Looking to upgrade from Triton

[absinthecarolinas]

Hi all. First post.

Been vaping for about a year. After a single disposable ecig to "try" the experience, I then purchased a cheap eGo style vape pen in a local store at the recommendation of another customer. I found the vape experience far superior (obviously), but that particular pen was awful. I soon found the Halo website and have been using their products and juices pretty exclusively for almost a year. Generally I've been happy, but I'm having a lot of problems with gurgling and leaking and getting weak hits. I do have a couple of their variable voltage batteries and even purchased some higher resistance coils in order to turn up the voltage to 4.8 or whatever the max is on those. Mileage has varied. I found that some liquids just don't taste good at high voltages. Anyway, due to the problems above I'm wondering if there isn't some better equipment for me out there.

I've been reading quite a bit and watching some YouTube videos, and am thinking of the Kanger EVOD 2 kit. I like the concept of the bottom-coil and regulated battery (which I understand to mean that I will always get 3.7 v until the battery dies; unlike the unregulated Halo batteries, which weaken as the battery weakens). But there are just so many options out there that I thought I'd ask for advice.

Basically, throat hit is important for me. I'm learning that gurgling to some extent is unavoidable, and am also learning how to deal with it, but if there's a tank/setup out there that can minimize gurgling I'd love to hear about it. I want something that delivers a more consistent experience. However, I also want something fairly "slim" - i.e., I don't think I'd want to carry around one of those boxy-looking rigs; am looking for something more pen-like, not too much bigger than what I have.

Recommendations?

 

[jseah]

I started out exactly like you. I also started out with the Triton as my first step away from cigalikes. I was very self conscious about carrying a boxy-looking rig around. But after getting my first box-mod (the iStick 50) and using the Aspire Nautilus Mini on it, I quickly got over it. Now all I use are box mods and subohm tanks. Some are big, some are small. The performance and the vaping experience is so much better that I can't imagine going back to the pen-like vaporizers.

Some of your smaller VV/VW box mods like the Coolfire IV and the iStick 30 is plenty small that it is easily concealable when held in your hand.

 

[suprtrkr]

Hi and welcome to the board. There really aren't any good choices if you are restricted to "pen style." It just isn't big enough to get significant power in them, and power is where a better vape experience comes from. One option would be the eGo One kit, including a subohm tank, which is similar in many respects to the EVOD, but more powerful and I think a better rig. Another choice would be an Innokin iTazte VV4 battery. This is a smallish piece of gear, square in cross section, that is a variable voltage battery or a variable wattage mod up to 11 watts IIRC. That's pretty low power and you will be limited in tanks it will drive. About the best you can do with that one, IMHO, is the Kanger Aerotank. There are some excellent and small sized boxes around that will all be better, in my experience. The iStick 30, previously mentioned, is about as small and cheap as it gets (they make a 20 watt model too, but just don't. It's the same size and about the same price as the 30, but less useful.) Another previously mentioned is the CoolFire4, a small, internal battery 40 watt mod. This is an excellent piece of gear. It's made by Innokin, some folks who have been around a while and have a very good rep for quality. Still another option is the Innokin iTazte MVP 3.0, made by the same company. It's a 30 watt mod, and a bit smaller than the CoolFire (it has a big brother, the MVP 3.0 Pro, that is 60 watts, but probably more than you're looking for). Any of these latter ones can be nicely paired with the Aspire Nautilus tank (it comes in 3 sizes, pick one you like, size is the only real difference), or the Kanger Subtank, another really good choice. Finally, I would also recommend you take a hard look at the EVIC VT. It's also a small, internal battery mod, but it has a lot more power (60 watts) and the addition of Temp Control circuitry. I personally wouldn't buy a box mod right now that didn't have it; I think it's the coming thing. In general, though, I don't think you'll find what you seek in "pen style." Buy an iStick 30 and the mini Nautilus, or the regular (I'd stay away from the Mega, it's too big) for vaping above one ohm and low power, or the same mod and the Subtank for more vapor. You'll be a lot happier, I believe. Any of the Innokin mods will be a quality improvement over the iStick, at a somewhat higher price.

 

[dcfluegel]

howdy! and welcome!

 

[billgharley]

Welcome to ECF @absinthecarolinas.

