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Innokin Ares 2 - First Rebuildable

Supernoob

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Just purchased. I'm done with pre-made coils. Didn't even buy any as backup. I'm going commando. It comes with a small kit, plus I bought 30ft 26g kanthal wire, and some good cotton. Wish me luck, I'll let you know how it goes when I get it.

I'll be using it with my Coolfire Z80. I use their .8 at 18 watts. And their "warm mtl" 1.0 at 20-25 watts. That's a special coil. But nothing lasts me more than 5 days. Tired of that.
 
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Supernoob

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Success! My first build is a success. Was very easy...as all of you probably know. :D
This is a super smooth MTL RTA. Coil came out at 1.03. A little weak for me. I've been shifting from strong nic and small vape....to a more medium nic and bigger vape. But I'm happy I got this tank. I'm running it at 18watts. Flavor is great, but probably not quite as good as my Zenith2. I've been using their .8 at 18 watts. And a special 1.0 at 20-25.

Next tank will be more of a regular tank that can take a medium build.

Quality of this piece is great. Zero problems. Tight draw to loose MTL. But DL or RDL not possible. I'm ok with that. There are other tanks to buy, lots to explore.
 

MyMagicMist

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Flavor is great, but probably not quite as good as my Zenith2. I've been using their .8 at 18 watts. And a special 1.0 at 20-25.
Tight draw to loose MTL. But DL or RDL not possible. I'm ok with that.

Toddle Puffer :D :p :)

Got to poke a little fun. You doing what you like is wonderful. Glad you're finding your way. Fine being a Toddle Puffer or Cloud Chaser, something in between. :)
 

Supernoob

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Toddle Puffer :D :p :)

Got to poke a little fun. You doing what you like is wonderful. Glad you're finding your way. Fine being a Toddle Puffer or Cloud Chaser, something in between. :)
I'm trying to experience it all. :D

I'm eyeballing bigger and better stuff. I see the direction I'm going. And to be honest, the Ares is a TRUE mouth to lung that I thought I could get a little looser with.

The Zenith 2 is real open and airy, and you can get .3 coils for it at 30-40 watts. Even their .8 .....I mostly dl that, same with my Novo4 pod. It's an excellent first tank for people.

But next up, I'm eyeballing this beauty and going to pair it with a Geekvape rtl. I don't ever plan on buying premade coils again.


1635514150168.png
 

Supernoob

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Ok, get ready to laugh....My first coil burnt out in one day.... :D. I guess I was running it too hot. Experimented making different size coils too. Doesn't make much of a difference in this tank. Couldn't get too big or it hits the bell, but I was able to get a .9ohm. This thing doesn't have enough airflow even if I was able to get lower ohms with thicker coil. Still, it's been interesting to play with. I've "rebuilt" this thing 4 times in the last 24 hours, lol. I like playing around with it. Surprisingly easy to work with considering how small it is. The adventure begins.
 

Supernoob

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Today's adventure....I created my own twisted pair coil with 26g wire. Got a reading of .4ohm. It was a tough build but it's working! Haven't pushed it past 22 watts, but much better than their suggested coils can handle. It's a bit warm but it's working real good. The last coil at .9ohm it just got so filthy so quick even at 14 watts. It think this is like a 10watt tank or I'm doing something wrong.

I think it's time to invest in a big one, save this tank to give away, not really suited to me. Live and learn, but I'm still enjoying it.
 

Supernoob

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I bought the Geekvape setup in the pic above. And the RTA. And a WHOLE lot of other stuff. I'll do a couple of pics of all my new shit when I get it and post in a place where someone might be interested, lol. Wire, tool kit, vg, pg, flavorings, bottles, syringes, the whole nine. And 4 new batteries from lionwholesale. Nic order tomorrow.....then I should be set for quite some time.
 

Supernoob

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Ordered 1 liter of 100mg nic in PG today. I should be set for quite some time....I just hope Delosi labs isn't a dud. It was the only place wiliing to go to NY, except Wizard Labs which was a sketchy email-only thing. I read the comments above about Delosi but I have to take the chance....I'll let you all know! If it tastes funny I WILL know.
 

