Can people tell if they have noticed a big difference between the wire now we are getting from lightning Vapes to what it was before the New company are new name has come into being ?? I always used LV wire I thought it was great and a great price to match. This post actually hurt’s me to write but I just want to know from people who bought LV wire before they changed over if this is a lesser quality wire. In my opinion it doesn’t stand up the wire I’m using are all guages of there SS and many of there Kanthal wire sizes. I actually bought wire from another country in the States and to be honest there’s no comparison. . I’m not here to slag off LV wire I’m only asking if others have had the same experience as myself ?? Maybe you get what you pay for but if the prices are still the same as when the wire was under the companies name of LV now that’s under a different name my only conclusion is the new company is buying a cheaper grade wire than before and using the good customer built up over year’s by LV. There customer service support was brilliant and I as I said it actually hurt’s to ask this question
I use to use LV wire all the time until I tried advanced vape supply and that was my goto wire going forward. Now that AVS is no longer selling wire I bought some LV, now called wire optim, it just isn’t as good.
I don’t know if the quality changed, AVS always seemed superior to me even before the name change.
I believe it is the same ownership, just a new name. Having the word “Vapes” on their site and product was going to become an issue and they probably wanted to avoid that. I still have some spools left of LV and a lot of Wire Optim. The only difference I’ve noticed is that the original LV wire is a bit cleaner. The new label wire seems to be a little “dirty”. Meaning, I notice more marks of residue on my fingers etc.
I think I replied in the wrong thread. LoL I was saying Mister siner that I found my cotton was getting dirty more quickly even after putting the newly made coils though the ultrasonic cleaner a good few times, my builds are not complicated basic 3×28SS and I would wrap in either 36 are 38 guage SS I’m finding my coils last about half the time they did the flavor just disappears when I clean my coils the amount of debris that comes off them is not just from my juice I took a cup that is not used and put in lukewarm water heater up my coils dipped them in the water and all I can say is it looked like bits of the coil in small particles where in the cup but there was so much of this. I was on to LV about 6 months ago through there customer service support. They couldn’t of been more helpful. But maybe they had just gotten in some bad wire in these batches I was unlucky. I might give them another chance and may well have to come and say there wire is as good as when they where trading under LV.
Gotcha. Yes I can say the same. I’ve noticed a difference as well.
Let’s see if others have had better luck. I’d hate to leave them as they where a fantastic company. I got wire from another company in the states and I was way more expensive than LV but I’d rather pay more and get good quality after all we gave up smoking to be healthier but if the wire is bad then it would worry me about the possibility of carcinogenics that may come from a cheaper product. I’ll leave it at that because I would not ever want to damage any companies reputation. I’m just interested in other people’s experience since they changed
Totally agree 
My last batch of wire was OK. I agree with @mjag that it isn’t as good as AVS’ wire but not as bad as some other no-name brands that I’ve tried while trying to save a buck. It does come a little dirty sometimes (but not always) but I always clean my core wires with alcohol and a paper towel before wrapping, then with the USC after wrapping/coiling.
Best SS wire I ever bought was on EBay from Coil Kings. Too bad they aren’t around anymore.
Until I read this I had no idea there was any difference in the quality of wire. I had thought the price difference in SS316L was based on brand only. I only make basic coils, but I’ve never cleaned my wire before making coils. I’ve never read anywhere that I was supposed to. Should I start doing this?
Well…tell you what. Take a paper towel with some alcohol on it, and run your wire through it a couple of times. Then look at your paper towel and see if there is anything of concern on it. If you ever use titanium wire, it’s must. Most Ti1 wire that I’ve bought is pretty dirty and cleaning it makes all the difference in the world.
I don’t vape using TC, so have never used Titanium wire. I rarely use Kanthal and have limited experience w/ Ni80. I’ve pretty much always stuck w/ 26 gauge or pre-built coils that were 316L.
I never really used much Lightning Vapes wire. I got a couple of rolls from Wire Optim that were N80 fused clapton. It wasn’t bad.
Last year I started making my own complex coils. I’ve used a few random wire gauges and ribbon from WO, mostly N80. I’ve made alien coils with it and haven’t had any trouble. Great flavor and longevity pretty much, but that’s only a few N80 round wire sizes (27 & 36ga). I buy almost all of my wire from Coil Society, but recently also Coil Clout. I used to get all my N80 and Ka1 from Kidney Puncher, and 95% of my SS from AVS.
