First build/rig with advanced capabilities

[TheLongTwitch]

Howsit guys

I deemed it necessary to seek veteran advice, as I KNOW I will outgrow a starter pack or kit within days!
...and money isn't abundant at this current stage, so I am slightly limited on what and for how much
Unless anyone needs sound/audio gear? http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/presonus-studiofire-acoustic-gtr-20ch-snake.7713/


***To be Noted***
I am 'Analytical-Brained' (Long to explain, rather look it up)
I am very educated in electronics, electricity and their workings (as all sound gear works with afformentioned).
Besides the fact that I am the "Fix-It" guy to almost every person I know!
...So I NEED something more advanced than standard and can easily take on the challenge.

P.S. As Arthster has already experienced: I tend to reply via essay

On to the relevant stuff:
I want to skip the first steps indeed, but pro status is earned and not particularly a starting point
And I happily welcome any/all criticism and advice!

I am a quick learner and most definitely attuned to technology and mechanics,
but having only stumbled upon the depth and awesomeness of vaping 3 days ago...
So any preference is based SOLEY on research, reviews and playing with the numbers and science in my head
Thusly; I actually have no clue if I will be satisfied with the Magneto or starting type kits etc.

What I know is:
I need VV definitely for control of throat-hit (what I like in stinkies that I'm sucking on right now...help! )
an airy pull as I mouth-to-lungs inhale almost always
and most likely with some cloud chasing at least while I start. (But think this will stay)
Smoking for me has ALWAYS been about the 15min break and feeling of a tangible consumption that I need between work or massive brainstorming. (Never the nicotine...as I can and have stopped more than once)

**I don't WANT to jump straight into RBA or coils etc, but I have the background and skill to easily take it on...I also imagine that sitting and building or reworking would be very enjoyable for me. (And being able to precision my vape)
***I love spending an hour or 2 setting up and servicing guitars. It's relaxing

I have about R1000 I can play with for now and have checked every classifieds site, vape-store and the forum classified to weigh up all current and/or available options.

I looked specificly into Vape-King Northcliff which is in the EXACT same street as my lady (which I was at earlier)
Tough luck they're closed
...but I blame it all on you guys and this awesome wealth of knowledge and cool gear you have!!!
I WANT IN ON IT TOO DAMMIT!!! (Health could improve too...and definitely will after kicking stinkies for good!)

Thanks in advance for the advice and your time!
The last 36 hours of furious research, learning and lurking here has been joyous and I can't wait to get more involved

Much Love & Peace

 

[johan]

Move it to the "k@k praat" thread aka "Chatroom"

 

[Arthster]

No need to apologize, This stuff is what keeps threads going.

 

[free3dom]

As usual, I totally agree with everything said so far

I'll just add a few of my own notes. First, and this is very important (not really, but it is )...the taste of the liquids can change dramatically when you vape it on higher powered devices. If possible, keep that second SkyBlue sampler for when you have a more powerful device to taste the difference

The Smok M50 (Mini Dragon) is the new love of my life It's an amazing device that has power to spare. If you go with this device you will be sorted for experiencing many many different vape styles and attys for a long time. And, as you noted, it really likes eating iSticks...took a bite right out of mine ...actually I've just been neglecting my iStick for the Dragon

Loved the mini juice reviews, very nice...I suck at juice reviews so I never even attemted to do that

As for steeping, these are a few threads on here for you to peruse (our members are a very clever bunch)...loving the enthusiasm by the way

http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/steeping-for-noobs.4975/
http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/conventional-steeping-vs-fast-steeping.5991/
http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/the-difference-steeping-makes.5443/
http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/steeping-techniques.836/

 

[TheLongTwitch]

I am quite partial to the mini dragon myself and it's definitely in my sights...but that will only be in a months time unless an item of my gear sells

I enjoy cooking and I have a knack for it because I learned all the spices and herbs, cooking methods and science behind it...So I have definitely noticed how more power affects every flavour that I've encountered
I was actually sad for my little Vision Spinner 2 as it doesn't have the power needed to fully bring out Nilla Custard's flavour :/ I was choo choo'ing down the highway at max V on the spinner, trying to get more of that tasty goodness!!!
Cooking & flavours inspired the juice review, and I think reviewing might become a thing

I've already been brain storming and PRE-preparing and working out a budget (as well as planning the mental journey) for what I know will become essential
i.e. Cuetips, absorbent paper towel, wire (what type - today's research), wick, tiny paintbrush, ant-static cloth, the types of batteries, a preferred charger, possibly a cheapy usb-thru device to sit at my pc, plus the overall idea of how much power and capability I want

My coil wonked out last night night, JUST as I loaded up my Black Cherry sample that I've been holding off on and waiting anxiously to try! :'(
...all I got was tastes of what can only be described as licking a dusty old Pentium2 that was found in some cupboard, in your grandparents house, sitting beside some moth balls! >.<

So I've been hours of research into coil building and setups, as I can't really afford to buy coils at this time and I know I'll be too tempted to grab additional gear, walking into a vape shop!