Vape Fan

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I bought the Geekvape setup in the pic above.
Your getting this L200, as a kit w/that tank?

Im interested 👍 For some just noticed this :(
 

nadalama

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I'm thinking you must have had a hot spot in that 0.9 ohm coil, because 14 watts is NOT too hot for 26ga 0.9 ohms. Either that, or you vaped it dry, which happens to everybody at one time or another.

You did strum your coil and get it to heat evenly, right?

But yeah, sounds like you need an RTA that can deliver a bit more air.
 

Vape Fan

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Trying to catch up by reading your posts....
What RTA are you waiting on?
 

Supernoob

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Your getting this L200, as a kit w/that tank?

Im interested 👍 For some just noticed this :(
Yes, I ordered it yesterday from myvaporstore. $58 after 10% discount, with that tank, in that color. And I bought the matching RTA in the same color.
 

Vape Fan

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Yes, I ordered it yesterday from myvaporstore. $58 after 10% discount, with that tank, in that color. And I bought the matching RTA in the same color.
Matching RTA?
 

Supernoob

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I'm thinking you must have had a hot spot in that 0.9 ohm coil, because 14 watts is NOT too hot for 26ga 0.9 ohms. Either that, or you vaped it dry, which happens to everybody at one time or another.

You did strum your coil and get it to heat evenly, right?

But yeah, sounds like you need an RTA that can deliver a bit more air.
The strum....I'm sure that's what it was. With the twisted coil I mention above....it vaped funny so I rewicked it and did the strum this time, and I could see the change. AND it vaped differently. That coil is currently measuring .47 so it's way too much for the tank, but it was a good experiment especially knowing new things are coming.
 

nadalama

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Yes, I ordered it yesterday from myvaporstore. $58 after 10% discount, with that tank, in that color. And I bought the matching RTA in the same color.

You got the blue Zeus X RTA?
 

nadalama

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Sorry, we cross-posted.

That's a good RTA, and not nearly as finicky to build as the original Zeus RTA. Gives great flavor and vapor, but does not like to be laid on its side, at least in my experience. You can build it for either single or dual coil, just make sure you get wire in one positive and one negative post.

ETA: Don't be surprised if twisted coils spit a lot. Every one I've ever made did. Have you thought about trying parallel 26ga? You might get better results, and if you learn to wrap parallel, you can also unwind those coils from each other to make dual coils that are always exactly the same. Just don't let the wire get crossed as you wrap. 26ga parallel is a very good coil, to be as simple as it is to wrap. Oh and on parallel coils, make sure you trap both legs underneath each grub screw. If you don't, you'll have a very hot leg that will burn up your cotton in no time flat.
 
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nadalama

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Yes. You seem in disbelief, lol.
No, not in disbelief. Just wanted to know whether you got the wire version or the mesh. Both are good, but a few different supplies needed for mesh.
 

Vape Fan

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the Geekvape Z RTA
OK, you must mean ZX, since Z is sub ohm prebuilt coils. (and there's a ZX2 that is mesh)
 

nadalama

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OK, you must mean ZX, since Z is sub ohm prebuilt coils. (and there's a ZX2 that is mesh)

Now why in the world they have to change the names of things? Just makes me confused. Jeez Louise!

If they manufacture many more styles of Aegis mods, I'm giving up altogether! lol I can't keep up with the names of the ones I already have!
 

Supernoob

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Sorry, we cross-posted.

That's a good RTA, and not nearly as finicky to build as the original Zeus RTA. Gives great flavor and vapor, but does not like to be laid on its side, at least in my experience. You can build it for either single or dual coil, just make sure you get wire in one positive and one negative post.
I'm gonna experiment like mad. I only bought wire and no pre-coiled coils. And no fully premade coils of any kind as backup. I'm dedicated, lol. But I only bought the wire they had. Tell me what you think.....

