Reo Grand/Reomizer, am I doing something wrong?

[scemmer]

Hi all, I just want to start by saying I'm pretty sure my issues are due to "newb user error". Everything I've read would suggest Reos are incapable of disappointment. I don't have anyone around to show me what I may be doing wrong, and I'm new to rebuilds. With a fresh battery and a fresh coil, it vapes just fine. But I feel like the battery and coil should be satisfying much longer.

My AW IMR 18650 battery actually is good all day and night when I make the coil with 4 wraps of 30 gauge Kanthal and 3mm wick doubled over. When I have 5 wraps, the battery seems too weak by evening. I'm absolutely not chain vaping all day. How long should the battery be lasting me?

The 5 wrap coil lasts most of the week. 4 wrap coil got me through the weekend, then by Monday I was vaping a wet sock. The best readings I can give from the crappy multimeter I have are: around 2ohm with the 5 wrap coil. and around 1.6ohm with the 4 wrap coil. And I should point out that I tried a LR 1.5 ohm atomizer on my reo before, and it only lasted a few days too.

Another thing is that sweet e-liquids taste awesome on my reo. Tobaccos are good too, but I can't taste the difference between them. They all taste the same. Now that's not a huge deal when I'm vaping with beers. Still keeps me from wanting an analog cig, and that's the most important thing. I'd just like to be able to taste the nuances of different tobaccos. Maybe I'm just not used to the way Reos hit yet?

Anyway, it seems if I change out the battery every night and make a new coil twice a week, I'll be in Reo heaven. I just want to know if that's normal, or if it sounds like I'm doing something wrong?

Thanks!

 

[mccawley]

"If I change out the battery every night and make a new coil twice a week" Close to being normal.

A 18650 should last the day with light vaping. If you consider yourself a medium/heavy vaper you would want to charge it mid day.

A good coil wrap lasts me about a month. If you vape juice with a lot of sweetner it will clog up faster.

I few things that you might be doing already but:
Good Kanthal wire. TEMCo Industrial Power Supply
Try running some 28g with a 3/4 or 4/5 wrap
With silica wick keep the coil against the wick but not strangling it.
With SS wick or Ceramic wick keep the coil nice and tight on the wick.

Keep the battery charged Better charge = better vaporizing as opposed to slowly cooking the juice.
If the draw feels tight try enlarging the air hole if at all possible. Better airflow=better vaporizing as opposed to burning the juice.

That is all.... =D

 

[scemmer]

Thanks! I bet I am burning my juice. That would explain why I can't taste tobacco flavors.

 

[yaypudding]

I use panasonic 18650 ch and pd's along with some efests. They usually last me a day and a morning before I notice a big drop off.
With higher resistance coils, battery drop off will be more noticeable. Your battery voltage goes down over the course of the day.

So, in the morning, on a fresh batt you're at 4.2v but by night you might be around 3.7 a drop of about 2-3 watts on your coils, over the course of the day. So you won't be getting that higher wattage warm vape by night and thus the result of your weak hits.

For flavor I recommend making micro-coils and using boiled organic cotton. This is the best setup I have ever used by far. I prefer it over my RBA genny style and def over any atomizer, cartomizer or clearomizer. There are a bunch of threads here for help on micro-coils, I find them easier to make than the standard coil you're making and at pennies a coil, you can't beat the savings.

I make new coils almost everyday, mostly because i like to. Somedays I want a cooler higher ohm vape, while others I want a dual coil cloud monster, but since you're using silica you can wash out your rm2 and dry burn to clean the coils, maybe get another couple of days out of them.

 

[yaypudding]

Thanks! I bet I am burning my juice. That would explain why I can't taste tobacco flavors.

You are not vaping at a low enough ohm to provide enough wattage to burn your juice. I would blame it on the silica and the coil.