I have checked out all the vendors too, but R100-R300 in petrol and tolls, parking etc. to buy a R40 coil is not happening today...so I will push on!

And a BIG THANX for the knowledge shared @free3dom

 

[free3dom]

If you like cooking then I definitely see some DIY juices in your future
We could always do with more juice reviews, and from someone with an understanding of flavour (mine only goes as far as "I like it") would also be very welcome here

Pre-preparing: the constant state a vaper finds him-/herself if at all times, and for forever I can totally relate to that
And that's a good shopping list you've got going already...one more thing to add: o-rings (in all sizes) - you can never ever ever have too many o-rings A pass-thru device is also essential IMO, very handy.

Sorry to hear about the coils...hope you can sort that out. One thing you can try...take the coil and just leave it in some warm (not boiling, as the seals will melt) water for a while, then take it out and let it dry. Now attach it to the base and then the device (leave the tank part off, so just the base+coil on the battery) - now fire it a couple of times for 5 secs or so (it will sizzle and pop and might smell bad). This should clear off most of the crap from the coil and wick - it's a silica wick so it does not burn; the burning you smell is the buildup of "gunk" (it's a real word ) on the coil. Then just re-use the coil. I've had mixed results with this method, but in a pinch it can revive a coil enough to make it usable again (even if just for a day or two)

Hope you can get upgraded soon, as this pain (mostly) goes away once you've got a nice rebuildable setup going

 

[TheLongTwitch]

I am very happy with my decision!
I am born in the year of the dragon, I love dragons, have the attitude and passion of one too...

 

[Andre]

I am very happy with my decision!
I am born in the year of the dragon, I love dragons, have the attitude and passion of one too...

View attachment 20488

Awesome picture!

 

[free3dom]

I am very happy with my decision!
I am born in the year of the dragon, I love dragons, have the attitude and passion of one too...

View attachment 20488

OMG...as @Andre said, great picture

Welcome to the big leagues...fantastic setup
I'm a bit of a dragon fanatic too...got the ink to prove it

How's the vape?

 

[TheLongTwitch]

Absolutely wonderful and the battery life is IMPRESSIVE! =D
SMURF POWA!!!

I do worry that the firing button is going to hook on something and pop out :/
...does every M50 have a very loose and precarious button?

And I was wondering about juices at high wattage now that I have smurf+dragon power! Haha!!!
...compared to a Vision Spinner 2
All juices I have are 50/50 and I can't even get close to 20w without it being uncomfortable or nasty?
(1.8Ohm Dual coil kangertech)

If someone could enlighten me as to higher wattages in conjunction with taste...or link me up with an awesome forum post, I'd love ya!

I do presume that the current setup I have isn't suited for high wattage but I want to start getting an Idea of what tank to buy next
I've considered drippers and want to but honestly don't have time or ability to go that route with my work. 0.o
So far I'm partial to the Orchid v3 and hear that it's flavor is close on drippers
Otherwise I'll get more dragon power with the new SMOK cloud vapour tank haha!

 

[shaunnadan]

@TheLongTwitch Welcome to the forum

steeping is best described as letting a tea bag sit and brew in a cup. the longer it brews the more intense your flavours will become. @Derrick has a great amount of detail on this in his thread in the DIY e liquid section.

 

[shaunnadan]

congrats on getting the smok, im using one and its my fav mod so far!

ok so heres my basic explanation to what your going through.

at 1.8ohm resistsnce coils your voltage is rather high on 20W and above.
im currently using a 0.3ohm coil on my smok at 20W and im only at 3.1v

so im sure you noticed with the spinner battery if you cranked up the voltage the taste would get a bit harsher and something burnt. thats the juice reacting at a high voltage.

with a lower resistance coil you can get yourself higher wattages so denser vapor production without increasing the voltage to "nasty juice taste" levels.

