Coming up a cloud. Where vapists gather!

[DerGolgo]

Just tried out the temperature control.
It does seem to control temperature, but doesn't appear to regard the temperature setting much.
But I keep the button pressed and the vapor doesn't get hotter, it displays a temperature of 55°, while 260° is set as maximum. Might be the high resistance of .48 Ohm, can't provide enough voltage to get higher.
Probably needs some more fiddling on my part.
But, at least with the coils that came in the box, it works without fine-tuning the resistance. That is an improvement over previous efforts by SMOK.

[Jaeger]

Pretty good, pretty good.
...
As far as my first impressions go, I'd recommend it as a 75W mod regardless of the pipe-exterior.
Most important, I can now vape and then point at people with it!

Cool. At some point in the indeterminate future when I actually have some spare cash I'll prob try to pick one up. And yes, being able to point at people with it is important.

That said, I must ask: why 75W? I have 50W on mine and I never use it. Is more wattage better?

--Jaeger

[jae]

some pictures for comparison:

[DerGolgo]

That said, I must ask: why 75W? I have 50W on mine and I never use it. Is more wattage better?

--Jaeger

It's a straight-forward equation, really. If you can understand a Keihin and/or Amal carb, you can understand this. If you understand a SU or Weber carb, you are a higher being beyond mortal flesh or needs, and you shouldn't be asking this (I don't say you wouldn't, just that you shouldn't).
If you claim to know how a Zenith or Stromberg works, I strongly suspect you might be lying. Since, if it don't, how do you know how it's doing what it's not doing?
If you know how many pain meds I gobbled this evening, you're my neurologist/pain-therapist. Hallo, Herr Kaiser!

Basically, you can see the Wattage as your fuel supply. If you run a rich mixture, or just a bigger carb on a bigger mill, you'll need to get more petrol in there.

For a tasty vape, your need x amount of actual vapor for every y amount of air. Vapor is made by putting energy into the e-juice so as to raise the temperature.
If you have an atomizer that allows only a little air to pass, you only need a little amount of vapor.
If you can breathe freely through your atomizer, anything but an appropriate amount of vapor won't taste right, will it.
So, if your taste is for a restricted sort of draw, you can get away with lower wattage. I know big names in the German vaper community, people who are on stage during political pro-vape rallies, have a youtube channel with six-digit follower numbers. They are (well, to be honest, "he is") entirely satisfied with the little 7 Watt pen-sized device that many of us started with.

Me, I prefer an easy draw. Just expanding my lungs, with little or no resistance to strain against.
Consequently, for a tasty vaping experience, I must create more vapor.

I could write up a little essay about specific heat-capacities, tripel-points (no, I didn't get a T150), thermal conductivity or the conservation of energy.
But I won't, since there's somebody in here who actually graduated engineering school and will probably school the heck out of my. I recently fired my Psycho - The Rapist, so I can't handle that right now.
Suffice it to say, you have a fixed amount of time in which to put thermal energy into your juice, via the coil, to turn it into vapor.
The more juice you want to make into vapor, the more thermal energy is needed.
Energy/Time=Power.
Like your microwave. If you want to heat up TWO cups of coffee at the same time, but as quick as you'd heat up a single cup, you have to dial up the power setting. To a higher wattage. Or, probably, to three-wiggly-lines instead of two-wiggly-lines.
Me, some atomizers, I'll go as low as 60 ish. Incredible that, just a year ago, I was rocking a 35 Watt mod and was good with that.

The Guardian III kit comes with the Micro TFV4. I just read up on that, it's not just a shorter regular TFV4 as I had earlier thought.
The TFV4, I use mine usually between 65 and 75 Watts. I don't buy the fancy octa-clapton coilheads, but with that stuff, you can go to 140 Watts or so without burning stuff up. That's way too much vapor, and way too hot, for my tastes, with the airflow that the TFV4 offers.
Some coilheads offered for the Micro TFV4 are rated for up to 60 Watts. I'd suspect the 75 Watts would get used when engaging temperature control mode with that.

Regardless. Your Kanger atty has a 510, so you can use it on the Guardian III and just dial the power down.
It is better to have what you don't need than to need something you don't have.
Except for herpes. It's better not to have herpes, period.

