Newbie question on RBA and prebuilt wicks

[symphonic18]

heya folks,
So, as I've been reading, I've been seeing members espouse for RBA/RBDs as having many superior qualities to standard clear/cartomizers. In my looking on various sites, I see some of them (fasttech in particular) offer prebuilt silica wick+coil combos.
Generally, I think I would opt, at least for now, to have some sort of easier to use solution than one that requires me to reroll and rebuild a coil every time I change coils/wicks.

My question here mainly focuses on:
Are there still benefits of using a RDA with a prefabricated coil - or is this a bit like putting 87 unleaded into a sports car? Unless the underlying architecture of the atomizer system is vastly different, I wouldn't see myself getting the benefit of bamboo/cotton/SS mesh wicks, as I just don't think I'd be rolling my own coils at the moment.
For someone not particularly interested atm in rolling his own coil, is the RDA just somewhat pointless, considering using prefabricated wicks/coils?

 

[Sthur]

Hello, rda's are fun to make coils and you have more control of what you make.

I started with one of these octopus rda and works good. I recommend drilling the hole up one size too. Also you can buy pre made coils for these as well.

Smoktech 510 RDA Rebuildable Drip Atomizer

Smoktech RDA Replacement Wick/Coil Assembly

rda and rba have good vape and flavor too

 

[Baditude]

You sound like you might be like me. I don't like to have to fiddle with things to get them to work right. I prefer things that work right out of the box. Having said that, after doing a LOT of research I finally stepped up and got into RBA's.

I've experienced both highs and lows with two AGA-T2's. When working at their optimal best, the are the best vape I've experienced, but they are fiddly and inconsistant. I've gone a month not using them before because I knew they both needed new wicks and coils, and I was too lazy to devote the hour I knew it would take to get both of them working optimally again. My cartotanks are far more dependable and consistant, and only take 5 minutes to set up a new tank.

Building the coils is relatively easy after the first few, each successive one is better than the last. It's a learned skill.

Rolling stainless steel mesh was my downfall. Tried as I might, I never seemed to be able to make a good one. I ended up buying the pre-rolled/pre-oxidized wicks from Vapor Kings. They work great and last a good few weeks and are cost effective for my needs.

Here's some information that should be useful for your research:

Information Resources for Your First RBA

 

[Ryedan]

My question here mainly focuses on:
Are there still benefits of using a RDA with a prefabricated coil - or is this a bit like putting 87 unleaded into a sports car? Unless the underlying architecture of the atomizer system is vastly different, I wouldn't see myself getting the benefit of bamboo/cotton/SS mesh wicks, as I just don't think I'd be rolling my own coils at the moment.
For someone not particularly interested atm in rolling his own coil, is the RDA just somewhat pointless, considering using prefabricated wicks/coils?

I agree with Baditude, RBAs/RDAs are a learned skill which takes a bit of time and research to learn. They are fantastic when they work right. I stuck with it and I use them now 95% of the time. But it took me a few weeks of experimenting with to get consistency and I'm still learning little things about subtle changes in setup.

On those pre-built FT coils, I have seen them but never used one in an RDA. I tried a regular coil setup with silica once in my IGO-L, then switched to micro coils with cotton wicks. I really doubt the FT coils will give you a better vape than using a carto tank.

 

[Dana A]

A carto tank is a wonderful thing! As the others said above an RBA or RDA built to your own specific likes and tastes seems like vaping nirvana once you experience it. It sure can be a pain trying to get the build just right though. I used carto tanks for over a year and still love them but I am a cheap skate and I HATED buying cartomizers when I knew I could be building my own so cheap. I finally ended up getting an RBA and then a 2nd one and now I don't think I will ever look back but if you haven't tried an RBA you won't know the difference. Carto tanks really are awesome. Being able to lay down my carto tanks and them not leaking is the thing I miss most about them. I would recommend the carto tank for you from your post and if you want to dabble in RBA/RDA's later you can vape your trusty carto tank while you build your coils.

 

[Vaslovik]

Just my .02, but I would never use coils and wicks someone else made. I got into mechs and RBA's less that two months after I started vaping and learned fast how to roll SS wicks and wind coils. My wicks are just the way I like them and I would not trust anyone else to wind my coils. I want to do that myself. When I'm done setting up my RBA's I know they are right, with no hot spots in the coils and I know right where the ohms are at. If you want something done right do it yourself.

Your control over your vape with an RBA is how well you set up your wick and coil, and if you are going to pay someone else to do that you might as well just stick with carto tanks. I never used them myself, but I know that many really love them. If you are not inclined to bother with making wicks, winding coils, and checking ohms perhaps an RBA is not for you.

 

[gotch23]

No... I wouldn't see any point in using pre-made coils with your RBA.
Since the coil is the determining factor of how it vapes in the end.

It highly depends on the RBA how easy or difficult they are to recoil.
It ranges from stupidly easy (Squape) to rather finicky (Genesis-type, anything with steel-mesh).

 

[dice57]

Every rba that I've seen, that came with a preinstalled build was a joke. After giving the first one that came a shot, I quickly learned how to build my own. It's not that tough, especially if you use micro coil builds. Now if an rba comes with a build, I just take it out and build my own. I still haven't mastered genesis build yet, they probably have the longest learning curve, but have done a couple SS mesh and cotton core hybrid builds with great results.

Some rba's are easier to build than others too. The Russian, a Kayfun style rba, is super easy to build, every style of build that I've tried in the Russian has worked great. I now have it installed with a dual micro vertical build, that just blows me away.

I never wanted to wrap my own coils, but soon discovered that it was fun to do, not that hard, and there's nothing like the satisfaction of trying something new, and getting great vape. I also DIY juice, so am doing lots of things I never thought I'd wanted to. I'm acquiring a fair collection of rba's, Have 5 so far, 2 more on the way and looking at 2 more for possible purchases.

 

[kabonk]

rapping a coil only take a few minutes and only has to be done every 3 weeks or so if I dry burn and change my cotton everyday which only takes seconds.