Dripping atomizer recommendations for a newbie

[levander]

vaping for a few weeks now, and I'm realizing the importance of having a dripping atomizer. Not only so you can taste the flavors really well, but the main thing for me is so you can easily switch between flavors like to test if they're done steeping.

Two concepts really interest me that I'm wondering if they're a good way to go:

1.) The Vision Aurora kit. This looks interesting because it seems like it comes with two dripping atomizers (even though one is called a shell). And it comes with a nice box to hold everything in if you want to travel with it. But the main thing most people are interested in with that kit is the tank. So are the included atomizers just freebies that really aren't that great? Are they just there to complete the kit? I know the tank can also work with other bottom feeding atomizers. So maybe that's what they really want you to do? The included atomizers are just freebies thrown in?

2.) A dripping atomizer that works with Kanger replacement coil heads. I got burned when I started vaping because I didn't realize I needed backup coils. And the two that came with the thing didn't last that long because I messed them up. Now that I'm buying replacement Kanger heads, it would be nice to use them in my dripping atomizer as well, just as a one size fits all type thing.

I know building your own coils is probably the most convenient way to do it. But I haven't gotten that far yet.

 

[gt58]

its honestly not as hard as you think. i just watched tons of youtube videos and my first few coils wernt bad at all.

heres a pic from my first ever microcoil, my 10th rebuild or so

temco resistance wire from ebay and walmart for the cotton wick (peaches and creme ecru). 2 bucks for the cotton and it should last you atleast a year. 5 bucks for wire last you a goood long time

 

[OlDogNewTricks]

Gorgeous dual coil, nicely done!

 

[nuhrayoh]

The only drawback to using an RDA is that you cant switch between flavors as easily as regular dripping atomizers. Usually you would have to take out your wick, rinse it, and then put it back on or just put another wick in your coil set up. But I agree with gt58, they really aren't as hard as people think. I just recently got into RDA's and it's easier than I thought. There are many youtube videos that teach you how to do it step by step.

 

[levander]

I don't think building your own coil is hard. It's just that I'm already spending too much time getting into vaping and learning a lots of ins and outs. I'm sure I'll try it before too long.

So right now, I'm just looking for a low maintenance way to start dripping. The two solutions in the OP I've proposed are ideas that seem appealing to me, but they may be the wrong way to go... I consider them low maintenance because the Aurora kit may be everything you need right in one kit. And the 2nd one is just convenient because I'm using parts that I already buy occasionally.

Other ideas for low maintenance dripping really appreciated.

nuhrayoh, thanks for the tip about RDA's not being as easy to switch between flavors. That's definitely the main thing I'm interested in here, ease of use.

 

[ph0kused]

Vaping for a few weeks now, and I'm realizing the importance of having a dripping atomizer. Not only so you can taste the flavors really well, but the main thing for me is so you can easily switch between flavors like to test if they're done steeping.

Two concepts really interest me that I'm wondering if they're a good way to go:

1.) The Vision Aurora kit. This looks interesting because it seems like it comes with two dripping atomizers (even though one is called a shell). And it comes with a nice box to hold everything in if you want to travel with it. But the main thing most people are interested in with that kit is the tank. So are the included atomizers just freebies that really aren't that great? Are they just there to complete the kit? I know the tank can also work with other bottom feeding atomizers. So maybe that's what they really want you to do? The included atomizers are just freebies thrown in?

2.) A dripping atomizer that works with Kanger replacement coil heads. I got burned when I started vaping because I didn't realize I needed backup coils. And the two that came with the thing didn't last that long because I messed them up. Now that I'm buying replacement Kanger heads, it would be nice to use them in my dripping atomizer as well, just as a one size fits all type thing.

I know building your own coils is probably the most convenient way to do it. But I haven't gotten that far yet.

Building coils isn't as hard as you're making it out to be.

Go and get an IGO-W (Chinese Nimbus knock-off) - it's like $11.99 and I LOVE IT. It's a rock solid device. I recommend buying ti at a vape shop, so they can drill the holes out bigger for you, as the stock airholes suck.

Kanger replacement heads? yuck. Once you build your first coils, you wont go back to crappy lil tank setups, it's really so easy. I just recommend going into a vape shop and have someone wrap coils for you and show you how it's done in person. Then you'll see how crazy easy it is. If you can wrap wire around silica, and work a screwdriver, then you're officially talented enough to wrap coils.

