So I think I'd like to try building coils

[DoctorJ]

This is something I thought I'd never say! However, I would like to get an RDA and try my hand at building coils. Mainly I want to do this to try juices before I put them in a tank. I'm getting tired of getting a new juice and putting it in a clean tank with a new coil and the juice tasting like shit and then having to dump and clean the tank and coil.

Anyhoo, I need some suggestions from you pros out there on a good, user friendly RDA for the purpose stated above. I don't really see myself converting to dripping (mainly for convenience), but who knows. I would also really like to start using all the RTA's that came with my tanks as well.

I have my eye on a
Coil Master 100% Authentic DIY KIT Tool SET V2 with Latest Coil Jig (V3) Ohm Meter Tweezers 24g A1 Heat Resistant Wire
to get me started. If you think another kit might be better, let me know.
I won't be using a mech mod or unregulated mod so keep that in mind. I prefer a cooler vape and I'm not into cloud chasing. I prefer flavor over clouds and I am a lung hitter. I just need something simple to get me started. Also I need some suggestions for wire. I know I'll want kanthal or SS, no nickel. I normally vape at .5 or less. I have a basic understanding of ohm's law and I've been reading and watching a few videos, but most of those are focused on the building and don't really suggest what kind of RDA to use or what gauge wire I need.

Any help and suggestions would be great and thanks ahead of time for your input.

 

[inspects]

You could buy any atty with Velocity style deck, even the Velocity clone.

Or a Derringer, Matty, Narda, all good clones, easy to build, and cheap.

The Coilmaster is well worth the investment, my opinion anyway....has everything you need to build perfect coils.

Good luck!

 

[Deucesjack]

That Coil Master kit is a great kit. Love mine. I can't help you on a RDA as I don't drip. As far as Rta's go I would recommend the Boreas, Merlin, Avocado, and Limitless. All are easy to build and wick. I just started a few months ago myself and I have had no problems building or wicking any of these. I would also recommend the Coil Master 521 Tab. I don't have one yet but I plan on getting one this 4th of July if I find a good deal on it.

 

[Jenprice]

I have the Avocado and I love it. I am fairly new to vaping and I have found out that I am horrible at RDA's. Of course I didn't start with that I did work my way up. But I do love the Avocado.

 

[Markw4mms]

The DIY kit you're looking at is great, i love mine. Not huge into RDA's, but I do like my Mutation X v4

 

[JuicyLucy]

I'd suggest the Sapor by Wotofo as an excellent beginner RDA also - versatile, well built and easy to build on. Very inexpensive too.

 

[pulsevape]

just do it. and have fun.

 

[robot zombie]

The coil master tool kit is pretty ideal. Good price for what you get. I probably spent much more amassing pretty much the exact same kit over time.

An RDA is an RDA. Things to look for are general build quality, range of airflow options, deck space (depth is actually not so important,) and of course the post layout. Classic 3-post/4-hole and velocity-style are both very easy to build on. Most RDA's are no easier or harder to build on... ...just slightly different. It's really just a handful that can be awkward to work with.

The Velocity and Mutation X v4 are both great starters. Anything with a similar design will work just as well. I'd go with the Velocity, as the bottom airflow in the deck of the Mutation makes wicking a little trickier and eats up a lot of space. It can be a bit of a hassle.

For a little more cash, you can get a Twisted Messes, which may be the last atty you ever need.

All of the above are fairly cheap and they scale. As your experience grows and you begin to experiment more, they will reward you. You can move onto other mods and more advanced builds without having to change your whole setup.

If you're a flavor-chaser, the Sapor really isn't a bad choice, either. It's got unique flavor. No harder to use than the others, just not as versatile. Derringer-style shorties are nice, too. They tend to be far over on the warm end, but the vape is very smooth and it's hard to beat the flavor and texture coming almost directly off of the coils. Maybe pick one of those guys up as a secondary atty to play around with.

Also, as you get used to RDA's, you may find yourself liking warmer vapes more than you think. What you would consider "too warm" for your RTA fitted with pre-assembled coils may be "just right" on an RDA. The heat is generated by larger coils in a larger space with more air coming in. It's a very different creature from what you're used to. They "fill-out" differently.

the best way to learn is to ask yourself a lot of what-if's and experiment. The rest is muscle memory, which comes from practice. Play around. Do some twists, parallels and claptons. Don't get discouraged. Just have fun. It's easier to practice when you're having fun.


Don't skimp on cotton. For now, you can use cheap store-bought organic or the expensive "vape" cotton. But what you should probably do right now is order a big bag of organic Japanese pads on amazon. It may take a month to get to you (free shipping from Japan takes time,) but a year's supply will literally run you about $8, so you won't worry about wasting cotton, which you will probably waste a lot of.

Same deal with wire. If you're set on the path of the rebuildable, buy enough wire to last... ...enough to waste unapologetically. 100ft spools. You don't need a huge variety. 28g, 26g, and 24g will do to start. You will eventually use them all. Maybe pick up some 26g or 24g SS or nichrome if you feel so inclined. Though if you like a cooler vape, the finer gauges of kanthal will probably suit you best. Your RTA's especially will tend to like finer wire for cooler, more compact, and more closed-off builds.

If you can't buy all of that now, plan to very soon. A single spool of 24g kanthal is perfectly adequate in the meantime.