 

[absinthecarolinas]

Thanks for all the welcomes! This seems like a great place - hope to learn a lot here.

So I'm starting to look at some of these suggested pieces of hardware. But I'm still confused about sub-ohm vaping and exactly how that will impact my experience. In Halo-world, they sell a variable voltage battery (I have two of the them), and they actually recommend purchasing their higher resistance coils for those batteries so that the voltage can be pumped up. I was hoping for more throat hit and vapor, so I did exactly that. Seems to work OK, but those higher resistance coils seem to have all the problems of the standard 2.2 ohm coils except more of them. Also, some flavors just don't taste good at the higher voltage. So I ended up removing all the higher resistance coils and putting the standard ones back in, even in the VV batteries.

I'm actually pretty happy with my Halo setup, when it's working well. I'm thinking that some of the "problems" I've had over my first year of vaping would apply to most any hardware -- i.e., the gurgling and "leaking" into the coil. If I remove the tank and blow gently onto a tissue, then wipe out the bottom of the tank and top of the battery, I can generally cure the gurgle. Also learning to let my juice saturate the wicks for a while before vaping. If things get really bad, I just replace the coil altogether and suddenly it's like brand new. Maybe that's what I ought to do more often. Halo sells their coils in a 5-pack for 12.95. Maybe I should just replace the coils monthly.

I mainly vape on the way to work and back, evenings, and then most of the weekend at home (still chew nicotine gum and use lozenges while at work; I'm in healthcare). I used to leave my vape pen in my vehicle while at work, but it seemed like it would always gurgle at the end of the day, after having been in the car all day, no matter what the weather. So I stopped leaving it in the car and now bring it inside with me for the day at work.

 

[absinthecarolinas]

So, all this math stuff I've been reading is leading to questions. If wattage is the ultimate measure of power output you're looking for, and more wattage means more heat and throat hit, then why does Halo recommend getting higher resistance coils for their VV battery? In other words, turning the VV battery up to 4.8 (max setting) with the standard 2.3 ohm coil yields about 10 watts output. But if I increase the resistance to the 3 ohm coil, I get only 7.68 watts. And yet I see things like the iStick 30, 40, and 50 watt units (!!!!). I understand that vaping too hot may result in a burned taste and have experienced that. What is the "sweet spot" for vaping? Obviously, this will vary from person to person and juice to juice. But if there is a juice that tastes burned at only 10 watts, what on earth tastes good at 30, 40, or 50? Am I misunderstanding something?

I guess what I'm getting at is: If I'm just looking for more power and a better tank, why could I not just try getting the new Halo 510 adaptor and strapping on a nice subohm tank?

 

[suprtrkr]

Fair enough, ma'am. There are any number of folks around here who prefer lower powered gear; they are affectionately called "Tootle Puffers," and you'll fit right in. Essentially, your Halo gear is what we call an "eGo pen kit" that happens to have Halo's name printed on it. There's nothing special about it, despite their advertising, they are all pretty much interchangeable parts. EGo type batteries are available out to 2500 mAh or so, but the larger ones get pretty boxy. Roughly, 11-1300 mAh is the practical limit for "slim", and those have the diameter of a Magic Marker, not a pen. More mAh will mean better battery life for you. One really good option-- my favorite battery when I was using pen kits-- is the Innokin iTazte VV4 I mentioned above. This battery is no bigger than the 11-1300 mAh ones I mentioned above-- it's square in cross section, not round, so it won't roll off the table when you set it down-- and has two really neat twists somebody who you uses your batteries will love. 1)the power is adjusted with pushbuttons, not a twist ring on the bottom, so the adjustment for voltage stays where you put it instead of moving around wherever it wants in your purse. And 2), it charges vith a mini-USB plug rather than screwing the head of the battery into the charger; so it is "vape-while-charge," you don't have to wait for the light to go out to use it. It has another feature you're going to love, you just don't know it yet. The VV is not just variable voltage, it can be used in variable wattage model also, out to 11 watts. VW is much more consistent than VV, most people think it gives a better vape. Seriously, if "slim" and "pen type" is where you want to be, they don't come any better than the iTazte VV4. I should also add the manufacturer, Innokin, is well respected and has a long reputation for quality.

