jasonculp

Welcome to Vapor Talk!

I have not got a Herakles Plus yet. I do like the way it looks, and the new design features. My top 2 tanks, that I own, at this time are the Crown, and the TFV4 mini. So far the Crown gets more use, but that may be just because I run a more preferred flavor in the Crown. I am also very interested in the Aromamizer. @iQuit has given it a thumbs up, and our vaping styles are very similar. I think @cany has a Herakles Plus, hopefully he will chime in.

Very pleased with mine also! As far as "bang for the buck" it is one of my top mods. Triple 18650 makes it far superior to the others on your list.

You do have to be extremely careful with ETG testing. Just about anything will pop positive on them. I have a buddy that got a 6 month vacation in a county jail just from eating a desert. His prohibited list of foods, OTC drugs, drinks was massive! Be careful with places that say they have 100% VG juices, because apparently they don't know math. 100% VG can only be 100% VG and there is no way around it. As soon as you add a flavoring, it is no longer 100%VG, even if it is VG based flavor. Many favoring and extracts contain alcohol, but it can just be trace amounts. I do not know how much would be enough to show up. I could be wrong but it would seem that the higher VG juices would possibly contain more alcohol than high PG. PG carries flavors much better, so normally VG juices require more flavoring. They are also thicker so some people use alcohol to thin the juice to help it wick. I have never actually seen this, but, I read it on the internet, so it has to be true. Be careful. I would hate to see you have to go though any problems due to hidden ingredients. Personally I would PM @Compenstine, or visit him at Fadora Vapor he has gone through a lot of trouble to get lab testing on his flavors, nicotine, PG and VG. He makes a good product and will help you find something that will work for you.

I will agree with both of y'all. The TFV4 mini is one of my go to tanks, but 50 watts is the minimum. I am running it on a 75 watt mod, but it is at the limits of my battery. I run REAL 20Amp batteries in it and personally that limits me to around 60 watts. I normally run it on my Reuleaux RX200, but I don't like carrying such a big mod, so I use it on my Evic VTC mini. I have just about given up on factory coils. I am running them in my Crown and the TFV4, but will probably not be buying any more any time soon. I am going to just use the RBA with Titanium, or SS coils. It is a bit more trouble, but personally I get much more flavor, and save a bit of money.

Great topic! It is a little hard to make a comprehensive list as the vaping technology changes so quickly! I can only base my opinion on what I have actually used. Best Battery - Hands down, the 25R for the most versatile. It can be used in just about any situation Runner up: less than 60W the 30Q and HG2 Runner up: over 60W the HB2, HB4, HB6, or the VTC4 Best Mod Single 18650 - Wismec Presa 75W or Evic Mini VTC. IMO the Presa wins due to ergonomics, (they both use the same board) Dual 18650 - (I don't have enough experience in this area) Triple 18650 - Wismec Reuleaux, I only own the RX200 an it is a great mod. TC works great. Fits hand better than many dual 18650 mods. Also available in the DNA200 version. Best Tank Sub Tank Mini just for versitility. It can be restricted enough to Mouth to Lung Vape, and opened up for Direct Lung. It has a good RBA. Uwell Crown for Direct Lung. It has great airflow and pretty good coils. The RBA is easy to build on. Best Starter Kit - I am not a big fan of the starter kits. Most of the newer kits are a little bit over powered for and over sized for beginners. I personally think the Kanger kits are the best for simplicity and versatility. I think if a friend came to me to buy one today I would recommend a Wismec Presa 40 watt, or a iStick 40TC and top it with a SubTank Mini. I would also set it up for Kanthal (non TC) coils

That's why my posts won't post... I talk too much... lol but, thank you! I really want to try one of these!

Oops wrong mod....

Well I have tried to post a long winded reply and it won't submit...

I personally use the the VTC mini, and the Presa 75W and think they are both awesome!

Here is the latest test @Mooch has done on the AWT. AWT 40A 3000mAh 18650 Bench Retest Results...only a 20A battery, damaged at over 30A It isn't a bad battery, just like all rewraps, it grossly misrepresents the specifications on the label. My personal favorites for a single 18650 mod are: 0 - 60 watts - LG HG2 or Samsung 30Q (if you are on a budget, Samsung 25R) 60+ watts - LG HB2, HB4, or HB6. The Sony VTC4 (not VTC5) if you buy from a reputable dealer.