Coil Master - 26g regular kanthal I already had.
Coil Master. - 26+30 Clapton kanthal
Vandy Vape - 24g SS Fused and Flat Clapton SS316L Wire
Coil Master - 22g regular kanthal
 

Supernoob

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Now why in the world they have to change the names of things? Just makes me confused. Jeez Louise!

If they manufacture many more styles of Aegis mods, I'm giving up altogether! lol I can't keep up with the names of the ones I already have!
This is precisely what I bought...as I know they have a confusing array of stuff....

Edit....uh oh... they may have put in the wrong one....oh dear...lol

Edit again....I ordered the right one, and the right one is in my order summary, but they have some wrong info in the description. Ima call them to double check.
 
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Vape Fan

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Now why in the world they have to change the names of things? Just makes me confused. Jeez Louise!

If they manufacture many more styles of Aegis mods, I'm giving up altogether! lol I can't keep up with the names of the ones I already have!
Zeus has been around a long time, guess they thought they needed something new (same thig but different?)
The og legend was so popular, they went hog wild with that design. I never cared for it. And I agree that it's too much to keep up with.
 

nadalama

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I'm gonna experiment like mad. I only bought wire and no pre-coiled coils. And no fully premade coils of any kind as backup. I'm dedicated, lol. But I only bought the wire they had. Tell me what you think.....

Coil Master - 26g regular kanthal I already had.
Coil Master. - 26+30 Clapton kanthal
Vandy Vape - 24g SS Fused and Flat Clapton SS316L Wire
Coil Master - 22g regular kanthal

Personally, I'm not fond of Kanthal because of the ramp-up time. I have no patience, but everybody's different and a lot of people don't use anything but Kanthal.

What I do see that makes me all happy is that you've got the makings of a fabulous Kanthal staged coil. That is a parallel coil that is made with one strand of plain round wire and one strand of Clapton. Your CM 26 ga Kanthal and CM 26 + 30 Clapton Kanthal wrapped in parallel will give you an outstanding, low-ish ohm coil that will be great in a single-coil RDA, if you're inclined in that direction. Building staged will help the coil ramp up faster than if you built a lower-ohm plain Clapton coil. AND staged coils last a really, really long time. I have some that are well over a year old and still going like gangbusters. Those are N80 coils, don't know if that makes a difference.

The VV pre-built spooled wire that I've used has always been good. Be aware that SS is FAR lower in ohms for the same number of wraps as Kanthal.

Have never used 22ga so can't comment on that.
 

nadalama

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Zeus has been around a long time, guess they thought they needed something new (same thig but different?)
The og legend was so popular, they went hog wild with that design. I never cared for it. And I agree that it's too much to keep up with.

I've had the Legend, the Solo, and two Max mods. Single coil and dual coil OG Zeus, Zeus X, and Zeus X Mesh x 3. Of all of those, I like the Max and the Zeus X best. The Max is the perfect size for me. But unless something spectacular happens, I'm done buying mods after the Grus that I ordered from FT gets here (if it makes it through Customs). Have enough stuff to last multiple lifetimes, more than likely.
 

Vape Fan

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I'm not much help on building coils. Have you gotten familiar with
https://www.steam-engine.org/wirewiz ?

In the box at top left, I always just adjust the ID and the Wraps. You could look at the drop down menus and get the hang of it, get Ω's pretty close.
 
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Supernoob

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One cool thing is
Zeus has been around a long time, guess they thought they needed something new (same thig but different?)
The og legend was so popular, they went hog wild with that design. I never cared for it. And I agree that it's too much to keep up with.
One cool thing is GV makes the deck alone available for 15 bucks. But then, I'd probably want another whole tank if I bought that.

One thing I see is I can get lots of older RDAs that probably work great, for like 18-20 bucks just because new stuff comes out. Lots of stuff to play around with out there.
 

Supernoob

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So, I know I've rushed things, but I feel I needed to buy a bunch of stuff. Under normal circumstances I'd let this hobby unfold organically. Let it develop as I learn all the different aspects of DIY. Coils, mixing juice, and all the little nuances. But fk it, I'm here now!

