My vaping journey and plans for improvement. [assistance is required]

[Langrel]

Hello fellow vapers,

Here is a bit of a TL DR story and there will also be questions at the end of it. Please have a look at the questions, don't wade thru my drawn-out 6 mile long rant, not unless you are having trouble falling asleep.

So, the first kit I bought was the Eleaf Just-S, two of them, one for a relative of mine to hopefully make them quit smoking, other one for myself, because after I have taken a couple of test draws in the store, making sure it was all set up and running, I realised wanted one too, even thou I don't even smoke. That kit was suffient enough for me for about 2 weeks, after that I wanted something bigger, badder, with a thicker and warmer vapour and a longer battery life.

So I ordered a SMOK GX350 TFV8 kit, 2x sets of 4x HG2s 18650s and a 4-bay charger, as well as a pack of TFV8-T10 coils.
The one T10 that I have already binned lasted me for about 4 days and 1400 puffs. I did have a vape on the other coils I had, the Q4 and the T8, was curios how different coils perform, after that I just rinsed them out and left them to dry. Anyhow back to the T10. After about 1100 puffs @ 150-160 watts it tasted burned and nasty, but I wasn't ready to just give up on it, so I boiled it for about 15 mins, left it to dry, then I chucked it into a lidded container filled with 95% pure medical alcohol and let it brew for about 10 hours. The booze did turn quite browny cloudy. Next I thoroughly flushed it and left it to sit in a bowl of boiled water for about 6 hours, then let it dry overnight. At dawn I primed it, broke it in as if it was new, had a vape. It was good for about 300 more puffs, even thou with massively diminished flavour and thinner, dry clouds. Then it just didn't taste of much of anything but of like something burned, so I tore it apart and did a postmortem analysis.

What used to be cute little kanthal clapton coils have turned to just bare naked wire with little specks of black, molten gunge, which I presume was once that kanthal clapton style wrapping. No amount of cleaning would prevent a coil from just burning out I suppose, should also note that the coil had the initial resistance of about 0.23, it was 0.13 after the cleansing, the difference was probably that torched kanthal.

So the question stands, how do I go about it? Do I just keep doing this and reusing coils at least once and swap them out every 3 or 4 days? And no I cannot lower my wattage, at anything lower than 150~ the T10s vapour is cold, barely flavoured and thin. I mean how do I know if I am getting the vaping experience I could, because those T10s are good, tasty, thick vapour and warm and all but... Decent as compared to..?
The Eleaf? I have actually given mine to the blokes working on my construction yard, they ran out of cigs and I didn't have any, now however they are in love with it and are looking into buying vaping kits for themselves. I digress.

The TFV8-T10s are about 5 dollars a pop and about 2 weeks of shipping time, which is a lot of money and time. The chiselers at a vape store about 200 miles off from where I live have what looks like some TFV8 coils and they charge the amazing price of 9 USD~ a pop and I am almost 70% sure what they have are actually Vapesoon TFV8 coils, because they are cheaper to buy...
I suppose I could go thru a coil every 3-4 days and just go with that, but say how do I know how quickly does the clapton turn to that sludge I described earlier? Maybe it's like that after 500 puffs.
I could just reuse coils, but I am not really.. in control.. of my vaping. Do you know what I mean?

I could reuse non-rebuildable atomisers and get a questionable experience and feel like I am vaping melted kanthal half the time..

But do I have to?

So I started looking into the RDAs, specifically the TFV8 RBA-16 rebuildable atomiser deck. For that I would need my own coils and my own cotton and I would have to... somehow... put it all together and make it work.
Now, I have read that the best coils are the ones you make / weave / braid yourself, but just look at where I am and where building my own coils is. You would need 2 telescopes. If I will manage to install a pair and wick it and somehow not blow up the world in doing so, it would be a major miracle.
I would have to go prebuilt. So I shopped around and came across these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Coi...50b3-48e9-823c-ac450a2bb58b&priceBeautifyAB=0

