Become a Patron!

Recommended Vaping Equipment For Beginners using Real Tobacco Extracts

Real Extract in Seattle

VU Vendor
VU Vendor
Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
January 2018
The vaping forums are dominated by those that have no experience or appreciation of real tobacco flavor profiles. Maybe everybody just gave up years ago since the synthetic food flavorings trying to mimic tobacco never really satisfied. Online, everybody is a self-professed expert and has no problem giving their opinion in spite of the fact that old smokers have different needs than younger people do. I suppose it is a generational thing. The misinformation online regarding vaping and what really works for old geezers to quit smoking after 40 years is overwhelming. It is amazing to me that any older smoker gets through all the bad advice. Some of us do not want fruit loops, ashtrays or donut substitutes. We are not into cloud blowing contests either so we don't need 200 watt devices or tiny coils or nicotine salts (freebase nicotine anyone?).

I thought I might consolidate my recommendations to simplify the multiyear result of my personal quest for the right equipment to use with Real Extracts. Real Extracts are different from other juices. They are natural flavors that are compromised by too much heat. We do not need high temperatures to vape them. Consequently, using atomizers with coil resistance below 1.0 ohm is not desirable. We do not need high wattage mods (Moderated voltage controlled power units) as 30 watts is more than enough for natural extract vaping. Most equipment being promoted today is sub-ohm. Find a single coil atomizer 1.0 ohm or higher and a mod with a maximum capacity of 30-50 watts and you will have what you need.

The other difference with Real Extracts and the others is viscosity and the current fashion of using high VG (Vegetable Glycerine) mixtures. Real Extracts are formulated at 70%PG (Propylene Glycol) and 30% VG. The reason is that PG carries the flavors while VG provides the cloud. We need lots of flavor and some cloud - not the otherway around. The higher the VG the less flavor density in the vape. VG also makes very thick sticky phlem (sorry!)

Those of us that have gone on the flavor pilgrimage with real flavorings have been through many changes in equipment over the years. We were seeking the holy grail - authentic tobacco flavor without having to smoke it. We have the extracts figured out, but the equipment needs to work well with the extracts or it is all for nothing. The wrong equipment can turn a wonderful flavor into a very negative experience.

Here is where I ended up after five years of trial and error and a box full of abandoned mods and atomizers. I should comment that I do not use ready made factory coils myself as my coils and build gives me a higher quality flavor profile than any factory made coil. I use a bigger wick (3mm), I use mineral wick exclusively (Eko-Wool) that never gives a dry toxic burn and has better capillary wick action than cotton or rayon. That being said, most people prefer the convenience of a ready-made coil/wick even if not quite as good a flavor result. Factory coils are somewhat pricey $2-$3 and need to be changed regularly or the flavor degenerates. Making your own coils/wicks is cheap but you have to spend your time getting the component parts and actually making the coils. Not everybody wants the hassle. Both options are viable.

Best beginner setups - mod+atomizer combo with a factory-made coil:
Aspire Nautilus
  1. Zelos Kit with Nautilus 2 - Simple regulated box mod and decent atomizer $60 Best bang for the buck
  2. K3 Quick Start Kit - slender, compact, unregulated, no controls but no brainer - fill and vape $60
  3. Kabuki 1.5 - This is a $90 atomizer that uses the same Nautilus coil as the two above. You will need to add a regulated mod.
Capture.JPG


Best flavor setups - wrapping your own coils:
  1. Kayfun v5 - Larger deck easy to build. Holds 3.5 ml juice. My favorite
  2. Kayfun Prime - Smaller chamber, warmer and slightly denser flavor concentration. Small deck harder to build but good unit.
  3. Kayfun v3 - Smaller diameter, a little warmer than v5, small deck a little irritating to build but a great little atomizer
Capture200.jpg


I recommend the authentics at around $100. The clones are much cheaper but variable quality (could be ok though! - maybe...)

Put these atomizers onto a regulated mod. The best I know is the Dicodes. I use the Dani-boxes. Expensive though. There are many mods available out there in the $30 range that would do just fine (just consider them disposable; when they fail just replace). Aspire has one they use in the Zelos kit above. The difference between a $30 mod and the $300 Dicodes is the quality, predictability, durability and reliability of the power output. It makes a difference in the quality of the vape having good voltage regulation. I NEVER need more than 20 watts as I vape at 10-12 watts at 1.2- 1.6 ohms on a single coil. So a 30-50 watt mod is plenty of power.

Note: The Kabuki 1.5 is out of production and there won't be any around soon.

I got mine from https://thezfo.com/ They also sell the Aspire units

Kayfuns are available from Origin Vape in New York.
 

VU Sponsors

Top