New ZAP Users

[HolmanGT]

I plugged your 4.5v and 2.7ohms into a conversion table and come up with 7.499 watts. I roll my wicks and build my coils one because I have so many rebuildables (yea I can't pass one up) and enjoy building and tinkering. I buy my wire at Temco and had used 32 gauge round kanthal a-1 but have switched to ribbon wire 0.5. It is very forgiving and hotspots are basically non existent and provides a greater surface area of heat. Here's the link Flat Ribbon Kanthal Wire RW0323 - 0.5 x 0.1 mm (0.197 x 0.004 in) 50 FT 0.18oz Series A-1 Resistance. I bought my mesh off eBay $9 for 3 6x6 sheets. So for less than $20 you have enough probably for years the way the wick and coils last. Yea I look at my signature and know I'm in the hole but I am enjoying the s*@# out of this and my health has never been better.

MackMan,

Boy am I embarrassed I also plugged the numbers into an automatic calculator prior to the post and would have sworn it said 9.1 watts. I just now plugged it in and came up with 7.5 watts. It takes some real creativity to plug numbers into an auto-calculator and get the wrong numbers.

I did have some reservation about "RBA-ing" cost wise until thanks to you guys posting some links to material and looking around on eBay. I had looked at some of the Vaping sites and their prices are a little high especially if you are prone to making mistakes and creating wasted material. Buy online from places like eBay and the link you posted I figure for around $40 bucks I can buy enough material to last years.

I am going to wait until my second cup of coffee kicks in and go pick up one of those IGO L units. For $12 bucks it sounds like a good place to start.

Mack, I do have a couple of questions; with 32 Ga. on my ZAP it seems like it takes too long to come up to Vape temperature. I was wondering if I used 30 Ga. so I would have more wire wrapped on my wick with the hope that by covering more of the wick it would heat up faster. With the 32 Ga. if my ProVari has been sitting for a time I have to fire it and take several puffs before it get up a good head of steam. Do you think the flat wire would work better even at 32 Ga.? - any suggestions?

 

[gardnerd4me]

Just thought i'd chime in here with my latest build. I have had my ZAP for just a couple weeks and love it for at home vaping. When I first got it, the ceramic coil hot spots were too much to deal with. Gave up when it finally broke on the 4th day. So I grabbed a SS wick off my DID clone and used that for a bit. The SS mesh was ok, but vaping Gorilla juice with it and the insulator was a no-go. Just not enough wicking. I put up with that for a while longer while waiting for some XS-18 silica wick and 7x19 - 1/8 SS rope from Kidney Puncher.

When the order finally came in I boiled the silica and SS rope for ten minutes then blasted them with a torch till they glowed. Now, not having much luck with hotspots, I decided to go with the Silica braid wick first, and WOW! I finally had plumes of tasty vapor coming off my ZAP. SO I had been enjoying the silica wick for about a week, cleaning it every day with dry burns, but the flavor was slowly leaving. I noticed that the wick was getting blackened and even a torch wouldn't get it clean. So today when I cleaned the tank, I went with the SS rope and re-coiled.

When I coiled the SS rope, I did it OFF the ZAP with a 4-5 coil using the wire that came with the ZAP. After installing I pulsed the coil till it glowed evenly. It didn't really take much prodding to get it to glow evenly, so I guess I lucked out there. I noticed that it does take a few puffs to get up to temp, i'm running 2.2 - 2.3 ohms at 5 volts. I can go lower volts but just using the 5V to get it to heat up quicker. It seems to wick just fine with the 100% VG juice, only tilting slightly, but not getting any dry hits even when I don't tilt. I do notice not as much flavor as with the silica wick, so hopefully that will break in after a few days.

Hope this helps some people with questions about SS rope, I've heard that people are wrapping it with a thin layer of SS mesh, but truth be told, that wasn't necessary for me. Good luck and happy vaping.

 

[ItTechy]

I have not tried it yet but I have heard that the Ekowool Sheath for Stainless Steel wick method (one over the other) seems to be the best going...

Ekowool sheath for Stainless Steel Wick

Zereoescence sent this to me and says it's awesome!

If any are interested I will post the Ebay links where to get the genuine Ekowool and SS rope.