8 different styles of coils for me to tinker with and a bag of cotton too! Sounds great, right?
Well it did to me before I realised that I couldn't really find any mention of that manufacturer anywhere, definitely not here on this website and I did look at a couple of "need prebuilt coils pls help me" threads. Another thing that was a bit of a warning sign for me was that the company didn't list any other specs apart from the resistance and you lot here seem to pay close attention to that kind of details. Wire gauge, N80, SS etc. I mean they state:
Material: metal. Well thank f*ck for that! As as long as it's not moonrock I am plenty happy. Anyhow I won't be getting any of their coils.
I looked around here and found out that the best coils possible you can get is from an actual builder, while that idea appeals to me greatly, I think I need a bit more experience before I actually order something like this.
People here mentioned that manufacturers such as Wotofo and Coil Master make quality coils you can just go out and buy.
Well, I found these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ori...401b-4862-bb12-62b746bc0654&priceBeautifyAB=0


And they have some shoelaces style cotton too, https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ori...401b-4862-bb12-62b746bc0654&priceBeautifyAB=0

I think you can tell where this is going. For my next step up I plan on keeping my TFV8 Cloud Beast and the GX350, get myself a TFV8 RBA-16, the velocity one and some of those Wotofo coils and cotton.

Which of the coils however? I am not entirely sure. I like a warm vape. People say that the resistance on those coils is for the entire coil, the long leads included and also the fact that when I install 2 of the same coil the resistance will be half of that of one of them. So in order to say get a reasonable (?) resistance of say 0.20 ohm I would have to go for either the Type F Dual Core Fused Clapton Prebuilt Coils 0.62ohm or the Type G:Framed Staple Clapton Prebuilt Coils 0.33ohm thinking that some of the initial resistance will be lost when I cut the leads off and then the fact there will be 2 of them? Are you still with me? Holy sh*t. Am I making any sense, at all?

I need an educated opinion, before I buy anything. I will keep my GX350 and the V8 Cloud Beast as a base for my vaping setup. I like the convenience of having 6 ml of juice, 8 ml once the extended glass tubes arrive, before I need to top up and 12000 mah of regulated battery power at my disposal.
Would getting the RBA-16 be a viable, logical step up? Will I, no scrap that, can I get a better flavour and warmer vapour with that than the T10s and the like? If so, what's the best way go about it, for me right now. What Wotofo coils? Is their cotton as good as their coils are said to be or should I be looking elsewhere for the cotton? Anything I buy will have to be ordered from Aliexpress, it's what I have to hand, the shipping is free and pretty quick. TFV12 RBA Edition is looking pretty good too actually. 2 decks and a tank for about 3x the money of the single TFV8 RBA atomiser.

Thank you very much for reading. Your feedback and ideas will be appreciated.


Langrel.

P.S: Also what is the difference between ordinary cotton and cotton bacon? It's not good for breakfast, is it?

 

[czombie]

Buy a freemax mesh pro with triple mesh coils and enjoy..!!

You shouldn't have to vape at 150w to get good flavor and clouds.

 

[AndriaD]

You don't have to make coils that look like jewelry to get a good vape, you don't even need dual coils -- a single coil, with single wire, works just fine. My near-vision is total shit, but I've been building my own and vaping very happily with them for about 4 yrs, and they look like this:



Dual coils, and "fancy" multi-wire coils, are more of a hobbyist thing than a simple way to refrain from smoking... and they also go thru OCEANS of ejuice faster than you would believe.

Welcome to VU!

Andria

 

[VAPEROXX]

The best favor you can do yourself is trash everything that says Smok, and get yourself some quality vape gear. (Sorry to be harsh) Next is practice your building of coils and get comfortable with it. And if you find you wanna build those "jewelry" coils; then you're in the right place to learn.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[VAPEROXX]

You don't have to make coils that look like jewelry to get a good vape, you don't even need dual coils -- a single coil, with single wire, works just fine. My near-vision is total shit, but I've been building my own and vaping very happily with them for about 4 yrs, and they look like this:

View attachment 120902

Dual coils, and "fancy" multi-wire coils, are more of a hobbyist thing than a simple way to refrain from smoking... and they also go thru OCEANS of ejuice faster than you would believe.

Welcome to VU!

