Temperature Control -- Worth the Hype or a Gimmick?

[edyle]

As someone who has never used a temperature controlled device, I'm just curious. For those of you who have a GOOD temperature controlled device that has the TC at least mostly functional, do you find that you heavily prefer using it and have trouble going back to non-TC devices?

It just seems to me, having never tried it, that it's an unnecessary feature. If I don't find the temperature to my liking I can adjust my build or adjust my wattage accordingly, so I don't see a need for it myself. Plus, it seems to me that the cooler you set it would equate to less vapor production, being nearly equivalent to adjusting voltage/wattage (minus possibly saving some battery and maybe an added safety feature for those who like to push their devices to the limit).

1: I don't have a temp control device either.
2: Yes it is unnecessary, just as vw is unnecessary and vv is unnecessary.
The big plus to temperature control is automatically preventing dry hits.

The big drawback with current temperature control devices is the temperature control does not work with existing kanthal or nichrome coil but require nickel (and titanium apparently can also work); and the ohm range for nickel is pretty low, so users need to keep contacts squeaky clean.

 

[KTMRider]

Apparently there's a trend. Everyone that's tried temperature protection (not control) agree it's awesome. Most that haven't tried it and/or have no experience with it think it's a gimmick.

 

[Jazzman]

for anyone who uses a tank set-up like a subtank, atlantis, etc. on a regulated mod TC is unnecessary and and an over-hyped feature. it just isn't need when you never have a dry hit and can readily adjust your mod and see the liquid level at a glance. for drippers or those who use toppers that depend on the user to control the juice then TC would be a benefit and definitely worthwhile. i would guess the majority of vapors don't fall into that category however, and TC will just be the heavily marketed feature to entice more purchases. if a new mod has TC i would get it only because it is on the mod but that doesn't mean i have to use it. the wattage mode will suffice and the TC mode will just be one of those "benefits" i never have to mess with. in the end, i am guessing a lot of vapors will come to the realization that TC isn't needed or used at all.... just MHO....

I disagree with this Peter. For me, TC is another big step forward in vape quality. I vape tanks almost exclusively (OK, after a couple beers I might bust out one of my RDAs to throw some fog, but that's rare. I just don't like the messy things much). The difference I see in TC is the consistency of density and wetness of the vape, and a more consistent flavor which I really enjoy. Without TC I get a very nice vape with a normal fairly short puff, but if I take a longer puff the wetness of the vape decreases and the flavor drops off just a bit. With TC this just doesn't happen. The quality of the vape is moist, dense, and flavorful regardless of the length of draw. It may be a small thing, but it's a definite step forward in vape quality just like VV and VW were in relation to unregulated vaping before them. It may not be a difference some consider important, but I enjoy vaping more as a result of TC, so it's valuable to me and is just another positive step forward in vaping. The fact that it's likely a safer vaping experience is a bonus, but improving the quality of the vape is the most important advancement to me.

Others may have a different experience, but I see TC as positive step forward for more reasons than just safety.

 

[shatteredsoul76]

Can you use plain old rubbing alcohol to clean the wire?

 

[Vooper]

for anyone who uses a tank set-up like a subtank, atlantis, etc. on a regulated mod TC is unnecessary and and an over-hyped feature. it just isn't need when you never have a dry hit and can readily adjust your mod and see the liquid level at a glance. for drippers or those who use toppers that depend on the user to control the juice then TC would be a benefit and definitely worthwhile. i would guess the majority of vapors don't fall into that category however, and TC will just be the heavily marketed feature to entice more purchases. if a new mod has TC i would get it only because it is on the mod but that doesn't mean i have to use it. the wattage mode will suffice and the TC mode will just be one of those "benefits" i never have to mess with. in the end, i am guessing a lot of vapors will come to the realization that TC isn't needed or used at all.... just MHO....

Factory produced coils with variable QC are far more likely to have dry hit issues.

