Didn't think I'd notice a difference in wire, but I do...

[MacTechVpr]

I can definitely tell the difference between Kanthal and SS especially with a fresh coil. I do think that as a Kanthal coil is used it's "taste" diminishes. I think it has something to do with the manufacturing of the Kanthal and surface impurities. Maybe machine oils on it or something. It does go away after some time, but why go though that when SS starts off clean and stays that way.

Scott, best of luck to ya. I got a fella comin over this evenin. Gonna do a few high power comp builds. He was one of my very first students when I started doing tensioned microcoil seminars almost 4 years ago. Anyways, when we got together again last year and after all that time he mentioned he still had the very first Protank build we did at that session. He moved on to other gear and held on to it…but said he happens to pull it out and vape it from time to time. And it vapes jus dandy.

As for me I've done countless properly oxidized builds that went over a year. Vaped clean, efficient and with very fine dense flavor. Just got a report from a traveller returning from the Carib a few weeks back attesting to just this and marveling at vaping it for a year. I'm running high perf parallels these days that go well over two months…with not a dry burn or rinse clean required, at all. A side benefit to larger wind dia x surface area that only make the best of wicking with strain wound Kanthal.

Twisted Lead Parallel

• MacTechVpr
• Nov 21, 2017
• 1
• tensioned microcoil twisted lead parallel

So frankly, we're sitting out here in the real world readin the funny papers and jus don't know what y'all takin about.

Enjoy the vape.

Good luck and Happy New Year all!

 

[Alter]

My impulse buy of rayon is still unopened and in a cabinet.

Ohh my...

I tried rayon once and didn't seem to care for it much. I may need to give it another go.

Many try to pull the rayon through the coil so all your doing is separating and thinning out the center thats inside the coil so you'll have a fat tail and a thinner tail on the other side. Gauge how much rayon you think you need, feed it through the coil then twist it tightly holding one side then roll it through the coil going with the direction of the wraps then untwist the end, cut to length and thin the tails. I still gauge the rayon wrong sometimes and have to restart a couple times before getting it right.

I have never really noticed and difference in flavor using SS vs kanthal as core wire in my claptons but like using SS as wraps for it having lower resistance thus transferring the heat faster requiring less ramp up time. I very rarely use the 34 nichrome I received as a mistake as wraps cause don't know enough about it and the could be noxious fumes, other than that I vape just kanthal and 316L.

 

[Belhade]

Twisted Lead Parallel

• MacTechVpr
• Nov 21, 2017
• 1
• tensioned microcoil twisted lead parallel

Forget about those exotic coils, yours are masterpieces.

 

[Belhade]

I have occasionally considered trying TC, now that I'm using a dripper regularly I might have to get some SS.

 

[Mike P]

I get more flavor and longer coil life with nichrome80 over kanthal, but I've only tried pre made kanthal coils so I'm not 100% sure yet.

I want to try ss, just have to find a shop that sells it.

 

[stols001]

Well, as someone who doesn't use TC all the time, for those who are going to, I'd kind of suggest trying it in comparison to some of your non TC builds. When I use TC, I find that my settings are similar to my wattage settings (puny ramp up, cool vape). It actually gave me some reassurance that they way I vape, the juice I vape, and rotation and etc., really give me a similar vape experience (other than the benefits like not having to worry about a dry hit if I let my tank get too low and etc.) which was really kind of reassuring in a way.

It's possible to vape non-TC safely by following best non-TC practices, and TC is kind of "more fun" for me when I'm using it because I wish to, not because I am super worried about my vape temperatures. As a MTL vaper, well, IDK. Maybe I don't see quite the same benefit although I do enjoy using TC on some of my tanks.

My biggest issues were lowering wattage ramp up (I never use 30 watts in my regular vapes so why would I do it in TC) and kind of figuring out a temp setting that wasn't too high, I mean if I used some of the higher temps that you CAN use safely, I'd probably feel the vape was way too hot. I think in some ways TC can be more useful for DL folks than MTL but I'm hardly an expert. At all. In anything I sometimes think....

Anna

 

[Bonskibon]

My biggest issues were lowering wattage ramp up

Same with me and a couple of my mods have the lowest wattage setting at 25 or 30 watts (boo), but my Pico's start from one so I guess that's one reason they are my favorite.

 

[ScottP]

When I use TC, I find that my settings are similar to my wattage settings (puny ramp up, cool vape).

Then your wattage is too low in TC. That is the beauty of TC, you can use a much higher starting wattage in TC to get a fast ramp up time, then TC will kick in and keep you at the desired temp. That way you can get both fast ramp up time, and a cool vape all without getting too hot to be a problem.

So for me, I have the starting wattage set to 30 watts, which gets me a near instant ramp up time, but then TC pulls it back down to about 10-12 watts for the rest of the duration of the vape.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

My impulse buy of rayon is still unopened and in a cabinet.

I tried rayon once and didn't seem to care for it much. I may need to give it another go.

I can taste cotton/rayon in my vape when it is new, breaking in.......what I found is if (before putting on the cap and after all the wire and wicking is installed) you juice it up and hit the fire button allowing it to 'smoke' for a couple of seconds(do a couple of times). Then continue on to put the tank back together and juice it up. It takes all the weird taste out completely. I always hated the first tank when breaking in a new RTA coil but found if I do this, it is great immediately.
YMMV
just my 2 pennies.

