20, 18650 and 2, 26650
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JuicyLucy
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We're prepared 
11 of the 18650s are in cases nearby. 3 to be charged, 4 in mods, 2 in my purse, each in a silicone case inside a pocket.
11 of the 18650s are in cases nearby. 3 to be charged, 4 in mods, 2 in my purse, each in a silicone case inside a pocket.
i think i still have a problem.
i have all these tanks coming n they all require different coils.
how long will a given coil stay on the market?
it occurs to me that there is money to be made by discontinuing coils n forcing people to buy new tanks.
i've only been involved with this stuff for 6 weeks or so.
i don't know what happens in this market.
will 510 drip tips be superseded by some other measurement?
in the stuff i have coming, i have 510, 810 n ''proprietary'' .
there doesn't seem to be a standard.
i have all these tanks coming n they all require different coils.
how long will a given coil stay on the market?
it occurs to me that there is money to be made by discontinuing coils n forcing people to buy new tanks.
i've only been involved with this stuff for 6 weeks or so.
i don't know what happens in this market.
will 510 drip tips be superseded by some other measurement?
in the stuff i have coming, i have 510, 810 n ''proprietary'' .
there doesn't seem to be a standard.
Countrypami
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I have 8 batteries in use and about 20 in storage.
If you stick with bigger brands like Kanger, Innokin, Aspire, Vaporesso, eLeaf you should be fine.
510's are here to stay.
They should hold a charge for several years if they're good batts.
I rotate through my batteries, so I'm not overly concerned that they aren't holding their charge by the time I get to it. I don't charge when I'm not home, or asleep. Admittedly, they might pile up a tad before I get them on the charger, just because of my work schedule.
I'm not concerned that I won't be able to use a 510 drip tip. They've been around since I started vaping, they're still here 5 years later. Most companies are pretty good about including adapters with newer items. It works in their favor to do so. Also, I've seen adapters for 810 to 510 at different places. Maybe $1 or less?
If coils you use for the tanks you prefer start to become scarce, there's always the option to learn to wrap a coil, or even buy some from the many people that sell those. Then, all you'd have to do would be to mount the coil and wick it. That's not so hard to do. I never thought I'd be able to.
The forum offers a lot for everyone. Vapers are some of the most generous people I've known, and there's always someone that has a skill that I've not learned, that's willing to help, whether that be suggestions, advice, or offers the service of being able to buy what we all need. Pretty awesome stuff.
I'm not concerned that I won't be able to use a 510 drip tip. They've been around since I started vaping, they're still here 5 years later. Most companies are pretty good about including adapters with newer items. It works in their favor to do so. Also, I've seen adapters for 810 to 510 at different places. Maybe $1 or less?
If coils you use for the tanks you prefer start to become scarce, there's always the option to learn to wrap a coil, or even buy some from the many people that sell those. Then, all you'd have to do would be to mount the coil and wick it. That's not so hard to do. I never thought I'd be able to.
The forum offers a lot for everyone. Vapers are some of the most generous people I've known, and there's always someone that has a skill that I've not learned, that's willing to help, whether that be suggestions, advice, or offers the service of being able to buy what we all need. Pretty awesome stuff.
One of my major initial motivations for learning to build my own. Not a necessity, but many advantages that you may eventually find appealing as you progress.
JuicyLucy
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Yeah, the independence is important with the FDA always threatening vapers
It's also less expensive
When storing batteries always leave them @50% charged which is the way it is shipped to you. Don’t store them @100% or below 50%. That will insure their longevity.
nadalama
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Well, well! Learn something new every day! Thanks @Heartsdelight !
@susieqz can you give us a list of the tanks you have already, and the ones you have on the way? Some tanks use coils that are cross-compatible.
When I started using glass tanks, at first I stuck with multiples of the same tank (usually the Kanger Protank). Then I moved to Nautilus tanks and the Triton Mini, which can use the same coils. Last year when I started with sub-ohm tanks, I had already decided that I didn't want to maintain a bunch of different types of coils, so I stuck with tanks that used Aspire Atlantis-style coils. There are a ton of different tanks that can use that coil, but over time they will get harder and harder to find.
Nowadays, if there is such a thing as a cross-compatible coil, it's probably the Smok TFV8 that was developed for the Baby Beast. I know there are several different tanks that use this coil. That isn't much help to you now, after you've already ordered your tanks, but perhaps it will help going forward.
