Become a Patron!

Spaced parallel vs. claptons

KoblinV3

Member For 1 Year
So I've been running spaced parallel over claptons due to decreased power consumption and heat capacity for a while now. The more experience I got with building them the more I realized just how big a difference the surface area of the lower gauges make on flavor.

I ended up liking a 25g spaced parallel the best with a 3mm-3.5mm ID and 5-6 wraps depending on whether I was building for my mech or regulated. The 25g gives a good balance of surface area and relatively low heat capacity while still giving me the heat flux/warmth I prefer (235ish).

I started getting into RTAs and I wanted to be able to do TC accurately and figured claptons would read more accurately than a parallel build. So I started thinking more and more about claptons and realized what's a fused Clapton if not a wrapped parallel coil? So I started looking at the surface area on steam engine and could not deny the intense increase in surface area.

I started to think maybe I don't dislike claptons in general but rather the types of claptons I'd tried in the past. Again how could I dislike something that's essentially a parallel coil with increased surface area? Surely there's a way to adjust the gauge of the cores and wraps to get a Clapton to vape the way I like to vape.

I like to chain vape with fairly quick ramp up and with a heat capacity where my RDA might get WARM but not HOT. Even then though I like to have it below a certain heat capacity where this will only happen with consequtive long hits of chain vaping. I set out to find Clapton wire that would meet my requirements.

I started looking at Clapton wire and inputting various Clapton wire from AVS and lightning vapes to see what kind of heat flux/surface area/heat capacity/surface area/coil mass (ramp up) I was looking at. I got the hex core wire fused claptons from AVS without thinking it through very much.

The resistance was where I wanted it but the heat capacity was too high and the build I put in my blitz hermetic RDA. It was also just too large to put in there and expect a reasonable amount of airflow. The airflow was so restricted that I couldn't get the most out of it without having to suck super hard.

I then took the heat capacity more in mind when ordering my next Clapton wire as I'd been too compulsive with my hex fused Clapton wire purchase. I got some quad core fused Clapton wire with higher gauge wire to reduce heat capacity/retention, ramp up time (so relatively low coil mass and highish gauge wire), and still give me my preferred heat flux. It's 4 cores of 30g and a 40g wrap of all SS316L.

I made a spaced 3mm 6 wrap with the quad fused Clapton wire and tested it against 3 different parallel builds. I used a 3.5mm 6 wrap of SS, a 3mm 6 wrap of SS, and a 3.5mm 6 wrap of Ni80 all using 25g wire. All spaced parallel coils.

The SS ohm out at ~.19 and the Ni80 was .32 I believe. I didn't like the metallic taste of the Ni80. To be fair I may have become accustomed to it or it may have dissipated entirely over time. And no I did not over pulse it. Just enough to burn off oils and make sure there were no hotspots.

I really wanted to like the parallel builds more so I wouldn't have to learn to make Clapton wire. I assumed however that the Clapton coil would taste better as the surface area increase is substantial (like 230 vs 750-850.. something like that).

After some intensive testing of the same juices I had to concede that the Clapton wire did indeed have a decent edge of the parallel wire. The flavor was wetter, a bit more intense, and more importantly, more complex and intricate.

I could taste the dough in my dessert juices more easily. It was undeniable that it flat out won out flavor wise. I'd say the difference was like 30-50% of the flavor difference between going from my drop solo to my hermetic. So not a HUGE gap but definitely noticable.

The only thing I can say for the spaced parallel is the airflow restriction is definitely preferable compared to the quad core fused. Granted if I used a regular fused it would be about the same I imagine but using this Clapton wire I have to run my airflow wide open if I want the best flavor.

That sounds odd until you take into account how much that Clapton restricts my airflow. So yes, TECHNICALLY I would get better flavor if I closed my airflow down 20%+ BUT you have inhale so damn hard it's not enjoyable and turns into more of a chore than an enjoyable vape. Reminds me of blowing up a pool raft but you're inhaling not exhaling.

The other thing is the parallel coil is no doubt easier to build but the downside is the mounting. It's just a bit of a pain as you have to mount it and then loosen the clamp(s) to make sure there's no spacing between the parallel wires where it gets clamped down and retighten it.

Not just that though you have to go through your entire coil and mess with the wires to make sure there is no spacing whatsoever anywhere along it. At least I do it that way since I won't except anything less than perfection in my coils! :)

So even though it would seem easier to build a parallel coil, overall I think I'd rather build claptons and have the mounting be a breeze. I haven't built one yet but it seems overall less frustrating.

Power consumption wise I actually haven't noticed a difference. I looked at steam engine and because of the gauges of my Clapton wire the power consumption should be about the same if not lower. Especially considering I only have to run it at 46w vs. 55w on my parallel builds.

All in all the difference is what I would have expected from hearing about claptons. It's not so substantial that there's no comparison between the two coil types. They are more similar than dissimlar in terms of flavor.

They're fairly comparable but the flavor increase is noticeable and the increase in complexity is what won me over. I can notice the more subtle flavors on my e juice and that is a huge advantage for me in terms of flavor. I just always want to get the most out of what I'm paying for my e juice.

I'm definitely glad I tried them and kept an open mind because it wasn't the claptons themselves I disliked, but rather the coil mass/wire guages of the ones I'd tried. I just can't stand my RDA getting hot like that, waiting for the coil to ramp up, and then the huge increase in power consumption.


I've ordered the daedulus pro (can't have a huge setup where I'm living unfortunately) and plan to learn to build. The fused seem fairly easy. I want to learn these stapled staggered framed claptons though at some point. Not sure if I can build those with a relative low heat capacity though. Surface area wise they seem ridiculous.

I also just ordered some twisted wire that's clapton'd at AVS. At first you would think it's not that great since the resistance is high but if you run a parallel build with it the surface area is like 1200 with good ramp up and little heat capacity. The width of the wire ends up being the same as this quad fused Clapton wire I have so I know I can fit a 6 wrap in my Hermetic. Pretty excited about that!
 

Hoggy

Member For 3 Years
I've ordered the daedulus pro (can't have a huge setup where I'm living unfortunately) and plan to learn to build. The fused seem fairly easy. I want to learn these stapled staggered framed claptons though at some point. Not sure if I can build those with a relative low heat capacity though. Surface area wise they seem ridiculous.

The Daedalus is what won me over when it comes to the fused clapton. Prior to that, I had not noticed a difference with a single-core clapton. The Daedalus is worth its weight in gold. As there was no way I was going to pay the sometimes crazy price for pre-made claptons.
 

VU Sponsors

Top