KangerTech SUBTANK Mini

[JimDrock]

It used to be much better. Multiples of every iteration goin' back to the original Sub including cages. You could practically build one from scratch. In fact I've got a nice suite of various glass and resin tanks I put together like that. Unfortunately, what we're seeing is not consistent with Kanger's policy of continuing support. And I can't take that as a good sign. Word to the wise.

Good luck.

Yeah, I was even looking at the prices to piece together a Plus, may still do it as those are somewhat hard find.
One thing for sure, better to get it now, as it may not be so easy to do so later.

 

[schatz]

Right now I'm seeing less and less supply of Kanger parts everywhere! Don't know what that portends but for the moment try directly from KangerUS…Subtank (Original, Mini, Nano, Plus) and NEBOX Parts Archives - KangerTech US and…

Good luck.

I googled STM parts and got the Kanger web site also after posting my question. No good there all out of stock on the insulators. Do they last a reasonable amount of time or are they cheap ? I ordered a couple insulators for my Kafuns when I first started using them and in 4 years have never needed to replace one.

 

[MacTechVpr]

I googled STM parts and got the Kanger web site also after posting my question. No good there all out of stock on the insulators. Do they last a reasonable amount of time or are they cheap ? I ordered a couple insulators for my Kafuns when I first started using them and in 4 years have never needed to replace one.

I've never even burned an insulator on the rba, at any power level. Bought a few initially with the concerns about them not being PEEK with the v1's. Never scorched a grommet on the OCC, duals or parallels. Gotta say tho as you prolly know I run mostly t.m.c. singles or parallels in the ST's and they never exceed design temps. Better safe than sorry tho. A lead can go wonky or a "hanger" on the rba termination suddenly be just the tad too long. So if you intend to use these long term…good idea to have.



I've put together a bunch of these and it's comforting to have a tank I know I can rely on for my style of vaping (chaining at 19-25W, mostly tab's). Always nice to be able to just throw a new juice or DIY variation and be able to count on the performance. Good thing about the ST's their consistency. Oh yeah, and did I tell ya? You can get spares.

Good luck.

 

[MacTechVpr]

Yeah, I was even looking at the prices to piece together a Plus, may still do it as those are somewhat hard find.
One thing for sure, better to get it now, as it may not be so easy to do so later.

Yep, hard to find the orig ST or parts especially bases. I even have the v1 and v2 bases for the original. They work with different juices depending on the flow requirements. And the original rba with its narrow exit can draw surprising amounts of air from the dual slot base with the right wide bore drip. You certainly can make up some interesting combo's. Truth be told, I actually prefer the orig ST and it's comfortable rba for all the wick and wire you can fit in it, despite the tighter chimney. Ironically, for the higher power builds. Some of the first ST cloud pic's I posted on ECF when peep's were straining to get 25W out of these guys.

So anybody got any of these relics lyin' around you don't need 'cause the old ST's can't produce…drop a convo. Jim and I will put 'em to good use.

Got lucky and found some sources that worked for acrylic tanks (I burned the tubes on quite a few crappy early examples). Stocked up then 'cause you know supplies tend to dry up. Glad I didn't give up as I alternate the daily use tanks with real glass. The few really high quality caps I've found from Trinity and others. They're a special treat I reserve for my best perfected recipes. The SS ST Mini is still the great middle of the road, reliable, black-iron skillet I count on as the measure of others.

Good luck.

 

[schatz]

I've never even burned an insulator on the rba, at any power level. Bought a few initially with the concerns about them not being PEEK with the v1's. Never scorched a grommet on the OCC, duals or parallels. Gotta say tho as you prolly know I run mostly t.m.c. singles or parallels in the ST's and they never exceed design temps. Better safe than sorry tho. A lead can go wonky or a "hanger" on the rba termination suddenly be just the tad too long. So if you intend to use these long term…good idea to have.



I've put together a bunch of these and it's comforting to have a tank I know I can rely on for my style of vaping (chaining at 19-25W, mostly tab's). Always nice to be able to just throw a new juice or DIY variation and be able to count on the performance. Good thing about the ST's their consistency. Oh yeah, and did I tell ya? You can get spares.

Good luck.

Good to hear, thanks, this has to be the first tank that I have owned that does not leave my fingers sticky feeling.. For that reason alone I love these, for 5 years I have always had some residue on my fingers from Taifuns to lemos to kayfuns it didnt matter. And all my shirts and pants had residue marks, I could never sit down in one of my vehicles or my recliner without my towel to set it on. Wow I have to get used to no leaks it has been habit to always expect them. The only time this thing even drips a little bit is when my wick needs achange and I am climbing my mountain to my favorite camp site.

