Japanese cotton pads

[raige93]

First I'd like to say I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the coil sub forum, if need be, feel free to move it.

Ok, now that that is out of the way; I recently got a 10 pad pack of some Japanese cotton pads and for the life of me cannot get them to wick well. Regular 'ol cotton balls are working MUCH better, better flavor, better wicking, and no dry hits, I can't take more than a 1-1.5 second draw when wicked with the JCPs before she starts burnin' up.

I separate a pad in half, cut a strip along the grain, roll 'er up, and thread through the coil, much like I do with normal cotton. I've tried more, less, I can't seem to get it to work. Admittedly with a 1/8" ID it may be difficult, as I didn't have nearly as much trouble on a 2.4mm ID a few weeks ago. I usually build 5-7 wraps. Resistance varies quite a bit depending on the day. Though I do usually keep it around .20.

Any tips, tricks, advice, or help is greatly appreciated, vape on!

 

[vapdivrr]

First I'd like to say I wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the coil sub forum, if need be, feel free to move it.

Ok, now that that is out of the way; I recently got a 10 pad pack of some Japanese cotton pads and for the life of me cannot get them to wick well. Regular 'ol cotton balls are working MUCH better, better flavor, better wicking, and no dry hits, I can't take more than a 1-1.5 second draw when wicked with the JCPs before she starts burnin' up.

I separate a pad in half, cut a strip along the grain, roll 'er up, and thread through the coil, much like I do with normal cotton. I've tried more, less, I can't seem to get it to work. Admittedly with a 1/8" ID it may be difficult, as I didn't have nearly as much trouble on a 2.4mm ID a few weeks ago. I usually build 5-7 wraps. Resistance varies quite a bit depending on the day. Though I do usually keep it around .20.

Any tips, tricks, advice, or help is greatly appreciated, vape on!

I used cvs sterile cotton for a long time before switching to kgd and rayon and have found the kgd just as good if not better then the regular cotton. it sounds like your doing it correctly so not sure. what i can say is that when i used regular cotton i use to kind of twist the wick up slightly and compress it, with the kgd i just feed thru, so i believe i use less kgd or at least not as dense as a piece, but if you wick is burning or getting dry hits, it sounds like your not using enough

 

[Paradicio]

After cutting I gently pull the cotton slightly apart, so it doesn't tear, just enough to give it some "fluff". I then fold it over and over on itself until I've got it to the size I need. Then I roll it, just a bit, and pass it through the coil. I've had no issues with dry hits at all.

 

[ukeman]

I just moved on from Cellucotton Rayon, Angel Hair, -Pima Sliver cotton, - Organic Cotton, and before that Silica, Eko, regular Cotton balls, and RxW...
to KGD and White Pony which looks like Muji, and ... I think its the best flavor and wicking of them all; ymmv.

First time use too; seperated layers cut like you did, rolled to a nice snug fit in the coil (but be able to pull back and forth so as not to choke the wick in the coil)... and made sure the tails aren't too big or long.

Not sure how long it will hold up, but the flavor and vapor is just superb.

Tips I've learned along the way:
Whereas Cellucotton Rayon doesn't expand when wicked, you can have it a bit more snug packed in the coil than cotton which expands... so that tells me that you having a burnt taste, dry hit so soon, means you may be packing it 1. too tightly in the coil. 2. possibly too much wick outside of the coil, letting the juice condense other than in the coil area.

I also learned that whereas CCRayon seems to work better with a spaced-wrap coil (wraps not touching), cotton may work better for you in a micro (wraps touching) coil.

Edit: I did notice right away that the juice got so absorbed that the wick runs dry faster ... as the flavorful clouds are more full bodied.

 

[vapdivrr]

It's definitely has to be the amounts because it is slightly different and although dry hits can be from insufficient amounts, it could be too much as well. I started thinking last night and now remember that when I first started using the ... cotton I did initially use to much. Check coil after a few hits and then try to pull out wick, if it's in there pretty darn tight then it's too much, if it slides out fairly easily, then not enough. What atty?

