So I started in December 2013 with a maxi clearo matched to a Cape Vape 1300Mah batt.
I went through 4 coils in 4 weeks....lol (OK..OK .... I chain vape)
I then decided to experiment. Got some pre-made wire from VapeMob but that did not work out as the ohm values were incorrect (I asked for 2.2 and they were actually 2.5 so the Vape was very muted)
I then bought some Kanthal from CVS (can't remember if it was 34 or 32 guage). I found making coils rather easy. However the one thing I discovered was that it is important that the earth leg (the one that sits under the rubber grommet) should only touch the body of the coil assembly at the point where it comes under the rubber grommet. If it touches the body anywhere else the coil won't fire up even though it will give a perfect reading on a meter. Sorry I did not take pics. I found that because there is no NR legs I could only do a 3 or 4 wrap and it already sits at 2.2 Ohms. I then twisted 2 strands together using my cordless drill and did a 4 or 5 wrap which came to 1.7 Ohms. I fired the sucker up and what a dissapointment.
1.7 is too low for the maxi - it changed the taste so drastically it made me want to puke and it killed my EGO 650mah battery. I then did a 8 wrap with the twisted kanthal and it gave me a 1.9 /2.0 Ohm coil which worked better but would not get hot enough so gave me a muted vape.
So the original 4 wrap kanthal was the only one that really worked. Here are my findings with the 4 wrap 2.1 Ohm kanthal:
Pros - the kanthal did give better flavour that the std coils. In fact it was awesome. It was very consistent and would not give me a burnt taste when chain vaping. It also lasted a full month before I had to rewick it.
Cons - because there is no NR wire legs the clearo would get super hot when chain vaping. I had to wait for 30 seconds or so for the temp to drop before vaping. It did not alter the taste the clearo was just uncomfortably hot to the touch.
I also found that you can extend the life of a coil 5 times over by simply replacing the wick. Easy procedure :
1) Disassemble clearo and rinse all the parts with warm water.
2) Remove burnt wick by simply pulling it out from one side.
3) Place the coil assembly (no need to remove the actual coil wire) in some almost boiling water (I used a tupperware shaker) and swirl around a bit to get rid of the gunk.
4) Blow out as much water as you can and attach the coil to the clearo - no need to assemble the whole thing.
5) Attach the battery and dry burn till it's glowing orange and the gunk is no longer on the coil wire.
6) Rinse again
7) Take the wick and cut the end so it forms a sharp end like a pencil .
8) Put a drop of ordinary clear bostik glue on the tip of your thumb and wet the end of the wick you sharpened while turning the wick strands so the strands are tight against each other.
9) Let the glue dry for a few minutes and then you can thread the wick through the coil while turning it.
10) Once the glued part is far enough through the coil simply cut to the desired size.
This is ofcourse for the maxi clearo.
Then I went and bought an itaste VV battery and protank 2 mini combo. I have been vaping the maxi and pt2 mini side by side for 5 days. I must say I prefer the warm vape and tight draw of the maxi - the flavour while less has a better taste. The pt2 mini does taste fine to me when using 4.2-4.5v in conjunction with closing one of the holes to make the draw tighter but it is still not as good as the maxi.
Also I must say I am impressed with the Cape Vape 1300Mah battery - it lasts up to 2 full days (I vape between 5 and 10ml per day). I bought the vv because it has passthrough so I can chain vape at my pc.
Next I will be trying some thicker kanthal to get more wraps (aiming for 6 to 7) as well as Oupa's VM4 + his DIY kit. I also intend getting an SVD and a dripper or 2.
It's been lots of fun but it has also been expensive ...LOL......the life of an addict.
I went through 4 coils in 4 weeks....lol (OK..OK .... I chain vape)
I then decided to experiment. Got some pre-made wire from VapeMob but that did not work out as the ohm values were incorrect (I asked for 2.2 and they were actually 2.5 so the Vape was very muted)
I then bought some Kanthal from CVS (can't remember if it was 34 or 32 guage). I found making coils rather easy. However the one thing I discovered was that it is important that the earth leg (the one that sits under the rubber grommet) should only touch the body of the coil assembly at the point where it comes under the rubber grommet. If it touches the body anywhere else the coil won't fire up even though it will give a perfect reading on a meter. Sorry I did not take pics. I found that because there is no NR legs I could only do a 3 or 4 wrap and it already sits at 2.2 Ohms. I then twisted 2 strands together using my cordless drill and did a 4 or 5 wrap which came to 1.7 Ohms. I fired the sucker up and what a dissapointment.
1.7 is too low for the maxi - it changed the taste so drastically it made me want to puke and it killed my EGO 650mah battery. I then did a 8 wrap with the twisted kanthal and it gave me a 1.9 /2.0 Ohm coil which worked better but would not get hot enough so gave me a muted vape.
So the original 4 wrap kanthal was the only one that really worked. Here are my findings with the 4 wrap 2.1 Ohm kanthal:
Pros - the kanthal did give better flavour that the std coils. In fact it was awesome. It was very consistent and would not give me a burnt taste when chain vaping. It also lasted a full month before I had to rewick it.
Cons - because there is no NR wire legs the clearo would get super hot when chain vaping. I had to wait for 30 seconds or so for the temp to drop before vaping. It did not alter the taste the clearo was just uncomfortably hot to the touch.
I also found that you can extend the life of a coil 5 times over by simply replacing the wick. Easy procedure :
1) Disassemble clearo and rinse all the parts with warm water.
2) Remove burnt wick by simply pulling it out from one side.
3) Place the coil assembly (no need to remove the actual coil wire) in some almost boiling water (I used a tupperware shaker) and swirl around a bit to get rid of the gunk.
4) Blow out as much water as you can and attach the coil to the clearo - no need to assemble the whole thing.
5) Attach the battery and dry burn till it's glowing orange and the gunk is no longer on the coil wire.
6) Rinse again
7) Take the wick and cut the end so it forms a sharp end like a pencil .
8) Put a drop of ordinary clear bostik glue on the tip of your thumb and wet the end of the wick you sharpened while turning the wick strands so the strands are tight against each other.
9) Let the glue dry for a few minutes and then you can thread the wick through the coil while turning it.
10) Once the glued part is far enough through the coil simply cut to the desired size.
This is ofcourse for the maxi clearo.
Then I went and bought an itaste VV battery and protank 2 mini combo. I have been vaping the maxi and pt2 mini side by side for 5 days. I must say I prefer the warm vape and tight draw of the maxi - the flavour while less has a better taste. The pt2 mini does taste fine to me when using 4.2-4.5v in conjunction with closing one of the holes to make the draw tighter but it is still not as good as the maxi.
Also I must say I am impressed with the Cape Vape 1300Mah battery - it lasts up to 2 full days (I vape between 5 and 10ml per day). I bought the vv because it has passthrough so I can chain vape at my pc.
Next I will be trying some thicker kanthal to get more wraps (aiming for 6 to 7) as well as Oupa's VM4 + his DIY kit. I also intend getting an SVD and a dripper or 2.
It's been lots of fun but it has also been expensive ...LOL......the life of an addict.
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