Hussar Project X RTA Clone (by Coppervape)
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Yeah, it's the trickiest part of building. It's funny: when I first got started, the thought of wrapping and installing coils scared me the most, but that turned out to be a breeze. Wicking is much more of a chore. Just figuring out how wide a strip of cotton to cut can give me pause. It really is a matter of practice makes perfect. Well, perfectish.
I use both rayon and cotton in my atty's. The Tidi rayon is very fine with excellent capillary action. I used to use Sally's/Graham's. I find the Tidi rayon to be an upgrade. I don't comb the Tidi rayon and a wick lasts me for a good month minimum in any atty. In my X with the extension tank I last wicked on 8 August. Flavor is still great and hardly any gunk buildup on the coil. In my other X I last wicked on 15 August and it's still humming along same as the other. Rayon will always require more wick versus cotton. With rayon I don't trim any of the wick in an X. I find more is better.
I've tried Klaus's minimum wicking method with both rayon and cotton. Doesn't work for me. On my first X build I did the same as Todd with cotton wicking and it vaped great for me.
For cotton I use Mavaton's select and Carolina blend (oils removed in both). Cottonman's cotton is super silky, very fine, and it's capillary action is excellent. His cottons are unlike any I've ever tried and I tried most. They last. I don't comb those and I can get up to 2 weeks off either. When I was using KGD cotton I rewicked every other day. I also found KGD to be harsh. I knew there had to be better than that and there is.
In the X's when I use cotton I've trimmed a little off the sides and they vape fine. I've also wicked with trimming none of the cotton and they vape fine. I've trimmed some off the top and sides of the wick and it vapes fine.
With cotton there should be resistance felt when you insert the wick. If it goes in too easy that is not enough in my experience. If you insert the wick and it's too hard to pull through, or it moves your coil much, then that is too much. There is a balance that needs to be found.
I don't vape retail juices. My juice is DIY and not on the heavy side with with flavors. Most of my recipes are under 10% total flavoring. Retail juices use more and also add sweeteners (I don't). Juices that are heavier in total flavorings and sweeteners will play a role in how long a wick lasts and gunk up a coil quickly.
Specifically with the Project X the total chamber/chimney area is the smallest in comparison to any other RTA I have. I'm sure that plays a role in the type/quality of hit one gets. It's slammed like a slammed RDA cap for example. I have one X running with the 4ml tank ext and the other is running with the 2ml tank. I don't perceive a difference between the two (same wattage/temp/DT/mod).
Hope that helps
I've tried Klaus's minimum wicking method with both rayon and cotton. Doesn't work for me. On my first X build I did the same as Todd with cotton wicking and it vaped great for me.
For cotton I use Mavaton's select and Carolina blend (oils removed in both). Cottonman's cotton is super silky, very fine, and it's capillary action is excellent. His cottons are unlike any I've ever tried and I tried most. They last. I don't comb those and I can get up to 2 weeks off either. When I was using KGD cotton I rewicked every other day. I also found KGD to be harsh. I knew there had to be better than that and there is.
In the X's when I use cotton I've trimmed a little off the sides and they vape fine. I've also wicked with trimming none of the cotton and they vape fine. I've trimmed some off the top and sides of the wick and it vapes fine.
With cotton there should be resistance felt when you insert the wick. If it goes in too easy that is not enough in my experience. If you insert the wick and it's too hard to pull through, or it moves your coil much, then that is too much. There is a balance that needs to be found.
I don't vape retail juices. My juice is DIY and not on the heavy side with with flavors. Most of my recipes are under 10% total flavoring. Retail juices use more and also add sweeteners (I don't). Juices that are heavier in total flavorings and sweeteners will play a role in how long a wick lasts and gunk up a coil quickly.
Specifically with the Project X the total chamber/chimney area is the smallest in comparison to any other RTA I have. I'm sure that plays a role in the type/quality of hit one gets. It's slammed like a slammed RDA cap for example. I have one X running with the 4ml tank ext and the other is running with the 2ml tank. I don't perceive a difference between the two (same wattage/temp/DT/mod).
Hope that helps
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My wicks never touch bottom of juice well. When I cut the wick it is shorter than base... sometimes I cut it so short that end of wick ends in the middle of well. This way creates pool of juice under/around wick so absorption of juice by wick is much faster/easier than when whole well is filled with cotton... end of wick should be in other words suspended in juice not barelly absorbing juice from hole above.
Wick should be tight in the coil but not overly tight... to avoid flooding you have to be sure that internal "u" shaped cutout is filled with enough cotton... so do not comb your wick too much... just the end of wick should be combed. This is what works for me and this way your coil will be never starved for juice but this way of wicking carry small risk of flooding if internal "u"shaped cutout is combed or too thin (specially when using very small 2mm ID coil ) so be aware of it.
