New Member, Question About Rebuildables

[harvard11111]

Hi everyone, new member to the forum. I've been vaping for about the last year or so and mixing my own for the last six months or so. Love it!

My setup is currently a simple Aspire BDCC top (X.Jet?) and an Ego USB Passthrough bottom. It's great for my purposes, the only problem is that the coils seem to turn to garbage after a week or so. Not sure if that's normal or not, but I hate to have to have boxes and boxes of coils on hand just in case.

So I stumbled upon the "rebuildable" section of my preferred online store and I'm wondering if this is the solution to my problem. What exaclty is the point of these rebuildable atomizers? They don't seem to have tanks attached, so are they supposed to go inside of other pre-existing tanks? Any other experience with rebuilding wicks, etc. -- and is it even worth it?

Thanks!

 

[ooomphlaa]

I'll answer you in general since every vape site is different and while most of us use a standard vernacular many terms can often be misleading or used in different ways.

In generally a "rebuildable" is something that you, yourself, will build and rebuild. The generally means that you are responsible for building the coil, testing it, wicking it, then applying juice. Rebuildable can refer to drip atomizers with no wick, with a wick, and with or without a tank. You also see many people rebuilding standard coils. Myself for instance used to rebuild my Aspire Nautilus coils b/c I hated the stock coils. There are tons and tons of videos on YouTube on how to do this.

RBA, RDA, RTA, and the like are for advanced vapors only. I hate using this terms but it seems to be the best one I've come across. Simply put you only want to move into rebuildable atomizers if you have fully educated yourself on what you are doing, the basics behind Ohm's Law, and have a decent experience vaping an standard devices. Since you will be building your own coil, adding your own wick, and then vaping it you want to be fully certain you are doing it correctly so you don't harm yourself in anyway.

I personally only drip. That is I use a mod (my personal fav is the IPV2 right now) that can supply a good deal of amps (on my device configured by changing the watts supplied) with a rebuildable dripping atomizer (RDA, in my case currently a Stillare). I build my own coil, test the resistance, wick it, and then drip liquid onto the wick until saturated, apply power and vape the goodness that results. RBA's and RDA are tankless while RTA have a tank. All three need to be built and used properly.

If that is something you'd like to get into, great. I love it and have not gone back to standard devices since. However, do yourself a favor and ask a ton of questions. Read everything you can on the subject, and watch a few YouTube videos before you start. If you have a reliable B&M near you stop in and see if they can help you get started with rebuilables. But be prudent in your own education. I've come across a number of vapors looking to get into building, dripping, sub ohm, mech mods, etc., whose local B&M just sold them whatever they could, patted them on the back and sent them out the door without really instructing them on safety and how to use their new equipment.

Now in terms of you not carrying coils or saving effort. Rebuildng may not be for you. Sure you can build a coil or set of coils quickly once you get good at it, toss a wick in and be on your vaping way in less than 10 mins, but depending on how you vape, how often you switch flavors, you may still find yourself maintaining a RDA just as much if not more.

As for your coils going bad. I've always been a fairly heavy vapor. I used to keep a pack of coils at my desk at work and a box of them at home. That way I always had one should I need it. Depending on your vaping habits you may be just going through coils that fast and honestly there is really no way around it. Amount you vape, type of liquid you use and how high (volts/watts) you run your coils all contribute to coil lifespan.

I love dripping and building. But to be honest I carry more equipment with me now then when I used standard equipment. I never leave home with out at least my basic build kit with me just in case.

Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions or if you want more info on how to get into building. I love to vape and talk about vaping, so feel free to ask away.

Vape on!

 

[pwheeler]

If you get into rebuildables, you'll be surprised at how much money you'll save over having to buy boxes of atomizer heads that are mediocre at best. There's forums here at ECF dedicated to rebuildables and coil making. Check it out!

 

[harvard11111]

Thanks, ooomphlaa, for the detailed and honest response.

