Should i buy an eleaf istick 20w mod without the accessories or the the accessories?

[seminolewind]

But the 30W one costs only 2 dollars more than the 20W, among the 2 which do you think I should go for? I'm in such a dilemma after reading so many posts.

I like the 30w. My first has now lasted 2 years. The charger is a universal charger. You may have a few of those with other items like a cell phone or tablet. If you do, you can skip the charging able. Also, if you use 510 connections you won't need the vanity skirt either.

I have one I use and 3 isticks in boxes for a "rainy day". I used to be into removable batteries but had nothing but problems . I like to just plug it in.

 

[djsvapour]

Hey, could you also recommend some good brand of e-juices that I can purchase on fasttech? I heard that there chinese brand juices and american brand juices. And the american brand juices are way better in flavoring and quality than the chinese brands it seems.

There are no American e-liquids on fasttech to my knowledge.
Fasttech sell re-branded Hangsen (Hangda) and some Dekang and Liqua. They also stock suspicious brands.
I gave up buying Hangsen from there about a year ago. Liqua are Chinese despite giving the impression they are not.

 

[Aniket Sabarad]

There are no American e-liquids on Fasttech to my knowledge.
Fasttech sell re-branded Hangsen (Hangda) and some Dekang and Liqua. They also stock suspicious brands.
I gave up buying Hangsen from there about a year ago. Liqua are Chinese despite giving the impression they are not.

Yeah, I have seen Hangsen and Hangda brands on fasttech. Any other websites where I can buy good brand tobacco flavored juices? If not, any suggestions for tobacco flavored juices in Hangsen brand on fasttech?

 

[tearose50]

I've never tried FT liquids, so no help there. However, I'd try an RY4 flavor or some other blend. Vape can smell much like a nice pipe, but it will not taste the same.

I agree with others, the 30 watt is better. It allows for lower watt, cooler vaping, as well as higher and often hotter levels. The 20 watt at lowest settings can be too "hot" for some of us.

Good choice on the K1 -- though you do need the ego adapter. I use the replaceable coils it uses in a couple of my atomizers.

 

[Aniket Sabarad]

I've never tried FT liquids, so no help there.

I agree with others, the 30 watt is better. It allows for lower watt, cooler vaping, as well as higher and often hotter levels. The 20 watt at lowest settings can be too "hot" for some of us.

Good choice on the K1 -- though you do need the ego adapter. I use the replaceable coils it uses in a couple of my atomizers.

Thank you. Any idea about Aspire ET-S clearomizer?

 

[tearose50]

Hmm -- I might have one of those! Most of mine are other versions that have a "510" connection, not ego. However, I don't use the coil that comes with it -- I use the newer Aspire BVC coil. I do think it would be a good purchase.

Since we are talking Aspire models -- the Nautilus and Nautilus mini by Aspire came out soon after the K-1 and uses a very similar coil with just a bigger container. They became quite popular and remain so for many of us and you might want to check them out. They would not need an Ego adapter.

One comment when purchasing replacement "coils". Most of us agree that the BVC is smoother and nicer than the BDC.

The Aspire BVC is for the K-l/ET-S. The Aspire Nautilus BVC is for the Nautilus (both sizes). It can be easy to buy the wrong replacement coils without being aware of this one word difference.

 

[Aniket Sabarad]

Hmm -- I might have one of those! Most of mine are other versions that have a "510" connection, not ego. However, I don't use the coil that comes with it -- I use the newer Aspire BVC coil. I do think it would be a good purchase.

Since we are talking Aspire models -- the Nautilus and Nautilus mini by Aspire came out soon after the K-1 and uses a very similar coil with just a bigger container. They became quite popular and remain so for many of us and you might want to check them out. They would not need an Ego adapter.

One comment when purchasing replacement "coils". Most of us agree that the BVC is smoother and nicer than the BVC. The Aspire BVC is for the K-l/ET-S. The Aspire Nautilus BVC is for the Nautilus (both sizes). It can be easy to buy the wrong replacement coils without being aware of this one word difference.