EDIT: WTF is wrong with me that I always write so damn much?

[DerGolgo]

BTW, my new atty that I'm using in the pics above.
It's called the "Gemini", and as far as 22mm RTAs go, I think this one is probably the best yet.



As you see here, the airflow comes through the deck and goes up against the coils.
But that center post with the little holes provides more air that hits the coils from the side.
What you can't quite see here is that there is a third air-supply. The chimney is double-walled, air flows down through the space in between and hits the coils from above.
I hadn't expected it to draw as well as it does. The amount of airflow you can get through a 22mm atty is limited by how much room for airholes you've got. So, the guys who designed this squeezed in more air by squeezing in more air.
Also, getting the air to flow against the coil from different direction supposedly improves flavor. It does taste pretty nice.
It has other neat features. Atties with top-fill commonly "spew", or whatever verb you use. Juice comes out through the air-intake.
This can happen with any kind of atty with an air-intake at the bottom, really. But with top fill, it's worse. You open up the top, suddenly air-pressure can equalize and won't hold the juice in anymore. Closing the air-intake can help with that, but doesn't always.
The juice holes, where the juice gets at the wick, you can close them up entirely with the liquid-control it's got. No leackage!
Only criticism I've got is that you can't fit more than a 3mm inner coil-diameter in there. But then again, this is a 22mm, there's only so much room.

[Jaeger]

That said, I must ask: why 75W? I have 50W on mine and I never use it. Is more wattage better?

It's a straight-forward equation, really. If you can understand a Keihin and/or Amal carb, you can understand this. If you understand a SU or Weber carb, you are a higher being beyond mortal flesh or needs, and you shouldn't be asking this (I don't say you wouldn't, just that you shouldn't).
If you claim to know how a Zenith or Stromberg works, I strongly suspect you might be lying. Since, if it don't, how do you know how it's doing what it's not doing?
If you know how many pain meds I gobbled this evening, you're my neurologist/pain-therapist. Hallo, Herr Kaiser!

Basically, you can see the Wattage as your fuel supply. If you run a rich mixture, or just a bigger carb on a bigger mill, you'll need to get more petrol in there.

First, I'm a fuckin' idiot when it comes to engineering. That said, I have a reasonable grasp of physics, so I get the "put more energy into the system and more juice will vaporize. Likewise, "more resistance will cause more heat."

I'm just confused since every time I've tried to really ramp up the wattage, a few things happen:
1) The vape is too hot, and most of the time I start getting that burnt taste, even with a new coil. (This may be because I have the nic too high.)
2) I go through a lot more fuckin' juice. That's expensive.
3) The coils seem to burn out faster, which is also expensive.

Is it really worth the tradeoff? What I have now scratches the nic itch reasonably well.

If you have an atomizer that allows only a little air to pass, you only need a little amount of vapor.

This might also be a consideration. Even with the air holes wide open, the Kanger tank still has some resistance when I draw through it. I've assumed that's as designed. Is it?

I'm also considering getting one of those Nautilus tanks, since they're well-regarded and pretty ubiquitous. I'm also told they use less juice with the over-Ohm coil. I just wish I could try one before dropping $50 on it.

EDIT: WTF is wrong with me that I always write so damn much?

Jesus, man, we don't have enough time...

--Jaeger

[DerGolgo]

Likewise, "more resistance will cause more heat."

That's what I always thought. But this is electricity. When you think you've got it cornered, it jumps out of the closet behind ya. In a lush, velvet smoking jacket, pilot's sunglasses, with a Stuyvesant 100 on a cigarette holder in one hand and a martini (TWO olives!!) in the other.

For direct current, the formula is this: Wattage = Voltage x Current = Voltage² / Resistance. Let's recall, Current = Voltage / Resistance.
So to get higher Wattage with the same voltage, you need higher current. Higher current, with the same voltage, needs lower resistance that the voltage is divided by.

The cloud-chasers here started out as "Subohm" vapers, because they'd build their RTAs with lower and lower resistance. For big clouds, they needed big watts, and there was only so much voltage to be found in conventional Li-Ion batteries.

