RBA rebuild materials?

[mirrorim]

I'm about ready to make a modest sized order for wick and wire. I will need to rebuild my Drunker tank atomizer soon, and I want to have supplies that will also work with my Vivi Nova heads. I think I am going to stick with silica wick at this point, just because dry burning has become a part of my regular cleaning regiment and I have heard that you can't dry burn cotton wick. I do have an awful lot of cotton balls and makeup removal pads I could use at my apartment already if I was going to get into playing around with cotton.

Most of my issue is I don't know what diameter wick I should be aiming for. I am probably going to make an order @ House Of Vapor... they are fairly local to me and I'm sure I will receive my order very quickly.

Also, are there any benefits to using Kanthal or Nichrome wire in these devices or does it not matter? What awg should I be going for? I am probably going to be building coils mostly in the 1.5-2.4 ohm range for use mostly with a Vision Spinner (for now).

I am aware I can get large spools of wire via eBay for a great price but I don't want to stock up like that until I am sure what route I am taking.

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

EBay is the way to go. $15 worth of wick and coil will last you a year. Getting much smaller portions from vendors will cost you at least $10 anyway.

I have 3 mm wicks and they are awfully thick... I think 2 mm is enough.

As for AWG, i use 30 and they are very versatile. My coil is 1.7 ohm almost every time with 5 wraps, which is my sweet spot.

From what i understand kanthal is better than nichrome.

 

[mirrorim]

20' of 30 Ga Kanthal wire @ HOV will run me $3.00, pretty comparable to what I've seen on eBay... shipping probably a bit cheaper (70 miles of transit... I may be able to work something out there as well). The wick prices seem to be pretty much about the same value as what I can find on eBay as well. I think given the option I would rather support a local vape store.

I was also considering 2mm wick. I think it will work just fine in my Drunker Tank, and if I notch out the silicone cap in the Vivi Nova heads I can probably run a nice 2mm wick into those tanks as well. Thank you for your input!

 

[michliu]

I use cotton yarn in my Vivi Novas and they are about 2mm. Doubled up they fit just fine. With the tight space of the Vivi Novas, you may want 32g kanthal to get above 2 ohms. I use 30g and 6-7 wraps gives me 1.6 ohms.

 

[mirrorim]

I didn't realize how nice lower resistances could be at first, until I started experimenting with dc carto/tank setups @ 1.5 ohms last week. I don't really know at this point if the lower resistance would act any differently with a coil and wick setup than it does with a DC carto tank. I have not been satisified w/ the vapor production of my Vivi Novas @ 2.4 ohms since using a lower resistance DC carto.

 

[michliu]

I didn't realize how nice lower resistances could be at first, until I started experimenting with dc carto/tank setups @ 1.5 ohms last week. I don't really know at this point if the lower resistance would act any differently with a coil and wick setup than it does with a DC carto tank. I have not been satisified w/ the vapor production of my Vivi Novas @ 2.4 ohms since using a lower resistance DC carto.

Depending on your tolerance for fiddling, if you like low ohms, try an Aga-T+ or other genesis atomizer with stainless steel wick on a mechanical. Gennies have totally changed the way I vape. I only use my Vivi Novas when I am traveling now, so I don't have to carry around needle tip dropper tops or a syringe.

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

Depending on your tolerance for fiddling, if you like low ohms, try an Aga-T+ or other genesis atomizer with stainless steel wick on a mechanical. Gennies have totally changed the way I vape. I only use my Vivi Novas when I am traveling now, so I don't have to carry around needle tip dropper tops or a syringe.

The AGA actually doesnt need needle tip. Press the dripper tightly against the fill hole.

 

[mirrorim]

I did make that order at The House of Vapor. My first rebuild was an attempt to mimic what came stock in my Drunker Tank. I learned the hard way to cut my wire and wicks a bit longer than I need. I didn't short myself on either for the first attempt, but I had to cut the wicks to an angled end in order to feed them through the cap on the drunker tank, which left me with 1 end as long as I had intended, 1 almost as long, and two got all beat up and ended up about half the length into the tank that I was aiming for. This is not a big deal at all and it is working great. I managed to hit the resistance I was aiming for dead on. I can't wait to rebuild some more, I should be set for about a year on about $15... similar to what I've been told about eBay orders... and I supported a B&M that I will surely drive to visit at some point in the near future.

I'm looking into the AGA-T+... right now I am seeking out something rebuildable with a pyrex tank, I would like to try some citrus type flavors and still like to see my liquid levels.

Thanks all!