Would love some help in starting my venture into RBAs

[Mala]

I would love to get into RBAs and would greatly appreciate some guidance and suggestions with a couple starter setups. At the moment I have a Vamo5 and 2 x MVPv2 kits.


I'm not looking to subohm or build anything with a resistance under 1.2, I'm looking to start with something in the range of 1.5 to 2 ohms.


My main interests are obtaining maximum flavor from my juices and getting a decent amount of vapor (but no need for massive amounts). Throat hit isn't important to me but I do prefer a cooler vape if possible.

Would love suggestions (tank/atomizer models and recs: wire, wick and other materials) for a tank rba and dripping RBA setup. Preferably items that can be purchased from FT.


I fully intend to get an ohms reader along with my supplies.


I'm watching my YT tutorials and reading up as much as I can. There are just so many options out there I would really appreciate some help in choosing the right materials for my preferences and the setups I want to start with. Any other suggestions are more than welcome.


Thanks

 

[roxynoodle]

I don't know the specs of the vamo, but have built kayfuns for the mvp. Due to its 11W limit and low amp limit, I suggest a single coil rta, and coiling with 29 or 30 gauge Kanthal. Some tanks to consider would be a kayfun/russian, Taifun GT, Lemo or eXpromizer. They are all easy to coil and wick. I would say the Taifun is the easiest, but its a really big atty, lol!

 

[wshanncap]

Most common RBAs will suit your purpose well enough. Rip Tripper did a top 5 video that piqued my curiosity. But in my opinion, I really think the Tugboat RDA is a great dripper for a cool vape. Mine is running on a dual coil setup at 0.8 ohms. And is very cool and a great flavor. I have also built it as a single coil. I use 28G Kanthal and Japanese cotton pad wicks. Another thing I like about the Tugboat is the really deep dripwell. I got mine from Vivid Smokes for 20 bucks. Note: I am running it on a Knight mod and sometimes a Vamo V6.
Here are a few links you might find helpful:
My multimeter...checks resistance and batteries...
The Tug Boat
Ohms Law calc
Coil Wrapping calc
Kanthal/Cotton

 

[Mala]

The Vamo goes to 15watts and the MVP to 11. This and the fact that I'm really new to this keeps me wanting to build coils with a resistance of at least 1.5 to start.

What are the best wicking materials to enhance/preserve flavor? Does wire choice affect flavor at all?

I'm new to all this and am a bit overwhelmed with all the information and options available. I want simple reliable tank(s) that I can enjoy fixing up for a good vape without having to buy a bunch of replacement parts.

As for dripping, I'm interested in trying this but aren't event sure if they can be built with higher resistances than 1 ohm or if they're only meant for subohm setups.

 

[Never Lift]

Wick material is personal preference. I like sheishdo japenese cotton.
I started building with a trident v2 and a vamo. The trident has lots of airflow options for single coil mode.
Get some 30 gauge kanthal and build 2 ohm coils, dam good vape at 15 watts.

 

[Zombo]

I recommend the Lemo. It's based on the kayfun so it's straight-forward and easy to build. I'ts been headache-free and performs great. As an added bonus, it's only $39.99, so, in the end, if you decide building isn't for you then you won't be out much cash. I've only been building for less than two weeks, and it's been smooth sailing thanks in part, to the Lemo (the rest of the thanks goes to ECF and all the helpful people here).

 

[edyle]

I would love to get into RBAs and would greatly appreciate some guidance and suggestions with a couple starter setups. At the moment I have a Vamo5 and 2 x MVPv2 kits.


I'm not looking to subohm or build anything with a resistance under 1.2, I'm looking to start with something in the range of 1.5 to 2 ohms.


My main interests are obtaining maximum flavor from my juices and getting a decent amount of vapor (but no need for massive amounts). Throat hit isn't important to me but I do prefer a cooler vape if possible.

Would love suggestions (tank/atomizer models and recs: wire, wick and other materials) for a tank RBA and dripping RBA setup. Preferably items that can be purchased from FT.


I fully intend to get an ohms reader along with my supplies.


I'm watching my YT tutorials and reading up as much as I can. There are just so many options out there I would really appreciate some help in choosing the right materials for my preferences and the setups I want to start with. Any other suggestions are more than welcome.


Thanks

This is what I'm vaping right now:
https://www.fasttech.com/p/1852803
30mm magma, single coil, 28 gauge, 1.3 ohm, on a zmax at 10 watts.
might add 10 to 30 drops after half hour of use

and this is what I have at my bedside:
https://www.fasttech.com/p/1776804
30mm veritas, single coil, 28 gauge 1.4 ohm, on a vamo5s at 10 watts.
might add 5 to 10 drops after half hour of use.

 

[edyle]

The Vamo goes to 15watts and the MVP to 11. This and the fact that I'm really new to this keeps me wanting to build coils with a resistance of at least 1.5 to start.

What are the best wicking materials to enhance/preserve flavor? Does wire choice affect flavor at all?

I'm new to all this and am a bit overwhelmed with all the information and options available. I want simple reliable tank(s) that I can enjoy fixing up for a good vape without having to buy a bunch of replacement parts.

