Vet to Vapes, New to Mods... Help please!

[datq1doeee]

Hey everyone, I just got myself my first mod. Its a private v2 clone, with 18650 battery and an Igo-L atomizer. I have just exactly no clue how to start. I have looked at a couple videos on youtube and i understand some of the building. But I don't know whats recommended for beginners.

1. Is it necessary to have a hole for every coil? the Igo-L came prebuilt with two coils and 1 hole.
2. Does it matter which orientation the battery goes in? (+ up - down) or (- up + down)
3. How long does it usually take to charge the battery?
4. What is a good gauge and wick size for me to start with?
5. Whats with torching the wire before wrapping? is that necessary?

I'm very eager to get started, and i thank you in advance for your help!

 

[retrox]

Hopefully your multimeter is out of the frame.

You'll want to pick one up if you don't have anything to test your builds on. Until you're used to building your own coils, you'll want to test everything you make before you fire it.

START HERE before you do anything. Please familiarize yourself with proper battery safety and usage before proceeding. Knowing your battery's limitations is very important.

As for your other questions, airflow holes in your top cap will in part determine how much vapor you get. It's not necessary to have two holes with a dual-coil build, but you hopefully will not be using a dual coil build until you can put together a solid single-coil build. I'd advise you to rip that factory build out and start practicing with a single coil. Dual coils can put tremendous stress on a battery, even if they are properly configured, and should only be attempted by users with some degree of experience (and a multimeter!).

The V2 is a bottom-firing mech, so your battery will be + terminal up.

Charging time will vary, depending on the mAh rating of your battery and the quality of your charger. I'd advise looking into a quality charger if you decide mechanicals are for you. Xtar and Nitecore make great chargers that can charge quickly and safely.

Start out with 32AWG kanthal. You'll eventually be using around 28AWG but, again, please get some practice time in before you start experimenting with lower ohm coils. Wick size is up to personal preference, 2-3mm will be fine. Once you get the hang of things and spend some quality time on youtube, you'll probably want to give cotton a try (and you probably won't look back once you have )...

Torching your kanthal isn't necessary, but you may find the wire easier to work with if you do as it will be less "springy" when you wrap it. Torching also serves to remove any residual oils left on the wire from the manufacturing process (but you can do this by dry-firing the coil once it's wrapped if you prefer).

Again, not preaching at you, but your #1 priority as of right now should be getting yourself acquainted with how batteries, resistance, and voltage work in the realm of mechanical vaping. Start with my link above, and there are tons of additional resources all over this forum.

You're gonna like that V2 and IGO, great combo.

 

[datq1doeee]

Hopefully your multimeter is out of the frame.

You'll want to pick one up if you don't have anything to test your builds on. Until you're used to building your own coils, you'll want to test everything you make before you fire it.

START HERE before you do anything. Please familiarize yourself with proper battery safety and usage before proceeding. Knowing your battery's limitations is very important.

As for your other questions, airflow holes in your top cap will in part determine how much vapor you get. It's not necessary to have two holes with a dual-coil build, but you hopefully will not be using a dual coil build until you can put together a solid single-coil build. I'd advise you to rip that factory build out and start practicing with a single coil. Dual coils can put tremendous stress on a battery, even if they are properly configured, and should only be attempted by users with some degree of experience (and a multimeter!).

The V2 is a bottom-firing mech, so your battery will be + terminal up.

Charging time will vary, depending on the mAh rating of your battery and the quality of your charger. I'd advise looking into a quality charger if you decide mechanicals are for you. Xtar and Nitecore make great chargers that can charge quickly and safely.

Start out with 32AWG kanthal. You'll eventually be using around 28AWG but, again, please get some practice time in before you start experimenting with lower ohm coils. Wick size is up to personal preference, 2-3mm will be fine. Once you get the hang of things and spend some quality time on youtube, you'll probably want to give cotton a try (and you probably won't look back once you have )...

