Dripping Confusion

[MotherOfCats]

Hey all,

So I'm sure this has been asked and answered a billion times but I honestly would love some plain old simple answers. I'd like to start dripping but am totally confused as to the setup I need.

Battery: check, got it. Though does it matter what voltage? Would VV batteries be best?

Rest of Setup: this is where confusion hits. What exactly do I need? Do I have to rebuild? How do you learn to rebuild and how do you even start?

Is there a way I can get a drip setup fairly cheap that is easy to use so that I can try it before investing lots of money?

I think dripping will be good for me because I am fickle and don't like to vape the same flavor for too long before switching.

 

[Cullin Kin]

Hi! Welcome to ECF. We're happy to have you!

You can get a setup these days for around $50... I would recommend the istick 30W with a Plume Veil or Mutation X dripper.

I would not recommend a mechanical mod for someone just starting as that can be very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

For dripping, you will likely have to learn how to rebuild (unless you do carto's or 510 drip atomizers, a lost art). It's very easy to learn. Here is a fantastic tool that many of us use: Coil wrapping | Steam Engine | free vaping calculators

Steam Engine is a tool that allows you to predict coil builds to a certain degree of accuracy. AWG means what gauge wire you are using (26, 28, or whatever you choose), you can choose single coil, dual coil, or many other builds, enter your target resistance (I would recommend aiming for 1.0Ω for your first build), and the inner diameter (ID) of your build is the outer diameter of whatever you're wrapping on (these typically range from 1.5mm-4mm). Don't worry about 'leg length' just leave that along.

For example, for a 1.0Ω single coil build using 26g kanthal on a 3mm mandrel you will need exactly 7 wraps around the tool you are wrapping on.

Just leave all the presets alone. I would suggest you start with 26 or 28g kanthal (wire).

What you'll need to get: iStick 30W - Plume Veil RDA - Kanthal Wire (28g) - Mandrels to wrap your coils on (you can use nails or small screwdrivers) - Cotton (for wick) - Ohm meter.

iStick: iStick 30W by Eleaf $29.99

RDA (not a Plume Veil, but just for example): Derringer RDA by Tobeco - RDA - Rebuildable

Wire: Kanthal A-1 Spool - 10 Meters - Wick & Wire - Rebuildable

Total for all three: $40.97 + Shipping

One important thing you will have to learn and integrate into your vaping is Ohm's Law. It's about how voltage, current, resistance, and power relate. This will allow you to get the most out of your builds depending on the device you're using.

Here is some reading material: Baditude's blog | E-Cigarette Forum

Start at #10 and read through #16.

As you can see, there is a lot to learn! Good luck! We are here to help, ask any questions you need.

 

[Wolfenstark]

What Cullin said.
Think there may be some attys you can use for dripping that aren't technically drippers but I reckon in the long run its best to get an actual dripper.
Steam engine site is great as are Baditudes teachings.
The battery/mod you need will depend on the resistance you build.
The actual atomiser will be dependant on what you want to spend as well as reading around and asking.
Do you like lots of air or little air , single coil only or option for dual and other factors.

You'll need an atty a mod , wire - gauge ( steam engine site will help you with that) , something to wrap the wire on preferably different diameters or something that you know the diameter of, wire cutters , screw drivers or allen keys depending on what the screws are on the atty, cotton , OHM METER ,
Coil tools are good - I've recently started using one and uses less wire for me as I don't have to cut off as much to hold onto and wrap.

 

[Izan]

From the renowned "profbeard" :
Before asking "Which Dripper?".... | ALL ABOUT E-CIGARETTES UK

"I posted this some time ago elsewhere, but I thought it might be useful to AAECers...

We see a lot of people asking "Which RDA should I get?" or "What's the best Dripper?". Before you do this, can I suggest you ask yourself the following questions and include your preferences in your post - this will help ensure that the recommendations other members give you might actually suit you!

Draw - do you like a tight draw or do you want massive airflow? If you want the draw adjustable do you want "tight to massive" or a less total range?

Mouth to lung or Lung inhale? - do you mainly do one or the other or do you want something that will do both?

Flavour or Clouds - not an absolute trade off, but people will need to know what matters most to you

Power - will you mainly be vaping at modest watts or might you be using a 200w monster box? Will you be wanting to do modest ohmage, mild subohming, or radical subohming? Will you be using a regulated device or a mech?

Size - nowadays most drippers are 22mm but do you want something bigger or smaller?

Coils - single, dual or multiple? Regular coils or BIG ones?

