Simple versus exotic

[Stranger]

Should have taken some pics but I am not clever with a camera, but I have been called a wordsmith so I will try my best to paint a picture with words.

Yesterday in my lunch hour I pulled out the Intake single. It has been sitting for around three weeks while I was using the Voopoo Pnp tank. A quick disassemble and I can see it needs a pitstop. Quick wash and dry, coil and cotton stripped out ready for new.

When I first got this tank, courtesy of @DarthBranMuffin, I used a 22 awg coil master single wire at around .5 and got a really good result. Second time around I went exotic and used a tri core Ni 80 clapton .3. Also good but a little warm. This time around I went simple with a Cotton bacon comp wire 24 awg single wire spaced. Aimed for .6 got .66

I enjoy building now and do it without any stress so I made a nice coil and took my time spacing it so that the wire had exposure right across the bottom airflow slots. The Intake is easy to wick and you just sit the cotton on top of the wicking holes with fluffy tails and cotton combed out so there are no clumps. I always take my time now with whatever cotton I use to break it in on the deck before re assemble. This time around Cotton bacon.

A good break in and loaded with a full tank of red pill. I know that some exotic coils will work the best in certain atties, but this simple wire coil produced the best flavour yet, knocking the socks off the clapton. I am now getting nuances from the Red pill that I did not get from the previous coils or from the mesh in the Pnp. Wicking is good as I get bubbles as I draw, vapour production is just right, not massive clouds but still full and moist. A mere 22w is the sweet spot and I am not burning through as much juice as I was with the clapton. Now I am also starting to wonder whether it now being cold has something to do with it. I know elevation does, but ambient temps ?

There is a lot to be said about older generation tanks and simple wire builds, lets be honest what we are getting now are attempts to improve on these older designs and there are some pretty complicated tanks out there that are maybe only marginally better. I read a lot of reviews and often see reviewers gushing over the latest and greatest and then admitting to using a 5-6 year old tank as an ADV.

What's your thoughts and experiences ?

 

[Rob Fisher]

For years I swore by simple high quality round wire Ni80 coils... I tried many exotics and was left less than impressed. Then I discovered The Coil Company Aliens and couldn't believe what a difference they made compared to the El Cheap Chinese exotics I had been trying. I have used nothing else since then. I have also used a few other high-quality brands like White Collar etc and they too are a big cut above the El Cheapo's!

 

[ace_d_house_cat]

After trying just about everything I now use flat clapton and (a few variants of) aliens exclusively. I haven't
found anything else that suits my vaping style (wide open airflow @ 50 - 90w) as well.

 

[Stranger]

Does any one else find it a little strange that we found one cigarette that we stuck to and all hell broke loose if we could not get them, yet we continually chase new adventures with vaping.

I think there is a lot in what is said about the the "other ingredients" in cigarettes that kept us addicted.

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

There something about what @Stranger said that resonates with me. When I look back, over six years ago, these are what made me quit smoking :




I even vaped the juice that came with the kits (I went through ten kits) until I found some Liqua juice which turned out to be cloned juice.

I then followed the well-known hype-driven rabbit hole. Kengertech Subtank Mini to Nautilus etc etc. RDAs to squonking simple wire builds to crazily exotic coils.

What I am getting at, is that if all vape products were banned and someone had a big enough bag to steal my vape kit in, I would be OK to return to the following kit and still not return to smoking.

 

[Rob Fisher]

What stopped me smoking was a Twisp Clearo and then a REO with 1,5mm round wire coil in an MTL Hornet RDA on a REO!

 

[Paul33]

I think there is a lot in what is said about the the "other ingredients" in cigarettes that kept us addicted.

I said this to a mate at work that thanks to vaping (and me) is coming up on a year smoke free.

he went to Jhb for the weekend and forgot his setup at home. He didn’t freak out. Just didn’t Vape. But he would never have gone a weekend without smoking!!!

 

[Paul33]

I said this to a mate at work that thanks to vaping (and me) is coming up on a year smoke free.

he went to Jhb for the weekend and forgot his setup at home. He didn’t freak out. Just didn’t Vape. But he would never have gone a weekend without smoking!!!

I think my point is to agree with what you said. The “other cr@p” in smokes is what your body craves, the nicotine is almost secondary.

 

[GSM500]

Does any one else find it a little strange that we found one cigarette that we stuck to and all hell broke loose if we could not get them, yet we continually chase new adventures with vaping.

I think there is a lot in what is said about the the "other ingredients" in cigarettes that kept us addicted.

I was a Chesterfield man.....Until BAT stopped making under license for Phillip Morris and the product changed, so I adopted Stuyvies. I started vaping in 2014 and I didn't have a rotation, I had a juice (French Pipe by Liqua) and it was used in a Nautilus Mega on a Pico. I loved this setup.

