Needed: Guide to the Galaxy of RDAs

[Cstober]

I can only imagine this is a cliche, broken record type thread on the e-cig forums but it would make me feel much more comfortable to have experienced vapers lubricate the intimidating transition to RDAs.

I've had enough of this Aspire cleito tank! While it has treated me better than all tanks thus far, I'm still eager to move on. Nearly the last 15 replacement atomizers for my Cleito have burned out within 3 days each, I cannot keep throwing money at this thing.

I've just read a thorough guide to RDAs for beginners, here: Ultimate RDA Guide For Beginners 2016

Now, I personally need help picking out reliable products. Please, and thank you in advance! I will list my experience, preferences and whatnot.

Experience:
I've been vaping for a few years but I only have minor experience with replenishing cotton using my step brother's mech mod. I haven't built coils yet but I do not take any of this lightly. I will spend as much time needed to research and tackle this safely.

My setup: I use a GeekVape Aegis mod at about 40-50w with cheap 18650 batteries.
I am a flavor chaser, I couldn't care less about clouds but I do enjoy medium throat hit. I vape high VG, 1.5-3mg nic and I tend to be a chain vaper. I strictly vape fruity flavors, not sure if that makes a difference.

Preferences:
- hoping to spend under $100
- looking for one source/website to order everything I need
- looking for a solid black RDA
- top fill/drip
- top airflow, I cannot stand leaking. All of my tanks to date have leaked.
- suggested tools, cotton, wire, tips/tricks etc.
- I'm not looking for "top of the line" necessarily, but something affordable that would ease me into learning RDAs. Something that will last but something that will likely be replaced within the next year.

This is a new world in which I'm not very familiar. There are so many choices, it's disorienting to me. I need a pal to build a reliable "starter pack" for me. I hope that's not too much to ask.

In other words: if any of you are confident in a beginner RDA setup, just tell me what to buy preferably with links from 1 recommended website.

I need it all:
RDA
Coil Wire
Cotton
Tools
Ohm Reader (although my mod reads ohms and it's only been 0.01 off)

Thank you. Your help will determine my future with RDAs, hopefully to save money down the road and have a pleasant vaping experience.

 

[bombastinator]

Being an ageis owner I can say visually the thing looks best with a 30mm device on it. I would suggest the aromamizer 7 plus on the grounds that it is both an RDA and an RTA. (Yes, complainers will say it’s an RDTA) the thing is though it isn’t the simplest device to wick and even though it’s pretty leak resistant when wicked correctly it’s not top air. I don’t actually have a top air RDA or am able to think of one easily so I think my usefulness here is quite limited :/

 

[Violetti Usva]

Top airflow is basically useless really, bottom airflow is great for flavour but can leak if you over drip so side airflow would be what I would suggest. 30mm rda's have way too much excess space and don't give you much flavour - I would recommend something standard from 22-25mm. I don't own many and only 2/4 that I own don't have bottom airflow. Of those the azeroth is great and while some people love the lucid I despise it for being such a pain to build on - I probably gave up on it much too soon for that matter, but wouldn't recommend it for a beginner at all.

The Drop rda seems to be the most highly regarded at the moment for both clouds and flavour, and it looks easy to build on. The Wasp Nano is inexpensive and seems to be the most highly regarded single coil flavour chaser - you can get it in black or resin rather than the horrible yellow colour they started with.

If you look at the common manufacturers websites you can narrow your list down to just those with side airflow only and whether you want dual or single (or triple! the azeroth by coilart is delicious) coil builds. The only common manufacturers I can think of off the top of my head are Geekvape, Coilart, Vandy Vapes and Digitech

EDIT: I hope that $100 budget includes tools, wires, cotton etc - on amazon you can get a carry case type thing for £30 with all the tools you need in it, years of cotton for £5 and an assortment of wires (or just get a reel of fused clapton wire/buy premade fancy coils) for around £10 - I don't know the exchange rate for £-$ but that should leave plenty for a decent rda.

 

[Cstober]

Thanks. To be honest, 33mm or 22-25mm is a foreign language to me. I'm not sure what that means but I can look up these names and see what looks simple enough.

I should clarify, I only want single coil. I need something as simplified as possible because I don't even know the difference between RDA and RTA lol.

Also, if top air flow isn't recommended in most cases, I don't necessarily need it. I wouldn't drown the cotton anyway.

I may even order some pre wrapped coils before I attempt to use my own.

Any recommended websites where I can buy everything needed, including cotton/tools/wire?

 

[Don29palms]

www.fasttech.com

 

[Cstober]

Okay so I have a shopping cart thrown together but I'm having trouble figuring out which Kanthal Wire to order.

