Explain the benefits of an RBA to me.

[latexyankee]

Been away from the scene for quite some time. My latest setup broke so I ordered a new VV mod and have been looking at all the new tech that's come out. So explain the real benefits of these rba's priced at $100. I just ordered some vivi's (haven't used them before either) and for $100 I could buy 50 replacement heads for them if I like them. I'm sure cost will be a plus in the very long term with an rba but what else has everyone in the community so crazy about them? I'm down to try anything if it's a better vaping experience, so please enlighten me. Also suggestions for first timer? I keep hearing a DID. And please let me know what vendors in particular are carrying these things! Thanks!

 

[dwcraig1]

Been away from the scene for quite some time. My latest setup broke so I ordered a new VV mod and have been looking at all the new tech that's come out. So explain the real benefits of these RBA's priced at $100. I just ordered some vivi's (haven't used them before either) and for $100 I could buy 50 replacement heads for them if I like them. I'm sure cost will be a plus in the very long term with an RBA but what else has everyone in the community so crazy about them? I'm down to try anything if it's a better vaping experience, so please enlighten me. Also suggestions for first timer? I keep hearing a DID. And please let me know what vendors in particular are carrying these things! Thanks!

You may want to start with one of the Chinese models to see if RB's are to your liking.
Discountvapers carries a bunch of low cost ones.
Electrictronicstix is carrying the Zen products if you have the dough.
A Phoenix rebuildable would be a good device to start with and can be found as low as $9

 

[xMackx]

Well the biggest allure of a rebuildable is saving money. A new atomizer coil/head is 2.99 and you're getting an inch of wire, a 100 feet of kanthal cost 6 dollars.

Another allure is taste, cotton taste amazingly better than anything else for me (everyones taste is different). Again you can buy enough cotton to last a life time for a few bucks.

Another is that you are in control of the quality of your vape, i you prefer thinner gauge or thicker gauge bigger coils or smaller coils kanthal or nichrome cotton or stainless steel mesh.

Like others said above there are a bunch of great rebuildables that don't cost much (around the same price as a regular carto/atty).

What you have to weigh in to perspectic is all the things I mentioned above and if you are the type of person who likes to D.Y.I. Some people love D.I.Y. stuff and others loath it and it all depends on the persons preference.

 

[LucentShadow]

I don't know about the expensive ones. I'd assume quality and longevity are the benefits of those.

xMackx covered it pretty well. I enjoy getting the most out of my vaping experience, and I've never found anything that comes close to my rebuildables, using my nichrome wire and my bamboo thread wicks.

It can be frustrating at times. I had 4 rebuilds in a row that caused burnt taste due to unintended hot spots recently. Quite irritating, but I just grabbed a backup factory-built device, and used that for a few days. I wanted to rebuild it again by then.

I'm guessing that you've seen the Vivi Nova Rebuild tutorial thread. These things are not easy to rebuild, but not terribly hard, either. They perform quite well, when done correctly. I use rebuilt heads in a mini at work most days.

 

[PhreakySTS9]

It's impossible to describe the difference in vape quality between a standard atty and a rebuildable, especially a genesis style. I've never had anything come even CLOSE to the level of vape heaven a well coiled genesis style atomizer can produce. I couldn't imagine vaping without mine. Cotton does have a better taste, and stainless steel tastes much better even than cotton, IMO. The downside to RBA's, especially genesis' is they use A LOT more juice. But the reason they use more juice is they produce a lot more vapor. A five second drag off a genesis probably produces as much vapor as 3-4 five second drags all at once. You should get a cheapo RBA like a DID clone or Phoenix clone, Discount Vapers is a great site to buy inexpensive rebuildables.

Oh, and YES they can be very frustrating when you first start learning to coil them. Don't go throwing away all of your old atomizers expecting everything to be perfect off the bat. It will definitely take some practice but I cannot stress enough how worth it learning to wrap a good coil on an RBA is. It will definitely take your vaping experience to the next level.

 

[Vinv]

You cannot vape genesis style without one ... take the Cobra rebuildable for example , made out of titanium and pyrex and could last a lifetime ... If you think that you are going to vape for along time ( most people say they are not smoking all that much at the beginning only to find themselves still smoking 5 years later ... ) then you could save alot of money because your consumables are the resistance wire and the SS mesh and for 100$ you could get enough to last you 1 life time , add to that some mechanical mod and all your money goes on juice for the rest of your life.

not to mention the quality of the vape , Generally when your liquid comes in contact with plastics or poor material - on the molecular level I guess it changes the liquid if you consider the heat involved , when your lquid comes in contact with titanium and pyrex glass ... i'm no scientist but I bet it has a superior effect

 

[latexyankee]

Sounds interesting enough, the wire seems all the same but what's the deal with the different wick material? Is it just to prevent dry/burnt pulls or would you say the wick affects flavor as well. I tend to vape primarily vg, sometimes 100 percent vg, any advice for wicking material?