 

[mackman]

MackMan,

Boy am I embarrassed I also plugged the numbers into an automatic calculator prior to the post and would have sworn it said 9.1 watts. I just now plugged it in and came up with 7.5 watts. It takes some real creativity to plug numbers into an auto-calculator and get the wrong numbers.

I did have some reservation about "RBA-ing" cost wise until thanks to you guys posting some links to material and looking around on eBay. I had looked at some of the Vaping sites and their prices are a little high especially if you are prone to making mistakes and creating wasted material. Buy online from places like eBay and the link you posted I figure for around $40 bucks I can buy enough material to last years.

I am going to wait until my second cup of coffee kicks in and go pick up one of those IGO L units. For $12 bucks it sounds like a good place to start.

Mack, I do have a couple of questions; with 32 Ga. on my ZAP it seems like it takes too long to come up to Vape temperature. I was wondering if I used 30 Ga. so I would have more wire wrapped on my wick with the hope that by covering more of the wick it would heat up faster. With the 32 Ga. if my ProVari has been sitting for a time I have to fire it and take several puffs before it get up a good head of steam. Do you think the flat wire would work better even at 32 Ga.? - any suggestions?

Well first let me give you a link to give you some info and comparisons on the round and ribbon Kanthal: Flat Ribbon Kanthal

I just don't know about the 32 Kanthal on the ZAP. I got mine here on a trade and built a wick and coil out of 400 mesh and 0.5 ribbon Kanthal which is 31 gauge equivalent. This coil fires up (crackles) within a second. Remember that 32 has more resistance than 30. On other RBA's with 32 round Kanthal I at times complained about the heat of the coil; but could have been my build. The other thing I can't address is the insulator, my ZAP had no insulator in it, but causes no problem.

What I would suggest is to always measure your coil ohms and ramp up your voltage to where you get the best vapor production/flavor point for you. Depending on the juice I am vaping and my mood I can be at anywhere from 6 to 9 watts. I tend to load a topper and set the Provari's voltage low and start raising the voltage until I get the "that's it" setting and I am good.
Hope this helps some; bottom line for me personally I saw a huge difference in the ribbon Kanthal ( no hotspots more heat) on all my coil builds and subsequently my vaping experience.

 

[HolmanGT]

Just thought i'd chime in here with my latest build. I have had my ZAP for just a couple weeks and love it for at home vaping. When I first got it, the ceramic coil hot spots were too much to deal with. Gave up when it finally broke on the 4th day. So I grabbed a SS wick off my DID clone and used that for a bit. The SS mesh was ok, but vaping Gorilla juice with it and the insulator was a no-go. Just not enough wicking. I put up with that for a while longer while waiting for some XS-18 silica wick and 7x19 - 1/8 SS rope from Kidney Puncher.

When the order finally came in I boiled the silica and SS rope for ten minutes then blasted them with a torch till they glowed. Now, not having much luck with hotspots, I decided to go with the Silica braid wick first, and WOW! I finally had plumes of tasty vapor coming off my ZAP. SO I had been enjoying the silica wick for about a week, cleaning it every day with dry burns, but the flavor was slowly leaving. I noticed that the wick was getting blackened and even a torch wouldn't get it clean. So today when I cleaned the tank, I went with the SS rope and re-coiled.

When I coiled the SS rope, I did it OFF the ZAP with a 4-5 coil using the wire that came with the ZAP. After installing I pulsed the coil till it glowed evenly. It didn't really take much prodding to get it to glow evenly, so I guess I lucked out there. I noticed that it does take a few puffs to get up to temp, i'm running 2.2 - 2.3 ohms at 5 volts. I can go lower volts but just using the 5V to get it to heat up quicker. It seems to wick just fine with the 100% VG juice, only tilting slightly, but not getting any dry hits even when I don't tilt. I do notice not as much flavor as with the silica wick, so hopefully that will break in after a few days.

Hope this helps some people with questions about SS rope, I've heard that people are wrapping it with a thin layer of SS mesh, but truth be told, that wasn't necessary for me. Good luck and happy vaping.
View attachment 262851

gardnerd4me,

Boy it must be fun living on the cutting edge of experimentation. Ever since I heard about the SS rope it sounded to me like it might be the build it once and use it for... well a very long time.

But for the moment MackMan has convinced me to try the flat ribbon K-wire first. I do seem to be having good results with the ceramic wick that came with the ZAP but like you I don't like the heat up delay. From what I have read so far the ribbon K-A1-wire may solve that problem. But switching to flat wire takes some conversion consideration so I have to go pump MackMan for some more details.

