Switching from cotton yarn to Ekowool silica wick on my Kayfun > Good idea?

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Flt Simulation

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I have had very good luck using cotton yarn for wick in my kayfun Lite, but as you may know, cotton really needs to be changed quite often.

So, I ordered some 2mm Ekowool braided silica wick and am going to try that out.

I am going to install the silica wick just like I did the cotton yarn .... pull 2 pieces of the yarn though the coil with a piece of wire (see photos below).

Anyway, has anyone here tried using Ekowool instead of cotton in there kayfun style atomizers?

BTW ... This coil is made with 10 wraps of Kanthal 28 AWG wire around a 2.4mm (3/32") rod ... makes 1.7 ohms that is fed 9.0 watts


Coil2.jpg


Coil3.jpg


Coil4.jpg


Coil5.jpg
 
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State O' Flux

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I'll use... rayon, cotton, hemp, ramie or silica... depending on:

  • How dark or sweet the juice is -caramelization.
  • How low the resistance is - using more heat resistant wick at lower resistance values.
  • The general performance and design of atty, as it relates to: juice type - wick capillary action / ability to hold juice well at the coil.
  • What I happen to have on hand. ;-)
In other words, some wick media works better than others in different atty types/resistance values/juice blends. Scinetific... a bit. Subjective... certainly. YMMV.
 

State O' Flux

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State O' Flux ...

Thanks for the info. Well, I only ordered a 2' length of the Ekowool just to see how it works in my Kayfun.

If you think about it, all these clearomizers such as the Aerotank and so many others all come with silica wicks installed ... seems to work ok
Silica, in various guises and qualities, has been the mainstream wick of choice, both in mass production and DIY, for a very long time. Premium quality silica, which surprisingly, very few people have actually sampled... is quite good.

I use Vaporbase silica, along with the materials previously listed, regularly. In fact, I have an RTA and two RDAs on the desk, fit with it right now. One particular juice/RDA/coil type/resistance combination runs German silica exclusively... because it brings out the very best flavor from that juice.

As long as an "experimental" material has no overt indications of being dangerous... I'll try it under a variety of conditions.
Every wicking material has it's advantages and disadvantages... and it's up to the individual to decide what works for them, and their often unique, vaping profile.

It's always easier to "blame the tools" for: gurgling, flooding, burning, dry hits, incontinence, hair loss, flatulence, monsters under the bed, public speaking, brain damage, fear of clowns....

I've recently ordered some 3mm "braided silica" from FT. I'm interested to see how it compares with my "go-to" braided silica for flavor and function.
Although I'm not expecting much, considering the FT silica is 1 Euro per meter, vs. Vaporbase silica at 4 Euros per meter... I'm willing to be surprised. ;-)
 

Flt Simulation

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Well, I started using cotton yarn a couple on months ago just because it is easier for me to install in my coil (see photos above) than pulling strands of cotton from a cotton ball and trying to make the same wick each and every time.

And as far as taste and wicking ability, the double piece of cotton yarn works just as good as the cotton ball ... but again, it's just easier to make a nice wick with.

So, now I find out that the 2mm hollow-braided Ekowool is about the same diameter as the cotton yarn, so it should also be just as easy to make the wick using it in my coil made on a fairly wide 2.4mm (3/32") rod.

I am just thinking that the silica wick will last much longer than the cotton yarn.

Worth a try anyway.
 

Flt Simulation

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Nomoreash

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I've tried various types of silica in my kayfuns and went back to cotton for the most part. Silica definitely last longer since it can be dry burned but I found I wasn't saving any time dry burning as opposed to replacing a cotton wick and cotton is cheaper. I cut enough cotton wicks for a 5/64" dia coil at once to last for months so I don't have to worry about that every time I need a wick, just grab one and done.

Comes down to a preference thing as said above more than anything else, good luck.
 
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