Tank recommendation for someone looking to learn to build, but afraid he's often too busy...

[daveid777]

As the title suggests, I am looking for a new tank that I can wet my feet in building and still have the convenience of tossing a prebuilt coil in. Of my options, I am leaning towards the Subtank Mini, as it seems to be the most complete package. I do have a distaste for Kanger since my old ProTanks (2s and a 3) ...... me off something terrible. Leaking into my mouth (which I do see a lot of people conplaining about with the STM), dry hits, and often bad factory coils... The STM does seem to be a major improvement (I've been vaping cartotanks for the last year and a half, and love the flavor).
So my main concern is flavor, I am willing to skip the baby steps and jump right into an RTA if the flavor is really going to be that much better. I have also read many other threads on many other devices, and am interested in the Lemo Drop as well, but am afraid of the commitment to self-building.
Other than the tank, I know I will need a reliable ohm meter, wire, & wick material. Am I missing anything else here? I am not too interested in subohm (at least I don't think I am, I am a flavor junkie not a cloud chaser), so what gauge wire should I use for a ~1.2 ohm build?
Thanks for any suggestions and advice.

P.S. I do have friends who build, so I can reach out for firsthand help should I need it. And over been building computers for 26 years, and currently work in a dental lab, so I have an attention to detail and steady hands, and of course patience.

 

[Marc411]

The Taifun GTII and the eXpromizer are super easy to build and produce good vapor and flavor. Both have AFC and hold a decent amount of liquid.

 

[daveid777]

Sorry, probably should have specified a price range. Was thinking $100 max for tank and supplies, and not interested in a FT clone really... Those do look like great tanks, just a bit pricey for something I'm not sure I'll have time to tinker with and may sit unused for periods of time. This is also to pair with my iStick 30w. Guess I left a few things out...

 

[Marc411]

Expromizer is under $100 eXpromizer 1.2 and I'm not sure if it is an option but the Taifun has been cloned and can be found at a reasonable price. Taifun GT II

 

[Kevin littell]

Kayfun Lite V2.


I get 2 weeks on wicks and after alittle practice it takes a whole 5 minutes.


(On a whim one day on the way home from work and stuck behind a wreck I rewicked it in the car just to see if I could....)


40 bucks...add 20 for 28 gauge wire and I use J cotton.

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

I would recommend the Delta II and the separate rebuildable section. I've had nothing but problems with the subtank OCC coils. People rave about the subtank though so ymmv. Just throwing out another option before you go fully rebuildable. When you get there, pick up a UD Goblin.That thing is dynamite.

 

[gpjoe]

What type of draw are you looking for? If you want a tight draw, you could certainly look at the Kayfun. Personally, I prefer the Subtank Mini for direct lung hits. I do occasionally get some juice on my tongue, but it doesn't bother me at all. I have several Minis and run both .5 and 1.2 ohm coils and the RBA. All seem to work great for me. I also just recently picked up a Joytech Delta II but have only used it with the coils. I may pick up an RBA for it, as the coils are 3-4 bucks each. So far it is a satisfying vape, though I personally don't think I'm getting as much flavor as with the Minis.

If you want an airy draw with an RTA (no prebuilt coils) the Lemo is very good. I have both the standard and drop sizes. I'm running those with 28ga Kanthal at 1.4 ohms and get great vapor and flavor. Mostly using 50/50 juice with the Lemos as I have had some dry hits with max VG.

Bottom line for me: For a do-it-all tank I'm sold on the Subtank Mini - versatility and great performance, or the Lemo for a straight rebuildable tank.

 

[daveid777]

I'm more a mouth to lung, sometimes not fully inhaling, person. I seem to more enjoy the flavor this way.

 

[edyle]

As the title suggests, I am looking for a new tank that I can wet my feet in building and still have the convenience of tossing a prebuilt coil in. Of my options, I am leaning towards the Subtank Mini, as it seems to be the most complete package. I do have a distaste for Kanger since my old ProTanks (2s and a 3) ...... me off something terrible. Leaking into my mouth (which I do see a lot of people conplaining about with the STM), dry hits, and often bad factory coils... The STM does seem to be a major improvement (I've been vaping cartotanks for the last year and a half, and love the flavor).
So my main concern is flavor, I am willing to skip the baby steps and jump right into an RTA if the flavor is really going to be that much better. I have also read many other threads on many other devices, and am interested in the Lemo Drop as well, but am afraid of the commitment to self-building.
Other than the tank, I know I will need a reliable ohm meter, wire, & wick material. Am I missing anything else here? I am not too interested in subohm (at least I don't think I am, I am a flavor junkie not a cloud chaser), so what gauge wire should I use for a ~1.2 ohm build?
Thanks for any suggestions and advice.

