Im tired of buying cartomizers, what options do i have? (RBA questions)

[illitirit]

Been vaping on a provari 2.5 and ibtanked 22mm xl with Boge SR XL cartos for the past 3 months of analog free life.

The one thing right now that is bothering me is the cost of cartomizers. Granted they are not expensive by any means, I just dont like having to shell out ~6 bucks per pack of 5 even when i buy in bulk from surevapes.

So, I've been looking into mechs and RBA's

Specifically the Chi You Clone from fasttech and the RSST from Smoktech. Is this a good combo?

Here are some questions that I have been pondering:

1.) If I were to change to the genesis atomizer, and I build my own coils. How much money would I save compared to buying boges every month?

2.) I know nothing of RBA's so if I buy the RSST, I would need kanthal wire and some mesh? Where do I buy this and how cheap is it. What is the best type of each?

3.) With RBA's how long does each built coil / mesh last for before i need to build another one?

4.) Do I even need to build another one? Or can I just clean it and start fresh?

5.) Are RBA's leakproof? One main reason I love carto tanks is because they do not leak.

6.) Does the RSST come in glass? Im afraid of putting some of the liquids i have in its plastic tank.

7.) Is the vape quality / flavour quality vs cartomizers that much different on genesis atomizer?

 

[moondragon]

Congrats on your 3 months analog free! I can understand your issue with having to continually buy cartos! You have some really good questions. I don't have any experience with any of the things you specifically have questions about, so I'm not going to try and provide answers. However, most likely someone else will stop by soon who does have answers. If you don't get all the answers you need here, you might want to check and/or re-ask your questions in the Rebuildable Atomizer Systems sub-forum or in the APV Discussion sub-forum.

Good luck with what ever it is that you decide to try next.

 

[Baditude]

I can't answer all of your questions, but I may be able to offer some help with some. Take into consideration that my answers are from MY EXPERIENCE, and other's experience may well be different.

I can provide you with some excellent resources of information that are applicable to what you will need to research. Advice and Tips for Vapors Looking to Try Their First RBA. Another blog covers batteries: Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or Protected?



1.) If I were to change to the genesis atomizer, and I build my own coils. How much money would I save compared to buying boges every month?

Wick and wire are relatively cheap when compared to the cost of replacement cartomizers. Like anything else, buying in bulk is often cheaper.

2.) I know nothing of RBA's so if I buy the RSST, I would need kanthal wire and some mesh? Where do I buy this and how cheap is it. What is the best type of each?

Most online e-cig vendors now sell wire and stainless steel mesh as a part of their inventory.

I buy the pre-rolled SS mesh wicks for $2 each. One foot of wire for $2. You might find this cheaper elsewhere, I preferred to buy from one place to reduce shipping fees. Many people use different wick materials than this, ie silica wicks, Ekowool, or ceramic. I have also purchased mesh and wire from RTD Vapor.

3.) With RBA's how long does each built coil / mesh last for before i need to build another one?

That's like asking how long a carto will last in a cartotank. It varies from person to person, and much depends upon the build quality of the wick and wire you make. It's conceiveable that you can pop a coil within a single day, or have a wick/coil build that could last you 3 - 4 weeks.

4.) Do I even need to build another one? Or can I just clean it and start fresh?

A good wick can be cleaned and reused. Wire eventually becomes fragile from repeated heat exposure and you'll need to wrap a new coil time to time.

5.) Are RBA's leakproof? One main reason I love carto tanks is because they do not leak.

Most Genesis-type RBA tanks leak if not kept upright. It's part of the design. Hense they are mostly an at home only type of delivery attachment. I don't have a Rebuildable Drip Atomizer (RDA), they may be less likely to leak.

6.) Does the RSST come in glass? Im afraid of putting some of the liquids i have in its plastic tank.

Not that I am aware of. OCD from IBTanks offers replacement glass for many types of RBAs, but not for the RSST. The AGA-T2 comes with a pyrex tank.

7.) Is the vape quality / flavour quality vs cartomizers that much different on genesis atomizer?

That is subjective. I have found the flavor to be comparable to a cartotank, but the vapor production can be 2X, 3X that of a cartotank. I have found RBAs to be inconsistant and finicky. They can require a lot of tinkering. Comparatively, I have found cartotanks to be very consistant and maintanance free, and are much more portable for on-the-go compared to an RBA.

For example, I've not touched my two AGA-T2's for about 3 weeks. They both need new coils, and possibly new wicks. I know that I will have to devote a half hour to each tank, and I've not been motivated to apply the time to do a new setup.

RBAs definately have a big learning curve. You may need to make a few coils and wicks before you have a satisfying one you can enjoy. The more experience you gain, the better you get. My RBAs have given me the best vape I've experienced when they work optimally, but they have also given me a lot of grief and frustration.

