When should you consider rebuildables?

[speshiok46]

I'm a relatively new vaper, but I've been very interested in starting rebuildables. Based on the overwhelming opinion, rebuildables are reserved for advanced/enthusiast level vapers.

From your perspective, what type of experience/knowledge should you have before considering diy rebuildables?

I wish there is a self questionnaire/quiz that assess your readiness for rebuildables. If something like that exists, PLEASE link/post!

 

[Thrasher]

From your perspective, what type of experience/knowledge should you have before considering diy rebuildables?

when your tired of spending 3 bucks on something that only performs halfway decent and is going to be thrown away in two weeks......


you should feel comfortable with building the coils and how to use things like a multimeter and understand basic things like shorts and ohms/resistance. as well as the differences in different wire gauges (this many wraps of 32 give me this resistance)

you should also like playing and tinkering with things.

as long as you use caution and you are fully aware of the small but sometimes dangerous risks rebuilding presents, there is no reason not too, the flavor and vapor is unmatched by any prebuilt device and rebuilding costs are pennies per rebuild and after a while you get tired of buying premade devices that perform like crap and are disposable.
you have the ability to make the device perform to your desired results every time, no more "oh this head sucks should by some more".

and there is no better feeling then after a perfect rebuild when you take a drag and think wow that is awesome as your head starts to spin and the room fills with clouds.

but really something like a dripper you wrap a coil in about 40 seconds, put it in the dripper, check for shorts, check the resistance and off you go. even if dripping is not your preferred method it is probably the easiest device to learn on a piece of silica wick and some wire and off you go.

with a mechanical device you need to build the resistance to the device, with a variable volt device you can build a standard coil.

head on over to the rba section, there are many posts about rebuildables, wicks, wire, and tons of pictures to give you many exciting ideas.

 

[Jazzi Mike]

I would say as someone who is just getting into rebuildables, you should first invest in an APV that reads ohms and has short circuit protection. This way you can see the resistance of your RBA and check it periodically to make sure that the resistance stays the same. Also, then you probably won't set anything on fire if you do something wrong. Then just watch a bunch of videos and do a lot of research before you try it on your own. Make sure you check the resistance before you try to actually use the RBA. It isn't brain surgery, but there are things you can d wrong. Be careful.

 

[NicoHolic]

When this looks like something you'd enjoy doing and be able to handle.

 

[Kevin S]

I just received my first RBA a few weeks ago. Went with the RSST Genesis Atomizer from SmokTech per PBusardo's advice for people who are new to rebuildables and I am really pleased with it. Draw is a little tight for me so I will be drilling a little bigger of an air hole. Probably watched his video on how to do it at least 20 times lol. I don't care much for playing and tinkering with things and found building the coils on the RSST much easier than with my evods and T3's. For some reason me and silica wick just don't get along. lol You should be okay just do yourself a favor and watch the how to videos. If I can do it then I'm sure you can!

 

[Fizzpop]

Rebuilding coils in NOT rocket science. I got into them early on and I am glad I did. As people have already said, you should know how to use a multi-meter to check the resistance of your coils and you should understand Ohm's law. One does have to be good at working on small things; good eyesight (or appropriate reading glasses) is a must.

I'd recommend starting with a rebuildable dripper, I find they are the easiest to work with.

One word of warning, I'd stay away from the sub-ohm world, things get dangerous there. Also make sure your battery has some sort of protective circuitry.

 

[Baditude]

"Advice and Tips for Vapors Looking to Try Their First RBA"

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/4454-7-advice-tips-vapors-looking-try-their-first-rba.html

 

[bris1974]

easy peasy. with rebuildable drippers with silica, hot spots are virtually nil. wrap, connect, drip, enjoy! cheap multi meter and your off. tons of videos on this setup.

 

[speshiok46]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone. I'm glad I'm on the right track. I have a pretty good understanding of Ohm's law and rapid charts has been great in calculating some of the scenarios that I would like to try out once I start. I'd imagine I would have to go through quite a bit of tinkering once I get started. I currently have a mech mod (Kamry 101) running an ICR 18650 3.7 volts. I think this is pretty safe now as I'm only running cartomizers with a minimum ohm of 1.5 (smok dct's). I do plan on upgrading to an AVP and IMR HD batteries once I start rebuilding.

I also had another question in regards to buying a multimeter vs an AVP. I would much rather spend $50 on an AVP (SVD w/ 2 Sony IMR 18650 from Fasttech) than $20 on a multimeter. Do I really need a multimeter to accurately measure resistance?

Also, what wattage would you recommend I aim for to start out? I'm assuming the vaping experience can best be equated to wattage, with ohms and volts being the variables and amps being the restraint. I figure I'll play around with airflow at the end as the other variables are much easier to calculate. Burning e-liquid is also a concern when it comes to wattage. I use primarily Max VG from MBV and some other brands, 100% VG. Which wattage would you recommend that would maximize vapor/ flavor / throat hit without burning the e-liquid and excessively hot vapor?

 

[Vash]

I agree you should not mess with sub ohms and check out micro coils instead.Will give you great vapor and taste while being much safer to run on your devices

 

[Thrasher]

if you buy an apv with a resistance check then no a MM is not required.
dont go by wattage myself so no help there.

with a mech aim for 1 to 1.4 ohm coils, with a regulated apv 1.5 ish to around 2 ohms is best. with regulated i use the +2 rule of thumb.

1.8 ohm coil+2= 3.8 so voltage would be 3.8 center with up or down a little bit being the sweet spot.................works everytime.