I saw cheap rolls of ribbon wire and Ka1 28ga while shopping at Wet Vapes a couple months ago. When I got it, the labels said Lightning Vapes on them. The ribbon is a pretty common size I use which is .3x.1mm. It’s not very good. It’s like it was wound too tightly because it comes off the roll deformed. The 28ga round wire was a bit dirty too so I probably won’t be using any of it. The newer Wire Optim ribbon that I’ve tried is pretty decent.
Now that you mention it, I do remember having issues with their flat wire quite often. Sometimes the wire would be twisted or even knotted within the spool. Because of arthritis, I don’t use flat wire anymore so can’t say if it’s still the case or not.
Lost marbles. Are you saying the ultrasonic cleaner won’t clean it as well as the alcohol and cloth ? I have never cleaned my wire before making my coils I presume if your to clean the wire with alcohol and cloth you really need to do it 1st. Living in Ireland I’m not sure what to buy to try this method as here alcohol is used for onething and that ain’t cleaning anything LoL 
. I think I seen something on Amazon rubbing alcohol are something. Would methylated spirit’s be something I should use ? If not would you be able to recommend something that’s easily available ? Thanks for the info. Appreciate it
If I’m making simple single wire or twisted wire coils or claptons, I always clean the wire (or cores) with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel then rinse off with water and swipe it with a clean paper towel. The USC is used for claptons after they’re built as it would be difficult to clean the wrap wire individually. I’ve never used spirits but don’t think it’s necessary to go that far. I suppose you can take two pices of wire and run one through the USC and another with the paper towel method, then run both through a clean paper towel and see which leaves the least residue.
Cheap vodka would work as well if thats easier to get. You just need to dampen the towel, won’t take a lot and shouldn’t waste too much of a precious drinking resource. 
I noticed the lower quality of LV/Wire Optim wire as well. Had a slew of rolls that I lost in the fire, mostly kanthal and SS. I’ve gone completely to vaping with kanthal now and after getting replacement spools, I’ve noticed two things:
- The wire is much dirtier now under the Wire Optim label than what it was under LightningVapes.
- I have to work a bit harder to clear hot spots now than what I used to.
As to the second point, I’m not sure if it’s how I’m wrapping my contact coils now versus pre-fire. Before, I would wrap my coils by hand. Now that I have a build kit supplied by some of the most awesome people around, I use a coil winder that came included with the build kit. Maybe I got better contact with hand winding versus the tool? I’m not sure and a bit too lazy to do a compare/contrast at the moment(Almost three years since the fire and I’m still trying to get the property back in order…)
As to the first point, I’m guessing that they’re using a different piece of equipment or a different supplier for their wire gauges. When metal is drawn out to become wire, it passes through dies that get it to the desired gauge. As this happens, a fair amount of lubricant is used so that the wire doesn’t snap or damage the die. That lubricant is nasty stuff and sticks pretty well to metal. Some companies are really good at getting that lubricant off, others not so much. It’s always a good idea to give your wire a wipe down with something that will remove the lubricant/grease/oil. I use 70% isopropyl alcohol to remove the grease, but lately I have had to start using dish soap to wash the wire first before I can wipe it with the iso. Dawn works really well for this, as there’s nothing like using a petrochemical product to remove a petrochemical product!(It’s also why Dawn is used to remove crude oil from marine life when there’s an oil spill)
If you haven’t been cleaning your wires before now, I’d strongly suggest getting into the practice. It helps keep your flavors true and keeps a bunch of nastiness out of your lungs. I just place a small amount of alcohol onto a paper towel, fold the paper towel over the wire and pull the wire through the alcohol-laden portion and repeat until the paper towel comes away clean.
Sorry for the wall of text, but it’s my two cents on the issue. Hope it helps. Cheers!
It falls off the spool pretty flat now has been my experience. That older stuff was just trash. I tried to tug on both ends to pull it strait but it was just too deformed.
Damn brother, it’s been a minute. How ya doing?
Hanging in. I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done and totally befuddled by looking for tools or supplies that I know I had but then remember that the items I was thinking of were lost in the fire. It’s been a little rough, but I’m getting through it.
I keep checking in when I’ve got a few moments-I mostly lurk. Decided that I should probably raise my head out of the bushes to let you guys know I’m still here!
How you doin?(Insert generic Italian gigolo joke here)
I’m ok. Getting my mind ready for consecutive 110F temps, wind storms and sand everywhere. Living the dream… 
Sorry you’re still experiencing some frustration/angst etc. but glad you’re moving forward. You guys be careful this summer. I hope it’s uneventful and all you face is looking-for-tools madness. 