So I’ve been vaping for almost 7 years, but for various reasons I’ve had tunnel vision. I’ve been vaping the same home-made juice for 5+ years, mostly on Kanger Protanks. I recently found a good sub-ohm tank I like (Arctic V8) and the multitude of pre-built coils for that thing made me wonder why I should choose one coil over another.
Then I got a TFV4 which has many coils and left me with more questions. And then I got an Aromamizer and an Avocado and I have no idea what kind of coil would be best for me. Holy crap there’s a hundred things to consider when rebuilding.
But I feel like I’m missing a lot of things that would help me get a better vaping experience, and I’m flailing an unable to figure out all the options because there’s just too many things to consider. Thus, I have a few questions that I’ve never found definitive answers for, let alone in one post., and googling for each gets a million hits that only imply answers for a single person.
Why use temp control vs watt control vs voltage control?
Why use Ti vs Ni vs SS?
Why rebuild coils vs using pre-built coils?
Why use low Ohm coils vs higher Ohm coils?
Why use simple coils vs Clapton vs fused Clapton vs fancy double-dragon-helix-mega-coils? (OK I just made that last one up, but why use super fancy coils?)
Why use high-VG vs low-VG juices? Is it only clouds vs flavor?
Why, why why? Ah hell, please give me an answer/opinion/comment to a question that I don’t even know about yet.
I ONLY use Temp Control devices, RTA’s and 316L SS wire.
1 To me it is just a much more consistent vape and never a dry hit even if I don’t pay attention and vape a tank bone dry.
2 I have tried them all and my reason for sticking with SS is that it delivers flavor very comparable to Ti but is much easier to clean and re-wick. Dry burn it brush it off and insert new cotton but with Ti and Ni you can not or at least should not dry burn to clean.
3 With some experience you can really dial in the feel of the vape to your liking and it is much cheaper than buying pre made coils.
4 The short answer is sub ohm is used mostly by direct lung style vaper;s while most mouth to lung style people use the above 1 ohm coils.
5 Many people like the flavor from Clapton coils while others like the simplicity of single wire coils.
6 High VG equals a more dense vapor or bigger cloud. High PG gives you less vapor but more throat hit and it delivers more intense flavor. The other reason for less PG is because a lot of people are sensitive to or allergic to PG
7 Just because we all like it a little different
Hope this helped but keep in mind these are just my opinions only.
Better control and consistency with your vape IMO.
Ti offers the cleanest vape and is better at TC IMO.
Rebuild is cheaper and offer more customization over prebuilts.
I get better flavor from low ohm builds. It fits what I like in a vape.
I was all about Claptons before I started using Ti. I’m getting better performance with less complicated building techniques vs Claptons and the others.
VG/PG ratio doesn’t really matter to me. It’s more of a preference or a necessity if you have PG allergies.
DIY is all about finding what suits you best. Some trial and error is involved, but questions like the ones you’ve asked is a good start to finding your niche.
Some wire you shouldn’t use in temp mode. Like Ti, it could melt. Also in tc mode it’s supposed to keep your coil from getting too hot so you can take a longer drag. Vs power mode it’s continuous powers.
Personal taste preferance. The debate is on going as per which is best. Each wire has its positive and neg.
Building your own is cheaper that buying prebuilt coils. DIY for life bro. Or is it cloudy’mc’cloud’face. However, sometimes the time saved using prebuilt is better when considering the factor making a Clapton coil from scratch.
Again. Preferance and setup. Sometimes the atty does better at 1.8ohm vs 0.5. Each atty, and wire you find has a most preferred setup and you gotta test it out.
Again. It’s all about preferance for the most part. Also, the atty. sometimes it’s a pissing contest for folks when they are like bro I got the latest zipper snake eyes balls deep wire I made and it’s better than your simple coil. It is true…based off on reading and user comments that some of those fancy builds can produce more flavor and hold/distribute juice better
One short answer is preferance. Hahah. Yup, if you want to blow those clouds higher vg is where people are at. For me pg makes my throat scratchy. So I stay around the 30pg/70 vg mark. I cannot do a 50-50. No way. Itnwoukdnkill ny throat.
