RBA Rants/Venting

[pdib]

Aw, sheesh, you all know how I love pictures. Here's my favorite Nextel setup. AWESOME flavor!

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[Kemosabe]

Hello All,

Thanks to everyone for their comments. That was exactly what I was hoping to get. A variety of opinions from folks who both like and dislike genesis style RBAs. I am glad I am not the only one suffering the same frustrations with RBAs. My statement that they suck and that the flavor sucks was actually my honest feeling at the time of the post. As a matter of fact it is still my opinion at the time of this post. But if you believe that they are the best thing to come since sliced bread then more power to you. As the theme goes "whatever keeps you off of analogs". I have been tinkering w/ them for on and off for 2 months now and have dedicated the last 3 days to vaping exclusively on drip RBAs and genesis tanks. It was the most miserable 3 days of my vaping life. I almost quit vaping until I refilled my carto tank and all of a sudden I remember why I enjoy vaping.

People often tout the superior flavor while using RBAs. It may be just my own personal taste but I feel that RBAs do not offer the same flavor as my carto tanks. They seem to be missing certain notes when vaped side by side. I am either missing the flavor intensity, the sweetness, or the tartness that carto tanks/cartos offer. I can recoup some of the flavor intensity by cranking up my power output to 13-14 watts but I find this unacceptable for daily vaping as this will drastically reduce my vape time while I am out and about.

I do find dripper RBAs useful so that I can try new juices and I do like using them around the house so that I can swap flavors often and it is much more cost effective than replacing a HH 357 or any cisco spec attie every few months but the cost of the cisco/hh357 is minimal anyway when spread over 3+ months.

You may be thinking by now that I cannot make a nice wick and coil therefore I am doing it wrong. This may be the case but when I compare my wick/coil/RBAs w/ the locals who are in love w/ theirs it is about the same. When I sample their RBAs and they sample mine they are about the same.

I have a theory that this whole idea that RBAs offer superior flavor may be a placebo effect for some people. They are thinking to themselves "Wow, I got this POS to work and it is the best thing EVER!" just because they were able to overcome a challenge. I so far have not bought into it. Please do not mistake my opinions as an attempt to declare these words as gospel. These are simply my opinions as of today. Once my RBA tanks for dummies arrive in the mail (RSSTs) then perhaps my opinion may change again. I simply wanted to 1) Vent 2) solicit some raw opinions about RBAs 3) Go out and just say what so many of us just wanted to scream at the top of our lungs at one point in time before we had the pbusardo epiphany moment. "RBAs suck!!!"

As of today my delivery methods in the order of preference is as follows.

Carto tanks, cartos, dripper RBAs, cisco spec atties, iclear 30, bcc type tanks, vivi nova, tank RBAs.

This order has changed many times and I am sure it will change many more. I am sure that the person reading this post has had a similar experience.

Thanks for taking the time to listen to my rant. Typing all this out was much more therapeutic (and more cost effective) than throwing out all my vaping gear.

~BW

youre doing it wrong. but you seem to at least have some perserverence, seeing how you ordered yourself an RSST. keep at it. if it doesnt taste right, its not setup properly. a properly setup SS mesh build tastes better than any carto. just keep at it. once you experience the full flavor of your favorite juice, you wont be able to use it in a carto anymore.

 

[Kemosabe]

ok I love my aga-t and my iHybrid, and can set both up without issue, and I had a did clone, it was the worst thing I ever tried to set up. If I hadn't already been using other gennys before getting one I might not have ever tried another genny.

the did clone was my first. at first it made me want to eat a gun. i couldnt figure out what was going wrong (it ended up being a wonky center pin). but after i got it going, i was suddenly in the market for moar RBAs.

got a bliss clone that ended up being worse in many ways, then i got the AGA and i see how much better that one is than the one i started with.

looking back, its a miracle i was able to get past the difficutlies of the crappier RBAs. i would have been doing myself a HUGE favor if i had cut my teeth on a classy RBA. or even just a dripper. i went ahead and took on a much larger challenge than i had even realized.
the problem is that most folks are trying their hand at building on crappy RBAs. not only are they trying to figure out how to build, but they are trying to overcome the crappiness of the RBA. a newbie doesnt need any additional stumbling blocks.
for a newbie, they should start on a silica dripper. then graduate to a tank, mesh, etc.