Torching your kanthal isn't necessary, but you may find the wire easier to work with if you do as it will be less "springy" when you wrap it. Torching also serves to remove any residual oils left on the wire from the manufacturing process (but you can do this by dry-firing the coil once it's wrapped if you prefer).

Again, not preaching at you, but your #1 priority as of right now should be getting yourself acquainted with how batteries, resistance, and voltage work in the realm of mechanical vaping. Start with my link above, and there are tons of additional resources all over this forum.

You're gonna like that V2 and IGO, great combo.

Thanks for all the answers! I'll look into getting a good charger, and my battery is 2000mah 3.7V.
Where can I get a multimeter from? And how much do they usually run for? What should my ohms readings be for single coil as to not over-drive my battery and have it explode?

 

[Btsmokincat]

Walmart sells multimeters in the automotive section. As well as Home Depot, Lowes and thousands of sites on the internet. You could pick up one of these instead and they make a great platform to build on too! Ohms Meter - 101 Vape

IMO, starting out you should stay between 1.8 and 2.5 Ohms. If you want to eventually try lower Ohms you will need a 30 amp battery.

 

[retrox]

Looks like you have yourself an Efest battery there, those 18650's are rated for 10 amps continuous draw. I would never run anything below .6 ohms with that battery.

Check THIS LINK for a handy app that can tell you all you need to know if you just punch in a couple of parameters to start (it's a good one to bookmark).

Don't be lured into sub-ohming right off the bat. I would suggest you shoot for a resistance of around 1.5 ohms with what's known as a micro-coil. These are basically higher-resistance coils that produce heat comparable to sub-ohm builds, and provide copious amounts of vapor and flavor. Check out Rip's channel, and this video HERE in particular. Rip is an RDA guru, he has tons of great info.

You can pick up a decent multimeter for around 20 bucks at hardware/home improvement stores. I use a Greenlee that I got at Lowe's for like 30 that's really nice and accurate. Make sure you get a DIGITAL meter, not analog. Watch THIS for a great how-to!

edit: The ohm meter suggested by Btsmokincat is also a very useful piece of kit for rebuilding! With a multimeter, though, you will also be able to monitor your battery's voltage to make sure it's not overcharging. If it ever comes off that charger at more than 4.25v, toss that charger ASAP. I don't trust those little single-bay deals.

 

[Baditude]

This post made me cringe.



Just curious, is this your first e-cigarette? What lead you to buy a mechanical mod with a rebuildable atomizer? Who sold you this setup, and did they give you ANY instruction on its use?

You're clearly not ready to use what you purchased. Not knowing the right orientation of how the battery goes into the mod? REALLY?

Which 18650 battery are you using? Brand name, IMR or protected ICR battery?

BATTERY BASICS FOR MODS

DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF MOD BATTERIES

Mechanical Mod Proper Usage Guide

INFORMATION RESOURCES FOR YOUR FIRST RBA

 

[retrox]

Very remiss of me to not link Baditude's blog too. Thankfully he hasn't come along to scold me yet.

edit: Ha! You ninja'd me, Bad!

 

[datq1doeee]

This post made me cringe.

View attachment 293942

Just curious, is this your first e-cigarette? What lead you to buy a mechanical mod with a rebuildable atomizer? Who sold you this setup, and did they give you ANY instruction on its use?

You're clearly not ready to use what you purchased. Not knowing the right orientation of how the battery goes into the mod? REALLY?

Which 18650 battery are you using? Brand name, IMR or protected ICR battery?

BATTERY BASICS FOR MODS

DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF MOD BATTERIES

Mechanical Mod Proper Usage Guide

INFORMATION RESOURCES FOR YOUR FIRST RBA

Is that not the point of going to forums like these and joining a community to share information and learn new things? I have been through C-twist Ego pens, and a k100. This is my first mechanical mod. I came here for help and to make sure I don't break something I just spent my money on. If it made you cringe then hats off to you for being the all knowing. We all start somewhere. No one ....s this knowledge out of their .... Yeah I may not be fully prepared for mods but I bought one with hopes to enjoy it. So thank you for the links, and calm down. This is a beginners forum.