 

[puffon]

Can you use plain old rubbing alcohol to clean the wire?

Yes.
I also dry burn at 550-600deg before wicking.

 

[Ryedan]

I've been experimenting with temperature sensing for around three weeks now. I know it's not a gimmick. It's also not what I chose to use all the time for all day vaping, at least not yet. More experience with it may give me a better understanding of the intricacies involved and that may well allow me to learn how to use it with benefits in more applications.

 

[Ryedan]

Apparently there's a trend. Everyone that's tried temperature protection (not control) agree it's awesome. Most that haven't tried it and/or have no experience with it think it's a gimmick.

I always find it interesting that people have opinions about things they have never actually tried, sometimes quite strong opinions. I can certainly understand someone saying something like 'how much of an issue is <insert issue here> with this process', but to assume they know the answer to these type of questions with no experience under their belt doesn't make sense to me.

 

[KTMRider]

I always find it interesting that people have opinions about things they have never actually tried, sometimes quite strong opinions. I can certainly understand someone saying something like 'how much of an issue is <insert issue here> with this process', but to assume they know the answer to these type of questions with no experience under their belt doesn't make sense to me.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

 

[Completely Average]

I always find it interesting that people have opinions about things they have never actually tried, sometimes quite strong opinions. I can certainly understand someone saying something like 'how much of an issue is <insert issue here> with this process', but to assume they know the answer to these type of questions with no experience under their belt doesn't make sense to me.

I haven't tried TC yet, which is why I haven't commented until now. I do agree with you though, that it's interesting how some people who have never tried something can form such strong opinions about it.

That said, the more I read this thread and threads where other people have talked about TC, the more confused I am about the subject and how it will work with my vaping preferences.

I much prefer a cooler vape and do not subohm largely because I find the vape to be too hot for my tastes. I also very rarely drip and will go months without using my RDA. It's inconvenient for my lifestyle. I'm virtually always on the go or stuck at a computer (Network admin) where it's difficult for me to mess with dripping while I'm working. Because of that I definitely prefer to use tanks. I'm also a straight lung hitter and tend to take really long draws. Anywhere from 5 to 10 second draws is normal for me so it's not unusual for me to burn wicks and/or get dry hits with the long draws I take using kanthal. I also tend to vape at high wattages for the coils I'm using. With kanthal I'm typically in the 1.4 to 2.0 range yet vaping at 15-20 watts. Again, this often results in quickly burning up wicks and getting dry hits when you combine that with a 10 second draw.

However, I also love a lot of vapor. A large part of the reason why I take such long draws and run higher ohm coils at 15+ watts is to fill my lungs with a nice sized cloud. I'm not a cloud chaser per say, but I definitely like seeing large clouds and feel unsatisfied with just a small puff.

So, for you who do have TC mods and are experience with them, how well do you think TC will provide what I want? I know the TC will keep me from getting the dry hits and burning my wicks, which would be great. It will give me the cooler vape that I enjoy. But will it give me the volume of vapor I want at the same time or am I better off sticking with kanthal and doing what I've been doing? Again, I'm not necessarily looking for major cloud chasing, but I do want to at least match this:

That's what I'm doing with a standard Aspire Nautilus with a 1.8ohm coil at 19 watts using a 50/50 mix juice. Could I at least match that with TC on say, a Squape R with a 60/40 or 70/30 VG/PG juice?

 

[KTMRider]

There's a lot more to it but I think you would definitely benefit from a TP device. If your tanks can keep up, you can easily replicate those clouds safer. I'm usually a MTL vaper but do lung hits every once in a while to chuck some big clouds. My draws are usually under 3 sec (5s with lung hits). I notice it hit TP if I was chain vaping and the wick doesn't keep up. I cover the air holes and take a couple of primer puffs and I'm back in business.

