[Hello]

I'm curious on the pen-style too... 

[Getting Adventurous with New Mod]

Welcome to Vapor Talk!

The Aspire Archon has TCR mode so you can use Kanthal and Nichrome in TC-mode, but dialing them in is kinda finicky because you have to know the Temperature Coefficient of Resistance (TCR) value of the wire you are using...  Once you have that, you can put the MOD into TCR mode, key in the TCR value, and vape happy (once you dial in the temperature, that is).  Length of wire, coil size, micro/macro coil, etc. will also affect the TCR value, but it should be minimal.

Here are some TCR values I've used with success ...

Ni200: "0600" [0.00600] (According to Steam-Engine.org)
TitaniumGrade1: "0366" [0.00366] (According to Steam-Engine.org)
SS316L: "0088" [0.000879] (According to Steam-Engine)
SS317L: "0094" [0.00094] (According to Steam-Engine.org)
Nichrome: 0.00040 (According to DJLsbVapes)
Nichrome N60 (C): 0.000178
Nichrome N80 (A): 0.000112
Kanthal NiFe70: 0.0052

By no means assume these are absolute values!  You'll need to play around with your MOD and the settings to fine-tune it, but these should give you a good starting point?

[cotton candy taste.]

7 hours ago, Somewhat experienced said:

If I buy some flavoring (like you make a DIY juice.) and mix it up how much would/should I put in it? I have no other flavors at the moment sadly. 

Most flavorings I mix are at 10-20% total volume...  I would assume your Cotton Candy flavor is 10%, but that is just a guess.  Some flavorings are stronger than others, so you use less of them in a mixture, so @Tam suggestion of trial-and-error method of adding a few drops at a time to 10ml is a good way to start.

Depending on the specific gravity of the flavoring... it may take more or less drops to make 1ml... but the general rule of thumb is 20 drops equals one milliliter.

Another way to see what works is to almost fill your tank with your base (3ml is a good place to start), and add a drop or two of flavoring, shake well, and vape... If after 5 minutes, it is not strong enough, add a another drop...  repeat... until you get what you want in flavor.  After you get a flavor you like... say 4 drops in a 3ml tank... from there it's just math to mix larger batches... e.g. 40 drops of flavor per 30ml of base (roughly 32ml total)... and you may actually find 45 drops may be necessary for the larger batch?  Or, the way I'd prefer to mix it would be put the 40-drops (2ml)  in a 30ml bottle, and then add 28ml of base to make exactly 30ml...

This is just an example/suggestion on how to fine-tune it, but you can see how the method can be applied, starting with small batch and then working it up to larger batches.  But, even larger batches may need fine-tuning... of more or less flavoring... usually less for most flavors as they become stronger as they steep and mix with the base.

[cotton candy taste.]

^^ This is what I was about to suggest ^^ 

Build a different coil to 1.0-1.5 Ohms and I think you'll taste your flavor a LOT more than you do now.  Four wraps of 22ga is probably between 0.2 and 0.3 Ohms, and on a fully charged battery that's probably around 55W?  So all you're getting with that rig is heat and vapor... and at 70% PG, you're probably only getting the heat.

It's been a long time since I had cotton candy juice, but if memory serves, it tasted best (actually HAD flavor, which was more or less a sweet after-tate, not real flavor) in a Kanger ProTank 2 @ 1.8Ohms and about 10W... and flavor was less and less as I lowered resistance.

[Replacement coils that come with the tank kits]

1 hour ago, Tam said:

The coils you got with the Subtanks, did the coil come preinstalled in the tank? If I remember correctly, the coils that came with the Aspire Tritan 2 were wrapped and separate from the tank. Those coils, while they didn't last quite as long as the ones I get in the 5-pack, weren't... horrible.

One comes pre-installed (usually the 0.5 Ohm), and the other is not wrapped in plastic or paper and just stuck in a slot in the cardboard and foam.  I wish Kanger would ship their included coils in sealed blisters or wrapped in plastic. 

I'm still standing behind my theory that those "included" coils sit in a big bin (loose) in the factory, and absorb a lot of moisture and machine-oils while waiting to be popped into packaging or screwed into a tank... which is why they almost always taste burnt or "oily".  I think they only way you get a good coil from a kit is if the coil was packaged before it has had time to absorb all those machine oils and contaminants?

[Replacement coils that come with the tank kits]

@Tam is correct.... the last couple of Subtanks I bought (mini and nano) the factory coils were set aside for emergency use only.  It seems the coils that come with the tanks always are contaminated with oil or something from the factory and taste burnt no matter what you do to them.  I did try one of the 1.2 Ohm coils that came with one of the nano's, and it was a very tight draw and had a burnt taste from the get-go

[First Cloud Vape]

14 hours ago, Adversarious1 said:

I totally meant to mention that in my disclaimer about the differences between MTL and DTL.  Thank You @Bebopfor mentioning it.  

