Adversarious1

That's sort of what I was trying to explain. In your instance the wattage is affecting the "cooler" vs. "warmer" vape because you aren't using enough power to even get to the 600 degrees you are setting the temp at. In other words, if you want a cooler vape in TC mode you should be dialing back the temperature, not the watts. If you want a warmer vape, then bump up the temperature, not the watts. Essentially the higher the watts, the faster your coil will hit your desired temperature. Once it hits that temperature the chip in the mod will (theoretically) dial back the wattage automatically to maintain the temperature. Once you set your wattage you shouldn't have to touch it unless it hits the temperature too fast or not fast enough for your personal liking. Ramping the wattage up or down versus the temperature to achieve the cooler or warmer vape completely defeats the purpose of temp control. This is true, but for a basic understanding of the correlation between the power setting and the desired temperature the different materials available play a very small role. The overall performance of those materials at various temperatures is another story altogether, though.

I didn't even know they made .5 ohm kanthal coils for the crown. Even Uwell's site says all of their .5 ohm Crown coils (v1 and v2) are SS316L. For what it's worth, though, you aren't likely going to notice kanthal coils sucking less juice than TC coils. If anything, because of the stability of temperature control you are going to go through less juice with the SS coils. @smacksy is absolutely correct. SS can be vaped in both power and TC. It's the single biggest reason I am slowly (but surely) converting all of my coils to to stainless (both DIY coils and drop-in coils where available). Now...if only SMOK would get with it and start making drop in SS coils for the TFV8 I'd be one happy camper.

For what it's worth, you can go quite a bit higher with the watts in temp control mode. For the most part, in TC mode the watts help the coil get to the desired temp. That is likely why you have a better experience at 40 watts and 580 degrees compared to 25 watts and 600 degrees. Depending on how long your draws are, it's entirely possible that the coil isn't reaching your dialed in temp preference when set at 25 watts. In fact, if you are taking hits that are only a couple of seconds in length, you may not actually be hitting the 580 degrees with 40 watts. I have been working on a TC guide that I hope will be better than most of the other "guides" I have seen on the internet, because none of the guides clearly explains how wattage plays a role in temp control. The main problem I am having is that I want it to be "generic" in nature, but there are so many TC chips out there it's almost impossible to include enough information for everybody to find it useful. Heck, even I have 5 TC mods running three different chips and every single one of them operates differently from each other.

It's the coils that will determine the wattage, not the tank itself. So you should be safe using whatever Crown 1 coil suits your preference.

You can safely go a little bit higher, but with that coil I doubt you are going to experience the same satisfaction you seem to have been getting with the .5 ohm coils. Do you have any other tanks you ca use in the meantime?

In a nutshell and without going into all of the technical mumbo jumbo, yes; a lower ohm rating will produce more vapor (what you are describing as a stronger pull). In my personal opinion, the shop should have asked you what ohm the coil you were running was rated at or had you check if you didn't know (they can't check due to FDA regulations) rather than simply making an assumption and selling you the 1.5 ohm coils.

My guess is you were most likely using the .5 ohm coil rather than the 1.5 ohm coils the shop sold you. (The 1.5 on the coil is the ohm rating, by the way.) If you haven't already tossed it in the trash, check the coil you were running. My guess is it was either a 1.2 ohm or a .5 ohm coil.

Yep, I sure would. Actually, I would probably start at 40-42 watts, but I also know the range where my sweet spot lies at that resistance and I know my equipment. It's all part of understanding the safe limits of the batteries, Ohm's law, etc. High wattage does not necessarily automatically equate to a hot vape. [emoji4] Sent from my heart using the Vapor Talk App. OK...OK...I'm kidding. I have no heart. But I did use the Vapor Talk Mobile App.

Yes, the crackling is absolutely normal and I would actually be more concerned if there wasn't a crackling sound. What you are hearing is the coil heating the liquid and turning it into vapor. Much the same way water droplets or bacon fat will sizzle on a hot skillet, e-liquid will sizzle on a hot coil. If the coil wasn't crackling at all, then chances are you have a bad coil. It should be noted that e-liquid, airflow, the particular coil and the coil resistance you are using can all have an effect on how much "crackling" you hear. For instance in my Kanger tanks I get a lot of crackling, in my Aspire tanks, I get a little less. In my RTAs and RDA's, where I am building and wicking the coils myself, I get the least crackling. E-Liquids that are higher in PG seem to crackle less for me than liquids that are higher in VG, most likely because the PG is thinner and will burn more efficiently. Everybody will experience something slightly different based on their personal vaping preferences, though.