Andria

Actually AndriaD; it's a flavor thing... not just a hobbyist thing. Sure, they're pretty; but all my coils are very functional and purpose driven. And I go through no more juice with my "jewelry" coils than when I vaped simple parallels. In fact probably a little less. But I agree on the dual coils statement to a degree....it all depends on the atomizer, but I have some single coil atomizers that keep right up with my dual coil atomizers flavor wise.

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[AndriaD]

Actually AndriaD; it's a flavor thing... not just a hobbyist thing. Sure, they're pretty; but all my coils are very functional and purpose driven. And I go through no more juice with my "jewelry" coils than when I vaped simple parallels. In fact probably a little less. But I agree on the dual coils statement to a degree....it all depends on the atomizer, but I have some single coil atomizers that keep right up with my dual coil atomizers flavor wise.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Yeah, maybe so... but fancy coils are setting the bar pretty high for those just getting started. It's always a good idea to start with the basics first -- you read Dick and Jane before you get to Shakespeare. People just coming off cigarettes can't taste much, no matter what... it takes a good while of not-smoking, to really be able to taste much at all. Which is a good thing for those who start with tobacco-flavored vapes, as many of us do.

Andria

 

[VAPEROXX]

Yeah, maybe so... but fancy coils are setting the bar pretty high for those just getting started. It's always a good idea to start with the basics first -- you read Dick and Jane before you get to Shakespeare. People just coming off cigarettes can't taste much, no matter what... it takes a good while of not-smoking, to really be able to taste much at all. Which is a good thing for those who start with tobacco-flavored vapes, as many of us do.

Andria

I agree completely! But I will say tobacco flavors; for some, are an enticement back to cigarettes. I had to stay far away from tobacco flavors for a long time to maintain my resolve to vaping only.

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[f1r3b1rd]

Ok... for one, coil building doesn’t have to be complicated.
You can use either simple round wire coils, like andria showed- or- you can buy the premier exotics like Clapton’s.

Personally I use simple round micro coils in my mtl gear. I buy premade quad core fused Clapton wire by be roll and wrap coils from there. You can also buy them premade wrapped as well.

Altogether the maintenance cost for Building will still be less than replacing coils. It also lets you fine tune your vape preference to your liking. The best part is that you won’t have to worry about the coils becoming unavailable. My wife’s favorite tank had to get replaced because the coils were discontinued. I’m still using the same rebuildavle mtl tank I started with 7 years ago.

Cotton bacon is just regular organic cotton that’s manufactured to be combed through. I stick with organic pads from amazon -12$ for 180 pads. I pad will wick a dual coil atty 4 times.
That’s .60 cents per rebuild on a dual coil. Premade quad core wore is about 22$ for 30ft- about 50 coils. 44 cents a coil.
Figure if you buy a 30-40$ tank, cotton and wire, you’ll have enough material to last at least a year.

As to smok, Well, the hardware has to be something you like and you’re comfortable with. Ive never been comfortable with their gear. Especially with all the other options in the same price bracket.

 

[gbalkam]

So I wasn't using my kanger toptank anymore, so gave that to my younger brother.. leaving me needing a tank atomizer. Following the forum here for an extended time, my choice came down to cloud beast or ijoy rdta combo. after looking at both at the local shop and pumping the salesperson for info.. I went with the ijoy rdta combo. why?

Large build deck... builds just like an RDA
Several decks available... interchangeable for any build possible
Large 5ml tank
small drip tip for flavor and a large one for cloud builds.
very nice airflow from the sides.



You can make your own coils, buy premade coils or buy spools of pre-made wire. I usually get mine from fasttech and order before I run out to avoid wait time.

 

[AndriaD]

I agree completely! But I will say tobacco flavors; for some, are an enticement back to cigarettes. I had to stay far away from tobacco flavors for a long time to maintain my resolve to vaping only.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

For me, completely the opposite -- if I hadn't found something reminiscent of my VA Slims, I'd never have stuck to it. They told me I'd never find it, but I was determined. But once my tastebuds started coming back online even slightly, I couldn't stand that vape anymore than I could stand the taste of burnt tobacco.