Unfortunately I don't have any great B&M stores around me. Between stores, and even in the same stores (different employees), there is so much contrasting information. So that's why I'm here!

So I'll have to lookup each of those acronyms individually, but to start, the tankless option has confused me. So you saturate a wick and vape, but do you have to drip eliquid onto the wick each time you want to vape, or does it last at least a few vapes? I can't see myself -- particularly if I'm out at a bar or something -- taking out a bottle and dripping more onto a wick every time I want to vape (I don't think anyway!). From your experience, is it just miles better, that makes the extra effort worth it? I understand there may be cost savings, but is the real benefit how much better it is?

I definitely have a DIY mentality, so you certainly have me intrigued!

 

[harvard11111]

If you get into rebuildables, you'll be surprised at how much money you'll save over having to buy boxes of atomizer heads that are mediocre at best. There's forums here at ECF dedicated to rebuildables and coil making. Check it out!

Very very good, I will! And same question, if I may: is it dramatically better, in your opinion?

 

[pwheeler]

You won't believe the difference, especially if you end up going the dripping route. You get hit, flavor and clouds you can't get from standard tank attys.

 

[Equilibrium]

I'm not a big fan of RDA's (drippers), they are just too much work. You drip 5-6 drops of liquid and get 10-15 hits before the wick is dry and you have to drip again.

That being said... I love RTA's (rebuildable tank atomizer) I have 4 Kayfun lite + tanks and I will never go back to a clearomizer type tank again. There is a HUGE difference.

 

[Shootist]

Short answer.

Kayfun Lite + V2 clone from EHPro, dual or single airflow inlet (doesn't matter), with 28g Kanthal from Temco and organic cotton as the wick.

Works fine on eGo style batteries. Either the standard single voltage style or a VV style. I'm using one of my Kayfun's on an fixed voltage eGo right now. Normally I use it on a Provari but I forgot to change the battery in the Provari this morning.

 

[bobrob]

So I'll have to lookup each of those acronyms individually, but to start, the tankless option has confused me. So you saturate a wick and vape, but do you have to drip eliquid onto the wick each time you want to vape, or does it last at least a few vapes?

The tankless rebuildables (usually called RDAs, or drippers) : you have to drip often on it, but not every single puff. It depends a bit on the build, as different coils / wicks / flavors / voltage will evaporate liquid at different rates. As an example, I build by Trident RDA at 1.4 or so, vape at about 8 or 9 watts. I drip about 15 drops in the Trident, and it lasts for about 45 mins of heavy vaping for me. Then I take off the drip tip, and put in 15 more drops.

 

[Shootist]

As to your problems with the coils going bad you can clean them by rinsing them out and dry burning them. But you should do that before they go bad, IE give a bad taste.

 

[Equilibrium]

The thing you have to learn with rebuildables is battery safety. You must know and understand "ohms law" and how it relates to vaping. Know your batteries limitations and wrap your coils so you are well within those safe zones.

 

[pwheeler]

I'll have to agree that dripping can be a pain. I was using my Kayfun lite plus on a Nemesis and it was pretty awesome and learned how to build coils on it. After reading a lot about dripping, I bought an Igo w and built it and I couldn't believe it! I've never gone back since. Although I upgraded even further and went with a Reo. That way I can drip all day and never carry any juice or anything else with me.

 

[Equilibrium]

Man... I want a Reo!!

 

[harvard11111]

You won't believe the difference, especially if you end up going the dripping route. You get hit, flavor and clouds you can't get from standard tank attys.

Hoping to hear that. But the difference is worth the work? Or honestly is it just a PITA sometimes? Do you have a tank for travel?

 

[Kaezziel]

Very good response, ooomphlaa! Very clear and detailed!