 

[the_vape_nerd]

hmm after watching super x's video, i wrapped a 10 wrap micro coil using 28 guage kanthal on my rm2...it metered 1.45ohm...i got the cotton in and its been vape heaven, nice thick dense clouds

im not even using AW IMRs...using panasonics

to be fair though i have my rm2 on a wood box mod that isnt a reo

if you havent seen his video on it, i highly recommend it ....the hardest part to me was getting the cotton in but even that wasnt too bad and now im more or less able to get it in pretty easily

 

[danny4x4]

Check out the REO section. Lots of reonauts there who would be more than willing to guide you. Also, check out a thread by super drifter x. It's about cotton wicks and microcoils. Lots of reonauts there too. Plus, there's an orang utan posting there.

 

[Plumes.91]

Sounds about right to me. I sometimes switch my 18650s out 3 times before bed if I don't put my PV down all day. The lower ohm ur coils, the more you'll switch it out. & how much you vape also dictates how much you'll switch it out. The cool thing is you have a great mod. Now you just need 3 chargers and five 1850s and you'll be set!!

 

[muriarte]

In my REO, I use around 5 wraps of 28 ga and use cotton yarn (Peaches and Cream from Walmart) and I use the same coil for around a month, just change the cotton every week or twice a week if I use darker liquids. Changing the cotton takes about a minute: Take the cotton out, dry burn the gunk and place new cotton in.

Also, I change my battery at mid-day, If I try to use it all day, by afternoon it is too weak for my taste.

 

[scemmer]

I have been interested in making a micro coil, but I wanted to get better at making a regular coil first. Hell, I can't think of a reason why I shouldn't just try it. I've seen the super drifter x video, and a few others. Can I use the 30 gauge kanthal I have for a micro coil?

 

[niczgreat]

For your wick try switching to
FC-2000 Porous Ceramic Wick, Eko Wool or Treated XC-116

These are all ceramic type wicks and they don't burn.
Just clean them with a dry burn if you get that socks taste, or you could take out and blow torch it.

My favorite wick currently is Rolled Stainless Steel 400 mesh, surrounded by a XS=116 Sleeve. Wicks fantastic.

My setups using these materials last over a month.

I'll decline to comment on how to get the best vape out of a Reo Grand.

 

[muriarte]

If you try steel, be aware that you´ll have dropped springs, since that is the safety in the reos in case of a short. And you will have shorts at first. If you decide to try it, then invest in a short stop or something similar.

 

[the_vape_nerd]

For your wick try switching to
FC-2000 Porous Ceramic Wick, Eko Wool or Treated XC-116

These are all ceramic type wicks and they don't burn.
Just clean them with a dry burn if you get that socks taste, or you could take out and blow torch it.

My favorite wick currently is Rolled Stainless Steel 400 mesh, surrounded by a XS=116 Sleeve. Wicks fantastic.

My setups using these materials last over a month.

I'll decline to comment on how to get the best vape out of a Reo Grand.

um....if you can do it in some kind of respectful way i'd like to hear this as you're the first reo-dissenter i've ever seen

ive seen you on the Bogger thread and i have one and this had led me to also order a reo just for the metal/durability factor

am i going to be disappointed in your view? the way i understand it, your view is that the voltage drop is unacceptable?

and while we are at it....can you tell me just exactly what is meants by "voltage drop" i see the term a lot but don't understand it

im not trying to start drama or anything, im genuinely interested and there's nothing wrong with opposing viewpoints

 

[dice57]

I'm currently running a SS mesh silica hybrid coil using a 4-5 wrap with 30 Kanthal wire. came out at 1.5. Decided to try this build, cause didn't like the idea of changing out the cotton on a micro every day or so. And the silica came my Russian rba and had the mesh and wire in preparation for my genesis clone to arrive from china. And since the chip in my Provari maintains the voltage I set throughout the charge of the battery, voltage drop off isn't a concern. Right off the bat I was vapping plumes, clouds, think it might rain. I am on my 4th 4ml tank fill, and the seems nice and broke in. Getting excellent flavor and still clouds. I'm no expert, but what I've tried has worked. Heck, I'm just a newbie too, only been vapping just under 5 months, and have only done 2 coil builds.

I'm not familiar with your set up, but are you saturating you wick before vaping? Are you switching out your coil build between flavor changes? If not, the previous flavor can mute the current favor, and by time you are on the 3rd flavor, you can't distinguish and anything but a sweet tangy bitter vape.

Keep trying, you'll get it.