Andria

 

[Pastorfuzz]

When I started vaping, I only used Uncle Junks Jon Wayne juice because it tasted like tobacco. I was off the smokes 1 week later.
I don't vape it anymore since I can't stand tobacco flavor now.

 

[pulsevape]

Actually AndriaD; it's a flavor thing... not just a hobbyist thing. Sure, they're pretty; but all my coils are very functional and purpose driven. And I go through no more juice with my "jewelry" coils than when I vaped simple parallels. In fact probably a little less. But I agree on the dual coils statement to a degree....it all depends on the atomizer, but I have some single coil atomizers that keep right up with my dual coil atomizers flavor wise.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

If it's a flavor thing,then throw out your cotton and vape mesh wicks.

 

[VAPEROXX]

If it's a flavor thing,then throw out your cotton and vape mesh wicks.

Heh, I'm not a dinosaur....and mesh wicks don't work very easily on horizontal coils...the cotton I use works better than any mesh I used in the past. I don't boil cotton balls or use makeup removal pads for my wicking lmaooooo

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[pulsevape]

Heh, I'm not a dinosaur....and mesh wicks don't work very easily on horizontal coils...the cotton I use works better than any mesh I used in the past. I don't boil cotton balls or use makeup removal pads for my wicking lmaooooo

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

cotton mutes flavor. it wicks great, but it doesn't deliver the best flavor...and though we maybe obscure we are not extinct, there's been some significant advancments made recently in genny vaping in mesh, wires ,and atties.....sent from a Jurasic Park

 

[VAPEROXX]

cotton mutes flavor. it wicks great, but it doesn't deliver the best flavor...and though we maybe obscure we are not extinct, there's been some significant advancments made recently in genny vaping in mesh, wires ,and atties.....sent from a dinasour.

I respect your opinion. But after years of vaping every type of atomizer under the sun, all types of wicking materials, and recent innovations with cotton refinement and processing; I must disagree. The cottons I use work fantastic and the flavor is like right from the bottle. Of course that is if the cotton is applied and primed properly. The cottons I use wick faster than mesh (yes I tested it) and more efficiently. Also it leaves no flavors muted or adds any of it's own flavor even from the first vape after wicking.

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[pulsevape]

I respect your opinion. But after years of vaping every type of atomizer under the sun, all types of wicking materials, and recent innovations with cotton refinement and processing; I must disagree. The cottons I use work fantastic and the flavor is like right from the bottle. Of course that is if the cotton is applied and primed properly. The cottons I use wick faster than mesh (yes I tested it) and more efficiently. Also it leaves no flavors muted or adds any of it's own flavor even from the first vape after wicking.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

cotton became the most perferred wick not because it delivered good flavor but because it was much easier to build with than mesh,and it wicked juice faster..making it the prefered method for the fad of cloud chasing that swamped vaping. there are still plenty of mesh vapers around...vaping with mesh is a bigger pain in the ass to master,good gennys as a rule are more expensive and harder to obtain than other atties, and the only reason genny vapers don't throw the fucking things in the garbage and go grab a pillow of cotton bacon is because of the flavor they deliver. I have vaped cotton japanese organic, ramie, hemp, rayon,silica,ecowool...mesh and porous ceramic....hands down Porous ceramic wicks give the best flavor to be had,but they are fragile and expensive, and they don't wick that well,..the best alternative I find for superior flavor that is inexpesive,and easy to work with, and I can vape up to 40 watts with is mesh.

 

[Langrel]

Why did I only get notified of the first reply posted, but none of the subsequent? Odd. Anyhow, thank you all for the replies and the warm welcome! Since people share their favourite liquids, mine is the TRIX Blended liquids line by Smoke Kitchen. I like all of them for the exception of Citrus and tobacco, also couldn't find Creamy Clouds under 3mg nicotine content, so never had that in that particular line. I mean even 1mg hits me pretty hard, also don't really want to raise the nicotine threshold bar, if I can help it.

 

[mikeyboy74]

Why did I only get notified of the first reply posted, but none of the subsequent? Odd. Anyhow, thank you all for the replies and the warm welcome! Since people share their favourite liquids, mine is the TRIX Blended liquids line by Smoke Kitchen. I like all of them for the exception of Citrus and tobacco, also couldn't find Creamy Clouds under 3mg nicotine content, so never had that in that particular line. I mean even 1mg hits me pretty hard, also don't really want to raise the nicotine threshold bar, if I can help it.

