Kanger Subtank Mini frustrations

[NoxalNoema]

Hello!
I am pretty new to the world of vaping. I have a iStick 30W and a new Kanger subtank mini. When I bought the subtank, the guy at the store said the included coils should last me over a month altogether. However, my experience has been less than superb. These coils seems to have no lifespan at all! While the first day of a new coil has vaped great, they seem to always burn out and get burnt tasting very rapidly. Yes, I have been careful to prime the coil without flooding it, and let it soak for 10-15 minutes before use. But I haven't had one last longer than two days. Even the prebuilt- RBA coil hasn't performed for very long. I've tried rewicking and installing the second pre-coiled wire included to no avail.

My last coil started making very loud pops (louder than the normal crackle and pop) before tasting like butthole. So I bought a pack of 1.2 ohm OCC coils. My first coil felt like there was no airflow- it was much harder to draw than normal - and the resulting vapor was hardly existent and tasted slightly burnt. And this is only running at the suggested 10W starting point for a 1.2ohm coil for 70VG juice. So I primed another and the airflow is better but its still a wimpy vapor with bad flavor. I've tried cleaning all the parts and filling with fresh juice... still nothing. What is going on here???

Thank you in advance.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

Never try to measure coil life by time elapsed since first puff. Measure it instead by the amount of liquid consumed. The Kanger OCC (and SSOCC) heads are usually good for about 30-ish ml of juice that's not overly sweet or dark colored. Some flavors are just awful at gunking up coils, and the more VG there is in the mix, the sooner the coils give out.

Also, my experience with those coils is that they are best at about 40 Watts of power. Any warmer risks cooking the cotton, and the lower the liquid level, the higher the risk becomes even at what *I* consider the sweet spot. This is for the 0.5 coils. I only use the 1.2's for MTL vaping. YMMV, but if you prep right, keep the liquid from getting too low and don't try to push much more than 40 Watts, OCC's last for tanks

 

[r77r7r]

Could be a chance that you got fake coils also.

 

[VNeil]

Try lower VG, maybe 50/50 or so. My stms don't like thick juice

 

[Beamslider]

Are these the older square coils? They aren't very good. The better ones are the SSOCC ones. You can use them with wattage or Temp control. But even the .5 ohm SSOCC are pretty low wattage coils. But produce pretty good amount of vapor. If you are looking for large clouds, you will have to build your own coils or buy pre-coiled ones to use in the RBA.

The 1.2 ohm coils are really only MTL and will have a tight draw

 

[lamarrk]

My wife uses a Kanger Subtank Mini and I installed the RBA head in hers. She's been using the same coil for the past 6 months. I change the cotton out every week or so. Very easy to do.

Kanger Mini RBA Deck Plus for Subtank Mini&Plus -1/Pack

 

[djsvapour]

Forgive me, I no longer use or recommend this tank.
The coils are 'OK' but not much more. I am actually surprised it's still being sold in great numbers. It's not top fill, might be out of the race compared to some of the latest tanks and, well, it only really makes sense if you use the RBA. Kanger heads are not that cheap, to "last (you) me over a month altogether." is optimistic at best or a bit of a naughty thing to say at worst.
The 1.2s are not great - it's very hard to get this tank right for MTL, you'd need the right combination of airflow and drip tip.
Overall, I feel disappointed for you. As @Beamslider says, even the quite good 0.5ohms are hard to crank up. The Subvod used these (I used this pen in 2016 on holiday) and in theory they were getting up towards 35w but I had to be careful with a fresh charged battery. Since you have a 30w VW mod, you won't suffer that problem.
You may just have to chalk it up to experience.

 

[NoxalNoema]

Thank you for all of the input.

It sounds like if I still want to give this tank a chance, I need to order some 50/50 VG juice. I am willing to learn how to build coils (I've watched plenty of Youtube videos detailing the procedure). So I guess my best bet is the lower VG e liquid and the RBA deck.

However it seems more and more likely I should just get a better tank. What tank do you recommend? I'd be willing to get a higher wattage battery if necessary...

 

[MrStik]

Thank you for all of the input.

It sounds like if I still want to give this tank a chance, I need to order some 50/50 VG juice. I am willing to learn how to build coils (I've watched plenty of Youtube videos detailing the procedure). So I guess my best bet is the lower VG e liquid and the RBA deck.

However it seems more and more likely I should just get a better tank. What tank do you recommend? I'd be willing to get a higher wattage battery if necessary...

Do you want direct lung hits or mouth to lung restrictive?

 

[Katya]

However it seems more and more likely I should just get a better tank. What tank do you recommend? I'd be willing to get a higher wattage battery if necessary...

I wouldn't give up on the STM quite yet. If you're a new vaper (are you?), it takes some time to find the sweet spot for any given device. My STM has been trouble-free, and works surprisingly well with Aspire BVC (non-Nautilus) coils for a perfect MTL vape. I like the RBA deck also, but I rebuilt the coil right away--didn't care for the preinstalled coil. I use 70 or 60% PG, clean, clear ejuices. BTW.

