Evolution Of A Vape (sort Of)

Greetings,

maybe I was bored. Maybe to much doom and gloom on all the bans of new gear and the shipping of it. I started to think - why not have some fun with some of the stuff I already have?



Cases in point - the two rigs in the picture above. I believe that all the hardware (mods and tanks) are over 5 years old. The setup on the left has a bit of a story about it.

Sitting on my desk is a few old tube mods that I wonder what it would be like to use again. I found a old (I think KFv3) tank laying around, built a very low mass 2ohm coil in it, filled it up and went and tried it out on my old 15W tube mods. Sadly not a one of them liked the KFv3 and would register the 2ohm coil. So what to do? I had a old Evic that surely could be put into power mode. While I was not to surprised that it all works (I've actually refilled the tank a few times and replaced the battery once) the vape is more restrictive than I tend to like and be it the build (or the 10W power mode) I don't really like the flavor of the unflavored juice with this. Another negative is that while it is top fill, there is no juice flow control so the atomizer get flooded each time the tank is refilled. While I could (and have) used it in a pinch, I can get 1-2 tank fills on a single 3000mah battery.

The setup on the right represents some historical firsts for me. Years ago when I first got into rebuilding a Lemo2 was one of three tanks I bought when I started. It was also my first top fill tank. Sitting under it is my first ever Dicodes mod (a #6). This mod is setup in TC mode with 380F temperature setting and 23W.

Be it the better tank or the use of TC mode, the setup on the right provides a good vape. The 26650 has enough mah to easily allow me to vape the tank dry (takes me most of the day) and since years ago I got Dicodes very over priced charger, I just drop the mod in the charger at the end of the day and its ready for more vaping in a few hours.

So, anyone else putting to use or having some fun with +5 year old vaping gear? How do you like it?


g.  

Greetings, while looking through my photo archive I found images that help show my beginning steps in vaping. I need to point out that during the work day I use losenges that I get from Costco so only smoked in the mornings before work and the afternoons after work.

Here's the first one taken July 6th 2015:


In March/April of 2015 the other half started complaining about my cigarette smoke. She had a eye issue that she found was sensitive to the smoke when returning from visiting her daughter. (she would get used to it but would complain when he first got back)

Looking to solve the problem possibly with Vaping, I picked up a Blue kit and some extra cartridges from (of all places Costco). It was not all that expensive and the batteries (or cartridges) did not last very long or put out much vapor. They did have a "coffee" flavor I did like. I continued smoking.

Next time she left for a few days with her daughter I dropped by a local vape shop and for ~$75-100 (I forget) they set me up with a iTaste CLK!, Aspire K1 (and Maxi) and 15ml of 18mg Strawberry juice. While it took 3 days to get used to the charging/refilling/exc of the setup I quit smoking with this setup. The 1.5ml tank and mere 800mah battery were the main limitations as well as "glassomizers" really did not put out much vapor.

With in a few days I'd upgrade the tank to a Nautilus mini and shortly afterwards I'd get Full sized Nautilus tanks and the Blue tube mod shown in the center. While this mod was a good match to the Nautilus tank, I grew tired of swapping 18350's so bought the other two tube mods to the right. One could take ether 2x18350's stacked or a 18650 and the Vamo v10 on the right could take a stacked set of 18350's.

By July of that year I had given up on "drop in coil" tanks (the store bought juice I was using was killing them in as little as a few days) and had decided to take the plunge into RTA's and into temperature controlled vaping.


At the time the two leaders in TC vaping was DNA and Yihi. I bought a SXMini ($200) and three different popular (at the time) tanks: Atlantis, SubtankMini and Lemo2. Two of the three could be used with factory coils or a RBA head, the Lemo2 had the unique feature of top fill. (I still use a Lemo2 today!)

Back in those days if you wanted to TC, you were going to do it with Ni200 wire. I decided I liked the 28AWG. A few weeks later I had added two more mods:


By this point in my vaping journey I was developing a few habits: I was 'marrying' a flavor with a tank, a tank with a mod and all battery charging was being done via USB port. I just cycled complete setups on two USB charge cords I had. Others liked complaining about the SXMini's battery door but I had no issue with it as I'd only used it once.

