with.
This build is approx 55-60mm>20g Kanth> 0.17Ω
This build is approx 55-60mm>20g Kanth> 0.17Ω
This is going to be my next experiment, but Im thinking like this: -- II/ / /II --
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I have tried both and many different wicks. I use gizmo tight coils. The vape is cleaner and more consistent. The worst hits I have EVER taken have ALWAYS come off a spaced genny type coil. No thanks.
As far as gunking goes I could care less. I set the Guiness Book of World Records in recoiling a dual setup on any of my attys.
I'm in and out in literally minutes. YMMV
As far as gunking goes I could care less. I set the Guiness Book of World Records in recoiling a dual setup on any of my attys.
I'm in and out in literally minutes. YMMV
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On the KFL, sure its a couple minutes to rewick and dry burn, but it's messy, and just a PITA. The understanding ive come to is tjat spaced coils allow longer run time with gunky juices. Less time spent rewicking/dryburning = more time Vaping.
Have you tried spaced coils on anything other than a genisis? I just got a Vaper V4 and I'm not sure how I feel about the spaced coil on mesh. Its been a day or so now, and I'm planning on wrapping a contact micro in there.
Theory being: its mesh. Dry burning is easy, and no fuss no muss, so why not?
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I too have had a little play with some coils, tried out -- IIUNUII --(1.3ohms 28 or 26AWG memory fails me), was not great in all fairness, I could not power it enough to get a decent vape. Waste of time on a mech and on the VTR at 15W it was anemic. I am sure it will work better when I get a decent regulated mod (IPV3 when issues sorted).
Also been using a coil somewhere between -- IIIUIII -- and -- ///U/// -- (0.5ohm 22AWG), which is quite nice in all honesty. I wouldn't say there is much of a difference between it and my standard -- /////// -- but it looks slightly cooler, which is obviously the main thing...
I always wonder about all the youtubers coming out with fancy new builds and saying that they vape amazingly well, give great flavour etc, but yet they are never satisfied enough to stick with any of the builds. Surely at some point the new builds (despite being more complex) are no better than the last one (or a standard simple one)?
I don't know, maybe the vape gets better the more 'likes' you get on instragram or something...
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