IGO-W: Silica or Cotton?

[dam718]

Aloha folks...

So I've had my IGO-W sitting around for a while brand new in the box... Just got around to opening it up and setting up a micro-coil build. Had to drill out the air holes to 3/64" the draw was a bit tight at the stock 1/32 size... The draw is perfect now, for me...

So I have dual 1.4Ω coils made from 28AWG Kanthal. Reads out around .7Ω on the meter, as expected.

coils are running great... Using a Magneto w/ freshly charged AW 18650. I figure I am well within safety limits of the battery running at .7Ω

For now I am using doubled up 3mm silica wicks in the coils... The flavor is great, just wanted to get some opinions on cotton as well.

Is cotton any better? Obviously will be more readily available than Silica, but I have quite a bit of 3mm silica here so I'm using it for now...

Also, will there really be a difference between 100% cotton, and "Organic" cotton?

And lastly, what preps should be taken? Boiling? Or just use it right from the bag?

Thanks!

 

[disco180]

Sounds like you got a great build there, if its vaping great no need to change it out yet until you have to as you already know.

The cotton wick will add more vapor to your vape and give you more flavor because it actually adsorbs the e-juice better then silica its also easy to change out if your coil is built right.

Remember cotton is bleached to give it that extra white look so buying organic means that you are not vaping any dyes and chemicals so in that regard IMO its safe to just use organic.

Boiling it is subjective, I used to boil mine but stopped didn't really see any difference, but some people claim to actually taste the cotton if you don't boil it, but I don't so I won't boil anymore, you just have to see what works for you.

In the end it is worth giving cotton a try you won't be disappointed and its wayyyyyyyyyyy cheaper then Silica in the long run and its easy to maintain and swap wicks at the drop of a hat.

 

[weezymagic]

Sounds like you got a great build there, if its vaping great no need to change it out yet until you have to as you already know.

The cotton wick will add more vapor to your vape and give you more flavor because it actually adsorbs the e-juice better then silica its also easy to change out if your coil is built right.

Remember cotton is bleached to give it that extra white look so buying organic means that you are not vaping any dyes and chemicals so in that regard IMO its safe to just use organic.

Boiling it is subjective, I used to boil mine but stopped didn't really see any difference, but some people claim to actually taste the cotton if you don't boil it, but I don't so I won't boil anymore, you just have to see what works for you.

In the end it is worth giving cotton a try you won't be disappointed and its wayyyyyyyyyyy cheaper then Silica in the long run and its easy to maintain and swap wicks at the drop of a hat.

still very new to rebuildables but from what i understand...organic is good right away but anything else requires boiling because of added dyes, etc.

 

[Ryan1888]

After starting using cotton I now can't use silica anymore. It completely changes the flavour of your juice - in my opinion of course.
As for boiling - I use organic cotton balls that are supposedly bleach and chemical free etc. So I don't feel the need to boil them. It's personal preference though, if it would make you feel "safer".

 

[BillyWJ]

Aloha folks...

So I've had my IGO-W sitting around for a while brand new in the box... Just got around to opening it up and setting up a micro-coil build. Had to drill out the air holes to 3/64" the draw was a bit tight at the stock 1/32 size... The draw is perfect now, for me...

So I have dual 1.4Ω Coils made from 28AWG Kanthal. Reads out around .7Ω on the meter, as expected.

Coils are running great... Using a Magneto w/ freshly charged AW 18650. I figure I am well within safety limits of the battery running at .7Ω

For now I am using doubled up 3mm silica wicks in the coils... The flavor is great, just wanted to get some opinions on cotton as well.

Is cotton any better? Obviously will be more readily available than Silica, but I have quite a bit of 3mm silica here so I'm using it for now...

Also, will there really be a difference between 100% cotton, and "Organic" cotton?

And lastly, what preps should be taken? Boiling? Or just use it right from the bag?

Thanks!

I boiled mine, just in case. It's not difficult, just throw a bunch in a pot with some distilled or bottled water, bring it to a boil, drain, repeat a couple times, let drain for a day or two on some paper towels. I did half of a bag, and it should last me quite a while - just throw it in a plastic baggie or tupperware once it's dried completely. You won't need to use much, a big bag of it will go a lot longer than you think!

 

[Muero]

organic has to do with the way it was grown. I believe even organic cotton is still whitened with hydrogen peroxide. I am not sure if there is any study about the effect of trace amounts of peroxide in vaping, but seeing as it's so easy to rinse/boil the cotton (not sure if boiling would actually help remove unwanted h2o2) why wouldn't one just take a simple measure to remove a possible toxin?

 

[Nikkita6]

Easy answer ..... COTTON!!

 

[Silent Solution]

I am loving my IGO-W. I have another one on the way as well as the IGO-W3(5 posts). I have it set up with 28 gauge twisted kanthal (micro coils around a 1/16 bit) and I use cotton. I do boil it for about 15 min then let dry, although I have used cotton straight out of the bag. I did about 6 wraps with the twisted kanthal and its about .35 Ohms. Loving it!!! Haven't tried it with silica yet. Once I started using cotton I haven't went back to ekowool or silica. I also had to drill out the same size holes as you did. Its a fog machine for sure!

If you have any questions about twisted kathal or my build ask away. I am using Sony 30 AMP batteries in my Astro Mod, so be safe with the sub-ohming. Vape on friend!

 

[Silent Solution]

why wouldn't one just take a simple measure to remove a possible toxin?

This too. Its not that hard to boil cotton. All ya need is a stove and a pot, and some water.

 

[Silent Solution]

Do you have a pic of your setup?