[deleted]
The generally recommended RDA for flavor testing is the Oumier Wasp Nano. It's single coil (which means it's quite easy to build) and has a small chamber (which improves flavor purity). You can buy it from pretty much any vape site for $10-20.
For single flavor tests, plain 26 ga stainless steel wire works fine. You can buy 100 feet for about $7 from Amazon.
You'll also need cotton. You can buy Muji cotton super cheap from Amazon. This amount of cotton should last years.
As for tools, a 3 mm drill bit (to wrap the wire around), wire clippers, and sharp scissors (to cut the cotton) is really all you need, but if you wanna get into rebuildable you can always buy a coil building kit.
Other than that, YouTube videos are your best friend!
Edit: additionally, when you're doing single flavor tests, you'll definitely want to rewick between each flavor. If there's even a little juice left behind, it'll contaminate the next flavor and give you inaccurate notes.
rebuildable and highly recommend rayon, it dosen't hold onto to flavours like cotton does
a few vapes and all you get is the new flavour
I switch between 8 different flavours randomly every few ml, fruits to desserts
switching to rayon was the best thing I ever did
How well does the rayon wick compared to cotton ? It sure looks easier to use.
rayon wicks waaay faster than cotton, it's actually superior in every metric - flavour, wick speed and longevity and it's also safer and heat resistant
But it's actually harder make a proper wick with rayon than cotton alot of people give up because they can't get it
you have to use about 20% more rayon in your wick than cotton and spend more time trimming and brushing the tails cut off about 30 - 40% from ends and they should be as even as possible on both sides it will wick from lowest density to highest density so trimming and brushing is important
it's hard to give concrete advice because it depends on your tank and pg/vg ratio
if your careful you can get it on your first try it's not THAT hard just takes a little more time and attention
for more info
https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/blogs/jeremyr.113723/
I used rayon for years, in fact I still have one of those big ass boxes of it in my closet but when I switched to cotton bacon I realized that Rayon has a break in time that's significantly longer than cotton bacon. Once I tried cotton bacon, I haven't gone back.
It's a tad bit harder to wick, you'll notice quickly that by forcing about the same amount of wick through as you would cotton, it tends to "shrivel up" a bit when it gets wet. That means less wet wicking makes contact with the coils, which overheats the coils and in return can burn the rayon a bit. So I think you need to use a bit more of it and fluff it out. It also tends to quickly absorb any liquid, so it's a good idea to wash you hands thoroughly before wicking Rayon, as even a tiny bit of hand sweat will absorb into the Rayon and give your first couple puffs an off-taste.
I've had one of those giant boxes of Rayon for like 10 years now (they're super cheap), and while I used to use it primarily, these days I prefer cotton squares. It used to be that Japanese cotton squares were a bit harder to get, but these days you can get them anywhere, and like a 5+ years supply for like $10. Rayon has a TINY bit of a sweet taste to it, and to me good quality cotton is tasteless, so I prefer not using Rayon anymore.
You can get a wasp nano rda for like 12 bucks, single coil, easy, good for quick testing. It would be a good idea to learn how to build anyways, especially if your in the US.
Are we really not going to be able to buy coils in the US?
I can't tell you that forsure. But I would rather be prepared than not. Under current guidelines I don't think so. That's my opinion though so take that how you want to.
Thank you. I’ve been signing the petitions and writing my congresspeople. I’m so angry that they want to make vaping less accessible (or practically impossible for people who have not yet made the switch from cigarettes). But hey, it’s the US, and we don’t even have a proper healthcare system for all, so why help smokers quit?
I guess I need to get researching in earnest, and buying all new hardware, too. Ugh.
RDA coils are pretty much unbannable. Besides the fact that you can make your own very easily, even pre-made coils are super easy to be sold through loopholes (it's just coiled wire). Like for example Amazon has banned sale of any and all vape products. But you can very easily buy pre-made vape coils on Amazon, they're just usually labeled "hobbiest hardware" or "radio parts" or something. You literally can't prove they're being sold for vape use and not something else.
Proprietary tank coils could potentially be "easier to ban" because it's harder to prove they have much use for anything else. While companies like Smok could do something similar and label them as "humidifier coils" or something, the companies themselves might go under if they have a hard time marketing. Just speaking hypothetically of course.
Rebuildible rda for your style of vaping, be it MTL or DL. Then you can get premade coils or build your own and you just vape through the small amount until it's just about dry on the cotton. When you're ready to try a new flavor out you just rewick it and use the new liquid. Best thing is to use a single coil RDA with a reduced chamber. That'll allow you to pick up more of the flavor notes so you can see reasonably well how it'll do in your daily drivers....
Get an RDA, you’ll save an awful lot of money and time. Like someone said you can get a Wasp Nano super cheap. Or when I started I got a Hadaly clone and a Citadel clone from FastTech. Each was around £10. The flavour is fantastic and they are really well made (although check the reviews etc as not all clones are created equal). I still use them for testing. They are super quick and easy to rewick. It takes seconds when you get the hang of it to switch out the cotton so you can test something else.
You can get a massive amount of wire for very little money if you wanted to make your own simple coils. It’s not difficult to do when you’ve learnt how. You may need to buy a few basic tools. Or there are kits from companies like CoilMaster that have everything you’ll need in them. There’s tons of videos on YouTube that can teach you everything you need to know. Or you can buy pre-made coils. They’re a bit more expensive, but still a hell of a lot cheaper than the coils for sub ohm tanks.
I'll go with the consensus: get a rebuildable.
That being said if you want to sft on a stock coil tank I suggest making some unflavored premix. Vape your flavor, dump tank, refill with unflavored until it's clean tasting, dump, repeat. It's not the most efficient, but it will work. Or if you can use TC coils if your tank has them and dry your coil. That way you could do it quicker, but most "TC" stock coils don't work nearly as well as an RDA or RTA.
I mix mostly for stock coil tanks but sft on a citadel or narca clone RDA. Gets me a better interpretation of the flavor much quicker. Just have to sometimes increase strength if it's asked for.
Just reading that hurts my ears. But it makes sense considering it’s his only option. A solid single coil RDA with a beefy Clapton or whatever, doesn’t even need a wick. Just drip on the coil. It’s lazy, but it seems we’re all lazy, haha.
If he’s concerned about money then he really should just put his money in a RDA or two, cotton and wire
If you look over on r/ecigclassifieds you can find used RDAs for cheap. I happen to have a couple for sale right now. I could even set you up with some coils and cotton to get you started. PM me if you're interested.
Thanks! I didn’t know about that group. I’ve got tons of RDAs etc I don’t use so might try selling some on there or maybe swap for a mod. Have you bought/ sold/ swapped stuff on there before?