# SS versus Kanthal



## Silver (12/10/17)

just starting this thread to find out what the main differences are between SS and Kanthal coils?

I know SS has a lower resistance and is capable of temp control, but what else do you find different?


Vape experience and taste?
Coil longevity?
And any difference in the gunking up factor?

Reason is that I have not experimented enough with SS but want to find out what the dofferences are before i go out and buy various SS gauges

I will mostly be making normal round wire coils, simple stuff.

@BumbleBee - i know you like SS and have some experience. What are your views?

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## BumbleBee (12/10/17)

Silver said:


> just starting this thread to find out what the main differences are between SS and Kanthal coils?
> 
> I know SS has a lower resistance and is capable of temp control, but what else do you find different?
> 
> ...


SS316L is my favourite wire. I'm stuck on 26g and have been for ages. I'll use SS Claptons in a really airy RDA on a regulated mod with a bit of power if I'm in the mood to chuck clouds but my go-to builds are 7 wrap 2.5 or 3mm 26g boring coils. Single strand dual coils or a single Twisted SS works wonders on a mech, I usually build at 0.2 to 0.25.

I still keep some KA1 around for when I'm feeling nostalgic and need a higher ohm build on one of the classic atties.

SS is almost exactly half the resistance of Kanthal and definitely gives a cleaner flavour across all flavour profiles, another plus is that it doesn't contain any nickel, I don't like nickel.

I can't really compare coil longevity between SS and KA1, I haven't used them side by side. But what I can tell you is that SS is so much easier to work with, none of that springiness of Kanthal, so rebuilding is so much easier.

@Silver, just grab a roll of 26g and give it a go, it will be fun, really

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## Silver (12/10/17)

BumbleBee said:


> SS316L is my favourite wire. I'm stuck on 26g and have been for ages. I'll use SS Claptons in a really airy RDA on a regulated mod with a bit of power if I'm in the mood to chuck clouds but my go-to builds are 7 wrap 2.5 or 3mm 26g boring coils. Single strand dual coils or a single Twisted SS works wonders on a mech, I usually build at 0.2 to 0.25.
> 
> I still keep some KA1 around for when I'm feeling nostalgic and need a higher ohm build on one of the classic atties.
> 
> ...



Thanks @BumbleBee , that is eactly what I needed

I do recall on the limited times I tried SS that it was feeling crisper but for some reason and i dont know why, i stopped with it and went back to Kanthal. I suppose one oof the reasons was my (generally) highish ohms - but as my vaping has evolved, my ohms have gone down a bit and the power up a bit.

Will try it out, thanks 

Will report back when i do

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## Raindance (12/10/17)

It may be all in my mind but I tried NI200 and swear I got a metallic hint in the vape. Also a huge stainless steel fan and settled on 24AWG but keep a batch of 26 and 28 AWG around for just in case as well.

Also running straight forward "boring" coils. 9.75 wraps 3 to 3.5mm ID 0.45 to 0.5 ohms. Using TC and heated wattage is about 14 watt. 75W preheat. Fires in milliseconds.

On the 24 AWG coils I basically re-wick every 3 days on average and replace the whole coil every two weeks or so. Running 2 setups with a third for the occasional MTL vape. Between the lot about 100ml to 130ml of juice per week.

Last fact, Using Kidney Puncher wire, not sure if that makes a difference but think I will stick to this brand.

Regards

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## BATMAN (12/10/17)

@BumbleBee , can you only use stainless steel in temperature control mode?

Also,is it true that it becomes very brittle once youve used your build for a couple of days or is that just a misguided opinion?

Sorry for the q's ,I havent used ss before but I really enjoy learning as much as I can about these things.

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## BumbleBee (12/10/17)

Silver said:


> Thanks @BumbleBee , that is eactly what I needed
> 
> I do recall on the limited times I tried SS that it was feeling crisper but for some reason and i dont know why, i stopped with it and went back to Kanthal. I suppose one oof the reasons was my (generally) highish ohms - but as my vaping has evolved, my ohms have gone down a bit and the power up a bit.
> 
> ...


I do recall you trying it before, you seemed to have gotten sidetracked by Ni80.