 

[shaunnadan]

i would highly recommend that you get yourself a Rebuildable tank and a dripper for that smok
the tanks that im loving currently is the Lemo, Lemo drop and my personal favourite the GOBLIN!

drippers depending on whether you want clouds or flavour, the plum veil does a great job of combining both.

 

[free3dom]

Well done @shaunnadan ...you beat me to it

Very sound advice above for you @TheLongTwitch

One thing I'd throw into the mix is maybe looking at the SubTank Mini...just got mine yesterday and I'm smitten already
It definitely does not have the cloud potential of the Goblin (which is amazing, but also very scarce right now) but what it lacks in that department it definitely makes up for in terms of versatility. This tank can be run with commercial coils (0.5 Ohm or 1.2 Ohm) just like your current tanks (new type of coils though, and they are amazing) - and it also has an RBA base so when you feel up to it you can start rebuilding without needing to upgrade
With the 0.5 Ohm coil you can easily push it up to around 40W!!

 

[shaunnadan]

you also get my vote for the subtank mini, enjoyed using it last night.

 

[free3dom]

@TheLongTwitch almost forgot...the M50 button is a bit loose, but I've not had any problems with it hooking on anything or getting stuck. There is a replacement button included in the box (it's a rubbery one)...and if you wait a bit @Derick is going to to figure out how the replacement works...right now we are not exactly sure how the replacement is done - my guess is it's done by unscrewing the top part, but none of us are willing to do brain surgery on our beloved Dragons

I do suspect that the rubber button will be much less loose so maybe that will work better for you

 

[shaunnadan]

no need to "behead the dragon" just to change the button

the metal button (stock) has a white grommit around it which holds it in place. if you want to change the button then get a tiny flat screw driver and wedge it in between and lift around the front of the button.the button will pop off and you can just squeeze in the rubber button.

the metal button is a bit harder to replace once it out because of that white grommit but if you push it in from 1 side then you use the edge of the flat screwdriver and just tuck in the grommit around it.

 

[free3dom]

no need to "behead the dragon" just to change the button

the metal button (stock) has a white grommit around it which holds it in place. if you want to change the button then get a tiny flat screw driver and wedge it in between and lift around the front of the button.the button will pop off and you can just squeeze in the rubber button.

the metal button is a bit harder to replace once it out because of that white grommit but if you push it in from 1 side then you use the edge of the flat screwdriver and just tuck in the grommit around it.

Oh, so you've played around a bit with the dragon's knobs
That's very helpful thanks, I will have a go at it

 

[TheLongTwitch]

@shaunnada THAT MAKES PERCENT SENSE!!!

The button isn't loose, although that's how everyone perceives it!
...it only wiggles vertically.
(Unless your button has twisted)

It's to access the grommet and replace the button!

***EDIT***

You'll never guess what happened 10 minutes later
...while vaping and packing some stuff for an evening with lady later,
the button fell out for no reason at all!

So mine was very loose
But on the upside I'm going to fit the little rubber button in now so that I can be at peace

I'll take some photo's for the guys that want to see and have details

 

[TheLongTwitch]

Literally popped put for no reason!!!


But you can see the lip on the plastic part is non existent compare to the lip on the rubber button


Really not well made in my opinion: skew, untidy and not to a great standard :/


Hold button gently squeeze the sides between your fingers, then pop the lip into slot aiming upwards....that easy
(Almost popped it straight in this time but wanted to take a photo for you guys)


Seriously...Tiny push and done!
Feels SO MUCH BETTER!!!


Ahh....happiness again

 

[TheLongTwitch]

P.S. @shaunnadan Thanks for the short quick recap of Ohms Law in a way I got so easily
The relation to taste was what I was missing and that helped tons!!!

Thanks so much!

 

[shaunnadan]

Your welcome

Once you start with rebuildables you have so much more flexibility. And having a high powered device that is capable of subohm resistance is amazing.

You can build a low resistance coil, that will give you great flavour at low wattage, then ramp up the power and get thick clouds.

Or a high resistance coil that your capable of pushing very high wattage through.

You start to enjoy different peaks and tastes in the flavours that you get purely because of how the juice reacts to the different power options.

 

[free3dom]

Fantastic pictures @TheLongTwitch...very useful to all M50 owners

Thanks for taking the time to post them, you sir are a rock star - with a loose button

 

[Arthster]

I will vouch for the Plume Vail. It is currently my goto dripper. Moerse airflow, and can also supports single and duel coil builds