1) The vape is too hot, and most of the time I start getting that burnt taste, even with a new coil. (This may be because I have the nic too high.)

The first tells me it's insufficient airflow. As we learned from Mr. Jordan's shoes, Air adds coolness.
The second that not enough juice gets to the coil. Heat that doesn't get into juice snuggles up in the convenient cotton.

2) I go through a lot more fuckin' juice. That's expensive.

If you want to save money on juice, you must either reduce your juice consumption (think "Prius") or get cheaper juice (think "Keystone XL"). Or go the alternative route altogether and make your own. There is a short primer for that earlier in this thread (look for a post with a "spoiler" button).

3) The coilheads seem to burn out faster, which is also expensive.

Different coilheads from different makers last for different amounts of time. My TFV4, running at 65 to 75 Watts as I previously mentioned, depending on how much I use it, it'll last as much as a week. I could suggest getting an RTA. You don't "need" to roll your own coils, you can buy pre-made little coils that you only have to feed cotton through. They even sell them sorted by weekday, like a pill minder:

Good vaping cotton, like Cotton Bacon V2, is fairly cheap. You can use simple drug-store cotton, but I do not recommend that.
Since I know you yourself don't take the vape with you when you emerge from your underground lair, you wouldn't be inconvenienced by burnt cotton when you're on the go. You would have to buy some tweezers. Ideally, some regular ones, some pointy ones and at least one pair with ceramic tips. Flush-cut wire cutters are also recommended, as are precise cotton cutters.
A household nail-care set and regular wire cutters will work, too, for a start.
I'm half blind but, thus far, didn't have to use my "third-hand" magnifying glass when rebuilding an RTA or RDA, just my reading glasses.

If you do get an RTA, I'd recommend the Gemini. It's got good flavor, is reasonably easy to build, has convenient, accessible top-fill but won't leak when refilling, and has airflow that's quite adjustable. I've just dialled mine down to 30 Watts and closed off most of the air supply. Flavor was still okay, but the volume of vapor was too little for me, the airflow to restricted for my tastes.

For any RTA, I'd recommend looking for something with a "Velocity style deck" where you have a two posts, one on either side of the deck. Maybe ask the guys at your local vape-shop for something that's plus-easy to rebuild and whether they'll let you have a try at vaping it.

Is it really worth the tradeoff? What I have now scratches the nic itch reasonably well.

Don't fix it if it ain't broken, quite right, quite right. The only reason for you to get a Guardian III would be to have the suave aesthetic and intimidating power of pointing-by-pipe. It is adjustable, mind, you can turn it as low as 1 Watt. I don't use the whole 75 Watts myself. I turned it lower yesterday, just stopped when it was in the mid sixties. I had been vaping away for a few minutes when I noticed that, by coincidence or by providence, I had ended up at 66.7 Watts. Where else, of course.

If you have an atomizer that allows only a little air to pass, you only need a little amount of vapor.

This might also be a consideration. Even with the air holes wide open, the Kanger tank still has some resistance when I draw through it. I've assumed that's as designed. Is it?

Yap.

I'm also considering getting one of those Nautilus tanks, since they're well-regarded and pretty ubiquitous. I'm also told they use less juice with the over-Ohm coil. I just wish I could try one before dropping $50 on it.

I've never used one myself, I only know it's several sizes too small for me. I'd suggest mailing around vape-shops in your area to see if anybody has a demonstrator you can try out. Or buy a clone from China for $12.16. That might entail dealing with customs, though.
I just looked on ebay and found an ostensible original one from a US retailer, new and all, for $13.49.

EDIT: WTF is wrong with me that I always write so damn much?

Jesus, man, we don't have enough time...

--Jaeger

Ve have Vayz to make you talk!

[jae]

ok, so temperature control and coils...

