What kind of builder are you?

[Mikhail Naumov]

Just wondering how many people still build coils of their own, since I know specialty wires come on 50 foot spools for dirt cheap now and premade alien coils are sold in brick and mortars. Rebuilding has become a somewhat lost art in this recent year, so I figured I would make this poll to see.

I use 30mm-41mm stuff regularly and hardly touch anything else, my 22-28mm stuff is collecting dust steadily these days. So I typically rely on builds that are fairly massive and take much higher wattages than other vapes, due to me liking a very intense, hot vape. I only use three types of specialty wire to build with, period. Triple twisted 22/24 gauge 316L SS / Ni80 wire, Ni80 / KA1 / 316L SS fused clapton wire 22/24/26G inner core 32/34/36G outer core and 22/24G inner core Ni80 / KA1 36/38G outer core staple wire.

 

[Markw4mms]

I build my own coils, mostly just use simple round wire SS316L. If I do anything more complex, I buy pre-made specialty wire.

 

[KKen]

Genisis user, typically stick to spaced, round wire coils around a mesh wick with 28-30g wire

 

[Wicked Gene]

24g or 26g 316L ss simple coils. If I really want to get fancy I will twist 2 or 3 stands. I'm not a big fan of the Claptons and aliens and such, too much spitback for me. I also only use single coils. I'm not into cloud chasing but I do want a good vape.


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[Karagel]

I build my own coils, if i use anything more complex than twisted wire i just buy wire.

 

[conanthewarrior]

At first, I made everything, including my own Claptons and fused claptons.

Now, I tend to make simple coils most of the time, and if I do set up something a bit more mad for higher power vaping, I use premade wire as it just saves time for me. I did enjoy making the other coils at first, but eventually I did not find them to be enough of an improvement over standard coils apart from high wattage vaping.

 

[Heartsdelight]

Ironic I was using premade Claptons, and will still use them but I recently got a Daedalus Coilmaker to play with.

 

[Whiskeywarrior]

I build everything for a couple of reasons. 1) I like building
2) I know exactly what the coil is made of
3) It is made for a specific purpose and atty
4) You can't buy what I make

There is many many other reasons but I just like to build.

 

[Eskie]

I can make my own Claptons, but anything else I usually screw up. I once got about 3 inches of an Alien done that looked great. Unfortunately it was a bit too short for well, anything, and I haven't been able to reproduce even that limited success. I've gotta get some new swivels.

 

[stmtpr]

I'm successful at claptons or fused claptons but anything beyond that I'm buying

 

[gakudzu]

I've made aliens, but I wouldn't say I've mastered them. I just don't build enough. I make a good pair, install them, and vape them. It'll be awhile before I'll need more.

 

[Mikhail Naumov]

I own a Daedalus myself, bought one when I saw that owning one would slowly make my drills obsolete for anything other than straightening and twisting wire. It did.

 

[Mattp169]

anyone have suggestions for quality ss alien wire? i been wanting to try some aliens but havent pulled the triger on buying a set for anyone, and was wondering if any place has started to sell premade ss alien wire lengths that is good quality. I just cant see the sense in premade coils, spools are much much cheaper and I can try different IDs and wraps

 

[UncleRJ]

With my large hands and fat fingers I can wrap and install (painful to watch) my own coils.

But since I can purchase 3mm SS Clapton Coils so freaking cheaply and they last so very long with proper care, why even bother?

 

[kevin littell]

6 wraps of k1 Kanthal 26 gauge around a 3.5mm bit makes all the vapor I'll ever need.

 

[KingPin!]

I now exclusively make my own coils really dislike simple wraps so stick to normal or fused claptons ...using a peg it winds itself in no time

Still trying to work on harder builds at the moment but that is just a hobby I'm yet to get a decent alien of more than 2-3 inches

 

[r055co]

anyone have suggestions for quality ss alien wire? i been wanting to try some aliens but havent pulled the triger on buying a set for anyone, and was wondering if any place has started to sell premade ss alien wire lengths that is good quality. I just cant see the sense in premade coils, spools are much much cheaper and I can try different IDs and wraps

Best advice is to buy some from a good coil maker. I got a couple from @raymo2u to see if it's something I should dabble with, it is. I'm going to try my hand at it soon. I've gotten pretty solid with my fused Clapton and micro fused Clapton. So it's time to move up.