As to tanks, your Triton tank looks very much like an Innokin iClear 16 tank, with the long wick coils. It may be one, just rebranded. Any of the iClear 16s-- there are 4 to choose from-- would be a good replacement. Two of these replacements have bottom dual coils instead of the long wick top coils you are using. Most people like BDC a little better. These are plastic tanks, some juices, notably citrus and cinnamon, can crack them. Another plastic tank in that size and equipment generation is the Kanger T3D. I have worn out a many of them, they're good stuff. Still better, IMHO, is the Kanger Mini Aerotank. This is a stainless and Pyrex tank juices won't harm and won't wear out except for the coils. It is essentially identical to Kanger's Mini Protank 3, plus the addition of an adjustable air flow. Finding the Aerotank is why I stopped wearing out T3Ds. This last one is my personal all time favorite in the small diameter, first gen gear league. Another really good choice, a 2nd gen tank, is the Aspire Mini Nautilus. Another BDC stainless and Pyrex tank, it is still in wide use and highly recommended today. One caveat: the Nauti is 510 threaded, not eGo. This is usually not a problem. Most pen-type batteries have both kind of threads. I know the VV4 does, but I'm not sure about your Halos. If you go that route, you'll want a "beauty ring" to cover up the unused eGo threads and flare the battery top out to the tank diameter. They're a couple bucks online.

I am astonished you are getting more than a months use out of your coils, but you don't vape a lot, so maybe. There's no sense in changing a coil until it tastes burnt or gunks up and stops wicking. However, their life can be extended by using them for a week, then replacing them with another while you soak the first in pure grain alcohol (everclear is good, or high proof vodka) for a couple days to disolve the gunk in the wick. Just let them air dry overnight before reusing.

I hope all that gives you something to think about. Good luck, and sing out with any questions.

 

[jseah]

So, all this math stuff I've been reading is leading to questions. If wattage is the ultimate measure of power output you're looking for, and more wattage means more heat and throat hit, then why does Halo recommend getting higher resistance coils for their VV battery? In other words, turning the VV battery up to 4.8 (max setting) with the standard 2.3 ohm coil yields about 10 watts output. But if I increase the resistance to the 3 ohm coil, I get only 7.68 watts. And yet I see things like the iStick 30, 40, and 50 watt units (!!!!). I understand that vaping too hot may result in a burned taste and have experienced that. What is the "sweet spot" for vaping? Obviously, this will vary from person to person and juice to juice. But if there is a juice that tastes burned at only 10 watts, what on earth tastes good at 30, 40, or 50? Am I misunderstanding something?

I guess what I'm getting at is: If I'm just looking for more power and a better tank, why could I not just try getting the new Halo 510 adaptor and strapping on a nice subohm tank?

The Halo batteries won't work on subohm tanks since they do require so much power to run, the Halo batteries simply won't be able to keep up. At a bare minimum most subohm tanks require at least 15 watts to operate, some even require more. Below that, the coil either won't get enough power to even heat up, or it will take so long to heat up that you'll be sucking air for a few seconds before you get any vapor.

I am not sure how many amps the Halo VV batteries are able to produce, but it could very well be that the VV batteries require higher resistance because it wouldn't be able to produce the wattage needed for lower resistance coils. They don't mention whether the Halo VV batteries have any sort of protection to prevent excess amp loads, so trying to put too much a load on the battery might even cause the battery to fail and vent. For example, if you have a mech mod with no protection whatsoever and you're using a battery with a 10 amp CDR and you put a 30 amp load on it, it very well may cause the battery to vent. So Halo may very well be recommending using higher resistance coils with their VV batteries to ensure that you don't overwork the battery if you turn it up to 4.8 volts.

Using your same voltage setting of 4.8 volts, if you were using a 0.5 ohm coil (the typical subohm resistance) this would require a mod capable to delivering 46 watts. The big difference between vaping with a subohm tank and vaping with the Triton is the coils are much bigger, have much greater airflow, and wick much better. With more airflow over the coil, and a larger wick that can wick the juice faster, the coil cools down a lot quicker, so you don't get juice burning even at higher wattages. The coil wire is typically thicker as well, which also requires more wattage to heat up in the same amount of time. Imagine trying to put out a campfire with a water gun versus a garden hose. So with a subohm tank, the coil will run hotter since you're supplying it with more power, but it also cools faster because it can pass more air over the coil, and the juice wicks faster, which cools the coil faster, but it also will vaporize the juice faster, which means you have more juice vaporizing thereby producing way more vapor (and provide you with way more nicotine). This is why as you use more and more "efficient" means of vaporizing juice (i.e. higher power and better tanks), you need to drop your nicotine levels to compensate.