I generally vaped at around 40W on Kanthal, with SS I'm mostly between 40 and 50W, so upping the power isn't necessarily a requirement.

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## BumbleBee (12/10/17)

BATMAN said:


> @BumbleBee , can you only use stainless steel in temperature control mode?
> 
> Also,is it true that it becomes very brittle once youve used your build for a couple of days or is that just a misguided opinion?
> 
> Sorry for the q's ,I havent used ss before but I really enjoy learning as much as I can about these things.


You _can_ use SS in temp mode but I just run normal power mode. 

I haven't noticed that SS gets brittle, also never had a coil snap on me, unless it was caused by a mischievous post screw

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## Silver (12/10/17)

Raindance said:


> It may be all in my mind but I tried NI200 and swear I got a metallic hint in the vape. Also a huge stainless steel fan and settled on 24AWG but keep a batch of 26 and 28 AWG around for just in case as well.
> 
> Also running straight forward "boring" coils. 9.75 wraps 3 to 3.5mm ID 0.45 to 0.5 ohms. Using TC and heated wattage is about 14 watt. 75W preheat. Fires in milliseconds.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the feedback @Raindance 
Nice to know

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## BATMAN (12/10/17)

BumbleBee said:


> You _can_ use SS in temp mode but I just run normal power mode.
> 
> I haven't noticed that SS gets brittle, also never had a coil snap on me, unless it was caused by a mischievous post screw


Thank you @BumbleBee .

I have come across a couple of vendors who suggested stainless steel for my cloud chasing,though I was uncertain of whether to switch over from my old faithful KA1 

So you reckon that if I get a roll of claptoned ss wire,I could run builds on my Invader 3 and Invader 2/3 without damaging anything?

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## BumbleBee (12/10/17)

BATMAN said:


> Thank you @BumbleBee .
> 
> I have come across a couple of vendors who suggested stainless steel for my cloud chasing,though I was uncertain of whether to switch over from my old faithful KA1
> 
> So you reckon that if I get a roll of claptoned ss wire,I could run builds on my Invader 3 and Invader 2/3 without damaging anything?


Sure, SS Claptons will work just fine on those mods.

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## BATMAN (12/10/17)

BumbleBee said:


> Sure, SS Claptons will work just fine on those mods.


Thank you @BumbleBee for taking the time to educate me on something new today-i will definitely give this a go

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## BumbleBee (12/10/17)

BATMAN said:


> Thank you @BumbleBee for taking the time to educate me on something new today-i will definitely give this a go


Glad I could help, enjoy the SS, I doubt you'll miss the Kanthal

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## Silver (12/10/17)

BATMAN said:


> Thank you @BumbleBee for taking the time to educate me on something new today-i will definitely give this a go



Let us know how it goes @BATMAN

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## kev mac (13/10/17)

Silver said:


> just starting this thread to find out what the main differences are between SS and Kanthal coils?
> 
> I know SS has a lower resistance and is capable of temp control, but what else do you find different?
> 
> ...


For the last few months I've been using SS 316 exclusively building fused Clapton's.I think the flavor is better than kanthal and it is safer IMO after all frying pans are made from it.It seems to last and the gunk factor seems about the same depending on the juice. I've been pretty happy with it.

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## SAVaper (13/10/17)

I used KA1 for a long time but have switched to SS316L in TC mode.
6 wraps 26AWG on 3mm gives me between 0.4ohm and 0.47ohm.
55W start and 445'F
Change my coil and cotton every 3 days or so.

I have not noticed a massive change in flavour but I do prefer the constant temperature.

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## Chukin'Vape (13/10/17)

@Silver - When it comes down to flavour - In my experience if you are looking for bolder middle notes, then go for Kanthal - but if you are more interested in the top fruity notes, then go for SS. I found SS claptons an amazing all-rounder. People also rate Ni-chrome in the same league as SS, you should give that a go. 

The debate today is more around NI vs SS. But I dont have much to add on NI @RichJB I believe is building his own NI Claptons - so im sure he could add a bit to this thread.