The lower the ohm level, the lower you are going to want to take your nic levels.  I started at 18mg nic and 1.5 to 1.8 ohm coils.  I quickly dropped to 12mg nic when I found I didn't need as much.  Before I dropped to sub-ohm levels (below 1 ohm) I did a lot of research.  A very basic rule of thumb is to cut your nic level in half when you go below 1 ohm.  That is definitely a good place to start, but I ended up going even lower.  Very rarely do I vape anything with 6mg nic.  Most of my vaping is 0-3mg nicotine nowadays.  

Cutting by half is a good start when you go to sub-ohm vaping, but I've found it is more linear than that... if you want to maintain the same Nicotine "feel" as you get from the higher Ohm coil.

For example... if you are using a 1.5 Ohm coil and 12mg Nicotine... and want to drop to say a 0.5 Ohm coil... you're dropping by 67% in resistance, so you should drop at least 67% in Nicotine strength too... to say 4mg (or 3mg if you are buying commercial brands that offer strengths in 3mg increments). 

Personally, I use 6 or 9mg at 1.2 Ohm... an when I (occasionally) use a 0.5 Ohm coil (59% reduction), I also drop my Nicotine by the same (or more) ratio... so that puts me vaping 2-4 mg strengths at 0.5 Ohms.

[An opinion on the U.S. Surgeon General's recent report]

By far, this is the best, most powerful paragraph in the article... and what many of us (including myself) have been saying since they first began talking about "vaping regulations"....

• "The potential harm of misguided e-cigarette regulation is magnified by the fact that powerful special interests seek to manipulate such regulation for their benefit. As my co-authors and I discuss in this new article from the Yale Journal on Regulation, current e-cigarette regulation is a product of a “Baptist & Bootlegger” coalition of well-intentioned health activists and tobacco companies. E-cigarette policy is also shaped by pharmaceutical companies, which see vaping products as a source of competition for their (largely ineffective) tobacco cessation products. I discuss these dynamics further here. "

[Vape health]

And the ingredient list in my DIY e-liquids:

• Vegetable Glycerine (USP food grade certified, 99.7% purity certified)
• Propylene Glycol (USP food grade certified, 99.7% purity certified)
• Distilled Water
• Natural and Artificial Flavorings (food-grade-certified, water soluble, no oils)
• Nicotine (lab-certified 99.9% pure, in VG base)

[Keeping my first vaporizer forever. What about you?]

I still have my first eGo-T... a black 650mAh battery.  I bought two of them with a 6-pack of CE4 cartomizers as my starter kit.  I used those for about a month before upgrading my tank to a Kanger ProTank3-mini, and still have that one (and another 5 I purchased over the years).  I still use the KPT3-mini with an eGo or small 20-30W mod, on occasion, just because it's convenient and stealthy to carry on bike-trips, or I use them when I'm working in the yard or garage... because they are durable and I won't cry if I drop one and break it

 

[i just came back from the dentist...]

26 minutes ago, Adversarious1 said:

If it's from the dentist you're probably safe because it's probably 100% cotton.  I've heard and read mixed results with it.  If it works for you, by all means continue to use it.  If you buy it, though, make sure it is 100% cotton gauze.  There are some types of gauze out there that contain cotton/polyester blends.  That could lead to some very unpleasant results.

There are also some used by the dentist with a coating which creates a barrier to prevent leakage.  This coating is a type of plastic, similar to the plastic on the absorbent blood-pads you find under your meat from the grocery store... if it has a coating... don't use it to wick your coils!

[Phillip Morris getting into Vaping Products]

On 12/12/2016 at 0:19 PM, Bebop said:

I had to raise an eyebrow at "70% conversion rate vs 20% with e-cig". 

Would love to see that study. Ha ha

Well, since they are "warming" an actual tobacco leaf... I would assume it would appeal to many cigarette smokers... although I'm definitely not agreeing on their assertion of 90% less harm!  I mean, you're still "smoking" actual tobacco, and only God and PM know what thousands of additives are in their "sticks"?

I also raised an eyebrow with the use of the word "conversion" more-so than the percentages quoted...  Converting from Bourbon to Scotch is still drinking whiskey, lol

[Needing some help!]

Which full size tank did they sell you?  A Protank 5?  ProTank 4?  Toptank mini?

I agree with @Adversarious1 they should have asked which resistance coil before they assumed they knew what was best for you .

Editing because I should have read your post more closely, lol

Yes, 20W on a 1.5 Ohm coil is pushing the limits... while you'd get decent vapor from it if you were using a higher VG liquid (50/50 at minimum), it won't produce the vaping experience you're use to getting from the 0.5 Ohm coil.

