iStick 50w with eGo tanks

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Glor

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Sep 9, 2014
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I picked up a starter kit some 6 months ago and have enjoyed using it for the time I've had it. It's a reasonably basic setup with a pair of 650mah eGo batteries and BDC tanks to go with them. For my next step in the journey I've been interested in looking at mods. I wanted something reasonably small but with a good battery life. After deliberating all weekend I settled on the iStick 50w - I have ordered it. On reflection this might seem overkill for me as I'm happy with the level and quality of vapour at the moment with my eGo style tanks although when the batteries are below half their charge it does lack somewhat. So why not go with the 30w you might ask... well the 50w was only a bit more money for double the battery capacity. Plus a few other aesthetic reasons, but mainly that. My question, is will this run my eGo tanks as well as the eGo batteries do? It comes with a 510 to eGo connector suggesting it will but in most of the forums people are using them with sub ohm atomisers. I realise I have scope to move into that area with the 50w, but would there be an issue using my eGo BDC tanks with the 50w unit for the foreseeable? Obviously not at the full 50w but more like 10w. I realise there may be a limit to the amount of power I should run through them (1.8 ohm) but I don't know what that level is yet.
 

spaceballsrules

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That's the beauty of the Isticks. They fill multiple vaping niches. They have wide voltage and wattage ranges, so almost any type of vaper will be able to find their personal sweet spot. The iStick 50W is capable of firing anything from 0.2-5.0 ohms, so its made to serve a wide variety of vaping styles. Fear not, you have made a very good choice when it comes to devices. You should have no problems running your 1.8 ohm coils. I personally favor Kanger EVOD single coils, also rated at ~1.8 ohms, and I find that they work really well at 7.0 watts on my iStick 30W. I also have a handful of Kanger EVOD2 dual coil clearos, also rated at 1.8 ohms, and they run equally well on my iStick 30W. Just put your atty/carto/clearo on the iStick and start at the lowest setting. Adjust the voltage/wattage up until you find what suits you best. Enjoy! :D

EDIT: I want to add that you will not see any drop off in performance over the charge life of your 50W as compared to your current eGo batteries. The power provided to the coil will remain the same until the battery is completely out of power.
 
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DingerCPA

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I'm running a Kanger ProTank 2 (uses the same coils as your eGo tanks, I believe) at about 1.8 ohms (or anywhere from 1.6-2.0 depending on how I build) anywhere from 8.5-9W. LOVE the battery life of the iStick 50. With this setup, I can get about 3 days (at least 2 for sure) before I have to recharge.

If you ever decide to change up your tanks, like spaceballs says, your iStick 50 will be able to accommodate LOTS of different toppers :)

ETA: Sorry - misread your post. I'm running single coils on mine. Dual coils should run just fine on the 50.... Probably better?
 

Glor

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Sep 9, 2014
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Thanks very much for your replies, I'm feeling better about my purchase. The iSticks certainly seem to have good reviews and I had a lot of help from the much respected YouTube reviewers too - I'm looking at you Phil Busardo and GrimmGreen. I think I will end up swapping to a newer tank before long.

I'd love to get into rebuilding but I'm put off doing so as I don't want to start ripping through eliquid like mad. I don't vape extensively, perhaps a tank full - no more than 2ml per day maximum. If I could build a dual coil in the 1.8 ohm range (avoids being held to buying the replacement attys) that'd be great.

Is this possible, or do you have any recommendations?
 

spaceballsrules

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Thanks very much for your replies, I'm feeling better about my purchase. The iSticks certainly seem to have good reviews and I had a lot of help from the much respected YouTube reviewers too - I'm looking at you Phil Busardo and GrimmGreen. I think I will end up swapping to a newer tank before long.

I'd love to get into rebuilding but I'm put off doing so as I don't want to start ripping through eliquid like mad. I don't vape extensively, perhaps a tank full - no more than 2ml per day maximum. If I could build a dual coil in the 1.8 ohm range (avoids being held to buying the replacement attys) that'd be great.

Is this possible, or do you have any recommendations?