Voltage drop as I understand it is, as the charge of a battery is depleted, the voltage out but of the device tends to drop below the set voltage. On most devices this is countered by upping the voltage setting to regain the sweet spot, or swap out a fresh battery. On a Provari, this is never a concern. The computer chip maintains the voltage that is set, until to voltage of the batter drops below the minimum threshold to maintain that setting. At that point the Provari shuts off, and switch blinks rapidly, indicating time to change battery. I get clued in by the fact that the vape production stops, and then I look at the switch and yep it's blinking.

 

[scemmer]

I'm currently running a SS mesh silica hybrid coil using a 4-5 wrap with 30 Kanthal wire. came out at 1.5. Decided to try this build, cause didn't like the idea of changing out the cotton on a micro every day or so. And the silica came my Russian rba and had the mesh and wire in preparation for my genesis clone to arrive from china. And since the chip in my Provari maintains the voltage I set throughout the charge of the battery, voltage drop off isn't a concern. Right off the bat I was vapping plumes, clouds, think it might rain. I am on my 4th 4ml tank fill, and the seems nice and broke in. Getting excellent flavor and still clouds. I'm no expert, but what I've tried has worked. Heck, I'm just a newbie too, only been vapping just under 5 months, and have only done 2 coil builds.

I'm not familiar with your set up, but are you saturating you wick before vaping? Are you switching out your coil build between flavor changes? If not, the previous flavor can mute the current favor, and by time you are on the 3rd flavor, you can't distinguish and anything but a sweet tangy bitter vape.

Keep trying, you'll get it.

I do prime the wick. I actually squonk a couple times with a new coil. But I don't switch out the coil when I switch liquids. I kinda figured that with a reo grand, you just have to deal with a couple drags of cross contaminated flavors. No biggie.

 

[scemmer]

If you try steel, be aware that you´ll have dropped springs, since that is the safety in the reos in case of a short. And you will have shorts at first. If you decide to try it, then invest in a short stop or something similar.

Are you saying that micro coils tend to short out the springs?

 

[the_vape_nerd]

Are you saying that micro coils tend to short out the springs?

i dont think he's saying the microcoil will give you a short

he's saying that stainless steel used as a wick might give you a short because its conductive

i THINK thats what he's saying lol

 

[yaypudding]

voltage drop is when the device's own resistance decrease's the actual voltage to the coil. So if you have a fresh batt at 4.2, actual voltage will be less. Micro coils do not give you a short, the theory behind micro coils being an inherent short is false. The coils follow the same rules regarding resistance across a given distance of wire as any other coil. Voltage drop can be circumvented by just making a slightly shorter coil.

Micro coils have to be the cheapest option out there, when using kanthal & cotton, and imho a great performing setup. Cermic wicks are a pain to work with as is ss mesh and xc-116. I wrap a new coil and wick it with cotton in maybe 3 minutes, and that's being generous.
I have a coil with the same cotton in it for a lil over a week and it's working fine, been dripping plume room peanut butter cream pie on it too.

The micro coil is great because you can tailor it to your specific style of vaping. There are many variables that you can play with. Whether your a cloud chaser or desire more of a cooler vape, the right coil is out there for you, you just have to find it.

But if it's not your bag, it's not your bag, just make sure to give it your due diligence.

 

[tj99959]

Doesn't surprise me a bit that an 18650 would get a little soft by the end of the day in a Reo or any other mechanical PV. Maybe it would last a full day if you used a 3 ohm coil, but who would want to do that! Tires work better during the first half of the tread life too.

IMO no one is going to wrap their first few coils and realize the potential of a RM2 or any other RDA. We all have had to play around to find the right combination of coil, wick, and air that satisfies us as an individual. By nature RBA's in general have a steep learning curve because there are so many different ways to rebuild one. So be patient ... you will figure it out.

When I was learning how to use a RDA on my Reo I always had one of these laying around to relieve the frustration.
http://www.reosmods.com/index.php?p...category_id=20&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=3

 

[muriarte]

I meant that using steel as a wick will give you shorts, at least at the beggining stage, until you learn to oxidate your wicks to prevent them shorting out.