 

[CountSmackula]

Choice of wick material seems to boil down to a personal preference thing. I prefer SS to silica rope - the taste difference is phenominal. I can't speak to bamboo/cotton/other wick choices as I've never messed with them.

Sounds interesting enough, the wire seems all the same but what's the deal with the different wick material? Is it just to prevent dry/burnt pulls or would you say the wick affects flavor as well. I tend to vape primarily vg, sometimes 100 percent vg, any advice for wicking material?

 

[CountSmackula]

+1 A Chid is a good starter RBA, or you might look for an AGA-T if you feel the Chid will be too small to work with.

It's impossible to describe the difference in vape quality between a standard atty and a rebuildable, especially a genesis style. I've never had anything come even CLOSE to the level of vape heaven a well coiled genesis style atomizer can produce. I couldn't imagine vaping without mine. Cotton does have a better taste, and stainless steel tastes much better even than cotton, IMO. The downside to RBA's, especially genesis' is they use A LOT more juice. But the reason they use more juice is they produce a lot more vapor. A five second drag off a genesis probably produces as much vapor as 3-4 five second drags all at once. You should get a cheapo RBA like a DID clone or Phoenix clone, Discount Vapers is a great site to buy inexpensive rebuildables.

Oh, and YES they can be very frustrating when you first start learning to coil them. Don't go throwing away all of your old atomizers expecting everything to be perfect off the bat. It will definitely take some practice but I cannot stress enough how worth it learning to wrap a good coil on an RBA is. It will definitely take your vaping experience to the next level.

 

[ebbrey]

To me silica wick tastes 10 times better than a genesis ss mesh wick. The taste i get from any ss wick semes really muted

 

[CountSmackula]

It's just the opposite for me. I've had plenty of 'meh' juices that came to life when I switched to SS mesh. I've only encountered one juice that SS didn't improve, and it's and old bottle of Peach (100% VG). I cut it w/ a splash of PG Dekang Strong Mint and it's vapeable now.

Now that I'm using SS mesh, I'm working my way through my 'back stock' of older juices to clear them out, & many of them are quite enjoyable.

YMMV!

To me silica wick tastes 10 times better than a genesis ss mesh wick. The taste i get from any ss wick semes really muted

 

[MISTer E]

latexyankee, I look @ RA's as if they were cars. Most people drive economical run of the mill rides & do not work on them (blu ego carto types). Some sport expensive new cars & do little or no work on them = GG Zen with a Genisis(wrap coil & roll mesh) or a Vivi nova(replace a screw in coil head). Some people like to change the oil & get dirty no matter what they ride (enjoy RA's & learning atty mods) & some of them move on to building or creating from scratch or parts(muscle drag show car / mod makers). I do RA's & modding because I love to tinker & create.

I hope you find what makes you happy, before you spend much money . The clones are cheap, some are even stainless. My advice is start with a clone & move up to 100 atomizers later if you desire to.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Sounds interesting enough, the wire seems all the same but what's the deal with the different wick material? Is it just to prevent dry/burnt pulls or would you say the wick affects flavor as well. I tend to vape primarily vg, sometimes 100 percent vg, any advice for wicking material?

Good quality silica wick doesn't burn, doesn't (IMO) have it's own taste, carries liquid well and is easy to use. Some people have health concerns about it, because it is a fibre that the body can't break down. But it's what all the Chinese pre-built atties and carto's use, as well as being the default wick on a lot of rebuildables. I tend to think that when soaked in e-liquid the chances of microscopic fibres being released into the air are low compared to when the material is dry, but I guess we have to make our own decisions.

Stainless steel mesh has no chance of releasing fibre and can wick liquid very efficiently when set up well. Being naturally conductive, it has to be oxidised with a flame to put a non-conductive layer on the surface of it before use. It can be more difficult to set up than silica type wicks, for example 'hot spots' can happen where the oxidised layer is patchy. But when done right it does IMO give a cleaner flavour with less of a 'burnt' edge evident that you can get with normal atties and gives tonnes of vapour. Many atties can be 'adapted' to use stainless steel mesh but ones that are purpose built for it are known as 'Genisis' atomisers.