I've had a couple of days with the Nebox now using the Ni200 coil that came in it with temperature control. I'm not entirely sold on the temp control thing. I don't know if I'm just "doing it wrong" or what, but what I find comfortable is WAY off the default settings for the mod. The default options are to run at 7W/300C, 7W/600F, 60W/300C, or 60W/600F. I'm not sure why these are the defaults, as the coil lists an operating range of 15-50W (or some such), and 300C is really not far off 600F. Either way, I ended up finding a more comfortable setting running 40W/325F (163C). This seems pretty far off the default, but was more enjoyable. However, while playing around I think I may have burned the coil a bit. On one hand I want to pick up some more Ni200 coils to see if it's any better, but on the other I'm a little leary of using the Ti or Ni coils at all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKlDLtcy9Es" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

After pulling the Ni coil I decided to try out the replacement Clapton coils. So far, I really like them. I'm running them at a bit higher power level than I have been running the standard coils (30.0W vs 21.0W). I'm not sure if the Nebox just allows more air than the Mini Subtank or if it's the coil itself, but it does seem to take to the higher power a little better, offering noticeably more vapor. I'll report again on the Clapton coils after I try one out in the Subtank. Even for standard mode, I think I'm coming to prefer the Nebox for regular use. The tank is more difficult to clean if changing juice (as opposed to just mixing), but it seems much larger at 10mL (looking it up the mini subtank is 4.5mL) which is nice for long days out.

[jae]

Well, that clapton coil had much better flavor, but it also got a burned taste really quick, like 3 days. I'm not sure if it's because I was running it at a higher power level, or maybe it's a fluke, as I've had the standard replacement coils taste bad within a couple of days... it is weird though because when I look inside the standard coils the cotton is typically really dark (almost burned looking) when it gets a bad taste, but this cotton just has the same golden color as the juice I've had in it. I'll try another one when the standard coil is ready for replacement again.

Regardless of coil, I'm loving having a 10 mL tank.

[DerGolgo]

Two possible explanations.
One, your cotton has actually browned - only the shade is the same as the liquid, so it doesn't stand out.
Two, the cotton may have smoldered a little bit where you can't see it. Keep in mind, a Clapton has more mass than your simple wire, so it takes more to cool it down. The liquid isn't quite there to take care of the heat, the cotton can get a wee little bit burned. Won't really stand out, but I've had that in RTAs when the cotton looked fine but didn't taste quite fine anymre. Or had browned only deep in the coil, where I couldn't see it from the outside.

[DerGolgo]

Improvised me a stand for me pipe. Whatdya think?

The black vape-band I put on to protect the glass tank seems ever so appropriate ...

[Jaeger]

Ha!

And a "vape band," you say? That's a good idea.


--Jaeger

[jae]

I've started using the Kanger RBA that came with my original kit, along with the cotton bacon. The cotton that came with the kit was horrible, but the cotton bacon has made the RBA my favorite coil so far.

DG, have you messed with winding your own coils much, and if so, have you ventured into some of the more odd builds? I saw one yesterday called a stove top coil. I'm curious to try it out.

[DerGolgo]

What exactly do you mean by "winding my own coils"?
I've built coils from boring old wire.
I've built coils with wire in parallel, up to six strands.
I've also made me some clapton coils. I went so far as to build myself a clapton-coil-tool. The clapton never really convinced me when I made my own. But the store-bought ones work very nice.
Similar with braided coils. I worked out my whole own technique for braiding, put a lot of work into that. Braided were my no-question favorite about six months ago. Now, you can buy braided in different varieties, ready made and without bloodied hands. This one was my own work:

12240306_429334070607561_7861939345230052115_o.jpg

Twisting, well, obviously I've messe with that.

As for the stove top, I'm familiar. Bought myself some a while back, but never figured out how to make it work good.
I've tried building coils with a non-circular cross section, oval and all. Didn't work, the most heat where liquid flow was the least.
These ones were with pre-fabricated stapled claptons.

20151212_003919(0).jpg

Something that works with some atties is the chimney-coil. Uninterrupted airflow, but won't work with many atties.

20150216_202842.jpg

20150216_204546.jpg

[Jaeger]

OK, riddle me this: once you've wound the wire, can you reuse it and just replace the cotton?

--Jaeger

[DerGolgo]

... yeah, sure. All the time.
Depending on a few things, I may use the same build on an atty for weeks, months even. Just changing out the cotton when it doesn't taste right anymore.
At some point, even fresh cotton won't taste good anymore, I supposed the wire oxidizes or something.
If you avoid dry-hits, and don't mind "impure" flavors (some people change the cotton EVERY time they change the juice flavor), a wick can last weeks or months. A coil can last longer than that, no worries.
When the little coil cartridges for your atomizer goes bad, it's almost certainly just the cotton. The metal coil itself will almost certainly be perfectly fine.

