2 weeks ago I decided to switch over to a box mod. I ended up buying the GeekVape Aegis Legend 2 (L200) kit with the sub-ohm tank. I was vaping disposables and they were getting hard to get because of the China tariffs and they were also getting expensive.
The problem is that the stock coils seem to gum up fairly quickly. They’re not burning out, but the cotton seems to get gummed up pretty quick. After 2 or 3 days, the performance and the flavor die down a lot.
So I’m looking at getting a good reliable RTA that performs well and is not prone to leaks. I really don’t want to get into making my own coils right now, but, maybe in the future. I’d just rather buy coils. So my question is dual coil or single coil? What kind of cotton? I understand that changing the cotton every couple of days keeps it fresh and the coils can be cleaned by dipping in water and firing the mod a few times to burn off the crap and then just putting in some new cotton and off we go. Any help and reccomendations would be appreciated…Thanks
Personally I prefer single coil. My current favorite is the dead rabbit solo rta. I use 2.5mm ss coil 5-6 wraps. 3mm coil fits just as well; just a tad warmer vape than the 2.5mm. Nichrome coils are very good as well and more popular. Wire opium prewound coils are good. Coilology coils are pretty good as well. Blaze rtas are pretty good as well. For a new rta user top airflow is more forgiving to learn/ practice on.
Thanks for the quick reply. Top airflow is definitely what I was looking to get, because thats what my subohm tank is, But I’m really most concerned about leaking. I wasn’t wanting to stray too much from what I know. Do you use the cotton bacon strips or do you cut your own from pads? Does it make a difference? I was actually looking at the dead rabbit 3 tanks, so that’s good that I at least wasn’t too far off track. Amazon has this clapton coils. Amazon.com
Whoa that’s a long link. Do you think those will work?
Top air doesn’t cause a leak but a twisted or damaged oring in the base of any tank can. Since you don’t know what you’ll like I’d recommend paying a little more and get a sample pack or just order a few different pairs of various coils to get started. If you know how to navigate Ali-Express they offer a good variety of pre wound coils.
The coils for your tank are decent, unless you got a bum batch. They should last a week or two. Have you tried a lighter or less sweet liquid?
Otherwise, everything @Letitia said is spot on. WireOptim is where I get my wire so I assume their prewound coils are solid. If you want to go Amazon, these are decent Coils(the 28x3 +40). And should get you rolling.
The Dead Rabbit 3 is good, I rock a 4mm single coil in one. And gives the option of trying out dual coil. For single 3mm coil try a Dead Rabbit Solo or a Blaze Solo 2.
For cotton I’m a fan of rayon Rayon . Consistent and forgiving.
Welcome to the world of rebuildables
I would also recommend trying a couple different types of wicking as well. Personally I prefer cotton over rayon. Cotton Slivers on Amazon is good and cheap, easy to work with. Many prefer rayon, like all things vape related you have to play around to find your sweet spot. Just relax and enjoy the journey. Blaze solo 2 is on my list but not any sites I trust have it listed yet.
Thanks Mike for the quick reply. I have tried some fruity less sweet liquids and I like them. But I just tried some Vapetasia Vanilla Custard, and damn that stuff is good! But I know that’s whats fouling up the stock coils. I guess I’ll have to get some rayon and some cotton wicks to see which I prefer. The only thing that makes me a little reluctant about the rayon is that if it burns I’m not a huge fan of sucking up plastic vapors, but perhaps that doesn’t happen. Why do you prefer the rayon?Does it wick better? Thanks for the links too!
Thanks again Letitia and Mike. You have been very helpful. I think I have something to work with now. You guys have been very helpful. I guess when I started out I actually thought this was gonna be cheaper than smoking cigarettes…HaHa. I used to roll my own which was pretty cheap, but it really was a nasty habit, and I’m not going back to that, it’s been nearly 6 months now since I quit those nasty things. I can breath better and my sense of smell and taste have returned. I thought that the juice was gonna be the biggest expense, which is why I got turned on to making my own juice, but it turns out that even store bought juice, if you buy it online aint too bad. I wasn’t counting on buying a bunch of stock coils all the time. I’m hoping the RTA and homebrew juice will keep the expenses under control. The cost to entry is much higher than cigarettes…LOL.
Once you find your sweet spot your golden and it gets much cheaper. Buy duplicates of what you know you’ll want to keep using, then you’ll see how much money you’re saving for years to come.
I recommend “dead rabbit solo” as well. It’s easy to install coil and it’s very forgiving with wicking. It’s also virtually leak proof. For normal vaping I like “kanthal Clapton coils”. I sometimes get a metallic taste using “Ni80” because sometimes the metal is not best quality. I normally vape using TC with “titanium” or “ss316l”. The “blaze solo” is also very good. I use “fuzz organic cotton” by “the Yorkshire vaper” but not sure you can get in America.
Was considering getting"dead rabbit 3" as I’ve heard good things about it, but haven’t personally used one.
Thank you. Am strongly considering getting in one. Also really like the “nitrous 24 mil” but you have to get wicking spot on or it leaks. (Took me 4 goes to get right) It’s bottom air flow.
Nah, rayon is still cellulose, like cotton. No plastic involved. They “melt” plant cellulose, chemically, then re-extrude it into fibers. It’s basically ultra refined cotton. The fibers are long and uniform and void of anything that isn’t long uniform fiber. To me, if cotton is like a sponge then rayon is like a bundle of tiny straws. It wicks beautifully and doesn’t swell at all. For me it’s easier to work with, lasts longer than cotton and when it does get dry it doesn’t burn nearly as harshly as cotton. I can tell a dry hit is coming long before it actually does.
All that to say - everyone has their own preference. Get both, try both, use whatever you prefer. You will get it wrong at first regardless of your wick choice. Too loose, too tight. Tails too thin, too thick. Just keep at it until you get a feel for it. Eventually it becomes second nature.
The cost of entry can feel high. It really depends how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. I keep spending more on it because I can, and like trying new or different things. I’ll pick up a new atomizer or mod just because I want to try finding my sweet spot for that one. Now I’ve got like 13 sweet spots, lol. I enjoy that process.
But you can get away with one atomizer and once you have a stock of the consumables the costs drop precipitously, especially if you’re DIYing your juice.
i switch flavors constantly and with rayon the change is immediate and dosen’t hold onto the previous flavor
my wicks are usually still clean and whiteish after 2 weeks of use.
can’t say that about cotton
wicking rayon takes a little more care though in my experience
I just learned something about rayon that I didn’t know. I knew there’d be differing opinions and that’s why I started this thread. I wanted to know the pros and cons.
Does anyone have any thoughts on the Geek Vape ZEUS X 25mm RTA? It seems to have gotten some pretty good reviews, but it’s been around for quite a few years. I have no complaints about the GeekVape stuff that I’m using now, very good build quality.
I do have a tendency to go down rabbit holes and get obsessed with my new found hobbies…but I’m trying to keep that under wraps right now because I’m not working and living on my wifes income alone. She doesn’t make great money.
if you scroll down in this thread a bit i had a bit of a debate with @Sprkslfly about rayon. and others chimed in as well. theres a few other threads about rayon too if you use the search function
i bought 500 feet of it for like 15$ called grahams cellu-cotton
years ago and ive barely made a dent. it will last me many more years
very affordable
