Questions (lots, kinda wall) about building, wire type, wick etc...

[Nekrabyte]

Hey guys, I've upgraded from a cheap pen set up and having almost no knowledge to getting a battlestar and diving right into building a several months back. I've done a ton of research, but it seems there's a lot of threads i'm finding that are 4 or 5 years old, or seem to have really vague/contradicting answers or extremes in preferences, that i just plain had a some questions, that research really couldn't answer for me.

So when i first started, i also got the battlestar rdta with the battlestar mod since it had a few good reviews (and it matched haha...), and i started building. i kinda skipped single wires, cause everything i was reaching shouted "more surface, more flavor, more clouds!", and started with some simple twisted 26g kanthal, then quickly went to triple, then two doubles twisted together, then to a triple with helixed 34g kanthal around it, and then to my most recent (of the twisteds) 4x26g and 4x34g helix twisted. its flavorful, and cloudy, but its really kinda too hot for me taste. kinda wanted more flavor, bought a gaia rdta, but i think i need to get unicorn tipped bottles, cause its not as smooth to me as everyone says it is, and i think its cause i'm getting juice everywhere. anyways, i'm kinda going on here....

I've only used kanthal, i was considering switching to nichrome 80 cause i have heard it has faster ramp time, and faster cooling, and allows for more wraps at same ohm increasing surface area, increasing flavor? is nichrome worth trying? I have only used kanthal, mostly twisted, and just started doing some claptons. well i kinda went crazy and made one that was 3 26/36 claptons, twisted, with twisted 34g helixed in.... was way too hot haha, but i do have a fused clapton in there now (pics below), but i dont feel i have been able to properly test it until i get my bottles in instead of these drippers. nichrome is just as good at claptons and twists right? i would like to try to make some aliens at some point in the future...

i have also thought about trying to temp control, but i have done very little research on that, but i just definitely curious if anyone has done both and prefers one over the other and the reason why? I just don't want to waste wire if i dont have to, and it aint cheap when you're practicing new stuff so often haha

most of what ive seen from pictures of TC is single wraps, and spaced, but they are all old... can you clapton TC?

another thing, is that i can't find a thread thats less than 4 years old about wicking it seems... i've only used organic unbleached cotton (innovaper), but the supply is starting to run low and i'm wondering what i could try that might improve the flavor. i most rock fruit flavors if that matters, and i have heard some good things about cotton bacon v2, is there something sweet out there i'm missing out on?

one last thing, are my coil placements good? (one pic is a handcheck, one is of my 8 wire helix, but the other 3 are of the fused clapton on the gaia that i'm curious about) is there any little thing i'm missing with this building that i could improve upon? (it's not smooth as i mentioned earlier) thanks everyone!

http://imgur.com/a/amO0u

 

[Jriley]

Yo bro watcha know? Fuck im dumb.
All i use is SS and kanthal so i cant help ya on N80 i think SS is similiar to SS ohm wise though but ultimately i dunno. Your coils actually look great bro.
Now to the cotton... I cant tell any difference between all the types so i just buy cotton bacon and you dont have enough cotton in your coils i can 100% tell ya that.
What ohm , watt number type person are ya?

 

[Jriley]

This is how ya want it, fluffy and loving its e liquid life.

See how your cotton looks like hes having a mid life crisis except in his 50's and its just all hanging droopy and thin and haten life?

 

[Nekrabyte]

Hey, thanks for the reply, and yea, i've seen everyones pictures of their wicks, but i can't seem to get mine like that, i dont really understand it haha... i dont know what i'm doing wrong. in general i scottish roll it, and its pretty tight, and then i fluff the wicks out as much as i can, and then i stuff them down in the holes, then drip. have any tips? i'm not really sure what i'm doing wrong.

i'm generally vaping on .18 to .23 ohm coils, and my my big helix is at 70 watts, but honestly i kinda think i'd prefer something a little more chill, the 45-55 range. i like my vape warm, but not hot, yanno, but density definitely matters. i could go a little lower on the ohm, down to prob .15 if it would be a better vape. still trying to find what works best for me - flavor is most important, but cloud is a close a second, gotta have them both.

and thanks for saying my coils look great! i'm really enjoying it, but i never know if they are actually well made or not, a little insecure haha... but my cotton apparently could be my biggest culprit!