Keep us posted on the SS rope as you hone it to perfection.

 

[HolmanGT]

I have not tried it yet but I have heard that the Ekowool Sheath for Stainless Steel wick method (one over the other) seems to be the best going...

Ekowool sheath for Stainless Steel Wick

Zereoescence sent this to me and says it's awesome!

If any are interested I will post the Ebay links where to get the genuine Ekowool and SS rope.

ItTechy,

Yes please, I sure would like the links to the Ekowool and SS rope. I am doing my best to keep a log of all this stuff like you guys - so far so good but organization is not my strong suit.

 

[HolmanGT]

gardnerd4me,

I forgot to ask, the hot spots were you talking about the coil itself or the ceramic?

On the first coil I wound on ceramic I too had hot spots in the coil. Here is my opinion on that; I think the wire that came with the ZAP may have had "Stretch Points" in the wire making the resistance at those points higher. The only way I was able to get rid of them is to rewind the coil with new material. I then had one hot spot that was between the post and the wick. I eliminated that by taking one turn off the coil snipping out the piece and reconnecting to the post.

 

[Bimini Twist]

The ceramic wick I got with my ZAP purchased on the classifieds broke on my first attempt to coil it, so I just rolled up some mesh and went with what I know. I'll be traveling soon, so no time to wait on new vape mail (ceramic and/or SS cable).

I do have a question about the ZAP. I really don't care for the position of the air hole & wick in relation to my ProVari fire button. It is awkward to fire with either hand. It's not a deal breaker, and would be OK if this were the only setup I use all day. But I find I have to look for the air hole every time I pick it up - not so easy if I'm in a dark environment.

Is there a way to adjust where the wick/air hole lands on the ProVari?

 

[ItTechy]

You can put a small O ring on the ZAP stem, this will give you a bushing so to speak that will cause a snug enough fit to align the vent hole / wick with the fire button.

The ceramic wick I got with my ZAP purchased on the classifieds broke on my first attempt to coil it, so I just rolled up some mesh and went with what I know. I'll be traveling soon, so no time to wait on new vape mail (ceramic and/or SS cable).

I do have a question about the ZAP. I really don't care for the position of the air hole & wick in relation to my ProVari fire button. It is awkward to fire with either hand. It's not a deal breaker, and would be OK if this were the only setup I use all day. But I find I have to look for the air hole every time I pick it up - not so easy if I'm in a dark environment.

Is there a way to adjust where the wick/air hole lands on the ProVari?

 

[Bimini Twist]

Ahhh, I like that idea. Will give that a whirl later. Thanks!

 

[HolmanGT]

Well first let me give you a link to give you some info and comparisons on the round and ribbon Kanthal: Flat Ribbon Kanthal

I just don't know about the 32 Kanthal on the ZAP. I got mine here on a trade and built a wick and coil out of 400 mesh and 0.5 ribbon Kanthal which is 31 gauge equivalent. This coil fires up (crackles) within a second. Remember that 32 has more resistance than 30. On other RBA's with 32 round Kanthal I at times complained about the heat of the coil; but could have been my build. The other thing I can't address is the insulator, my ZAP had no insulator in it, but causes no problem.

What I would suggest is to always measure your coil ohms and ramp up your voltage to where you get the best vapor production/flavor point for you. Depending on the juice I am vaping and my mood I can be at anywhere from 6 to 9 watts. I tend to load a topper and set the Provari's voltage low and start raising the voltage until I get the "that's it" setting and I am good.
Hope this helps some; bottom line for me personally I saw a huge difference in the ribbon Kanthal ( no hotspots more heat) on all my coil builds and subsequently my vaping experience.

MackMan,

Thanks for the help and the link.

I just ordered some 32 and 30 Ga equivalent flat K-wire from Tempco. I ordered the 30 eqv. just to play with... see if more windings helps. If not I got the same stuff you got also.

The site talks a lot about more heat and vapor with the ribbon wire so now I go back into mail carrier stalking mode. This is the only part I hate about this vaping hobby. Patience my ### I want to kill wind something.

 

[gardnerd4me]

gardnerd4me,

Boy it must be fun living on the cutting edge of experimentation. Ever since I heard about the SS rope it sounded to me like it might be the build it once and use it for... well a very long time.