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[r055co]

I now exclusively make my own coils really dislike simple wraps so stick to normal or fused claptons ...using a peg it winds itself in no time

Still trying to work on harder builds at the moment but that is just a hobby I'm yet to get a decent alien of more than 2-3 inches

I'm pretty much the same, plus to spin up and wrap a pair of fused Claptons only takes maybe 15 minutes at most and that's taking my time.

I do at times put a simple twisted coils in my Goblin Mini or Darang. But I really do prefer a pair of 34x2/40 fused Claptons though.

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[Mike H.]

I build my own coils..Anything from simple spaced coils or micro/nano to basic claptons and fused Claptons and sometimes a twisted wire build...I use 24g/26g/28g SS316L and if I do a Clapton variety I use 36g SS316L as an outter wrap..Nothing super fancy here but definitely self sufficient in all aspects of vape.

 

[Kevin2112]

Simple spaced single wire coils for me whether it's kanthal or stainless. But I can really appreciate the artistry of some of the more complicated multi wire coils .

 

[wheelie]

Make my own and vape them. Also have about 200 premade coils from FT and about 10 spools of specialty wire. I like to test everything and always fiddling with something vape related. I could be self sufficient with coils for myself, wife and kids but sometimes life does not allow that. Perhaps if their was more than 24 hours in a day it would allow me time to be self sufficient. CHEERS!

 

[Mikhail Naumov]

I've personally found Alien claptons to be what I call a 'placebo' coil. It vapes almost identical to a regular fused clapton, I cannot see the juice that is caught in those grooves the outer wraps make producing any more or less flavor/vapor than juice caught in straight grooves found on normal fused claptons. They do look damned cool though.

Triple twisted wire, fused clapton wire and staple wire are my big performers. Triple twisted throws out the most vapor, staples throw out the more heat / flavor and fused claptons are a happy medium somewhere between triple twisted and staples that produces good flavor, vapor and heat. Sort of the jack of all trades wire.

 

[martnargh]

I've personally found Alien claptons to be what I call a 'placebo' coil. It vapes almost identical to a regular fused clapton, I cannot see the juice that is caught in those grooves the outer wraps make producing any more or less flavor/vapor than juice caught in straight grooves found on normal fused claptons. They do look damned cool though.

Triple twisted wire, fused clapton wire and staple wire are my big performers. Triple twisted throws out the most vapor, staples throw out the more heat / flavor and fused claptons are a happy medium somewhere between triple twisted and staples that produces good flavor, vapor and heat. Sort of the jack of all trades wire.

It's interesting you mention that because I too feel the same way. I'd even go a step further and say I get very similar flavor/vapor production from a single wire 21n90 8 wrap dual coil.
In my opinion the most important aspect of what I consider to be a good draw with a good cloud and nice flavor is the wicking. I've also found that less wraps and large id will work better, at least when vaping low ohms on a mech.
I have a .08 4mm build in my mech and can hit it for a good amount without getting a dry hit and it lights up instantly and aggressively. I could have the same ohms in like a fused Clapton or alien maybe with a smaller id like 3mm and I'd get the same good flavor and ramp up but maybe for a lesser period of time since the cotton can't keep up as well.
Needless to say even though I enjoy building claptons and have recently landed making aliens properly I still will opt for a nice single wire build like in the older days. Only difference is for this I will use n90.

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[Synphul]

Mine are usually simple single wire or double (twisted) in slightly spaced single coils. Wanted to try something different so grabbed a spool of half staggered fused clapton and it's been pretty enjoyable so far. Far too tiny for me to mess with, maybe it's my fat fingers or lack of patience. I thought the more complex wires that come out like a ribbon rather than a round wire were bigger and bulkier than they actually are.

