Making the Most of 15 Watts

[kx361]

Hello friends, hoping you can help me come up with a solution. Please feel free to include any threads I may have overlooked.
Make: smok Tec
Model: Ace with optional 18650 and 18350 tubes
What atty or carto: kayfun lite, whistle fixed and airways opened a bit. Single coil 30g kanthal built to 1.7 with "bacon" cotton wick
What liquid: 50:50 pg:vg
What strength: 12 mg
Here's my issue, and maybe there is no solution. This VV Set up with the kayfun is my backup for road trips, camping, etc etc. I have tried almost the full range of resistances allowed by the device, I believe it will not fire below 1 ohm and I don't typically go above 2 ohms.
Simple question I guess, is there a build that will give a satisfying vape given that the unit will not exceed 15 watts? I have considered trying the steel mesh approach but would appreciate knowing if it's worth the time and money. I like the safety of my VV, but the reality is that it will be sold or stored if it can't perform and I'll look into some kind of mechanical.
Thank you all for your time-KX361

 

[DavidOck]

"Satisfaction" is a very personal place.

While not using the Ace, most of my vaping is on regulated mods - and usually between 8 - 10 watts. I build my KFs and similar to 1.7 Ω with 30 gauge kanthal, generally open coil winds, sometimes compressed, and usually on a 2 mm mandrel. Rayon wick. (You didn't mention what wicking material you use but otherwise provided good data to work with! )

Now, I'm NOT a cloud chaser, but I get sufficient vapor and good flavor to keep me happy. If you're chasing clouds, then 15 watts may not be up to the task.

 

[SeniorBoy]

Ditto to David's thoughts.

Let's try these thoughts which will hopefully help you. YOUR "satisfying vape" may not suit my tastes. Vaping is a journey so I encourage you to continue the experiments with the gear you currently have. Embrace "failure" knowing that you will eventually find your "sweet spot" and that is a "teachable moment" in all of our journeys and makes it all worth while. Their are just so many variables: the juice you vape, your topper, your wick, your coil, the time of day, the evolution (recovery) of your taste buds and smell. Gosh the list goes on forever. Contrary to what you might read, IMHO their is no direct correlation between a great vape and the amount of watts used or for that matter the device (regulated or non regulated) device you use.

For me, I vape around 14 watts MAX and around 4.5 Volts generally. Most of my regulated devices can produce more watts but this works for me. My builds are all around 1.5 using Kanthal and around 0.20 using NI200 with my DNA40 device. Most of my gaggle of KayFuns/SquapeR/Various drippers use BioWick https://www.vapor-hub.com/product/biowick-organic-cotton-3mm/ which is organic cotton or Koh Gen Do Japanese Organic Cotton Koh Gen do Japanese Organic Cotton Pads Authentic Koh Gen do Japan Vape RBA | eBay. This works for me so you may wish to experiment. I do not chase clouds /lol

To illustrate the "journey" and help you, here is a summary of mine:

Started with cigalites/cartridges. Then T2 tank and non regulated bat. Then a more advanced "tank" (ProTank) and a "spinner" VV device bat. Changed juices plenty of times as juice I used to like in the early days no longer works for me. Flash forward to what I use today as noted above.

My goal is to produce a repeatable build that always satisfies me with the numerous juices I vape. Not much has changed in my techniques or gear for the last year and that doesn't mean I might experiment but since I've already done plenty of that I'm currently a happy camper.

Good luck

 

[Katya]

Your build is very sound, IMHO. I'm not sure what kind of satisfaction you're after, so I'm not sure what else to tell you... David and SeniorBoy pretty much covered it all.

My favorite vape is single coil, ~2mm I.D., 29 gauge kanthal, Japanese cotton or rayon, 8-12 watts or so.

I also like GS Air Tanks, and Kanger Aerotanks and my Emow Mega--with stock coils and rebuilt coils.

I'm a minimalist.

If you're looking for big(ger) clouds and high wattage vaping, you'll have to get a more powerful battery and a different topper--Lemo is very Kayfun-like but with much wider range; you can use different builds and adjust your airflow.

 

[edyle]

Hello friends, hoping you can help me come up with a solution. Please feel free to include any threads I may have overlooked.
Make: Smok Tec
Model: Ace with optional 18650 and 18350 tubes
What atty or carto: kayfun lite, whistle fixed and airways opened a bit. Single coil 30g kanthal built to 1.7 with "bacon" cotton wick
What liquid: 50:50 pg:vg
What strength: 12 mg
Here's my issue, and maybe there is no solution. This VV Set up with the kayfun is my backup for road trips, camping, etc etc. I have tried almost the full range of resistances allowed by the device, I believe it will not fire below 1 ohm and I don't typically go above 2 ohms.
Simple question I guess, is there a build that will give a satisfying vape given that the unit will not exceed 15 watts? I have considered trying the steel mesh approach but would appreciate knowing if it's worth the time and money. I like the safety of my VV, but the reality is that it will be sold or stored if it can't perform and I'll look into some kind of mechanical.
Thank you all for your time-KX361

I've been vaping 30 gauge, 2-3mm 10 wrap dual coils at about 10-15 watts; they come out to 1.2-1.4 ohms

I'm sure 30 gauge single coil 1.7 ohm will vape well within 15 watts;