 

[Uma]

I must be pure bonkers then. I started with the Chid. Once I had it mastered, I've been able to roll & wick any other genny since. I use them pretty much daily on my Twists: #400 mesh, wrapped w/ 32ga kanthal @ ~2Ω.

Ha! Proof positive right there! Plumb Bonkers.

I gotta hand it to those of you who stick with it long enough to conquer those awfuller clones. ::: I bow before you all :::
I really do.
But why oh why do you put yourselves through all that?! Bonkers. Pure Bonkers.

 

[michaelsil1]

Ha! Proof positive right there! Plumb Bonkers.

I gotta hand it to those of you who stick with it long enough to conquer those awfuller clones. ::: I bow before you all :::
I really do.
But why oh why do you put yourselves through all that?! Bonkers. Pure Bonkers.

Its not really sane to smoke for 51 year's either.

 

[Statistic]

Ha! Proof positive right there! Plumb Bonkers.

I gotta hand it to those of you who stick with it long enough to conquer those awfuller clones. ::: I bow before you all :::
I really do.
But why oh why do you put yourselves through all that?! Bonkers. Pure Bonkers.

Because lots of people said it would be worth it, and I believed them

 

[Rule62]

I also started right about the time the first Did clones came out. I went to a RBA workshop at a local B&M shop, and it was the first time I had ever seen a genesis type, ever. I went home and ordered a couple. I didn't want to spend a ton of money, not knowing if it was something I either could do, or would enjoy doing. At the low price point, even the first AGA-Ts weren't out yet. All there were was the chrome Did clones, with the tiny air holes, and the top caps that had the lousy threads, and didn't line up with the wick hole.
My first build took me probably 1 1/2 hours, and it worked perfectly. Beginner's luck. My second one took several hours longer, but worked well in the end. By my second build, I was hooked. More Did clones came after that; and then came the first AGA-Ts, which were ugly as heck, and heavy. By that point, I had quit using everything else, and began using gennys exclusively. Since that time, I've built a decent collection of 'higher end' units. The early clones have been forever retired to a box in the drawer. But I'm thankful those cheap clones were around when I began.

 

[Uma]

I hope you all realize that I'm just teasin when I call ya Bonkers. Countsmacula is in another thread that I frequent, and I feel comfortable teasing him, and he feels comfortable playing on it. (refer to the big in our posts). I assume others are kiddable with too.

While it's true, that I never would have continued with gennys had the did clone been my first one and only, I applaud those of you who do stick it out long enough to get a better quality genny. And, it's also true that China's batches change from batch to batch (always changing something, whether it be cartos or gennys)...

Pleas ignore this post if after one cup of coffee it still doesn't make sense.

 

[michaelsil1]

I hope you all realize that I'm just teasin when I call ya Bonkers. Countsmacula is in another thread that I frequent, and I feel comfortable teasing him, and he feels comfortable playing on it. (refer to the big in our posts). I assume others are kiddable with too.

While it's true, that I never would have continued with gennys had the did clone been my first one and only, I applaud those of you who do stick it out long enough to get a better quality genny. And, it's also true that China's batches change from batch to batch (always changing something, whether it be cartos or gennys)...

Pleas ignore this post if after one cup of coffee it still doesn't make sense.

No offense taken whatsoever.

 

[BentWookie]

OMG! I think I'm almost there! I for the first time am actually enjoying a nice warm, thick, tasty vape from this POS DID clone.

Key changes -

* Made a smaller wick. Prior wicks were too fat and fit too tight in the wick hole. This current wick is just big enough to still be able to slide it out w/out much resistance.
* .9 ohm Kanthal Ribbon. Would you believe me that I did not have to work out any hot spots at all? Wrapped the coil onto the wick, connected to positive and negative, got ready to pulse burn it, and it just magically glowed evenly on each wrap! I love ribbon kanthal!
* Mechanical mod. Borrowed my buddies Natural. I don't have to worry about the 1.3 ohm limit on the Vamo. I'm estimating that I am somewhere between 14-16 watts with my .9ohm coil which is giving me the warm vape that I enjoy.

I am hoping it just keeps getting better w/ the RSST.

 

[WattWick]

Learning RBAs might have turned my hair gray, but I wouldn't know as I tore it all out while looking for a quality clearo.

 

[BentWookie]

Just a quick update on my RBA journey.

