Sorry, missed this part of the post in my previous answer:
Summary:
It is in principle the same as Alloy 52. But there can be small differences, which can change the TCR (and therefore required temperature offset on a non-TCR mod), and the resistance.
What I can say with some confidence is that if you get any random Alloy 52 you should be able to get the same vape as from Kanthal NiFe52 - it might just need a slightly different TCR setting or temperature offset. It might also be slightly different in strength, springiness and hardness.
TLDR: You should preferably buy a NiFe52 already tested, such as once I've tested ZiVipf's, or at least one sold with a stated TCR. Failing that, you can still buy with the confidence that it will work, but it might need some experimentation to find the right temperature setting.
In detail:
As an example: there are many types of NiFe70 AKA NiFe30 AKA Alloy 120:
- Resistherm NiFe30, provided by Dicodes and manufactured by Isabellenhütte.
- TCR of 0.0035, resistance of 5.5Ω/m @ 29G (0.28mm)
- Then there's Kanthal's NiFethal 70, which I have now tried from ZiVipf
- TCR of 0.0052, resistance of 3.3Ω/m @ 29G (0.28mm)
- The generic name is Alloy 120
- @vapealone has tried some form of Alloy 120, purchasing it in bulk quantity (280+ metres) from ResistanceWire.com
- The TCR listed by ResistanceWire is around 0.0045 and I think the resistance is lower than Resistherm; I am not sure the exact figure.
All of these are approximately 70% Nickel, 30% Iron, but there are significant differences in TCRs and resistance.
In the case of Resistherm NiFe30, we know it has a few trace amounts of other metals - like 0.6% aluminium. Kanthal NiFethal 70's data sheet just says it's purely 70/30 Nickel/Iron, but I don't know if that means it literally is just that, or if it has other minor amounts it's not listing.
Alloy 120 is just a generic name, the name of a general specification. In other words, both Resistherm NiFe30 and Kanthal NiFe70 are examples of Alloy 120, despite their differences. ResistanceWire in
their Alloy 120 section list a huge range of different types:
Alloy 120, MWS-120, Balco, Hytemco, HAI-380, Pelcoloy, Nickel Alloy 120, NIFE 5200, Kanthal 70, Alloy K70
So similarly, Alloy 52 is a generic name covering many individual products. It has the base spec of 52% Nickel, 68% Iron, same as listed for Kanthal NiFe52. But individual implementations might well have slight differences, including differing trace amounts of other elements.
And we know that the specification states that the Nickel content can be 50.5% - 52%, so even this amount is not fixed between different types. 1.5% can, I believe, make a vast difference to the resulting wire; I've already seen this with Ni200, where just a 0.6% margin in the spec - 99.0% to 99.6% - has resulted in different TCRs between different suppliers.
I just googled Alloy 120 and found
this page at EdFagan.com. It shows a spec that describes 50.5% Nickel, 0.025% Chromium, and other small amounts. Is this the same as Kanthal NiFe52? I don't know, but I would assume it's definitely not precisely the same.
I guess saying Alloy 52 or Alloy 120 is a bit like saying 'Stainless Steel' - it covers a range of material which can vary quite a bit. SS has 304, 316, 317, and dozens of others. Alloy 120 has Resistherm NiFe30, Kanthal Nifethal 70, and dozens of others. Ditto Alloy 52.
So yeah, things may seem a bit complicated. But we can sort them out once we know specific suppliers. Ultimately all we care about is knowing that Wire X purchased from Vendor Y is a good wire , and that there are enough vendors to supply the whole vaping world. One EU, one US and one China would be perfect, and we already know 2/3 of those are coming soon.
When I get the ZiVipf wire, I can measure its TCR and give a solid recommended figure - the TCR to use on adjustable mods, the offset to use on the DNA 40 and Yihi chips. When other NiFe52s come out, I - and/or others - can repeat the process.
We know a US vendor is coming out with a NiFe52 'specifically manufactured' for vaping, so I very much hope they will provide a TCR figure for their wire, clearly shown on the product page and on the spool itself - as Dicodes do for their Resistherm NiFe30 - as well as a DNA 200 file.
I expect that this will be the pattern going forward. If NiFe52 takes off, suppliers of it - at least those supplying it for vaping - should and hopefully will label it with the values to use, and provide a DNA 200 file. If they're smart they'll also include offsets for at least the DNA 40 and Yihi.
So hopefully you'll only be completely on your own if you buy it from non-vaping suppliers, and if you buy a specific alloy that that no-one else has used, AND if the wire supplier doesn't provide an accurate TCR.
Even then, experimentation is not too hard: start by assuming it has the same TCR/offset as another brand, then adjust until you don't get dry hits.
A basic dry cotton test can also put you in the ballpark - just be sure to first test with a known wire such as Ni200 or Titanium, checking what level of singeing occurs, repeatably, at a given target temperature. Then try to re-create that with the unknown wire using an identical coil and amount of cotton: this will give you an idea that a setting of X°C = Y°C achieved temp, where Y is the temp at which cotton singed a certain amount. Use that as your max temp and adjust down to taste.
That said, I doubt anything like that will be necessary. Unless you really want hundreds of meters of wire from a place like ResistanceWire.com there's only going to be a few spool-sized suppliers in the short term. I will try to test them all myself, and others will do the same.
So unless you're adventurous, just buy what I and others have bought and already tested