IMR Efest 18650 battery V2. 2000mAh, 3.7v high drain

As for everyone else, thank you for the response! Its been of great help. I met up with one of my friends that has a turtleship mod and he has been helping me learn to build

 

[Zealous]

Is that not the point of going to forums like these and joining a community to share information and learn new things? I have been through C-twist Ego pens, and a k100. This is my first mechanical mod. I came here for help and to make sure I don't break something I just spent my money on. If it made you cringe then hats off to you for being the all knowing. We all start somewhere. No one ....s this knowledge out of their .... Yeah I may not be fully prepared for mods but I bought one with hopes to enjoy it. So thank you for the links, and calm down. This is a beginners forum.

IMR Efest 18650 battery V2. 2000mAh, 3.7v high drain

As for everyone else, thank you for the response! Its been of great help. I met up with one of my friends that has a turtleship mod and he has been helping me learn to build

His criticism was not of you. His concern is with the fact that what you have purchased is a VERY advanced set up. A straight mechanical mod does not come with any protection & if you build a coil & that coil has a short in it, it WILL fire on your mech & might very well hurt you. If the ohm is too low for the battery you're using the mech will fire but it might hurt you.

His criticism was over the fact that someone might have suggested this to you before making sure you are educated in batteries, building coils, etc. You can build coils & use them on an ego twist just as easily as on a mech & if you get something wrong the battery on the twist won't fire. so you won't end up blowing your face off.

Don't take offense at his comments. Take them as they were meant, that being out of concern for your well being. Learn about batteries & make sure to get a multimeter or at least an ohm reader before you try out your first built coil. The links others have provided are excellent resources.

 

[BillyWJ]

Hopefully your multimeter is out of the frame.

You'll want to pick one up if you don't have anything to test your builds on. Until you're used to building your own coils, you'll want to test everything you make before you fire it.

START HERE before you do anything. Please familiarize yourself with proper battery safety and usage before proceeding. Knowing your battery's limitations is very important.

As for your other questions, airflow holes in your top cap will in part determine how much vapor you get. It's not necessary to have two holes with a dual-coil build, but you hopefully will not be using a dual coil build until you can put together a solid single-coil build. I'd advise you to rip that factory build out and start practicing with a single coil. Dual coils can put tremendous stress on a battery, even if they are properly configured, and should only be attempted by users with some degree of experience (and a multimeter!).

The V2 is a bottom-firing mech, so your battery will be + terminal up.

Charging time will vary, depending on the mAh rating of your battery and the quality of your charger. I'd advise looking into a quality charger if you decide mechanicals are for you. Xtar and Nitecore make great chargers that can charge quickly and safely.

Start out with 32AWG kanthal. You'll eventually be using around 28AWG but, again, please get some practice time in before you start experimenting with lower ohm coils. Wick size is up to personal preference, 2-3mm will be fine. Once you get the hang of things and spend some quality time on youtube, you'll probably want to give cotton a try (and you probably won't look back once you have )...

Torching your kanthal isn't necessary, but you may find the wire easier to work with if you do as it will be less "springy" when you wrap it. Torching also serves to remove any residual oils left on the wire from the manufacturing process (but you can do this by dry-firing the coil once it's wrapped if you prefer).

Again, not preaching at you, but your #1 priority as of right now should be getting yourself acquainted with how batteries, resistance, and voltage work in the realm of mechanical vaping. Start with my link above, and there are tons of additional resources all over this forum.

You're gonna like that V2 and IGO, great combo.

Let me throw in, with personal experience, do not use juice with more than 12mg in it! 6mg would probably be better - 24mg? Don't do it!

