Different wire types...reasons to choose a particular wire material?

[crammit442]

I've been vaping using a Kayfun Lite w/24 ga Kanthal around .4 oh on a Super T mech mod for several years w/good success. I stopped at the local shop for batteries the other day and got to looking at all the digital box mods and things that are new to me. I ended up buying an eVic VTC dual and a REALLY open DTL atomizer. The atomizer certainly works, but I'm DEFINITELY a MTL kind of user. Not chasing clouds. In an effort to bring myself into the 21st century, I've been doing /A LOT of reading here. I went on a bit of a/spending spree at fasttech and have lots of different wire materials in different gauges on the way. Can anyone explain why Ni200, SS316, Ti, Kanthal, or any other wire would be desirable and under what circumstances? I'm fairly confused on the whole temp control deal so far, but I'm sure that will come. I'll leave that for another post. Thanks in advance.
Charles

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

To start off with
Nickel and titanium coils are only used in TC modes and titanium cannot be dry burned, so cleaning is a bit different than Kanthal.
SS can be used in both power mode and TC
Some people prefer the taste of one coil over the other. I use titanium coils in the eGO mega v2 tanks(CLR-which is rebuildable) and it provides a smoother vape with better flavor for me. And I just use it on a pico mod. Easy as can be.
Some prefer the SS because they say it taste better to them...And so on.
I am going to assume you know why there are different gauges on the wire.
Today's vaper want to hone in on the best vape they can and using different build, wire, gauges etc allow them to do that.

Hope this helps a bit.



eta Here is a site than is free and can help you figure out what to use.

http://www.steam-engine.org/ohm.asp

 

[crammit442]

Thanks for the help. I've read about dry burning Ti and I do understand the reasons for gauge differences. I've seen many references to Steam Engine, but haven't actually played with it so far. I appreciate your explanations. They're a good start.
Charles

 

[Eskie]

Best bet is stick with SS 316L. Works in both wattage and temperature control, is as easy to work with as Kanthal, and can be lightly dry burned to clean when rewicking. Resistance is lower than equivalent gauge Kanthal, but as you're using it on a regulated mod it really doesn't matter.

 

[bombastinator]

Ti and Ni are really legacy materials left over from before manufacturers were able to do TC with SS. Ka and SS 316l are really the only 2 wire types used much these days. Stocks of Ti and Ni still exist so they are still sold though. There is also the odd user who thinks one or the other taste better.

 

[crammit442]

That makes sense. I can sort of understand why someone would choose Ti, but is there ever a genuine need for Ni200?
Charles

 

[bombastinator]

That makes sense. I can sort of understand why someone would choose Ti, but is there ever a genuine need for Ni200?
Charles

If you want to tc and Ni is the only material your mod can use and you’re not part of the 1/3rd(!) of the population allergic to nickel. Ni came out before Ti, which was supposed to be a solution to the allergy problem except it turned out to have its own issues.

 

[bwh79]

Ti and Ni are really legacy materials left over from before manufacturers were able to do TC with SS. Ka and SS 316l are really the only 2 wire types used much these days. Stocks of Ti and Ni still exist so they are still sold though. There is also the odd user who thinks one or the other taste better.

(What about Nichrome? I still hear about that one pretty often.)

 

[bombastinator]

(What about Nichrome? I still hear about that one pretty often.)

NichRome is even older than kanthal. It’s basically kanthal, but more expensive,and with the allergy problems of Ni

 

[mimöschen]

Nichrome might be older than Kanthal, but it celebrates a furious comeback.
Kanthal's biggest disadvantage is its very high resistance compared to other wire types. On top of that it has a higher ramp-up, so it's not very suited for larger coils with more wraps.
Nichrome on the other hand is much more moderate in both aspects.

 

[stols001]

Well, it's good you are asking. Some folks enjoy using some of the more exotic wires or builds for various reasons, including TC (and it is my understanding when combing wires, it is the interior wire that one needs to worry about, when vaping TC-- that understanding could be incorrect). I think like someone said, some wires are there simply because they are there but there is nothing wrong with trying different wires to see if one has a taste or performance you prefer, as long as you understand that kanthal can only be used in wattage, SS can do either, and nickle/ceramic/titanium can only be vaped in TC mode. I went with various gauges of SS wire, just because it seemed more versatile to me, and I do like it quite a bit, mainly for its TC properties although I like knowing I can use it in either mode.

Good luck experimenting,

Anna

 

[zoiDman]

NichRome is even older than kanthal. It’s basically kanthal, but more expensive,and with the allergy problems of Ni

NiChrome(s) and Kanthal(s) are Vastly Different Families of Metal Alloys. And I'm not sure Price even plays a Role in the Equation?

