Well, no it is not more janky or more all over the place than Ni200, neither was the music wire.
Here is Ni200 14 spaced wraps, 3.5mm coil:
View attachment 508676
Here is the iron wire 12 wraps, 3.5mm coil:
View attachment 508734
Both the music wire and iron wire vape fantastic just like Ni200 does.
Once the thermocouple, the actual test measurement device used to measure temperature for these tests ramped up, it never varied more than 1 degree.
The live monitor of resistance was the measuring device for resistance in these tests and both appeared to me to look similar to Ni200. Guess which one is which:
View attachment 508668 View attachment 508667
The iron and music wire both have more resistance per length than Ni200 (
Ness engineering data) and greater temperature sensitivity in the vaping range a.k.a higher TCR (
data from Steam Engine) than some:
SS304 20 %
SS316/L 17 %
SS430 28%
Ti 1 59%
Ti 2 57%
NiFe30 (Resistherm) 64%
NiFe30 (Stealthvape) 72%
NiFe (Reactorwire) 62%
Invar 24%
Nifethal70 73%
Nifethal52 62%
My tests showed:
Music wire 70%
This iron binding wire...
83%
Ni200 (curve) being 100% and Ni200 (linear) being
79% according to steam engine.
Nickel DH shows more sensitivity in the vaping range than NI200 (curve) at 114% according to steam engine.
No, the change in resistance is not small, it is actually more than Ni200 as shown in the test data. That is because there are two primary components to a materials resistance. The resistivity of the material and the TCR. A higher TCR yields more resistance change over the same temperature change. A higher resistivity yields more resistance change over the same TCR. The resistivity of 18-8 Stainless Steel is 10 times higher than Nickel yet it's TCR is 6 times worse. The end result is the resistance changes more over the same temperature range with 18-8 than with Nickel, coil for coil. So if a Nickel coil base resistance is .1 ohms, the same dimension and wrap coil with 18-8 will be 1 ohms. The Nickel will change resistance by .06 ohms over 100C where the 18-8 will change by .1ohms. In other words, it changes resistance more.
I use the same method of sensitivity calculation as steam engine, a straight ratio. So, the tested TCR of iron divided by the Ness data TCR of nickel i.e. .005/.006 = 83%. But that doesn't tell the whole story. The resistivity of iron is 1.4 times that of nickel. Using the resistivity from Ness and the TCR equation again, a coil of the same dimensions and wraps of nickel is .1 ohms, of iron is .14 ohms, a delta-T of 100C yields .07 ohms change for iron and .06 ohms change for nickel. So actually, the iron resistance change is greater than the nickel resistance change given the same coil and temperature change - 116%.
The only reason I am looking into this is I am tired of attys that have binding posts (ala Billow, velocity) that cut the soft nickel wire, well they don't the music wire and not easily with this iron binding wire. But on screw head posts (ala Kayfun styles), I still use NI200. And yes the iron wire and music wire is inexpensive and widely available. But, it will rust.
I just don't care.
I am not advising anyone to buy iron or music wire, or anything else. I have no stock or interest in any company, wire or otherwise. I'm just sharing what I have found. I will continue to use the iron and the music wire on those particularly nasty cut my wire attys until the first time it gives me reason not to, i.e. a bad vape experience.
HTH
Note: The so called iron wire does have a bit of spring to it, but it is still flexible, similar to Kanthal. Unlike the music wire which is full on spring high carbon steel and needs hardened cutters. Since using the DNA200, I have noticed a difference in vape between two different NI200 spools of 28 gauge, one from Lightning Vape the other from Master Of Clouds. I never noticed a difference in vape on the DNA40.