The others like cotton seem to be getting popular, maybe because of the health concerns of silica. It doesn't tolerate heat so much as silica (it must be kept wet at all times) but is said to give a better flavour. It should be noted chronic inhalation of fibres from cotton is itself a health risk (causes something called byssinosis). But again how much cotton dust is going to be released from a wick that is soaking in a liquid?

My first rebuildable was a Bulli A2 which is a silica wick type and pretty easy to set up. I think if my first one was a genisis, I'd have given up on it, because it can be a struggle sometimes to get them working right (my Cobra seems particularly difficult for some reason). There is a lot of help available here and elsewhere, but to a certain extent it's trial and error, and once you crack it, it gets easier.

Just to add VG always wicks better when it's been thinned a little regardless of wick type.

 

[damthisisfun]

Dont mean to steal the OPs post - is a RBA only for dripping? or can one use it like a clearo or tank?

 

[Papa Lazarou]

You can get dripping atties, big and small tanks, some that are effectively a rebuildable cartomizer (like the Spheroid). You can even get them that use old school filler cartridges, eGo-T cartridges, or that can be fed through the bottom on a juice feeder mod.

RBA just means rebuildable atomizer by the way, it's not a specific model Just to avoid any confusion.

 

[damthisisfun]

You can get dripping atties, big and small tanks, some that are effectively a rebuildable cartomizer (like the Spheroid). You can even get them that use old school filler cartridges, eGo-T cartridges, or that can be fed through the bottom on a juice feeder mod.

RBA just means rebuildable atomizer by the way, it's not a specific model Just to avoid any confusion.

OIC - so technically if you can recoil and rewick - be it a CE2, CE4 clearos or the vivi - they are all RBAs. If that is true - I have been using RBAs and didnt even know it...........

 

[xMackx]

OIC - so technically if you can recoil and rewick - be it a CE2, CE4 clearos or the vivi - they are all RBAs. If that is true - I have been using RBAs and didnt even know it...........

Well some are built and meant to be rebuildable (phoenix, did) and others weren't meant to be rebuildable but are simple enough in design for us to figure out (vivi nova). Either way they are rebuildable none the less.

 

[Nicblazer]

Hey latex,


Just feel like giving my 2cents among the array of opinions that you will hear on this topic .

Like many on ECF I have bought and used a plethora of RBAs and RBTs (DID, Oddysseus, Penelope, Zatty-U, Mark-T, Bully, and so on...), but one that stands out there as a cheap, awesomely built (Stainless Steel), EXTREMELY easy to build, easy to clean, and easily accessible is a RBA known as A7. This RBA can be used on top of a Reo as a bottomfeed atomizer (sorry, I'm unaware of other bottomfeed mods that can use an A7), and also as a regular dripping atomizer on most mechanical and electronic mods.


I never worried too much about tanks due to the fact that are very few instances that I need it them. If I'm driving I just attach my vapemate to my A7 and off I go. I always leave my vapemate in my car for such instances. I'm a dripper by heart, so tanks to ME are not a priority.


One of the biggest advantages of rebuildable atomizers, other than cleaner flavor (with the proper wick or mesh), and lots of vapor clouds (personally, I care less about this) is the cost of rebuilding one. I can literally build one coil PER DAY, and its gonna cost me less than $3.00 per MONTH !!!! People that use Genesis atomizers save even more due to the durability of the wick (SS mesh).


Also before I forget, another current "love of my life" is a RBA know as GP Spheroid. Also extremely easy to build, and to clean. A little more costly though. Around €89.00 if I remember correctly. This little guy does indeed put out a concentrated flavor that is seriously out of this world for a silica RBA. Nothing short of incredible.


Well, before I write a whole book here, latex, I just want you to know that you do not need an extremely expensive "delivery system" to be happy. Look at me, I'm happy with a $17 RBA (god, so much money spent to get to this one). Once you find what you want, stick with it. Personally, in terms of RBAs, I think that this industry, right now, is a little stagnant. Not in relation to different RBAs, see, but in relation to what they provide. I'm not seeing much of a difference in Genesis atomizers at all, only very subtle changes to attain the same end--- a pleasureable vape.


I apologize for writing this much, and bid you luck on your search for your Holy Grail of vapes, latex


Take care, friend,


Nic