Fresh vape noob! short story + need advice on 2 setups

[Tastytaste]

Hey forum! I quit smoking a couple weeks ago and first picked up a pen; I didn't really know what I was doing so I tried to find reliable info on pens and mods. Following a guide I ordered everything in pieces, which was probably a mistake (S&H kicked my ass)

I got an eGo-C Twist battery. After I ordered the clearomizers I found out they were shipping from Singapore (2 week wait) so I went to the closest vape shop and the owner gave me a spare clearomizer for free~ so I don't know its ohm
The pen was decent enough but I burnt the coil in 2 days. The juice was 60/40 and I let it sit for 10min or so before vaping.

I had ordered a smok alien 220 mod but didn't realize I had no tank coming (smart) so I rushed out to get a new clearomizer and the cloud beast tfv8. also got some king's cawfee liquid-- 80/20
The vape shop owner, again being a bro, primed the v8-t8[0.15Ω] coil for me. Based on all the tutorials I've watched I know it was primed properly.
You guessed it~ roasted in 3 or 4 days. I hadn't made any drastic changes; stayed between 90-100w.
I swapped it with a v8-q4[0.15Ω]. It has lasted about a week. I was feeling bold and bumped it to 130, kept it there for the last few days.
The flavor is noticeably worse with the different juices. It's not the cotton taste(yet), it's just stale/flat, seems to lack moisture if that makes sense, and it's really making me want a cigarette. I guess this is typically the end of the coil's cycle?

I also ordered The Beast King TFV12, should get it in a few days~ what are the best coils to handle high vg juice? I'm trying to balance cost, flavor, and clouds.

The eGo-C I have been puffing on the side here and there. It is incredibly hard to pull now, sputters. I've tried cleaning and blowing. Honestly can't see where the problem is. I swapped in one of the clearomizers from Singapore [1.8Ω], let it sit for 3 or so minutes. Fired it up for a lovely dry hit. I think it's done.
Switched back to the other clearo, getting much more frequent dry hits- Following youtube tips I occasionally get a tolerable puff by blank pulling a few times first.
I don't understand why neither clearomizer is pulling and I'm getting so many dry hits. I wouldn't think the juice itself would be a factor, like I'm not getting any vapor.

I can live without the eGo; the problems I'm having now mostly revolve around not knowing how to tweak my smok to handle these juices. I definitely want to stick with premium high vg for now, even though I hate blowing through coils so fast. I'm just wondering about where I should leave the ohm, watt, etc. The Smok manual is somewhat cryptic and I'm still learning all the vape terminology- I can't afford too much trial and error so I'm grateful for any insight or tips! Pray I'm not back to camels by the time you read this

 

[gbalkam]

Coil life depends on a few things. Main one is how high you start using them. Always start low and work your way up in power. This warms the juice so it wicks better without burning the middle of your wick.
Also sweeter juices cause coils to gunk up faster and taste "odd" or burnt.

For quitting smoking, your pen mod will be most useful. Say 18mg nicotine at 40/60 pg/vg. When you crave a smoke, just take a 5 minute mouth to lung vape break. (mouth to lung is how you smoke...fill mouth with vapor, then inhale)

When starting a new coil, or starting your vape for the day, turn your power down and work your way up to where you like it. Never mind how many watts (power) you CAN use, just use what you need to get the taste you want. Example.. some coils 30w is perfect... 35 is burnt coil.

Now to save money you will want to learn to build coils asap. Those cloud beast coils aren't cheap.

I've been using a premade alien wire from fasttech.. https://www.fasttech.com/p/8014108 is the one i've been using. I figured I would be lazy and give it a try. There are other available as well. Price- $3.07 USD for 3m (roughly 11ft)
You might also want:
As long as you are there look for a coil master coil jig set. (or use a precision screwdriver or drill bit set from the dollar store (or local version))
https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10034788/7602702-multifunctional-diy-tool-kit-for-e-cigarette $8.35 USD
A resistance meter https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10006334/2369900-atomizer-resistance-tester-ohm-meter $4.70 USD (ohm reader recommended)
You will need flush cut wire cutters or nail clippers and some cotton. I prefer cotton bacon, others prefer cotton pads. Some use cotton balls. BUT make sure those are 100% pure cotton.