That's also assuming that you would like the TFV8 coils. A lot of people say that Smok's coils don't last long enough. I feel that way about most factory-made coils, so I've converted everything in my own rotation to rebuildable now (RTAs, sub-ohm tanks with RBAs, RDTAs, RDAs). Now I buy wire and cotton, and change coils much less frequently than I did.
Agree with @Huckleberried - I never thought I'd be able to build my own coils, but I have actually gotten quite good at it over a short time. Thank goodness for pre-wound fused Clapton wire and special metals like nichrome and stainless steel. And the coil wrapping utilities at www.steam-engine.org. Easy peasy. I also notice quite consistently that the coils I wind myself work better for my vaping style than any pre-wound coils I've bought. I don't like very high wattage vaping, and don't use great big honkin coils. It takes them too long to heat up, and that frustrates me to no end!
nadalama
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Imho, whatever that's worth, the Big Baby Beast is a perfectly decent subohm tank. I have used at least a couple dozen coil heads in mine and have had exactly one that gave me a problem that wasn't my fault. The baby/big baby use the same coils and are compatible with a bunch from other manufacturers and vice versa. When I was still using subohm tanks alot, I always got ten days to two weeks at least out of the smok baby factory coils with one very important caveat. The wattage ratings from Smok are way too generous. You start at the bottom end and work up to where they perform well and that will always be lower than they say, but they do perform well if kept in that lower power range.
They are also dirt cheap now and can be found for 10 bucks or thereabouts for a 5 pack many times. I have found the T6 to be a personal favorite at 70-75 watts. Which brings up another pro which is also a con at the same time. There are a HUGE variety of coils for these tanks which is great because just about anybody can find one they like. It's also NOT great though because new people have no idea what they're looking at and therefore no idea what to get without trying a bunch. To add to this scenario, if I'm not mistaken, Smok now makes mesh coils for them too (which I've never tried). Which is again great, and not so great at the same time for the same reason.
I don't know why Smok doesn't release a sample pack with one of each for people to try.
My Big Baby Beast with the T6 was my around town tank for a good while and never let me down. That's now been replaced by a Heracles rta2 which is far better, but that's another story that I will not add to this already long post.
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That is exactly what I did. Kanger is my go to coil... followed by Atlantis, Herakles, and iSub.
nadalama
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I suddenly find myself with four Smok tanks. A month ago I had none. Now I have two Spirals and two Princes, but am running RBAs in all of them. Have not tried the factory coils. I must say though that I've been really pleasantly surprised by my experience so far.
I had one problem with a Prince yesterday - it spat juice all over my hand - but turns out that in fooling with the tank, moving it here there and yon, I had inadvertently loosened several fairly important pieces and parts that should stay tightly screwed together. A small learning curve there, my own fault and not the fault of the tank. Also had one small problem with a Spirals Plus tank when I first unpacked it and found the 510 gasket seated incorrectly around the pin. Other than that, these four tanks have functioned flawlessly, given good flavor and vapor, and seem to have quite good fit and finish.
ETA: I would like to try an X-baby with an RBA. Would like to see how the top airflow is.
i don't remember all the tanks i have coming, but here are some
baby beast with broken glass
2 uforce t2
vapor fi volt 2
wismec gnome
innokin zenith
sense v jet
except for the beast, those are what forum members recommended
for high ohm coils with 18 watts, which is what i like.
baby beast with broken glass
2 uforce t2
vapor fi volt 2
wismec gnome
innokin zenith
sense v jet
except for the beast, those are what forum members recommended
for high ohm coils with 18 watts, which is what i like.
AndriaD
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Well dang, y'all. I may have a lot of mods... but a perfectly sane number of batteries. 2 26650s; 5 18650s... one of those 18650s was because my son toasted one of a pair, so I gave him a pair of 25Rs that I wasn't using a lot, and took the single HE2 that was still functional.
But now I'm afraid he may have toasted a whole pair -- I need some opinions on that, actually, because I'm not entirely sure. He had his mod in his pocket -- turned off and locked, so it wasn't pocket-firing -- but, unbeknownst to him at the time, one of the batts had a nick in the wrapper, right at the top edge. He said suddenly his pocket got AWFULLY hot, so he yanked the mod out and got the batteries out. Which is when he discovered that nicked wrapper. My quandary is, are those batteries still safe to use? I could re-wrap the nicked one, but if it's not safe to use anymore, why bother? There are no bulges, bumps, or discolorations; they appear pristine, except for that nick. I haven't even tried recharging them, because I'm so uncertain of their safety.