Lots of good advice about building here. Another option is squonking- bottom feeding your RDA through a bottle in the mod, making an RDA more convenient.

Apart from this-

1. Freemax Mesh Pro or HorizonTech Falcon (especially the new Artisan version) are a nice upgrade. The coils will outlast Smok coils by a lot.

2. Consider HorizonTech Arco 2 coils. They fit your tfv8, 80w-90w, long life span. A better coil can do same or more with less battery and juice consumption.

 

[Langrel]

Update time:
1. Ordered a TFV8 RBA, the velocity style one. a pack of Wotofo prebuilt coils, the 0.6 ohm Dual Fused Clapton ones and a pack of Wotofo agleted cotton for 3mm inner diameter coils. Ordered about a week ago actually. I will get ceramic tip tweezers and something to cut the wire with from the 200 miles to being considered local vape shop, I know they have tools. Won't bother with an ohm-o-meter for now, will have to rely on the accuracy of the GX350.
2. A TFV8 T-10 coil lasted me about 9 days and just over 1300 puffs before becoming effectively flavourless. Did me much better than the previous one, I will say that, even thou I didn't vape as hard as I did the last one.
This is amazing. There was literally no flavour, towards the end. None, to be found. Also it made a different noise when I fired it. It didn't scorch itself, the cotton seems pretty good, the kanthal wraps were distinguishable too, it wasn't a naked wire like the last time. I blasted it at 150 watts, however I had the airflow at max pretty much the whole time. Maybe that made a difference.

Can the vapour produced by a coil become this flavourless? I thought there might be something up with the juice.

3. @mikeyboy74 Arco 2 are available on eBay and I shall probably get a pack and give that a bash, cheers for the heads up, mate. Also while looking for the Arcos I realised there's a whole slew of coils compatible with me V8, namely Melo 300, Geekvape Illusion, OBS V and Sense Blazer, maybe a couple more.
Not all are completely cross-compatible thou, some don't have the threading on the top for the chimney. How would they stack up to Arco 2? Even thou Arcos according to feedback would be pretty hard to best.
The RBA plan might work the best of the whole lot and I have high hopes, but in case that flops I'd like to have a backup strategy.

 

[mikeyboy74]

The Melo 300 coils don't really come to life until around 116-120w. Good flavor and big clouds but also make the tank very hot. Destroys juice and battery charge.

Blazer 200 coils- ceramic can get to about 93w before volt limited with most mods, and still feels underpowered at that. The other coil needs 130w or so, much like thv8 t8 or Melo 300.

I though the Smok x4 was the best vape of them all, but those coils only lasted me 4 days. Have not tried t6, other than once, and coil was doa.

Arco 2- ok to good flavor, but everything else is great- coil longevity, no leaks, no spitback, doesn't run hot, etc. You won't win a cloud comp with this at 85w, but it still produces a lot of vapor.

Have not tried OBS and GeekVape. Have seen OBS for cheap now and then. I would try either. The Blazer 200, Arco/2, and Melo 300 are really the only tfv8-alike tanks that gained a little traction.

I like the Sense Blazer 200 best as a tank, but would use other coils.

 

[AndriaD]

2. A TFV8 T-10 coil lasted me about 9 days and just over 1300 puffs before becoming effectively flavourless. Did me much better than the previous one, I will say that, even thou I didn't vape as hard as I did the last one.
This is amazing. There was literally no flavour, towards the end. None, to be found.

Can the vapour produced by a coil become this flavourless? I thought there might be something up with the juice.

That's one of the ways you know it's time to change the coil, when the flavor falls off. The other ways are, it just doesn't work at all (the mod may say something like "check atomizer" -- probably the coil snapped), or, it starts to taste really foul, sometimes like burnt metal. You got the most-pleasant way.

Andria

 

[Langrel]

Learned something unnerving. Under TC mode there are options for metal, among several is Ni200. The Wotofo coils I ordered are Ni80... does that mean I am not going to be able to use the TC mode?
There are also decimals to adjust, like 0.0000600 or something rather. What do they mean?