IMR high drain batteries required. aw or panasonics are my faves 10 amp limit with 18 amp peaks.
in a mech its better to be safe and use a fuse but not strictly manditory as long as you watch for shorts and heat build up (signs something may be wrong).

 

[BigBaby]

Rebuilding coils in NOT rocket science.

You say that, as have a lot of other people. However, while in general I agree with you, I regularly see a lot of people who think that they can rebuild and they really can't. People making videos of coils that look like crap and preform worse than a cheap clearo...but because there is some amount of vapor being produced and they don't want to admit that it sucks, they use it.

Building a coil that will get hot and possibly make some vapor is easy.

Making an excellent coil that makes great vapor, wicks flawlessly, and all around just works so well that there is nothing you would rather vape takes time and practice. Some people just don't like to admit it.

 

[Moogle]

My path was Kanger T3 at first then a Protank. These aren't technically rebuildables but can be rebuilt easily and perform well. I have a Terminator-C which is pretty involved to rebuild and can be kind of a hassle but works great if rebuilt properly.

I just picked up an AGA-T2 and it is much easier to rebuild than the Term-C but there is still a learning curve. With the Terminator-C my first build worked great then all of a sudden I had leaking issues and I am still learning how to build the optimum coil. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with that build.

My advice is to start simple and buy cheap rebuildables like an AGA-T2. Whatever you do research it well and be prepared for failure but keep at it. I've been vaping for a little over 4 months so I know it's a learning experience.

 

[Baditude]

I bought a nice digital multimeter with batteries with the intent of using an AGA-T2 rebuildable on my mechanical Silver Bullet. But after watching the demo video that Zen did for the ZAP and Provape on YouTube using the Provari's built-in meter, I haven't used the multimeter once.

I also figured out that I personally prefer using the RBA on the Provari more than on the Silver Bullet. I can still adjust the voltage on the Provari to suit my tastes; using it on the Silver Bullet limited my voltage to the battery voltage and the coil that I wrapped.

I aim for 2.0 ohm coils for the Provari and AGA and adjust the voltage to the flavor of the juice I'm using. I found making the stainless steel wicks to be the most difficult part of the whole process, so I've been buying pre-rolled, slightly oxidized wicks from an online vendor. It works well for me.

I still find RBAs to be finicky and unreliable. When they are performing optimally, there's not a better vape. I don't particularly like to tinker with my delivery devices, and you likely will need to do this with an RBA. Both of my AGA's have been underperforming for about a week, and I haven't devoted some free time to figure out what the problem is. I always go back to my dependable cartotanks during these periods.

 

[Thrasher]

it def is a learning curve specially depending what device you move to. i went genesis my first rebuildable and it was a nightmare not knowing what to do, you can watch videos all day, but its not the same as doing it first hand.
then i moved to drippers and said WTH this is cake!
but the only way to get started on that learning curve is just do it. and each time gets better and easier until you can do it in your sleep.
funny it used to take me a good half hour or more to set up my geni, now i think it takes all of 15 minutes if i go slow.

 

[Wow1420]

You do not need a separate multi-meter if you have a PV with a resistance check feature, but having one makes troubleshooting much easier when things don't work the way you expect them to. I do think that having a volt meter is essential if you're using a mechanical PV. You want to be sure you're not running your batteries down too low or over charging them.

Wattage preference is highly individual. I find this chart quite helpful http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9dkanCt0I1qc8949o2_1280.png

 

[Fizzpop]

I bought a nice digital multimeter with batteries with the intent of using an AGA-T2 rebuildable on my mechanical Silver Bullet. But after watching the demo video that Zen did for the ZAP and Provape on YouTube using the Provari's built-in meter, I haven't used the multimeter once.

I also figured out that I personally prefer using the RBA on the Provari more than on the Silver Bullet. I can still adjust the voltage on the Provari to suit my tastes; using it on the Silver Bullet limited my voltage to the battery voltage and the coil that I wrapped.

I aim for 2.0 ohm coils for the Provari and AGA and adjust the voltage to the flavor of the juice I'm using. I found making the stainless steel wicks to be the most difficult part of the whole process, so I've been buying pre-rolled, slightly oxidized wicks from an online vendor. It works well for me.

I still find RBAs to be finicky and unreliable. When they are performing optimally, there's not a better vape. I don't particularly like to tinker with my delivery devices, and you likely will need to do this with an RBA. Both of my AGA's have been underperforming for about a week, and I haven't devoted some free time to figure out what the problem is. I always go back to my dependable cartotanks during these periods.

View attachment 233646View attachment 233647

Try a ceramic wick. You won't go back.

 

[Baditude]

Try a ceramic wick. You won't go back.

I've had them in my cart more than once, but hearing how fragile they can be and how expensive they are, I never have been able to pull the trigger.

You have a link to your resource?

 

[Fizzpop]

You say that, as have a lot of other people. However, while in general I agree with you, I regularly see a lot of people who think that they can rebuild and they really can't. People making videos of coils that look like crap and preform worse than a cheap clearo...but because there is some amount of vapor being produced and they don't want to admit that it sucks, they use it.

Building a coil that will get hot and possibly make some vapor is easy.

Making an excellent coil that makes great vapor, wicks flawlessly, and all around just works so well that there is nothing you would rather vape takes time and practice. Some people just don't like to admit it.

You make a valid point. I like to tinker and get great joy from making a great coil. I guess I should add that if one goes the way of a rebuildable, patience is also needed.

 

[Dready]

I started with RBA's after about a month of vaping. Spent all my money on VV mods then put myself into debt with the mechanical mods and RBA attys