Experience and ease of use/build - if you are new to RDAs, have butterfingers, are cackhanded or have fists like hams, you will probably want to tell people this...

Budget - even authentic RDAs come in a very wide range of prices!"



Cheers
I​

 

[MotherOfCats]

Awesome info! Thanks so much! How do you drip your liquids? Do you just use the bottle or a syringe or get a needle tip lid? This seems like something that sounds easy but can get very complicated! Can you teach yourself how to build? Is is easy to figure out? I've taught myself lots of things thanks to the interweb so that isn't so intimidating to me.

 

[Wolfenstark]

Originally I would just drip from the bottle down the drip tip.

Now-a-days I use a bottom feeder mod and modified for bottom feeding atomisers.

I think we all have taught ourselves how to build by reading on here and watching videos.
Need to get the safety down , thats where the ohm meter comes in as well as knowing the amp limits of the batteries you use.
Baditudes teachings help.

 

[Caro123]

I am an old duck soon to retire, vaping exclusively for 3.5 months. I love the dripper. it is very flavourful, it was fairly easy to build a coil after a half dozen attempts. I would suggest a dripper with a larger drip well, nice big holes in the posts and the ability to build one or two coils on the deck.
I didn't care much for the plume veil ( clone) I really like my el diablo Baal. The price of the drippers or RDA were somewhere around 30.00 each.

I normally vape 12 mg per ml but cannot drip that high of nicotine in the dripper I use high vg at about 3 mg / ml nic
you just drip 4 or 5 drips from the bottle into the top of your dripper

 

[paulparnham]

Hi! Welcome to ECF. We're happy to have you!

You can get a setup these days for around $50... I would recommend the iStick 30W with a Plume Veil or Mutation X dripper.

I would not recommend a mechanical mod for someone just starting as that can be very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

For dripping, you will likely have to learn how to rebuild (unless you do carto's, a lost art). It's very easy to learn. Here is a fantastic tool that many of us use: Coil wrapping | Steam Engine | free vaping calculators

Steam Engine is a tool that allows you to predict coil builds to a certain degree of accuracy. AWG means what gauge wire you are using (26, 28, or whatever you choose), you can choose single coil, dual coil, or many other builds, enter your target resistance (I would recommend aiming for 1.0Ω for your first build), and the inner diameter (ID) of your build is the outer diameter of whatever you're wrapping on (these typically range from 1.5mm-4mm). Don't worry about 'leg length' just leave that along.

For example, for a 1.0Ω single coil build using 26g kanthal on a 3mm mandrel you will need exactly 7 wraps around the tool you are wrapping on.

Just leave all the presets alone. I would suggest you start with 26 or 28g kanthal (wire).

What you'll need to get: iStick 30W - Plume Veil RDA - Kanthal Wire (28g) - Mandrels to wrap your coils on (you can use nails or small screwdrivers) - Cotton (for wick) - Ohm meter.

iStick: iStick 30W by Eleaf $29.99

RDA (not a Plume Veil, but just for example): Derringer RDA by Tobeco - RDA - Rebuildable

Wire: Kanthal A-1 Spool - 10 Meters - Wick & Wire - Rebuildable

Total for all three: $40.97 + Shipping

One important thing you will have to learn and integrate into your vaping is Ohm's Law. It's about how voltage, current, resistance, and power relate. This will allow you to get the most out of your builds depending on the device you're using.

Here is some reading material: Baditude's blog | E-Cigarette Forum

Start at #10 and read through #16.

As you can see, there is a lot to learn! Good luck! We are here to help, ask any questions you need.

problem with this configeration is the istick 30w only fires down to .4 which means u will be very limited to what builds u can put in your rda.
for my vaping needs even a .6 ohm coil needs more than 30w to get the heat I need but as we are all different try it out.
I'd rather spend a little bit more and get the 50w istick. This gives you more scope and leeway for your builds

 

[DoubleEwe]

Agreed with the above, 30W is pretty limiting.
I would go for a regulated variable wattage mod, 75W or above, that way there is room for progression if you someday want it, it doesn't mean that you have to max it out, you can always keep the wattage low if it suits you.

I use a single coil in a dripper (Magma RDA 0.4ohm 22AWG) and 30W would not produce as much vapour as a cigalike (maybe a slight exaggeration).
It also opens you up to a world of decent RTAs (rebuildable tank atomizers) for when your builds are up to scratch. Current tank build (Aqua v2) dual coil, 0.3ohm @51W is a nice, cool, smooth vape.

Oh, and to drip I open up the dripper and drip directly into the well.

