RBA - taking the step, finally. Suggestions?

[RooRooBears]

Decided to try out RBAs! I simply want use it for trying out different flavors of ejuice. I've read about ILO, Phoenix, Odysseus, Octopus, SmokTech, etc.. did my research, but now I'm more stumped on what to start off with. If I can get some help, that'd be great.

Deciding based on these factors...

o easier process for changing wick & wire - don't want to spend too much time having to set things up
o cheaper range, of course
o great for dripping - not rba tanks
o looks good on Provari or ZMax

Right now I'm leaning toward the SmokTech RDA or Pheonix RBA V3 with Silica wick & Kanthal wire.

So, here're my noob questions:

1. Does the atomizer eventually burn out? Or do you simply have to change the wick & wire?
2. Which fits better to match the Provari's width, the SmokTech or Phoenix RBA? Or should I be looking into something else?
3. Is Silica wick & Kanthal wire combo good enough?
4. For simply trying flavors, should I stick to the old atomizers or go for RBAs?

I understand there's a learning curve for RBAs, so please be patience with my noobility

 

[Herb396]

In the same boat here, will be tracking this thread.

 

[grindle]

1. Does the atomizer eventually burn out? Or do you simply have to change the wick & wire?
2. Which fits better to match the Provari's width, the SmokTech or Phoenix RBA? Or should I be looking into something else?
3. Is Silica wick & Kanthal wire combo good enough?
4. For simply trying flavors, should I stick to the old atomizers or go for RBAs?

1. Just change wick and wire.
2. Smok RDA out of those two, the iGO-L looks okay too.
3. Yup, good enough for tons of people, it's all down to preference. If you change your mind cotton is very cheap and mesh is fairly cheap too given how long it lasts.
4. RBAs.

 

[muzichead]

You can't go wrong with either the Igo-L or the Smok RDA... I have both and they are pretty easy to set up and maintain...

 

[StaircaseWit]

IGO-L is easier to build, but the IGO-S looks better on the Provari. IGO-L holds 20-30 drops depending on the wick setup, more if you really stuff it but it won't perform as well. IGO-S holds 10-20 drops max.

Very easy to set up. Silica is very forgiving of a sloppy wrap, so it's good for the inexperienced coil wrapper.

When the coil gets gunky and the silica is getting dark from juice, just rinse the whole thing out with hot water, and dry-burn the coil while blowing on it. Use an old toothbrush to get stubborn gunk off the coil. Dry-burn a bit more and your silica will go back to white (under the coil) and you're back to vaping. I replace the whole lot after a few weeks, but it's very resilient.

Good luck.

 

[RooRooBears]

Wouldn't the IGO-L look better since it has a bigger diameter? The IGO-S looks like it'll look good on an eGo battery since it's smaller. I dunno, am I seeing something wrong?

Thanks to the IGO-L being sold out almost everywhere online (I guess it's very popular?), I'll go with the SmokTech RBA with Silica wick and Kanthal wire. Knowing that the wick and wire is all I'll have to replace... THAT'S CHEAP!!! This might be the stepping stone to change from carto tanks to RBA tanks. Never a dull day in the life of vaping. Always something new to learn. Amazing.

Am I okay with these 3 items?

1. SmokTech RDA/RBA
2. Kathnal Wire
3. Silica Wick

Is there anything else of necessity for things to work with the RBA? Or may make my life easier when dealing with this RBA setup?

Edit: Also, for the wire... should I be looking to get 28, 32, 34, or 36 AWG? I usually enjoy my vape at 3.0ohms on cartomizers. From my understanding...

Wire diameter goes something like.. Thinner diameter = Higher gauge # = Higher resistance per foot
& vice versa.

 

[muzichead]

Wouldn't the IGO-L look better since it has a bigger diameter? The IGO-S looks like it'll look good on an eGo battery since it's smaller. I dunno, am I seeing something wrong?

Thanks to the IGO-L being sold out almost everywhere online (I guess it's very popular?), I'll go with the SmokTech RBA with Silica wick and Kanthal wire. Knowing that the wick and wire is all I'll have to replace... THAT'S CHEAP!!! This might be the stepping stone to change from carto tanks to RBA tanks. Never a dull day in the life of vaping. Always something new to learn. Amazing.

