Decided on an RTA

[Paramaniac413]

So after thinking about it for a bit, I decided I am going to get an RTA. I use EMOW Mega's and EVOD Glass mostly and didn't think dripping would be a good idea until I have my own place again. I am expecting vapemail tomorrow of a new istick 30W (YAY!). After going to a local B&M today and talking with the guy behind the counter, I decided on the Kanger Subtank Mini. It's about the right size for me and my little istick and after watching a few videos (I especially enjoyed the RipTrippers ones - if anyone has any other video suggestions, please feel free let me know!), I think it will be a good fit for me. The store was out of the subtanks and won't get any until next week, which is fine. I'd like to use them instead of an online store since 1) I found I really like them after having tried them a second time and found some really great juice, and 2) They're local and I like supporting local stores if I can (especially the pen shop downtown...hole-in-the-wall place, but super awesome owner who is super helpful and really nice). I'll pay a little more than online, but whatever - I'm sure they'll help me out and show me what's what.

So...any thoughts or comments on this? Subtank Mini a good choice?

 

[duc916]

Sounds like a good plan, and a good step up from those horrid PT3 heads. Get ready to really taste your juice. If you're used to vaping high PG juices with your EMOW/EVOD (which in my experience is the only way to taste anything with those pathetic PT3 heads), it's time to move on and look for at least 50/50, preferably 70VG. High PG/high nic in that subtank will taste terrible, like getting punched in the throat. Hopefully your local shop lets you sample some different juices with an RDA. Those little garbage ego batts and clearos they usually provide to sample their juices won't give you an accurate sample of anything compared to your new gear.

I'm all for supporting local business, but don't let them gouge you. A clone is a clone, no matter how they try to justify charging 3x more than what you would for the exact same thing online. I'd be willing to pay up 1.2x what an online retailer charges (that's 20% more for the mathematically challenged) if they have good customer service. Any more than that and I call it gouging.

I just noticed your quit date was new year's day. congrats!

 

[Paramaniac413]

The highest PG/VG I have is an 80/20 that really tastes good in the evod glass and emow mega - it gets to stay in that tank. For clarification, I do still use my eGo batteries if I'm out and about - it's the easier way for me to switch flavors on the fly. My main juice is actually Halo Kringle's Curse and I just bought a lower nic level - 12 from 18. I may look for something similar in a higher VG, but that would involve surfing for flavors in the different shops, so I only do that maybe once a week. I'm definitely excited to try the Subtank and really looking forward to try my own build. Should be fun!

After searching for the subtank online and comparing prices, buying it local isn't going to cost me much more - maybe $5 more at most when I take shipping into account. I have seen some outrageously priced stuff in local stores, which is why I started buying things online. The iStick 30W was about $15 cheaper (even with shipping) online than in some of these local stores...which according to the tracking number should be here today!

Thanks! The official quit date I use is January 1, but I've vaped off and on since December 2013. It started because I was traveling and the hotels are almost all non-smoking now. lol. Then it turned into laziness as I didn't want to go outside to smoke while I was studying. Now, vaping is all I do and I could never go back to an analog - they smell awful now. Not sure when exactly I stopped smoking - it was sometime in December, but I couldn't tell you which day. lol

 

[duc916]

Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you when you get drop-kicked in the throat. Even 12mg is gonna be harsh.

After you find out I'm right (lol), you could always cut it with some unflavored VG. With egos and kangers I used to love some high PG 555 (tobacco) flavors and when I first got into rebuildables I did that for a while. It tasted the same but with a much more dense satisfying flavor.

 

[Paramaniac413]

Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you when you get drop-kicked in the throat. Even 12mg is gonna be harsh.

After you find out I'm right (lol), you could always cut it with some unflavored VG. With egos and kangers I used to love some high PG 555 (tobacco) flavors and when I first got into rebuildables I did that for a while. It tasted the same but with a much more dense satisfying flavor.

LOL. Don't worry. My plans actually changed a little bit after talking to you and thinking about it for a while. I was out of town today and stopped at a B&M and bought the subtank there (same $). My plan tomorrow is to stop and get a bottle of 6mg juice and find something close to the Kringle's curse since I'll be out again. I may try the 12 just to see what it's like (I'll try almost anything once!). Where I was today didn't have what I was looking for in flavor.

I also decided to start with the 1.2 Ohm stock coil just to see what it's like before building and trying the 0.5 Ohm.