P.S. I do have friends who build, so I can reach out for firsthand help should I need it. And over been building computers for 26 years, and currently work in a dental lab, so I have an attention to detail and steady hands, and of course patience.

Kanthal A1
gauge ----- watt per ohm (per coil) for 200mW/mm2
34 ----- 1.4
32 ----- 3
30 ----- 6
28 ----- 10
26 ----- 23
24 ----- 45
22 ----- 91
20 ----- 182

Coil wrapping | Steam Engine | free vaping calculators

Use 28 gauge for 1.2 ohm single coil
or 30 gauge for a 1.2 ohm dual coil

 

[BigEgo]

If flavor is all that matters, go get a KFL or a Lemo (regular or drop). If you don't mind waiting a bit, the Lemo v2 is about to come out and it looks like it will be the best RTA on the market when it does hit.

I find the Subtank's flavor good, but not quite up to Kayfun status. However, it is an excellent all around tank (build quality, looks, can use stock coils or build your own, etc.).

 

[KC1BLE]

+1 on the KFL, they just don't get any easier to build and they are trouble free.

 

[daveid777]

I also use 100%vg juice, and see that may be an issue with some of these tanks, I think my top contenders would be the Delta II for a crossover device, or the Taifun GT 2 or Lemo Drop for full rebuildable. How do those work with max vg?

 

[daveid777]

Only concer with the Delta is the .5ohm stock coils, not sure I'd like that... maybe a full rebuildable is the right choice to control that.

 

[daveid777]

Putting together a cart for the Lemo Drop to see full costs, for under budget I can get the tank, wire, wick, an ohm meter, and pre-built coils (in case I'm lazy). Budgetwise, this seems a good choice. Anyone using 100%vg in a Lemo Drop? If so, what do I need to know? Also, I vape 18mg nic right now, would dropping to 6mg be suitable, or should I go lower? Thanks, and sorry for all these questions, feel like a newb again...

 

[gpjoe]

Only concer with the Delta is the .5ohm stock coils, not sure I'd like that... maybe a full rebuildable is the right choice to control that.

Is it the cost? You can get an RBA for the Delta II but it is an additional $14-15 and can be hard to find right now. One web store had them for I think 14 bucks, but the minimum order quantity was 5 pieces. I guess that explains them having stock on hand. Remember too that the Delta works best IMO as a lung hitter.

Really, if you want a fantastic mouth-to-lung RBA you really can't beat the KFL Plus V2. But you will HAVE to make time to rebuild. It's not a big deal and once the coil is built it should last for quite a while - I've gone over a month on the same coil and rebuilt just because, and never used any coil until it actually failed to function. After the coil is built and attached, it's just a matter of changing the wick periodically and should last you a few days, maybe longer, depending on how and what you vape.

 

[daveid777]

No I'm concerned that I won't like subohm vaping, as stated I am a mouth to lung vaper, who enjoys a cooler vape. How does tha KFL Plus V2 compare to the Lemo Drop?

 

[daveid777]

That KFL is pricey though, is it worth twice the price of the Lemo Drop?

 

[gpjoe]

The Lemo is more like the Delta and Subtank than the Kayfun. Much looser draw than the Kayfun and better suited IMO to lung hits. It does have an adjustable air-flow, but I have not tried it in the more restrictive mode, so maybe someone else can address that for you.

 

[gpjoe]

And I would also point out that you are generally going to get a warm vape with the Kayfun. The cooler vape is achieved through a combination of greater airflow, lower power, and/or higher ohms. When I vaped my Kayfun clone, it seemed to be a warmer vape than I get on my Subtanks, but I am running the Subtanks at relatively low wattage - rarely higher than 20 watts, and usually lower, on a regulated mod.

 

[daveid777]

Thanks for that explanation of the temp, I knew higher resistance and lower power led to a cooler vape (but didn't know what role the airflow really played in temp, only that a tighter draw was more suited to MTL), I am sure I could adjust to lung hits if my vape is cooler. I might just go all out (birthday soon) and get the Lemo Drop with supplies and a Subtank Mini and see what I prefer, I can always gift the other tank to a friend if I don't like one.
Even with both tanks, and all the supplies, in coming in at just under 100, which was my original budget. Maybe this is the way to go, less to worry about...
I really appreciate all the helpful suggestions! You have all given me a lot to consider, and it's funny to me that more info has led me to not choosing one tank over another.