As for dripping, I'm interested in trying this but aren't event sure if they can be built with higher resistances than 1 ohm or if they're only meant for subohm setups.

They absolutely can be built with higher resistances;
30 gauge is a versatile gauge and you can rebuild clearomizer coils with it and also use it in an rta or rda;
32 and 34 gauge is used in clearomizers because it's a small space to fit in, and you don't want too much power going on inside there to burn the rubber/silicone grommets.

but in a metal dripper, there's alot more space to work in so the tendency is to use thicker wire because it holds it's shape better and just easier to work with, and that's why people end up with lower ohms on drippers; but if you want to you can use 32 gauge in a dripper and run 2 ohm coils;

I am currently using 28 gauge single coils over 1 ohm

 

[Mala]

Would the Kanthal 0.3mm*10m / 0.205ohm/cm wire be sufficient to wire the coils of the magma, trident and lemo to the ohms I am looking for (1.5-2)?


Thoughts on Genesis style tanks? I'm looking at the Steam Turbine style and it looks pretty nice.

 

[edyle]

Would the Kanthal 0.3mm*10m / 0.205ohm/cm wire be sufficient to wire the coils of the magma, trident and lemo to the ohms I am looking for (1.5-2)?


Thoughts on Genesis style tanks? I'm looking at the Steam Turbine style and it looks pretty nice.

Coil wrapping | Steam Engine | free vaping calculators
0.3mm would be 28 gauge; if you build a 2 ohm coil with 28 gauge, you'd want a 20 to 40 watt mod to power it
0.2mm kanthal A1 would be 30 gauge; that would suit a 1.5 to 2 ohm coil on a vamo or mvp better.

 

[edyle]

The genesis type tanks were the first generation of tanks; they would usually use steel mesh vertical wick and you'd have to torch the mesh, and the coil might short out on the mesh; some people just use cotton in them; plus you would usually need a needle to fill them.


The current generation of tanks are more like the kayfun style, with a coil deck that looks like a dripper;
I'd look at the taifun gt;

 

[Mala]

Coil wrapping | Steam Engine | free vaping calculators
0.3mm would be 28 gauge; if you build a 2 ohm coil with 28 gauge, you'd want a 20 to 40 watt mod to power it
0.2mm kanthal A1 would be 30 gauge; that would suit a 1.5 to 2 ohm coil on a vamo or mvp better.

Thanks for correcting that for me!

 

[leong jenny]

I'd recommend Orchid v4 RBA. All I hear is good things about it. I myself may give it a trial soon.

 

[JD1]

I have the 1:1 Veritas from FT and I'm very happy with it. Great flavor, good vapor, leak resistant, and holds a ton of juice. It's a little more fiddly to build than some because of the small nuts on the positive post. It's less than 9 dollars and a great value for the money imo. It comes with a piece of mesh so you could do a mesh build on it to see if you like it.

There's also a v2 Orchid on FT for less than 9 dollars. It gets a lot of good reviews as well.

The thing is, new tanks and drippers are hitting the market every day and it's hard to figure what's best for the money anymore. Those two would be a good way to test the waters, then go from there.

Regardless of what you get, I'd recommend paying a couple of dollars for the USPS tracking. It's pretty busy over there until about the middle of January.

 

[roxynoodle]

I use 28gauge the most often in RTAs. However, it was taking longer to heat up on the MVP at its limits than I was happy with. Why I suggested 29 or 30 gauge for you . Better flavor and vapor due to quicker heating on that device.

 

[TheOnyxEgg]

I started rebuilding relatively recently as well (mid summer), and started on the Smok Pyrex RSST which is a Genesis style atomizer (along the lines of the steam turbine you mentioned). I use 28awg for the coil (around 1.2 ohms) and #400 Stainless mesh for the wick. I found this a pretty easy RBA to start with and have been thrilled with the flavor and vapor I get from it.

One nice thing about a genesis (or anything using a mesh wick) is that you don't need to replace the wick nearly as often as if you were using cotton or some such. I've had the same wick and coil in the RSST for 100+ ml of liquid and it's still going strong (this was about a month and a half). I just dry burn every once and a while and brush off the wick and coil (another benefit to the mesh wick is that you can dry burn with the wick in the coil).

The couple of possible downsides (really more just things to keep in mind when using) are that if left on it's side for long periods of time it will likely leak liquid on to the deck and possibly out the air hole and that when vaping you need to make sure that the wick is submerged in the liquid (as the wick is only on one side of the tank). I haven't found either of these things to be too much of a hassle and have only had one pocket full when the top cap popped off on me. Most of the time it lives in a pocket in my messenger bag.

If you are interested in a Genesis (and I'd recommend them) I'd strongly suggest the RSST as it has a lot of room to work with on the deck and has an insulated wick hole which makes wicking and coiling much easier. You don't need to heavily oxidize the wick or burn a bunch of juice on it or any other voodoo to get it working well. I use an unoxidized piece of mesh and use the pulse method the get rid of hotspots. You could maybe do this with a Vamo, but it would be much easier if you picked up a cheap mech for pulsing. Plenty of YT videos demonstrating. I've used the RSST on a MVP v1 at max power and it worked just fine. Don't let the fact that they aren't the latest invention in the world of rebuildables sway you from trying them out.