I would think the Coppervape tank extension would work on the Vazzling if they are exactly the same size.
I think the design of the chamber being much smaller in the X versus other atty's (like Kayfun's) may play a role in strength of hit for some. It's more condensed. What kind of juice do you run? 70/30, 60/40, 50/50? I use all three. 50/50 will always be a stronger hit. Could be perceived as harsher. I'm running 50/50 in one of my X's and the throat hit is more powerful than my other X with 70/30.
Frankenvaper ... you got me into bigger air now with everything.I get smoothness regardless of mtl or DL, but I'm also a frankenvaper who mtl's restricted DL RTAs
But I loves it!!! I also get consistent smooth hits in my X's. In one my DT bore is 9mm and the other I just switched to is 4mm.
I used to use Sally's/Graham's. I find the Tidi rayon to be an upgrade. I don't comb the Tidi rayon and a wick lasts me for a good month minimum in any atty. In my X with the extension tank I last wicked on 8 August. Flavor is still great and hardly any gunk buildup on the coil. In my other X I last wicked on 15 August and it's still humming along same as the other. Rayon will always require more wick versus cotton. With rayon I don't trim any of the wick in an X. I find more is better.
Specifically with the Project X the total chimney area is the smallest in comparison to any other RTA I have. I sure that plays a role in the type/quality of hit one gets. It's slammed like a slammed RDA cap for example. I have one X running with the 4ml tank ext and the other is running with the 2ml tank. I don't perceive a difference between the two (same wattage/temp/DT/mod).
Hope that helps
WOW! My coils are gunked after just two days... probably I use much more flavor in my DIY juice and vape a lot more (around 10ml a day). I also do not perceive difference between extension and 2 ml tank. I replace my coil and wick every 2 days... I have a bag of Rayon that will last me couple years and over 100 feet of different wires so cost is not an issue and building Project X is so easy I can do it in less than 5 minutes even without wearing my reading glasses
Great post! I actually just ordered the Graham Professional Cellucotton Beauty Coil (Rayon fiber)44130 off Amazon to try. Where can I buy this Tidi Rayon? I want to make an order immediately, my Amazon order hasn't shipped yet I think I can still cancel.I use both rayon and cotton in my atty's. The Tidi rayon is very fine with excellent capillary action. I used to use Sally's/Graham's. I find the Tidi rayon to be an upgrade. I don't comb the Tidi rayon and a wick lasts me for a good month minimum in any atty. In my X with the extension tank I last wicked on 8 August. Flavor is still great and hardly any gunk buildup on the coil. In my other X I last wicked on 15 August and it's still humming along same as the other. Rayon will always require more wick versus cotton. With rayon I don't trim any of the wick in an X. I find more is better.
I've tried Klaus's minimum wicking method with both rayon and cotton. Doesn't work for me. On my first X build I did the same as Todd with cotton wicking and it vaped great for me.
For cotton I use Mavaton's select and Carolina blend (oils removed in both). Cottonman's cotton is super silky, very fine, and it's capillary action is excellent. His cottons are unlike any I've ever tried and I tried most. They last. I don't comb those and I can get up to 2 weeks off either. When I was using KGD cotton I rewicked every other day. I also found KGD to be harsh. I knew there had to be better than that and there is.
In the X's when I use cotton I've trimmed a little off the sides and they vape fine. I've also wicked with trimming none of the cotton and they vape fine. I've trimmed some off the top and sides of the wick and it vapes fine.
With cotton there should be resistance felt when you insert the wick. If it goes in too easy that is not enough in my experience. If you insert the wick and it's too hard to pull through, or it moves your coil much, then that is too much. There is a balance that needs to be found.
I don't vape retail juices. My juice is DIY and not on the heavy side with with flavors. Most of my recipes are under 10% total flavoring. Retail juices use more and also add sweeteners (I don't). Juices that are heavier in total flavorings and sweeteners will play a role in how long a wick lasts and gunk up a coil quickly.
Specifically with the Project X the total chimney area is the smallest in comparison to any other RTA I have. I sure that plays a role in the type/quality of hit one gets. It's slammed like a slammed RDA cap for example. I have one X running with the 4ml tank ext and the other is running with the 2ml tank. I don't perceive a difference between the two (same wattage/temp/DT/mod).
Hope that helps
Wicking is different for every RTA as you know.
For me wicking is more of a "feel" thing versus cut a 1/2 inch for example. I know approximately how much to strip off for the coil ID's I use (2mm - 4mm RTA's + RDA's) by feel between my fingers. I always end up with a little too much or too little. Easily fixed though, take a little away or add some. If I went back to KGD it would take me a bit to get the feel again. I'm very comfortable using rayon and Cottonman's cottons.