Am I okay with these 3 items?

1. SmokTech RDA/RBA
2. Kathnal Wire
3. Silica Wick

Is there anything else of necessity for things to work with the RBA? Or may make my life easier when dealing with this RBA setup?

Here are a few places that have the Igo-L in stock....
https://vaporbank.com/shop/index.php?p=product&id=966
Rebuildable Atomizers : IGO-L Dripping Atomizer

 

[RooRooBears]

Is the IGO-L that much better than the SmokTech RDA? I like the looks of the SmokTech RDA, but if the quality of the IGO-L is much better, of course I'd go for the IGO-L. Mind explaining any pros/cons between the two if there are any?

Wire choices: 28, 32, 34, 36
Wick choices: 2mm or 3mm

Any recommendations for the wire & wick? Differences and why?

 

[TheToad]

Wouldn't the IGO-L look better since it has a bigger diameter? The IGO-S looks like it'll look good on an eGo battery since it's smaller. I dunno, am I seeing something wrong?

Thanks to the IGO-L being sold out almost everywhere online (I guess it's very popular?), I'll go with the SmokTech RBA with Silica wick and Kanthal wire. Knowing that the wick and wire is all I'll have to replace... THAT'S CHEAP!!! This might be the stepping stone to change from carto tanks to RBA tanks. Never a dull day in the life of vaping. Always something new to learn. Amazing.

Am I okay with these 3 items?

1. SmokTech RDA/RBA
2. Kathnal Wire
3. Silica Wick

Is there anything else of necessity for things to work with the RBA? Or may make my life easier when dealing with this RBA setup?

Edit: Also, for the wire... should I be looking to get 28, 32, 34, or 36 AWG? I usually enjoy my vape at 3.0ohms on cartomizers. From my understanding...

Wire diameter goes something like.. Thinner diameter = Higher gauge # = Higher resistance per foot
& vice versa.

igo-l dripper on my provari, just so you see how it sits

 

[RooRooBears]

View attachment 193509

igo-l dripper on my provari, just so you see how it sits

That's gorgeous, TheToad. I was actually leaning towards IGO-L until I saw your setup... Sold. Purchasing one now. Cheers!

 

[c00lkatz]

Get the IGO-L. Easy setup, easy maintenance, SS construction, made by the same company as the AGA series, cheap. I have the RDA, and it's pretty good. I don't like the bottom hole, because it's more sensitive to being overfilled. The IGO-L has a "drip well" where the wick sits with a top cap hole. It's an overall better design IMO, and allows for more wick configs.

Also I don't know if they've fixed this yet, but the IGO-L has a pretty loose top cap. You'll need to get some slightly fatter o-rings for it if it becomes a problem for you.

I also really like my small Terminator (drip mode Odysseus clone). It's small, SS, great quality, great flavor/TH/vapor, but it's more difficult to rebuild and doesn't have near the capacity as the RDA or IGO-L. And it's MUCH more expensive. But it's closer to a regular atty than anything and would work with a bottom feeder should you want to go that route in the future.

 

[RooRooBears]

Done! Got the IGO-L, kanthal wire, SS mesh, silica wick, and will get some 100% bleached cotton from a local store.

Final product will most likely be to use some cotton, roll it up in SS mesh for the part that the coil covers (thanks to another member's idea). Got some silica wick and extra SS mesh to try to those separately.

Will use the Provari & ZMax for testing out ohms before firing them up. Cheers! Thanks everyone, really appreciate the help and support. Without this forum and the members, figuring out this RBA stuff definitely would've been such a migraine.

Cheers!

 

[StaircaseWit]

Wouldn't the IGO-L look better since it has a bigger diameter? The IGO-S looks like it'll look good on an eGo battery since it's smaller. I dunno, am I seeing something wrong?
.

Yeah, it looks great on the Provari. I think I was thinking of another reply when I typed that; sorry. I'm vaping it right now, with German silica (the best silica I've found from a US vendor) and four wraps of 32g kanthal for 1.8ohms. I usually use 30g but I have a bunch of 32 that I need to use up, and I like the quick heat-up time of the 32g.