 

[Letitia]

I've always primed my wicks after priming the coil. I seldom taste my wick.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I've always primed my wicks after priming the coil. I seldom taste my wick.

Well I hope not.....

but seriously.....you are lucky, I taste cotton/rayon until its broken in.....

 

[Letitia]

When I use egyptian I will sometimes get a hint of it for several hits even with priming.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

When I use egyptian I will sometimes get a hint of it for several hits even with priming.

Never tried it. And seeing what @Eskie got, really don't think I want to go down that path.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

Then your wattage is too low in TC. That is the beauty of TC, you can use a much higher starting wattage in TC to get a fast ramp up time, then TC will kick in and keep you at the desired temp. That way you can get both fast ramp up time, and a cool vape all without getting too hot to be a problem.

So for me, I have the starting wattage set to 30 watts, which gets me a near instant ramp up time, but then TC pulls it back down to about 10-12 watts for the rest of the duration of the vape.

This is true. Preheat functions are (or should be) disabled by the device in TC modes. If you want a fast ramp up to temperature, set the wattage to something north of where you would vape that build without TC. The chip does the rest. This especially true with thicker wires, dual coil builds and fancy wrapped wires.

Some devices do the temp management more gracefully than others.

 

[Letitia]

Never tried it. And seeing what @Eskie got, really don't think I want to go down that path.

It's actually good cotton and loves juice. Lasts longer than my KGD. Sometimes just don't want to fiddle with it. Not quick wick and go cotton.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

It's actually good cotton and loves juice. Lasts longer than my KGD. Sometimes just don't want to fiddle with it. Not quick wick and go cotton.

I actually like rayon as it lasts twice as long as the japanese cotton or even the cotton bacon and i like cotton bacon too.

Couldn't decide on like or funny on last post.....wish they more options.....

Soooo, you know all about those quick wicks and gooo.......ahhh okayyy..

 

[Letitia]

Soooo, you know all about those quick wicks and gooo.......ahhh okayyy..

Unfortunately yes, but then don't we all at one time or another.

 

[ScottP]

Unfortunately yes, but then don't we all at one time or another.

Actually I have only ever used 3 different wicking materials. I started with silica waaayyyy back in the day before we even discovered cotton as a wick. Then I used Peaches and Creme unbleached cotton yarn way back when micro coils were all the rage. Then KGD cotton pads 2 years ago (Jan 2016) when I got my first true RTA and started using larger coils. I bought a bag of 80 KGD cotton pads and after 2 years I bet I still have 70-75 of them left (the bag still appears full). I like these just fine and I still have years and years worth of them left, so even if there is something slightly better, I just can't see buying it at this point.

Besides I am not even sure rayon would work in my RTA. I use a Serpent SMM and the wick holes in the deck are 4.5 or 5mm wide on each side. With a max coil size of 4mm and the fact that rayon shrinks when wet, I am not sure I could prevent leaking using it. The way cotton expands to fill the hole, I can use a 3mm-4mm coil in the tank with cotton and get no leaks at all.

 

[Letitia]

Actually I have only ever used 3 different wicking materials. I started with silica waaayyyy back in the day before we even discovered cotton as a wick. Then I used Peaches and Creme unbleached cotton yarn way back when micro coils were all the rage. Then KGD cotton pads 2 years ago (Jan 2016) when I got my first true RTA and started using larger coils. I bought a bag of 80 KGD cotton pads and after 2 years I bet I still have 70-75 of them left (the bag still appears full). I like these just fine and I still have years and years worth of them left, so even if there is something slightly better, I just can't see buying it at this point.

Besides I am not even sure rayon would work in my RTA. I use a Serpent SMM and the wick holes in the deck are 4.5 or 5mm wide on each side. With a max coil size of 4mm and the fact that rayon shrinks when wet, I am not sure I could prevent leaking using it. The way cotton expands to fill the hole, I can use a 3mm-4mm coil in the tank with cotton and get no leaks at all.

Bless your heart.
Yes I prefer KGD as well. Just like playing around with other wicking materials, especially since discovering ss and I don't play with other wires anymore.

 

[vapdivrr]

Actually I have only ever used 3 different wicking materials. I started with silica waaayyyy back in the day before we even discovered cotton as a wick. Then I used Peaches and Creme unbleached cotton yarn way back when micro coils were all the rage. Then KGD cotton pads 2 years ago (Jan 2016) when I got my first true RTA and started using larger coils. I bought a bag of 80 KGD cotton pads and after 2 years I bet I still have 70-75 of them left (the bag still appears full). I like these just fine and I still have years and years worth of them left, so even if there is something slightly better, I just can't see buying it at this point.

Besides I am not even sure rayon would work in my RTA. I use a Serpent SMM and the wick holes in the deck are 4.5 or 5mm wide on each side. With a max coil size of 4mm and the fact that rayon shrinks when wet, I am not sure I could prevent leaking using it. The way cotton expands to fill the hole, I can use a 3mm-4mm coil in the tank with cotton and get no leaks at all.

Been using rayon for a couple years and I'm not so sure that it shrinks any differently then cotton..I probably wicked hundreds of coils with rayon and never had one shrink on me...yes I have underwicked some before and gotten a dry hit, but that also happens with cotton if you don't put enough in. Honestly I use the same amount of rayon in my coils as cotton , meaning I either use more cotton then most do, or use less rayon then most do, but both materials work the same imo and never notice this shrinking thing. I do however prefer rayon, because I like the flavor better and it stays a bit longer before rewicks,

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