When I used the Halo Triton, I vaped 24 mg nicotine juice. When I upgraded to the Nautilus Mini, using 1.8 ohm coils at around 11-13 watts, I reduced my nicotine levels down to 15 mg. When I started subohming, I reduced it further down to 6 mg, and now I am transitioning to 3 mg as the 6 mg is starting to burn my throat a little bit too much.

 

[suprtrkr]

So, all this math stuff I've been reading is leading to questions. If wattage is the ultimate measure of power output you're looking for, and more wattage means more heat and throat hit, then why does Halo recommend getting higher resistance coils for their VV battery? In other words, turning the VV battery up to 4.8 (max setting) with the standard 2.3 ohm coil yields about 10 watts output. But if I increase the resistance to the 3 ohm coil, I get only 7.68 watts. And yet I see things like the iStick 30, 40, and 50 watt units (!!!!). I understand that vaping too hot may result in a burned taste and have experienced that. What is the "sweet spot" for vaping? Obviously, this will vary from person to person and juice to juice. But if there is a juice that tastes burned at only 10 watts, what on earth tastes good at 30, 40, or 50? Am I misunderstanding something?

I guess what I'm getting at is: If I'm just looking for more power and a better tank, why could I not just try getting the new Halo 510 adaptor and strapping on a nice subohm tank?

The sweet spot for vaping varies not only form person to person and juice to juice, but also from coil to coil. In general, the lower the ohms, the higher watts the coil will tolerate. Your math is correct on Ohms Law, but it can not be applied to a variable wattage machine. In those, the electrinics vary the voltage, far outside the limits you are used to with your VV batteries, to produce the set watts regardless of resistance. Ohms Law doesnt change, but the mod applies it outside parameters available to you with your Halo batteries. If you mean putting an adapter on your pen-style Halo batteries and hanging a subohm tank on them, please dont! Those batteries can not supply the required amperage to do so safely. if they're well built, they just won't work because the resistance is too low. If not... they could vent toxic gasses, or light on fire, or even explode. Halo may make a subohm battery, I don't know. If so, fine. But the VVs you have won't handle the load. For subohm in a pen style, let me recommend an eGo One kit. These are cylindrical in form, not much larger than what you have, and designed for the amp loading. The kit includes a tank with .5 ohm replaceable coils; the battery is non adjustable, meaning the vape gets weaker as it discharges to some extent. Really, though, if subohm is where you want to go, the iStick 30 and a Kanger Subtank or Mini Subtank is where you want to be. A better quality rig, about the same size and a couple bucks more, is the iTazte MVP 3.0 and the iSub G tank.

 

[suprtrkr]

The Halo batteries won't work on subohm tanks since they do require so much power to run, the Halo batteries simply won't be able to keep up. At a bare minimum most subohm tanks require at least 15 watts to operate, some even require more. Below that, the coil either won't get enough power to even heat up, or it will take so long to heat up that you'll be sucking air for a few seconds before you get any vapor.

I am not sure how many amps the Halo VV batteries are able to produce, but it could very well be that the VV batteries require higher resistance because it wouldn't be able to produce the wattage needed for lower resistance coils. They don't mention whether the Halo VV batteries have any sort of protection to prevent excess amp loads, so trying to put too much a load on the battery might even cause the battery to fail and vent. For example, if you have a mech mod with no protection whatsoever and you're using a battery with a 10 amp CDR and you put a 30 amp load on it, it very well may cause the battery to vent. So Halo may very well be recommending using higher resistance coils with their VV batteries to ensure that you don't overwork the battery if you turn it up to 4.8 volts.