Here is what I have so far:
The Drop RDA
Cotton Bacon V2
GeekVape Mini Tool Kit
Coil Master 521 Mini Tab (ohm meter)
10x Pre-built Clapton 0.5ohms

I also want to get a spool of Kanthal Wire. Can someone help? I probably wouldn't want to go below 0.5ohms. Which type should I get?

How is my list looking so far?

 

[Don29palms]

Okay so I have a shopping cart thrown together but I'm having trouble figuring out which Kanthal Wire to order.

Here is what I have so far:
The Drop RDA
Cotton Bacon V2
GeekVape Mini Tool Kit
Coil Master 521 Mini Tab (ohm meter)
10x Pre-built Clapton 0.5ohms

I also want to get a spool of Kanthal Wire. Can someone help? I probably wouldn't want to go below 0.5ohms. Which type should I get?

How is my list looking so far?

Looks good to me. I would say start out with a roll of 26g and a roll of 24g.

 

[Cstober]

Looks good to me. I would say start out with a roll of 26g and a roll of 24g.

Appreciate it! That wasp nano was only $15 and looked like my style but it was sold out. Hopefully the drop is a viable choice for single coil.

It came out to $80 though, I'm happy. I'll need to do a lot more research before I start making my own coils but it's a good start.

Feel free to leave tips, tricks or suggestions
I'm still naive to all of this stuff!

Thank you all.

 

[crammit442]

Fastech has a great deal on a coil building kit for about $8.00. If you ever think you're going to try Temp Control, I'd also get a spool of SS wire. Good luck.
Charles

$8.14 Multifunctional DIY Tool Kit for E-Cigarette - 1.5/2/2.5/3/3.5/4mm coil jig at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

P.S. Use coupon code MAP at checkout for pretty big discounts.

 

[Rex Everything]

the Drop probably isn't the best choice for single coil but is a solid dual coil atty.... gonna throw the Adveken Gorge into the mix as it is basically a bigger version of the wasp....24 mm so it won"t look tiny on the agesis mod (the wasp is 22mm diameter) the gorge is silly easy to build on and wick

 

[Cstober]

the Drop probably isn't the best choice for single coil but is a solid dual coil atty.... gonna throw the Adveken Gorge into the mix as it is basically a bigger version of the wasp....24 mm so it won"t look tiny on the agesis mod (the wasp is 22mm diameter) the gorge is silly easy to build on and wick

Thanks for the info. I'm curious, running single coil on a dual+ coil deck, are the unnecessary/unused posts the downside? Or does it perform lesser than it would on a single coil deck?

I don't think I have any reason to use dual coils unless I want to cut my ohms in half at some point, if I knew that I probably would've gotten one of these single coil RDAs.

But Digiflavor Drop has worked great so far. This thing hits like a champ. Amazing flavor but then again I don't have much to compare it to lol.

I ran a solo coil build down the middle, in between/parallel to each side of posts. I wasn't sure if this way or using one side with the coil pushed towards the middle would be better, but it works great nonetheless!

I'm learning slowly but surely.

 

[Rex Everything]

the main draw back to a single coil in a dual coil atty like the drop or dead rabbit if the distance the coil is from the air flow, and all the open space in the chamber ..... true dedicated single coil atties usually have the coil sitting down in the deck close to the air intakes so you get a bit more of a condensed vape.....this is all subjective though

 

[Asbestos4004]

Thanks for the info. I'm curious, running single coil on a dual+ coil deck, are the unnecessary/unused posts the downside? Or does it perform lesser than it would on a single coil deck?

I don't think I have any reason to use dual coils unless I want to cut my ohms in half at some point, if I knew that I probably would've gotten one of these single coil RDAs.

But Digiflavor Drop has worked great so far. This thing hits like a champ. Amazing flavor but then again I don't have much to compare it to lol.

I ran a solo coil build down the middle, in between/parallel to each side of posts. I wasn't sure if this way or using one side with the coil pushed towards the middle would be better, but it works great nonetheless!

I'm learning slowly but surely.

Looks great...for what it is, the drop is a great RDA. There are better options if you're into single coil builds, but the drop works.

 

[Don29palms]

One thing I have found with the Drop is to make sure there is no wicking blocking the center. The airflow goes through the posts so that should be wide open.

 

[Nick N]

the main draw back to a single coil in a dual coil atty like the drop or dead rabbit if the distance the coil is from the air flow, and all the open space in the chamber ..... true dedicated single coil atties usually have the coil sitting down in the deck close to the air intakes so you get a bit more of a condensed vape.....this is all subjective though

I like my Dead Rabbit single coiled dead center with both slots wide open. Of course I vape with no flavor so there's that...



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