The half staggered fused whatever is so small I even questioned whether it really involved all the intricate wraps or if it was just stamped to look that way like costume jewelry. Nope, small strands of wire could be separated from it. Ha, oh hell no, that's far too tiny and tedious. Apparently the photos I've seen and admired in the more complex builds are really close up shots.

 

[stmtpr]

anyone have suggestions for quality ss alien wire? i been wanting to try some aliens but havent pulled the triger on buying a set for anyone, and was wondering if any place has started to sell premade ss alien wire lengths that is good quality. I just cant see the sense in premade coils, spools are much much cheaper and I can try different IDs and wraps

Contact @b_d_builders

He'll get you fixed up. I can vouch for his work

 

[Alter]

I mostly vape spaced single kanthal builds, 24, 26 and 28 gauge wire. I make my own 28/32 clapton mostly for my wife who tootle vapes 1.6ohm coils, she refuses to vape any other build or gauge. I do some twisted wire once in a while but claptons that I think are a better build. I don't do the contact or micro, its all spaces coils for me even my claptons are spaced ever so slightly. I have never vaped any of the nickle,SS or titanium wires and probably never will just cause I don't want to have to remember what kind of wire is in what atty and deal with temp control settings. Been building almost 4 years now so the novelty of building wore off long ago and now I sit down to rebuild cause I have to replace all the spent attys piled up in the wash bin. I have not bought any premade wire but I did try the clapton that came in my TFV4 RBA, that was my first go at vaping what I thought was a gimmick coil and liked it enough to start building my own.

 

[mach1ne]

pretty much what @Whiskeywarrior said. i prefer to make as much of what i use and consume as possible. i also really like building stuff, art, photography etc. building coils has almost all of my interests covered. the first time i started looking into upgrading from my starter kit online (about 7 months after i got my starter kit and quit smoking), i ended up eventually looking at google image search 'coil porn' results. i had no idea people were doing this stuff. i instantly became a builder. there are too many rewarding things about building for me to even list. i even like watching other people do it. the post your builds thread is a symphony of victory lately and i think its so fucking awesome.

 

[PhantomOp]

I prefer to make my own coils because I am a "tinkerer" and I like learning new things. I've kinda taken this as a hobby (between work and family).
I personally don't like paying a "premium" price for pre-made coils and feel that I can build them myself cheaper, and I get more satisfaction from it.

I've pretty much settled on the fancier wires for all of my tanks (Clapton, Fused Clapton, Aliens).
My squonkers seem to run really well with basic coils and Clapton coils.

 

[conanthewarrior]

I've personally found Alien claptons to be what I call a 'placebo' coil. It vapes almost identical to a regular fused clapton, I cannot see the juice that is caught in those grooves the outer wraps make producing any more or less flavor/vapor than juice caught in straight grooves found on normal fused claptons. They do look damned cool though.

Triple twisted wire, fused clapton wire and staple wire are my big performers. Triple twisted throws out the most vapor, staples throw out the more heat / flavor and fused claptons are a happy medium somewhere between triple twisted and staples that produces good flavor, vapor and heat. Sort of the jack of all trades wire.

I completely agree with you about the Aliens, I have actually wondered in the past myself what all the fuss was about, and then just went back to fused claptons.

I use fused claptons for my higher power set ups, which is anything from 60-120W depending on various things. Everything else under this is usually just standard 26G SS316L now.

I haven't actually tried triple twisted coils or any Staple style coils myself. Am I missing out do you think?

 

[r055co]

For me the Jury is still out with alien over fused, Stapled though are damn good, daaaaaamn good.

 

[Eskie]

Contact @b_d_builders

He'll get you fixed up. I can vouch for his work

I'll second that. And @b_d_builders has great customer service. He is really responsive to his customers.

 

[b_d_builders]

I'll second that. And @b_d_builders has great customer service. He is really responsive to his customers.

Thank @stmtpr and @Eskie! If you don't have the time, patience, or care to learn how to build there are people like myself, raymo, and others who do build coils if you need. Check out the post your builds thread to find all the talented builders of the group.

