To RBA or Not to RBA - Please convince me

[Statistic]

Another good point Kanj. Not only do the wick and coils (generally) last longer it is MUCH cheaper to rebuild them. It costs me about ten cents to rebuild my genny. Also now that I've cut my teeth on a genesis I've started rebuilding all of our tanks, except the cartos obviously. I had a little rebuilding party the other night, rebuilt 2 Vivi Nova's, 2 Vision clearos, a Vision Eternity (still haven't used any of the pre coiled wicks it came with), my AGA and my IGO. Rebuilding the lot probably cost me less that replacing even one Vivi head.

 

[Baditude]

Bad, on those AGA's don't forget to check those positive post nuts when you get fluctuating resistance. My one ohm coil was driving me crazy fluctuating between 1.3 to 2.2 while I was tweaking it on my VAMO, then I noticed the nut was loose.. tightened it up and it's been a steady one ohm again since.

My clearos do collect dust now, and my AGA has yet to fail me, but I don't leave the house without an eGo and some type of reliable clearo, just in case.

Thanks for the advice. I've been doing that. They are snug. The problem usually is corrected by making minor adjustments to the position of the wick or doing a dry burn of the coil.

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

Another good point Kanj. Not only do the wick and coils (generally) last longer it is MUCH cheaper to rebuild them. It costs me about ten cents to rebuild my genny. Also now that I've cut my teeth on a genesis I've started rebuilding all of our tanks, except the cartos obviously. I had a little rebuilding party the other night, rebuilt 2 Vivi Nova's, 2 Vision clearos, a Vision Eternity (still haven't used any of the pre coiled wicks it came with), my AGA and my IGO. Rebuilding the lot probably cost me less that replacing even one Vivi head.

True. I find that i can no longer stand using anything in its stock form, knowing that for 10 minutes and 50 cents i can make it vastly superior. The experience and knowledge i gained while building my Gennies also made me much more comfortable troubleshooting any of my devices should a problem come up. And the beautiful part? Usually it doesnt come up.

 

[Chikenbok]

My god I leave for a minute and it appears I've come back with everyone I need to know.... time to get me a genesis style atty (I'm just gonna dive head first into all of this and see where it goes). A quick question however, many of you are saying I should grab a mech mod to make this experience better but after just having snagged my second provari I'd really prefer not having to snag another mod in the near future -

So the provari ought to be able to handle things that most mechs can (assumption number 1) and secondly - perhaps I skipped one of the posts, what is a solid build rebuildable that I can hop on board with from a site that also sells wicks and mesh. I mean, if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna friggen do it (I am 'that' kind of person).

 

[Silver Skull]

if they break, you can fix them. wire and mesh (or silica, whatever you choose for a wick) is cheaper. More fun. Those are my reasons I prefer rbas.

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

AGA-T2 is a bread n butter RBA for a beginner. It is solid as a rock, with all stainless steel body and pyrex glass tank. And comes right under $30.

Usually any vendor that carries the AGA will have mesh and wire.

That leads me to your Provari question: yes, it works fine with an RBA, however you will have to make a coil with resistance above 1.2 ohm (i think thats the cutoff for Provaries) since it has low resistance protection. With that in mind i suggest getting 32 awg kanthal wire and #500 stainless steel mesh. And get a healthy chunk of mesh, since the first few attempts will likely result in failure. No bad reflection on you, its just the nature of the beast.

To hype you up further, i should mention that since you have complete control of your RBA and how it performs, it also means that you have complete freedom in fine-tuning your device. This comes with the best of it: there is always room for further improvement. I just learned a new method to build my wick to replace the good ol' "solid tight rolled mesh" wick i have been using, and my god it is good. To those of you who are familiar: i can chain vape with zero tilt until the very last drop (yes even dry up the little gap at the bottom of the AGA) with little to no change in performance. This is something i have never been able to do with the old wick, since i chain vape at a ridiculous pace.

Already rebuilt all my tanks and drippers with the new method, and i am in vaping nirvana.

 

[Chikenbok]

To hype you up further, i should mention that since you have complete control of your RBA and how it performs, it also means that you have complete freedom in fine-tuning your device. This comes with the best of it: there is always room for further improvement. I just learned a new method to build my wick to replace the good ol' "solid tight rolled mesh" wick i have been using, and my god it is good. To those of you who are familiar: i can chain vape with zero tilt until the very last drop (yes even dry up the little gap at the bottom of the AGA) with little to no change in performance. This is something i have never been able to do with the old wick, since i chain vape at a ridiculous pace.

Already rebuilt all my tanks and drippers with the new method, and i am in vaping nirvana.

You've inspired my interest further....

 

[Statistic]

By the time I have this typed out someone will have already mentioned that a Provari will not handle super low resistance coils, should you decide to go there, eventually. And that's not to say you can't coil high resistance RBA's. Anyone who says RBA's belong on MECHS ONLY is wrong, but they do sort of go together quite nicely

The Sigelei #8 costs about $35 and is a solid introduction into mechanical vaping so we're not suggesting a Provari-level investment. You should get a mech just to experience mechanical vaping, in my opinion, as should anyone who gets to the point of rebuilding RBA's.

