Do I need a bigger tank, different tank, or different device? Or, am I just doing it wrong?

[Detroit80]

First time vaper...well, unless you count trying the cig look-a-likes that hit the gas stations about 10 years ago for about two days, lol. Like many others, doing so to quit the analogs.

I picked up a smok AL85 from a local shop a couple weeks ago, with what I believe is the Baby Beast tank. Came with a .4 and .6 ohm single coils, both of which seemed to get way hot quick, and started sputtering pretty quick, regardless of what watts I tried to set them at. It may have been that I wasn't pulling on them hard enough though..

Tried a .15 ohm quad core coil set at 60w, and it seems to be working MUCH better, to the point now that I can't seem to get enough air through it, lol. I'm doing direct lung pulls, and finding myself feeling like I'm trying to suck a golf ball through a garden hose, lol. I've got the air vent open all the way, and it just feels like it's just incapable of passing enough air for me, though it is producing some decent clouds.

I was thinking about picking up one of the Cloud Beast tanks, but just wondering if I'm heading down the right path here, or if there's something else I should be looking at?

 

[Eskie]

So is the problem you don't feel you're getting enough airflow through the tank? How's the flavor? Also, are you priming and breaking your coil in well at first use?

 

[Detroit80]

Dripping some liquid in on each of the slots on the sides until it won't absorb any more, and doing the same on top of each individual coil. I have occasionally forgotten to do dry pulls when I've swapped coils, but I've been running this one for a bit over a week now.

Flavor? Well...meh. It's there, but not even remotely close to the strength of flavor I got when friends handed me their mods to try out when I was first thinking of getting into vaping. I'm wondering if that might be because I'm on the low end of the "best" range for this coil? I've tried going higher than 60, but the battery I got doesn't seem to agree with it. I've occasionally been able to get 70w for one pull on a fresh charge, but usually I just get "check battery" on the display on anything higher than 60w. Even then, I have to recharge once the battery gets down to around 75%.

 

[Don H]

Honestly, the Cloud Beast on the AL85 would be kind of a waste. It is meant for higher wattage's. If you think it's an air flow issue, maybe try the Big Baby first. Lower price, uses the same coils as the Baby does. Smok coils do have a break-in period of a tank or two to get them going good. Hope this info helps a bit.

 

[Don H]

What battery are you using?

 

[mongo74]

Imo, the AL85 really isn't designed for clouds bro, clouds...but more along the lines of a not quite stealthy but not quite cloudy type of mod/tank setup. The big baby as mentioned above, will give you more airflow, for sure...but on a single battery mod, you're going to be running out of battery really quickly at 60w+

Out of curiousity, what battery are you using?

When I did use a baby beast, it was .4ohm at 40-45w max. It actually had some decent airflow. Wonder if something is blocking up your coil/clearo.

Also, unless you're using a 25a+ battery, I wouldn't push the AL85 past 60-65w.

 

[Don H]

I agree with mongo74, the AL85 is basically a step up to sub-ohm vaping. If you're looking for clouds, then the Smok Alien or Wismec Predator just to name a couple good ones is what you want to invest in. Watch reviews, read members opinions on what they think is the best. I'm only mentioning the above two because I have both, wouldn't recommend you something I have not tried myself. Although I'm sure there are better out there.

 

[Detroit80]

Using the battery the shop sold me with the set up - EIZFAN IMR 18650, 25A max. Yes, even at 60w, the battery life seems to be absolutely dismal. But then, I really don't have anything to compare to either, so it may well be just the way these things are. As it is, I generally keep the mod plugged in to the USB port on the car on the drive into work, its on a charger most of the day at work, on in the car at home, and if I'm really lucky, I don't have to plug it in again for a few hours until I go to bed.

I just went into a local shop and told them that I was a 1st timer, and from internet research I knew I wanted a mod with 510 threading, and replaceable battery. Beyond that, I just trusted what they said. I suspect I should have bought something bigger to begin with, but I just really didn't know what I was going to end up liking or not liking.

 

[Don H]

Sorry can't help with that battery, I've never used it. However if it keeps saying low battery at the wattage you are using. I would suggest the LG HD2C, the Samsung 30Q or the Sony VTC5A.

 

[IMFire3605]

Using the battery the shop sold me with the set up - EIZFAN IMR 18650, 25A max. Yes, even at 60w, the battery life seems to be absolutely dismal. But then, I really don't have anything to compare to either, so it may well be just the way these things are. As it is, I generally keep the mod plugged in to the USB port on the car on the drive into work, its on a charger most of the day at work, on in the car at home, and if I'm really lucky, I don't have to plug it in again for a few hours until I go to bed.

I just went into a local shop and told them that I was a 1st timer, and from internet research I knew I wanted a mod with 510 threading, and replaceable battery. Beyond that, I just trusted what they said. I suspect I should have bought something bigger to begin with, but I just really didn't know what I was going to end up liking or not liking.

Ditch that Eizfan IMR battery, it is a re-wrap, probably 15amps Continuous Discharge, the rating on the wrapper is for pulse discharge.

60watts or below
Samsung 30Q 3000mah 20amp CDR
75watts or below
Sony VTC5A 2500mah 25amp CDR
90watts and below
LG HB6 1500mah 30amp CDR

Only 3 Manufacturers highly suggested are the A Bin Manufacturer batteries, Eizfan buys the B and C Bin discards the main manufacturers said didn't make A Bin status, the main manufacturers are LG, Samsung, Sony, and Sanyo/Panasonic, excluding the Tesla 20700's made by Sanyo, any other name on a battery is a re-wrapper and charging you double what the real battery is worth.