Why. Unmmm. I DIY because I can control everything. Then number of wraps, space between the wraps, the inner diameter, I can change my setup pretty quick. Question to an answer. When buying wire like Ti…make sure you buy high grade wire from a reputable seller
You cannot use some coils like Nickel and Ti in Wattage Mode
I’ve become a solid fan of Ti coils because the metal is inert and high temp so has no flavor. I don’t like Kanthal wire as I can taste it (iron) Stainless steel has similar no-taste properties, but I have found that pre-made Stainless offerings online are wrapped with Kanthal (on SS core). I am also a fan of Ni pre-made coils in my own Kanger Sub Tank …also you missed one the Kanger Ceramic SSOCC coils are great but not on a single battery device
Vapor production and general performance. Ti coils will always be low low low because the Ti wire resistance is super low. I’m vaping dual 6 wrap at 0.10 ohm
You can visualize watching those videos how Clapton coils can wick more juice just into their own metal structure. More surface area more vapor production (also more juice consumption!) All the crazy builds are likely just from our competitive creativity, but all add something which takes this whole thing to another level. The difference in flavor and clouds both makes going back to Kangertech 2015 stuff difficult
PG is getting some bad press. Some people have a sensitivity to it and there are many efforts to eliminate from individuals eJuice choices. PG does one thing well and that’s let flavors more easily steep and it’s more stable than VG long-term when storing post-add (nic and flavor) Be sure to read the VaporBase thread here
Oh! The slippery slope! Don Draper - Mad Men “But what is happiness? It’s a moment before you need more happiness.” Vaping isn’t just replacing smoking, it’s redefining it on deep levels of “happiness”. So many stories about people quitting cigs and then they start experimenting and getting curious and it is kinda crazy …crazy awesome!
Saving money. Prebuilt coils last maybe a week+ @ $3 Enough wire to make a coil or two? .05 - .10 cents Making your own coils is super simple but does require some finger dexterity. It’s the knowledge behind that makes it complex because you can do it dangerously wrong. Like I wouldn’t recommend to you to start today making Ti coils, but you could likely buy some premade (not Kanger SSOCC) coils to go into some rebuildable deck …get some help at a local B&M
Re-reading… Head is calming down… Good info… HUH? Oh, OK… Hmm, yeah, I get that… But uh…[BOOM]
OK, I have a plan for the day. Starting slow, though. I’ve got some pre-built TC coils, Ti, for my TFV4. I’ll give one a whirl, and compare it to the pre-built Clapton coil in my other TFV4. And I’ll throw a couple pre-made Clapton coils into my Aromamizer and see if I can wick it in a way that doesn’t leak. And, if I have any brain-power left, I’ll build a couple Kanthal coils and throw them into my Tsunami. That needs a rebuild since its got some funky-ass juice in there and it needs to be cleaned out.
Thanks for the info folks. That helps a lot - even though my head still hurts when I try to digest it all.
I recommend you try what these guys have mentioned. It’s a matter of preference and there really is no right or wrong answer. I mostly use simple SS builds and every once in a while, will build something more elaborate - just for fun.
Pick one topic, follow some suggestions and see what works for you, then move on to the next one. Just be prepared for a whole new experience. Check the boards as I’m sure there are many paths for you to take in your search for answers.
You have been given wonderful comments here. For me your questions cover my 2 yrs of vaping and still working on what is best for me. Take your time it’s what works for you. For me have been working on wicking methods recently, it has completely changed my vape. Enjoy the vape journey, keep learning and experimenting to find what works for you.
Me too! I’ve had a few people look at me funny when I told them how I wick.“The Scottish roll with good old Puff cotton.” What are you doing? Do you have a favorite cotton? Do you think they are all the same?
I’m not sure where you are located, but if you are in the US, with the proposed regulations, you may soon find pre built, factory coils hard to come by.
The only thing I would disagree with in the comments was the one about not dry burning Kanthal. Never heard a good reason not to. I’ve been doing it for a long time and so has my toaster oven.
Some folks are into tinkering and some, not so much. I’m a tinkerer.
My move to building my own coils came after the first time I vaped using a friends dripper. The intense flavor and amount of vapor produced completely won me over, immediately. It was clear at that point, I was to fall into the “rabbit hole” of RDA and RTA style vaping.
and when you’re stressed…just chant Ohmmmmmmmm lol