Best advice is to watch some coil building tutorials on youtube, it is pretty easy to do, just give it a try. (remembering to check resistance/shorts etc of course). Spaced coils are my personal preference as they are less prone to wick scorching.

 

[Kaezziel]

Hi @MotherOfCats !!

If you really just want to try dripping without getting into rebuilding, then read through The Ocelot's Guide to Dripping:
Drip, Drip, Drip - The Sound of Dripping

Here is a link to some 2 ohm atomizers that would suit this purpose. This is old tech from early vaping days, but still gets the job done. Just drip into it and put your drip tip in the end. The beautiful thing about these is that they even work on the little VV Ego batteries (or any other mod you want to use).
2 Ohm Atty for Dripping

Hope this helps, and feel free to ask if you have any further questions!

 

[Baditude]

I guess I'm an old schooler. You don't have to buy a new setup or even get into Rebuildables to do simple "dripping". You can buy a seven dollar 510 drip atomizer and use it on any simple battery device like a variable voltage eGo.

These were the original vaping juice attachments, before tanks, clearomizers and cartomizers were even thought of.

510 drip atomizer

ATOMIZERS are juice delivery devices not too different from a cartomizer, but have no wick in them to hold e-liquid. With an atomizer, one drops just a few drops of juice onto the heating coil and then vapes it (called "dripping"). After taking several puffs, a few more additional drops of juice will need to be added to continue vaping. This ritual is repeated as long as the user vapes. Many vapers prefer to use this method over others, as there is no wicking material involved which may affect the flavor of the juice. Many people use this method to test out new sample flavors.

Depending upon the style you purchase, you may need to also purchase a drip tip (mouthpiece) to protect your lips from hot juice splatter.



If you don't want to drip, but still want to sample multiple different flavors, you can use a Nano Clearomizer. These are disposable miniature clearomizers which hold only 1 ml of juice. They are easy to fill or empty when changing flavors by simply removing the mouth piece. These run around $4 each.

Should you decide to go the "rebuildable" route by making your own wicks and coils, you'll need a mod or advanced personal vaporizer (APV) and do the necessary research on Ohm's Law and proper battery safety.

Information Resources for Your First RBA

Advancing Up the Vaping Ladder with Mods

Battery Basics for Mods

Explain It To The Noob: Ohm's Law Calculations

Inexpensive Mechanical Mod and RDA Setup

 

[Ohm Gnome]

I also don't like the Plume Veil. Too leaky for my likes. What battery do you currently have? The Istick 30 watt is pretty solid. I wouldn't advise getting the Istick 50 watt though. If you think sub ohm tanks are something you'll want in the future then I'd suggest a mod with at least 70 watts. If you only use RDAs or RTAs which means you build your own coils then you won't have to have as much power

 

[dionysuskiss]

510 atomizers are a good way to start. They are cheap and easy to use, and they will give you an idea of whether you want to dive further into RDAs. If so, I would personally would recommend a ipv mini 2 70w device. PLENTY of room to grow with that one, and I haven't heard anything much in the way of issues with it. RDAs are harder to recommend. There are so many out there with different attributes. Do you want more flavor, clouds, deeper juice well, single coil capability, dual coil....etc. The Plume Veil is ok, but I like deeper juice wells since, I tend to over drip. Basically, do a lot of research. If you see one you might like, read /watch a lot of reviews before you pull the trigger. And while you are doing that research, research, research all you can about coil building and battery safety.

 

[MotherOfCats]

And while you are doing that research, research, research all you can about coil building and battery safety.

Lol, research is my favorite thing to do! I literally love to research!

 

[dionysuskiss]

That's good. You can never know too much about battery safety. I just got my first mech and haven't used it yet. I'm waiting for the proper batteries to come in the mail. And I'm going to only use it with .9-1.0 builds 'cause I'm cautious. Depending on the build, you get better flavor that way

 

[LouisLeBeau]

Hey all,
So I'm sure this has been asked and answered a billion times but I honestly would love some plain old simple answers. I'd like to start dripping but am totally confused as to the setup I need.
Battery: check, got it. Though does it matter what voltage? Would VV batteries be best?
Rest of Setup: this is where confusion hits. What exactly do I need? Do I have to rebuild? How do you learn to rebuild and how do you even start?

Is there a way I can get a drip setup fairly cheap that is easy to use so that I can try it before investing lots of money?

I think dripping will be good for me because I am fickle and don't like to vape the same flavor for too long before switching.