On a personal note.. I just traded my brand new Provari Mini for an Electric Angel telescope (a mech mod). I've come to realize that just as much as I prefer rebuildable atomizers over "not-intended-to-be-rebuilt" ones I prefer mechanical vaping over regulated vaping. Just my own two cents. There is nothing wrong with regulated vaping, VV,VW, and all that goes with it, I just prefer mech and would heartily recommend to anyone who is getting into rebuilding to also dip their toe in the mech world.

ALSO, don't ever lose sight of your personal safety. Mechs and rba's come with the need to be able to check your atty resistance and your battery voltage and know when to switch batteries and know when and how to check for shorts and know when it's time to clean the contacts. It's not difficult or dangerous as long as you're cognizant of the state and condition of your device(s).

 

[Chikenbok]

Men/women - y'all rule. Order being placed tonight (p.s. I hate you guys)

 

[Statistic]

-redacted-

Already rebuilt all my tanks and drippers with the new method, and i am in vaping nirvana.

Out with it NAO!!!

What is this new magic you've discovered???

 

[puchox]

Chikenbok, i'll give you my newbie POV on rba's.

I discovered vaping around 3 weeks ago while looking for an alternative to analogs(1 or 1 1/2 pack a day MB for 16 years) when i found ECF and lots of vids on youtube about PV's, mods, RBA's, cartotanks, etc.

With a little research i decided to go for a VV mod and a RBA because i like to tinker. I got a RRST from stormy's and got it working on the first try
If you already helped a friend build a RBA you probably have enough experience to build one for you.
Looking a lot of videos(i'd recommend pbusardo's vids with the aga-t's because he explains a lot about wicks, coils, etc) will help you get the process locked down and not forget anything

To wrap this up, i also ordered an AGA-T+ last friday because i wanted a pyrex tank RBA, because unfortunately the RSST has a PP one and i want to have a glass backup if i want to try any juice that can harm PP tanks.

Hope this helps.

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

Out with it NAO!!!

What is this new magic you've discovered???

Ahahaha easy my friend, finesse. I cannot take credit for this new method, and i am utterly surprised that it has not become the next big thing. If the original inventor of this does not do a tutorial, i am thinking about making one, after i finish my Protank rebuild method tutorial.

 

[Statistic]

...

Is there a thread or anything you can point me to? Is it pdibs mesh tubes method?

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

Oh hey you already know. Man i was gonna tease you a little more yes it is pdibs method. I cant even believe how well its working.

And for an RBA recent newcomer you sure keep up with the pace. Nice job.

 

[Oktyabr]

...

Is there a thread or anything you can point me to? Is it pdibs mesh tubes method?

Oh come on you guys!!!! Share a link with a fellow RBA'er!!! I googled "pdibs mesh tubes" and come up with nothing e-cig related.

 

[Statistic]

LOL you could have teased me good too, I was on the edge of my seat!

I'm tempted to try it but don't want to waste a bunch of mesh trying to figure out how to do it, I'll wait for a tut or a bout of severe boredom.

I did however try something a little less risky. The wick I'm using now I cut diagonal to the threads in the mesh. I thought diagonal threads of ss would make it easier for the juice to flow from cell to cell. Unfortunately it doesn't seem any different than cutting the mesh square with the threads.

Glad to hear you got the tubes working well

 

[Oktyabr]

And that's not to say you can't coil high resistance RBA's. Anyone who says RBA's belong on MECHS ONLY is wrong, but they do sort of go together quite nicely

This is very true! I got into RBAs before I got my mech and while I really prefer my SLR stuff (both RBA and drippers) on a mech I have one of my AGAs wrapped for 1.5 ohms so it plays nicely on the Vamo too.

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

Ahahaha guess cats out of the bag. Mannn why did you guys have to kill my fun. Here you go: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/rebuildable-atomizer-systems/398282-victory-over-aga-t.html

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

LOL you could have teased me good too, I was on the edge of my seat!

I'm tempted to try it but don't want to waste a bunch of mesh trying to figure out how to do it, I'll wait for a tut or a bout of severe boredom.

I did however try something a little less risky. The wick I'm using now I cut diagonal to the threads in the mesh. I thought diagonal threads of ss would make it easier for the juice to flow from cell to cell. Unfortunately it doesn't seem any different than cutting the mesh square with the threads.

Glad to hear you got the tubes working well

It uses less mesh than a regular stick wick, and very easy to do. A little trickier with a dripper - i had to braid mine (had to look up how to braid a girls hair lol). Plus, it works well with pretty much any grade mesh, so if you have some 325 or sth lying around give it a go.

 

[Statistic]

Ahahaha guess cats out of the bag. Mannn why did you guys have to kill my fun. Here you go: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/rebuildable-atomizer-systems/398282-victory-over-aga-t.html

BAAHHAHAHAHAHA, thanks, I couldn't find the thread.

For what it's worth the only thing that killed your fun was your own sense of honesty
If you had said that wasn't it I'd still be on the edge of my seat here!!

Less mesh than a normal wick you say? Hmm.. might have to give this a shot sooner than later..

My wick keeps up with my 1ohm coil but I hate having to do the tilt
It can't keep up with a .8 very well at all though, even tilting.

Thanks for sharing. Seriously glad to hear it works well, yours is one opinion I trust for sure. You were the first to respond to my RBA expectations thread and man.. how right you were!!