Personally I'm a big fan of aliens and the staple staggered fused clapton(ssfc). Both of these coils perform great in both the flavor & cloud production departments. That being said a good fused clapton also is a great performer and are fairly easy to make even for beginners just a couple simple tools are required (ball bearing swivels, drill and some sort of swivel jig).

Favorite wire to vape today has to be SS316L and Nichrome respectively. If you have any questions let me know


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[KingPin!]

For me the Jury is still out with alien over fused, Stapled though are damn good, daaaaaamn good.

Tried to make a staple the other night failed miserably at trying to coil them wasted all that time working with fiddly ribbon wire was so pissed off especially as wrapping them was spot on until that point

 

[b_d_builders]

Tried to make a staple the other night failed miserably at trying to coil them wasted all that time working with fiddly ribbon wire was so pissed off especially as wrapping them was spot on until that point

Hot glue both ends of your staple wire before wrapping. Helps keep your core wires from collapsing on you. I normally use hot glue on my prep so everything stays put while claptoning fusing and such.

Left pic is the drill end right side is the swivel side.


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[KingPin!]

Hot glue both ends of your staple wire before wrapping. Helps keep your core wires from collapsing on you. I normally use hot glue on my prep so everything stays put while claptoning fusing and such.

Left pic is the drill end right side is the swivel side.


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Yeah did exactly this buddy worked a treat it was the wrapping bit they warped on me when using my coil master jig

 

[b_d_builders]

Yeah did exactly this buddy worked a treat it was the wrapping bit they warped on me when using my coil master jig

I use my screwdrivers gave up on the coil jigs a while ago never worked for me. The first wrap has gotta go straight down then it wraps fairly easy. That first wrap is important at least in my experience. You can also try clamping your wire in a vise to help you keep tension on everything.


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[KingPin!]

I use my screwdrivers gave up on the coil jigs a while ago never worked for me. The first wrap has gotta go straight down then it wraps fairly easy. That first wrap is important at least in my experience. You can also try clamping your wire in a vise to help you keep tension on everything.


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Thanks matey I'll try this next time

 

[Mikhail Naumov]

I completely agree with you about the Aliens, I have actually wondered in the past myself what all the fuss was about, and then just went back to fused claptons.

I use fused claptons for my higher power set ups, which is anything from 60-120W depending on various things. Everything else under this is usually just standard 26G SS316L now.

I haven't actually tried triple twisted coils or any Staple style coils myself. Am I missing out do you think?

Triple twisted is great for easy clouds, especially if it's 22 gauge Ni80 or 316L SS instead of KA1. Though these are unregulated, low resistance clouds. I recommend at least 3 batteries when using builds that low resistance, as I've had triple twisted 22 gauge Ni80 coils come out out to .07 and they were fairly big to boot. Flavor is pretty good as well, heat seems to dissipate quickly though.Got a triple twisted 22g 3.8mm dual coil 316L SS 8 wrap build in my 41mm Voltrove right now. .18 or so, sitting on the HoG V3.

Staples are my favorite builds, so I would say yes, you are missing out here. I've never gotten better flavor off any other coil, truly. The multiple layers of flat ribbon and the grooves/space between each piece helps to catch tons of juice. Staple coils if big enough can hold as much juice as small wicks, it's crazy.

 

[Mista Malice]

I build all of my Coils. I've also noticed that Coil building where I live, is a dying art and everybody just uses tanks now. Most B&Ms here aren't even keeping RDA's or Wire in stock and haven't for months. It sucks!

 

[Mikhail Naumov]

I build all of my Coils. I've also noticed that Coil building where I live, is a dying art and everybody just uses tanks now. Most B&Ms here aren't even keeping RDA's or Wire in stock and haven't for months. It sucks!

It's getting the same way around here.

 

[raymo2u]

I would say Im a semi skilled builder...but I know most people would beg to differ...
Name it Ive built it...always looking to challenge myself and try to inspire others.

 

[Mikhail Naumov]

Oh, Ray. So modest.

 

[Mattp169]

I would say Im a semi skilled builder...but I know most people would beg to differ...
Name it Ive built it...always looking to challenge myself and try to inspire others.

yeah ray you totally suck!