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

i use muji pads and i will use the same thickness for contact and non-contact, although with non-contact it's ok to have it buldging a little between wraps if you have big gap's.

the thickness of a pad is approx 1/8th, so if wicking 1/8th id coil... before i got used to it i would put a 1/8th drill bit on the pad along the fibres as a marker or you could just measure, either way you have 1/8th squared so it might be a little tight but ok for open coil's, so adjust to suit.
For 1/16th id coil's i do the same but with a 1/16th cut on a pad that is split in half like a sandwich.

I always cut a longer piece than i need so that i can twist up an end as tight as possible and as long as the coil, to prod through the coil easy, once the wick is through it will be untwisted, give it a slide to and fro a couple of times to smooth things out.
I only leave the wick tails long enough to reach the deck from the coil or to where ever you need them to soak up juice.


You can also cut your strip into a slight wedge shape which comes in handy for coils where when you insert the cotton one end of the coil will have cotton falling away from the last wrap which will be on the topside, the end of the coil with the last wrap on the topside is the end you want to thread the tip of the wedged cotton through as once installed this end will have the thickest part of the cotton.

hope that makes sense, i might do a sperate thread with pics?

 

[VenusianSky]

Similar Ukeman, I went from organic cotton balls, to cellucotton, to now koh gen do. I also have cotton bacon, but don't really use it. Rayon is good when you have the right amount wicked. I spent a good bid of time figuring how much to use, but I would occasionally still get dry hits when I would use slightly too much or too less. No issues like that with KGD, so far, and it tastes pretty much the same as rayon. Both absorb juice far better than regular organic cotton.

 

[vapdivrr]

Similar Ukeman, I went from organic cotton balls, to cellucotton, to now koh gen do. I also have cotton bacon, but don't really use it. Rayon is good when you have the right amount wicked. I spent a good bid of time figuring how much to use, but I would occasionally still get dry hits when I would use slightly too much or too less. No issues like that with KGD, so far, and it tastes pretty much the same as rayon. Both absorb juice far better than regular organic cotton.

I also agree, I tend to think the kgd is alot easier to wick then rayon. I feel the rayon amounts need to be a little more exact then kgd and like you said, flavor is very very close. I know some say rayon produces a much better flavor, and that it isn't even close to kgd and although taste is subjective, I disagree. For those, I would love to set up 4 tanks all with the same exact everything except one was rayon and the others were cotton, actually I would just say each wick is different and you tell me which one is which. With 4 perfect set ups, I doubt one can really tell the difference, at least I couldnt, and maybe that's just just my taste buds and I'm totally wrong.

 

[ukeman]

Agreed^

I have no problem with the cotton balls as far as rolling and wicking; I'd much rather use that if it were as good in all the factors but its not imo.

Rayon is a bit tricky, and I'll get used to installing pads soon enough... I've got enough to last too.

lol... I always get too much of the latest thing, and I've got little drawers FULL of just about every wick material there is, over the last couple years.

I was getting some unknown Japanese cotton pads from a juice vendor quite a while back, I wasn't sure, still am not sure, if some aren't just cutting through the whole pad to the thickness you want, or if most are peeling open the pads and rolling.

Does it matter? As far as I know as long as you are going "with the grain" its ok.

 

[vapdivrr]

Agreed^

I have no problem with the cotton balls as far as rolling and wicking; I'd much rather use that if it were as good in all the factors but its not imo.

Rayon is a bit tricky, and I'll get used to installing pads soon enough... I've got enough to last too.

lol... I always get too much of the latest thing, and I've got little drawers FULL of just about every wick material there is, over the last couple years.

I was getting some unknown Japanese cotton pads from a juice vendor quite a while back, I wasn't sure, still am not sure, if some aren't just cutting through the whole pad to the thickness you want, or if most are peeling open the pads and rolling.

Does it matter? As far as I know as long as you are going "with the grain" its ok.

Tbh, at first I was just using the complete thickness of the pad and like all new stuff It didn't work straight away because it was different to the regular cotton. I then heard to split the pad and tried that, which I still do . even once I split the pad, it still took a few times to get right so I really don't know how or what the difference is compared to a full pad because I didn't try the full pad enough to really know. In theory I don't think it should matter, with a full pad you should be able to achieve the same by just cutting a smaller strip.

 

[GreekLion]

Could be brand? There are a bunch out there, but just because something is Japanese doesn't always mean the quality is there.