So which BVC is smoother than the BVC. And what is the one word difference. I did not get that.

 

[tearose50]

Oops -- my typo. It's fixed now. I prefer BVC for smoother vape.

I was attempting to point out that the ET-S is coming with an older coil that most of us do not prefer (BDC). However, the ET-S and K-1 also use the Aspire BVC Coil and I suggest those be the extra coils you buy.

The Nautilus uses a slightly larger case for it's coils. The most popular are the Aspire Nautilus BVC Coil and the only difference in the name is the word Nautilus.

It is easy to get these names and initials confused when ordering -- I know I'm not the only one who has done it!

 

[lynn508]

I haven't read the whole thread but I have 2 of the 20w istick they both run hot. If it shows 3v it is closer to 4. I would choose something else...at least the 30w were better.

 

[djsvapour]

Thank you. Any idea about Aspire ET-S clearomizer?

No. It's not good.
You can put BVC coils in it (like K1) but it's a pointless experiment. Yes, I tried it.

 

[Aniket Sabarad]

No. It's not good.
You can put BVC coils in it (like K1) but it's a pointless experiment. Yes, I tried it.

But the K1 comes with BVC coils by default. It doesn't use any other type of coils as far as I know.

 

[djsvapour]

But the K1 comes with BVC coils by default. It doesn't use any other type of coils as far as I know.

You asked about the ET-S clearomizer. There is no reason to buy that when you can buy the K1.
The ET-S was not designed for BVC coils. It used the BDC coils which were very poor in comparison.
If you want bigger than K1, then the sensible choice is an Aspire mini Nautilus.
OR, you could so what I did and completely free yourself from Aspire and get an Eleaf GS tank or GS air tank. It's not 'better' than mini Nautilus, but the coils are easier to buy from Fasttech.
Please ask if all that sounds confusing (I'm sure it does).

 

[medleypat]

The Et/s can use the BBC coil used them when I first started. Need more airflow now.

 

[bwh79]

I don't understand what fire hot and using mean or RMS mean. It'd be great if you could elaborate.

Running hot: the battery inside the device outputs a certain voltage depending on its charge state (around 4.2v at full charge, down to around 3-ish volts when it needs to be recharged.) Regulated devices use "buck" and/or "boost" circuitry to raise or lower this voltage to whatever device output is required for the user-selected voltage or wattage setting. The iStick 20-watt does not have "buck" circuitry, it can only "boost" the voltage higher than the battery charge but can't lower it any. Therefore if the battery is at, let's say 4.0 volts, for example, and you have a 1.2-ohm atomizer attached, you won't be able to fire it at anything less than 13.3 watts. If you like your vape at 10 watts, too bad, you can't get that low until the battery drains down to about 3.4 volts. The 30-watt (and most, if not all other iStick models besides the original 20-watt) have boost and buck circuitry, and so they can "step-down" the voltage as well as increase it, to fire a wider range of wattages on any atomizer you choose.

Mean/RMS: Some devices have a "flat signal" where they output a specified voltage at a constant rate. Others use what's called "pulse-width modulation" or "PWM" where they fire at a higher voltage, but flip the power off and on really fast (many many times each second) to simulate a lower power level. They vary the "percieved" power level by varying the amount of time the pulse is "on" versus how much it is "off" -- by "modulating" the "width" of the "pulse" hence "pulse-width modulation."

To determine what the "percieved" power level is, you have to do some math, on the amount of time the pulse is on and what its voltage is. There are a couple of different ways of measuring this. One easy way is to just calculate the "mean" (another word for "average") voltage over time and use that to calculate the power level in watts. This way is easy, but it's not very accurate. Another, better, harder way is the RMS or "root-mean-squared" formula. This is where you calculate the square of the voltage at any given instant, take the average of those squares, and then take the square-root of that average. The root of the mean of the square, or "root-mean-square." This method better represents the power level because power, or wattage is not a direct function of voltage, but of voltage-squared. By using the RMS formula you will get a result that more closely resembles a "flat signal" at the selected wattage, compared to the easier, "mean" calculation.