 

[Jriley]

I dont have tips for cotton as its really a feel thing and the second biggest art form after coil making, it is i believe a main reason why people get out of rebuildables, it makes or breaks every build.
When i chain vape when i first get up i rip my 24mm goon off and grab one of my 22mm drippers and loose wick my coils though but still not like yours, i grab about a pinky width of cotton bacon and then i take my fingers over it repeadtedly like a hand rolled smoke, getting all the fray cotton off and feeling where it is denser in spots then others . then when it all feels the same to me i pull through the coils and ill do this back and fourth with the wick probably a dozen times (if its pretty tight) or once or twice if its perfect.
When i snip the ends i dont take anything to fluff (rip) all the cotton out like a fucktard either dont do that shit. Brush it open the wick ends i mean just lightly so its not packed together.

 

[Jriley]

60ish watt range for regulated mod i find is good in the .3 range. I love 24G/36G SS claptons i think N80 is like this also but with SS its going to ohm out about half of what the same build with kanthal would be but it doesnt have the ramp up kanthal has so lots of benefits.

 

[Nekrabyte]

thanks for the advice man, yea i've been fluffing them out pretty good, and then jamming them down in there. i'l try to just spread them out a little bit, and maybe give em more room to flull i guess. practice makes perfect haha. and you say the 60ish watt range for .3, now would that mean higher watts if i was going down? (like thats why i'm running 70 on this .23). what would going to a .3 do to my vape? i feel like my clouds arent quite dense enough, but i dont need them to be giant. oh, i also like a restricted direct to lung type of hit, if that matters... though if i'm feeling monster clouds i'll open it up.

edit: i thought SS was only for temp control? you can use in VW mode as well? how's the ramp time? i kinda want it to be quicker (which is kinda why i was interested in nichrome, as i heard thats faster than kanthal)

 

[Jriley]

Well .3 wont mean alot besides for how im telling you how to build the wire will get hot faster.
The way you keep talking though about clouds and shit if your using 3mg nic or 0 then fuckin put some .2 fused claptons and 100 watt that shit.
Your using a genny tank right? Those IMO never did well with anything more complex then claptons they just sucked at wicking for me and i hated them.
I like a more restricted dtl also i dont have any drippers that even run 3/4 of the way open most the time just kills flavor and my cloud density too imo... Its like more air ='s more clouds but less ='s thicker denser clouds with more flavor

 

[Jriley]

The way you talk I would be buying a singe coil rta tho

 

[Nekrabyte]

yea, using very little nic... .75mg haha, just a touch. like i said, i do enjoy the .20 range, and maybe its not my watts thats an issue, but like you pointed out quite quickly (and someone on another forum also did, almost as fast haha) that my wicking needs work. and thats cool to hear about air = amount, less = more dense... i definitely prefer dense over big cloud.

my two tanks right now are the battlestar rdta and the cthulu gaia rdta. both velocity style dual coils. i got the gaia after reading so many threads that it was the bomb for flavor (and it really is... when i get it working right, which i cant seem to quite nail for more than a few puffs at a time... deck is a little smaller than my battlestar, and i'm still figuring out my preferred size/ohm.

 

[Jriley]

Ya i cant help you on those 2 i have never used them i do know i myself personally cant stand genny tanks which i think the gaia is.
I do however know your wicking needs work (coils looked great). What wire type and gauge are those fused claptons?