 

[BillyWJ]

Is that not the point of going to forums like these and joining a community to share information and learn new things? I have been through C-twist Ego pens, and a k100. This is my first mechanical mod. I came here for help and to make sure I don't break something I just spent my money on. If it made you cringe then hats off to you for being the all knowing. We all start somewhere. No one ....s this knowledge out of their .... Yeah I may not be fully prepared for mods but I bought one with hopes to enjoy it. So thank you for the links, and calm down. This is a beginners forum.

IMR Efest 18650 battery V2. 2000mAh, 3.7v high drain

As for everyone else, thank you for the response! Its been of great help. I met up with one of my friends that has a turtleship mod and he has been helping me learn to build

He's doing what he's SUPPOSED to. He's not doing it to be a know-it-all, he's trying to HELP you NOT get to know your local burn unit at the hospital.

Mechs and rebuildables are ADVANCED topics, not beginner topics. They have to be used safely. We can't make you listen, but I don't have a problem warning you that you are taking HUGE risks using that without knowing how it works, and what the parameters for safe use is. Most of what I've learned, has been from Baditude.

Hopefully your friend knows this stuff, and will teach you, since our advice is being rejected. I really hope you don't hurt yourself, or burn your house down.

 

[datq1doeee]

He's doing what he's SUPPOSED to. He's not doing it to be a know-it-all, he's trying to HELP you NOT get to know your local burn unit at the hospital.

Mechs and rebuildables are ADVANCED topics, not beginner topics. They have to be used safely. We can't make you listen, but I don't have a problem warning you that you are taking HUGE risks using that without knowing how it works, and what the parameters for safe use is. Most of what I've learned, has been from Baditude.

Hopefully your friend knows this stuff, and will teach you, since our advice is being rejected. I really hope you don't hurt yourself, or burn your house down.

I've read and followed everyones links and have showed my appreciation to everyone that has responded. Even him. I never once rejected any tips. I was just off-put by his tone and attitude. I even thanked him for his input. I've learned more here reading this thread than countless hours of googling information, and I'm grateful. And thanks for those concerns. I don't plan on building my own coils until I get use to all of this. I've already made recommended purchases of chargers multimeters and proper wick and wire. I came here for help and I've gotten a lot. It's not like I'm just saying ".... it." But anyways, I trust my friend, he has the proper equipment and has been using a mod for a little over a year now. Thanks for your concern.

I apologize if I did offend anyone or made it seem like I reject their input. As it was not my intention to. I hope to learn more about what I've gotten myself into and definitely try to keep my hands face and house burn free! You are all awesome.

 

[Baditude]

I should appologize for my tone, too. It certainly was not my intention to come across as arrogant or all-knowing. Anyone who has been on this forum for a period of time knows that I am all about education and safety. I guess I assume that people research ahead of time before making the purchase of a mechanical and rebuildable.

Mech mods are not simple devices like an Ego or a Vamo. A mech has no built-in protective circuitry which can protect a beginner against mistakes. Add to the danger factor of an RBA and you could have a big problem if you don't know what you are doing.

You couldn't have known it, but I have a pet peeve with certain vape shops. It's become a growing trend of a some vape shops to sell brand new ecig users a mechanical mod with a sub-ohm RBA. This is often without any education about how the mod or the RBA works, how to recognize a hard short, what batteries are safe to use, how to use a multimeter, etc. The salesman just makes the coil and sends the customer home to "make some clouds of vapor".

Then that customer gets home. The mod stops working (the hot spring has collapsed because the battery was the wrong one and over-heated), or the fire button or the entire mod gets hot and stops working because there's a hard short. They come on ECF to learn what the salesperson should have done in the first place. Not providing the education needed is a major disservice and borders on negligence.

I'm actually glad you came here asking questions before using. Sorry again. Hopefully you got plenty of info to learn in this thread. Vape safely and responsibly.