I've been vaping on an IGO-L all week. I've never really had any problems w/ the drippers and I've been enjoying it. I ran out of wick today and the local B&M was out also. I went searching for some SS rope locally but again nothing in stock that wasnt galvanized. I decided to try my luck w/ another build on the DID clone. Again using the 400 ss mesh and .5 Kanthal ribbon. It is actually really good.

The main differences today:

* Quenched my wick 3 times during the oxidation process followed by 3 juice burns. I was not quenching the wick last week and was having some wicking issues. Today it was wicking great for a while then all of a sudden I was getting dry hits. I was thinking (... not again). But then when I went to see what was going on w/ my wick noticed that my tank was out of juice!

* Ribbon Kanthal. Wow this is genesis RBA easy mode. I did not have to poke it or move it at all. Just pulsed it a few times and it was glowing even all across. I made sure to kink the wire near the posts and I had no issues w/ hot spots there at all. I would highly recommend you try the Kanthal ribbon if you have not had the chance yet. It just seems to make life so much easier.

* Mech mod. It really makes vaping from the genesis more pleasurable IMO. 0.8 ohm coil on the mech gives me just the right temp. I guess you could get a similar effect from a 1.8'ish ohm coil and setting your VV to 13-14 watts but most VVs like the Vamo, SVD, and ZMAX wont be able to really put out that much power w/out stacking batteries. My personal preference is not to have to stack batts but that's just me.

* Drilled out my airhole on the DID clone to 1.7 ish mm. I no longer feel like im trying to suck a watermelon through a straw. Much better vapor production and smoother TH. This is just my personal preference.

I am still waiting for the RSST to come in the mail from a co-op. I am actually looking forward to trying it out now. I am encouraged to read about how much better gennies have gotten since my DID clone was released.

Am I convinced that gennies offer the best vape? Not yet but it's definitely getting better. I am still a little ...... that it takes so much effort to get it working properly. Hats off to you guys though who exclusively vape on gennies and can get these working well easily. Even though my build went relatively smoothly this time around I still wanted to pull my hair out on a few occasions.

~BW

 

[pdib]

Totally missed the part where you were basing your opinion of all Genisis style atomizers on a mini DIDn't clone! Yeah, those things can suck. I never got mine to work either.

 

[BentWookie]

Aw, sheesh, you all know how I love pictures. Here's my favorite Nextel setup. AWESOME flavor!

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Hi pdib,

Which model nextel do you use and how do you prep it? I've read on a few posts that people bake it in kiln for 1-2 hours to get the coating off. Some people say torch it 10-20 seconds. It's just a little unnerving reading about all the peeps that say "zomg you will die if you don't do it right".

I read about people using SS rope usually t316 grade 3/32 size. I was wanting to try the SS rope.

~BW

 

[BentWookie]

Totally missed the part where you were basing your opinion of all Genisis style atomizers on a mini DIDn't clone! Yeah, those things can suck. I never got mine to work either.

lol ya this thing is a PITA. Does that mean I get extra brownie points for getting it to work?

 

[CountSmackula]

No. But you get a...

 

[pdib]

Yeah, a cookie for wookie The Nextel XC-116 I buy is ready for use. There are two types of heat treating one can do. Both these vendors do the first.

500 deg. Celsius (edit: 700C ?) for 4 minutes burns away "organic material". If you find this stuff other than from the suppliers below. You'll need to torch it white hot for 4 solid minutes (meaning, that if you can only keep 1/2" section steadily hot enough, that means 4 minutes per section)

900 C (1652 Fahrenheit) for 4 hours "hardens" the material. This is unnecessary and doesn't apply to our use.

XC-116 Ceramic Wick - 12" Heat Cleaned

xc-116 – Big Tex Vapor

I really do love this stuff.

 

[pdib]

BTW, ss rope requires a thin layer of ss mesh between the rope and the coil. I played with this with a machine screw. Worked fine. Tastes like ss and hotspots like ss. It is my VERY personal opinion that nextel is easier to set up and tastes better than anything else. (ss mesh, machine screw, bubblestone, cotton, silica, jute . . . . hybrids of any of these)

BTW; its also fun torching ceramic rope clean between re-coiling. I just torched the peas out of one of my wicks today. It was dark purple/brown; torched it to glowing white, like new.

 

[cmfm]

I'm not actually sure what this thread is about but just by going from the title I'd like to add this; I ....ing hate when my kanthal randomly unwinds itself from it's spool.

 

[pdib]

I hate that too! I can hear it from my house!