Why are all RBA's not equal?

I'm sure others will jump in here with better answers to your questions, but I'll talk about rebuildables a little...and wicks and coils and differences. For ME, the whole beauty of a rebuildable is that you can "customize" it to your specific preferences. There are as many variables in vaping as there are people, and it's soooo subjective. As you continue your journey, you'll become more and more tuned in to exactly what you like. Flavor of juice, amount of throat hit, amount of vapor, warmth of vapor.....these are things that we continually fine-tune to our own very specific preferences. The rebuildables give us the ability to build a coil, using the wick material we prefer, creating the exact amount of resistence, creating the exact amount of heat that we prefer. If there were "rules" and/or only one size of wire or one type of wick material, or one type of air intake (affecting the draw), then we might as well get a pre-fab atty and be done with it. To me, the open-endedness of the rebuildable is the thing that attracted me. That and the fact that a rebuildable is WAY cheaper in the long run than constantly buying pre-made attys or cartomizers forever. You can wrap a coil for pennies.....versus $5-$20 each for a pre-made atty.

I know that all the options can be overwhelming when you're first trying to pick it up....but it starts making sense once you dive in. Basically, you just start somewhere, then figure out the variables and preferences as you go.

The rebuildables are fairly new (few months) to the scene, and everybody's trying to make the better mouse trap. They are all similar in many ways, but there are differences in size, air intake (side; bottom), draw, ease of re-wicking, durability, price, availability, etc. and so we're all trying out everything and waiting/begging for reviews from those who have tried the latest/greatest.

I don't know about the kick because I've never used one, but I know what it does. It gives you (basically) an option of variable wattage which essentially allows you to fine-tune the warmth of your hit. Until the variable voltage REO came out, it was one of the only ways to "vary" the voltage or wattage of the REO, thus affecting the warmth of the hit. The other way is to change out the resistence on the attomizers/cartomizers you use. Someone else can certainly talk about the kick better than I. I will say that in MY OPINION (only) I'd rather spend the money on a VV Grand than to kick ($45 or so) a regular REO.

 

I couldn't have said it better. The RBAs are too new for any standards to be set yet...but I'm figuring over the next few months we'll start seeing some more solid data and comparisons as we learn more about them.

 

I just would like to point out one thing. Maybe it will help you answer a couple of questions.

Two people could make a coil with the same wire and wraps and have different ohms. This is because the circumference of each wrap may be different. One using a toothpick and the other using a machine screw. Very tough to make a chart and cover all the different items used to wrap a coil.

I sat for a hour last week making coils, checking the ohms, and then changing the size and testing again. A extra little bit of wire used changes the ohms.

Challenging? Yep. Fun? It can be. Frustrating? Sometimes.

As was said earlier the whole RBA thing is new. You are seeing so much posted because we are all learning this together.

Worth it? You bet!

 

Buy one and try it out. Rbas are all trial and error. I got pointed in the direction to buy a chalice and I haven't been more happier. I use it everyday at work, its been dropped and i've had water on it and it still produces quality vapor.

I haven't kicked nor do I own a VV reo but the only benefit I can see from kicking a reo is that you can use the 18500 battery which is also used in the reo minis. If someone didn't want to have a heap of different battery sizes this may be a benefit.

 

Dano,

Kicking a Grand will not bring enlightenment but it will give you a consistent vape from the first hit to the last hit on a battery. The Kick measures the resistance of the atomizer and adjusts the voltage so that the watts stay the same. Watts equal heat.

Advantages of a Kicked Grand:
1. It measures the resistance of the atty and adjusts power. VV does not do this.
2. You can remove the Kick and wash the Grand under running water.
3. If the Kick dies you can pop in an 18650 and keep vaping.
4. The Kick uses one battery so there's no stacking.
5. The Kicked Grand is smaller. It's shorter.

Advantages of a VVGrand
1. Adjustments are much easier to make. With a Kick you have to remove the devise to turn the dial with a small screwdriver.
2. The VVGrand has reverse battery protection. If you put the battery in upside down on a Kick, it's dead immediately.
3. VVGrands are built with the electronics in mind. Kicked Grands are retrofitted so they not as neat and tidy.
4. I believe there is more vape time on the VVGrand per battery change.
5. I believe that the electronics in the VVGrand are more reliable although this opinion is based on anecdotal evidence.

Both systems will give a great, consistent vape. If I had a choice between the two I would choose the VVGrand with no reservations. In my case I had a Grand and little cash so Kicking was an inexpensive way to get into regulated vaping and still have a great, dependable PV.

I hope this helps somewhat. We're all pleased vaping is working for you.

 

Exactly what Azzaman said...get one and get after it! I have officially been using my Hornet (smaller diameter version of ERA to fit on Mini) and it absolutely rocks. I can't wait to build it again, but it is hitting so good (better than 1.7 SS carto which was already great) that there is no need.

It is very fun to make the little coils too. I am using rolled cotton for wix because it is so easy to work with.

I just got the 30ga Kanthal and ohm checker so I am dying for my SS hornet to arrive so I can build another one. If I can hold out that long and not tear this one down first!

I don't know enough about VV, but I have been pondering getting a VVG, but when I think hard and try to justify the cost, I realize that my mini 2.0's are awesome, got plenty of batteries for em and they are much smaller so the vv would only be used sometimes anyway?

Now I am considering a mini 2.1 (for different size RBA's only) and just recently started to consider a grand because fewer trips to the bottle would possibly increase the lifespan of feed tube?

Decisions decisions about REO's. but one thing that's not a decision is the RBA. No looking back for me. Good luck Dan



Shot thru cyberspace with my iGun

 

just had to pull it off to check with my new toy.

This is my magic number on my Mini! Damn does RBA kick ....


Shot thru cyberspace with my iGun

 

Those little carto/atty checkers are handy gizmos - I've gotten plenty of use out of mine.