 

[AndriaD]

Learned something unnerving. Under TC mode there are options for metal, among several is Ni200. The Wotofo coils I ordered are Ni80... does that mean I am not going to be able to use the TC mode?
There are also decimals to adjust, like 0.0000600 or something rather. What do they mean?

It means you won't be able to use Ni80 in the Ni200 mode, I think. But there are probably other TC options; stainless steel is probably the most popular. But, TC vaping is difficult to get set *just right*, and the vape is underwhelming to say the least, likewise the flavor -- actually calling the flavor "underwhelming" is putting it kindly; it actually tastes like a fork that something weird happened to, in the dishwasher -- metallic.

You'd really be best off with kanthal in wattage mode, until you're a real expert at vaping -- it's much easier to find the proper power level, than do all the many and varied annoying things you have to do *just right* to get TC vaping to work properly.

Andria

 

[Langrel]

But I will be able to use the coils in VW still thou, right? Thanks for the tip!

 

[AndriaD]

But I will be able to use the coils in VW still thou, right? Thanks for the tip!

Hmm.. I think so, but others would know better. I've never used nickel in any form, because I already know that nickel in costume jewelry turns my skin black, and I've read that nickel is the most allergenic metal to humans, so I just don't care to open that particular can of worms. But, I do think that Ni80 can be used in power/wattage mode.

TC vaping is a good idea, whose time just hasn't arrived yet; the technology needs to improve considerably before it will be a really solid option, I think. But thx to the $#^%!@$#% FDA, improvements in the technology may be a long time coming.

Andria

 

[5150sick]

Learned something unnerving. Under TC mode there are options for metal, among several is Ni200. The Wotofo coils I ordered are Ni80... does that mean I am not going to be able to use the TC mode?
There are also decimals to adjust, like 0.0000600 or something rather. What do they mean?

No, Ni80 and kanthal cannot be used with TC but you can just use it in regular wattage mode.

 

[5150sick]

But I will be able to use the coils in VW still thou, right? Thanks for the tip!

Yes, You will be fine in VW mode.

 

[Langrel]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vaping101/comments/7yr4n1/getting_mixed_answers_is_ni80_nichrome/

I guess a lot of people get confused by this... and I am one of those people!
Thanks, @5150sick

 

[Langrel]

Question: when I feel like vaping a different flavour, is it safe to just pour the new liquid in when the tank is say 1/4 full? Will the flavours gradually completely swap over say 2 tanks with no loss of taste or will that mess with the cotton and ruin the coil / cotton in use?

 

[AndriaD]

Question: when I feel like vaping a different flavour, is it safe to just pour the new liquid in when the tank is say 1/4 full? Will the flavours gradually completely swap over say 2 tanks with no loss of taste or will that mess with the cotton and ruin the coil / cotton in use?

If the flavors are compatible -- like say coffee and chocolate, or cherry and chocolate, or tobacco and coffee, etc etc etc... mix away! But be wary of mints -- that's a scent that won't go away easily.

Andria

 

[AndriaD]

Dbl post, stupid forum, disregard.

 

[MyMagicMist]

Dual coils, and "fancy" multi-wire coils, are more of a hobbyist thing than a simple way to refrain from smoking... and they also go thru OCEANS of ejuice faster than you would believe.

*nod, nod, nod, nod*

I went with the ijoy rdta combo. why?
Large build deck... builds just like an RDA
Several decks available... interchangeable for any build possible
Large 5ml tank
small drip tip for flavor and a large one for cloud builds.
very nice airflow from the sides.

Good to know & note. ATM, don't intend to go back to tanks. Still, I might consider it as a backup alternative & having that info on hand is nice.


Wire choice? I vote NiChrome 80 and or A1 rated Kanthal. SS is okay but I'm finding it has too much heat varying to "get over" for me.

