An update on my personal build experimentation... I've built several different types of coils with both 28AWG and 30AWG Ni200. Some spaced, some contact micro coils, some ridiculously long (in order to hit a target resistance), inner diameters from ~2.4 up to 3.1mm.
First off, in my experimentation, I've experienced all different sorts of vapes ... cool, warm, mild flavor, lots of flavor, crackling/dramatic popping (hot spot!), instant TP with no flavor and minimal vapor, too much vapor and heat, you name it.
I've determined that I like a warm vape, something I've never been able to consistently achieve before in a Kayfun without eventually burning the juice/cotton. I've found that the DNA40 can give me that warm vape that I crave with no worry of burning anything when the temperature control kicks in.
In order to get that warm, tasty vape (all using KGD organic cotton in a Kayfun):
- Must use 28AWG. 30AWG would produce an OK vape, but I always found it rather cool and would still hit TP almost immediately, no matter what coil config I tried.
- Must be a contact microcoil. I'm wrapping the 28AWG as tight and close as possible using a homemade jig not unlike other aluminum blocks seen around here. I will dry fire it at very low wattage to barely glow the coils; this seems to be enough heat to warm the Ni200 enough to compress it without causing severe discoloration or other deformation, off-gassing weirdness, etc. that I've seen first hand or heard from others.
- It seems the larger the coil, the better... I haven't tried my 1/8" (3.1mm) mandrel yet, but it works well on my 2.4mm and 2.7mm. I hope to try 3.1mm tomorrow when my stock of 28AWG Ni200 arrives. My guess: larger coil and thicker wire = more surface area, more cotton holds more juice to deliver to all of that surface area while also keeping the larger coil cool enough.
- Device set at 420 degrees, and again, around 18 watts.
With this configuration, the Kayfun will emit a beautiful, mild sizzle producing a warm, flavorful, perfect vape EVERY TIME. Loving it so far.
The Ni200 definitely takes some time to get used to. I haven't noticed much of a difference from "work hardening" ... but still do work harden a little bit before using coil.
One of the most horrid annoyances of working with Ni200... about 50% of the time, I will snap a leg when tightening the posts on the Kayfun. In order to reduce the frequency of this, I do the following:
- Wrap the leg around the post, but not quite all the way/not a full loop. 3/4 wrap around (the leg end will be at a 90% angle of the leg start around the screw) seems to work best. Not sure why this helps but it does seem to help.
- This stuff WILL GET STUCK on your mandrel. Polish your mandrel if you can to make it as smooth as possible. I've also found that lubricating the mandrel with a little bit of juice before and during the wrapping and mounting will help when you're ready to remove the mandrel from the coil after installing it in your atomizer.
Will keep this thread updated with anything else I find/notice/discover ...