 

[Paramaniac413]

As an update:

Holy Candy Cane, Batman! Wow! I think I just tasted this juice for the first time. There wasn't a 'kick in the throat' from the juice...it was one hell of a flavor...like vaping pure peppermint oil. Truly icy! I am now a true believer in the Subtank! I think I will need a slightly more muted flavor, though. I tried the Kringle's Curse in the EMOW tank again and I like it better muted. lol. Definitely going to go down a nic level to use it as well. I haven't gotten a nic rush like that in MONTHS! (and ashamed to say, I enjoyed it a little too much. lol) It wasn't "nic-sick," I've gotten that before and it was definitely not even close. This was a 'peppermint chill' if you wil.. I will also look for a thicker juice than the Halo. But Holy that was a hit!

 

[duc916]

Haha, good times!

Seriously, no need to let your current juices go to waste when you could easily cut it with some cheap VG. I've never bought any locally but online I think I paid $6 for about 120ml. I'd bet that 2 parts VG to 1 part Kringle's Curse (or whatever) will get you where you want to be.

 

[VaPreis]

I have a Subtank Mini, and overall, I'm pretty happy with it. The RBA base is smallish, but super easy to attach your coil. The liquid channels on it are very small, so it's important not to block them with your wick. Currently running a 1Ω 26ga coil in it @ 18-20 Watts. Decent flavor and great vapor production, although I've noticed it's a bit warmer vape then a similar build in some of my other RTA's. I do enjoy the perk of being able to access the coil and wick without emptying the tank.

I'm also fairly impressed with the replaceable OCC heads. They perform and taste well.

The mini is a great looking tank and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

[Paramaniac413]

Haha, good times!

Seriously, no need to let your current juices go to waste when you could easily cut it with some cheap VG. I've never bought any locally but online I think I paid $6 for about 120ml. I'd bet that 2 parts VG to 1 part Kringle's Curse (or whatever) will get you where you want to be.

There's a shop near me that sells DIY stuff, so I'm going to try there for some VG and more empty bottles, too. lol. The only thing I've found that I don't like about the Subtank at the moment is the drip tip - It's a little big for my liking, but luckily I do have another one that works great on it. The iStick 30W came today and I'm very happy with it! Works very nicely with the Subtank.

 

[Paramaniac413]

I'm also fairly impressed with the replaceable OCC heads. They perform and taste well.

The mini is a great looking tank and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I started with the 1.2 Ohm OCC head and it's nice! Can't wait to try it tomorrow with the 'altered' juice. lol

 

[CloudKick]

Sounds like a good plan, and a good step up from those horrid PT3 heads. Get ready to really taste your juice. If you're used to vaping high PG juices with your EMOW/EVOD (which in my experience is the only way to taste anything with those pathetic PT3 heads), it's time to move on and look for at least 50/50, preferably 70VG. High PG/high nic in that subtank will taste terrible, like getting punched in the throat. Hopefully your local shop lets you sample some different juices with an RDA. Those little garbage ego batts and clearos they usually provide to sample their juices won't give you an accurate sample of anything compared to your new gear.

I'm all for supporting local business, but don't let them gouge you. A clone is a clone, no matter how they try to justify charging 3x more than what you would for the exact same thing online. I'd be willing to pay up 1.2x what an online retailer charges (that's 20% more for the mathematically challenged) if they have good customer service. Any more than that and I call it gouging.

I just noticed your quit date was new year's day. congrats!

20% more? That's just not possible for them. If the B&M had an online store I could understand that but realistically that number doesn't work. The market is just too flooded for mom and pop shops to handle that. B&Ms don't sell devices like hot cakes as online retailers can do. The devices are bought, and held in shop for long periods of time. Everyday they sit it's overhead. Just think about the process... Let's say they order 50 goblins, how long will it take them to sell those without an online store? Online stores are logistically more efficient. B&Ms make their money on juice rather than devices and that will never change. I'm not saying you should buy from B&Ms, I'm only saying because everyone thinks like you there is no point for B&Ms to try to make $$ on devices. Even one of the first vape shops in OC, the only one with distribution contracts for ProVaris, when people didn't trust buying online without seeing them with their own eyes, they made little. Devices' markups were made in this fashion. B&Ms never had a chance. Just as iPhones never had a chance to stay being manufactured in the US.
/endrant

 

[duc916]

