First RBA Suggestions

[danxx6]

Hi Guys

I've recently started rebuilding coils for my protank 2 and I think I've managed to figure it out. I've rebuild about 5/6 coils now and got the ohm's I want near enough first attempt, usually around 2.2ohm.

I want to move on and start looking at rba's... Does anyone have any suggestions for a good starter RBA, easy to rebuild which will allow me to learn rebuilding more?

I don't have a dmm currently but I'll probably use my vamo/zmax to check ohm resistance, would this be ok? I'll probably invest in a dmm one day....

Thanks

Dan

PS - It'd be an advantage if it looked cool on a Vamo V3 or ZMax

 

[JoeDerty]

i built my first coil last night it was on a RSST it was easy. i built a micro coil at 2.4 ohms with cotton wick. not a bad start since it was only $19 at 101vape.com

 

[Myrany]

ok Tank rebuildable or dripper?

For a tank rebuildable I would say go with a Kayfun lite (clone or real depends on budget and how you feel about clones). One of the higher rated Rebuildable tanks and not a difficult build.

FOr a dripper I would say IGO-L. A somewhat older dripper but its large deck and simple layout make it a fantastic place to begin.

 

[danxx6]

Oh yeah, sorry didn't say, Tank... Not got into dripping yet & i'd want to take it out & about!

Yeah saw the RSST & the Kayfun, the kayfun looks expensive :O Never tried a clone of anything so I couldn't comment, may do a fasttech jobby to try it out

 

[JonnyB88]

I would recommend an RSST as previously stated. Very easy to work with.

Easy to use a cotton wick on. And if you're planning on using SS mesh instead, it's insulated which is helpful as a first RBA.

Not a bad price, especially for a first, either.

 

[Sthur]

I just bought a KFL clone yesterday and best purchase yet.

Kayfun Lite Style Rebuildable Atomizer w/Airflow Control

I started with the smoktech octopus and then rsst, liked rsst with microcoil and cotton.

 

[nemoishouse]

Kayfun most def


Vape on!!

 

[RickaLocious]

When ya get your RBA's ummmm practice and then practice a bit more, I had to get over a learning curve, not so good with fittling with wire I can barely see lol. Oh yeah I hate mesh!!

 

[Lunger]

If you're getting an RDA (Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer) you should buy an IGO-W. It's meant for dual coils due to the extra negative post buy you can use a single coil configuration. The reason I recommended this one and not the IGO-L which is a single coil config atty is because the IGO-W is easier to work on for beginners. The posts have holes in them that you run your wire through whereas the IGO-L does not. With the IGO-L you need to wrap the wire around the top screw. This can be tricky for beginners. I personally own both and love them both. They hit like a champ, amazing flavor and vapor production, and are very inexpensive and quite durable.

I personally dislike the Genesis Style atties. I'll list my reasons. They are meant for Stainless Steel mesh wicks, which I hate. I dislike the taste they provide and they are prone to shorts. Theres a steep learning curve in learning how to properly wick ss mesh. I don't like the idea of oxidizing the wick with a torch to prevent shorts because of the risk of particles contaminating the juice. Theres multiple workarounds for this, like only oxidizing the top half of the wick or wrapping it with cotton, or you can even improvise and use silica wicks or cotton. I've tried all methods and was never satisfied with the vape. For some reason my juices never just tasted the same as they did on an RDA with cotton wicks. It's all a matter of personal preference I suppose.

There are cons to an RDA as well. You need to constantly top off the wicks, especially when using cotton. Burnt cotton is not good for your lungs and tastes wretched. This can become an inconvenience especially when you're on the road or when you vape at high wattage, which forces you top top it off very frequently. It's not a snap on and go type setup. I can personally live with this con because I enjoy the vape that much on an RDA. For me the flavor alone is unmatched.

Iwant to try the Russian next, I hear it's really good. Has a tank and is the perfect setup design wise for cotton wicks and micro coils.

Here are the links for the RDA'S.
IGO-W
IGO-L

 

[danxx6]

Ok, Woah, once again, amazing responses on this forum! Surprises me everytime

So, I see people mentioning mesh? Can't say i've ever come across it or even tried it. So far i'm stuck with Kanthal wire & silica wicks... Guess the learning curve is steeper than I presumed :O

I'll have a look through the examples, I've seen the RSST, kaylites & AGA's previously but was unsure which one to go for. Ideally, i'd probably go for a kanthal wire & silica wick setup at first, if this is possible with an RDA? I've seen a lot of people using cotton but I haven't experimented with this yet, slightly unsure what type of cotton to use?

 

[Lunger]

Ok, Woah, once again, amazing responses on this forum! Surprises me everytime

So, I see people mentioning mesh? Can't say i've ever come across it or even tried it. So far i'm stuck with Kanthal wire & silica wicks... Guess the learning curve is steeper than I presumed :O

I'll have a look through the examples, I've seen the RSST, kaylites & AGA's previously but was unsure which one to go for. Ideally, i'd probably go for a kanthal wire & silica wick setup at first, if this is possible with an RDA? I've seen a lot of people using cotton but I haven't experimented with this yet, slightly unsure what type of cotton to use?