Basically all you do is wrap the wire around a spindle. Just like wrapping a string around your finger, except you don't want to overlap the coils. Lots of vids on coil wrapping Main thing I am saying... it isn't hard or complicated. Like making a spring from a paper clip when you were 9 yrs old.

The advantage of making your own coils is A) It's cheaper and B) if you burn the coil you only have to replace a small bit of cotton (wicking material). C) You can dry burn the coil after removing the old wick to clean the gunk off (give it a brush with a small wire brush or tooth brush after it cools) then just rewick, prime, vape.

 

[Letitia9]

Welcome to VU Tasty.
You have chosen tanks with short lived expensive coils. My advice would be to learn how to use the rba decks. Some shops will teach you how to use them or youtube and the people here can help. Watch the yt vids first then come here and ask your questions.

 

[vaporscout]

both of these suggestions are great. However if you don't fell confident enough to build your own coils or wick a premade coil I would reccomend a different tank with premade coil you buy and screw in, try either a an Aspire cleito or cleito 120. The prices on those coils are about the same as the smok coils but they last a lot longer, I have one in myt cleito that is about a month old and still not ready to switch out. Welcome to VU and I wish you luck and enjoyment in vaping

 

[Letitia9]

+1 for Cleito suggestions

 

[Khassy]

Another +1 for the Cleito. Much better tank than the Smoks.

 

[Tastytaste]

Coil life depends on a few things. Main one is how high you start using them. Always start low and work your way up in power. This warms the juice so it wicks better without burning the middle of your wick.
Also sweeter juices cause coils to gunk up faster and taste "odd" or burnt.

For quitting smoking, your pen mod will be most useful. Say 18mg nicotine at 40/60 pg/vg. When you crave a smoke, just take a 5 minute mouth to lung vape break. (mouth to lung is how you smoke...fill mouth with vapor, then inhale)

When starting a new coil, or starting your vape for the day, turn your power down and work your way up to where you like it. Never mind how many watts (power) you CAN use, just use what you need to get the taste you want. Example.. some coils 30w is perfect... 35 is burnt coil.

Now to save money you will want to learn to build coils asap. Those cloud beast coils aren't cheap.

I've been using a premade alien wire from fasttech.. https://www.fasttech.com/p/8014108 is the one i've been using. I figured I would be lazy and give it a try. There are other available as well. Price- $3.07 USD for 3m (roughly 11ft)
You might also want:
As long as you are there look for a coil master coil jig set. (or use a precision screwdriver or drill bit set from the dollar store (or local version))
https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10034788/7602702-multifunctional-diy-tool-kit-for-e-cigarette $8.35 USD
A resistance meter https://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10006334/2369900-atomizer-resistance-tester-ohm-meter $4.70 USD (ohm reader recommended)
You will need flush cut wire cutters or nail clippers and some cotton. I prefer cotton bacon, others prefer cotton pads. Some use cotton balls. BUT make sure those are 100% pure cotton.

Basically all you do is wrap the wire around a spindle. Just like wrapping a string around your finger, except you don't want to overlap the coils. Lots of vids on coil wrapping Main thing I am saying... it isn't hard or complicated. Like making a spring from a paper clip when you were 9 yrs old.

The advantage of making your own coils is A) It's cheaper and B) if you burn the coil you only have to replace a small bit of cotton (wicking material). C) You can dry burn the coil after removing the old wick to clean the gunk off (give it a brush with a small wire brush or tooth brush after it cools) then just rewick, prime, vape.