Sometime that summer (or was it fall?) I got tired of paying the outlandish juice prices and decided to make my own. Granted for YEARS I simply made 7mg or 18mg unflavored 100% VG juice but the cost savings allowed me to get dozens of different tanks and mods to play with and try out.

By April 2016 I took this image:


TC vaping had evolved from from Ni200 wire to Ti to NiFe48 and SS. Early TC mods only supported Ni200 (and some Ti) and newer ones supported SS. Mods I've bought had to have a user programmable TCR value. I've been exclusively using NiFe48 for years.

Finally by about 2019 I decided to get into vaping flavors. Knowing that RDA's or Squankers give the best flavor, I outfitted myself (Bullcity flavors) with a bunch of squankers and now have the option of vaping flavors. (many of my squankers are in my profile image)

NOTE: only one mod in the images I've shown is dead and no longer able to be in service.

These days I have mods scattered all over the house but in/for 5 main areas: morning coffee, home office, watching tv, night stand and to take with me in the car/truck.

Thats my story and journey - happy vaping!


g.  

Or maybe even a heretic, or a blasphemer?
I like mini tanks and small batteries. My favorite setups are mini protank version 1 clones with 650mah basic ego style batteries. Stainless steel finish, no funky colors or designs. Single bottom coil on the tanks, no air flow controls. Standard voltage batteries, no twisty things on the bottom, no usb passthrough, no digital displays, just a battery. I like the ego style because the protruding button is easier to find and helps keep them from rolling around. The lack of features I don't need means the batteries are small. I like small, sleek, simple.

I have a nice big fancy Smok vv/vw battery. If I cut my juice in half with VG I can blow some massive clouds without knocking myself out. I found this to be mildly amusing for a short period of time. I also found out that with my regular mix when I dialed around for the "sweet spot" I ended up at 3.7 volts...

The mini tanks don't hold a day's worth of juice, and the 650mah batteries don't last all day. So what? Tank gets low, twist it off and pop another on. Battery light flashes, same thing. I've got a battered old EGO case from my first starter kit, it holds four tanks and batteries and a bottle of juice with room to spare.

I got my first mini pro tank from a vape shop. I just assumed it was a Kanger, but there was no mention of Kangertech anywhere on the packaging or tank. Whatever, I really liked it. I figured the real deal would be even better so I ordered one online. Kanger had discontinued the version 1, so I bought the "new, improved" version 2. It was good, but I liked the clone version 1 better. The clone tanks are polycarbonate rather than pyrex, but I don't vape plastic eating flavors, so that's a non-issue.

Now I'm not knocking all the cloud chasing, coil winding, wick trimming gear heads that seem to dominate these forums, but if there's anybody else out there who enjoys vaping with a nice, simple, inexpensive setup, I'd like to hear from you.  

Okay, so i'm a dripper...... I only tried one RTA and it was an orchid. I don't like using it a lot because it is a "pressurized" tank, so if I take the top off to fill the tank and tighten it down, it pushes the juice out of the airflow holes. I HATE FILLING IT FROM THE BOTTOM HOLE!!!!!!! It takes 2 freaking years to fill it up and ain't nobody in my line of work got time for that!

Does anyone have a recommendation for an RTA that I can fill from the top easily, that IS an RTA. I will never buy a coil at a store, I prefer to make my own. Yes I test, Yes I sub-ohm, Yes I know all about battery safety, I just know absolutely nothing about RTA's.

Needs:
"Airy" airflow option. Can be adjustable but not necessary.
Top Fill
Single OR Dual option

AAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDDD......... GO.  

Hey all,

So, I've been really happy with my new setup (iStick 50w and 30w, Nautilus and Mini Nautilus). Everything has been working smoothly, but I have a problem with the replacement coils I purchased (and cannot return).

Went to go change out the coil in one of my tanks this evening. Filled the tank up as usual, made sure the air shaft and drip tip were clean, screwed on my new coil, filled the tank, and let it sit and wick up for half an hour. Took some pulls without firing, dropped it to 8w (to "step up" and prime the new coil), and immediately got a nasty burnt hit that I can still taste an hour later. Unscrewed the tank to see what was wrong, and noticed the wicking material was bone dry.