[Jaeger]

... yeah, sure. All the time.
Depending on a few things, I may use the same build on an atty for weeks, months even. Just changing out the cotton when it doesn't taste right anymore.
At some point, even fresh cotton won't taste good anymore, I supposed the wire oxidizes or something.
If you avoid dry-hits, and don't mind "impure" flavors (some people change the cotton EVERY time they change the juice flavor), a wick can last weeks or months. A coil can last longer than that, no worries.
When the little coil cartridges for your atomizer goes bad, it's almost certainly just the cotton. The metal coil itself will almost certainly be perfectly fine.

Right, but the cartridges aren't really set up for re-use. They only seem to last about a week -- sometimes more, sometimes less.

What this sounds like is that I need to get off my ass and wind some wire to save some money (and time).

--Jaeger

[DerGolgo]

Right, but the cartridges aren't really set up for re-use. They only seem to last about a week -- sometimes more, sometimes less.

That's the business model. It's easy and convenient - but pricey.
Those look familiar to ya?

What this sounds like is that I need to get off my ass and wind some wire to save some money (and time).

--Jaeger

Save money, sure.
Save time, nope. Not if you really build your own coils. It takes practice to build good coils ... and it just draws you in, like any sneaky hobby.
Early on, replacing your wick, cotton or whatever, will be the major reason why you have to build new coil. It's easy to slip or do something clumsy or whatnot and destroy the coil.
I absolutely recommend it, it's fun and a nice form of mechanical meditation, coiling zen. I have all the practice you can ask for in coiling. Rebuilding a dual-coil atomizer will take fifteen minutes, absolute minimum. Of that, actually installing the coils is like a minute. Another minute or so to glow the hot-spots out. A minute or two for the wicks, depending on how exactly the RTA is laid out.
If you are sure you want to save serious time, you'll use ready-made coils. If you manage to break one, just grab a new one from the box. You should be able to rebuild a device completely in about five minutes, only very little dexterity or finesse required. Just putting in fresh cotton will go a bit quicker.

[jae]

What exactly do you mean by "winding my own coils"?
...

Yes, exactly that. I know we had discussed it at one point but wasn't sure how "adventurous" you might have gotten with it. I've been watching "rip trippers" youtube channel recently where he winds some of the more complicated coils (inception, stove top, etc). It's interesting to watch, but I don't feel like I need that level of complexity.

Right, but the cartridges aren't really set up for re-use. They only seem to last about a week -- sometimes more, sometimes less.

What this sounds like is that I need to get off my ass and wind some wire to save some money (and time).

--Jaeger

Regarding coil quality and ease of use, I seem to recall you also purchased the Kanger SuBox kit, correct? That kit should have come with a rebuildable coil. It looks like the OCC replacements except that it has a removable cylindrical cover, and comes with a coil installed as well as a spare coil, some cotton, and a tiny blue-handled screw driver. This is what I was referring to. I was never happy with it when I tried it with the cotton that came with the kit but once I tried it with the Cotton Bacon stuff, it's now preferred over the OCC replacements. I haven't tried to wind my own coil for it yet, but I do have a spool of twisted wire that I may give a shot here in the next couple of weeks.

[DerGolgo]

Making my own claptons was as adventurous as I got, ya. Or braided, three and five loops, with or without crossover, if that sounds adventurous.
It took a while for fancy wire to convince me, but once I could by them in stores, I was a convert. Mostly.
"Alien Clapton", as you can buy at Focalecig (their stuff specifically, actually) is among my favorites now, besides a simple claptom. I've got some stapled claptons around, and I use them, but it doesn't quite impress me that much.
Right now, I've got Alien Clapton in my VCMT, two-strand-parallel Alien Clapton in my Temple Dripper, a simple micro-coil in my Gemini and a two-strand-parallel micro coil in my Dove V3 30mm. Those are the four right now on my desk, mounted on mods. I like to have variety I can just reach for.
Till this morning, I had a simple clapton in the Gemini, but that didn't taste right anymore even with fresh cotton. It's a pretty cramped deck, hence the micro coil. The thinner wire means I can get a decent amount of cotton in, even in the cramped confines.