Same with the "feel" part of inserting a wick in a coil. My fingers know the right resistance by feel. Hopefully that makes sense lol. My fingers automagically know if it's too tight or too loose. I pull the wick through the coil and even the shoulders out by pulling the wick side to side. For me it's all about the feel.
On the X I trim the wick at ~2-4mm beyond the sides of the deck. If it's rayon then it is closer to 4mm. If it's cotton it's closer to 2mm. Then I tuck the wick into the juice wells. Paint the coil + wick with some juice. Put it together. Fill the tank if needed and vape. Sometimes I trim cotton and other times I don't. I get a good vape either way. And I am always tinkering with how can I make it better.
I know @Janusz does his wicks more like Klaus and has great success. For whatever reasons that just didn't work for me. I will at some point mess around further with that.
8W?
What coil resistance are you using? How many wraps and what wire? At such low wattage I never experienced good vape... My coils are in range 0.6-0.8 ohms and I vape at 14-18W.
I asked Rossum what Tidi rayon he uses because there are different ones. It's #969162 Tidi rayon.
This is where I bought mine. Rayon Balls Large Non-Sterile
You may be able to find it for cheaper by searching. Some have found it cheaper in the Rayon thread. If you go backwards from page 404 there are folks who found it cheaper.
Rayon Wick - Better Flow, Flavor, Longevity, and Nic Hit!! - Pt.2
That thread and the Pt1 Rayon thread have many useful tips and info for using rayon. Rayon lasts longer than cotton.
It came in a large box with 2 bags. That's what I wanted so my brother and I each got one bag. Each bag is the size of a large bed pillow. See pic ... it is enough to last my lifetime.
The only difference between the Tidi and Graham's is Tidi comes in balls. They can be difficult to find where to open/unwind a ball from. Some are easy and others are a pain. Once unwound it's like any rayon to work with. Break-in time versus cotton is near zero. I get a little rayon taste for ~15 hits and then it's clean. That is a huge difference when compared to KGD and many other cottons. There is also a difference in feel between Tidi and Graham's with the Tidi feeling finer and not as course.
Hope that helps.
I love the Project X RTA's. So much so that I just ordered another for stash and will likely grab more before next May (or whatever the date for deeming is). Same with the Dvarw's. I have 7 RTA's and 5 RDA's and 12 mods in rotation all the time. I switch out the RDA's with others and the RTA's mainly stay the same. Mod's get changed up all the time between mech's (squonkers + tubes) and regulated.WOW! My coils are gunked after just two days... probably I use much more flavor in my DIY juice and vape a lot more (around 10ml a day). I also do not perceive difference between extension and 2 ml tank. I replace my coil and wick every 2 days... I have a bag of Rayon that will last me couple years and over 100 feet of different wires so cost is not an issue and building Project X is so easy I can do it in less than 5 minutes even without wearing my reading glasses
It's pretty much all Kayfun's, Russian's, Tripod's, Project X's and Dvarw's on the RTA side. I have other oddballs in stash. With those in rotation I'm sure it plays a role in how long my wicks/coils last. I vape maybe up to 8ml's on a heavy vape day and perhaps around 6ml's on a regular day.
Rossum gets months per Tidi rayon wick. Although he vapes mainly flavorless with only a little flavor added here and there. I vape flavorless here and there but not as my main vape.
Recently @AngeNZ got me interested in the Doggy's with her raving on about them (all the time) so I have a couple of those in my FT cart (1 with 2.5mm AF and 1 1.8mm AF). I don't remember which is which 2k16 or 2k18 or whatever.
Ange knows all that off the top of her Frankenmind.
So theres no difference other than the shape? If that's true than I think id want to stick to the Grahams because all you do is cut and use, theres nothing to figure out. Does that make sense?I asked Rossum what Tidi rayon he uses because there are different ones. It's #969162 Tidi rayon.
This is where I bought mine. Rayon Balls Large Non-Sterile
You may be able to find it for cheaper by searching. Some have found it cheaper in the Rayon thread. If you go backwards from page 404 there are folks who found it cheaper.
Rayon Wick - Better Flow, Flavor, Longevity, and Nic Hit!! - Pt.2
That thread and the Pt1 Rayon thread have many useful tips and info for using rayon. Rayon lasts longer than cotton.
It came in a large box with 2 bags. That's what I wanted so my brother and I each got one bag. Each bag is the size of a large bed pillow. See pic ... it is enough to last my lifetime.
View attachment 837225
The only difference between the Tidi and Graham's is Tidi comes in balls. They can be difficult to find where to open/unwind a ball from. Some are easy and others are a pain. Once unwound it's like any rayon to work with. Break-in time versus cotton is near zero. I get a little rayon taste for ~15 hits and then it's clean. That is a huge difference when compared to KGD and many other cottons. There is also a difference in feel between Tidi and Graham's with the Tidi feeling finer and not as course.