For the longest time, I could not figure out what happened, why it wasn't wicking...until I looked closer. The e-liquid holes on the replacement coil I have are TINY! The coils that came with the tanks have holes that are at least twice, maybe three times the diameter. The holes are so small that my e-liquid will not even enter them to soak the wicking material. I checked the serial number scratch off on Aspire's site and both boxes of replacement coils I have came up as authentic.

I'm displeased. $22 down the drain, now I have to rush and find a dealer who has the "correct" coils. I cannot use these coils whatsoever, and the dealer I purchased from does not accepted returns on atomizers.



On the left is the coil that came with the tank (both of my tanks came with this exact same coil, and two replacements that look exactly like it, but I've used them up and am on the new ones). On the right, the coil I purchased in a replacement pack of 5. You can see they look nearly identical, except for the size of the wicking holes. Also, the piece at the bottom seems a bit more flimsy, as you can see in the picture, it's not exactly straight with the rest of the atomizer.

So, can anyone point me to a dealer that has the coils I need? I'm afraid of ordering from somewhere and getting the ones on the right, which are useless and do not soak up any e-liquid whatsoever.  

I only have this problem with one juice flavor. It has to be the juice. Same tank and setup as all my others. I have a fresh coil and tank, load it up, and in less than a day my coil is gunked up and turns my clear juice dark brown. Is this safe to vape? It's annoying having to finish it and rinse my coil. Usually I can just fill my tank/top it off without worrying about cleaning it all. Anyone else have this issue?  

Starting from a clean - authentic nautilus mini - with a brand new 1.6 (or 1.8 it makes no difference) coil (coils also verified as authentic).

1. Turn tank upside down - with tip removed and fill with juice.
2. Take base unit and set so no air holes are open.
3. Put a tiny bit of juice around the o ring of the base unit (i get the issues if I do this or not)
4. Put 2 small drops of juice into the coil (I get the issues if do this or not)
5. Screw the coil into the base unit (as tight as you can comfortably get it without going past the obvious stop point and damaging something)
6. Screw the coil/base unit into the tank.
7. Turn nautilus mini correct way up.
8. Move air hole to a middle setting.
9. Take some primer puffs with no power.
10. Leave standing for 5-10 mins.
11. Begin vaping gently at 6 watts - moving up slowly to 10.

Ive tried all types of juice - both high VG and high PG and in-between. Invariably at some point i start to get the gurgle. Ive tried the following fixes:

1. Using a paper towel blow gently out of the air hole to get rid of juice - doesn't work - if i kept on blowing id blow the whole tank of juice out.
2. Take the unit apart - most times there will be juice in the base unit underneath where the coil sits - dry this out - dry the coil off and repeat from step 2 above missing out steps 3 and 4. - this sometimes works but its a temporary fix.

There seems to be no pattern to the problem. Sometimes the gurgle starts as soon as ive changed the coil - sometimes its ok for a week. I have 2 units and 2 spare tanks and have rotated them all using the above method - still get the issues.

I have actually never experienced the burnt taste or reduced draw because Ive always got sick and binned the coil before that point.

I am vaping generally at 9.2 watts - but have tried as low as 7 and as high as 13 - it makes no difference.

I don't draw hard - I cannot understand why I keep getting juice in the air chamber - its not a problem with a "dud coil" unless they are all intermittently dud coils - they are all authentic aspire and I've bought them from different places - so its not a dodgy batch issue - the rings are all the correct way up - I have spent hours and hours researching to try to fix these issues - and cannot for the life of me maintain a stable nautilus mini.

Can anyone save me from madness and tell me what Im doing wrong - Im tending towards a conclusion of all nautilus mini components are junk at the moment.

Many thanks in advance  

So I decided to get another clearomizer and the Donner by Amigo Itsuwa is what I got to replace my Aspire Atlantis.....
So here are my thoughts on it and it's just My Opinion:

Holds 4mls of juice - holds more juice so I'm not refilling my tank 2-3 times a day
.50hm Coil head is cotton & Kanthal wire & a wire mesh around the opening for better wicking ( You can use Atlantis coil in this thing and it's better in this tank then it is in the Atlantis) It comes with 2.
There's no notches or trying to center the coil head. It sits in the Clearo and just sucks juice lol
Great Flavor sub-ohm - The flavor you get from this is amazing, I was a little taken back bc I chose a sour raspberry and it really was more sour tasting then in any of the other tanks I had the same juice in
I personally like the drip tip but it's not for everybody
Adjustable air flow control is a wide slot - It's a slide around, but the draw from almost closed to full open is nice any way you wanna vape.
Vape production is great I use 10/90vg - 20/80vg


