Here is my basic understand of this thread....There is a so many variables in today's attys (espicially rebuildables) that you can not simply rely on the same wattage to give you the same performance from one setup to another.
Did I miss the point of this thread?
I think you pretty much nailed it... Except for the "so many variables" part...
If you limit the topic to the coil portion of the atomizer only, I don't think there's that many variables...
Wire gauge is pretty much it... Or at least 90% of it.
Talking a bout watts would make sense if we were all using the same wire gauge in our attys. At least in theory, applying 10 watts to a 1.5 ohm coil wrapped w 32 awg wire should be similar to 10 watts applied to a 2.5 ohm coil wrapped with 32 awg wire. So... If two people are using the exact same wire, they can talk in watts to make comparisons.
The point of this thread (at least what I take away from it...) is the fact that comparing watts is pointless if one person is using 36 awg wire and the other is using 28 awg wire. The wattage requirements between the two wires is so drastically different that comparing wattages is completely irrelevant.
A person using and off the shelf carto would gag at the thought of vaping at 15 watts. The heat would be unreal. Another person using an RBA coiled with 28 awg wire, on the other hand, would likely find 15 watts a little on the cool side.
It's really pretty simple IMO. All were really doing is making VERY simple resistors.
The problems start when people try to make it more complex than it really is. There is no mystical Kung-fu art of coil wrapping.
For any given "fixed" power source and a given coil resistance... The thinner the wire, the hotter it will get and the faster it will get hot. That said, the thicker the wire, the more turns of you'll be able to put on while maintaining the same resistance.
If there's any art to it at all, it's finding the wire gauge / resistance combo that works with your PV to give you the vape experience that you enjoy most.
Just my 2 cents...