Opinions? Advice?
Andria
2 26650s; 5 18650s... one of those 18650s was because my son toasted one of a pair, so I gave him a pair of 25Rs that I wasn't using a lot, and took the single HE2 that was still functional.But now I'm afraid he may have toasted a whole pair -- I need some opinions on that, actually, because I'm not entirely sure. He had his mod in his pocket -- turned off and locked, so it wasn't pocket-firing -- but, unbeknownst to him at the time, one of the batts had a nick in the wrapper, right at the top edge. He said suddenly his pocket got AWFULLY hot, so he yanked the mod out and got the batteries out. Which is when he discovered that nicked wrapper. My quandary is, are those batteries still safe to use? I could re-wrap the nicked one, but if it's not safe to use anymore, why bother? There are no bulges, bumps, or discolorations; they appear pristine, except for that nick. I haven't even tried recharging them, because I'm so uncertain of their safety.
Opinions? Advice?
Andria
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I would pitch them. IMO, once they've over heated they are no longer stable.Well dang, y'all. I may have a lot of mods... but a perfectly sane number of batteries.
But now I'm afraid he may have toasted a whole pair -- I need some opinions on that, actually, because I'm not entirely sure. He had his mod in his pocket -- turned off and locked, so it wasn't pocket-firing -- but, unbeknownst to him at the time, one of the batts had a nick in the wrapper, right at the top edge. He said suddenly his pocket got AWFULLY hot, so he yanked the mod out and got the batteries out. Which is when he discovered that nicked wrapper. My quandary is, are those batteries still safe to use? I could re-wrap the nicked one, but if it's not safe to use anymore, why bother? There are no bulges, bumps, or discolorations; they appear pristine, except for that nick. I haven't even tried recharging them, because I'm so uncertain of their safety.
Opinions? Advice?
Andria
AndriaD
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Yeah that's more or less what I thought too... and with these powerful batteries, there's really not much margin for error. Thank goodness I got him 2 new pairs for xmas!
Andria
nadalama
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Well, I was hoping that you'd have a few tanks that would be compatible with the same coils, but I don't see any in that list. Does anyone else see compatibility?
i was afraid of that.
what i did, is everytime someone told me of a tank that would take a .6 coil
that i could vape at 18 watts, i ordered it.
if any prove superior, i'll get multiples of the tank n tons of coils.
i'm surprised that few people like this.
i find it very pleasant.
what i did, is everytime someone told me of a tank that would take a .6 coil
that i could vape at 18 watts, i ordered it.
if any prove superior, i'll get multiples of the tank n tons of coils.
i'm surprised that few people like this.
i find it very pleasant.
nadalama
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I like 0.6 just fine. My range is pretty wide; think the lowest resistance I have in rotation right now is 0.36 and highest is 0.88. Wattage runs from about 22 to about 45, plus a few mechs that I really can't tell what the wattage is (I'm thinking between 20 and 35, mostly). Just depends what atomizer and mod combination I'm using.
I'm a flavor vaper. As long as the vapor is flavorful and not too hot, I'm not picky. Folks here at VU have expanded my vaping horizons.
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AndriaD
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Yeah... and since he messed up another pair just before xmas, by dropping his mod and causing the positive poles to be dented-in, it really is good that I got him 2 pairs for xmas. But now I guess I ought to get him another 2 pairs, and also get myself another pair of 26650s, since I've determined that I do like them and the Aegis mods I use them in. My 30Q's, that I use in my Minibooks, should be good for a while longer, since I use them so lightly (low wattage and high resistance) and now use the Aegis and 26650s about half the time.
At least with the mod-drop and positive-pole denting, only one of the pair was *truly* FUBAR; the other one was only slightly dented, so I'm using it in that little personal fan that liionwholesale threw in as a free gift with my last order.
But apparently I gotta really stress to him to examine his batteries carefully before using them; re-wrapping is a piece of cake and I've got plenty of wrappers, but once the battery overheats, then that battery is just wasted.