I've tried building stapled claptons, and failed. Most adventorous I ever got was trying to clapton around some twisted wire, but that day my claptoning skills let me down and I just couldn't get a regular, even winding of the outer layer.

[DerGolgo]

And heck, I thought, that delightful Buttermilk-Lemon juice is out, I can just put a new batch on the magnetic stirrer before I go to bed and let it stir over night.
11% aroma concentration, no worries. Empty the bottle, add the PG to get to 20ml ... wait, that was a 10ml bottle ... add another ml of aroma from a fresh bottle. So I'll get 79% VG, it'll be fine. Add the glycerine on top to make 100 ml and ... hang on, why is the bottle of nicotine-loaded VG I always add a few ml from, for my low nic concentration, why is that still sitting over there?
So there I am, with a mix of 79ml glycerine, 11ml aroma and 10ml PG ... it's about 1:fuckall AM and I have to dig out my math to figure out how much nicotine-loaded VG and yet more aroma I must add on top. I like doing these calculations, normally. Just not at 1:fuckall AM.

[DerGolgo]

Just FYI: this year, a few different brands have come out with ceramic coils for popular cartomizers like the Subox.
I'm pretty sure there are aftermarket parts for the Subox in particular, but there even is an original from Kangertech.
I have NO experience with these, and no intention of gathering any.
The idea is that, instead of cotton, the cartridge is filled with a porous ceramic. Even if you get a dry hit, this will not brown, singe or burn, obviously. Hence, the great lifespan extension claims.
As I stated before, it has been my experience that, eventually, the very wire itself will go bad and taste crappy. I don't know, but I suspect that, before such happens, even the ceramic material might start degrading, clogging, whatnot.
No clue. And no intention of getting any myself. But just as an FYI.
http://www.kangeronline.com/products/ka ... ramic-coil" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
5 for $24.00, though that'll be plus shipping, I expect. And I dunno if they sell directly to individual customers or only handle wholesale, but they suggest a quantity of "1", so perhaps you can buy direct.
You may wanna look around for any reviews of such on youtube. If any reviewers find these last, say, twice as long as the cotton kind, you can work out potential savings easily enough.
That same site offers the OCC coils, 5 pack, for $19.50. So even if the ceramic are fine for only a quarter more time than the OCC, you'd start saving money. Not much, but it'd be a start.

Still. My recommendation: Get a user-friendly RTA. I recommend the Gemini. If you don't buy from China, it's not very cheap. But value for money, it's good.
Buy some factory made coils. These are the best price a quick google would fine me. I'd email them first and inquire about precise dimensions, or whether they fit the specific RTA you end up getting. Or the RTA inset of your Subox. Buy a bag of Cotton Bacon V2. Get a cheap flush cutter (you won't use it much, so cheap will do for a start) and some good cotton cutters.
I suggest calling around vape stores in your area. Ask them: do they stock factory made coils? Do they have the Gemini or another RTA with a "Velocity-Style deck"? Will the coils fit that RTA?
If so, start haggling, and maybe ask whether they stock Cotton Bacon V2.

[DerGolgo]

Say "Guten Tag" to my little friend ...

20160503_220333.jpg

... the Fatboy 46mm.

20160503_220346.jpg

That's UD Kanthal A1 CLapton wire, 26 gauge and 32 gauge. Wound in 2 strands parallel around a 5mm core.
My IPv5 at 200W feels like it's barely getting going.
Gotta wait till tomorrow for the solvents to free my 240W Mod of my misguided repair attempts using Gorilla Glue to see how good it goes with a little more power.
200 Watts feels close to my personal limit, though.
Yap. That one is big enough.

[Jaeger]

Say "Guten Tag" to my little friend ...

20160503_220333.jpg

--Jaeger

[jae]

BTW, my new atty that I'm using in the pics above.
It's called the "Gemini", and as far as 22mm RTAs go, I think this one is probably the best yet.



