New RBA, Vape not great - Suggestions?

[micksf]

I just finally broke down after 3 years of using LR Boge cartos in a DTC tank, and bought the EHPro kayfun Lite Plus 2. I've watched a ton of videos on coil building and built a successful 1.9 Ohm coil, using 30Ga Kanthal. I am assuming I want the same Ohm coil as I was using in the LR carto, since I favored those. The new coil burns as its suppose to. I'm using organic cotton as the wick. I use a Silver Bullet w/ & w/o a kick.

here's the issue, the vape is not good. not sure how to best describe it but its not a solid, smooth vape, it's kind of weak and then it hits my throat so bad that I just cough every time. and the flavor is way off. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

 

[WattWick]

I may be very wrong. These are just assumptions based on "kind of weak then it hits my throat so bad that I just cough every time".

Sounds like you may have two issues compounding into one less-than-pleasant vape.

First, the LR carto you're used to probably use much thinner wire than your 30 awg. I'd say stop trying to replicate the resistance as you won't get a similiar vape with a different kind of setup anyway. Experiment a little. Maybe try a little lower resistance.* You can save yourself some annoyances if you spend a little more time (not that I know how much you do spend) after you believe the wick and coil is "finished". Soak it in some liquid, fire it up and see how it handles itself. Slow to heat up? Wick dries out quickly?

Which leads to the second issue I think you may have. Insufficient wicking. I'm certainly no Kayfun / cotton expert, so I hope others will chime in.

*This will harm more than help if you truly got wicking issues. It's all about finding the balance between power output and wicking ability. Well... and airflow... but that's not really a problem in your case (I think); more of a personal preference unless you want to go for more high powered setups.

 

[roxynoodle]

I would try 28 gauge. You can get a coil with more wraps for additional surface area. Try for 1.5-1.8 ohm.

 

[vapdivrr]

I think that one of the first things you have to do is get really familiar with the kayfun. One needs to know exactly the parts and how it all is put together. If I asked you if you knew for sure that nothing is impeding the airflow, would you know? It's nice to eliminate certain factors right off the bat and a clear airflow is one of these. It has been known that in certain clones there is either an obstruction or things aren't lined up for air to flow. Once it is determined that nothing is blocking airflow then we move on. Coil height has a big play in the vape also, if to high, it can produce little and hot vapor, imo a height of 1.2mm is good. We then need to determine if the coil is good, which is usually done by knowing the resistance of said coil more or less before installing, then matching the results after install, then making sure it continues to be the same. Also a good micro coil will light up from center out and not really glow past the last turns or winds of coil. Then for the wick, wick amounts are crucial and is the main cause of most issues. Usually if one has to much cotton, the vapor is weak and very muted, if there is not enough cotton, dry hits and weak vapor. Also if there is not enough cotton you can sometimes hear it for there is a certain sound. This sound is called an after burn and it's a slight sizzle sound. If you hear it sizzle a few seconds after a vape and after you release the fire button, it's another sign of not enough cotton. This sizzle is normal but shouldn't continue that long after a button release

 

[0S1R1S]

Sounds like it could be wicking issues. Either due to the fact its too much or not enough cotton like vapdivrr mentioned. I have some pics of a recent KFL build I threw together if you want to check it out for any ideas or reference. Just used twisted 30g, 1.4Ω @ 12w and the flavor is amazing. I'm using that exact build in all my KFLs at the moment.

 

[micksf]

wow, thanks for the suggestions. I guess there are a lot of variables at play here, other than have a good center-out coil burn. I've been playing with the airflow, it sometimes helps but doesn't solve the issue. I'll try some of the changes you guys mentioned and report back. thanks much.

 

[superjoefly]

I've been using rayon to wick my tanks...seems like it's easier than cotton to estimate the appropriate amount.