Andria
you need to send him here.
my very first post here was about batteries.
people started jumping up n down n screaming
at me til i went to get mooch approved batteries
that i treat like expensive crystal glassware.
they were a little over the top, but they got me to be really careful.
my very first post here was about batteries.
people started jumping up n down n screaming
at me til i went to get mooch approved batteries
that i treat like expensive crystal glassware.
they were a little over the top, but they got me to be really careful.
nadalama
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The reason people react like that is because bad batteries and uninformed or careless vapers are probably the biggest source of bad press for vaping in this country. Many of us feel very threatened by that bad press and what seems to be rapidly growing social opposition to vaping. We do what we can to minimize harm to anyone who vapes.
yep, and the politicians that want to make a name for themselves bad mouthing something.
I feel that is going to BOOM. once people realize what vapes actually is. I think that right now we are on the ground floor, even as new as I am.
well, i started my drip tip collection.
pami's thing is offering 30% off so i waded thru the minefield of that site.
i didn;t get exactly what i wanted. i hoped for a green, a blue n a green blue.
i couldn;t cope with the site so i got 3 different blues.
it's a start, but i need to find an easier way to do this.
pami's thing is offering 30% off so i waded thru the minefield of that site.
i didn;t get exactly what i wanted. i hoped for a green, a blue n a green blue.
i couldn;t cope with the site so i got 3 different blues.
it's a start, but i need to find an easier way to do this.
AndriaD
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Not really; I used to always get my Ming acrylic driptips at Desert Vapes, because they had them for 99 cents... and at one point, they had a green one I would have killed for, it woulda looked GREAT with my green CF4... but in the last year, everytime I try to look for any Ming acrylics at their site, it's always out of stock, and they don't ever restock the regular narrow-aperture driptips, just those fatass ones that are so short, you'd fry your lips to use them... so I finally stopped looking there. There's a local shop here in Lawrenceville that carries a *few* Ming acrylics; they're $4.25, a lot more than 99 cents, but one hell of a lot less than the custom-made ones at Angel's. I've got some mods that cost less than her driptips.
Andria
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I don't have any problem with that site... it's the PRICES I have a problem with!But I'm just a cheap-ass tightwad, what can I say.
Andria
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I am using 7 dual battery mods, 14 - 18650 batteries
I am using 3 single battery mods 3- 18650
I am using 1 single battery mod 21700 battery
I use a single battery 26650 mod
I have 8 -18650 batteries in storage
I have 1- 21700 battery in storage
I have 1 26650 battery in storage.
Plus 3 battery chargers- 1- 4 bay in use
2 - 2 bay chargers in storage
A 2 battery charger that is a charger Power bank- I can carry 2 of my 18650 spares in this, so small fits in my purse.
SnapDragon NY
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My latest addiction is cute battery wraps- every time I have a FT order I throw a few in my order-
Makes wrapping my batteries kind of fun with cute wraps!
Each 20 pack was around $1.50 so pretty cheap too, fun and necessary.
Makes wrapping my batteries kind of fun with cute wraps!
Each 20 pack was around $1.50 so pretty cheap too, fun and necessary.
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I vape all my .5/.6 ohm coils between 19-21. So you're not that far out of the norm.
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What shade of green? Hunter, neon, lime, mint, teal, aqua?
nadalama
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I don't have any problem with that site... it's the PRICES I have a problem with!
Andria
I'm a cheap-ass tightwad, too. We should form a club. We can invite The Cromwell.
nadalama
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If the wrap on one of yours gets nicked, torn, or chewed up looking, then yes, a wrap needs to be replaced. They all come wrapped, or they SHOULD. Never use one that has a torn wrap, or even a nicked one. Be safe with batteries. They're super easy to do. Just takes a wrap, the white insulator ring that's on one, a battery and hair dryer. Videos on YouTube for instructions, as well.
AndriaD
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Those are nice looking mods, but I didn't see a price; what's sick-making? The blatant sexism? Or are they ungodly expensive?
Andria
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They're really cheap, too -- think the ones I have were like $1 for ten. The wraps that come on batteries when you buy them seem a lot thinner than the replacement wraps. I've nicked quite a few that were in original wrappers, but none that I've re-wrapped.
A lot of folks seem to like "novelty" wraps, super-heroes or cool designs or whatnot... but I try to get wraps very close to the same color as the original wrappers, so I know which batteries are which -- we've got an assortment of HE2's, 25R's, and 30Q's.
Andria
JuicyLucy
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The blatant sexism
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I mark the white insulator with pink, green, brown or yellow marker so I know what they are.