 

[ScReWbALL]

edit: i thought SS was only for temp control? you can use in VW mode as well? how's the ramp time? i kinda want it to be quicker (which is kinda why i was interested in nichrome, as i heard thats faster than kanthal)

I'm a tube mech junkie, so, I can't speak intelligently on which coils/builds would work for certain wattage ranges, but as for your question about Stainless I can tell you that SS316L is not only for temp control...it's perfectly good to use in place of kanthal in any situation. I didn't use Kanthal for long before switching to Nichrome 80 and I absolutely cannot go back to Kanthal...Nichrome 80 ramps up quicker and has a much cleaner, crisp taste to me. SS316L ramps up quicker than Nichrome 80 and there is a bump in how good the flavor is, but, the pro of it heating up quickly is also a con if you aren't a fan of hot vapes, because it can get pretty intense pretty quick. I'd suggest trying Nichrome 80 out...it's a good balance of not tasting Iron in the metal and having a quicker ramp up time compared to Kanthal without the worry of dropping your ohms too low or getting a very hot vape that SS316L can give you. Also, i know most folks swear on Cotton Bacon V2, and I used it for a good long while, but I found using Celtic Cotton or Kendo Cotton is superior to it, but that's just my humble opinion. Really good looking coils by the way, and if you really enjoy tanks and Variable devices, I'd recommend never trying a mech or RDA...you'll be ruined for life and never want to touch an RTA or want to mess with changing voltage ever again...just sayin


You're not drinking water are you?! You realize that stuff is found in antifreeze!?!

 

[gakudzu]

28g SS will ramp up faster than 26g kanthol, while giving you a similar resistance. SS can be used in wattage or temp control. I use SS316L and kanthol, myself. One of my favorite builds is an alien w/3×26g ka1cores wrapped with 34g SS316L. I've been using it almost daily since January.

 

[ScReWbALL]

I forgot to mention, also, that if fused claptons and aliens end up being what you like to build and vape on, you are by no means restricted to using a single metal for the wire you use...variety is the spice of life and tinkering around and using different mixes of things to check out the results is not only a good thing for you to grow as a builder, it's how new things are discovered! Example: I've just recently gone back to use only Nichrome 80 with my alien builds (I use a 26 gauge triple core with 36 gauge for the claptoning)...for the last couple of months I was using 26 gauge SS316L for my three cores (for the faster ramp up time), but stayed with Nichrome 80 for my wrapping wire to help bump the ohms up a little and turn down the heat. So, it's not like you're stuck with one kind of wire to use...if you like the benefits of one type of wire and think it can compliment the pros (or lessen the cons) of a different type...mix it up and see what happens...hell, wire is cheap if you buy in bulk, so, experiment away!


You're not drinking water are you?! You realize that stuff is found in antifreeze!?!

 

[Jriley]

I'm a tube mech junkie, so, I can't speak intelligently on which coils/builds would work for certain wattage ranges, but as for your question about Stainless I can tell you that SS316L is not only for temp control...it's perfectly good to use in place of kanthal in any situation. I didn't use Kanthal for long before switching to Nichrome 80 and I absolutely cannot go back to Kanthal...Nichrome 80 ramps up quicker and has a much cleaner, crisp taste to me. SS316L ramps up quicker than Nichrome 80 and there is a bump in how good the flavor is, but, the pro of it heating up quickly is also a con if you aren't a fan of hot vapes, because it can get pretty intense pretty quick. I'd suggest trying Nichrome 80 out...it's a good balance of not tasting Iron in the metal and having a quicker ramp up time compared to Kanthal without the worry of dropping your ohms too low or getting a very hot vape that SS316L can give you. Also, i know most folks swear on Cotton Bacon V2, and I used it for a good long while, but I found using Celtic Cotton or Kendo Cotton is superior to it, but that's just my humble opinion. Really good looking coils by the way, and if you really enjoy tanks and Variable devices, I'd recommend never trying a mech or RDA...you'll be ruined for life and never want to touch an RTA or want to mess with changing voltage ever again...just sayin


You're not drinking water are you?! You realize that stuff is found in antifreeze!?!

