Quality Silica Wick vs. Cheap Silica Wick and Alternatives. Help?

[stewdaddy]

I have been vaping for about 6 months now, originally buying a Twist and using SmokTech Dual Coil Cartos. I recently picked up an MT3 and loved it. I must have gotten a good one, because I barely got gurgling and the flavor was good. After about 3 weeks, I started to get a burnt flavor and decided to replace the head. I got a TERRIBLE flavor. This flavor was more than burning juice, it tasted like burning silica. I just got some silica wick and 32g wire in, so I rebuilt the head after looking inside and seeing that the coil wasn't built too well. I got the same nasty flavor. My coil was beautiful, and I did everything correctly. I have concluded that the wick in my original head was good wick, and the wick in the replacement heads along with the wick I ordered are of a lesser quality (I didn't get any of this flavor in my 1st head). I pre-torched the wick with a butane torch lighter, and it went from soft and flexible to dry and brittle. I read that this happens to cheap silica wick.

Does this happen to all silica wick or is there actually better quality wick out there? I have read that some people swear by silica wick while others have the same problems I am having. I ordered the wick from myvaporstore.com if that helps. I have also been reading about cotton and bamboo wicks. I am not interested in cotton, but bamboo seems nice. I figure that I'll order some of that to try it out.

If there is good wick out there, please recommend a website to order it from. I would also like a few recommendations on where to buy some bamboo wick.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Vaep]

I just got into RBAs also and would like to know what is the best setup (I have a IGO-S in the mail)

silica, cotton, hybrid, or mesh?

 

[Jimi D.]

Clouds of Vapor, Kidney Puncher, and OKC vapes carries very good silica.

 

[Oktyabr]

I buy my silica from PBdragon.com They generally have lots of sizes in stock, their prices are hard to beat, and I find their silica of a much better quality than that I've gotten from some other vendors in the past.

 

[Oktyabr]

I've also rolled wicks out of cotton yarn, cotton balls and I just got some cotton cheesecloth that I have read others recommend but I haven't tried it myself yet. If you "chain vape" or tend to like hotter coils, etc. silica, ss mesh and the new ceramic "rope" that has been floating around are your only choices that won't burn when they get dry.

 

[stewdaddy]

This is all very helpful, as I just received a VAMO v2 and an IGO-L in the mail today. I'll try some silica from one of those vendors. Is pre-torching the silica generally a good idea?

EDIT: My buddy told me that ceramic wick is a vertical wick style that only works in stuff like genesis type attys. Is this true?

 

[Jimi D.]

This is all very helpful, as I just received a VAMO v2 and an IGO-L in the mail today. I'll try some silica from one of those vendors. Is pre-torching the silica generally a good idea?

Absolutely.

 

[Oktyabr]

This is all very helpful, as I just received a VAMO v2 and an IGO-L in the mail today. I'll try some silica from one of those vendors. Is pre-torching the silica generally a good idea?

EDIT: My buddy told me that ceramic wick is a vertical wick style that only works in stuff like genesis type attys. Is this true?

I never pre-torch my silica. I'll hit it with a lighter quick but that's about it, and that's only because I have cats and the first hit you take off of a new coil that burns some cat hair will make you extra cautious of doing it again, if nothing else I find too much "pre-torching" tends to dry it out making it more brittle and harder to work with.

There is a ceramic "rope" that is intended to be used as an outer sleeve for something else that some people seem to swear by. It's expensive and has to be specially pre-treated before use though. From photographs it looks just like silica. Google "Nextel ceramic"

 

[Oktyabr]

Here you go. He's currently sold out but he's sold out for a reason too and I expect will be restocking soon:

XC-116 Ceramic Wick Kiln Treated – Big Tex Vapor

 

[Red_Bird]

I hear German silica wick is the best available. I personally haven't used any, I rebuild with 100% cotton or #500 mesh.

 

[NancyR]

I don't use silica, when recoiling a wick that uses silica I use cotton, like on the pro-tank I am using #2 square braided cotton candle wick.

 

[madstabber]

SNG vapor also sells the xc-116 ceramic wick that they heat treat. I have bought from them with no problems but it tends to sell out quick so get on the notify list and they will e-mail you when it comes in. It costs 7 bucks for a foot of it and they will through in a free sample of their juice. It is similar to silica in looks the vertical ceramic you are thinking of is fc-2000 and is very brittle.

 

[Red_Bird]

Here you go. He's currently sold out but he's sold out for a reason too and I expect will be restocking soon:

XC-116 Ceramic Wick Kiln Treated – Big Tex Vapor

Thanks for the link. Put myself on the "notify" list. I'll try it out.

How much is sold for that $5? one foot I'm guessing?

 

[wyllic]

I have a couple feet of the XC-116 from Steve at SNG. It's truly amazing stuff. It never burns, ever. I have it setup in my IGO-L (I have a USA made clone but it's that style) and when I want to swap flavors I can either hold down the fire button on my mod or light the wick on fire and burn it off. If I really want to clean it, or recoil it, I take it off, hold it with some pliers over a blowtorch until it's white again, and it's good to go. I've used only a couple inches from my original order and I'll never go back to Silica or SS Mesh.

 

[stewdaddy]

Hmm, I will definitely give that wick a shot. I put myself on the notify list as well.

How is the taste from cotton? How long does it usually last before a rewicking is necessary? Is it easy to burn? I just looked around and it's really cheap, so that's a plus. My current experience with silica tells me to try ANYTHING else...

If this is the same stuff, it's about $2 a foot if you buy a lot of it. Not sure if anyone is looking to buy 25 feet of it, but here's the link anyway (It's at the top of Google, so I'm sure most of you have seen it). I do not believe it is heat treated, however, but I assume one can do that with a torch? Or does a kiln have to be used?
http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=xc_xc4_sleeving

 

[wyllic]

You have to get it really really hot. Like kiln hot. I hit up SNG and he told me he heats his in a kiln to 750 deg C. So I'm not sure you can do that safely with a torch.

 

[aussiedog61]

I just added my self to the list as well. I hope he ordered enough.

 

[stewdaddy]

You have to get it really really hot. Like kiln hot. I hit up SNG and he told me he heats his in a kiln to 750 deg C. So I'm not sure you can do that safely with a torch.

In addition to a butane torch lighter, I have a TS4000 with MAPP gas. I'm assuming that would work, but I don't know how long I would have to heat it for.

 

[wyllic]

In addition to a butane torch lighter, I have a TS4000 with MAPP gas. I'm assuming that would work, but I don't know how long I would have to heat it for.

MAPP gas would work fine, as it burns at like 3000deg. He said he can do 25 feet in 20 minutes with MAPP. Can't help you on the specifics of how long you heat it though, but it's stable to some really high temps.

 

[Cool_K]

Hemp wick

I only use clearos have tried silica and cotton. I have experienced zero dry hits and great flavors with hemp wicks. There is also a thread about it.