Which kbox and which istick are you using? Having that information will improve the recommendations. Without that information, though, I would start at about 35 watts and bump it up half a watt at a time. As you bump it up, you will get closer to your "sweet spot" (that point where you like the balance between flavor, vapor production and the vape isn't too warm or too cool). You will know when you get past that sweet spot because the flavor won't be what you like, the vapor production won't be what you like or it will be too warm (or a combination of all three). Once you hit that point, back it off to the last spot you really liked. Basically, as long as you adhere to battery safety there isn't a specific wattage you should be vaping at. The right wattage is whatever wattage creates your sweet spot, and that is different for everybody. For some of us, that wattage may be higher because we like a warmer vape, for others it may be lower because we like a cooler vape. And for many of us, we will find that we run the exact same tank with the exact same coil at slightly different wattages based on the e-liquid we are vaping at the time because different PG/VG blends and different flavors react differently at different wattages.

It's called cotton bacon because everything is better with bacon! Even cotton used for vaping! Seriously, though, I think the company simply named it that because it's a catchy and easy to remember name. It also comes pre-cut into strips (like strips of bacon) for easier wicking. Love me come cotton bacon.

Vaping some Adam's Apple myself. 3mg in one of my Baby Beasts (where's your Baby Beast @Christopher?) No Twinings or breakfast burritos, though. Coffee and Jack in the Box for me...lol

I prefer external for pretty much the same reason as@edna . Sure, a built in battery is convenient, but I would much rather find myself having to buy two new batteries at less than $20 than a whole new mod. For me convenience doesn't play a role. I always have at least two mods and at least 4 batteries with me. As far as brands, Samsung and LG are my primary go to brands, but I also have a couple of MXJOs in the rotation. Sent from my heart using the Vapor Talk App. OK...OK...I'm kidding. I have no heart. But I did use the Vapor Talk Mobile App.

Welcome to VT, Sean. And congrats on getting off the analogs. Don't be a stranger. Sent from my heart using the Vapor Talk App. OK...OK...I'm kidding. I have no heart. But I did use the Vapor Talk Mobile App.

Coils are going to play a large part in your flavor experience, but coils are only one piece of the puzzle. The good new is yes, there are other tanks that use those coils. @Tam and a couple of others might weigh in on which other tanks that use them. As far as flavor being muted, though, that is a subjective opinion. What one person thinks is muted another may think is out of this world. Take any advice or comments like that with a grain of salt, (including from me, as I am guilty of inserting my own subjective opinion). If you are happy with the flavor then that's what matters. However, trying new tanks never hurts. You may stumble upon one you like even more. Sent from my heart using the Vapor Talk App. OK...OK...I'm kidding. I have no heart. But I did use the Vapor Talk Mobile App.

Welcome to VT. Pay no attention to the double posts from@Christopher. He likes to see himself post. Thinks he's the Godfather or something like that. Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

A second on that. I don't know why anybody would call the TFV8 a mouth to lung tank. I currently have 2 TFV8 Cloud Beasts and 2 TFV8 Baby Beasts in rotation. Both are DTL all the way, although if I want MTL it is possible with the Baby Beast, but I have different tanks for that. As far as TC options on those tanks you would have to go with your own coils on the RBA deck because there are no factory nickel, SS or titanium coils available for them that I have seen. However, as@Christopher mentioned, there are a ton of coil options available for them. Somewhere on here I have a more detailed write-up on the Cloud Beast and I also did a video review of the Baby Beast. Both are great tanks with great vapor production, the coils last more than just a couple of days (in fact, I have had each coil last 3+ weeks) and, for me, flavor production is awesome. Better on the Baby Beast, but awesome on both. Lastly, Pancake Man is an 80/20 VG/PG blend. Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

I don't have a long way back I can go to choose items for ThrowBack Thursday since I have only been vaping for about 21 months. But I do have a few things in my vape stash. This week isn't an extreme TBT, but I did feel a little "nostalgic" today. Rocking the LEMO on one of my Fuchai 213's. Single coil, 1.2 ohm, airflow closed down about half-way. Nice, tight MTL vape that takes me all the way back to late February 2015 when I first started vaping. What's your TBT setup? Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Welcome to VT.