 

[schatz]

I hear ya ,I do 8 to 15 watts depending on build and my daughter does stock coils a.5 ohms at 45 watts and never burned a coil. These work great for mtl or straight lung hits like she does and I do occasionally . I am definately grateful that I gave these a try and was able to stock up somewhat. And I think mine are the v-1 because the rbas are the kayfun style wicking and some others I ordered seperately are the Taifun style with the holes in them.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

STM parts?
Got mine at FT.
work fine. Bases, RBA's, Glass, gaskets, Poly bell tops, topfill tops, etc.
An entire RBA from FT will prolly cost less then the insulator if you can find one.
Sweet-vapes and ecigcharleston both had orig bases last time I checked.

 

[JimDrock]

I too have a V1, still works awesome after 16 months of daily use. Although I have since aquired a few more tanks in the past year, the V1 is still in my daily rotation (in fact STM's and ST-Pluses make up most of that rotation).

As for leaking issues, in my experience, the STM with RBA are the most reliable and leak-free setup. Though in all fairness, I have only tried maybe 10 other RTA/RTDA setups, and through it all I still find the STM family to be (IMHO) the most reliable and satifying performers of all.

 

[BreSha6869]

I too have a V1, still works awesome after 16 months of daily use. Although I have since aquired a few more tanks in the past year, the V1 is still in my daily rotation (in fact STM's and ST-Pluses make up most of that rotation).

As for leaking issues, in my experience, the STM with RBA are the most reliable and leak-free setup. Though in all fairness, I have only tried maybe 10 other RTA/RTDA setups, and through it all I still find the STM family to be (IMHO) the most reliable and satifying performers of all.

I agree. My Kanger RBA only leaks if I screw up the wicking or the cap isn't perfectly seated.

I have been using two STMs with various mechanical mods for a couple of weeks and they perform flawlessly.

I have tons of o-rings, RBAs, bases, glass, etc. They all work perfectly and all are from Fasttech. I will be using them for a long time. I have over 30 tanks and the STM is about as solid as I have owned/tried.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

I agree. My Kanger RBA only leaks if I screw up the wicking or the cap isn't perfectly seated.

I have been using two STMs with various mechanical mods for a couple of weeks and they perform flawlessly.

I have tons of o-rings, RBAs, bases, glass, etc. They all work perfectly and all are from Fasttech. I will be using them for a long time. I have over 30 tanks and the STM is about as solid as I have owned/tried.

I also use my STM's on mechs. I do only use mechs wit 510 center pins though. Have no use for hybrid style top cap mechs.

 

[chanelvaps]

No problem, I was not very clear, sorry about that.

I added a couple of pictures to help, the first shows the RBA bottom section, the arrow is pointing to the piece that I was talking about that has the air holes. This section is essentially the bolt that holds and tightens the positive post onto the RBA.
The second pictures shows these pieces disassembled.
(I hope I explained it a little better this time )

View attachment 585089 View attachment 585091

Thanks Jim-pictures helped a lot. That little piece (far right) became loose on mine and I assumed it was broken. Now I see it is removable hate getting used to new equipment

Not stupid at all C if you've never taken this base fully apart. All good answers here. The pos pin (airholes) screws through the insulator into the positive post bracket on the deck. Back it out and take a look. Loose insulator seating is the most common fault that drives res values unstable. Don't overtighten tho as this very slight shortening can impede good contact with the AF base or worse make the base pin too short at the 510 exit!

That pos pin can get pretty cruddy inside. Oxidation and residue can impact performance (and flavor) so I'm routinely taking these guys apart to clean, ultrasonic or polish them if need be. Not a big deal as you can go thru quite a few fills before it's needed depending on the juice. As with the old PT heads tho it makes for better results so I keep a batch of fresh ones handy with an oxidized t.m.c. wind installed ready to be wicked with KGD or Nextel.

Thx for the pics @JimDrock.

Good luck.

Thanks MAc for all your input

 

[chanelvaps]

Alright after I read the input from the knowledgeable folks above I am all straightened out. I did surgery on my RBA. I did not know that the positive post SCREWED in and I was just pushing in it. No wonder it would not stay and I thought it was broke D'uh what a newbie eh? Did i mention I hate new (to me) equipment?