I went through a LONG phase of not wanting more than 4 or 5 drops of something before I would change flavors. An old school 510 Drip Atomizer is DEFINITELY for you!

and Oh have I got a deal for you. A lot of us Old-School drip junkies still use 510 atomizers. There is a whole thread called "Regular Atty Drippers (A dying breed?)
These aren't the best 510 drip attys, but at less than $1 each, you cannot go wrong. You can find them at Vapor Kings in 2.3 ohm or 1.5 ohm. Here is a link if it will work:
Joye 510 or Joye eGo electronic cigarette replacement atomizers

The tips do not come with them in my experience, which is ok as the ones pictured are junk. You will want to get yourself some drip tips. I really like the texture and feel of Cherry Vapes Ming acrylic tips. Very ergonomic and pleasant. My wife loves these atty's. They last anywhere from a few days to weeks and you just toss them when they stop working. The best part is being able to change flavors as often as you like.

I also have tried most of the toppers out there, and to me, the flavor of an old school 510 drip atty just cannot be beat by almost any other setup.

 

[Cullin Kin]

problem with this configeration is the istick 30w only fires down to .4 which means u will be very limited to what builds u can put in your rda.
for my vaping needs even a .6 ohm coil needs more than 30w to get the heat I need but as we are all different try it out.
I'd rather spend a little bit more and get the 50w istick. This gives you more scope and leeway for your builds

A dripper does not have to be built low, especially on a regulated mod. Building a 1.2Ω setup at 30W (6V) can be a very satisfying vape for someone just starting out with dripping. A 0.6Ω coil at 60W (6V) would provide a similar vape to the 1.2Ω setup at 30W.

The iSticks are great because they have a fantastic voltage range, a place where a lot of other mods are very limited. However, the 50W definitely has had quite a few issues, not mine but there are plenty of stories on this forum that would warrant now recommending it to someone new.

I guess I'm an old schooler. You don't have to buy a new setup or even get into Rebuildables to do simple "dripping". You can buy a seven dollar 510 drip atomizer and use it on any simple battery device like a variable voltage eGo.

These were the original vaping juice attachments, before tanks, clearomizers and cartomizers were even thought of.

510 drip atomizer

ATOMIZERS are juice delivery devices not too different from a cartomizer, but have no wick in them to hold e-liquid. With an atomizer, one drops just a few drops of juice onto the heating coil and then vapes it (called "dripping"). After taking several puffs, a few more additional drops of juice will need to be added to continue vaping. This ritual is repeated as long as the user vapes. Many vapers prefer to use this method over others, as there is no wicking material involved which may affect the flavor of the juice. Many people use this method to test out new sample flavors.

Depending upon the style you purchase, you may need to also purchase a drip tip (mouthpiece) to protect your lips from hot juice splatter.



If you don't want to drip, but still want to sample multiple different flavors, you can use a Nano Clearomizer. These are disposable miniature clearomizers which hold only 1 ml of juice. They are easy to fill or empty when changing flavors by simply removing the mouth piece. These run around $4 each.

Should you decide to go the "rebuildable" route by making your own wicks and coils, you'll need a mod or advanced personal vaporizer (APV) and do the necessary research on Ohm's Law and proper battery safety.

Information Resources for Your First RBA

Advancing Up the Vaping Ladder with Mods

Battery Basics for Mods

Explain It To The Noob: Ohm's Law Calculations

Inexpensive Mechanical Mod and RDA Setup

Hey! I made sure to include cartomizers and 510 drip atty's in my post above just for you, Bad.

 

[paulparnham]

A dripper does not have to be built low, especially on a regulated mod. Building a 1.2Ω setup at 30W (6V) can be a very satisfying vape for someone just starting out with dripping. A 0.6Ω coil at 60W (6V) would provide a similar vape to the 1.2Ω setup at 30W.

The iSticks are great because they have a fantastic voltage range, a place where a lot of other mods are very limited. However, the 50W definitely has had quite a few issues, not mine but there are plenty of stories on this forum that would warrant now recommending it to someone new.



Hey! I made sure to include cartomizers and 510 drip atty's in my post above just for you, Bad.

I know but all im saying is a istick 30w limits your options to what u can do.
you are stuck using higher ohm builds

 

[Cullin Kin]

I know but all im saying is a istick 30w limits your options to what u can do.
you are stuck using higher ohm builds

Just giving you a hard time. OP said 'cheap' so I gave her the cheapest I could without suggesting what Bad and Louis did.

 

[MotherOfCats]

Literally can't "like" this video enough! Basic info in a nutshell!