Then they stopped making French Pipe which got to me a bit, they replaced it with Dark Tobacco which was not quite the same so I went on a DIY rally and developed myself an ADV. Only a couple of months after that did I buy my first RTA and begin that journey.

I started with round wire and progressed to fused claptons and aliens. In an MTL setup the round wire worked just fine and as much as I use exotics mostly, I still build with round wire from time to time and it's still great.

 

[Timwis]

There something about what @Stranger said that resonates with me. When I look back, over six years ago, these are what made me quit smoking :

View attachment 230712


I even vaped the juice that came with the kits (I went through ten kits) until I found some Liqua juice which turned out to be cloned juice.

I then followed the well-known hype-driven rabbit hole. Kengertech Subtank Mini to Nautilus etc etc. RDAs to squonking simple wire builds to crazily exotic coils.

What I am getting at, is that if all vape products were banned and someone had a big enough bag to steal my vape kit in, I would be OK to return to the following kit and still not return to smoking.

I have a White one and Black one, well i say i have a black one it still has the Red buttons but it's mainly base metal! Great little single 18650 mod for the time of smaller diameter tanks but the finish was terrible!

 

[Stranger]

There something about what @Stranger said that resonates with me. When I look back, over six years ago, these are what made me quit smoking :

View attachment 230712


I even vaped the juice that came with the kits (I went through ten kits) until I found some Liqua juice which turned out to be cloned juice.

I then followed the well-known hype-driven rabbit hole. Kengertech Subtank Mini to Nautilus etc etc. RDAs to squonking simple wire builds to crazily exotic coils.

What I am getting at, is that if all vape products were banned and someone had a big enough bag to steal my vape kit in, I would be OK to return to the following kit and still not return to smoking.

So many bad memories, except for the Kangertech, that was great. Those clearo's and spinners were a nightmare. However, I promised my wife to stop smoking and she promised me that if I started again our sex life was over. looking back I found it more expensive then than I do now. Constantly buying batteries, I was mixing 3 commercial juices (Liqua double mint, Liqua menthol and 36 mg hell high nic) to get my ADV and even on MTL was drinking the stuff.

The world of DIY and building has been the answer for me.

This with the rebuild able deck was the catalyst

 

[DarthBranMuffin]

Even though I do enjoy a good exotic coil at any price, I always end up with HWN Ni80 24G flatwire in my Tauren RDTA/RDA and with 26g Comp Wire round wire in my MTL RTA/RDA.

I have gotten so used to the plainer spectrum of wires and know what flavor I am going to get with each juice paired with the tank/cotton/wire. For the Dvarws it is tricore fused claptons though all the way, and not any specific brand (running coilology at the moment), it just works better than the plain wires.

The occasional KA1 in a MTL setup still brings out the flavors that I started off with on stock coils before I started rebuilding.

SS316L round wire for the win when I want to play around with temp control/Replay on the DNA C's.

I don't like a "noisy" vape, so the plain wires are perfect for that, if it makes a noise, I wicked it wrong and can fix it.

It does not mean I dont like an "exoctic" coil and some of them are bloody awesome, BVC Coils by @charln as case and point, will always recommend it if someone is that way inclined.

With simple coils it is easy, you find something you like and you use it. With exotic you have to go through the process of finding the one and testing and trying and comparing and the range is a bit more extensive than plain wires. Almost like finding that holy grail of a MTL RTA that eludes everyone... just one more to try out, just one more to compare...

So my choice will be "simple" as it just works for me. @Paul33 will go for the more fancy smancy stuff, even if he does decide to get a Tauren one day...

 

[Silver]

@Stranger - you make some very good points

On normal versus "exotic" coils, I was always a believer in normal coils.

And still am. But on some tanks I find the exotics (in my case, not that exotic, just a VV superfine MTL clapton) gives better results, denser vape, richer flavour.

But it does use up more power and battery life.

On my Reo/RM2 I still find my simple parallel 29ga Kanthal coil is the best. Single battery and I like fast ramp. If I go with an exotic, there's not enough space and the battery takes strain.

Also I find it depends on the juice. On some juices I want it a bit denser. In others I prefer less dense and a milder vape - so a simple round coil is great.

Coil, tank and juice combo is definitely something that needs to be dialed in to one's taste. No single coil type suits all situations and palates in my view.

 

[Silver]

PS - I think one needs to experience with ones gear, different coil types and juices till you find something you really like.

Don't be afraid to try new things - that way you discover what you like.

PPS - Jot down notes on each situation - so you remember what worked very well.

 

[Stranger]

PS - I think one needs to experience with ones gear, different coil types and juices till you find something you really like.

Don't be afraid to try new things - that way you discover what you like.

PPS - Jot down notes on each situation - so you remember what worked very well.

100% agree, hence this https://www.ecigssa.co.za/what-wire-is-working-for-you-in-what-rtas-rdas.t72399/

 

[Paul33]

So my choice will be "simple" as it just works for me. @Paul33 will go for the more fancy smancy stuff, even if he does decide to get a Tauren one day...