Truth is....once I've secured the nic and know it's good....I don't really care about the other stuff. You can vape on a stove with an iron pan and a pyrex cup. The rest is just for fun. When they really want to clamp down, nic won't be available at all. Once I test my liter, I'll go back for a gallon and that should be good for life if I can keep it fresh.
 

Vape Fan

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Here's your 26+30 kanthal clapton with a 5/6 wrap. If the posts point in opposite directions it would be a 5 wrap, or 6 wrap, or whatever you make it.
1635779350529.png
 

Vape Fan

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For dual coil you'd cut the .957 in half.
 

Supernoob

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For dual coil you'd cut the .957 in half.
I'm hoping I can get a medium level build out of this, but won't cry if it's heavy duty. If I can get what I think of as 30-40 watts I'll be happy. I'm happy to experiment. Honestly, I'm crazy adaptable. Anything but tight ass mtl....like this Ares2. A quality piece but for true mtl vaping only. I started 4 months ago with nic-salt, this probably would have been good for that. But I don't like salt anymore, MUCH prefer freebase.
 

Supernoob

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Personally, I'm not fond of Kanthal because of the ramp-up time. I have no patience, but everybody's different and a lot of people don't use anything but Kanthal.

What I do see that makes me all happy is that you've got the makings of a fabulous Kanthal staged coil. That is a parallel coil that is made with one strand of plain round wire and one strand of Clapton. Your CM 26 ga Kanthal and CM 26 + 30 Clapton Kanthal wrapped in parallel will give you an outstanding, low-ish ohm coil that will be great in a single-coil RDA, if you're inclined in that direction. Building staged will help the coil ramp up faster than if you built a lower-ohm plain Clapton coil. AND staged coils last a really, really long time. I have some that are well over a year old and still going like gangbusters. Those are N80 coils, don't know if that makes a difference.

The VV pre-built spooled wire that I've used has always been good. Be aware that SS is FAR lower in ohms for the same number of wraps as Kanthal.

Have never used 22ga so can't comment on that.
I learned some very interesting tidbids about coils and ramp up time just today. Wow, is that crucial, especially the fast cool down. This was in a talk about very small outer wire, and about metal types, in regards to ramp up and down. How it allows the inner coil to ramp down fast. He showed the coils in action and the effect left a real impression on me. The difference in sensitivity and responsiveness was very real and very obvious. Now I understand why people use nickel even though it's controversial....but that's another subject. I'm not sure what to think about that....don't know enough to have an opinion yet.
 

Supernoob

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Sorry, we cross-posted.

That's a good RTA, and not nearly as finicky to build as the original Zeus RTA. Gives great flavor and vapor, but does not like to be laid on its side, at least in my experience. You can build it for either single or dual coil, just make sure you get wire in one positive and one negative post.

ETA: Don't be surprised if twisted coils spit a lot. Every one I've ever made did. Have you thought about trying parallel 26ga? You might get better results, and if you learn to wrap parallel, you can also unwind those coils from each other to make dual coils that are always exactly the same. Just don't let the wire get crossed as you wrap. 26ga parallel is a very good coil, to be as simple as it is to wrap. Oh and one parallel coils, make sure you trap both legs underneath each grub screw. If you don't, you'll have a very hot leg that will burn up your cotton in no time flat.
Lots to experiment with. I only twisted them up out of very mild desperation and curiosity. The Ares2 is totally the wrong tank for this coil, lmao. It does spit, but I'm nursing the power button. Once I saw the coil's characteristics outside the tank after the first rewick, I understood better how to work the situation.

The thing ramps up slow on low power. But then I have to hold it too long and the whole tank heats up. BUT, faster ramp up with higher power, so that's how I'm working it. Using the high power but with lots of pulsing, and it's not burning out even at 18 watts. This is all for fun and learning, I'm aware none of this is proper in any way whatsoever, lol.
 

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