I'm looking to get into drippers and would like some help.

[JGrady93]

Im fairly new to vapes in general, but i love it! id like to get into rdas but i have no clue where to start. right now im running a nautilus mini on a eleaf istick. like what all do i need to make a dripper? i was looking at the 454 big block rda but i dont know whats needed and where to start. any help is appreciated. thanks!

 

[Celtic Fog]

Well, the istick will not allow for full function of the RDA, you would have to run a single coil at 1.5 ohms to get it working really well. You might think about grabbing a 50w box or a mechanical mod to really experience the joys of dripping. If you do want to start with the istick, it is possible, just grab an RDA that will use a single coil, grab some Kanthal from Lightning Vapes, 28g is a good size to start with, some organic cotton or Rayon, witch you can also get from Lightning Vapes, and an Ohm Meter. The ohm meter will help you understand the coils and check for shorts, keeping you safer as you start. If you use Lightning Vapes, LV15 will grab you a 15% discount.

 

[JGrady93]

Okay thanks! Can you get boxes reasonably priced? I'm willing to get a new one I just want to do it the right way and know what I'm doing. Is there any reason or box you'd recommend?

 

[Giraut]

I vape single coil RDAs at 13W to my satisfaction. There's nothing compulsory about dumping power into a dripper.

I suggest you get yourself a Smok Dripper RDA: it's dirt-cheap, very easy to build, gives off great flavor and good vapor, and your iStick will be more than adequate to drive it. Not to mention, it'll go great on the iStick, being so small. After using it for a while, if you feel constrained by that setup, you can always upgrade. But by then you'll know exactly what dripping hardware you want.

 

[JGrady93]

I vape single coil RDAs at 13W to my satisfaction. There's nothing compulsory about dumping power into a dripper.

I suggest you get yourself a Smok Dripper RDA: it's dirt-cheap, very easy to build, gives off great flavor and good vapor, and your iStick will be more than adequate to drive it. Not to mention, it'll go great on the iStick, being so small. After using it for a while, if you feel constrained by that setup, you can always upgrade. But by then you'll know exactly what dripping hardware you want.

Thank you! I mean I like to blow clouds, but it doesn't have to be anything ridiculous to start. I'm more of a flavor guy so far anyway. I just have to find out what to get. Haha

 

[BigNasty]

Honestly depends on how much you want to spend on a box or mech.
Mechs will limit you on how much power is dumped to a dripper which is wide open within the battery performance rating.
Boxs 30-50w can be had within the 30-100 range before batteries.

 

[Giraut]

FWIW, I get big, dense clouds at 25W on a single coiler - as in, voice-changing, can't-see-what's-in-front-of-me-for-5-seconds, sort of dense clouds. Not out of a Smok Dripper RDA obviously, but my point is, it all depends on the dripper. Power isn't everything...

 

[JGrady93]

Okay, is power a plus though? And is the mech mod just the box?

 

[Browncoat]

Mechanical mods are very basic. A metal tube to hold a single battery, a connection port, and a firing button (typically on the bottom). They are about as simple to operate as a flashlight. Inside is a positive and negative terminal for power...no circuitry, no frills. Mech mods require working knowledge of battery safety and Ohm's Law for building coils.

Box mods are more advanced and forgiving. They can hold 2, 3, or even 4 batteries and have variable voltage and wattage options. They also have internal circuitry protections, a regulated power supply, and other bells and whistles like a digital readout screen.

 

[JGrady93]

Okay cool. So the tunes are basically as simple as put the battery in it? Haha

 

[Celtic Fog]

I started by using a Variable Volt/ Variable Watt box type mod, but when the chip goes bad, its done. With Mechanical mods, you can learn how to fix problems fairly easy. I do like the Sigelei 100w box, I want to get one so that I can use more power when I feel the need for it.
https://originvape.com/product/sigelei-100-watt-plus-box-mod-in-stock-now/

 

[Giraut]

Mech mods... reliable like a brick, dumb like a brick too. Yeah, that's just what a newbie needs...

 

[JGrady93]

Alright I'll look into them. Can you get a decent amount of power off tubes?