Hang onto those 1.5 SSOCC  for emergency use, but you'll have to pick up some 0.5 Ohm SSOCCcoils soon... if not from the local B&M, you might try our V|T store... Christopher has those coils at really good prices, too.

[Vaping impact on oral health]

I don't know what kind of study you're doing, and I'm not clicking the link to find out about a few subjective or bias questions which will likely lead to zero conclusions (other than "vaping is bad", which is the go-to for the medical/dental community).

As a former researcher, I can tell you the only honest study you can do, will take at least 500 test subjects and 10-20 years to conduct properly.  You'll need 100 each of non-smokers/non-vapers for control group...100 each current smokers, former smokers who don't vape or use any other nicotine diversion, former smokers who vape, and non-smokers who vape.  You'll have to also eliminate/mitigate environmental factors, excessive drinkers, caffeine addicts, and those who consume sugar (drinks/candy), or any other known oral-health damage causing factors.

I'd wish you luck on your endeavor, but we both know you're probably not going to be investigating this thoroughly (long-term) or seriously... because next semester you'll have a new pet-project to complete for your indoctrination officials (a.k.a professors)... rather than learning real dentistry....

Sorry for the cynicism, but I've been around long enough in the medical field to know smoke-and-mirrors faux-research attempts when I see it....

[What Are You Vaping Today?]

Yeah, the Russian is designed as a MTL or sssllloooowwww direct-lung hit RTA... but the flavor is still amazing from it

[What Are You Vaping Today?]

I decided to take a break from my ADV  and Subtank Mini this morning... and broke out my Russian 91% (authentic), wicked up a fresh 1.1 Ohm coil and filled her with a 6mg Caramel Apple I mixed last week... and I'm powering it from my well-used, black IPV Mini   Man, I forgot how good the flavor is from this little RTA, and how good the IPV mini feels in my hand

[Go above 3-4mm Inner coil diameter? With disclaimer 😀]

It all depends on the deck you're using... many RDA's have ample space for 4mm ID and 20ga wire... but on (say) a Subtank Mini RBA deck... 26ga wire and 3mm ID is about as large as you can go without contacting the deck or sides, thus shorting it out, or not having enough room for Cotton without restricting airflow across the deck.

I've played around building some crazy coils as well... but for most of us, there are limitations on the decks we're building on... and as you said... huge ID coils require lots space, lots of cotton, and lots of juice just to keep them loaded-up (not to mention airflow like a 4-ton HVAC unit, lol)... and unless you have massive surface area and power going to those large coils... the vape will be very weak... even then, the juice in the middle of the wick never gets vaped as it only holds "space/volume" to keep juice moving along the outer edge, which is all that really gets vaporized. 

You have to maintain a balance of coil size compared to the juice you're using, deck you're building on, and the Wattage needed to get a good vape   For me, building a 0.8-1.4 Ohm coil with a 3mm ID gives me a very satisfying vape (flavor AND cloud) on nearly any deck I build on... and I can keep the Wattage in a very safe range for a single 18650 regulated MOD...  under 40W...  I do build dual and triple coils in the 0.5-0.8 Ohm range on my RDA's... when I use them, which is rare these days... but for me, I've found 1.0-1.4 Ohm coils built on a 3mm ID mandrel seem to work best for my RBA/RTA decks (subtank mini, Russian 91%, etc.)

[How long have you been smoke free?]

I bought my first "real" vape also on 3/31/14... 

I bought an eGo-T 650mAh / CE4 starter-pack at the local  vape shop (carry-case, two batteries, charger-kit, six clearomizers, and two 30ml bottles of juice)... a week later I had two more 1100mAh eGo-T's and upgraded to EVOD tanks... another week later I was rocking my first Pyrex tank... Kanger ProTank3-mini... and on my 4th week, I upgraded to an Innokin MVP 2.0, two KPT2, and two Aerotanks

I tried cold-turkey, gum, patches, Chantix, and flirted with cigalikes for a while before buying a "real" vape product... and NOTHING worked like REAL vaping does!!  I started vaping on 4/1/14 and have never had another smoke since then   I'm over 2.5 years smoke-free, and NEVER felt better in my life.

My fiance has been smoke free for just over 1.5 years.. and vaping is the ONLY thing that helped her quit!

[Black Friday]

[Wanted Chart with coil ohms and watt range]

Welcome to VT!

I have several charts with resistance/wattage, and there are hundreds on the Internet...

What exactly are you looking for?  I mean, are you looking for sweet-spots or are you looking for specific coil's range of Wattage?  If the latter, you'll not find anything for that because the juice you use (PG/VG ratios and flavors) will affect how the coil performs, as well as the tank style... what tastes great in one tank/coil configuration may taste like wet socks in another tank/coil combo at the same Wattage setting...  Every tank/coil/mod/juice combo has their sweet-spot, but they differ from person to person, even then, because all tastes are subjective

[Hello all looking for suggestions]

8 hours ago, Tam said:

Ah... I see. So you get her new tanks to try but you get them when she decides they're not for her. Clever boy! Just kidding, but the idea has merit, yes?   