Now i gotta buy some ni80 lol. I want a mech to just no idea what type

 

[ScReWbALL]

Now i gotta buy some ni80 lol. I want a mech to just no idea what type

These are the ones I have first-hand knowledge of from using...but there are TONS more out and about, but I only know what I've read in reviews about the rest out there.
I noticed you mentioned you have some 22mm attys that you like to use and the one on the far left is perfect for those...it's a solid copper Fasttech Pegasus Clone, it is awesome and the reviews out there that it is better than the authentic are accurate.
The next one is an authentic X1 mod and atty combo that was ok, but had leaking issues but not bad for a 24mm authentic that didn't cost an arm and a leg.
The third one is the Crown Jewel of my mechs...my Authentic AV Able Mod in Copper with upgraded magnets. Expensive as hell, as mods go, but an absolute beast when it comes to performance.
The black one next to it is a Broadside clone from Fasttech. Hits hard as hell, but the floating pin to adjust for battery rattle can be a bit of a pain to work with.
The next one is an absolute POS...it's the stainless version of an AV Able Clone from Fasttech that hits about as hard as an eGo Pen Starter Kit.
The Bronze setup is a TVL Competition Mod Clone from Fasttech and it surprised the hell out of me with as hard as it hits, but it's heavy as a brick.
The last is an Authentic Limitless Sleeve Mod in Aluminum...I picked it up because it was on sale for pretty cheap and it was average at best as it was, but after swapping out the aluminum button for a copper one and switching out the spring mechanism with a set of 24k gold plated magnets, it hits like a champ and is surprising as hell considering that a bottle of juice weighs more than the mod does even with the battery in it.
When I feel a bit nostalgic for a tank or RDTA setup, I use this Revolver Reloaded 2 clone I picked up for I think $15 on fasttech that is a nice mesh of being a mech tube with an integrated tank along with a full-sized velocity style deck to build on

Mechs are fun as hell as long as you build safely and make sure to use good quality batteries (I use only Sony VTC5a, Aspire 1800, and Samsung 25R batteries).


You're not drinking water are you?! You realize that stuff is found in antifreeze!?!

 

[krypto909]

Anyone ever use Egyptian cotton to wick with?

 

[Nekrabyte]

Ya i cant help you on those 2 i have never used them i do know i myself personally cant stand genny tanks which i think the gaia is.
I do however know your wicking needs work (coils looked great). What wire type and gauge are those fused claptons?

26/32 kanthal a1

I'm a tube mech junkie, so, I can't speak intelligently on which coils/builds would work for certain wattage ranges, but as for your question about Stainless I can tell you that SS316L is not only for temp control...it's perfectly good to use in place of kanthal in any situation. I didn't use Kanthal for long before switching to Nichrome 80 and I absolutely cannot go back to Kanthal...Nichrome 80 ramps up quicker and has a much cleaner, crisp taste to me. SS316L ramps up quicker than Nichrome 80 and there is a bump in how good the flavor is, but, the pro of it heating up quickly is also a con if you aren't a fan of hot vapes, because it can get pretty intense pretty quick. I'd suggest trying Nichrome 80 out...it's a good balance of not tasting Iron in the metal and having a quicker ramp up time compared to Kanthal without the worry of dropping your ohms too low or getting a very hot vape that SS316L can give you. Also, i know most folks swear on Cotton Bacon V2, and I used it for a good long while, but I found using Celtic Cotton or Kendo Cotton is superior to it, but that's just my humble opinion. Really good looking coils by the way, and if you really enjoy tanks and Variable devices, I'd recommend never trying a mech or RDA...you'll be ruined for life and never want to touch an RTA or want to mess with changing voltage ever again...just sayin

Thanks for the information. i definitely dont mind warm vapes, i've made a few where everything is nice and warm the whole time and its fantastic, but still trying to get the kinks out of others, and i'll get plenty of wraps where it feels like its not really doing the trick and then its like BAM too hot and popping at me, and if i try to turn up the watts, its just pops at me sooner. so i guess trying to find my happy medium. maybe i'll get a few spools of the NI80, but i may just try SS as well, cause i was considering looking to trying TC too. also, thanks for the input about wicking materials... i've heard the celtic and kendo come up a few times, i'll keep them in mind when going for my next sack of cotton.