I might add, you seem to have given up on cartotanks based solely on your disappointing experience with using only Boge cartomizers. I use Ikenvape cartomizers exclusively and have been extremely pleased with better flavor production and longer use than Boge or Smoktech cartos. I have only had one bad cartomizer out of approximately fifty Ikenvapes.

 

[genghishahn]

Specifically the Chi You Clone from Fasttech and the RSST from Smoktech. Is this a good combo?

Here are some questions that I have been pondering:

1.) If I were to change to the genesis atomizer, and I build my own coils. How much money would I save compared to buying boges every month?

2.) I know nothing of RBA's so if I buy the RSST, I would need kanthal wire and some mesh? Where do I buy this and how cheap is it. What is the best type of each?

3.) With RBA's how long does each built coil / mesh last for before i need to build another one?

4.) Do I even need to build another one? Or can I just clean it and start fresh?

5.) Are RBA's leakproof? One main reason I love carto tanks is because they do not leak.

6.) Does the RSST come in glass? Im afraid of putting some of the liquids i have in its plastic tank.

7.) Is the vape quality / flavour quality vs cartomizers that much different on genesis atomizer?

I second moondragon's suggestion about checking out the Rebuildable Atomizer Systems and APV forum. I've played around with genesis style atomizers and keep one in my rotation (I tend to like silica-based systems more). I'm certainly no guru since my experience is mostly with silica, but I do use gennies so I've gone ahead and offered some answers to your questions to get the ball rolling:

I've got an HCigar Chi You clone and it's a solid performer. I'm unsure of whether or not the Fasttech version is the same one. The RSST is supposedly very user friendly. I haven't used on personally, but I hear good things about it.

1.) I rebuild my genesis atomizer weekly. Some people go longer between rebuilds, others shorter. The magnitude of savings is really going to depend on how often you're changing out cartos now versus how often you'd be rebuilding. I'm sure that after you've bought all the necessary supplies you will realize at least some savings.

2.) You will need some mesh and some wire. 400 mesh seems to be the most popular. Stainless Steel Mesh - Lightning Vapes For wire, maybe give KidneyPuncher a look. Get a few different wire gauges and see what you like. Maybe start with a length each of 30 and 32 gauge. It may seem a little pricey, but it becomes MUCH cheaper once you know what you want and start buying in bulk.

3.) See 1.

4.) You can clean it--vodka or everclear get recommended a lot--but you will have to rebuild at some point.

5.) Depends on the RBA; some are, some aren't, some are kinda. Genesis atomizers, on the whole, tend to not be leak proof--you'll want to try and keep them upright so juice doesn't leak out of the breather hole.

6.) There was talk of a new verision of the RSST with a glass tank, but I don't know if it's available yet.

7.) To me, yes. I ditched my cartos as soon as I got my first rebuildable. Friends that have switched have done the same.

 

[RussCA]

Suggestion: Consider the Smoktech Drunker Tank instead of the RSST. It's a rebuildable, but not Genesis style. It performs well and doesn't leak. It uses silica or cotton wicks instead of mesh (I prefer cotton). I think it's better suited to the way you want to use your RBA. It also costs about half as much as the RSST.

 

[90quattrocoupe]

I use carto tanks with 2.2ohm Boge XL cartos, in a Phiniac or IBT tank, on a Provari with a 18650 battery set at 4V and I use the RSST with silica wick 1.8/9 ohms on a Atmizoo Roller with a 18490 battery with a Evolv kick set at 10W.

Cost wise. Yea, you can save money on a RSST. Personally, unless you want to be frustrated, I would use doubled over 3mm silica wick with a 5 wrap 30 Kanthal A1 wire, instead of playing with mesh. Easy to wrap. This give me about a week of vaping before the I feel the coil or the wick is done. You can do these wraps for about $ .30. Now, if you use a juice that gunks up easily, your build will last a couple of days. Stick to the lighter juices and a blend of about 50/50, it will wick better. My folded over wicks are about 5 inches long, total. After, the top of the wick gunks up or becomes not unsuable, I save the bottom tails of the silica wick, for wicking my Russian 91% or my BCC tanks. You could say I am getting double duty from my wick. With a RSST, you want to cut your nic mg, in half compared to your cartos.

As for cartos. I get my Boge cartos, which I have no problems with, from Vapor Phoenix. I only buy XL cartos and I buy 25 at a time. $1.04 a piece shipped. I use a 10/90 light juice blend in them. They last me about a week and a half. I still find this is the smoothest vape.

As said before, sometimes wicking and wrapping RSST style atomizers can be a pain. But it is all what you want. Give it a try. I keep trying new stuff all the time.

Greg W.