 

[ph0kused]

The only drawback to using an RDA is that you cant switch between flavors as easily as regular dripping atomizers. Usually you would have to take out your wick, rinse it, and then put it back on or just put another wick in your coil set up. But I agree with gt58, they really aren't as hard as people think. I just recently got into RDA's and it's easier than I thought. There are many youtube videos that teach you how to do it step by step.

Dripping atomizers are easy to switch flavors... i think im confused by your post.. I consider a dripping atomizer a RDA.... rebuildable dripping atomizer... which is what my nimbus/igo-w/omega/patriot are...

I switch between 5-6 flavors all day at work with my Nimbus & vanilla mod.

I simply burn off the juice, and drip on more, sure theres a tad bit of flavor creep, but just vape it all off, and re-apply the new flavor and then the flavor is gone...

the only time I rinse wicks was when i was a newbie and was using a kanger or a vivi nova tank system - then i had to dump it out, rinse, dry, and put in new flavors...

RBA/RDA all the way now... only draw back to genesis style RBAs is the build it can be tricky at times... but RDA's ... simple as simple gets.

I love RDA's that have 3 posts, 2 negz and 1 posi post. 3 wrpas with 28g kanthal, 2x coils = .5ohms usually for me.

w/ 2 airholes drilled out to 1/8 - i direct lung hit

 

[Sed Contra]

Vaping for a few weeks now, and I'm realizing the importance of having a dripping atomizer. Not only so you can taste the flavors really well, but the main thing for me is so you can easily switch between flavors like to test if they're done steeping.

I use disposable 510 drip atomizers for flavor testing. I have cheapies, but I also have the more expensive, though reasonably priced 510 Canon from Ikenvape and the high-end Custom HH .357 from Avid, which hopefully will prove to be more cost effective the longer it lasts.

Two concepts really interest me that I'm wondering if they're a good way to go:

1.) The Vision Aurora kit. This looks interesting because it seems like it comes with two dripping atomizers (even though one is called a shell). And it comes with a nice box to hold everything in if you want to travel with it. But the main thing most people are interested in with that kit is the tank. So are the included atomizers just freebies that really aren't that great? Are they just there to complete the kit? I know the tank can also work with other bottom feeding atomizers. So maybe that's what they really want you to do? The included atomizers are just freebies thrown in?

2.) A dripping atomizer that works with Kanger replacement coil heads. I got burned when I started vaping because I didn't realize I needed backup coils. And the two that came with the thing didn't last that long because I messed them up. Now that I'm buying replacement Kanger heads, it would be nice to use them in my dripping atomizer as well, just as a one size fits all type thing.

I don't know of any dripping atomizer that works with Kanger atomizer heads. However, after getting a rebuildable drip atomizer and seeing how easy it is to rebuild coils, I am now rebuilding my Kanger atomizer heads, too. I have about 25 replacements heads, and when I get down to 5 left, I rebuild the other 20. Typical RDA's and the Kanger atomizer heads use the same basic technique, so if you can do one, you can do the other. That's the way to go, in my opinion. However, as noted previously, disposables are easier to clean out for flavor testing, so I use my RDA's for some dripping chillin', which has its place for me, too.

I know building your own coils is probably the most convenient way to do it. But I haven't gotten that far yet.

I haven't gotten into Genesis style atomizers yet, so I can relate, but really, rebuilding simple RDA's and Protank/Evod heads is really quite easy. I haven't mastered the art of the micro-coil yet, but even at a beginner's level, I'm saving a ton of money by rebuilding my own and my coils, though not perfect, are "good enough for rock n' roll."

 

[Sed Contra]

Dripping atomizers are easy to switch flavors... i think im confused by your post.. I consider a dripping atomizer a RDA.... rebuildable dripping atomizer... which is what my nimbus/igo-w/omega/patriot are...

I switch between 5-6 flavors all day at work with my Nimbus & vanilla mod.

I simply burn off the juice, and drip on more, sure theres a tad bit of flavor creep, but just vape it all off, and re-apply the new flavor and then the flavor is gone...

Yeah, I do that, too. It's not as clean as disposables, but burning off the juice and dripping a new one works pretty good for me, too.

RBA/RDA all the way now... only draw back to genesis style RBAs is the build it can be tricky at times... but RDA's ... simple as simple gets.