I forgot to mention, also, that if fused claptons and aliens end up being what you like to build and vape on, you are by no means restricted to using a single metal for the wire you use...variety is the spice of life and tinkering around and using different mixes of things to check out the results is not only a good thing for you to grow as a builder, it's how new things are discovered! Example: I've just recently gone back to use only Nichrome 80 with my alien builds (I use a 26 gauge triple core with 36 gauge for the claptoning)...for the last couple of months I was using 26 gauge SS316L for my three cores (for the faster ramp up time), but stayed with Nichrome 80 for my wrapping wire to help bump the ohms up a little and turn down the heat. So, it's not like you're stuck with one kind of wire to use...if you like the benefits of one type of wire and think it can compliment the pros (or lessen the cons) of a different type...mix it up and see what happens...hell, wire is cheap if you buy in bulk, so, experiment away!

Yea, i have also been quite curious about mixing wires, but never really could find answers on it, just random people saying that they did it at some point. so i should probably use a core that exhibits the ramp up time i like, and outer wrap for flavor? how much does the outer wrap affect heat? is it drastic? like will outer SS heat up a lot faster than kanthal outer?

Anyone ever use Egyptian cotton to wick with?

nope. i've only used unbleached organic cotton (innovape). how's the egyptian cotton compare?


and thanks for the responses guys!

 

[Jriley]

Well i like using SS cores and kanthal for a wrap, kanthal wrap acts like a big heatsink . using all SS can get brutal (intense)

 

[Nekrabyte]

Well i like using SS cores and kanthal for a wrap, kanthal wrap acts like a big heatsink . using all SS can get brutal (intense)

that totally makes sense. are you mostly experiencing the taste of kanthal this way? and i assume the SS core means faster ramp up. i should get a higher gauge wire for same wraps, or same size wire as kanthal and more wraps, right? (of course i'm also gonna stare at steam-engine for a few hours tonight too looking into all this haha)

edit: when i say "taste of kanthal" i just meant the either presence or lack of a metal taste and/or the different ways the juice can be brought out by different wires.

 

[Jriley]

I cant tell the difference in taste between the 2 , now the ramp up/heat i can lol. And the gauge of SS vs wraps is really your choice i do both honestly. 28g SS fused with 36g ka1 is a good vape

 

[Nekrabyte]

I cant tell the difference in taste between the 2 , now the ramp up/heat i can lol. And the gauge of SS vs wraps is really your choice i do both honestly. 28g SS fused with 36g ka1 is a good vape

Right on man, I'm gonna have to give that a shot, cause i definitely want a faster ramp. Gonna have to get nichrome too... And here i was thinking "people love kanthal, no reason to grab anything else" so naive haha... And some more cotton, cause i got a lot of practice to do!

 

[Jriley]

Lol not naive, every type of wire has its place though.
I know i have never used n80 but after this thread i will be ordering some

 

[Nekrabyte]

Lol not naive, every type of wire has its place though.
I know i have never used n80 but after this thread i will be ordering some

Yea, i honestly didn't realize there would be so many reasons to try each of the different wires, but now I'm totally stoked to get to trying some out... This hobby is expanding like crazy the further i dive in haha

 

[gakudzu]

Well i like using SS cores and kanthal for a wrap, kanthal wrap acts like a big heatsink . using all SS can get brutal (intense)

That's why I loves mah G2 I temp control at 400°F, and under. Not a fan of the scorching heat.

 

[Nekrabyte]

see how your cotton looks like hes having a mid life crisis except in his 50's and its just all hanging droopy and thin and haten life?

I took this very much to heart. and strived to improve my wicking! So i decided to just some some simple twisted lead parallel 26g K-A1 (i got SS and some NI80 coming in). This build just doesnt do it for me, but holy cow i can notice the difference with an improved wicking!! Tell me what you think.... Freshly put in, and after 3 or 4 tanks (next day, cause i'm already building some twisteds instead while i wait, this aint doing it haha)

 

[Jriley]

Very nice buddy. Wicking is very important and on some atomizers an art form of its own.

 

[Nekrabyte]

Very nice buddy. Wicking is very important and on some atomizers an art form of its own.