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## Jones (13/10/17)

hi,
been using ss 316 exclusively, 24g 8 slightly spaced wraps at 2.5mm with TC firing at 25-30watts.Using CB2
flavor is amazing no more kanthal or cotton taste.
i find using power mode makes the SS brittle and have to change every 3-4 days . in TC i get almost 2 weeks.
The spaced coils makes for better wicking and flavour IMHO and also it doesnt gunk up as fast.

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## Waine (13/10/17)

I used to only use SS, believing that it gave a better taste. But I went back to Kanthal for its versatility and reliability. I have many types of wire on hand, but I use plain round Kanthal 20, 22 and 24 Ga for all my builds and I find it to be very satisfying.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## craigb (13/10/17)

I've got some some SS, NI80 and kanthal wire and coils, and for reasons I can't quite put my finger on, I tend to prefer kanthal and ni80 over the SS. 

You know when you drive someone else's car and you can't quite get the seat in the right position... That's SS for me. Given enough time and fiddling, I'm absolutely certain I would find my SS sweet spot, but generally find nichrome my favorite with kanthal comfortably in 2nd position.

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## RichJB (13/10/17)

I like Ni80 and SS equally for flavour. The main problem with SS is its low resistance which is vexing in dual coil builds where I want to run my typical 25-30W. On the other hand, the resistance of Ni80 and kanthal can be a bit high for single coils. Ideally, I'd want a wire that falls about midway between SS and Ni80 resistance.

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## Eisenhorn (13/10/17)

My 2c:

Kanthal: Horrid taste till the coils are properly run in.
Deeper flavour for mid and back notes, good with bakery and desert.

SS: No funny taste what so ever for me.
Needs a lot higher watts and throws great clowds. Better for upfront crisp flavours like fruity menthol. Ramp up is a bit slow IMHO.

Ni80: No funny taste.
Really crisp flavour that just makes fruit and menthol pop.
Faster rampup and cooldown than SS. 
Personally in love with Flatwire NI80 22g. 

Sent from my F3111 using Tapatalk

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## Stosta (13/10/17)

Wow! Judging from this thread I seriously need to give SS another try!

I tend to use NI80 and Kanthal, but can't really say that I've noticed much of a difference between the two, but if there is this much advocacy for SS I better revisit it!

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## AlphaDog (13/10/17)

Silver said:


> just starting this thread to find out what the main differences are between SS and Kanthal coils?
> 
> I know SS has a lower resistance and is capable of temp control, but what else do you find different?
> 
> ...


Hi @Silver 

I mostly use SS316L wire, but recently purchased a spool of Ni80 Flapton wire and I reallllly love that wire.

So just a few points with regards to my experience with SS316L:

I can do temp control builds in my RDAs - this is VERY important to me as I'll never get a dry hit if I forget to drip.
It ohms out lower than kanthal wire at the same gauge, same wraps, ID, etc
The ramp up/ramp down is faster with SS wire compared to Kanthal, but SS wire doesn't beat Ni80 when it comes to this factor
The taste is cleaner than Kanthal, but Ni80 seems better
I do find that after about 2 or 3 dry burn/rewick cycles (low-ish wattage), the SS wire starts looking dull, whereas Kanthal seems to hold up it's shine/lustre
On my DNA mods, if I run SS in wattage mod, the resistance climbs as the wire gets hotter. So for example, first hit is 0.16ohms at 80 watts, second hit is 0.25 ohms at 80 watts, and boom, scorched cotton because the resistance went up. So basically set your ideal wattage to the hot resistance of the wire, if that makes sense. Or just run it in temp mode (no need to lock resistance)
So in my opinion, SS316 is the best all rounder for both wattage and temp controlled builds, while Ni80 is the best for flavour and quick ramp up/ramp down...

Hope this helps.

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## Silver (13/10/17)

AlphaDog said:


> Hi @Silver
> 
> I mostly use SS316L wire, but recently purchased a spool of Ni80 Flapton wire and I reallllly love that wire.
> 
> ...



Thanks @AlphaDog - wow, that is great info
And to everyone above that has replied here.
I didn't think there was so much detailed info out there 

I will definitely give SS another proper go...

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