I've only had one burnt wick in the last 6+ months of using a DNA40 device and that was recently when I tried to build higher ohm coils (.17Ω - .20Ω). The coils were too big and I was getting hot legs which burned the wick on one build. I'm now back to my usual builds of .11Ω - .14Ω and no heat issues.

I think my vaping is much more satisfying with TP than it was w/o because I don't get surprised with dry/burnt hits anymore. If I want to change flavors in a tank, I just vape it dry and then add the new juice.

 

[peraspera]

Temperature protection isn't a gimmick in that it provides a distinct vaping experience. However, not everyone will enjoy or appreciate that experience and want something different in their vape.

Temperature protection is very effective in providing a vape with a consistent temperature irrespective of how long you draw or how dry the wick is. Vapor production will suffer if you overdraw your wick but you won't get dry hits or even unpleasantly hot ones.

If you value a consistent temperature vape and/or want training wheels to prevent dry hits temperature control is very likely worth the learning curve. Otherwise, it probably isn't worth the bother.

I have two rDNA40s and an SX Mini M class and won't be considering any new mods without temperature control but that's because I cherish a consistent temperature vape. The people I know who are the least enchanted with temperature protection are those who whose prefer using RDAs at 50+ watts.

 

[Dioxyde]

Mainly an RTA user myself and I got a couple questions for the tc experienced here..

Can dual coils be used with tc?
Does rayon work well with nickel/tc?
Can you still get warm to hot vapor with tc?

I've heard ni200 is pretty soft which might make rayon wicking difficult, and I really prefer rayon, a lot. Most my rta's are dual coil tanks, I run them in single coil sometimes by stuffing half the channels/airflow, but, that's not ideal. I generally vape my kanthal builds between .4 and 1.2 ohms, around 4-4.3 volts, I like warmer vapor. I tried TC recently on a friends subtank and it was kinda cold and flavorless compared to what I'm used to.

 

[KTMRider]

1) Yes, you can use dual coils but it'll be tough getting it to the minimum resistance. Single would be easier.
2) I use only rayon and it works great.
3) Yes, you can get a warm vape with TP (it is NOT temp control).

Ni200 is softer than kanthal so you need to be more careful but not too bad. You want to make spaced coils for best results with TP.

There is a difference between Temperature Protection and Temperature Control. The DNA40 and SX350J is TP, not TC. In fact, there is no TC device.

 

[Dioxyde]

Thanks for responding, I have some ni200 actually, but obviously have never used it. When a tp mod comes out that I want I'll definitely try it out, maybe one of those kangxin minis or the sigelei 75w that's coming soon.

 

[cubey]

I don't know if this is the right place for this or not but, I have a buddy of mine that is just getting into vaping and has a SMOK XPRO 80 Plus and he has been asking me about the temperature control feature on it and I honestly have no idea how to use it. I have somewhat an idea and bought some nickel wire to mess around with it but other than that, it is going to be a lot of trial and error involved with it. He has a Little Boy attie and I have an 8 lifetimes supply of Rayon, thanks to Sally's Beauty Supply, that we are going to be using on our attempts. Any pointers that someone could share with us please

 

[lipadj46]

I don't know if this is the right place for this or not but, I have a buddy of mine that is just getting into vaping and has a SMOK XPRO 80 Plus and he has been asking me about the temperature control feature on it and I honestly have no idea how to use it. I have somewhat an idea and bought some nickel wire to mess around with it but other than that, it is going to be a lot of trial and error involved with it. He has a Little Boy attie and I have an 8 lifetimes supply of Rayon, thanks to Sally's Beauty Supply, that we are going to be using on our attempts. Any pointers that someone could share with us please

Temp limiting on the SMOK does not work.

 

[Ryedan]

That said, the more I read this thread and threads where other people have talked about TC, the more confused I am about the subject and how it will work with my vaping preferences.