But for the moment MackMan has convinced me to try the flat ribbon K-wire first. I do seem to be having good results with the ceramic wick that came with the ZAP but like you I don't like the heat up delay. From what I have read so far the ribbon K-A1-wire may solve that problem. But switching to flat wire takes some conversion consideration so I have to go pump MackMan for some more details.

Keep us posted on the SS rope as you hone it to perfection.

Haha, Glad you think i'm cutting edge. I'm always willing to weigh cost for functionality. But i digress, I simply want the best vape i can get, just like everyone else. Sometimes willing to try something new to get what people are saying works well. I'm not trying to sell anything or get people on a bandwagon, just sharing results that may trigger an "aha" moment for someone. I too would like to try the ribbon wire, but baby steps for me. After all, I can't let one hobby take over the rest of my hobbies.

gardnerd4me,

I forgot to ask, the hot spots were you talking about the coil itself or the ceramic?

On the first coil I wound on ceramic I too had hot spots in the coil. Here is my opinion on that; I think the wire that came with the ZAP may have had "Stretch Points" in the wire making the resistance at those points higher. The only way I was able to get rid of them is to rewind the coil with new material. I then had one hot spot that was between the post and the wick. I eliminated that by taking one turn off the coil snipping out the piece and reconnecting to the post.

The hotspots were on the coil. My thinking tells me it was because of the grooves cut in the FC2000Z wicks. But it may have been just shoddy coiling on my part. I don't have a supply house nearby (or in my garage), so i'm still using the wire i've received from other gennies. Not even aware what gauge i'm using, lol. As far as the hotspot in between the wick and the post, I can usually rid that problem with a slight kink between them, i.e. pressing my fingernail in between to put a small v in the wire. That helps a lot.

 

[Preloader]

Is there a way to adjust where the wick/air hole lands on the ProVari?

Or you could mark the relation between the wick line of scrimmage and the fire button, and remove the top cap of the Provari and rotate it where you want it to align and re-install.

Fortunately for me, it lines up pretty darn good with the fire button on two of my Provarii, so I use the ZAP exclusively on those.

But if it didn't, I'd consider doing the above modification.

 

[ItTechy]

If you want to restrict the draw, here is what has been recommended in the Zen forums:

Clean the inside and apply a piece of scotch tape, using a small sewing needle carefully poke a small hole in it...adjust as necessary.

If you want the wick to line up with the fire button: Put a small O ring on the shaft of the ZAP, this will act as a bushing allowing you to line up the wick / air hole with the fire button while maintaining a snug fit.

Ahhhh thanks. I like a tighter draw, but I'll give it a chance before I grab my TIG and close the hole a little.

I'm still getting a lot of metallic hits...... Does that lessen or am I doing something wrong?

 

[mackman]

If you want to restrict the draw, here is what has been recommended in the Zen forums:

Clean the inside and apply a piece of scotch tape, using a small sewing needle carefully poke a small hole in it...adjust as necessary.

If you want the wick to line up with the fire button: Put a small O ring on the shaft of the ZAP, this will act as a bushing allowing you to line up the wick / air hole with the fire button while maintaining a snug fit.

Thanks ItTechy no more contortions for me using the ZAP.

 

[darkgear]

New ZAP. 3 coils. 1.8Ω Just use it as is?

 

[Preloader]

Only three? Mine came with four. But yeah, just try it with three. check that they're firing evenly, or adjust them like in Zen's video.

Take your time getting the vape right. Try not to get frustrated. It took me almost a week to get it right.

If and when you decide to wrap your own coil, make sure you have extra wicks on hand. I hear the ceramics are fragile. But at least give the set-up a whirl before you go into changing the coil.

My best advice to avoid a dry hit is let it wick to the point that it's almost dripping off the end, then put the top back on and give it a go.

 

[darkgear]

I did exactly like Zen says to do in the video and it seems to work just fine. I guess we'll see if I ever get any E2 errors with a 1.8Ω impedance coil.

 

[Preloader]

Probably not. My 5 wrap coil is still only 1.9Ω. I run it at about 3.7-3.8V. Works great. Cool vape and tons of flavor.

 

[darkgear]

Have you used thicker juices? Would the ceramic wick be ok with a 70% VG juice?