Yeah, it's really quite simple to do RDA's, and when I'm better at doing RDA's, then I'll get into Genesis style RBA's. To the OP, it sounds like the natural progression for you right now is to take the next step by learning how to make your own simple coils and working up from there as you get better at it.

I should note, however, to the OP, that one of the reasons why I am currently more confident in rebuilding than I was a month ago is because I upgraded from two Twist's to a Provari Mini which has an Ohms meter and advanced short protection. That made a huge difference for me.

 

[Sed Contra]

Building coils isn't as hard as you're making it out to be.

I agree 100%

Go and get an IGO-W (Chinese Nimbus knock-off) - it's like $11.99 and I LOVE IT. It's a rock solid device. I recommend buying ti at a vape shop, so they can drill the holes out bigger for you, as the stock airholes suck.

I started with a stainless steel A6. It's probably too small for dual coils, but it's easy to build a single coil. The air holes are decent.

Then I moved up to a Trident clone with the variable air holes. Figuring out the sweet spot took a little bit of work, but it was worth it.

Kanger replacement heads? yuck. Once you build your first coils, you wont go back to crappy lil tank setups, it's really so easy. I just recommend going into a vape shop and have someone wrap coils for you and show you how it's done in person. Then you'll see how crazy easy it is. If you can wrap wire around silica, and work a screwdriver, then you're officially talented enough to wrap coils.

I wish that someone in the vape shops around here was showing people how to wrap coils, but I think that they're more content with people buying replacement heads than showing people how to rebuild stuff. I could probably make a few bucks making pre-made coils to sell there...but seriously, I think that local vape shops should have something like a monthly workshop on how to rebuild stuff. It would save people a bunch of money and let them focus more on buying juice than on atomizers. I'm a big fan of the Protank II & Mini II v.2, but there's no need to spend a bunch of money on replacement heads when wick & wire is so cheap.

 

[nuhrayoh]

There are dripping atomizers out there that aren't rebuildable and I think that was what the OP was talking about. I do love my RBA's and I agree they are fairly easy to use, but I just wanted to clarify to him that it isn't the same as disposable drippers where you can just drop a few drops, vape, and then drip a different flavor after. It is easy to use RDA's, but for what he is looking for, I think regular disposable drippers are what he is looking for at the moment.

 

[nuhrayoh]

agreed, before I bought my first RBA, I rebuilt my protank coils with microcoils at 1.5-1.8 ohms and it was great. I can't believe I spent all that money on replacement heads when rebuilding your coils is so easy and it performs way better. When I go out, I use my hypertank (which is like a protank clone but with better features), with my microcoil build and it vapes like a champ. I don't think I would take my RBA's out with me on a regular basis because 1) i don't want to break it by accident when I'm drinking and 2) i don't want to have to deal with hot spots and shorts when I'm out.

 

[levander]

There are dripping atomizers out there that aren't rebuildable and I think that was what the OP was talking about. I do love my RBA's and I agree they are fairly easy to use, but I just wanted to clarify to him that it isn't the same as disposable drippers where you can just drop a few drops, vape, and then drip a different flavor after. It is easy to use RDA's, but for what he is looking for, I think regular disposable drippers are what he is looking for at the moment.

I've never seen a disposable before... so I'm not sure. I have heard that many of these drippers don't last that long, and that's part of the reason people like the HH.357's so much, it lasts longer. But from calling what you're talking about a disposable, I'm assuming you mean it only lasts like a few times or something.

This is along the lines of what I was looking at (that's more concrete than the wish-list items I put in the OP): The Stringray 306 atomizer. I can't find a lot of information on it, but I have seen a little buzz around the Internet about it being good for newbs because of the sealed bottom means it doesn't leak so easy.

Information I can't find on it or the subject in general:

1.) I know most people prefer a 306 atty vs a 510 atty for dripping in general. And it looks like that Stingray is a 306 atty. But I don't really know what the difference between a 510 and a 306 is. I saw a video VapinGreek did where he made an off reference saying something like 306's have smaller wells, so they're easier to clean between flavors (to clean, he blows his 306 out into a paper towel). He said something about 510's needing to be disassembled to be cleaned. But it was such a quick reference he made. I'm not sure I really got what he was talking about, even though I rewound it a few times, listening to it again.

2.) What kind of wick does that stingray use? Do I have to change it out?

