(Part 2) Top products from r/Vaping101

A couple things.

1. 1.1 ohms is a little on the low side for the Vamo. Mine (V2) wouldn't even have fired it, but things have likely changed since then. So, the first thing you should do is rebuild the coil, and shoot for the ~1.6 ohms range.
   
   
2. The airflow on those KFL+ clones is strange. While you're in there rebuilding, take the whole thing apart and look at how it's put together. What you'll notice is that the airflow is achieved via a small hole drilled into the positive pin, which runs down the length of that bolt until it meets up with the air inlet on the side of the base. There, it has a small hole cross-drilled through the bolt. (The airflow kinda makes a 'T' inside the middle of the positive pin/bolt.) Herein lies one of the things that sets the clones apart from the real deal. In the clone, that cross-drilled part has to match up with the air inlet hole exactly, otherwise it will close off, no matter how open the airflow control screw is. (Think of it like a ball valve, only functioning at full capacity when the two pathways match up perfectly.) The problem is that the rotation of that positive pin will be determined by where it stops screwing into the positive block up on the build deck. It has to be nice and tight, otherwise your build surface will wobble and rotate, and fuck up your build.
   
   So, what to do? The easiest fix, though impermanent and none too graceful, is to tighten it up as much as it needs and build on it. Once you've got a good, solid coil installed, then you start to loosen up the positive pin. Only a teeny tiny little bit at a time, and you'll need to be testing the airflow changes somehow, while also making sure to keep an eye on your coil, ensure it doesn't get all fuckered in the process. It's simple, but inconvenient, as you'll likely have to re-do everything every time you need a rebuild. You may also be able to tighten it a little further and thereby align the airflow paths properly, but it's pretty unlikely. Worth a try, just keep in mind that if you severely overtighten the post, you'll likely snap something and render the whole thing useless. If you go this route, use caution.
   
   The other option you have is a bit more elegant, noticeably more permanent, and possibly significantly more of a challenge. You can widen the opening of the cross-drilled section on the positive pin. Don't widen the hole itself, as there's not a whole lot of spare material there, and you'll likely just break the bolt, which will render the tank useless unless you can find a replacement (I'm sure they exist, but I don't know where). No, what you'll want to do is grind away small amounts of material from the front and back of the hole, thereby opening up a much wider range of relational angles that will allow a less-restricted flow of air. I would definitely recommend a Dremel (or similar) with some sort of a conical, fine-grit, metal-grinding attachment. Maybe like this one
   
   What about how the SvoeMesto people solved this issue? Well, the positive pins are pretty much identical between the clone and genuine. But the way the airflow was machined is not. Inside the base, where the positive pin's air inlet hole meets the air inlet hole in the base of the tank, they've machined away a little area, like the outer race in a ball bearing, to allow unrestricted airflow, no matter where the holes end up in relationship to each other.
   
   I hope this helps you figure out what's going on. If all else fails, I can attest to the wonderfulness of the real ones. They're unmatched in vape quality, for that type of vaping.

Pretty much. If you've ever looked at them closely, this is what it looks like broken down, which is a lot more than you need to do here but it'll at least help you see the anatomy of it. What you'd do is:

• get the chimney off (the top metal part with the rubber gasket)
  
• pull the wick (the two little loose white threads and the one big one that's threaded through the wire coil) out sideways with tweezers
  
• twist/roll some wicking material (hard to describe exactly how much you should use but you should be able to figure it out with a little trial and error, it's not like you'll have a shortage of cotton/rayon) tightly enough to thread through the coil
  
• thread some through the coil and lay a little more on top, untwisting/unrolling it just a little to expand it
  
• replace the chimney, grab some scissors & trim the coil flush with the widest edge
  
• place coil in tank as normal
  
  That's pretty much it but like I said before I highly recommend rayon wicks for flavor, so much so that I was dead serious when I offered to send you a baggie full for free, it's really that good and if it'll help you kick analogs once and for all it's more than worth it even if you don't pay it forward eventually (though I would ask you do that if/when you're able, the little baggie will last you at least a few months but the $15 box my wife and I have will last us several years even if we give away 3/4 of it).
  
  Also, if you really want to save a lot of money (and possibly get a new hobby lol), look in to making your own ejuice. It's only as difficult as you want it to be, it can be as simple as mixing two ingredients in a bottle^(1), or you can scale up the complexity as much as you like^(2).
  
  Hope this helps!
  