There are some things I don't like about this tank...
Priming the coil is a process - on a fresh coil the directions state to drop a few drops onto the coil, then once tank is filled let sit for 1-2 minutes prior to use. On your second fill of the clearo you have to let the coil sit for 2 minutes b4 use....I kinda wanna fill and vape, not fill and wait
Holding 4mls of juice is great, but if you can't vape 1ml of juice at the bottom of your tank it sucks. You can't vape the last ml of juice because the coil head sits to high so it can't wick the remaining juice.
I did find that when I put the Atlantis coil head in that the wicking was alot better then the coils that it came with, now this could be bc I am using a high vg juice.

So let's talk price....I bought this at a B&M so I paid A LOT more then what I've found online.
My price was $45.00
I have found these online for as little as $23.00
and for this price I would probably buy it again, not for $45.00
Iv'e been vaping on this for about a week now, I've gone through 2 coil heads in 4 days & now put the Atlantis coil head in it and am having better luck with it.
So there's my thoughts on my new clearomizer.  

just for fun I tossed this together. (anyone remember these?)



KF clone with 6 wraps of 30AWG Kanthal A1 @ 1.7 ohms @ 12W with 18mg 100% VG juice and one 18650 battery.

Expectation is that I should be able to get more than a few hours out of the setup before ether the tank or battery run dry.

g.  

So I have been vaping for a few months now. I started with the ego type battery starter kit bought from a brick and mortar ( you all know the deal, littile carrying case, 650mah battery, junk clearomizer, and bottle of funky juice). I knew after a week I would not stop smoking with that alone. I then went and bought the Vision Spinner 2 and a Protank mini 3. I was feeling quite happy with this setup and went from a pack a day down to 4-6 analogs. I was even feeling better health wise. I soon discovered the vast world of vaping and "needed" the iStick mod. I bought that and threw the Protank mini 3 on it and life was good. I had no problems with my iStick and it was a huge step up from what I was using prior. It "satified" my need of "smoking". Everything was going well untill one day I busted the glass on the tank. I was not gonna let that get me down though. My vaping buddy gave me a some sort of knockoff topper that used the aspire coils ( I beleive it was a Nautilus mini clone of some sort, branded with the local shops name ). Still it fed my habit well. Now let me say I live in a small town and there is 2 brick and mortar shops. I usally would buy my coils from them and a bottle of liquid every now and then but.....I bought my iStick online. Fast forward a couple months now and I live with 2 roommates (one is a total jerk, and the other is a party machine. We all are in our mid 30's). Well recently I get off work and come home to a "party" on a tuesday night (like usual). Now remember I live in a small town and everyone vaping is using the ego type with plastic clearomizer. The brick and mortar shops here selll those and $100 RDA (which only a few friends I know have). Well this particular night my iStick was the talk of the kitchen table. Everyone wanted to try it and push the buttons. "Who can hit it at the higest watt?" type conversations. The night is ending and Im getting ready to go to my room. I set the iStick on its "charger" (just a handmade cutout box I made for it) sitting on the kitchen counter. 8 hours later I hit the BREW button on the coffee maker and reach for the iStick. IT IS FREAKING GONE!!!!!!!!! Now here is the deal. Noone there the night before knew anything about using it or finding the "sweet spot". The thing is that the knock off tank I was using is a 510 thread and I was using the included adapter to ease the wear and tear on the threads. So I am left with a Vision 2 spinner and a tank that just does not fit it. I AM SO ANGRY! I bring it up to my roommate and she is like "no one stole it, you misplaced it". If anyone of you guys and gals are like me, you know where your setup is at all times. So that leaves me with a MARK 3 disposable for now.
Sooooooooo does anyone have a lead on a good deal right now online? I see threre is a 30 watt now available. So if anyone know of a great deal please PM me or reply. I have limited funds right now but do not want to go back to Parliment analogs. Thanks for looking and letting me vent.