That doesn't sound too bad at all actually.
A couple of questions for you:
- Someone told me that they are able to "clean" their coils before replacing, is this true?
- What is a gold standard for the 26650 battery?
- Is it better to go with a 18650 or 26650? I hear 26650 will have more power than most 18650s but not necessarily more battery life
- What do you think of unregulated mods? I have my eye on one of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Unregulated-Box-Mod-Dual-26650-Parallel-Mosfet-Protected-/111605558674?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19fc35ad92 -- (I don't know what a mosfet would be for in terms of vaping)
- What is good to look for in a mod? Is a clone necessarily a bad thing? I see they are much cheaper.
- What do you look for in a RDA? I'm looking at this vulcan one, I like the fact that doesn't require any tools to replace the coils, merely screw and done -- http://www.vapordna.com/Vulcan-RDA-Rebuildable-Atomizer-p/vn0001.htm
- Safety and travelling. I travel a lot so I assume the safest bet is to remove the batteries from the boxmod/regular mod so the trigger doesn't fire when it is in my bag. I haven't had a problem with this for my small unit because it has the five clicks
- What do you look for in making a coil, how much does resistance come into play? Do I want to get an ohm meter? -- I've seen a lot of the rip trippers and crazy coils that they make, not sure if I want/need something this complicated but don't mind making a couple in bulk and bringing them with me in little bubble wrap bags
I REALLY appreciate your input man thanks.
All good man always here to help. Concerning your other questions....
1. Yes you can technically "clean" your coils by removing the cotton and just pulsing the bare coils a few times while blowing all of the build up off of them. If you are running a hot setup and there is still juice all over the RDA it may scorch the juice and your first few hits of new cotton will taste like crap. Kanthal is so cheap I usually just re-build when it gets to this point.
2. In general I stick with either Sony or MXJO batteries. I've heard good thing about the newer E-Fest stuff too.
3. This is more preference. And generally 26650 batteries will give you more capacity. They generally have a higher amperage rating but that doesn't really mean you'll ever need it unless you're going super super low sub ohm build. But the same coils on an 18650 vs 26650 the 26650 battery is going to stay in the preferred voltage range longer.
4. I've never used a regulated box mod. My experience are with regular mech mods and DNA30 Devices. Lately more people have been making the move to box mods and I don't really get the hype.
5. I just look for mods that i find pleasing to the eye with good construction. Obviously mod material, pin material (if its not hybrid) and switch design play into this. I like recessed switches. I generally like mods that are of a single tube design but lately I really want a copper 4nine mod. And starting out, clones aren't bad. Most of us started out there.
6. I look for RDA's with good build space, deep juice well and once again pleasing on the eyes. My brass monkey isn't the hottest thing out but i like the split center post, makes building with twisted or larger gauge kanthal easier. I also have a TOBH and Stillare and enjoy both of them. You want to find something with good airflow, quality construction and silver or gold contacts/screws if you can. Pretty much all RDA's will only require you carry a small screw driver.
7. Take the battery out. I've had mods fire in my pocket because of a loose switch before and its not fun. A) you'll burn the **** out of your hand and b) if you are on a plane then all that smoke and the horrible smell will probably get you in trouble. Getting through security is easy these days though, most TSA employees know what it is. When I first started vaping I had a few mods checked out though.
8. I make very simple coils. I use 24G kanthal and do a 6/7 twist. I usually like to stay between .3-.5 ohms. I've never used an ohm meter but i'd advise to get one for safety reasons although most batteries have a high enough amperage rating that you're not going to pop one. I've tried crazy coils and twisted kanthal but for every day vaping its not needed. Build a little travel kit with cotton bacon, a roll of kanthal, small screw driver, ceramic tipped pliers and a small little angle cutter for building on the go.
