Kanthal or Ss316

[tnt56]

Wondering which gives better flavor, kanthal or SS316. I’ve been using kanthal in my Profile 1.5’s. Really like the mesh rda’s. Never tried temp control but might like too. Opinions are very welcomed.

 

[ShamrockPat]

You can run both of those in straight power (watts). I find SS gives me a mored defined flavor. Out of those 2, you can only run the SS in temp control

 

[ppeeble]

I must confess that i cannot tell the difference between any wires. There is no increase or decrease in taste when i switch coil material, only when i switch wicking materials, air flow, chamber size, wattage, coil size / dimensions or drip tip. I applaud anyone who can genuinely state that the same liquid wicking in the same cotton in the same atomiser tastes differently with a change in the composition of the coil.
Saying that - stainless steel coils are handy for when you want to switch from wattage to temp control and seem to last longer than Kanthal.

 

[zoiDman]

For Me, as a Card Carrying Flavor Chaser, it is Night n' Day.

SS 316/316L Provides MUCH Better Flavor verses Kanthal A1.

 

[BNEAT]

Titanium!

 

[vaper1960]

I am very interested in this topic. Basically have mostly used Kanthal and haven't bothered with TC but would like to. One thing that appeals to me about SS is you can use just regular power mode (watts) or TC. Staying tuned...
BTW, I have no interest in Nickel (not talking about Nichrome) I mean straight up Nickel and Titanium. Not that I feel they are bad just something I'm not ready to deal with right now.
@BNEAT , feel free to convince me to try Titanium (I'm not afraid if it but actually maybe afraid of Nickel... Ni200) It's ironic... was just going to post this question myself.
By the way @tnt56 , there is a specific forum for this:
Wick and Wire

 

[smacuser]

I see TC as kind of a trend on its way out.

 

[zoiDman]

For Me, as a Card Carrying Flavor Chaser, it is Night n' Day.

SS 316/316L Provides MUCH Better Flavor verses Kanthal A1.

Just to be Clear... I Don't Use TC.

I use SS in Wattage Mode.

 

[Seiggy]

Just my , I use SS316L mesh in my RDA's. nexMESH .15ohm & VandyVape 150mesh. I squonk and do TC. I've used Kanthal A1 coils and a few of the Kanthal mesh but I keep coming back to SS316L mesh for flavor and the TC allows me not to over/under squonk due to flavor loss. I also agree with others in that is also depends on getting the wicking right using your material of choice. If Kanthal works for you then that's what I would use. If TC is something you want to play with then SS316L is something to toy with. Either way it comes down to what your setup performs best with for your flavor chasing satisfaction.

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

Only one way to find out.

 

[ppeeble]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around a percieved change in flavour when the coil material is changed. If every other parameter is the same then, logically, it makes no sense. Unless of course something other than the heating element is different - perhaps thicker wire with more surface area, bigger coils, different wire temperature.. Something has to have been changed other than just the composition of the metal. Unless we're inhaling the coil itself

 

[Superuser187]

I remember i used to read some people say that kanthal gave them a bit metalic taste on big coils and once i have experience the same with a biggy kanthal coil when it was new for few first puffs...
I am honestly not sure if it was just in my head cause it only happend once or maybe i didnt clean hands good rhat day....if that is true tho i guess then a coil may affect flavour like that..

Myself tho i use kanthal ss and ni80 coils and i dont see any difference except this one time

 

[zoiDman]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around a percieved change in flavour when the coil material is changed. If every other parameter is the same then, logically, it makes no sense. Unless of course something other than the heating element is different - perhaps thicker wire with more surface area, bigger coils, different wire temperature.. Something has to have been changed other than just the composition of the metal. Unless we're inhaling the coil itself

Taste is Incredibly Subjective.

Take Beer. I Don't Drink anymore. Haven't for a Long Time. But when I did, I Always liked the Taste of beer in Glass Bottles over the Taste of the same Beer out of a Can.

Did the Can change the Taste of the Beer? I guess it Must have.

So I'm Not sure why a Coil Wire like Kanthal can't change the Taste of the Hit I get. At Least for Me that is.

