Newbie Question...

[Mlgibson494]

I have a mechanical mod, so my question is aimed at builds towards those.

For reference, I use a Nemesis mod, and have a Zenith rda. In less then a week, my Russian 91% will be here.

I have built a few coils. So this isn't about how to build a coil, I know I can google, youtube, or look at other posts and probably find my answer.

What I am finding hard to find, is WHY.

I know you build a coil to desired ohms, and then vape away (I'm simplifying).

But WHY are there so many size wires? What is the difference between a 26, 28, 30, etc. I know size, yes. But when it comes to building your coil. And the effect on juice & vapor, what is the differences and why does it matter?

Micro, Macro, Nano, etc: What difference does this make in the quality of vapor production and flavor?

Why are there so many options, because as a newbie, I am looking at the ohms and only the ohms.

Being so new, my question when I'm building is 'What is the safe range of ohm readings can my mechanical mod vape?' And that is the only question I know to ask.

What else should I be asking myself when I build? To get the best of my experience (not a cloud chaser, I chase flavor) I feel I need to know why people use different size wire, and why are there different size coils (micro, nano, macro). But I can't find these answers online. I know they are there I just can't find them.

So please help?

 

[Susan~S]

I have a mechanical mod, so my question is aimed at builds towards those. <snip> Being so new, my question when I'm building is 'What is the safe range of ohm readings can my mechanical mod vape?'

If you are new to mech mods and rebuildables I highly recommend you spend some time with Baditude (one of our resident battery experts) and visit his blogs. You are now 100% in control of your own safety (and others around you). Make sure you purchase an ohm reader and a voltmeter or DMM so you can measure your builds, check for shorts and measure the remaining charge on your batteries.

Baditudes Blogs. The blogs regarding mods and rebuildables are listed below:

BATTERIES

9. Battery Basics for Mods: IMR or Protected ICR?
* Another essential read to understand which batteries are safe to use in mechanical and regulated mods. Includes a frequently updated list of recommended safe-chemistry, high-drain batteries with their specifications.

17. Purple Efest Batteries Not As Advertised
* A cautionary blog that reveals that the purple Efest batteries may not have the specifications advertised. Also includes a commentary on "continuous discharge ratings" vs "pulse discharge ratings" of battery specs.

OHM'S LAW

14. Ohm's Law for Dummies (Vapers)
* My attempt at explaining Ohm's Law in layman terms and how it relates to vaping.

16. Explain it to the Dumb Noob: Ohm's Law Calculations
* As simple as it is to use, some people have a tough time grasping the concept. Warning: Includes graphic photos of mod explosions.

MECHANICAL MODS & REBUILDABLES

7. Information Resources for Your First RBA
* An essential read and reference guide for someone new to rebuilding coils. Includes a multitude of useful links on battery safety, mod safety, coil meters, coil building, and the differences in the three types of RBA's.

15. Inexpensive Mechanical Mod and RDA Setup
* A response to the frequently asked question on how to get into rebuildable atomizers with a mechanical mod inexpensively. Includes a list of commonly used tools and supplies for rebuilding and where to find them.

BATTERIES - WHERE TO BUY

Only buy batteries from a reputable supplier (not ebay or Amazon) as there are many counterfeit batteries being sold. Here are several reputable battery suppliers in the US.

* RTD Vapor
* Illumination Supply
* Lighthound
* Orbtronics

 

[Norrin]

Really good question and although I know some of the answers I won't say, because I want a full answer too. I posted a similar thread the other day but didn't put it as well and didn't get the answers I wanted.
So for flavour is think or thinner better and without going into all the stupid builds what standard type build is best and single, dual or parallel?

 

[TheBikeGuy]

I've been using a Nemesis with a Smok PBC tank for years and have never built any coils for it. I have the wire and wick material, but I never got around to it. I like stealth vaping and leaving no cloud at all. Maybe I just don't know any better, but I've been pretty content with my setup and wonder if there are really that big of gains to be made in flavor.

 

[InTheShade]

Really good question and although I know some of the answers I won't say, because I want a full answer too. I posted a similar thread the other day but didn't put it as well and didn't get the answers I wanted.
So for flavour is think or thinner better and without going into all the stupid builds what standard type build is best and single, dual or parallel?

Susan posted some links to a great series of blogs about battery, mod and coil safety - well worth a read.

As for building, the thing is there is no 'best' or 'standard' and I know that drives a lot of people nuts. Just poke your head in a few threads about what coil builds you prefer, and they'll be 10 different people posting 10 different builds.

Building the perfect coil isn't even half the story. Wicking it correctly (with what? Cotton, rayon, japanese cotton, silica, mesh?) and getting the airflow right is also important and can affect flavor as much as, or more, than the type, size and gauge of coil you build. And that's not even including the differences in resistances, drippers, mechs and e-liquids which in their own right can affect how your build performs.

Now all that said, depending on the topper I am using I do have a goto build. It's one that I've figured out gives me the best balance of flavor, vapor and battery life. I've probably built well over a hundred coils to get to that point - and I am still trying different things and learning what gives me the flavor and vapor I desire.

It's really a matter of trial and error as to which you prefer. Yes there are rules regarding heat and wire surface area and speed to heat the wire and all that good (and important) stuff, but written down it's almost impossible to say what effect that will have on your vaping experience.

The only possible way of knowing what is the best is to find one that is the best to you - and I almost guarantee it won't be the best to me.

