Explain the "Vape chart" to me

[Bored2Tears]

OK. So, yes I am a noob...but I am confident I understand how ohms law works. I often see this chart referred to :
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9dkanCt0I1qc8949o2_1280.png

The chart makes complete sense to me. Here's my question. I read so many people vaping well outside the parameters of this chart. Many people reporting vaping at 13 watts or above on 1.2 ohm coils and the like. On my variable voltage device with usually 1.8 ohm coils, I get dry/ hot/ burnt hits on anything pushing 9 watts or above.

So please explain. Is it because of the wicking material that others are vaping much higher wattages? I am strictly on Kanger pre built coils which are a silica wick. How does everyone else seem to regularly vape at 13, 15, and 20 watts without burned coils and the like?

Also, if I get dual coils that measure 1.5 ohms, will that require any different power supply than a single coil measuring the same resistance? More power, less power? I currently have a battery that only gives VV at 3.6, 3.8, or 4.2 volts. If I have an 1.5 ohm dual coil atomizer, should I expect that to only produce dry/burnt hits?

Thanks.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Used as a rough general starting point charts can be helpful for some folks.

My advice is to forget the charts and vape to taste, your taste.
No chart can take into account the enormous amount of variables; different delivery devices, coil/head type & resistances, airflow, pg/vg ratios, wicking material & ability, flavorings and most importantly personal preferences.

Start off at a low power and work your way up taking a vape or three on each setting until you find what you like best, if you get a burnt taste turn it down a little.

 

[Bored2Tears]

Used as a rough general starting point charts can be helpful for some folks.

My advice is to forget the charts and vape to taste, your taste.
No chart can take into account the enormous amount of variables; different delivery devices, coil/head type & resistances, airflow, pg/vg ratios, wicking material & ability, flavorings and most importantly personal preferences.

Start off at a low power and work your way up taking a vape or three on each setting until you find what you like best, if you get a burnt taste turn it down a little.

Right, I agree...but a little more precisely, I guess my question is what type of setup is allowing folks to vape comfortably at 13+ watts? I can't wrap my head around how that. Is it the setup that provides for a decent vape at 13 watts? Even 10 watts on most anything seems like it would be uncomfortable at best.

Maybe it's cause I've only ever used low end gear?

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Mostly RBA's, where you build your own coil and use your choice of wicking material.
Airflow & coil to wicking material contact / surface area is key.

Several report being able to vape Nautilus bvc's at and above 13w.

 

[kickflipsnnollies]

Maybe it's cause I've only ever used low end gear?

Bingo. Better stuff delivers more air and better wicking, letting you vape your juice at higher power with no problems.

 

[DC2]

That chart was probably designed a long time ago for cartomizers, and it doesn't really apply to much of anything else.
At this point in time I personally consider that chart to be mostly useless, unless you use cartomizers.

 

[Bored2Tears]

That chart was probably designed a long time ago for cartomizers, and it doesn't really apply to much of anything else.
At this point in time I personally consider that chart to be mostly useless, unless you use cartomizers.

I'm using Kanger clearomizers. Specifically and Evod, and a Protank 2. Seems like I can almost push 10 watts, but that's about it....and it agrees with the chart here so I thought this was pretty accurate.

So better wicking material and airflow really are the elements missing out of the equation on this chart. (And maybe liquid properties). Just verifying that I am on the right path here.

 

[Davey59]

Maybe close up the airflow a little bit and get more juice on the coils if your dry hitting. My experience is the more juice I can dump in the coil the higher I can hit it. Also allowing time for wick saturation after the hits makes a big difference.

As said above just adjust to taste, maybe they guy with the watts turned up likes "that" flavor he is getting where you and I might not. I constantly fiddle with all the settings.

 

[blackbalt89]

A lot of people vape at 50+ watts, but thats only because the setup allows us to do so. On prebuilt packaged heads you're looking at roughly a 10-13w maximum as there comes a point where the tight draw and tiny juice channels will not allow the tank to wick fast enough to deal with higher wattage.

On an RDA you're essentially limited to your airflow, wicking technique and sometimes your juice. If you're using something with crazy airflow and you've got your wicking down pat you may be able to vape a max VG juice at 100w. I personally vape around 70w, or .25ohm on my mech which only output 4.2v.

As someone said earlier the chart is simply a reference, not a be all end all. There are literally more variables that affect vaping that there is no clear right or wrong. Except when you're being unsafe and running a setup that pushes your battery to the limit, which you essentially can't do on a regulated device.

 

[twall]

OK. So, yes I am a noob...but I am confident I understand how ohms law works. I often see this chart referred to :
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9dkanCt0I1qc8949o2_1280.png

The chart makes complete sense to me. Here's my question. I read so many people vaping well outside the parameters of this chart. Many people reporting vaping at 13 watts or above on 1.2 ohm coils and the like. On my variable voltage device with usually 1.8 ohm coils, I get dry/ hot/ burnt hits on anything pushing 9 watts or above.

So please explain. Is it because of the wicking material that others are vaping much higher wattages? I am strictly on Kanger pre built coils which are a silica wick. How does everyone else seem to regularly vape at 13, 15, and 20 watts without burned coils and the like?