If say a Coil cost 4.5 Cents in material verses 7.5 Cents, is that Really a Consideration?

Or if a 50 Foot Spool of one wire Costs a Buck Fifty more than a 50 Foot Spool of another, is that a Deal Breaker?

 

[bombastinator]

NiChrome(s) and Kanthal(s) are Vastly Different Families of Metal Alloys. And I'm not sure Price even plays a Role in the Equation?

If say a Coil cost 4.5 Cents in material verses 7.5 Cents, is that Really a Consideration?

Or if a 50 Foot Spool of one wire Costs a Buck Fifty more than a 50 Foot Spool of another, is that a Deal Breaker?

It is kanthal in that it behaves similarly and will not TC. Youre not wrong of course. I perhaps overstated.

 

[Kusie]

When I started vaping and decided to buy my first RTA and build my own coils I also had to decide what wire to choose. My fist vaping device was an eleaf GS-Air 2 tank on a pico that used 1,5 ohms Kanthal A1 coils. They worked fine with 10-14 watts for my MTL style of vaping so I thought that high ohm coils are for MTL and those sub-ohm coils are for the cloud chasers.
So I bought both Kanthal A1 and SS316L wire in 28GA and 26GA. To be completely honest I still don´t know the exact difference to this day... at first i build Kanthal A1 coils with around 1.5 ohms to "simulate" the GS Air coils but in the meantime I switched to SS only because I found that SS heats up much faster and gives me a more "instant" vaping experience.
I´ve NEVER tasted the coil itself ... I don´t taste a difference between SS and A1 as far as the "coil taste" is concerned... and also it doesn´t seem to make lot of a difference if I put the exact same coil in my Pico, the SS one will have around 0.8 ohms while the A1 coil will have around 1.5 ohms, but they will vape very similar. So my inital thought was wrong, fact is that I can easily use a 0.8 ohms SS coild for 10-12 watts MTL vaping...

 

[gpjoe]

I started with Kanthal, and it's still a safe bet for a beginner. Pretty foolproof and because it is a higher resistance it seems like a safe starting point. Stainless steel is good and versitile - does TC and VW.

Having said that, I use three wire types, listed in order of frequency. Note that I don't do TC and most of my vaping (95%) is using mechanical mods.

- Stainless steel
- Kanthal
- Nichrome (distant third)

 

[Ladiekali]

if you usually use 26 gauge kanthal, should you try the same gauge for stainless steel? been thinking of giving it a try.

 

[mimöschen]

A coil made with stainless steel will have about half the resistance.
So if you build smaller coils, that could be an issue.

 

[Zakillah]

Kanthal's biggest disadvantage is its very high resistance compared to other wire types. On top of that it has a higher ramp-up, so it's not very suited for larger coils with more wraps.

High resistance can be an advantage, too, and most of the time it simply wont matter. I don't see how its a clear "disadvantage".
Kanthal is, in fact, the wire that heats the 2nd fastest behind Titanium. Titanium is wonky, though. Overheating is dangerous, stupid to work with (springy), just eh all around.

if you usually use 26 gauge kanthal, should you try the same gauge for stainless steel? been thinking of giving it a try.

If you´re not using a Mech; sure. Just replicate the Kanthal coil and it should work pretty much the same.

In general, yeah, Ni and Ti are kinda obsolete now as Temp Control works with SS as well. No real advantage, but both have annoying properties like being springy, soft or have very low resistance.

 

[stols001]

Actually, if you want a similar number of wire wraps, I might use slightly thicker SS (within reason) as I believe SS wire's resistance is lower than kanthals, so depending on what you are building now, going to a slightly lower SS gauge may give you more flexibility. It just depends what you are looking to build, though. You could try some "sample" steam-engine builds at different gauges of SS to see what you wind up with, to me that would probably be the most efficient way to figure out what you'd like (coil diameter, wraps etc) and how to come out to the right place, resistance wise. With that said, if using TC, resistance doesn't matter quite as much, so if you are comfortable with the gauge you are using and end up with a lower resistance coil, it's easier to still get it to vape how you'd like in TC mode, as the main variables are ramp-up wattage and temperature limitation. It's going to take some playing around, but I'm sure you'll come up with a build for TC that you wind up liking.

Best of luck,

Anna

 

[zoiDman]

Actually, if you want a similar number of wire wraps, I might use slightly thicker SS (within reason) as I believe SS wire's resistance is lower than kanthals, ...

I think you meant to say a slightly Thinner SS wire.