 

[Norrin]

Susan posted some links to a great series of blogs about battery, mod and coil safety - well worth a read.

As for building, the thing is there is no 'best' or 'standard' and I know that drives a lot of people nuts. Just poke your head in a few threads about what coil builds you prefer, and they'll be 10 different people posting 10 different builds.

Building the perfect coil isn't even half the story. Wicking it correctly (with what? Cotton, rayon, japanese cotton, silica, mesh?) and getting the airflow right is also important and can affect flavor as much as, or more, than the type, size and gauge of coil you build. And that's not even including the differences in resistances, drippers, mechs and e-liquids which in their own right can affect how your build performs.

Now all that said, depending on the topper I am using I do have a goto build. It's one that I've figured out gives me the best balance of flavor, vapor and battery life. I've probably built well over a hundred coils to get to that point - and I am still trying different things and learning what gives me the flavor and vapor I desire.

It's really a matter of trial and error as to which you prefer. Yes there are rules regarding heat and wire surface area and speed to heat the wire and all that good (and important) stuff, but written down it's almost impossible to say what effect that will have on your vaping experience.

The only possible way of knowing what is the best is to find one that is the best to you - and I almost guarantee it won't be the best to me.

Read and know all the safety stuff, very important and although I don't think it was needed here there is never any harm in pushing safety.

Back to the main points, although I realise that there are too many variables to say this is the best coil and even then you have personal taste.
BUT thicker wire will give you better X and airflow will give you Y, etc........... surely someone has or can write an explanation so that noobs to coil building can go that works but I need more heat so I change the wire or reduce the airflow.

Hope you understand what I mean cos I'm getting lost

 

[sketchness]

With mechs it doesn't matter what device you have or what atty (for this discussion), what matters is the battery. This determines what you can build within the confines of your amp limit. The links provided above go over this in detail.

So i am sure I won't answer every question about wire but real simple stuff: Higher gauge equals higher resistance, but it heats faster which is important when you are building coils on a device that doesn't push watts like a mech. So building coils for aniStick with 24 gauge isn't going to work real well. Thus 30 or 32 is key for these types of devices. The thicker coil\lower gauge wire is less resistance per inch so is often the wire of choice on a mech that can kick a huge number of amps to the coil and heat it up fast. I personally like 26 gauge 6 wrap coil around a drill bit that is very close to a 14 gauge blunt tip needle (slightly larger). It reads .4 on my sigelei and works well at 35 watts.

A lot of the coil builds you will see are simply because they look cool. Others are device specific. You aren't going to be stuffing giant macro coils in a kayfun or even on some of the smaller RDA's.

hopefully that helps a little

 

[readeuler]

As an example of differing wire gauges:

I have a regulated device, a 15watt maximum VTR. I also have a dual-coil Fogger, a rebuildable tank atomizer (similar to the Russian, but made for dual coils). Ideally I'd use 28 gauge, it's sort of the standard guage that's very versatile.

Unfortunately, 15 watts isn't really enough power to heat up two 1-ohm coils of 28 gauge. It'll heat, but it takes a second or two to produce vapor; it's just wasteful in terms of battery life (IMO). I've even built dual 28's down to .7 ohms, and 15 watts just didn't cut it.

OK, I had some 30 gauge (thinner, more resistance per unit length), no big deal. Wrap a 1.5 ohm dual coil (two 3 ohm coils), about 13 wraps, and give it a shot. Heats up much more quickly, but the vapor is warmer than I'd like. I'm used to cool vapor, and definitely wasn't a fan.

Went down to 9 or 10 wraps per coil, it came out to 1.2 ohms. Still using 15 watts, it still heats up quickly (less metal, so even more quickly, presumably). Now since there's less metal, it managed to coil down a bit more quickly too. This is probably also because with only 9 wraps, compared to 13, the juice could make it to the center of the coils more easily, and thus the coils could cool down more efficiently by vaporizing more. In addition, the coils are closer to the size of the airholes; they're getting more air on average.

If I were on a mech, I'd have more of a trade-off to consider: by only using 9 wraps, I'd be increasing the wattage of my build. Would that increased wattage (hence increased heat) be too much to offset the the cooling effects described above? I don't know, I'd have to experiment!

So, that's by no means a big set of rules about how builds work. But it is something I went through recently, to give you the kind of mentality you that can help tweak your builds to your liking.

 

[wshanncap]

Hi Mlgibson494. You are going to get a lot of opinions so here are a couple facts: The higher the number on the Kanthal gauge the smaller the wire and higher the resistance per inch. Smaller wire makes smaller coils. Smaller coils have a little less surface area but a faster ramp up (glow red). Now opinion: I started building coils with 24 because it was easy to work with and I wanted to keep my coils around 2 ohm. Now I am buying 28 Kanthal because I want smaller coils with faster ramp up. As for ohms I am working down to the 1 to 1.2 ohm range. The important thing is that with sub-ohm coils you have to do some research. Know the limits of your batteries and make sure they are good batteries. Poor batteries have been known to explode under the load of a sub-ohm coil. It can still be safe but you have to do your homework. Ask the experts about sub-ohms. Just doesn't happen to be my thing at this point.

 

[Mlgibson494]

I thank you all for your detailed replies. They were very helpful, allowing me to further grasp more on coil building. I will combine them with more research on the topic.

Thank you all! B