Well think I need I crashed around 22:00 got up at 2:00. Yay, got my four hours. *sighs*

 

[Langrel]

@MyMagicMist Speaking of NiChrome, the Wotofo coils have arrived! Tiny little things, there is going to be 2 of them in the TFV8 RBA in use at all times thou, so we shall see.
Little bit of trivia: one of the parcel's contents were labeled as "tea" and the package itself was much bigger than you would really need, so they filled it out with some extra bubble wrap, the crafty Chinese! I am not aware of any vape supplies import restrictions in this country, but I take it Chinese know their game and take precautions whenever possible, gotta give them credit.
Speaking of credit, an American store I ordered a pack of Arco 2 coils from, thanks @mikeyboy74, charged me mere 2 USD for the shipping, that is very impressive compared to the usual standard, like 15 dollars plus the weight of the parcel added in on top, so thanks America, keep it up!
There will be a three way battle between SMOK T10s, Arco 2s and the RBA with the Wotofo parts, eventually, the success of the last contender heavily depending if I can put it all together, without it leaking, too much, hopefully...
Actually a bit of foreshadowing, an RBA success might also be good news for a builder here, but there is still a lot of ground to take.

 

[AndriaD]

@MyMagicMist Speaking of NiChrome, the Wotofo coils have arrived! Tiny little things, there is going to be 2 of them in the TFV8 RBA in use at all times thou, so we shall see.
Little bit of trivia: one of the parcel's contents were labeled as "tea" and the package itself was much bigger than you would really need, so they filled it out with some extra bubble wrap, the crafty Chinese! I am not aware of any vape supplies import restrictions in this country, but I take it Chinese know their game and take precautions whenever possible, gotta give them credit.
Speaking of credit, an American store I ordered a pack of Arco 2 coils from, thanks @mikeyboy74, charged me mere 2 USD for the shipping, that is very impressive compared to the usual standard, like 15 dollars plus the weight of the parcel added in on top, so thanks America, keep it up!
There will be a three way battle between SMOK T10s, Arco 2s and the RBA with the Wotofo parts, eventually, the success of the last contender heavily depending if I can put it all together, without it leaking, too much, hopefully...
Actually a bit of foreshadowing, an RBA success might also be good news for a builder here, but there is still a lot of ground to take.

Most of the vape stuff I've bought from China/HK arrived labelled as "toys."

Andria

 

[Langrel]

I keep meaning to post some sort of update, for about 2 weeks now I think, well postponing ends today.
I will just give my feedback and comparison between the 3 setups one can use with the TFV8 and attempt at ranking them best to worst, which may prove difficult.
So the RBA:
Was surprisingly easy to set up, out of the 4 times in total I have wicked it I never had any leaking issues. Fitting in the prebuilt coils was a trifle as well. However there are still shortcomings. First, it doesn't quite survive a 2-2.5 sec draw. At about 1.5 sec into a draw you can hear it, it stops sizzling, the wicks get rather dry and you are about to get a taste of your cotton. Out of the 4 times I have wicked it up, only the last take was what I would call successful, it survives a long draw, but just about.
+ Decent vapour production
+ Decent flavour
+ Effectively free, compared to the other 2 options I have tested.
+ Fun building
- Coils, mine at least, vapourise juice faster than wicks can soak it up.
- Inconsistent performance. Wicking can be hit or miss, sometimes flavour disappears.
- Can be fiddly.
- Spits once warm.
- Draws about 5 volts of power @ 70 watts / 0.35 ohm, which is more than TFV8's 130 watts, which is quite impressive.

The Arco 2 coils:
Rather disappointing, if I am honest. The 1 coil lasted for 2600 puffs, which is effectively double the average lifespan of a SMOK T10, which was good, but the flavour isn't as rich, vapour is cooler than I would like and clouds are rather lousy. This isn't the worst of it however. The second coil in service lasted for all of about 1600 puffs, before becoming flavourless, and the third one packed up in 1000~, started tasting like something burned. Pardon? I must have done something awfully wrong, because there is no other explanation for such an inconsistency. When I pulled the 1000 draws coil apart, the coils looked exactly like a dry hit ruined Eleaf Just S coil, back when I didn't realise you really shouldn't vape a tank dry, should always keep about 1/3 full and refill. Did I scorch them? The flavour, well, my favourite juice at the moment is orange + orange zest plus minty coolness, and I get exactly that in T10s and the RBA, I can taste the orange as if I am eating an orange flavoured marmalade, minus the overwhelming sweetness of course, the aftertaste of orange skin and the coolness, which together with the fact that vape is quite warm, produces a rather interesting sensation. I don't get nearly as much flavour in the Arco 2s, there is a bit of orange flavour and that's kind of it?
I used them in the 70-90 watts range. I feel like they need more power to really open up, but perhaps using them at 90 watts is what killed them so quickly.
- Expensive
- Inconsistent performance
- Lousy clouds / flavour
+ Doesn't spitback
+ Wicks well, better than the RBA anyway.
+Plug and play.
I might order another pack in the future and be more careful this time, but I am not sure how I can get a better flavour out of them, there really wasn't much in the first place. Again, I stress, I probably did something horribly wrong.