Yes, it has merit, lol.... And I guess a couple of the Subtank Mini's and Nano's that were bought for her, ended up in my rotation

But, she does use them... occasionally...  This morning she was using a Nano to vape her Caramel Apple juice... because she said "it tastes better in that tank", lol  Which brings us back around to the fact that some juices DO taste better in certain tank/coil configurations?

[What's your go-to battery?]

I'm with @Adversarious1...  My first box-mod was the MPV, and after about 18 months it just wouldn't hold a charge more than a few hours   I was kinda upset about that, since it still looks like new, and is not much more than a paperweight at the moment...  After that disappointment, I decided it is more economical and efficient to buy mods that use 18650 or 26650 batteries, and replace batteries, rather than buy a whole mod just because the battery went bad... kinda like having to buy a new car just because the battery needs replacing....

My go-to brands are Samsung and LG... and my #1 preference is the Samsung 25R-5 (green) and 25R-2 (blue) because they just last and last and last! 

LG HE2 (red) have served me well, but they seem to diminish their charge capacity after about 200 charges, whereas the Samsung I've been running for nearly 2 years are still working like new ones.  I've also bought some Samsung 30Q (pink) and LG HG2 (brown)... So far they are working well and holding their charge like new... but none of those 3000mAh batteries have passed 100 recharges yet

[Hi new here]

5 hours ago, Tam said:

I use single coils in my Aerotank with no problems. @Earthling789 is our resident expert on Aerotanks so you might want to wait for him to chime in.    

Christopher gave a great list above... and yes, the BCC (single coils) will work in the Aerotank V1 and V2, but the BDC (dual-coils) work far better for flavor and they seal better in the tank, which means less chance of leaking   One thing you can do is take an old coil and remove the little silicone seal from the top of the coil... the little "hat" that sits on the coil shaft and covers the top of the coil / seals the coil to the air-tube... flip it upside down and slide it onto the shaft of a new coil and that extra bit of silicone will help bolster "gap" and seal the coil in the tank better.  It's not always necessary, but if you find a coil that wants to leak a little onto your battery or out the air-holes... it's a quick fix!

For best results... the single coils (BCC) fit the EVOD, Unitank, ProTank, ProTank2, ProTank2-mini, and T3D.  The BDC fit best (and work best) in the remaining tanks @Christopher listed above.

I still use the Aerotanks quite often, and have almost exhausted all my BCC... Like I said, I prefer the BDC for flavor and longevity, but I've used plenty of BCC in them without issue, other than the occasional coil that wants to leak, and the additional silicone seal fixes it right up!

[Hello all looking for suggestions]

On 11/19/2016 at 3:48 PM, Tam said:

Why not just put on a smaller bore drip tip? That's what I do since I don't care for the large bore style myself. The top part that comes off so you can fill the tank? Just put a different drip tip on that, it's basically a 510 connection. Some drip tips need a little larger gasket to make them fit snug but...   

We tried that route, but even with a smaller drip-tip she wasn't crazy about it... but she will use it more than she did, originally... lol...  She's just set in her ways and really prefers her Nautilus over all the tanks I've set up for her.  If I were to hide her Nautilus tanks... she'd grab a Subtank Nano before the Triton (V1 or V2)... and I think her next choice would be one of my Aerotanks... she's a MTL vaper and anything that gives her too much air is left on the rack for me to use

[Hello all looking for suggestions]

@Tam is right about the Triton... it is far better suited for MTL vaping (like the Aerotank or Nautilus) even though it does have slightly more air-flow.  My fiance' loves her Nautilus, and she will use the Triton, but isn't fond of the large-bore drip-tip.  And, if you make use of the top air-flow for lung-hits, you don't get as much vapor...

There are dozens of good tanks out there right now, and I've not tried them all (and don't plan to) because I've found the one I like best, which is the Kanger Subtank mini, and it's little brother, the Nano.  They have good airflow for lung-hits, coils are cheap (and lots of resistance variety), the mini's come with an RBA deck, and they are just plain reliable and bullet-proof vaping   I run the 1.2 Ohm  horizontal coils for flavor, but the 0.5 Ohm are great for clouds, and the optional SS or Ni200 coils are well suited for TC (although I'm not fond of the flavor of the Ni200).  You can also use a variety of coil styles in them... OCC, SOCC, and the old BDC coils (Aerotank / KPT3) in a pinch.

I've thought  about the baby beast because everyone raves about them, but I'm not a cloud-chaser, so I've just not pulled the trigger on one yet... and may not unless I find one on massive sale or use my points to buy it...