This is an old and long thread, but very informative:
KangerTech SUBTANK Mini

If you want to try another tank, and don't mind rewicking your coils (either with Japanese organic cotton or rayon), try the eGo One tank (V1 or V2, whatever you can find for around 10 bucks) with CLR coils. It is currently my favorite tank for easy MTL vaping. Just make sure you throw away the CL coil that comes with some tanks (not all)--it's garbage. Get an eGo One tank and a box of CLR 1Ω coils (0.5Ω for airier draw). Those coils can be used straight from the box, they have cotton wicks, but some tend to be wicked a bit too tight for my (and most other users') taste. Then rewick them to your preferred density. They are ridiculously easy to rewick (and rebuild). When the coil gets gunky, it can be gently dry burned (remove the cotton wick first) many, many times--they are really well made and tough as nails. Dry burn, rinse off the ash, rewick.

The tanks I own don't leak, airflow is adjustable, refilling is a breeze. CLR coils also work in many other tanks, like Tron, but I prefer eGo One tanks myself.

If you want more information, here's a very long and chatty (

) thread.

eGo ONE tank series – CLR coil

Good luck!

 

[BrotherBob]

However it seems more and more likely I should just get a better tank. What tank do you recommend? I'd be willing to get a higher wattage battery if necessary...

Welcome and glad you joined.
The information below can help with tank type selection.
Might like to read:
Vaping and Inhaling: Everything You Need To Know
http://www.joyetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/images/product/cuboid/Cuboid_Mini_Kit_10.png

 

[Beamslider]

I don't think you have to go to 50/50 juice to use the subtank mini. I have never had a problem using either 20pg/80vg or 30/70 with either the Kanger premade coils of the RBA section. The RBA section does need to wicked carefully to avoid either dry hits or leaks. The cotton needs to be just snug in the coil, not too tight or loose (smug meaning slides back and forth with just a tad resistance).

I still use the Subtank but only use the RBA at this point. I like it because I have a dozen of the RBA tanks and can do up them up and have them laying around to just switch out when needed.

I use it less now than before though as I prefer the Slyline clone. Better taste and well made.

 

[Grimwald]

Sometimes it's just the liquid. I've had liquids that gunk coils in 1 tank full. I currently vape unflavored and get well over 100 mils thru any coil (including the STM). Definately try the rba and the Joyetech CLR tanks are a good recco.

 

[Gahh]

Hello!
I am pretty new to the world of vaping. I have a iStick 30W and a new Kanger subtank mini. When I bought the subtank, the guy at the store said the included coils should last me over a month altogether. However, my experience has been less than superb. These coils seems to have no lifespan at all! While the first day of a new coil has vaped great, they seem to always burn out and get burnt tasting very rapidly. Yes, I have been careful to prime the coil without flooding it, and let it soak for 10-15 minutes before use. But I haven't had one last longer than two days. Even the prebuilt- RBA coil hasn't performed for very long. I've tried rewicking and installing the second pre-coiled wire included to no avail.

My last coil started making very loud pops (louder than the normal crackle and pop) before tasting like butthole. So I bought a pack of 1.2 ohm OCC coils. My first coil felt like there was no airflow- it was much harder to draw than normal - and the resulting vapor was hardly existent and tasted slightly burnt. And this is only running at the suggested 10W starting point for a 1.2ohm coil for 70VG juice. So I primed another and the airflow is better but its still a wimpy vapor with bad flavor. I've tried cleaning all the parts and filling with fresh juice... still nothing. What is going on here???

Thank you in advance.

Hello & Welcome,
IMO, kangertech OCC ( Organic Cotton Coil ) are not that great for thicker VG juice. I would guess if you got a 50/50 (VG/PG) juice blend, they would wick better and last longer.
As for the aftermarket coils, there made pretty lousy.
Want something that can handle the thick VG juice. Try Kangertechs Juppi.
Remember that this tank will need a minimum of 30 watts. Better at 40.
$14.30 Authentic KangerTech JUPPI Sub Ohm Tank Clearomizer - 3ml / 0.2ohm / stainless steel + glass at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping
You might find a better deal closer to home than at FastTech.
The Coil in the Juppi is a Notch coil. One coil has lasted me 5 months, ( and still going) with a dozen cotton change outs. This is very simple and easy.
Here is a 4 minute review.

 

[medleypat]

I've used the stm for about a year with no problems. Might have got a bad batch of coils or fakes if you bought a box did you check the code to make sure they were real kangertech coils

 

[suprtrkr]

You're getting good advice, and I don't have one of those, so I'll just say hi.

 

[Alter]

If they are the horizontal subtank coils then don't throw them out, just clean them and set aside. If and when one day you decide to begin to rebuild then they can be rebuilt quite easily. The vertical coils are a pain and I think are not worth the hassle to rebuild but some do. Easiest way for the horizontal coils is to clean them, remove the wicking leaving the stock coil, dryburn a bit to remove the crusties then rewick with cotton or rayon(YouTube has plenty of vids to show). Other than the STM have been a great atty for my wife and I to use for over 2 years now but I rebuild the RBA and have had very little usage of the stock heads, other than that everything else has been said in previous posts.

 

[Beamslider]

I have used the older square horizontal subtank coils to redo. You can use a 3.5mm coil and slip it thru the top of the coil. Then the 3.5 mm tool you used to wrap the wire around to hold it in place. I used Rayon wick, the Rayon is about the same size and fits thru the coil and tightly and fills the side juice holes perfectly. Used SS wire. It vapes well in TC.

So don't toss the square horizontal coils give them a try at redo.

 

[Letitia]

I was a huge fan of the square horizontal coils. You can get up to 2mon if you wick them. Much better flavor than vertical IMO. I used 70vg in mine with no issues.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

I still have a handful of those square horizontals. Somewhere... I also still have a jar full of the Protank coils, some of which I'm sure are my rebuilds.