Using your same voltage setting of 4.8 volts, if you were using a 0.5 ohm coil (the typical subohm resistance) this would require a mod capable to delivering 46 watts. The big difference between vaping with a subohm tank and vaping with the Triton is the coils are much bigger, have much greater airflow, and wick much better. With more airflow over the coil, and a larger wick that can wick the juice faster, the coil cools down a lot quicker, so you don't get juice burning even at higher wattages. The coil wire is typically thicker as well, which also requires more wattage to heat up in the same amount of time. Imagine trying to put out a campfire with a water gun versus a garden hose. So with a subohm tank, the coil will run hotter since you're supplying it with more power, but it also cools faster because it can pass more air over the coil, and the juice wicks faster, which cools the coil faster, but it also will vaporize the juice faster, which means you have more juice vaporizing thereby producing way more vapor (and provide you with way more nicotine). This is why as you use more and more "efficient" means of vaporizing juice (i.e. higher power and better tanks), you need to drop your nicotine levels to compensate.

When I used the Halo Triton, I vaped 24 mg nicotine juice. When I upgraded to the Nautilus Mini, using 1.8 ohm coils at around 11-13 watts, I reduced my nicotine levels down to 15 mg. When I started subohming, I reduced it further down to 6 mg, and now I am transitioning to 3 mg as the 6 mg is starting to burn my throat a little bit too much.

+1

 

[absinthecarolinas]

So do I understand correctly that these more advanced batteries actually "detect" the resistance of the attached coil, and thus are able to compensate for whatever setting you desire? And does the term "sub-ohm" essentially refer to any resistance less than 1.0?

I've been on the Halo for about a year now, so maybe the next natural step for me would be Innokin Itaste VV4 with a tank around 1 to 1.5 ohms? If said tank had BDC and adjustable airflow, I would get a better experience without necessarily wandering into sub-ohm territory, correct?

Jseah, your description of how the sub-ohm coils with better airflow will both heat and cool faster, thus producing more vapor without burning the juice, was just what I needed to hear. Thank you! Everything I've read before that was to the effect that higher voltages would burn juice, so I was at a loss as to how people were using 30, 40, and 50 watts. I guess you have to have a tank that will make that work.

I've stuck with Halo thus far as I'm able to get all my gear - batteries, tanks, coils, and juice - from a single source. Seems like local vape shops just don't carry the kind of stuff we're talking about here and you pretty much have to order it.

 

[jseah]

So do I understand correctly that these more advanced batteries actually "detect" the resistance of the attached coil, and thus are able to compensate for whatever setting you desire? And does the term "sub-ohm" essentially refer to any resistance less than 1.0?

When you are talking about regulated mods, they will all measure and recognize the resistance of the coil. You will then either adjust the wattage and the mod automatically selects the voltage necessary to provide the wattage you set, or adjust the voltage and the mod automatically determines the wattage that will be supplied by the selected voltage. Of course, your choices will be limited based on the design limits of the mod itself. If the mod is designed to delivery voltage between a range of 3 to 8 volts, you cannot set the wattage low to the point where the voltage will be below 3 volts, even if the wattage range is lower. A good example is the IPV Mini 2. It has a voltage range of 3.6 to 8 volts, and a wattage range of 5 to 70 watts. The mod does not buck, therefore that means is while you can set the wattage so that would require a voltage lower than 3.6 volts, because 3.6 volts is the minimum, it will still deliver more than watts than you have selected because you are limited by the minimum voltage. And yes, the term "sub-ohm" means any coil resistance that is lower than 1.0 ohm.

I've been on the Halo for about a year now, so maybe the next natural step for me would be Innokin Itaste VV4 with a tank around 1 to 1.5 ohms? If said tank had BDC and adjustable airflow, I would get a better experience without necessarily wandering into sub-ohm territory, correct?

That would be a good next step. One of the most popular tanks in that range is the Aspire Nautilus/Nautilus Mini (the only difference is the size of the tank, 2 ml versus 5 ml). The Itaste VV4 caps out around 15 watts and the Nautilus works best around 9-13 watts. Of course, should you decide to try sub ohm tanks at some time, then the VV4 would be underpowered and you would need to buy another mod. If you opted for a box mod such as the MVP 3 Pro or something similar that can subohm and can produce upwards of 50 or 60 watts, you can use it fine with the Nautilus, and have the extra headroom for future expansion. When I first upgraded from the Halo Triton to the Nautilus Mini, I was blown away by the better flavor and huge vapor production (by comparison to the Triton).