Rebuilding dual coils is absolutely possible. Here is a great tutorial video by Sean Hanson from Lightning Vapes (a great site for buying rebuilding supplies BTW) that takes you through the whole process. This is for the old style Kanger dual vertical coils, but it should give you an idea of how it's done. There are different methods of rebuilding the coils for other tanks, as well as methods for rebuilding dual vertical coils. You may aslo want to look into getting a Kanger Subtank, as they are made for using both pre-built heads or for rebuilding. A nice go between for beginners. Then again, you may want to jump right into RDA/RTA. That's the beauty of the iStick 50W...it gives you a host of options. ECF has a great rebuilding subforum with lots of info and friendly folks ready to help. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/rebuildable-atomizer-systems/

 
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Glor

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Rebuilding dial coils is absolutely possible. Here is a great tutorial video by Sean Hanson from Lightning Vapes (a great site for buying rebuilding supplies BTW) that takes you through the whole process. This is for the old style Kanger dual vertical coils, but it should give you an idea of how it's done. There are different methods of rebuilding the coils for other tanks, as well as methods for rebuilding dual vertical coils. You may aslo want to look into getting a Kanger Subtank, as they are made for using both pre-built heads or for rebuilding. A nice go between for beginners. Then again, you may want to jump right into RDA/RTA. That's the beauty of the iStick 50W...it gives you a host of options. ECF has a great rebuilding subforum with lots of info and friendly folks ready to help. Rebuildable Atomizer Systems



That looks just the ticket. In fact I like the look of the Kanger tanks, so I may well invest! Thanks for the Lighning Vapes recommendation but I'm based in the UK so I'll find a local supplier or else use eBay. Do I really need a torch though??
 

spaceballsrules

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That looks just the ticket. In fact I like the look of the Kanger tanks, so I may well invest! Thanks for the Lighning Vapes recommendation but I'm based in the UK so I'll find a local supplier or else use eBay. Do I really need a torch though??

No, you don't need a torch. Just use a lighter and make sure to keep the wick or coil in the blue part of the flame. The point of torching is to get rid of any impurities left over from the manufacturing process, and a lighter provides more than enough heat to do that.

FYI Lightning Vapes does ship to the UK. I checked a London postal code and the cost was $7.99 USD for 7-14 day shipping. Not too bad. Add the coupon code LV15 for 15% off. You can probably find a better source locally, but it doesn't hurt to have options. ;)
 

spaceballsrules

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That's excellent, thanks for the advice.

Just watched the video you linked to again and the dual coil resistance came out to approx 1.5 ohms on his build (8 wraps on each). I watched another video where a single coil was being rebuilt but with only 6 wraps but the resistance was about 2.1 ohms. Both rebuilds were using 32 gauge wire. That's really confusing. I would have thought that more overall wire would mean more resistance, not less.

The single coil rebuild was specific about the wraps not touching whereas the dual coil purposefully made them touch. Perhaps there's something in that?

Sorry for getting off topic - you have piqued my interest!

What you have to keep in mind when building dual coils is that each coil is double the final resistance of both coils in operation. In the video, each coil he built was actually ~3.0 ohms, but when used together in the same head, the total resistance of both coils is 1.5 ohms.

The more coils in a circuit, the more pathways the energy has to travel, thus less resistance, not more.

When you actually start building your won coils, just sit down for a few hours and start experimenting. Just try different numbers of wraps, micro vs. spaced, coil diameter, etc. Eventually you will find what works best for you and stick to it.
 

Glor

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That makes more sense, I think I had been picturing any form of wire as additional resistance rather than an additional medium for the electricity to flow. A while since I learnt all this in school :)

A bit of YouTube searching leads me to believe my current attys are very similar, if not identical to the Aspire BDC and they look very fiddly to rebuild. I think I'll look for a Kanger Protank or RBA soon, once I've used up my spare attys.

Thanks very much for your help, explanations and advice. Much appreciated.
 

JeremyR

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That's excellent, thanks for the advice.

Been off to watch a few videos - I understand that multiple coils means less resistance but why do some rebuilds have the coils touching and some are spaced out?

Sorry for getting off topic - you have piqued my interest!

Spaced or touching coil is a choice... I prefer spaced coils as they gunk less and are less likely to overheat.. Touching can make low wattage run a little warmer, maybe.

I use spaced coils exclusively now after previously using touching for a year...

I started rebuilding kangers, but its a pain for some beginners. Maybe pick up a cheap $5-10.00 rebuildable tank or dripper so its easier to practice on.
 
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Glor

Full Member
Sep 9, 2014
23
15
UK
1-2 days on a 650... Well you'll probably get 10-14 days out of the istick...

Stop by and see us when you get it.. .

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ion/656162-eleaf-istick-50w-owners-group.html

I'll be on my way shortly! I received my 50w during the week, and what a difference! I'm still on the original charge and the battery has just dropped to about half way - after 3 days of use. Perhaps the second half will go quicker but that'll be almost a week of use on a full charge.

Thanks again for all your responses. Very happy with the iStick.
 
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