Stainless Steel Mesh is basically a little sheet of stainless steel. You need to cut a piece off and roll a wick. Before you coil it, you have multiple options to prevent a short. You can oxidize (torch) the wick which creates a layer on the mesh and prevents shorts, you can torch the top half only, or you can use the cotton hybrid. If you get creative you can make it work with silica or cotton straight up as well. Here are some instructional videos:

This one is by phil busardo. Here you can get an understanding of how the ss mesh works and assembly:
A PBusardo Review - The AGA-T(s) - Part 2 - Assembly & Building Tutorial - YouTube

This one shows the cotton hybrid:
Mesh/Cotton hybrid wick Bluegrasslover's method - YouTube

And this one below shows you how to "microcoil" and how to prepare cotton wicks, plus assembly. The microcoils work amazingly well, especially in the ohm range you mentioned in the OP and with a variable voltage device. These type of coils work best on the RDA's.
REOmizer 2 / RM2 / RBA 2.0 Build To Get You Started - YouTube

As for your question, yes the kanthal and silica wick is indeed possible with an RDA. Actually, the Rebuildable Dripping atomizers are designed with silica or cotton wicks in mind. But they are dripping atomizers like I mentioned previously, so you need to remove the top cap and squirt some juice on the wicks when it starts running dry. There isn't any tank or reserve so just snapping on and going about your merry way is a no go. You'll need to carry a juice bottle around. The genesis style atomizers, the ones with the wick hole and the vertical coil setup liek the first video I linked you to were designed with ss mesh wicks in mind but you can make them work with silica or cotton as well, its just tricky. these all have a tank. you gotta be careful though and not lay them on their side, juice will spill through the wick hole. You also gotta give them a tilt from time to time if its not hitting properly.

The kayfun and clones like the russian etc seem to be the go-to atomizer for people that like micro coils and or cotton or silica plus a reserve tank. They were designed with these types of wicking systems in mind. I still havent tried one yet, they are a bit pricey, but they look really good.

Almost forgot, the Igo's have a little bowl which holds a couple of drops of eliquid. its not much but it really helps reduce the topping off frequency.

 

[sky4it]

well you know, well you know well you know,,,

Just got my nimbus rda in, its a pain builiding the atomizer, and and and, well you know, if you put too much juice in it goes out the airholes, it came with little tiny wicks, didnt like em so i booted them..................
its a wick cow, man you need lots a wick, aint got no cotton to pull just cotton string, and some silica which i dont wanna, i say wanna use up, I CANT GET NO satisfactio, so fer now, going back to my BCC's, which vape like a monster, monster i say monster. maybe i will get this nimbus down, maybe not.

you gots try lots of things from the vaperman

 

[Ozwald]

No thoughts on the RBA, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents about a multimeter (but I expect change).

You can get a cheapie analog meter from Radio Shack for 10-15$. Not the perfect thing, but it'll work, plus it's handy just to have around for the odd job here and there. I've got some nicer meters for electronics work (I'm an amateur radio op) but that cheapie RS meter still comes in handy all the time.

 

[Mark Anthony]

Ok, Woah, once again, amazing responses on this forum! Surprises me everytime

So, I see people mentioning mesh? Can't say i've ever come across it or even tried it. So far i'm stuck with Kanthal wire & silica wicks... Guess the learning curve is steeper than I presumed :O

I'll have a look through the examples, I've seen the RSST, kaylites & AGA's previously but was unsure which one to go for. Ideally, i'd probably go for a kanthal wire & silica wick setup at first, if this is possible with an RDA? I've seen a lot of people using cotton but I haven't experimented with this yet, slightly unsure what type of cotton to use?

I use organic cotton.... No need to boil or rinse. It's an awesome vape.

 

[sky4it]

No thoughts on the RBA, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents about a multimeter (but I expect change).

You can get a cheapie analog meter from Radio Shack for 10-15$. Not the perfect thing, but it'll work, plus it's handy just to have around for the odd job here and there. I've got some nicer meters for electronics work (I'm an amateur radio op) but that cheapie RS meter still comes in handy all the time.

harbor freight is like 4 -5 bucks, but they trickey to use, you have to offset what they are off. i dont even use them anymore, i just check em on my lavatube, its more accurate.

Montana is great country, vape on,from Minnesota

 

[Ozwald]

harbor freight is like 4 -5 bucks, but they trickey to use, you have to offset what they are off. i dont even use them anymore, i just check em on my lavatube, its more accurate.

Montana is great country, vape on,from Minnesota

A dirty sock is more accurate than anything from HF. The Radio Shack one isn't built much better, but it's much more accurate & simple to calibrate the offset. You just have to make sure you turn the dial to the correct range.

You can get the occasional decent item from HF, but there's zero quality control so if you buy 2 of the same item, one may work & the other not at all. I've even gotten steel rulers from there that were off by more than a 1/4" in a 2" span. Makes for a decent straight-edge in the shop though.

 

[tricci]

Kayfun with a micro coil and an organic cotton wick. Best vape hands down, imho. The Kayfun is a little expensive but worth every penny.

 

[sky4it]

A dirty sock is more accurate than anything from HF. The Radio Shack one isn't built much better, but it's much more accurate & simple to calibrate the offset. You just have to make sure you turn the dial to the correct range.

You can get the occasional decent item from HF, but there's zero quality control so if you buy 2 of the same item, one may work & the other not at all. I've even gotten steel rulers from there that were off by more than a 1/4" in a 2" span. Makes for a decent straight-edge in the shop though.

yeah that makes sense, mine was off by 1.3-1.5 ohms, had to subtract it, yeah HF meters are pretty inaccurate