Thanks bro. i really think that may have been my biggest problem, cause man everything just seems to be working so much better! This was on my battlestart RDTA, a little more room, and i have more experience on it, still waiting for the unicorn tips for the crazy small fill hole on this gaia, and then we'll see if an improved fixed it... totally psyched.

 

[CactusFanaticus]

I've found wicking to be more of a challenge than coil building, cranked out sfc's and aliens like nobody's business on my first try but still working on getting my wicking down lol, good luck OP and let us know what you think of the n80, got some on the way myself.

 

[Jriley]

I've found wicking to be more of a challenge than coil building, cranked out sfc's and aliens like nobody's business on my first try but still working on getting my wicking down lol, good luck OP and let us know what you think of the n80, got some on the way myself.

See this nekra, this is why i think it more important for new people (not saying your new cactus) that are getting into rebuildables to stay simple at first with your coils and get the feel for wicking.
I am excited that your excited nekra lol i remember getting excited the day i got the Moonshot to wick good this rta was a pain in the balls to build on but it really did work well when ya figured it out.
Generally i find all RTAs that way but then again last rta i tried was the limitless plus and thats when i gave up on them.
If i cant pour eliquid down the center then piss on it

 

[Nekrabyte]

See this nekra, this is why i think it more important for new people (not saying your new cactus) that are getting into rebuildables to stay simple at first with your coils and get the feel for wicking.
I am excited that your excited nekra lol i remember getting excited the day i got the Moonshot to wick good this rta was a pain in the balls to build on but it really did work well when ya figured it out.
Generally i find all RTAs that way but then again last rta i tried was the limitless plus and thats when i gave up on them.
If i cant pour eliquid down the center then piss on it

man you are totally right. and i wish i knew this when i first started... but doing research all you see is "more surface more flavor!" "bigger coils bigger clouds!" and seeing all the coil porn/gore, crazy things, but you don't hear junk about wicking. so many "starter" guides and faqs are so old/outdated, missing all sorts of information, that i just kinda dove in headfirst. now that i'm learning more, my vape just keeps on improving with each step. i just made some twisted helix (real simple, 2x26g and 2x34g kanthal wrapped into it), while i wait for my new wire to come in, and its just nuts how much that one thing improved my vape.

I've found wicking to be more of a challenge than coil building, cranked out sfc's and aliens like nobody's business on my first try but still working on getting my wicking down lol, good luck OP and let us know what you think of the n80, got some on the way myself.

yea man, i had no idea... you really dont find enough things mentioning wicking other than the material... i had no idea it mattered so much! and will do on the N80! i'm gonna do all sorts of simple fused claptons with mixtures of K1, N80, and SS when they come in, so excited!

 

[Jriley]

Find your sweet spot go to build first before you "waste" all your wire lol. I dont even use 75% of the builds i make for various reasons (yes one being cause i get fucking pissed and throw it across the room)

 

[Nekrabyte]

Find your sweet spot go to build first before you "waste" all your wire lol. I dont even use 75% of the builds i make for various reasons (yes one being cause i get fucking pissed and throw it across the room)

yea... i didnt really mean "gonna make em all at once!" haha... more like i'm gonna probably a different combo every 4-5 days or so, see what the differences are.... its hard not to just keep on making em though, its a lot more rewarding than i thought, when looking at the end product!

 

[Jriley]

Its one of the most rewarding things i ever done, building coils anyway.
I throw 3 year old tantrums and piss my wife off throwing shit and breaking stuff and ill say "fuck this im done" then the next day i cant wait to get off work to try again lol.

 

[Synphul]

Wicking does seem to be an artform and it is very hard to tell from just photos or trying to describe in words. It also varies depending on the juice and the deck it's going on, some like the ammit with the little pin holes in the juice ports are more finicky about how the tails of the wick are placed to prevent stopping up the juice flow or too little and leaking. Others like rda's aren't usually as picky

What type of wick material also matters when judging from photos. Wick made from 100% organic cotton tends to mat down some when soaked with juice and doesn't appear as fluffy as cotton bacon v2 which as I understand is a blend of cotton and rayon. Rayon looks a bit different and more fluffy than plain cotton (probably why cb v2 looks so fluffy). Fluffy doesn't always mean it's wicking great, matted down doesn't always mean poor wicking.