 

[JimDrock]

Alright after I read the input from the knowledgeable folks above I am all straightened out. I did surgery on my RBA. I did not know that the positive post SCREWED in and I was just pushing in it. No wonder it would not stay and I thought it was broke D'uh what a newbie eh? Did i mention I hate new (to me) equipment?

Glad to help and happy to hear you were able to fix problem.

And now you are officially Knighted, as an RBA expert.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

If the pin on the RBA base gets loose it can cause erratic vaping.
I check mine after I get them and snug em up if needed.
Got a batch from FT that were a bit loose and one was wonky on resistance till I snugged it up.

 

[chanelvaps]

anybody ever used these
$5.03 Replacement OCC Coil Head for SUBTANK Clearomizer (5-Pack) 5-pack - 1.2ohm(10W-26W) at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping
or any other premade coils from FT? Looking for them for a friend that does not build and gets confused taking it apart to replace cotton. She needs easy peasy

 

[MacTechVpr]

Yeah, I was even looking at the prices to piece together a Plus, may still do it as those are somewhat hard find.
One thing for sure, better to get it now, as it may not be so easy to do so later.

Did exactly that with my spare pieces. And I'll likely replace them if they linger in the stores. Do more black ones and even a white set mebe.

Lookin' for a line on who's carrying the original mini juice channel RBA's (either channel type). They were sellin' for cheap for a while now just a few places and too pricey. They seem far better for flavor than the v2, after modification. The latter mutes even some of my most complex, dense, high flavoring ratio juices. Amazing! Kanger should've left well enough alone.

G'luck.

p.s. Anyone who doesn't want their ST/Mini pieces, pm me. I've got takers. Especially the above.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Did exactly that with my spare pieces. And I'll likely replace them if they linger in the stores. Do more black ones and even a white set mebe.

Lookin' for a line on who's carrying the original mini juice channel RBA's (either channel type). They were sellin' for cheap for a while now just a few places and too pricey. They seem far better for flavor than the v2, after modification. The latter mutes even some of my most complex, dense, high flavoring ratio juices. Amazing! Kanger should've left well enough alone.

G'luck.

p.s. Anyone who doesn't want their ST/Mini pieces, pm me. I've got takers. Especially the above.

I think that sweet-vapes had some of the V1 RBA's last time I looked.

 

[puffon]

Eciggity still has silver STMs with the v1 RBA.
Kanger Subtank Mini
Picked up a couple for $16, during their weekend flash sale.
Wish I bought more when Vapor Beast was selling them at $9.99

 

[MacTechVpr]

I think that sweet-vapes had some of the V1 RBA's last time I looked.

Eciggity still has silver STMs with the v1 RBA.
Kanger Subtank Mini
Picked up a couple for $16, during their weekend flash sale.
Wish I bought more when Vapor Beast was selling them at $9.99

Fellas, if they had 'em, they be gone. So good on you guys.

I go thru a lot of these as I'm constantly training peeps to rebuild t.m.c.'s and other winds. Should've bought more when they were giving them away <5$. But I prefer to have new vapes buy 'em direct whenever possible as we all do seem to appreciate our gear more when we have to fork over the doh.

Rob, SV does have the "plus" newest screw version. I suspect those will still be avail a while. If not, FT. Shame really. I can really dial in the flow by Dremel modding the channel and putting a mated half-moon notch on the assy cyl. If the user supplies it, I show 'em how to do that as well. A bit bummed things have disappeared so fast. More so that Kanger is not supporting its product!

Pardon my cynicism, but all those makers now pulling back on mech's and other gear had better not turn up makin' the deal with the FDA for favoritism if things go closed. They are goin' on my sh!!t list in a heartbeat and for most of you as well, I hope. We need to get over the shiny-itis and start votin' with our checkbooks. Will they never learn?

Thanks for the comeback. Offer stands to anyone landing here if you have spare parts you want to clear. C-me. I am specifically looking for dual-slot original Subtank bases, cages of all types and of course the channel RBA's for the Mini. Eventually, I'll put an ad up (me and every other Joe, lol).

Good luck.

p.s. Little give back fer ya. If you liked the Trinity glass tanks for the Mini…run, don't walk over to…Glass Head Mini Sub X Glass Tank. You won't believe what's there. Trust me. Just dropped an order x2 to be sure.

 

[choochoogranny]

Thank you for the heads up on the Glass Head Mini Sub x Glass Tank, MacTechVpr. Only has the black accent glass left, but works for me. What a treat!