...

How are you liking this? I'm searching for a tank with either off-the-shelf coils or an RTA to use with the tesla mod I just picked up. Finally built a coil I like for the RBA in my Kanger tank, but it's still only a single coil setup and don't feel like there's any advantage to using the Tesla over the Kbox with it. Besides, it gives me an excuse to get new toys

[DerGolgo]

I like it a lot, actually. Good flavor, good airflow.
If you want "off the shelf" coils, complete coilheads with cotton and all, the SMOK Tfv4 is a close runner up to this one. You can use complete, ready-made coil-heads or an RTA deck. Different varieties are available. It was brother Jaeger who suggested using a needle to make additional holes into the wick material, to enhance juice-flow and avoid burning it. Effectively enabling higher wattages.

However. Besides ready made coils, where there's just wire that has been coiled, there are now "notch coils".
Not really a coil, but a little piece of fine metal tube with bits cut out.
The ones I've tried, by Wismec, taste alright and have a reaction time that's downright criminal.

Beware, though. They come with different wire-arrangements that may or may not be suitable for your atty, and if they're too big, that'd be unpleasant, too.

[jae]

Have you used the Biillow RTA's? I recently saw a review on a Billow V3 plus (25mm) that makes it look pretty appealing. This almost seems to be one of those times when there are too many choices and I don't want to examine every single one because I'll never get around to actually buying one... also interested in the Griffin 25 (mentioned briefly in the review below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmw6kUu5AZ4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DerGolgo]

I haven't tried the Billow, or the Griffin, I'm afraid.
A friend of mine has the Griffin, but not the 25mm version. He is envious of the Gemini, because of the nifty airflow.
I did look at the Billow V2 a few times, but that was that, never had any personal experience with that or with the Griffin.

If big is what you want, still haven't seen anything to beat the VCMT 30mm. They also to a 25, but the 30 is worth it. Build like a tank, makes huge clouds and, if you know what you're doing, can deliver decent flavour, too. Please note: I bought the pricey original, not a clone. I know of a few people who bought the clones sold by Focalecig, for instance. Don't. Just don't. It's worth the full price.

I've just looked at my atomizer rack, still coming back from hospital, getting back into my old vaping habits. So haven't used it in a while, but it's the one I had packed as a double-plus-emergency-backup when I did go to hospital, my Augvape Boreas.
It's "only" a 22mm, and doesn't have quite as much airflow as I usually like, a little less than the Gemini for instance.
But I keep it around, because it tastes nice.
The design of the innards is a wee bit awkward, and it's actually not something I want to have to rebuild in a hurry, but it's nice.
But I'd recommend the Gemini more than the Boreas.

[jae]

The only real draw of the larger RTA's is that I like the 5+ mL tank options (about what I use in a standard day, if I vape during the day), and it seems like a larger deck is just going to be easier to build on. Beyond that, I may just take a leap and try something new.

Little more research, watching reviews, and I was down to the Geekvape Griffin 25, OBS Crius Plus 25mm, and the Billow v3 Plus 25mm. Several video reviews later and I decided just to spring for the Billow v3 Plus. Will post more when I get it in.

[jae]

I got to play with the Billow v3 Plus a bit last night. First thing I do? Wick it improperly and burn the cotton. Oh well, it's easy enough to fix.

This thing has HUGE air flow, enough that I switched to the smaller tip and am only running the air control at about half open. I built the dual coil setup with the coils it shipped with and it's reading ~.3 ohm on my kbox (I should probably get a real ohm tester or use the DMM I've got). I haven't turned the Tesla up past "II" yet, and it's more than enough vapor for me.

I did make the mistake of immediately throwing in a new juice I'd never tried before (cream caramel coffee), and I'm not terribly happy with the flavor. Seems that just about every coffee juice I try just immediately tastes burnt. I'll probably re-wick over the next couple of days and try some juice I'm more familiar with before I can comment on the flavor, but so far I think I'm going to really like it. Next up will be winding some coils with the quad-twisted kanthal wire I've got, see if I can get the overall build down to about 0.2 ohm. From what I'm reading that's supposed to be close to the "sweet spot" for the TI3.