20% more? That's just not possible for them. If the B&M had an online store I could understand that but realistically that number doesn't work. The market is just too flooded for mom and pop shops to handle that. B&Ms don't sell devices like hot cakes as online retailers can do. The devices are bought, and held in shop for long periods of time. Everyday they sit it's overhead. Just think about the process... Let's say they order 50 goblins, how long will it take them to sell those without an online store? Online stores are logistically more efficient. B&Ms make their money on juice rather than devices and that will never change. I'm not saying you should buy from B&Ms, I'm only saying because everyone thinks like you there is no point for B&Ms to try to make $$ on devices. Even one of the first vape shops in OC, the only one with distribution contracts for ProVaris, when people didn't trust buying online without seeing them with their own eyes, they made little. Devices' markups were made in this fashion. B&Ms never had a chance. Just as iPhones never had a chance to stay being manufactured in the US.
/endrant

Not sure if your rant is directed at my personal spending policy, but I never said I was going to go out of my way to accommodate B&M's need to make a profit by throwing my money away unwisely. That's just a general rule I follow that works well for me, and really don't give a rat's .... what anyone thinks of it.

There's something called price-matching that works well for many B&M's. I use it all the time at Fry's. They know not all their customers fail to do their homework.

 

[Noserenity]

Subtank is a big step up from an evod, congrats on the next step! I have to agree with duc. Since I've been vaping at higher wattages (20-40 or so), whether it be from a lower ohm coil or regulated variable, I've been making my own juice with slightly less flavor and slowly lowering the nic as well. Right now 10mg is working ok for me. 12 was starting to give me a stomach ache. Not only are you going to be getting a lot more flavor but since your atomizer is going to be producing that much more vapor you'll be getting plenty more nic from juices that have less nic %.

You'll also notice that subtank uses a lot of juice! There are ways of lowering that cost though.

 

[CloudKick]

Not sure if your rant is directed at my personal spending policy, but I never said I was going to go out of my way to accommodate B&M's need to make a profit by throwing my money away unwisely. That's just a general rule I follow that works well for me, and really don't give a rat's .... what anyone thinks of it.

There's something called price-matching that works well for many B&M's. I use it all the time at Fry's. They know not all their customers fail to do their homework.

Andddd you just proved my point comparing Fry's to a mom and pops store *thumbsup*

 

[duc916]

I wasn't.... anyway, whatever. Were you scorned in this business? lol

 

[Paramaniac413]

Subtank is a big step up from an evod, congrats on the next step! I have to agree with duc. Since I've been vaping at higher wattages (20-40 or so), whether it be from a lower ohm coil or regulated variable, I've been making my own juice with slightly less flavor and slowly lowering the nic as well. Right now 10mg is working ok for me. 12 was starting to give me a stomach ache. Not only are you going to be getting a lot more flavor but since your atomizer is going to be producing that much more vapor you'll be getting plenty more nic from juices that have less nic %.

You'll also notice that subtank uses a lot of juice! There are ways of lowering that cost though.

Guess I forgot to add to my OP. lol. I went from a plastic clearomizer to a Kanger GeniTank on an iStick 20w to EMOW Megas on the 20w. I use the evods when I'm out and about and want to switch flavors...the cinnabun I have is amazing with coffee...and I'm almost never without coffee. lol. I like the flavor of some juices in the evods and the tight draw keeps me from chaining too bbad in the truck - chain smoking in it was bad enough!
Thanks for the reassurance of my decision on the juice! At one point I smoked 2 packs of Camel Filters a day, so dropping down is really good feeling. That Kringle's Curse is a serious kick, so I'm hoping that diluting it with flavorless VG will be a big help. I had someone at the shop show me how to wrap coils, so I'm going to try that tomorrow after I get some 28 kanthal and dig out my micro screwdrivers from my fencing bag. Had to buy a meter, too today...mine got 'frankensteined' into fencing equipment. lol

 

[Noserenity]

Had to buy a meter, too today...mine got 'frankensteined' into fencing equipment. lol

Hahaha! I can't even imagine how that story goes..

 

[Paramaniac413]

Hahaha! I can't even imagine how that story goes..

I built an 'all-in-one' testing rig in a pencil box to test my competition fencing gear. Some tolerances need to be less than 1ohm ressistance to compete, so my meter got (very awkwardly mind you) stuffed into the top of the box...it won't come out now... lol

KC is still too much after dilution (it's the peppermint)...will be shopping for a more mellow juice this weekend...maybe a creme de minthe or something...

 

[gpjoe]

You made a fantastic choice, IMO.

I have Lemos, Foggers, Kayfuns (clones), various RDAs (clones and authentics). I have built them all, but recently bought the same set-up you are getting and will say this: For hassle-free vaping I am absolutely sold on this combination. I am using the Kanger .5-ohm coils at 12w with the airflow wide open and it gives me a fantastic vape with a pretty impressive volume of vapor. Besides all of that it is compact too. Love it.