  ^^^^^^^^^.
  ^([1] One quick example, say you really like )^(MBV's Banana Cream Pie)^( and want to keep your nicotine around 9mg/mL, just mix 24mL of )^(12mg base)^( with 6mL of )^(BCP flavor)^( and that's it!
  [2] cheapest way to go is getting )^(100mg/mL nicotine base)^( and get )^(straight VG)^( and )^(PG)^( to dilute it to your desired strength; plenty of recipes on /r/DIY_eJuice to get you started mixing your own concoctions, some with only one or two flavor ingredients some with more than six!)
  

Many, probably the majority, of battery portions or "mods" use removable 18650 batteries. The advantage of this is easily swappable batteries, so if one runs out of juice you can just pop in another. Also, batteries by nature degrade over time, so mods with built in batteries will eventually perform poorly if not die outright.

I'd recommend an iStick Pico kit, and juice from Blue Dot Vapors. I haven't bought juice in a while since I make my own but they're my favorite juice vendor for the cheap price range, and pretty much anything from them should be delicious. Some might need to "steep" though - basically let it sit for a few days to cure. They do have presteeped juice though.

Make sure to be educated about battery safety. NEVER, EVER NEVER NEVER EVER NEVER carry a loose 18650 in a pocket or bag because something like keys or coins could short the battery, causing it to essentially explode violently. 18650 cases are cheap and convenient.

It's generally recommended to always charge 18650's via an external charger, like this or this. The Pico does have a USB charging port, and for everyday use it's probably fine, but it might possibly, maybe, not be 100% safe to leave it plugged in for long periods of time. See this thread and this thread. It's probably fine though.

Or just get him a Juul. I've never tried one, want to though, but from what I hear it's about the closest experience to actually smoking, and it's simpler too. The only downside is buying the pods. I think there are ways to refill them with juice though.

Also, just search around.

https://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/search?q=quit+smoking&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance&t=all

https://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/search?q=best+starter+kit&sort=relevance&restrict_sr=on&t=year

This is an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner its under 30$ and works really well, you can use this to clean all your vape stuff and it takes very little effort. I highly suggest looking into getting one, it will save you a LOT of time and effort, and really works a lot better anyway, best of luck to you and happy vaping :)

https://www.amazon.com/Magnasonic-Professional-Ultrasonic-Eyeglasses-MGUC500/dp/B007Q2M17K

Kanthal is typically used and will be your most commonly seen wire. I only know of Gplat as an alternative (I used it... not worth the price increase IMO) I get mine from Amazon, I originally started with 28 gauge, then a buddy let me borrow his 26 gauge, that was good too. I purchased some 24 gauge and it drains my batteries hard (which is why I want a dual box mod.)

Yes, a mod is the housing. Then you will need your atomizer and battery.

I started dripping with the IGO-w atty with the Smok Magneto Mod. Biggest problem I had with it is it was small and i had to drill the air holes. I still use the Magneto.

I would never suggest tank anything. I tried both the genuine and the clone russian 91% and it was a terrible experience.

So, for a beginner getting into dripping I would suggest these parts:

[Plum Veil Atomizer] (http://www.eciggity.com/plume-veil-clone-by-tobeco/) (Note! I have not bought anything from this site.)

ANY single battery 18650 mechanical mod. They all realistically do the same thing. RipTrippers.com does a lot of reviews, they should be able to point you in the right direction. I do however suggest one with a magnetic fire button instead of spring. (It will lower resistance and last longer because springs are weaker than magnets)

Atleast 2 [18650 Sony batteries] (http://www.myvaporstore.com/SONY_VTC5_18650_2600mAh_Battery_Flat_Top_30A_p/sny65026-f.htm)

Charger I chose the two battery one for money purposes but I suggest the 4 since it's only like $5 more and can charge a myriad of batteries

[These clamp things] (http://www.amazon.com/5-5-KELLY-Hemostat-FORCEPS-Straight/dp/B000QWK174/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1414788271&sr=8-6&keywords=medical+clamps) makes building much easier

I use these but a lot of people use nailclippers

[Wire] (http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Lightning-Vapes-Kanthal-Resistance/dp/B00JVXVKB0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414788396&sr=8-2&keywords=28+gauge+kanthal+wire) either 28 or 26 gauge is what I would recommend.


Cotton Balls

[Ohm Tester] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MBNCOMG/ref=s9_simh_gw_p328_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0J7AHRP45YSC4DHAS7DB&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846)

Drill bits, allen keys or screwdriver to wrap coils around (i usually use Allen Keys)

Another Screwdriver for you builds

Tweezers are nice for accurate adjustments

Some people suggest a torch.... it's a waste of money for most builds. The main idea behind them is they are used to burn off any chemicals on the wire... but when you are done building you just fire it a few times before you put cotton in them and it does the same thing. Some builds need a more flexible wire... that is the only time you will need it.