Oh, and head over to the general "post your builds" thread in the coil sub-forum. A lot of knowledgeable, experienced builders hang out there. You will learn a lot from from looking at their builds and reading their comments. It's also a great place to get advice and inspiration from. Post your builds and people will help you improve them. People who hang around there tend to progress very quickly...

 

[Iliketurtles]

The Dotmod Petri RDA v2 is probably the most user friendly RDA, easy to build, easy to drip, comfortable driptip and available in many colors and with different cap and drip/chuff options. For user friendliness it is difficult to beat, I end up using mine every day just because of that. This clone is 1:1 I think https://www.fasttech.com/products/4616803 or if you want an authentic they are widely available all over the interwebz.

 

[OBDave]

Pretty much everything @robot zombie said - I'm a fan of the Velocity-style clone decks, both for RDA and RTA - the latter of which is something I never thought I'd get into due to the fiddly nature of the "RTA" decks for tanks designed to take throwaway coils. Couldn't be happier with my Boreas and Alleria, both of which use the same Velocity-style deck as the RDA.

The only drawback to a Velocity is that its airflow is optimized for dual-coil builds - if flavor testing and not actual use is your thing, you might look for an RDA for single coils that's easier to pull the wick, dry-burn the coil, and re-wick for rotating through a bunch of different flavors.

 

[DoctorJ]

The coil master tool kit is pretty ideal. Good price for what you get. I probably spent much more amassing pretty much the exact same kit over time.

An RDA is an RDA. Things to look for are general build quality, range of airflow options, deck space (depth is actually not so important,) and of course the post layout. Classic 3-post/4-hole and velocity-style are both very easy to build on. Most RDA's are no easier or harder to build on... ...just slightly different. It's really just a handful that can be awkward to work with.

The Velocity and Mutation X v4 are both great starters. Anything with a similar design will work just as well. I'd go with the Velocity, as the bottom airflow in the deck of the Mutation makes wicking a little trickier and eats up a lot of space. It can be a bit of a hassle.

For a little more cash, you can get a Twisted Messes, which may be the last atty you ever need.

All of the above are fairly cheap and they scale. As your experience grows and you begin to experiment more, they will reward you. You can move onto other mods and more advanced builds without having to change your whole setup.

If you're a flavor-chaser, the Sapor really isn't a bad choice, either. It's got unique flavor. No harder to use than the others, just not as versatile. Derringer-style shorties are nice, too. They tend to be far over on the warm end, but the vape is very smooth and it's hard to beat the flavor and texture coming almost directly off of the coils. Maybe pick one of those guys up as a secondary atty to play around with.

Also, as you get used to RDA's, you may find yourself liking warmer vapes more than you think. What you would consider "too warm" for your RTA fitted with pre-assembled coils may be "just right" on an RDA. The heat is generated by larger coils in a larger space with more air coming in. It's a very different creature from what you're used to. They "fill-out" differently.

the best way to learn is to ask yourself a lot of what-if's and experiment. The rest is muscle memory, which comes from practice. Play around. Do some twists, parallels and claptons. Don't get discouraged. Just have fun. It's easier to practice when you're having fun.


Don't skimp on cotton. For now, you can use cheap store-bought organic or the expensive "vape" cotton. But what you should probably do right now is order a big bag of organic Japanese pads on amazon. It may take a month to get to you (free shipping from Japan takes time,) but a year's supply will literally run you about $8, so you won't worry about wasting cotton, which you will probably waste a lot of.

Same deal with wire. If you're set on the path of the rebuildable, buy enough wire to last... ...enough to waste unapologetically. 100ft spools. You don't need a huge variety. 28g, 26g, and 24g will do to start. You will eventually use them all. Maybe pick up some 26g or 24g SS or nichrome if you feel so inclined. Though if you like a cooler vape, the finer gauges of kanthal will probably suit you best. Your RTA's especially will tend to like finer wire for cooler, more compact, and more closed-off builds.

If you can't buy all of that now, plan to very soon. A single spool of 24g kanthal is perfectly adequate in the meantime.


Oh, and head over to the general "post your builds" thread in the coil sub-forum. A lot of knowledgeable, experienced builders hang out there. You will learn a lot from from looking at their builds and reading their comments. It's also a great place to get advice and inspiration from. Post your builds and people will help you improve them. People who hang around there tend to progress very quickly...

I ordered a bag of cotton pads and some wire with the building kit from Amazon. Kanthal & 20 pcs. Japanese Cotton - 100 ft 24 Gauge AWG A1 Round Wire 0.51mm A-1 24g. That should be enough to get me started for a while.

I really appreciate all the suggestions. I'm looking around at all those now. So much to choose from and I get easily distracted by the other stuff too!

 

[robot zombie]

I ordered a bag of cotton pads and some wire with the building kit from Amazon. Kanthal & 20 pcs. Japanese Cotton - 100 ft 24 Gauge AWG A1 Round Wire 0.51mm A-1 24g. That should be enough to get me started for a while.

I really appreciate all the suggestions. I'm looking around at all those now. So much to choose from and I get easily distracted by the other stuff too!

If it's any consolation, you can't really mess this up. If you want it and you can afford it, just get it. At worst, you'll have to buy another atty later on down the line. At best, you'll have to buy another atty later on down the line.

 

[DoctorJ]

I went ahead and ordered a Velocity V2 by Tobeco and a Troll. Now I wait until it gets here to start building...