You are both correct. The problem is with the Crown. It has so much airflow I can not get a warm vape with 1.2 ohm coils. In fact with the airflow open only a fraction it is not a good vape. The .5 coils are better but in the 50+ watt range he is running the .25 shines. It says it is for 80 to 100 watts, but with my juice 60 is pushing it. The funny thing is the Crown is cooler at 55 watts than my NEBOX at 35, so it has to be the airflow. (of course the Crown is putting out 2 to 3 times the vapor) It is defiantly a cloud producing tank. I only use mine at home, and as a backup, but it is by far my favorite tank!

You could be having one of 2 problems the first is your juice. I have had a bit of trouble with wicking in the MAX VG juices in my Crown. I have gone back to 70VG/30PG and 60VG/40PG in mine. If your juice vendor changed suppliers for their supplies it can change how your juice reacts to the heat. I use the .25 ohm SS coils. I normally run in Temp control at 40 - 50 watts. It could also be the coils. There was a batch that went out a while back that had quite a few bad ones in it. One thing I am pretty sure of is it isn't the iStick. It just supplies the power. You control how much. If your resistance is changing it could change the voltage settings compared to the watts set on the screen, but, you can still turn it up and down to produce the proper vape. This isn't nearly as big of a problem in Wattage mod as it would be if you were using Temperature control. You might try cleaning all of the connections in the tank and mod to see if it reads a little closer to what you are used to.

I don't think I have another one to mess with, but i would like to try them in SS mode now! I don't know how the NR legs would react. I guess it would help if I had a SubTank.... I PIF all of mine. All I have is the NEBOX.

Welcome to Vapor Talk! If you have any specific questions, find the appropriate sub forum and ask away! We enjoy helping out.

Was your wire welded? There is quite a bit of difference in the properties between the legs and coil on mine. I cut mine at the welds and just measured the resistance of the "coil" wire. I am like you and think it has to be SS of some type. I measured my resistance in a simular way. I did it on a Velocity deck in a single loop. All I had handy to check it was the building ohm meter. I had 5 or 6 digital TC mods within arms reach...but didn't think to try one I normally measure bearings and gaskets....lol bearings are generally a standard size and the caliper works fine. On gaskets if we can get witing a 32nd we are doing pretty good! Heck I use a stainless steel pocket rule for most of my stuff.

Well now it is clear as mud! ( I guess we were doing this at the same time!) It looks like the coil is a NR-R-NR coil. It is welded in 2 spots. The outer wire is very soft and magnetic, the resistance wire is much stiffer and non-magnetic. The best I can measure with what I have at hand the wire is .27mm or between 29 and 30 gauge. The resistance part (only) is very close to 40mm and measures .44 ohms. Messing with steam engine nothing comes close to the numbers except SS304. Please note that I am measuring this digital calipers.... and a 510 building ohm meter, that has questionable accuracy. (I personally have no faith in any personal use ohm meter below .5 ohms) * Wow we came up with quite different answers! I am working with a .5 ohm SSOCC coil that came in a NEBOX.

I really wish Kanger would clarify this! Busardo said in a video the other day that they were Kanthal with a SS body. I have also read that they were NiChrome, and of course SS. I have a couple I guess I need to take them apart and see if I can tell.....I doubt I can tell with any certainty...