 

[Celtic Fog]

People try to scare new vapers into VV and VW devices, telling people that Mechanical mods are scary and not for beginners. Because of that, I did not use them in the beginning. I wish I had come to my own conclusions faster. If your an adult, using a mechanical mod should not be confusing or dangerous. Does it take some know how, yes, but can the know how be learned, yes. People often forget that driving a car takes practice and can be dangerous....but nobody starts off by driving a go cart, do they? Even with your length of time vaping @Giraut, you are still kinda of an intermediate level vaper, so instead of passing on your fears and worries, just pass on the information you have learned, some suggestions as well, but with a comment like above, you help nobody.

 

[Celtic Fog]

Alright I'll look into them. Can you get a decent amount of power off tunes?

you can get great power and vape from tubes. I prefer my tube mods these days. Easier to use and more fun, in my opinion. But both the tube and box are awesome.

 

[JGrady93]

Okay thanks because looks wise, I prefer tubes they look easier to handle and usually have better designs

 

[Number3124]

I'd go ahead and get a mech mod. They're reliable and easy to use once you understand that you can't go pushing super-sub ohms with them. Until you know what you're doing I'd stick in the 0.5-0.4 ohm range. That's what I'm doing until I get more comfortable with it. The real thing to understand is that you can overdrain your batteries, if there's a short it will either instantly drain your battery (if you're lucky) or overload the battery and cause it to vent, and if you build or coils too low it will do the same. This is why you really need to be safe and make sure that your mod has good vent holes that are directed away from your face. I'd rather burn my hand/fingers than my face.

Here's the great thing though. A $10 ohm reader, a $20 charger, and some commonsense should prevent almost all of these problems. If your vape is too weak you need to recharge the battery. The charger will tell you when your battery life is getting low if you get one of the digital ones. Use the ohm reader every morning to check if your coils' ohms are changing very much. You'll almost always see them going up. If they go down you might want to rebuild. If it doesn't read then you have a short somewhere, and it's definitely time to rebuild. An ohm reader is an essential if you're going to use an RDA.

This page here is my best friend for picking out batteries. Leave an ohm of headroom to be safe.

 

[JGrady93]

Thank you, I got a dark horse rda, a tree of life mech mod, a Sony vtc4, an ohms meter and a battery charger. Now what should I use to wrap my coils?

 

[Number3124]

Thank you, I got a dark horse rda, a tree of life mech mod, a Sony vtc4, an ohms meter and a battery charger. Now what should I use to wrap my coils?

I like to use a screwdriver. There's a set a Lowes that comes with the diameter measured in mm that is great for wrapping since it takes that variable out of the mix and the lip between the shaft and handle acts as a nice edge to begin your coil on. I like to use the 2mm driver. I hold my kanthal with a small pair of needle-nose pliers. There are dozens of different ways to do it though. Some people just use a drill bit and almost check them out.

 

[Celtic Fog]

Thank you, I got a dark horse rda, a tree of life mech mod, a Sony vtc4, an ohms meter and a battery charger. Now what should I use to wrap my coils?

How are you liking your new set up so far?

 

[JGrady93]

How are you liking your new set up so far?

I like it, I've got a simple dual coil set up, but the flavor is better in my aspire mini. I'm not too sure if I'm doing something wrong. I mean it's just blowing clouds but I wanna make the flavor better if I can somehow. I don't know if I'm not putting the cotton in right or if my Sony battery just needs charged.

 

[Celtic Fog]

there will be a small breaking in period where you learn how to wick best for you, takes a couple of builds to get it just right. When you start to notice your hits weakening, most likely time to charge that battery. On the RDA, less air is smaller clouds and more flavor, more air is bigger clouds and less flavor. Also, now that your building on rda's i would suggest you head over to youtube and watch a ton of coil and cloud videos. You will hear so many good tips on how to get the right cloud with the right flavor for you. As annoying as he can be...Rip Trippers will shed a lot of light on coil builds. Stay patient and Keep it Foggy my friend.

 

[JGrady93]

there will be a small breaking in period where you learn how to wick best for you, takes a couple of builds to get it just right. When you start to notice your hits weakening, most likely time to charge that battery. On the RDA, less air is smaller clouds and more flavor, more air is bigger clouds and less flavor. Also, now that your building on rda's i would suggest you head over to youtube and watch a ton of coil and cloud videos. You will hear so many good tips on how to get the right cloud with the right flavor for you. As annoying as he can be...Rip Trippers will shed a lot of light on coil builds. Stay patient and Keep it Foggy my friend.

I'll check it out! Thanks for all the advice!