Also, if I get dual coils that measure 1.5 ohms, will that require any different power supply than a single coil measuring the same resistance? More power, less power? I currently have a battery that only gives VV at 3.6, 3.8, or 4.2 volts. If I have an 1.5 ohm dual coil atomizer, should I expect that to only produce dry/burnt hits?

Thanks.

Excellent question. One I have wondered about myself.

I have found in my own experience that lower total resistance can take more power (and seems to need it) than higher resistance. When I built my Kayfun to 1.3 ohms, I needed to kick the watts on my MVP to 11 to get it to do much of anything. When I built it to 2.2 ohms, 7 watts was plenty. Heck, an eGo would run it okay.

That's a single coil. Whenever threads asking this come up, people tend to concentrate on single coils to answer, and then say "but if you're using dual coils, that's different", and then just let it die without saying WHY it's different, and what one can expect as far as watts you're likely going to need for, let's say, a 2 ohm dual coil setup versus a 2 ohm single coil.

For the sake of argument, let's say I did a single build at 2 ohms. With the same wire, wicking material, juice, etc., I built a dual coil to 2 ohms. Yes, it'd be two long pieces of wire to make 4 ohms apiece (making 2 ohms when run parallel), but what about the watts? Would it be roughly double the watts for the dual? Like 13 versus 7 for a single? Or the same watts?

Every time I have used prebuilt dual coils, they are like 1.3 to 1.5. They need a ton of watts, but then again - so does a lower ohm single coil.

I are confused, too.

 

[Smann245]

You're using thin wire. Thicker wire does different things. People have mentioned wicking and airflow, but don't forget wire gauge.

 

[Bored2Tears]

Yeah, I tend to have more of a flooding issue on my Kanger tanks than dry hits. I had one coil that I think was much lower resistance than advertised. It was supposedly 1.8 ohm, but at 3.6 volts it sizzled and was hotter than the blazes. And I had allowed time for wick saturation.

I think I am finding out that this whole entire vape thing is one giant continuous experimentation. Ugh... I kinda like consistency and predictability.

 

[wonkeypickle]

the chart assumes that you're using a device that does not have the ability to increase airflow. Once air comes into the equation, the chart no longer applies.



i don't think there's a color dark enough to represent what i would be vaping on the chart. .12 @ ~4.2 volts for a whopping ~147 watts. The person who made it would probably classify that as "burning of the lungs beyond recognition by a medical doctor" however with 3 1/8th inch airholes i'm getting a pretty cool (in temperature) vape, compared to my kayfun 1.8 ohm @ 17 watts being what i would call a very HOT vape.

 

[Bored2Tears]

You're using thin wire. Thicker wire does different things. People have mentioned wicking and airflow, but don't forget wire gauge.

I'm using pre-built Kanger single coils primarily. To keep as many variables as possible out of the discussion, let's assume that for now.

But then I wanted to try dual coils to see if I could notice any discernable difference. Again, Kangers and prebuilt. Well I couldn't make much comparison because I couldn;'t get them to run on my battery. At all. Constant flooding/ gurgling issues. Longest I could get the dual coil attys to vape was about 1/2 a tank. Not long enough to see whether I liked it or not.

SO many variables.

 

[Bored2Tears]

the chart assumes that you're using a device that does not have the ability to increase airflow. Once air comes into the equation, the chart no longer applies.



i don't think there's a color dark enough to represent what i would be vaping on the chart. .12 @ ~4.2 volts for a whopping ~147 watts. The person who made it would probably classify that as "burning of the lungs beyond recognition by a medical doctor" however with 3 1/8th inch airholes i'm getting a pretty cool (in temperature) vape, compared to my kayfun 1.8 ohm @ 17 watts being what i would call a very HOT vape.

OK. I see that as a factor. I wonder what airflow is assumed on this chart? What was the standard for which this chart was developed? Just the typical clearomizer off the shelf from 3 or 4 years ago?

 

[Bored2Tears]

[Moderated] Deleted quote of post that was deleted

My apologies if I somehow offended you. I don't know if the pre built Kanger heads are using thin or thick wire. I have no idea what guage the prebuilt Kanger wires are. That's what I was trying to say. I'm sure the guage of wire is a variable in this, but was trying to tell you what wire I am using. So whatever the prebuilts have in them.

No offense intended to you.

 

[twall]

[Moderated] removed deleted quote

My, THAT was awfully harsh.......

 

[Bored2Tears]

So, everything else being equal..... same wicking material, same airflow, same liquid. If I build a 1.8 ohm coil with 32 guage Kanthal wire and a 1.8 ohm guage coil with a different guage wire.....that change how "hot" the vape is at the same watts ? Strange, I thought the resistance measured was all that really mattered in final power output. At least, that what the math seems to suggest.

 

[twall]

There is the amount of metal in the wire to consider, too.

 

[Bored2Tears]

Generally speaking, I think most of the responses helped. The wicking material, airflow, and even type of coil build are variables in this. Probably the reason it's hard to decipher the wide ranges everyone says they are vaping at with entirely different results.

Guess I'm back to square one. Keep trying different combinations of things till something works reliably. Unfortunately, it's expensive to do that.