 

[Paul33]

Even though I do enjoy a good exotic coil at any price, I always end up with HWN Ni80 24G flatwire in my Tauren RDTA/RDA and with 26g Comp Wire round wire in my MTL RTA/RDA.

I have gotten so used to the plainer spectrum of wires and know what flavor I am going to get with each juice paired with the tank/cotton/wire. For the Dvarws it is tricore fused claptons though all the way, and not any specific brand (running coilology at the moment), it just works better than the plain wires.

The occasional KA1 in a MTL setup still brings out the flavors that I started off with on stock coils before I started rebuilding.

SS316L round wire for the win when I want to play around with temp control/Replay on the DNA C's.

I don't like a "noisy" vape, so the plain wires are perfect for that, if it makes a noise, I wicked it wrong and can fix it.

It does not mean I dont like an "exoctic" coil and some of them are bloody awesome, BVC Coils by @charln as case and point, will always recommend it if someone is that way inclined.

With simple coils it is easy, you find something you like and you use it. With exotic you have to go through the process of finding the one and testing and trying and comparing and the range is a bit more extensive than plain wires. Almost like finding that holy grail of a MTL RTA that eludes everyone... just one more to try out, just one more to compare...

So my choice will be "simple" as it just works for me. @Paul33 will go for the more fancy smancy stuff, even if he does decide to get a Tauren one day...

Well I HAVE to build a simple Ni80 round wire in my Druga rta and tear your theory out. Maybe it’ll be AMAZING and life changing. That would be nice

 

[Stranger]

Game on

 

[DarthBranMuffin]

Well I HAVE to build a simple Ni80 round wire in my Druga rta and tear your theory out. Maybe it’ll be AMAZING and life changing. That would be nice

That is what we are here for... to push each other's buttons.... I mean limits...

Would love to know what your outcome is with a roundwire (or even flatwire) build for a change... keep us posted

 

[Stranger]

I couldn't be bothered with all that drill stuff and aliening and wrapping.

I just did this, it is stainless so you can use TC and replay.

So what you do is take some good quality paperclips, stainless steel mind you not the [plastic wrapped ones. Use these to secure the cotton wrapped around your coil rod and then insert into the post holes. Check your ohms before you fire it up.

 

[Paul33]

That is what we are here for... to push each other's buttons.... I mean limits...

Would love to know what your outcome is with a roundwire (or even flatwire) build for a change... keep us posted

But then you moaned at me on WhatsApp so now I’m not going to try. Probably better, my current build is fine and playing ball. I’m going to fiddle and bugger it up then be grumpy.

so thanks for the moan

 

[Timwis]

So many bad memories, except for the Kangertech, that was great. Those clearo's and spinners were a nightmare. However, I promised my wife to stop smoking and she promised me that if I started again our sex life was over. looking back I found it more expensive then than I do now. Constantly buying batteries, I was mixing 3 commercial juices (Liqua double mint, Liqua menthol and 36 mg hell high nic) to get my ADV and even on MTL was drinking the stuff.

The world of DIY and building has been the answer for me.

This with the rebuild able deck was the catalyst

It's sad how when Aspire and Innokin have gone from strength to strength Kangertech have fallen completely away, at one time it was really cool to use Kangertech products and they were amongst the most innovative. They do keep trying a come back and to be relevant again but either seem outdated or impractical as was the case with the Five 6 Kit!

 

[Paul33]

old thread revival:

I was bored this morning and needed to rewick the bp mods insider so for "fun" I took out the alien that was in there and threw in a 7 (or 8) wrap 2.5mm 22g Ni80 coil. came out at 0.34 which must be fate because that is exactly the ohm's that I had on the alien so I could use the same 22w I was using with the other coil and therefore the taste test couldn't be fairer.

I must admit I'm rather impressed. will run a tank of red pill through it and then try something else to compare but so far its really not bad! I do like how much simpler round wire is to clean and remove hot spots and I don't get any popping or spitting which is good because I like a quiet vape.

 

[Paul33]

on a side note I'm also going to watch the condensation with the simpler round wire compared to the fancier schmancy alien. Will report back.

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

We often convince ourselves that X is better than Y because of Z. We seldom have good evidence that Z is the miracle ingredient we think or have been told it is.

I have convinced myself that aliens are better than round wire coils. I have even convinced myself that hand-made aliens are better than machine-made aliens. I also firmly believe that better quality wire improves the flavour produced by the hand-made aliens.

Having said all this, I am willing to bet my left testicle that I won't be able to tell the difference during a blind test.

Test one: A hand-made alien with normal 316 stainless vs a hand-made alien with higher quality 316 stainless.

Test two: Hand-made alien vs mass-produced alien with the same wire.

Test three: Hand-made alien with normal wire vs mass-produced alien with high-quality wire.

I can guarantee that, with all the other components of the test being identical, I will not be able to identify the "best" coil.