 

[mongo74]

If I were you, I'd return that battery to the shop you purchased it from (and see about exchaging it for one of the cells IMFire mentioned) If they won't take it back, cut your losses and get one of those batteries from a reputable vendor (and don't give that shop anymore business)

 

[SteveS45]

Welcome @Detroit80 and I hope you enjoy your stay.

The Baby Beast is so airy that something isn't right if you are having a hard time Can you see in the slot at the bottom? I run the X4 Baby Beast coils at 30 Watts Max because I do not feel it needs any more power at least for me.

 

[Bunnykiller]

hmmm.. you tried out your friends vapes and liked it, why did you choose something different from what they were using?
see if your friends can improve what you have to match what they have...

 

[Detroit80]

Never said I liked it...I'm actually OK with being low on flavor (though after re-reading what I wrote, I can see how one could get the impression that I liked it).

Their stuff was always WAY too sweet for my tastes, like I was sucking down straight soda flavor syrup. So typically I would take a small drag, hack and gag, and hand it back while I went back to my Camels. This was also a few years ago.

To be perfectly honest, I didn't get into vaping because I really wanted to vape. Rather the primary reason was just to get off the cigarettes because they were tearing me up too much inside (largely GERD related). And I'm also an impulse buyer..I didn't do deep research into it..it was very much a spur of the moment thing, lol

 

[BrotherBob]

First time vaper...well, unless you count trying the cig look-a-likes that hit the gas stations about 10 years ago for about two days, lol. Like many others, doing so to quit the analogs.
I picked up a Smok AL85 from a local shop a couple weeks ago, with what I believe is the Baby Beast tank. Came with a .4 and .6 ohm single coils, both of which seemed to get way hot quick, and started sputtering pretty quick, regardless of what watts I tried to set them at. It may have been that I wasn't pulling on them hard enough though..
Tried a .15 ohm quad core coil set at 60w, and it seems to be working MUCH better, to the point now that I can't seem to get enough air through it, lol. I'm doing direct lung pulls, and finding myself feeling like I'm trying to suck a golf ball through a garden hose, lol. I've got the air vent open all the way, and it just feels like it's just incapable of passing enough air for me, though it is producing some decent clouds.
I was thinking about picking up one of the Cloud Beast tanks, but just wondering if I'm heading down the right path here, or if there's something else I should be looking at?

Welcome and glad you joined. Hang in there.
Might like to read my answer (among other) in:
Smok AL85 Warming Problem

 

[Foggyroomz]

Get a better battery I use Samsung 25r in everything regulated and mechanical devices alike. They don't have the highest mah rating out there but they are in my opinion the solidest performers.

 

[Letitia]

I have been recommending sense blazer mini to people ready for sub ohm vaping. Great flavor, easy to use & good pricing. Love mine! I prefer .6 coil, haven't tried .25 yet. ordered some yesterday.

 

[Detroit80]

If I were you, I'd return that battery to the shop you purchased it from (and see about exchaging it for one of the cells IMFire mentioned) If they won't take it back, cut your losses and get one of those batteries from a reputable vendor (and don't give that shop anymore business)

Went back last night...got some BS line about discharging the battery too much damages it (no crap...that's why I spent a ton of extra money with you guys to buy a regulated mod ), and the usual "nothing we can do". So I asked if they have any non Chinese re-wrapped batteries, and she attempts to explain how there's only 3 battery manufacturers, they're all the same..blah blah blah, and hands me an obviously rewrapped battery - non descript brown wrapper with a printed paper sticker on it and tells me if I unwrapped it, it would say LG on it, "but DON'T unwrap it!!". Well no crap again..

I bought it anyways, since the other battery was next to useless, and I was afraid I'd slip back to cancer sticks if I had to wait a few days for a battery to be shipped in. I'll online order something better in the mean time, and no, I will never be returning to that shop again.

 

[Eskie]

Went back last night...got some BS line about discharging the battery too much damages it (no crap...that's why I spent a ton of extra money with you guys to buy a regulated mod ), and the usual "nothing we can do". So I asked if they have any non Chinese re-wrapped batteries, and she attempts to explain how there's only 3 battery manufacturers, they're all the same..blah blah blah, and hands me an obviously rewrapped battery - non descript brown wrapper with a printed paper sticker on it and tells me if I unwrapped it, it would say LG on it, "but DON'T unwrap it!!". Well no crap again..

I bought it anyways, since the other battery was next to useless, and I was afraid I'd slip back to cancer sticks if I had to wait a few days for a battery to be shipped in. I'll online order something better in the mean time, and no, I will never be returning to that shop again.

Good call on passing on that shop (bad enough they sold you something like that, even worse to lie right to your face about it). Ordering online from someone like IMR is likely cheaper than what they charged you for those fakes. As to using them until good batteries arrive is a real maybe. Personally I wouldn't. But if you have to with no other alternative, keep your power as low as possible. This might be one time when paying for fast delivery is worth it from a safety perspective.

 

[Letitia]

I order all my 18650's from liion. Excellent reputation. Great customer service & very reasonable prices. Good ship times, too.