The learning curve and finding perfection

After a hiatus from vaping I started back in mid June. Didn’t start sub ohm until October and didn’t start mixing until November. A lot of you have vast knowledge but just wondering for those that have done this awhile or those that are fairly new have had this experience.

With every mod or atty I’ve gotten it seems like I have about a 3 week time frame from the opening of the box to the perfect vape. The exception would be the Griffin 25. That was about 5-6 weeks, lol. Right now it’s the Pharaoh. Yet to have a decent hit on it.

So, does everyone have this experience?

TLDR version…I’m a very slow learner.

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I would agree the timeframe may be a varied thing for each individual but yes as we advance in our gear our recipes may change as well ( meaning our preferences w/ base ratio ) I know for me when I went max vg I looked at all my lil kanger tanks ( pre - protank 3 ) -I had to adapt and overcome.

This would be the same w/ the settings learning your sweet spot as far a temp and coil ohm volt/wattage whichever it is that you use. The only thing that matters is that you find what works for you. I have gone and bought plenty of newer tanks only to get tired of them and return to my old faithfull then as my patience allows I go back and tinker w/ the newer tank.

I just finally after about 6 months ( huh you think your slow) really I am feeling more confident about my builds and functionality of my Kayfun4 clone by Tobecco. So don’t feel discouraged we all start somewhere and whenever you buy something new it’s basically starting over !
How’s this for TL:DR :wink:

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I wouldn’t say slow. You should demand the perfect vape and when you DIY it takes a bit because you have options.

With a prebuilt coil one vape is all you get.

Personally I’m the opposite. My first 5-6 builds good then I try something new and then next 2-4 kinda suck. It’s frustrating…but that’s the game.

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Patience and trial and lots if error/tweaking is the key. Each device and mod has its sweet spot. It takes a bit to find it. Some of us get it right from the get, others it takes a bit. Some devices are great in TC, while others are better with Kanthal. It just takes time to understand its nuances.

You will find it. Also if you are having troubles ask on here and garunteed someone has experienced some form of satisfaction with said device.

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Also batteries may enhance or dampen your search for perfection. I notice differences in my vape with different batteries.

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i gave up on rta / rdas all together i always had an aftertatse of fiber couldnt do anything about it , then i got the theorim and tried different things it took a minute to get a good vape from it but i asked people who loves them and figured it out , i still love my crown with .25 stock coils and my clieto with the stock .4 coils but have moved on to new things like the serpent mini btw ty @Dan_the_Man it is great time and patience and dont get caught up with thinking you cant get a good vape from stock coils ive tried a lot of things and still put the clieto with the stock .4 coil above all just my opinion but thats the one that matters when it comes to this hobby

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Don’t get discouraged! There are really far too many variables nowadays! I’m kinda confident in my coil building and such, so normally I get a pretty good vape from a new toy at the first try, after the second it’s usually spot on for me. That lasts only until I forgot what build I put into it, though :laughing: then I’m back to the drawing board…
But then, when it comes to mixing, I’m such a slow learner that I haven’t perfected a single tweaking let alone mix I was “working” on. Just never get to that point. I have just given up on mixing my own ideas unless I find someone’s recipe that’s similar to what I had in mind and adapt that to taste - at least for the time being. :disappointed: Still, that works pretty well for me, so no problem there.

Same with your building, I’d say! As long as you reach a point - sometime - where you’re happy with the result, that’s really all that matters. :slight_smile:

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I feel that way too, difference is time because it takes 1-3 months for a juice to do the mix, steep, taste - and 5-15 min for a coil to wrap, wick and juice it. I know everyone is going to say “speed steep” S&V and all that but I do my juice just the way I do my juice and it takes 1 month minimum.

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Both very true! Take the YiHi 350j v2 for example, I’m under the impression that the chip can do boost (upping the output voltage to something above of what the battery is providing), so I found I really have to use it in TC (due to lower voltages) for it to be useful.
Oh, and it might seem surprising that batteries still make a noticable difference apart from how many mah you got, considering it’s a regulated mod. But they do.

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In my very, very humble opinion, wick/wicking is the biggest variable to overcome. With cotton or rayon, you must learn to build without choking the wick. With hemp, you have to adjust your build to accommodate a wick that clogs the juice channels to prevent leaking.

Batteries, mod, and atty matter a lot too, but wicking is paramount, again IMVHO. YMMV, do it up and don’t get frustrated. If you use Ti, the @Pro_Vapes build of 6.5 wraps of 22ga Ti on a 3-3.5mm ID is always a great starting point.

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I’m finding slightly spaced coils are working a lot better then normal coils and not gunking up as quick, especially good for RDA’s as when you drip you get less run off

I am also finding that if your cotton sits snug but not tight it will expand in the coil, helping the liquid to move in, raking the ends out straight also helps the liquid to flow up the cotton.

When you heat the coil it should draw the liquid in, it can’t do that if it’s too tight / knotted / packed.

Next year I intend to compile some results of various methods with various tanks and see what works best

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I’m glad you jotted these important points down…I have literally learned them all thru trial and error but it helps to note them for the next fella. Squashed cotton will not expand and more than most of the time yields a burning taste if it doesn’t saturate / wick appropriately all great points Grubby. I like to space coils as well.

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Ive been thinking a lot just lately about getting the best flavour and a satisfying vape - like having the right amount of wicking to give maximum capilliarity - the best wire to give the maximum surface area but avoiding long ramp up and cooling times, which IMO waste juice and contribute to gunking Ive also been thinking about the way I vape, when I was sub ohming besides altering my mix to a higher vg which is not the best flavour carrier, I was taking perhaps a 3 or 4 second pull direct to lung which is not ideal seeing that taste and flavour receptors are situated in the mouth and nose.

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For MTLers I’d have to say wicking and air are 1A & 1B. It’s a delicate balance. I’m an old fart that due to financial necessity, had to learn to tune up a car, as a teenager. I liken it to adjusting a carburetor. You richen it up (more fuel / less air) or you lean it out (more air / less fuel), to find that perfect balance. Every engine is a little different.

I think the most important thing is not to give up on a tank that doesn’t work as you hoped, out of the box. Spend some time with it, and try some different combinations. There are so many different combinations of variables (coil, wick, air, power), the right combo is somewhere in that formula.

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This is sooo true, the basics are always there but each tank needs a special touch (tune) to achieve the same result.

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Here is an example.

The OBS Engine. I put it on my Hohm Wrecker G2. Power mode. Didn’t really get the hype. Top side fill, easy to wick, no leaks. But the flavor wasn’t mind blowing.

This morning I’m googling the resistance of the twisted SS 304 coils that come with it. One reviewer said that the tank came set up for TC. So I set it for TC, kicked it to Maximum Insanity, 450 degrees at 50 watts. Holy spit, like a new tank! Might back it up to 51% Insanity.

So a 48 hour learning curve to get an excellent vape. Still might be 2-3 weeks before the extraordinary vape comes in to play.

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Excellent info.

I enjoy working with wire but thinking about just going back to some twisted 26g wire which I space out a bit. Always got good flavor from that type build.

Still going to continue with builds to see how exotic I can get but sometimes simple is better.

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Is there a Pharaoh thread yet? Instead of making one large coil make two. Don’t coil past the air holes and use lots of wick. I do dual 4 1/2 wrap SS GeekVape fused Claptons

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Not that I know of.

I may try the two coil method. Right now I’m using a fused clapton build, 24x2 NiCh with 34 kanthal wrap, 7 wraps and it just isn’t wicking fast enough to keep up. But that’s a lot of coil for juice to go through.

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