The SMOK TFV8 T10s:
I have found that the best wattage for these is in fact 130, not 150. While it does mean the coil takes about 6-8 deep pulls to really get going, in the end it means a thicker vape and a better flavour. The lifetime is at a rather steady 1300~ pulls, having used up 6 of these. The T10s are comparable to World War 1 Ace Pilots: Great performance for about a week, then they suddenly and very quickly die. I think if I kept using this in about a year I would have enough metal left over I could melt it all down and cast a vault door. Flavour is great however, clouds too. Especially now having standardized on a lower wattage than what seemed optimal before.
+ Great flavour / clouds.
+ Consistent performance
+ Plug and play.
+ Doesn't spit, too much.
- Expensive.
- Limited effective lifespan, even at about 200 puffs a day you will be hard pressed to get more than a week of use out of one. Some I read claim to puff 3000 times a day, so...
- Draws quite a bit of power.
- Guzzles juice? But if it didn't it wouldn't produce those wet, warm delicious clouds... So is this even a drawback?
They all use a lot of power, let's be honest here, you will need a quad mod for either of those setups. Price wise I can get 4 T10s for the price of 3 Arco 2s.
10x prebuilt Wotofo coils, together with the RBA deck costs less than a pack of T10s, so you get the idea. The most cost efficient option by far.
So if by some miracle all this is relevant to you, perhaps you are eyeing TFV8 and wonder what to use it with, I would say give T10s a try and get practicing building the RBA. Or don't buy a product that is 3 years old now and look for something more modern. I have gone for the TFV8 because albeit old, it was, probably still is a staple of tanks, according to the info that I found. Also people I have spoken to about vaping in Discord, when I mentioned it is TFV8, they went "Ohhh you have thaaat".

This might be my last update on the subject here, so let's talk a little bit about the mod itself, GX350. It does what it supposed to and it's ergonomic. A 4 cell mod cannot get any smaller than that, I don't think, it would be practically impossible. People have complained about SMOK's paint job quality. Well I don't have a single chip on my tank, there are however one or 2 little scuffs on the mod, on the edges mostly. I will say that it's no fault of SMOK's paint quality, but the fact that mod bodies are made of zinc alloy, a softer metal and are easier to nick than tanks, which are stainless steel. If GX350 was a piece of machined stainless steel it would probably weight a ton more, as well as heat to uncomfortable temperatures.
People have also remarked that the rubber seal in the TFV8 is very easy to rip and there won't be an airtight seal anymore. Well, I am yet to break one, however, periodically those seals expand under heat and will no longer fit in, so I have 2 in use, once one pops out, I quickly replace it with another and let the other one cool and contract back into shape. Not a problem.
One very important point however: Do NOT use silicon covers on the GX350, because I did and it started auto firing, the fire bar had a mind of its own, I am pretty sure that was caused by the condensation that was visible outside the mod, under the cover when it cooled down after use, there was also probably some directly inside the mod under the fire bar. Next day it dried enough and hadn't auto fired since. The battery latch was stubborn for a few initial battery swaps, had to pry it open with a tea spoon, it is fully broken in now. I get about a week of use out of a single set of 4x 18650s, which is really not bad at all.

I might get different coils like Melo 300 and such, just to see what they are like, in comparison, but that is for another day.

Thank you very much for reading and expressing your opinions, it's been a pleasure!