On the coils, it all depends on the type of vape you enjoy. I am not really familiar with the Kanger's Clapton Coil, but most Clapton's require more wattage are a bit slower to heat up and stay hotter longer. They seem to produce a bit more flavor than "standard" coils. Normally if you are a direct lung inhaler the .5 ohm coils work best, and if you are a mouth to lung hitter you will probably like the 1.2 ohm coils better. From what I am reading the Clapton, and SSOCC (stainless steel organic cotton) coils are actually use Kanthal or NiChrome wire which are best used in Power Mode/Wattage. While the Ni200 are only to be used with Temp Control. My advice is to stick with the Power Mode for a bit, until you get used to your mod, then try the Ni200 and Temp Control when you get accustom to the mod/tank. Only you can figure out the best numbers to use with your personal preferences, your tank, and your juice. I start with my favorite juice, prime up a new coil, fill the tank, let it sit for a while, make a few pulls with the air slots closed not firing the mod, then set it at about 15 - 20 watts and try it. I go up until it gets where I like it. If it tastes burnt, turn it down. As for what you really have to pay attention to on the coils, only that you are using the correct coil in the correct mode. They will all work great on that mod. @VaporTron pretty much nailed the battery end of things. With this type of mod, you coil has no relation to battery safety, only the Wattage you have it set at. I personally don't recommend anyone going over 50 watts or so with a single 18650 mod unless you take a lot of precautions, such as buying special batteries, and a lot of them. At 75Watts (maximum) ÷ 3.4V (normal low battery cut out) = 22.05 +10% for efficiency of the mod 24.26Amps so you would need a good 25 - 30 amp battery. Please don't believe the wrappers that people put on batteries, there are very few that can actually handle 30 Amps and they do it at a cost of capacity (they don't stay charged as long) True 30A batteries are the LG HB2, HB4, and HB6. Just under these would be the Sony VTC4. With the Subtank Mini line of tanks you probably will not be able to use more than 50 watts. At 50 watts you are only looking at 16 Amps battery draw. This really opens up your battery choices. The batteries I recommend that will work great in my personal favorite order is: Samsung 30Q, LG HG2, Samsung 25R, LG HE4 or LG HE2. Please feel free to come back and ask questions, if you have any!

There is no reason to worry about Ohm's law, unless you are using a mechanical mod, electronic (variable wattage) mods will do the calculations for you. As long as you are using a quality battery and don't try to exceed the batteries continuous discharge rate you should be fine. On your mod the what you do want to stay concerned with is the quality of the batteries. Personally I don't like going over 50 watts per good 20A battery. So if you use 2 good 25R's, or similar battery I would stay under the 100 - 110 watt range. The calculation you use is 160 (max wattage) / 6.4 (the approximate low cutoff volatage of 2 18650's in a series) = 25 Amps + 10% for board inside the mod = 27.5A for each battery. If you were going to use it to it's full wattage you would need to have TRUE 30A batteries in it. This would narrow you down to the LG HB2, HB4, and HB6 or possibly a Sony VTC 4. Since you are using it at less than 30 watts you will be fine with any good 15a - 20A battery. (30W/6.2V*1.1=5.16Amps) As for what settings to run, only you can figure that out. There are no right settings. The only thing you can do is start low and work yourself up until either you are getting the vape you want, or it is starting to taste burnt. If you have any more questions feel free to ask!

I hope it all works out! I really have not made much yet. @Compenstine has been trying to get all of this through my thick skull... I am glad he is patient! With my scheduled and resistance to change flavors, he has had his hands full... They are mostly TFA flavors, repackaged by Wizard Labs. I should go straight to the manufacturer, but Wizard Labs has been really good to me, so far, and I really don't have enough figured out to need any more than 30ml bottles. I also forgot to put in the picture that I bought a bunch of empty bottles, and 3 different cherry flavors from Comp this week too.

I finally got a few more flavors. I can't wait until I have time to try them out!

Personally, I have no need for Kanthal TC. I think the availability of Titanium, and now Stainless makes it irreverent. This is just my opinion of course. We are going to get the best TC control (with current technology) with the wire that has the greatest Temperature Coefficient of Resistance. This is because even as measurement gets better, it will just make the higher TCR wires that much more accurate. I still use Nickle from time to time, but I really seem to get the best flavors from Ti or SS. I made a Kanthal setup on my Velocity to play with the high wattage available with the RX200 and the flavor wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it.

How is that working? It really sounds neat. I was hoping it would work well. I am currently using SS (factory coil) in my Crown on my Wismec 75TC (with Evic VTC mini upgrade on it) I am running a TCR of 0108 and it is one of the best vapes I have every had. I am also using Ti in the NEBOX and it is working great.

I can't remember what mod you have, but no. It isn't true. You can use power mode on SS, but not Temp Control, unless you have an SS-TC mode.