Yep, the federal side of things poses interesting questions in state and local law enforcement agencies. Although it sounds like a cop out (no pun intended), it really isn't our job to enforce federal laws. Wouldn't it really put a cramp in the sides of the states who have legalized it if the federal government started putting a freeze on state funds and started seizing the funds that can directly be attributed to the taxes collected from marijuana sales?

From what I understand, (word of mouth only, not confirmation), the tax on liquids is supposed to be in the neighborhood of 67%. While the tax on analogs is very clearly laid out, there is no mention in the proposition regarding how they will calculate the amount. It merely states: (b) The board shall adopt regulations providing for the implementation of an equivalent tax on electronic cigarettes as that term is defined in subdivision (c) of Section 30121, and the methods for collection of the tax. Such regulations shall include imposition of an equivalent tax on any device intended to be used to deliver aerosolized or vaporized nicotine to the person inhaling from the device when sold separately or as a package; any component, part, or accessory of such a device that is used during the operation of the device, whether sold separately or as a package with such device; and any liquid or substance containing nicotine, whether sold separately or as a package with any device that would allow it to be 7 inhaled. Such regulations may include/ but are not limited to/ defining who is a distributor of electronic cigarettes pursuant to Section 30011 and the licensing requirements of any such person. So...how they came up with that number I don't know, but I'll check my sources. Reading that tax also seems to infer the tax will be on devices as well, however the same text also specifies 'any liquid or substance containing nicotine', so I'm assuming they won't be taxing 0 nic, (as they shouldn't), and a different part of the proposition seems to state that certain items will be exempt from the tax. In other words, it's a muddy as hell document most likely written by an attorney and it contradicts itself in multiple places. As far as the price adjustments, the taxes don't go into effect until April 1, 2017. That date is both stated implicitly and explicitly within the full text of Prop 56. Implicitly - There are multiple areas within the full text of the proposition that refer to collection of the taxes being effective at 12:01 am on the first day of the first calendar quarter more than 90 days after the effective date of the act. (Since the effective date of the act is November 9, 2016 and the next calendar quarter begins on January 1, 2017, that would make April 1, 2017 the first day of the first calendar quarter commencing more than 90 days after the effective date of the act.) Explicitly - The very last section of the proposition reads: SECTION 10. Effective Date This act shall become effective as provided in Section 10(a) of Article II of the California Constitution; provided, however, the amendment to section 30121 of the Revenue and Taxation Code shall become effective April 1, 2017. As far as purchasing from outside the state there is no mention, but I think that is controlled by a different article of the California constitution. For instance, while we can cross state lines and purchase tobacco products for personal use, for a vendor to send those same products into the state they may be subject to rules for importing tobacco products as cigarette manufacturers...i.e. the products will need the "California Tobacco Tax Stamp" on the bottom of the container. That is only speculation on my part, though. I really don't know how that will be handled at this point. My own side note/rant: Yes, this state also just legalized marijuana. 100% for tax reasons and nothing more. I don't care what anybody says of the "medicinal benefits" it brings. My agency has sent groups to both Colorado and Washington state to study the impacts of legalized marijuana in those states. Colorado has reported a rise in unemployment, homelessness and crime since legalizing marijuana. Washington state has reported a dramatic rise in vehicle collisions where there is serious injury or death and marijuana is suspected to be a major contributor to said collision. This is also the same state that just voted to reclassify several felonies as "non-violent" in order to grant parole and release prisoners from prison early. Believe it or not, that proposition actually received more votes in favor of than the marijuana proposition. Just goes to show where the heads of the idiots are in this state. End rant. I'll get off my soapbox now. But I hope I've answered a couple of your questions (at least somewhat) @Bebop.

Depending on how computer savvy you are, you may be able to run a Windows VM on a Mac and accomplish firmware updates that way, though I've never tried. Otherwise, it might be time to become best friends with a PC user. I completely agree with the sentiment that firmware updates should work cross platform, though.

Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men, and a red corvette. Love that Tele, by the way, @Bebop

The SMOK OSUB 80w kit comes with the Brit Beast tank and a .4 ohm Baby Q2 coil installed. Your wattage should be fine and, in actuality, can likely go a little higher. Double check to make sure you are in wattage mode with that coil, as @Bebop suggested. If you are, then make sure you aren't inadvertently bumping the wattage up. One last thing that could cause it would be a coil that isn't seated properly (or even just a bad coil). If it is moving, even slightly, the ohms can jump all over the place which could result in intermittent hot hits.