Hope that helps.
Also thanks for recommending the cottonman. I will be ordering that Asap. Any advantage I can get to make wicking any easier im all over it. Ive been having tons of issues.
Well, of course I ran off right away to get some of that magic cotton. For some reason, PayPal wouldn't let me buy any of the Movaton select, but I did get some Carolina. Looking forward to a wicking transfiguration.
As you say, @ShowMeTwice, a lot of wicking is about feel. And the only way to learn how things should feel is to practice. It'll come. I've already had many successes, some of which I can take credit for, others of which are mere fluke.
@Janusz, I'm using 65VG with a 1.25 ohm coil (28 AWG kanthal, 2.5mm ID, six wraps, spaced). And, believe me, I'm shocked to be vaping so low. When I used drop-in coils (Zeniths), 11-16W was the norm for me. But with RBAS, I find if I go higher than 8-8.5W, the vapor irritates the back of my throat. I can't up the VG because it clogs me up too much; neither can I decrease it, because any more PG and my tongue and the roof of my mouth feel like I've just swallowed a mouthful of scalding hot coffee.
As you say, @ShowMeTwice, a lot of wicking is about feel. And the only way to learn how things should feel is to practice. It'll come. I've already had many successes, some of which I can take credit for, others of which are mere fluke.
@Janusz, I'm using 65VG with a 1.25 ohm coil (28 AWG kanthal, 2.5mm ID, six wraps, spaced). And, believe me, I'm shocked to be vaping so low. When I used drop-in coils (Zeniths), 11-16W was the norm for me. But with RBAS, I find if I go higher than 8-8.5W, the vapor irritates the back of my throat. I can't up the VG because it clogs me up too much; neither can I decrease it, because any more PG and my tongue and the roof of my mouth feel like I've just swallowed a mouthful of scalding hot coffee.
I dont know what to say because when I used drop in coils I used basically the same vg/pg proportion, coil resistances and wattage and did not experienced any differences in harshness compared to RTAs... maybe your Project X is not working properly... I am using Coppervape brand...or maybe your juice have more Nicotine... if your vape is too hot at 12 watts it looks like yor wick is starved for juice or your airflow is not hitting coil (is your coil centered and at proper height?) be sure your JFC is fully opened and is aligned so juice holes are above wells.
If you have 26 gauge wire try to make 2.5mm coil with 7-8 wraps... you will get 0.7-0.8 ohm coil I use at 18 watt...thicker wire is easier to work and to install and is slower to heat.
Tidi is finer to the feel and not as course as Graham's. The Tidi fibers are all in line with each other which I believe helps with wicking (capillary action). Graham's rayon fibers are not all lined up like Tidi's. Break-in time is shorter with Tidi. Tidi is a cleaner vape. Tidi comes in balls.
Many here use Graham's and are very happy with it. If I hadn't heard about the Tidi I would still be happily using Graham's.
If you order cotton from Cottonman make sure you get it with the oils removed. I buy Mavaton's Select Gold with natural oils removed and Carolina Blend natural oils removed.
Mavaton's Mavaton's Select
Carolina Blend Carolina Blend 200mm
Hope that helps
I wick with CB prime, and I definitely cut it longer than the base, maybe 3mm past the base. I wick pretty similarly to this French dude
and I agree completely about the wick needing to be tight in the coil. I twist one end and sorta screw it in there, with the help of tweezers. Then untwist and pull through. If I can pull easily, I've used too little cotton.
For me personally, it is the closest I've got in an RTA to an RDA flavour - it's 98% as flavourful as an RDA
@Zazie - swap out your X drip tips with some from your Zenith tanks. I'm sure that will also help with removing some of the harshness
Oh and the best part of the last two pages? it shows how different things work for different people - which is the beauty of vaping 
Ok got it really appreciate all the help. I just ordered the Carolina blend, like Zazie said the site is having a problem and won't let me order the Mavaton SelectTidi is finer to the feel and not as course as Graham's. The Tidi fibers are all in line with each other which I believe helps with wicking (capillary action). Graham's rayon fibers are not all lined up like Tidi's. Break-in time is shorter with Tidi. Tidi is a cleaner vape. Tidi comes in balls.
Many here use Graham's and are very happy with it. If I hadn't heard about the Tidi I would still be happily using Graham's.
If you order cotton from Cottonman make sure you get it with the oils removed. I buy Mavaton's Select Gold with natural oils removed and Carolina Blend natural oils removed.
Mavaton's Mavaton's Select
Carolina Blend Carolina Blend 200mm
Hope that helps
All you have to do is with one hand grab where the air holes are and with your other hand twist the yellow piece
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