I bought Koga-branded Japanese cotton from giantvapes.com, which is available at other online stores too for about the same price, and it worked much better for me than the organic cotton balls from CVS/Walgreens. Granted, the cotton worked, but it did have an initial cotton flavor to it that lasted a few puffs. Overall there is more flavor, better wicking, and longer lifespan in the Koga I have been using, but I could also easily use organic cotton without much loss.

I think it ran me $5/$6 for a pack of five thick sheets, but by my estimates with a single micro coil I can probably get more than 50 Kayfun lite wicks out of a single pack, so even though percentage wise the Japanese cotton is considerably more expensive per quantity, two packs @ $6 each with each wick lasting three - four days should last about a year. Definitely worth the extra money.

I cut maybe .5cm x 2 cm for my Kayfun wick and trim the extra. These are rough estimates and I just go by the size of my coil rather than a ruler, but it has worked fine. I like to roll it, even though some say not to. I don't roll as hard as organic cotton, but just enough to give it shape. It shouldn't compress that much but will be better rounded.

 

[ukeman]

good point... i used to just cut the pad and slide it in... but rolling to get a round shape is probably better.

 

[dynoman2002]

I love KGD so far for me its the best and most convienent wicking material. Has no taste as long as you dont stuff it through the coil. When i first started using it i read a bit of info that helped greatly. If you can slide your wick back and fourth through the coil without your mod falling over thats the right amount. Works great for me!

I would also have to agree with greeklion that not all things are created equal. Some brands may be inferior idk for sure though i only use kgd

 

[VenusianSky]

I also wasn't sure if all Japanese pads are the same, so I just went with KGD. I ordered KGD on eBay from Japan since it was the cheapest of what I could find that was in stock. I paid about $0.07/pad more than I should, but oh well. The stuff is hard to get from the regular non-vape shops. Vape shops are selling pads around $1 each. I bought 3x 80 sheet packs and sold one to my friend. 160 sheets should last me a while. Shipping from Japan actually didn't take terribly long.

 

[dynoman2002]

I got the 60pk from dermstore and have given more away than i have used. One pad can make a ton of wicks so venusianSky you are well stocked for a good while im sure. Im gonna buy another box when they get them back in since im down to about 15 pads still plenty but if i did run out i wouldnt be as satisfied with anything else.

 

[raige93]

Have been experimenting with the stuff and have finally gotten it down. To those of you who said it was probably too little, you were correct, thank you! >.< So simple yet so tricky, I appreciate the love y'all! Tis a great forum

 

[super_X_drifter]

Here's a video and you don't wanna roll KGD like CVS. Just twist the very tip to thread in and leave the rest alone.

http://youtu.be/iZcY7539wRM

 

[iamthevoice]

It's definitely has to be the amounts because it is slightly different and although dry hits can be from insufficient amounts, it could be too much as well. I started thinking last night and now remember that when I first started using the ... cotton I did initially use to much. Check coil after a few hits and then try to pull out wick, if it's in there pretty darn tight then it's too much, if it slides out fairly easily, then not enough. What atty?

I completely second this! When I first started using it, I used what I believed was the right amount and was never able to get a decent vape out ot it! Out of sheer frustration, I decided to rewick and put in half of what I thought would be enough (to the point where I was wondering if my wick was going to slide out of the coil as I was putting everything back together. It didn't and the vape quality went up 100%

Try less! I've been using the Shiseido Cotton pads and they are fantastic!

 

[RickCain]

I peel the top and bottom layers off the pads and then cut strips along the long side...

If the layers are left on the performance seems to not be right.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[sedition]

Works great for me, here's some specifics that you could try:

28g Kanthal, various resistances, all wrapped on a 16 gauge blunt needle and compressed. I cut a strip off the KGD along the grain, about 3-4mm thick. Peel that strip apart where it naturally separates, which will leave 2 strips each with a smooth side from the outside, and a frayed side which was the inside. I peel the fraying off to thin it a little more, then tightly roll the tip to go through the coil. If it can be pulled through without tugging at the coil it's about right. If I have to twist it at each end in order to get it to pull through, it's too much, and needs a little more thinning. Once it's through, I leave about 1" maximum length from the outside of the coil to the end of the KGD. That reaches to the floor of my Magma and Origen V2 and wicks up juice perfectly.