Hi I’m just wondering due to unreliability to buying coils, is rebuilding your own hard and worth it? Better taste, cheaper, last longer etc… And advice info appreciated
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Cheaper yup
Longer lasting…not really, but it’s cheaper so when the flavor starts getting to be a bit off I don’t worry at the 5cents it costs to rebuild.
Is it worth it. Yup. I’ve been rebuilding my rdas and rta’s for 1-2 years. Totally happy I made the switch. Is it another vape chore, yes, but the money it saves is well worth it.
Is it hard? Sure, at the start just like anything else…but if you stick with it, it gets easy. At this point, I normally rebuild/rewick while doing something else like watching a movie, YouTube or other.
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It is most definitely worth it … and it is not the slightest bit difficult, at least not when we talk RDA’s or RDTA’s. Wicking a RTA correctly can be a bit of a challenge though.
If you are interested, then I will recommend watching some build tutorials on youtube like the vaping basic series by ariesjj https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnyhfaoGqxjoJs8DtbfEY4w
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Do it. You’ll never go back. It’s cheaper, you have more control over the type of vape you’re after regarding flavor and density of vapor production and you’ll learn a new craft. I would recommend that you start with an RDA until you get the hang of it as RTAs can be a bit of a challenge to start with (but easy to transition into). A good ohm meter is a must-have and remember, You-Tube is your friend. Plus you’ll have a ton of help here at ELR if you have questions.
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Cheers guys I’m just peed of with faulty coils from smok lasting an hour 
I was looking at the rebuildable coil from smok all you do it replace the cotton, I watched a video it’s very simple so I guess I will start there 
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It is for me. I can go 100 - 150ml between rewicking using rayon and my DIY (no sweetener, or minimal stevia).
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Another aspect to rebuilding, that I personally find great satisfaction in, is being more self sufficient. Part of it is saving money (cheapskate), but I hate having to rely on someone else to be my source for something I use so frequently. It just fits the DIY mindset so nicely.
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Lol. Back in the days of good crown v1 coils you could go that long. Or close to it. I haven’t used a premade coil since.
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For me it comes down to one simple question. Do you enjoy the activity? Problem is, I’m not sure how someone knows until they try it. As far as quality of vape, Oh hell ya! A DYI atty is a whole new world. Production coil heads are pale in comparison. Flavor, fog, control, options (to include the world of mech mods) all open up and bloom. You can make it as difficult or easy as you like. The deeper you dig, the better it gets. But, again, if you don’t enjoy doing it none of the benefits will be realized. It will be work. For me it’s play.
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You could start by buying prebuilt and wrapped coils, lots of places sell prewrapped claptons where all you have to do is take it out of the package and install it in your rda and stick cotton through it, that’s where I started and discovered I enjoyed the process so I started building my own coils and wire after that.
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So I’m thinking of the smok rba which comes with coils already installed which once accustomed to can swap and change but just need to wick it, can you use any cotton, is there a specific cotton for certain coils? Also how do you work out best wattage for the ohm rating once it’s enough established… And are they safe because it’s the rebuildable atoms you hear of exploding? Sorry a million questions… Do all ohm testers support all atomizer thread sizes etc…
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Any cotton will work.
Start at lower wattage and work your way up until you get the vape you like.
Battery venting/explosions are most often caused by people carrying loose batteries in their pockets with other metal items. Next after that would probably be people using mech mods and building far too low of ohms for what their batteries are rated. If you use quality batteries, from a reliable vendor, and keep the amp draw of your build above the CDR of your batteries you should be safe. Even more safe if you do all of that and are using a regulated mod.
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I would recommend a Pilot, Coil Master or Geekvape 521 Tab ohm meter/tester. The cheap Ebay meters will work but don’t last long. The Tabs also allow you to dry fire your coils. As far as wicking, I would try rayon and organic cotton to see which you prefer. I haven’t tried it, but I hear good things about hemp wick as well. You might also look into the Geekvape Eagle tank. Although you have to purchase premade coil heads, each coil head is rebuildable or you can just replace the wicking material. You have single or dual coil options.
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If you are using a regulated mod the resistance of the coils really doesn’t have any relevance, you just have to make sure it is within the range that the mod can handle.
The resistance also has zero influence on the amp draw of your batteries, that solely depends on the wattage you are vaping on.
With the coils already installed you just start low and turn up the wattage until you reach your sweet spot.
However when it comes to building your own coils you need to learn about the so called heat-flux, i.e. the relationship between the coil size, the wattage you use it at and the temperature of the coil. A tiny coil used at high wattage will get extremely hot whereas a humongous coil used at low wattage will hardly become lukewarm.
Steam-Engine allows you to set a desired heat-flux and then it will tell you what wattage is needed to reach the heat-flux for the coil you are building. For example I like a relative cool vape and I like to vape at approximately 40 watts, so I will set the heat-flux at 180 mW/mm² and try different settings until it gets close to 40W.
If you have a regulated mod you also already have an ohm reader, they are really only required for mechanical mods. You can get a dedicated ohm reader, but it is not essential. If you do get one, then they all have a standard 510 connector.
Rebuildable atomizer are no more and no less safe that stock coil tanks, where it starts to get a bit dangerous is with mechanical mods, but with regulated mods it makes no difference at all.
You can use any cotton you like, just make sure it is organic and unbleached.
Japanese cotton like Muji is usually the cheapest.
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I got into rebuildables not as others to save money, I wanted my own customization and be able to try different styles of vaping without having to constantly buy premade coils. Also I wanted to experience flavor everyone were talking about but I’ve never gotten from my smok tanks.
I would say this, it will be cheaper after you find/found your favorite RTA/RDTA/RDA as well as wicking material and wires. Till then its defiantly not cheaper, in fact if you’re as unlucky as I’ve been the premade coils and exchanging them on a daily basis would have been way cheaper than the trial and error route everyone is going to take.
After that tho its way cheaper and gives you much more freedom and creativity in comparison to a sub ohm tank with premade coils.
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Well I’m thinking of the smok rba and just put my own cotton in, it must be cheaper buying cotton rather than pre made coils when they burn out every 5 minutes? Maybe in the future when I get the hang of things I could think about actually wiring. On the pre loaded rba’s with wire already in place does the wite/coil it self last a while?
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This is the rba I’m thinking of, the smok bug baby version and I’ll buy separate cotton to wick myself. Do the pre installed wiring burnt out quickly and need changing?
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If u want to start rebuilding, id ditch the Smok name all together. More then likely the experience w/ it will not be as good as trying a new rta altogether. Save yourself the 10 bucks u spend on it now since u will be replacing it soon enuff. Plenty of threads here to help u decide which one to fit your needs.
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@Craigscar You just hit on one of the biggest points in rebuilding. Instead of throwing away 4-5+ dollar pre-mades, you just put in some fresh cotton, maybe burn the coils, and back to vaping on the cheap.
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