To fluff or not to fluff. That is the question?

[Man Called Jane]

Hey everyone,

I have heard of different ways to put your cotton on your rda and rta. Some people and YouTubers say that the cotton will fluff itself, while others say you must always fluff.

I personally fluff my cotton, just like the way the cotton wicks when fluffed. This is just my opinion.

I was wondering what everyone else's opinions were on the subject.

And as always, thank you for your input!

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[puffon]

I comb and fluff.

 

[UpNorth]

I've been fluff'n and my RDA's RDTA's have been fine. I didn't fluff once and juice wouldn't wick because it was too tight. So Fluff away Grasshopper!!!!

 

[untar]

Here's what I do:
RTA: fluff
RDA: don't fluff

 

[UpNorth]

Here's what I do:
RTA: fluff
RDA: don't fluff

Just had to be different didn't ya? ha ha

 

[QcVaper]

Personally i always fluff the ends of my wicks, just seems to wick better that way for me, also give me bigger ends to soak up more juice.

 

[Leo Bak]

There's no simple yes or no to that question. Really depends on what sort of RTA/RDA, builddeck, coil, JFC, cotton even if you will, so both answers can apply.

 

[AngeNZ]

Same as @untar for me - fluff RTAs don't bother with fluffing drippers

 

[dom qp]

You have to understand what fluffing does and what you're trying to achieve.

The amount of cotton is a function of the ID of your coil. In a tank you may need to fluff and thin because the ID of the coil doesn't align with the juice intake. You might need more cotton in the centre of the coil than you do in the juice port. If you have a smaller coil, you may not need to fluff.

In an RDA the same thing can apply but for different reasons. You may want to fluff to reduce chamber size and increase flavour. Or you may want to not fluff because your juice level isn't going to be so high and you need it to quickly wick from the deck.

Morten Oen showed in one of his videos that the harder you wick (less fluff and less thinning) the quicker the juice will wick throughout your entire wick. But the more you fluff, the quicker it will saturate at the tips. The length of your wicks, from your coil to your deck, are also something you need to consider. I only fluff short wicks.

There isn't one answer to your question. You just have to understand what both things do and figure out if you need to do it for your RTA/RDA & coil.

 

[Mr. Relentless]

After cutting the tails I get rid of the cut seem it leaves. And on rtas I comb out to fit.

 

[Fredman1]

 

[uthinkofsomething]

When I used rdas exclusively I fluffed the ends but wicked very tight. When I got an Aromamizer Plus I had to change it up, wick a little looser and fluff the ends, then comb and thin the ends out to let more juice in.
I'm a firm proponent of fluffing, but in an rda it is not as necessary.

 

[tailland]

"Capillary Action" in 1 sentence:
The straighter, narrower, and longer your capillaries are, the better it works.

Combing your wick is not a bad idea. But when your fluffing thins out your cotton, all you've accomplished is to reduce the numbe of capillaries through which your liquid can travel up to the coil.

 

[Plumes.91]

I lick the end and swirl it till I think I can fit it in, and then I jam it in the hole. then I juice it up and hit it. if it feels right, I just keep going. if it's too wet, and it's spitting at me, I usually stuff it in tighter. 9 times out of 10 i'm surprised it even works.

 

[uthinkofsomething]

"Capillary Action" in 1 sentence:
The straighter, narrower, and longer your capillaries are, the better it works.

Combing your wick is not a bad idea. But when your fluffing thins out your cotton, all you've accomplished is to reduce the numbe of capillaries through which your liquid can travel up to the coil.

In my case, thinning out the tails was somewhat necessary to allow more juice in through the wicking slots. Made a huge difference.

 

[tailland]

In my case, thinning out the tails was somewhat necessary to allow more juice in through the wicking slots. Made a huge difference.

It's a trade-off of some sort...

If you fluff a short wick, or if you put your cotton just on top of the holes, or only very slightly into the holes, you allow the liquid to freely pressure its way into the holes up to the point where it's then taken up by the cotton. That way the liquid has to travel only a relatively short distance through cotton = capillary action takes over at a late point, and that saves time.

Problem is, that only works as long as there is enough pressure. The more you empty your tank, the less it's going to be, up to the point when there's not even enough left in the tank to level itself out and still reach the cotton. If that's a concern, use a long wick that reaches through the holes and touch the bottom of the tank. But in that case, do not fluff before it touches the bottom, or it can ruin your wick. Better not fluff long wicks at all.

 

[sorrynomore]

Yup,I fluff and thin out the wickends.How much depends on the atty and coil diameter being used.

 

[Violetti Usva]

@tailland I've always fluffed my wicks because I started with rta's and never considered that fluffing could be unhelpful. Next time I rewick my reload I'll certainly be trying without fluffing!

 

[vapdivrr]

Never comb or really fluff in my rtas..I believe a wick is a wick, just like in a candle , straight and sort of tight.

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[tailland]

I lick the end and swirl it till I think I can fit it in, and then I jam it in the hole. then I juice it up and hit it.

I see what you did there