 

[ppeeble]

Yes, i get your point (and i prefer beer in a glass too). But if i pour the beer from a can into a glass then the beer still came from a can. Yet it tastes better than drinking from that can..The only difference is that my mouth doesn't come into contact with the can. By comparison we don't lick our coils (that is an assumption - maybe some people do).
I'm not saying that people can't taste the difference, just that i can't. And to account for my lack of distinction i have rationalised my experience.
If i could taste a marked difference between different coil materials when all other parameters are the same then i would worry that, either enough of the coil must be being vaped along with the liquid to account for that difference, or something in the coil has reacted with the liquid. That to me is quite scary.

 

[zoiDman]

Yes, i get your point (and i prefer beer in a glass too). But if i pour the beer from a can into a glass then the beer still came from a can. Yet it tastes better than drinking from that can..The only difference is that my mouth doesn't come into contact with the can. By comparison we don't lick our coils (that is an assumption - maybe some people do).
I'm not saying that people can't taste the difference, just that i can't. And to account for my lack of distinction i have rationalised my experience.
If i could taste a marked difference between different coil materials when all other parameters are the same then i would worry that, either enough of the coil must be being vaped along with the liquid to account for that difference, or something in the coil has reacted with the liquid. That to me is quite scary.

There's just So Many things going on when one takes a Hit. Wattage, Coil Type, e-Liquid types, Air Flow, etc. Really Hard to say What might be Doing What when Everything is Taken into account.

All I know is that when I take an e-Liquid that I have used a Lot of, and do a Side by Side Comparison using the Same Hardware, I like the Taste Better when the I use SS over Kanthal.

There's just something in the Aftertaste that I get when I use Kanthal. And I have tried a Few Different OEM's to rule out that it just that batch of Wire.

I kinda gave up trying to figure it out a Long Time ago. And just chock it up to one of those Why do I like Grilled Onions sometimes better than Raw Onions on a Burger, but Not always, things.

 

[CMD-Ky]

I see TC as kind of a trend on its way out.

It is with me, I once had everything set up TC, now nothing.

 

[smacuser]

It is with me, I once had everything set up TC, now nothing.

The last 2 mods I received (Sensis, CF Z80) didn't include any TC modes. Left me wondering if this F/0 technology isn't being trendy, as well.

 

[CMD-Ky]

The last 2 mods I received (Sensis, CF Z80) didn't include any TC modes. Left me wondering if this F/0 technology isn't being trendy, as well.

I jumped on the band wagon, late but I did jump. It seemed finicky and more trouble than it was worth. I am back to the tried and true, DNA 75, 10 - 12 watts, 0.7 or so Ohms, Kanthal (I may re-try SS 316 again), unflavored squonking sometimes with a drop or two of a flavored down the ole drip tip. I gave up chasing stuff and just used what I got.

 

[mimöschen]

Taste is Incredibly Subjective.

Take Beer. I Don't Drink anymore. Haven't for a Long Time. But when I did, I Always liked the Taste of beer in Glass Bottles over the Taste of the same Beer out of a Can.

Did the Can change the Taste of the Beer? I guess it Must have.

So I'm Not sure why a Coil Wire like Kanthal can't change the Taste of the Hit I get. At Least for Me that is.

Beer from a can tastes different, because the can is filled with boiling or (at least hot) beer, while beer in glass bottles is bottled cold. The extra heating process changes the flavor profile of the canned beer. The change in flavor has nothing to do with the material of the bottle/can.
Beer or any fluid in plastic containers however will take on the flavor of the plasticizers eventually.

Objectively the coil material itself cannot have any impact on the flavor.
Neither SS316l, nor Kanthal or Ni80 transfer anything into the juice that could change the flavor and they don't even act as a catalyst for any chemical reactions.

Human psychology is a weird thing however, because prejudice and expectation can change one's sensory impressions dramatically.
As an example take a sip from a drink you like right after someone told you it's something completely different and your first reaction will surely be disgust.

 

[Z-Lee]

By comparison we don't lick our coils (that is an assumption - maybe some people do).

Maaaan, I just changed out one of my coils tonight. I thought licking it was weird, but I guess it's not. Let's groupthink it into a trend (just like everyone else does with every other stupid thing in the world)! Behold, the power of the interwebs!