Note: I 100% support the use of Clones, especially when you are starting out your vape life. They save so much money and do an adequate (if not better) job of most authentics.

Flush Cut Wire Cutters

Miniture Multi-drive Set

Battery Cases Never transport cells naked, especially near change/keys.

Also, I would highly suggest getting 9 batteries, I keep one set on the charger, one in the mod and one in the cases fully charged as a backup. I picked up those cases, specifically sol I could color code my battery sets, helps keep them together.

If you don't want to mess with building your own coils, I've recently started using these pre-built coils and I absolutely love em. I'd built a few claptons on my own, but frankly it was a lot more time than I wanted to mess with sometimes. They are pretty decent quality, they are all machine built so they are perfectly uniform and they make a quick coil change reletively painless.

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. The TOBH is the RDA (Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer) and the Kayfun is a RTA (Rebuildable Tank Atomizer). The dripper you drip drops into it and the RTA has a tank. On both of these you would build your coils and wick them with whatever you choose whether cotton, eco wool, rayon, etc..

The nitecore charger is probably the best charger under $20 from what I've tried.

As for a Ohm reader I actually use a multimeter since I can't check the resistance of my rebuildables and the voltage of my batteries plus some other things around home.
INNOVA 3300 Hands-free Digital Multimeter (10 MegOhm) by Innova http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001O1X65A/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_qTy8tb0YVJTAA

Finally between the vtc 4 and 5 the mAH difference is 500 mAH. The 5 is the newest one from Sony and a little bit more. I personally went with the VTC 4 from ilumn with the coupon code ispower shipping essentially was free.

If anything doesn't make sense or still need more explanation let me know it's a bit late here so my sentences may not be as clear as usual. Also the two rebuildable are in my opinion the best and shouldn't be taken as fact.

Not much to add to an excellent setup. I find that long-term the hardest part is to find the juice you really like, because the gear generally tends to be good if you go for what most people are using. I'd only add one of these which are a godsend when wicking. Vape on!

you can try using these this way, to boost up one you like or to just make your own. the mega menthol from aqua vapor is pretty good.

My setup is a little unique because I tend to go a little overboard on e-liquids and tanks. I've gone through about 5 or 6 mods since I've started vaping, and have been content with clearomizer setups for a while now. Although with the new Kanger Subtank i picked up, I'm anxious to get into building RDA's.

This is the case I got for Christmas, and the price is good. The thing I like about most is it's toughness and removable foam. The whole inner bottom half of the case has foam installed like a grid. You just remove only the squares you want to make the case cater to your setup. I generally take the case with me anytime I hang out with my vaping buddies, or when I'm vaping at the stores.
Here are some pics of my humble setup. http://imgur.com/AedGGwv , http://imgur.com/rEtlzfS , and http://i.imgur.com/Q1MBbBs.jpg

I keep a couple juices in there, always have spare coils for my setup and for friends who may need one in a pinch, a spare tank to switch up my flavors, and batteries if I so desire. I've seen a lot of people who are really into rebuilding use tackle boxes for a similar purpose. I just preferred the toughness and flexibility of this one.

Dude, that thing looks awesome.

And (somehow) Amazon can get one to me Saturday if I order it in the next 12 hours! Damn their near-instant gratification; it makes me impulse buy so much stuff :-D

I have around 15 different tanks that I use. They are a combination of Mini Protank 2s, Kanger Aerotanks, and Protank 2 with the Aerotank bases.

I suggest you get glass tanks. They are the ones you can use any juice with. The plastic tanks cannot handle tank cracker juices.

You can carry them around with you in almost anything. Altoids tin, zippered pouch. I have found that this: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VPE1QG/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER This is one of the best things I have found to carry around my gear every day.

It does not matter how long you leave your juice in your tank. A month? Ok. It will cure in your glass tank, just like it will in your glass bottle it came in.

naw linesman's are huge. those look like scotchlok crimping pliers

I work in an office and got this http://www.amazon.com/Gusti-Leder-nature-Stationery-P6/dp/B008URFACI for ~$10 in case it leaks a bit while in my pocket. Do NOT expose batteries to heat extremes. I think putting your gear in a relatively safe place while you work makes the most sense. If you carry extra batteries, put them in a case.

http://www.amazon.com/Maxpedition-0226-FR-1-Pouch-Black/dp/B0019OS9VS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1406556025&sr=8-4&keywords=maxpedition+pouch

basically any type of nylon pouch, 5.11 is worth checking as well

If you make bigger batches, you could use a miniature mixer like this one.