Ekowool...

[xan13x]

So, after all of the hype, I grabbed some ekowool with my last round of rba supplies. After running it in a few attys this week, I have to say...

I'm not thrilled. It isn't bad, so to speak, but it seems to "overwick" in tank style RBAs, and the flavor seems a bit muted, or maybe just different. It could be due to how used to normal silica I am, but with the price difference, I don't see myself ordering more.

It is also more prone to unraveling than normal silica. Just thought I'd throw this out there to let people know that not everyone thinks it's sunshine and unicorns lol.

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[suspectK]

You can't torch it with a normal lighter either, and I don't think all the manufacturing byproducts get out of it all the way, even with a good torch.

 

[Cuando]

It's all I will use in my drippers. Have yet to use it in a tank or RBA, but I rewicked a clearo for my girl with some and she says it's been performing flawlessly. I love the stuff, it absolutely outperforms and outlasts regular silica by miles, and is incredibly easy to work with. To each their own, though, right?

 

[xan13x]

It's all I will use in my drippers. Have yet to use it in a tank or RBA, but I rewicked a clearo for my girl with some and she says it's been performing flawlessly. I love the stuff, it absolutely outperforms and outlasts regular silica by miles, and is incredibly easy to work with. To each their own, though, right?

Actually, it appears to be fine in my simple drippers, though I've only been testing new flavors, so I don't have a comparison on silica there. The issue there was more the fraying and trying to thread it through an existing coil.

Run a few tanks of ADV's through my ithaka though, and, unlike silica, I can't keep it from getting gurgly with the juice flow anywhere. It makes my mbv cinnamon roll have less of a "mouthful of deliciousness" flavor though haha. I'm not saying it's unacceptable, I just dont think it lives up to the hype for me!

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[Cuando]

I can totally understand, we all have our idiosyncrasies when it comes to vaping. I agree it can fray, but if you give it a good torching it reduces the fraying greatly. I never reuse coils, kanthal is so cheap I just make new coils when the time comes. That used to be about once a week with silica, now I can go upwards of three weeks as the ekowool seems to take a beating much better than non-braided silica. The stuff is super durable, and I think the hollow stuff continues to wick after the coil gets a lot of deposits because it has that channel in the center. At least, that's my theory. Whatever it is, it's my favorite wicking material at the moment.

 

[efinch]

I use both standard and ekowool, I do find the vape with ekowool is not as full bodied as the standard silica, but it's durability and the fact it dry burns to super clean is a bonus. I've tried threading a length of twisted silica through the middle which seems to cure the gurgling but reduces wicking ability slightly.

 

[danny4x4]

Ekowool mutes the flavor for me too.
To prevent unravelling, you can torch the ekowool before cutting. Guaranteed to last longer than silica. Unless your ekowool has cotton inside it, you can torch it, contrary to what one poster wrote. Correct me if I'm wrong, cause I've been torching mine.

 

[xan13x]

I can totally understand, we all have our idiosyncrasies when it comes to vaping. I agree it can fray, but if you give it a good torching it reduces the fraying greatly. I never reuse coils, kanthal is so cheap I just make new coils when the time comes. That used to be about once a week with silica, now I can go upwards of three weeks as the ekowool seems to take a beating much better than non-braided silica. The stuff is super durable, and I think the hollow stuff continues to wick after the coil gets a lot of deposits because it has that channel in the center. At least, that's my theory. Whatever it is, it's my favorite wicking material at the moment.

I might use it on my basic drippers since there's no gurgle potential. As far as coils go.... Yea it's almost a non-expense, but I feel bad about pitching things that are still working lol

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[Cuando]

He said not to use a lighter when torching, I do believe. I still get a lot of flavor, but then again ekowool is all I've used for a couple months now, so maybe I'm just used to it now. I should really try to dry burn a coil next time it gunks up, just to see if I can do it. Sometimes you wrap a coil that just works amazing, would be nice to revive those ones.

 

[suspectK]

^I said you can't torch it with a normal lighter. I've tried burning ekowool, and the time I think it would take to breakdown in anyway, I'd want to leave the room for an extended period of time and come check it later.

Thanks, Cuando..

 

[Cuando]

Np suspectK. Ekowool can take up to 1000 degrees farenheit or something ridiculous before it will burn, if memory serves me.

 

[suspectK]

Lol...yeah, I don't have anything like that laying around to try out. I don't know what form of silica is actually used in eko wool, so I don't know either.

 

[vjc0628]

Its working real well with my CC House blend
Ive only tried with few flavs so far but so far I like it over silica
most I prefer cotton but was having an issue with cc house blend with cotton but came alive with elkwool
this is one I also see a big improve from silica

 

[suspectK]

It is possible that the silica was produced differently, but eko wool is braided silica.

 

[WattWick]

Oddly enough lots of people (me included) seem to find that when trying something new it doesn't work as well as the stuff they got loads of experience with.

Sarcasm aside; my experience is that different juice flavors work differently with different wicking materials. As pointed out, ekowool is just braided silica. Takes a bit of trial and error to keep it from fraying. Stretch it tight before cutting or use a nail clipper. Or go all the way and wrap the section you plan to cut with plumbers tape and cut straight through it.