Thanks for all the advice and links! I'll watch some tutorials to get a better understanding for building before I order materials. Doesn't seem too complicated. If I don't go back to smoking I do see RBAs in my future.

both of these suggestions are great. However if you don't fell confident enough to build your own coils or wick a premade coil I would reccomend a different tank with premade coil you buy and screw in, try either a an Aspire cleito or cleito 120. The prices on those coils are about the same as the smok coils but they last a lot longer, I have one in myt cleito that is about a month old and still not ready to switch out. Welcome to VU and I wish you luck and enjoyment in vaping

I've seen that name around while looking for kits. I'll look into building first, and if I'm not ready for that, cleito will be the next tank I try. Thing is I have several new coils for the cloud beast/cloud beast king, and the cloud beast king itself should get here monday. I'll see how far all that gets me (probably no surprises if it's a month or two) and before my last coil is used I'll choose which route I wanna go


Picked up some new V8-T10[0.12Ω] coils today to try to get to the bottom of this flavor issue. Still the same flat flavor with a bad aftertaste.
Over the past few days I have noticed the tank is getting increasingly hot. It spikes 2-4 degrees after a puff. By the time I've had enough vape it's around 38°. The juice is being used at 2-3x the normal rate. Can't be my imagination. I definitely don't want to keep vaping like this.

I looked around and read troubleshooting articles. The main step I found was to try different batteries~ Luckily I had some new ones that were fully charged. When I powered on the alien I selected new coil (since I had just changed it an hour before). Exact same problems.
Took everything apart to check seals and connections. Seals are fine (2 weeks in, they should be), I pried the tank's base connector out a little as I've seen that suggested. I want to say I'm not overthinking this. Maybe I am. The recurring conclusion on most articles is that there is a problem with the mod itself.

I've had this mod for around 2 weeks and I have loved it.. It's sad and frustrating to keep investing, but I'm about to go back to the vape shop to see if I can try my tank on another mod. I may end up with a new alien 220. I'm just ready for some consistency. Still in the learning phase where mistakes and bad decisions are costly.

Thanks for all the replies VU

 

[Letitia9]

Better mods than the alien out there. Just sayin'.

 

[gbalkam]

I'll watch some tutorials to get a better understanding for building before I order materials

http://vapingunderground.com/threads/how-to-build-you-first-basic-coil-for-new-vapers.298828/

 

[Tastytaste]

Still having the same overheating/flavor issues with the tfv12. Any suggestions for a replacement mod? I think this one's faulty. I obviously don't know my way around the market so what are some good names/models to support these tanks? Don't wanna make a new thread

 

[gbalkam]

Still having the same overheating/flavor issues with the tfv12. Any suggestions for a replacement mod? I think this one's faulty. I obviously don't know my way around the market so what are some good names/models to support these tanks? Don't wanna make a new thread

They pretty much all over heat if you chain vape. My suggestion would be to lower your power. Vape would be cooler, but you wouldnt get overheating. Also, a heat sink will help protect your mod if the tank is getting hot enough to transfer heat to the mod.
You could also get a 2nd tank and swap them out when one heats up.

 

[Tastytaste]

Again I hope I'm not overthinking all this.
I guess I could have worded things differently when talking about the juice and flavor.
So I got all this stuff like 3 weeks ago. I recall rich flavor, thick clouds, and of course the satisfaction of a nicotine hit. Even that "sizzle" sound when I puff, which I'm guessing is normal. I'm not getting any of that now. 3 weeks ago 90 watts was all I needed and wanted. at 90w today it's not doing anything for me. No flavor, thin clouds, no sizzle, nicotine tease. Vaping with this setup just plain sucks now. WAS great, now it's bad. And the juice is being used MUCH faster than when I first started. At first I could go all day on a tank. I can't even keep up with it now. I'm not vaping more frequently or anything trust me

If I didn't know any better I'd say it was the batteries- they're new, 3000Mah 20amp LG HG2, and I have another pair I got from the vape shop. they're not labeled but I think they're sony vtc6. I don't see anything amiss on the screen- no errors or prompts. battery life where it should be. While I'm thinking about it, I haven't been getting prompts ("New coil?" Yes or No) when I change the coils. The first time I changed the coil I did. The next time I had to power it off and on to get the prompt. Today I don't get the prompt even when turning it off and taking out batteries.
So to sum up, this setup was working out fine(first burnt coil aside) but over the past week the quality and efficiency of the setup has rapidly degraded.

Hope that makes more sense, thanks again for the help!

I emailed the vendor to initiate a refund or exchange. there are only so many things it could be