When trying to get the hang of it the best verbal (written) advice I got was how to tell if it's tight enough in the coil. Roll it between the fingers to form the wick material into a roll or use the scottish roll technique, pinch one end and roll it tight to create a small bit to feed through the coil. Pull it through, if the cotton slides right through with little resistance it's probably not enough. If the cotton grabs and it's shredding the wick up on the edge of the coil as it pulls through it's probably too much. Once pulled through it should be loose enough to gently pull the wick back and forth through the coil but snug enough that if you pull slowly (ie, don't yank) with an atty mounted on the mod, it should start to pull the mod over. May not work on a heavier mod like an rx 2/3 or something with 3 batteries and a wider base, but a typical dual battery shaped like an alien, ipv, kaos, ikonn etc. since it would take a lot more force to pull one of those over on its' edge.

The nice thing about messing with rewicking to get it down, most wick materials are cheap so if you screw up it's not big loss. Just grab another piece and try again.

 

[ScReWbALL]

Wicking does seem to be an artform and it is very hard to tell from just photos or trying to describe in words. It also varies depending on the juice and the deck it's going on, some like the ammit with the little pin holes in the juice ports are more finicky about how the tails of the wick are placed to prevent stopping up the juice flow or too little and leaking. Others like rda's aren't usually as picky

What type of wick material also matters when judging from photos. Wick made from 100% organic cotton tends to mat down some when soaked with juice and doesn't appear as fluffy as cotton bacon v2 which as I understand is a blend of cotton and rayon. Rayon looks a bit different and more fluffy than plain cotton (probably why cb v2 looks so fluffy). Fluffy doesn't always mean it's wicking great, matted down doesn't always mean poor wicking.

When trying to get the hang of it the best verbal (written) advice I got was how to tell if it's tight enough in the coil. Roll it between the fingers to form the wick material into a roll or use the scottish roll technique, pinch one end and roll it tight to create a small bit to feed through the coil. Pull it through, if the cotton slides right through with little resistance it's probably not enough. If the cotton grabs and it's shredding the wick up on the edge of the coil as it pulls through it's probably too much. Once pulled through it should be loose enough to gently pull the wick back and forth through the coil but snug enough that if you pull slowly (ie, don't yank) with an atty mounted on the mod, it should start to pull the mod over. May not work on a heavier mod like an rx 2/3 or something with 3 batteries and a wider base, but a typical dual battery shaped like an alien, ipv, kaos, ikonn etc. since it would take a lot more force to pull one of those over on its' edge.

The nice thing about messing with rewicking to get it down, most wick materials are cheap so if you screw up it's not big loss. Just grab another piece and try again.

Took the words right out of my mouth on the best wicking advice I have gotten...it was practically verbatim what you said about it being thick enough to slowly drag the mod, but loose enough that if you pull the "tails" taught, it should slide back and forth in the coil. Overwicking seems to be more rampant than underwicking around these parts but it's hard to convince some folks that have been vaping for a long time that maybe their way of doing it isn't the best. But one way I heard it explained that appeals more to the logic and science behind the wicking process rather than the typical "my way is better than yours" argument was a guy that simply took a rag, twisted it up (like when you pop someone in the shower with a towel) and submerged it in water...upon pulling it out, he opened the rag and showed everyone that barely any water had been absorbed in the middle of the rag. The takeaway being that tightly rolled/compressed/stuffed wicking material doesn't draw liquid as quickly and efficiently as a looser packed wick. If during rewicking you notice dark/burnt cotton in the middle of the wick and your tails are not, more than likely you might be constricting the wicking material a bit too much. Of course, there's definitely the underwicking problem as well that can result in popping sounds and singed skin as molten hot e-juice comes flying out of the atty...the balancing act can be tricky even for the most experienced of us!


You're not drinking water are you?! You realize that stuff is found in antifreeze!?!