I much prefer a cooler vape and do not subohm largely because I find the vape to be too hot for my tastes. I also very rarely drip and will go months without using my RDA. It's inconvenient for my lifestyle. I'm virtually always on the go or stuck at a computer (Network admin) where it's difficult for me to mess with dripping while I'm working. Because of that I definitely prefer to use tanks. I'm also a straight lung hitter and tend to take really long draws. Anywhere from 5 to 10 second draws is normal for me so it's not unusual for me to burn wicks and/or get dry hits with the long draws I take using kanthal. I also tend to vape at high wattages for the coils I'm using. With kanthal I'm typically in the 1.4 to 2.0 range yet vaping at 15-20 watts. Again, this often results in quickly burning up wicks and getting dry hits when you combine that with a 10 second draw.

However, I also love a lot of vapor. A large part of the reason why I take such long draws and run higher ohm coils at 15+ watts is to fill my lungs with a nice sized cloud. I'm not a cloud chaser per say, but I definitely like seeing large clouds and feel unsatisfied with just a small puff.

So, for you who do have TC mods and are experience with them, how well do you think TC will provide what I want? I know the TC will keep me from getting the dry hits and burning my wicks, which would be great. It will give me the cooler vape that I enjoy. But will it give me the volume of vapor I want at the same time or am I better off sticking with kanthal and doing what I've been doing? Again, I'm not necessarily looking for major cloud chasing, but I do want to at least match this:

~Snip~

That's what I'm doing with a standard Aspire Nautilus with a 1.8ohm coil at 19 watts using a 50/50 mix juice. Could I at least match that with TC on say, a Squape R with a 60/40 or 70/30 VG/PG juice?

KTMRider's post under yours was IMO spot on Completely Average, just wanted to add some of my own thoughts on this.

I think TP will help you with your vape style and not take anything away from it. I don't have experience with a SquapeR so I can't comment on that specifically, but I've been using a Lemo and a Billow with TP and that is working very well for me. I've also experimented with a few drippers and I'm tending to go back to Kanthal with those lately. They never give me dry hits anyway, so there isn't much advantage for me to use TP with them and I find Kanthal is a bit easier to work with.

Tanks on the other hand can sometimes run a bit dry for me also if the wicking is a bit off. What I do is set the temperature a bit on the low side so TP kicks in at times and vape for a while. I find that typically makes for a slightly inconsistent vape. I then increase the temperature setting until TP never (or almost never) kicks in. If the vape then sometimes becomes a bit burnt I lower the temperature until the burnt hits stop.

So what I'm doing is not controlling wire temperature for the majority of the vape (what I think of as TC), but letting the power (watts) I've set control things until the coil runs dry and coil temp rises (TP). I think this is exactly what you're doing right now with the addition of TP to cut back the power when you take a longer hit than the wicking can keep up with. I've found this easy to do and I appreciate losing the dry hits.

Of course, fixing the lack of wicking performance would be the ideal solution all around and I'm working on that. In the meantime this tool lets me vape with sub-par wicking until I figure that out.

 

[Ian444]

Certainly not a gimmick. It works and has advantages. But if you aren't an experienced vaper, good at coils, understand PG/VG ratios, wicking, solid connections and have a good understanding of how it works and how to operate the device, you will be an experienced vaper by the time you work out how to get a good consistent vape from it.

The number of times I've read "user error" being thrown at someone when their TP setup doesn't work as they expected...

But if you are experienced, by all means, dive in, try it for yourself. I ran it for a while but just run kanthal now. As has been suggested on this forum before, it doesn't hurt to get a nice mod that will do TP, and use it mainly for kanthal, and the TP is always there if you feel the urge. If you can wait, I'm sure that TP mods will improve as time goes by, its in its early stage of development right now.

 

[dr g]

Factory produced coils with variable QC are far more likely to have dry hit issues.

This is actually not true as far as I've seen. There is far, FAR more variation in handbuilt coils than prebuilt coils. Prebuilt is actually a good way to ensure you have at least a working coil.