Jseah, your description of how the sub-ohm coils with better airflow will both heat and cool faster, thus producing more vapor without burning the juice, was just what I needed to hear. Thank you! Everything I've read before that was to the effect that higher voltages would burn juice, so I was at a loss as to how people were using 30, 40, and 50 watts. I guess you have to have a tank that will make that work.

I've stuck with Halo thus far as I'm able to get all my gear - batteries, tanks, coils, and juice - from a single source. Seems like local vape shops just don't carry the kind of stuff we're talking about here and you pretty much have to order it.

Most of us buy all of the hardware online, since the prices are so much better than buying locally at the B&M. This is why sites like this is invaluable, because you will invariably find someone who already has tried the gear you're looking at and can cut through all the marketing BS and tell you exactly how it performs in the real world. Juice is a bit more hit and miss, as everyone's taste buds are different and taste is very subjective.

 

[nancybout]

If u can swing it grab a cool fire 4 or MVP 3 ... Love them! EvicVT is nice but it had the option for temp control maybe someday you'll find yourself grabbing nicks or Titanium coils! So easy to use it on TC!
I like the Kanger subox or the siegeli 75wats as well!
The triton is an awesome tank!
Another beauty is the Kanger subtank!
I am using right now the eleaf 30 watts w the subtank But only because I had it and was using exclusive subtank and nautilus for a year almost.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NDK2010]

Hi all. First post.

Been vaping for about a year. After a single disposable ecig to "try" the experience, I then purchased a cheap eGo style vape pen in a local store at the recommendation of another customer. I found the vape experience far superior (obviously), but that particular pen was awful. I soon found the Halo website and have been using their products and juices pretty exclusively for almost a year. Generally I've been happy, but I'm having a lot of problems with gurgling and leaking and getting weak hits. I do have a couple of their variable voltage batteries and even purchased some higher resistance coils in order to turn up the voltage to 4.8 or whatever the max is on those. Mileage has varied. I found that some liquids just don't taste good at high voltages. Anyway, due to the problems above I'm wondering if there isn't some better equipment for me out there.

I've been reading quite a bit and watching some YouTube videos, and am thinking of the Kanger EVOD 2 kit. I like the concept of the bottom-coil and regulated battery (which I understand to mean that I will always get 3.7 v until the battery dies; unlike the unregulated Halo batteries, which weaken as the battery weakens). But there are just so many options out there that I thought I'd ask for advice.

Basically, throat hit is important for me. I'm learning that gurgling to some extent is unavoidable, and am also learning how to deal with it, but if there's a tank/setup out there that can minimize gurgling I'd love to hear about it. I want something that delivers a more consistent experience. However, I also want something fairly "slim" - i.e., I don't think I'd want to carry around one of those boxy-looking rigs; am looking for something more pen-like, not too much bigger than what I have.

Recommendations?

Try this review site...
Our Best Vape Tank and Best Clearomizer Reviews

 

[absinthecarolinas]

Hi all,

Just a quick update and a bit of news. I went ahead and ordered the EVOD 2 starter kit, just to have something low-profile to replace my Halos as they begin to get old and die, also to try something new, and have been happy thus far. Been using them about a week and haven't had a gurgle yet. They seem to go through liquid somewhat more quickly, but I guess that's to be expected.

Anyway, the news is that I apparently won an Innokin Disrupter and battery. So I've e-mailed them back with my color preference and look forward to giving it a try. Now I just need to get a tank. I'm thinking the Kanger Aerotank (is there a big difference between the Aerotank and Aerotank version 2?) as it apparently can use the same coils as the EVOD2 (do Aerotank and Aerotank v2 use the same coils? It's a bit confusing online).

Thanks to Innokin and this forum and all its helpful members!

 

[Hans Wermhat]

I think the Aerotank and the V2 use the same coils. Haven't done the clearomizers in a while though. Have you looked at the Nautilus from Aspire? It's the best lil tank I've found. Similar to the evods and such, but better flavor and not as temperamental. If you are getting a dirsuptor, it will look nice sitting on top of it.