Harvard... pay particular attention to what ooomphlaa said about safety, ohm's law, battery knowledge, ability to troubleshoot and identify shorts etc... rebuilding can be Very rewarding! As pwheeler said, the flavor and vapor production from a dripper is head and shoulders above anything I've gotten from any clearomizer or cartomizer... but it all depends on your ability to build and wick a decent coil!
If this interests you, I would recommend getting a regulated mod (such as the MVP 2) and any topper that allows for the user to rebuild the coils themselves (Aspire Nautilus with the BDC *Bottom Dual Coil* coils, or any RDA *Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer*) Just know that with the MVP, you need to build higher resistance coils in order for the mod to fire properly... use 30awg Kanthal A-1... You also need a multimeter to measure resistance and to identify short circuits.

If you have any questions on this, there is no shortage of answers or helpful people here... any of us are more than willing to explain it better for you.

Hope this helps you a little bit... happy vaping!

 

[harvard11111]

I'm not a big fan of RDA's (drippers), they are just too much work. You drip 5-6 drops of liquid and get 10-15 hits before the wick is dry and you have to drip again.

That being said... I love RTA's (rebuildable tank atomizer) I have 4 Kayfun lite + tanks and I will never go back to a clearomizer type tank again. There is a HUGE difference.

Would you call the Kayfun somewhat entry-level (if there is such a thing with these)?

And do these generally work with the "standard" batteries -- i.e. the Ego thread with standard voltages? EDIT: Whoops, just noticed that Shootist answered this one already. What do you use though?

 

[Shootist]

The thing you have to learn with rebuildables is battery safety. You must know and understand "ohms law" and how it relates to vaping. Know your batteries limitations and wrap your coils so you are well within those safe zones.

Not if you are using a Regulated battery device. The Device will not fire if you go below the ohm/resistance limit built into it.

Only if you use a Mech Mod that has no battery protection. But that is a completely different subject and has nothing to do with using a rebuilbable atomizer.

 

[harvard11111]

As to your problems with the coils going bad you can clean them by rinsing them out and dry burning them. But you should do that before they go bad, IE give a bad taste.

I will give that another try, especially before it goes bad. I've tried before on those four wick clearomizers, but without much success. It always felt hard to draw on those ones. Haven't tried with the BDCC though.

 

[Equilibrium]

Not if you are using a Regulated battery device. The Device will not fire if you go below the ohm/resistance limit built into it.

Only if you use a Mech Mod that has no battery protection. But that is a completely different subject and has nothing to do with using a rebuilbable atomizer.

That's true BUT you still need to know what you're building, right. I mean... why my coil is metering out at this or that resistance and what I need to do to adjust it. But you're right - talking about mechanical mods is a whole different story

 

[Baditude]

"Dripping" on a rebuildable drip atomizer produces the most flavor and vapor out of any juice delivery device. It is also a denser vapor, so one often needs to reduce the nicotine concentration of their e-liquids - a good thing. However, this setup has its caveats. It requires carrying a bottle of juice with you, and since most drip atomizers can only use several drops of e-liquid at a time, one can only vape about 7 - 12 times until more e-liquid is required to continue to vape. Not usually convenient while driving or when you're not at home.

RDA - rebuildable drip atomizer

There are rebuildable tank atomizers (RTA's), too. These sustain much larger capacities of e-liquid. Nearly as much vapor, but with as much flavor as the RDA's. A good option to use rebuildables when on the go or if you don't wish to drip constantly.

Kayfun-style RTA on an MVP, a regulated mod

Both of the above require one to wrap their own coils and install a wick within the coil to hold the e-liquid. There is much more to this than just the skills to wrap coils and make wicks. Knowing some basic Ohm's Law and your battery's amp limits is absolutely necessary. Coils must be measured with a resistance meter to insure they won't pull more current from the battery than its amp limit specs. Pulling more current than the battery has can result in a battery going into thermal runaway. Rebuildables are much more complex and advanced than just replacing a coil head in a clearomizer.

Rebuildables require using either a regulated variable voltage mod or a mechanical mod. These mods require using high-drain, high-amp rechargeable batteries call IMR batteries.

Information Resources for Your First RBA