3.) The Stingray is a bridgeless atty. All I can make out so far is the "bridge" is some piece of something that sits on top of the coil. If it's bridgeless, there's nothing on top of the coil and the juice seeps into the coil easier or something.

 

[Cr0tchF4i]

I don't think I would take my RBA's out with me on a regular basis because 1) i don't want to break it by accident when I'm drinking and 2) i don't want to have to deal with hot spots and shorts when I'm out.

My biggest fear. Always afraid i'll wake up and it's gone or I broke something on it.

 

[ph0kused]

I agree 100%



I started with a stainless steel A6. It's probably too small for dual coils, but it's easy to build a single coil. The air holes are decent.

Then I moved up to a Trident clone with the variable air holes. Figuring out the sweet spot took a little bit of work, but it was worth it.



I wish that someone in the vape shops around here was showing people how to wrap coils, but I think that they're more content with people buying replacement heads than showing people how to rebuild stuff. I could probably make a few bucks making pre-made coils to sell there...but seriously, I think that local vape shops should have something like a monthly workshop on how to rebuild stuff. It would save people a bunch of money and let them focus more on buying juice than on atomizers. I'm a big fan of the Protank II & Mini II v.2, but there's no need to spend a bunch of money on replacement heads when wick & wire is so cheap.

I would be glad to do a video to walk people through coil setups, I have so many different devices and atty combinations is crazy... a real crazy hobby it's turned into. lol.

Literally thousands of dollars spent on atomizers, and im getting close to a grand and a half in juice..

I can do a dual coils w/ 28g kanthal in about 8 minutes, sometimes quicker. A couple things to nte for the people wantting to advance themselves into wrapping coils... I really believe the IGO-W is a perfect first-time atty for someone. A K100 + Igo-W is a mechanical mod you can get for under $75.00. Silica off ebay is like $5.00 for 50ft - kanthal is cheap too, and it lasts a long ... time seeing how you're using inches every coil..

That was my first mech setup, I asked my local vape shop here in SoCal (empire vape, norco, CA) to set me up with the best Bargain Bang for your money... K100 + IGO-W.

Back to the nice thing about the IGO-W for beginners that are apprehensive on doing coils... It has a juice well for accidentally/intentionally flooding your device with juice, we've all at one point dripped on too much... the recessed juice well is something I found I loved sooo much about it, that my other more expensive atomizers that didn't have a juice well became annoying.

The other benefit of the under $15.00 IGO-W is the 3 posts... allowing you to do 1 coil or duals very easily, and have enough space to adjust coils. Why get an atomizer with only 2 posts when you can easil;y buy an atomizer for the same price w/ 3? The only device I use a single coil on now is a Smoketech RSST Genesis Atomizer.

dual coils is the way to go imo. When the owner of empire vape took 20 minutes to show me how ......edly easy it was to do 2 coils in under 10 minutes, my mind was blown. I was able to drop my nic level to 6mg, and take a pull off the device and produce clouds... A lot of people don't like the whole "cloud chasing" sub-culture to vaping, but what I've found is that with my device running dual coils with expanded airflow, I'm actually able to get my Nic fix FASTER. When I was using my eVic/Vamo/Provari setup with a kanger, or a D3, or a Vivi Nova, I was sucking on that thing all damn day like a baby with its bottle.

Now I can take 5-6 pulls and be good. For me, this is why I stick to devices that support dual coils... if it doesnt support duals, I really wouldnt consider buying it... It was a real eye opener for myself personally, and I have no problem uploading a quickie video to show people my super fast wrap technique on an Igo-W/Nimbus... and a ton of other atomizers I have... Hope this helps you make your next sound purchase =)

vape.0n

 

[ph0kused]

on a side note about my wrap technique.. I've tried a ton of different wrap styles, and I still go back to the very first wrap I learned at a vape shop...

I cut out 6 strands of 3mm Silica, each strand is about 1 inch long. 3 stands = 1 coil (im doing duals)

Then I take about 6 inches of kanthal...

I take a lighter to my kanthal and make sure I torch the kanthal - takes out the springy-ness in the kanthal wire, much easier to work with after you hit it with a lighter/butane torch

take 3 stands of Silica, hold the 3 strands inbetween your index/thumb - wrap the kanthal around it 3 times - try to wrap it tight and evenly. Dont trip if it's not perfect, you can spread the wire out later once it's on your device.

trim the extra kanthal so you have about 1 inch of kanthal to put under your positive and negative posts.

The tricky part honestly is just getting the second coil's kanthal leads under the first ones, but once you do it a few times it's easy.

Pulse your device a few times until all coils glow red, move the coils around so they are even, wiggle them around if one coil isnt firing, trim the excess silica away so you can get your cap on... drip some juice on, let it sit for awhile to soak... take a drag.

Honestly I learned a ton about batteries, watts, resistance, airflow, ohms, etc. from this guy on youtube that puts out GREAT tutorials.

His youtube name is McVapes.. check him out if you are interested in improving your coil techniques..

Build: Dual Coils & What You Need to Know - YouTube

 

[djezewski]

agreed, before I bought my first RBA, I rebuilt my protank coils with microcoils at 1.5-1.8 ohms and it was great. I can't believe I spent all that money on replacement heads when rebuilding your coils is so easy and it performs way better. When I go out, I use my hypertank (which is like a protank clone but with better features), with my microcoil build and it vapes like a champ. I don't think I would take my RBA's out with me on a regular basis because 1) i don't want to break it by accident when I'm drinking and 2) i don't want to have to deal with hot spots and shorts when I'm out.

I rebuilt some coils for a RDA, single coil setup and it is still going for weeks..However with the stock ones that came with it they only lasted a couple of days..and I am new at it so I was quite thrilled. I started with the T3's too.

 

[vapo jam]

no offense, but did anyone actually read op's posts??? seriously, guys, i love my rda's as much as the next person, and no, they're not incredibly difficult, but recommending them to someone who's a complete beginner? not only that, but dual coils, microcoils, dual microcoils, etc? he even said specifically that's not what he's looking for...

sorry to rant. anyways, "disposable" drip atty's are just non-rebuildable atomizers. they all will break eventually, and when they do, you can't fix them. you don't take them apart, you don't replace any wicks, you just use them until they don't work any more and then throw them out.

they're all pretty easy to clean out, as you said, just blow through them into a paper towel. some flavors will tend to linger more than others, though, and if you use a bunch of different flavors one right after the other, everything will eventually kind of blend together.

if you don't mind shelling out the cash, the hh357 is the best. you'll probably want at least two, though, so that you have a backup in case one breaks or gets lost or something.

other than that, i just use the cheap smoktech 510 atty's, which are less than $5 apiece on ec blend:

Atomizer - SmokTech - 510 - ECBlend

 

[Sed Contra]

I've never seen a disposable before... so I'm not sure. I have heard that many of these drippers don't last that long, and that's part of the reason people like the HH.357's so much, it lasts longer. But from calling what you're talking about a disposable, I'm assuming you mean it only lasts like a few times or something.

This...

anyways, "disposable" drip atty's are just non-rebuildable atomizers. they all will break eventually, and when they do, you can't fix them. you don't take them apart, you don't replace any wicks, you just use them until they don't work any more and then throw them out.

If you don't use them too much, just for testing flavors, they can last quite a while, but they wouldn't hold up to heavy dripping, which is why I use disposables for flavor testing and RDA's for evening dripping sessions.

 

[levander]

sorry to rant. anyways, "disposable" drip atty's are just non-rebuildable atomizers. they all will break eventually, and when they do, you can't fix them. you don't take them apart, you don't replace any wicks, you just use them until they don't work any more and then throw them out.

Okay, so now we're getting somewhere! That's what I was worried about, having to stock replacement wicks, coils, etc.. But now that I know I don't have to... I can drop the idea of looking for something that uses Kanger replacement heads...

they're all pretty easy to clean out, as you said, just blow through them into a paper towel. some flavors will tend to linger more than others, though, and if you use a bunch of different flavors one right after the other, everything will eventually kind of blend together.

VapinGreek has a video on this. So I've figured this much out.

if you don't mind shelling out the cash, the hh357 is the best. you'll probably want at least two, though, so that you have a backup in case one breaks or gets lost or something.

The hh357 has a slight learning curve to it from the Youtube videos I've seen. I'd rather get started on a really easy dripping atty first, then learn the feel of something better.

I'm thinking the Stingray I linked to above is better for newbs because of the sealed bottom. I think some of the descriptions I've seen call it a sealed center post, but I'm not ure.