Kanger Tank Comparison Results

[Earthling789]

In reading threads on here for the past few months, one common question is always revolving around which is better, single-coils or dual-coils, so I’ve decided to run a little experiment over the past two weeks to determine efficiency, e-juice use, and effect on the battery while using a Kanger ProTank 2 (BCC) and Kanger AeroTank (BDC).

I won't bore anyone with the details (unless you want raw data or more info), but I will say I utilized as many control factors as possible (same Air Flow Control base, same settings for battery and base, same e-juice, etc.). Yes, I do this kind of experimentation for fun.... it's the scientist in me

While I know that one week of data per tank does not equate to an efficient or definitive scientific study, it does provide statistical data points to assist in making a non-subjective conclusion. Besides, being stuck with one flavor of e-juice and no eGo portability for two weeks was about all I could stand!

For those of you interested in specifics or raw-data, just ask... but I wanted to summarize the results to keep this post short enough to read without anyone falling asleep at their keyboard ... Those who want to skip to the Conclusion for the "short-version", feel free to do so....

Observations:

• AeroTank:
  • Each tank averaged 151.7 “hits” per 2.0 ml of vaping
  • Each day averaged 238.43 “hits”
  • Each day averaged 3.143 ml of e-juice consumed
  • 22 ml of juice was consumed for the week
  • Each “hit” from the AeroTank consumed 0.013 ml of e-juice
• ProTank 2:
  • Each tank averaged 186.9 “hits” per 2.0 ml of vaping
  • Each day averaged 255.57 “hits”
  • Each day averaged 2.714 ml of e-juice consumed
  • 19 ml of juice was consumed for the week
  • Each “hit” from the ProTank 2 consumed 0.011 ml of e-juice

Data Summary / Comparison:

• E-Juice Use
  • The dual coils consumed 0.013 ml per “hit” and required 22 ml of e-juice per week
  • The single-coils consumed 0.011 ml per “hit” and required 19 ml of e-juice per week
• Coil Cost Factor (based on same 3-week life-expectancy and $1.50 per BDC, $1 per BCC)
  • The dual-coils cost $0.0300 per 100 “hits” and $0.0714 average per day
  • The single-coils cost $0.0186 per 100 “hits” and $0.0476 average per day
• E-Juice Cost Factor (based on $14.99 per 30 ml bottle)
  • The dual-coils utilized $1.57 per day and $10.99 per week
  • The single-coils utilized $1.36 per day and $9.49 per week
• Hits
  • The dual-coils required 35 fewer hits to exhaust a tank
  • The hits per day difference were statistically negligible as the daily average of 238.43 for the dual-coils and 255.57 for the single-coils were within one standard-deviation, thus the daily average (and therefore weekly average) “hits” do not presume an advantage of one coil over the other
• Statistical Error Correction
  • Error factors of e-juice measurements for the week (0.15 ml or 6% error on refills)
    • +/- 1.50 ml for the dual-coil (based on 10 full refills for the week)
    • +/- 1.35 ml for the single-coil (based on 8.25 refills for the week)
  • Double-hits observed for each week were negligible (< 5)

Conclusion:

The AeroTank (BDC) clearly consumes more e-juice per “hit”. This is evidenced by the fact that an AeroTank exhausted 2 ml of e-juice an average of 35 “hits” faster than a ProTank 2 (BCC), and the Aerotank consumes a measured volume of 0.002 ml more e-juice per “hit”.

The number of “hits” per week between the two coil/tank combinations also gave insight as to battery-life and longevity. Fewer “hits” per tank of e-juice equates to fewer firings of the battery, yet the slight advantage gained by the dual-coils would extend the expected life expectancy of a battery minimally. However, as the experiment showed, daily/weekly “hits” were statistically equal, regardless of tank used, which shows no data-backed evidence to support more volume of vapor to equate to more efficient delivery of nicotine achieved when using a BDC unit.

The following are based upon uncorrected data, and assumes 30 ml of e-juice cost @ $14.99 and coil cost assumption of $1 per BCC and $1.50 per BDC. (Yes, your costs/savings may vary).

Considering the overall cost factors of coils and e-juice, the dual-coils require an expenditure of roughly $11.50 per week, whereas the single-coils only require an expenditure of roughly $9.85 per week. Clearly the cost factor is leaning towards the cost-savings gained by using the single-coil tank; however, $1.65 per week is hardly what many of us would consider “break-the-bank” savings. After-all, that's roughly the cost of a large cup of coffee from McDonald's or a 20-oz drink from the local convenience store....

So, if you want to conserve a few Milliliters of e-juice per week, and possibly save a few bucks over the course of a year, the ProTank 2 (BCC) is the way to go.

But, it should be noted that the AeroTank (BDC) DOES provide (subjectively) a slightly more fulfilling vapor/flavor production over the ProTank 2, and if saving the cost of a decent dinner for two over the course of a year is not your priority… vape-up on the AeroTank!

[mcquinn]

So what I gathered was it takes more eliquid to produce more vapor.Who would have thought.

[fishguy1123]

Wow! Thanks for the detailed info. My question is, when it comes to coil costs, how did you determine the 3 week average? I would think that would play the biggest difference in cost comparison. Also probly the hardest thing to determine over a short period of time.

[Earthling789]

So what I gathered was it takes more eliquid to produce more vapor.Who would have thought.

LOL!!

Wow! Thanks for the detailed info. My question is, when it comes to coil costs, how did you determine the 3 week average? I would think that would play the biggest difference in cost comparison. Also probly the hardest thing to determine over a short period of time.

I used the average cost of what I have been paying for BDC and BCC coils (buying in bulk, not singles), and the fact that I have been averaging about three weeks on each type of coil, give or take a few days depending on the % of VG in my juices. When it comes to coils, your mileage (and costs) may vary, but I felt the need to assign some logical cost into them (cost per coil divided by 3 [weeks] = cost per week) so I could assign dollar-values to my weekly cost figures. Costs I quoted are subjective, obviously because everyone will have differing coil-life and coil-costs, but it's always easier to see relative differences when a dollar-sign is in front of a number

[jerryjoe]

Wow, you had some free time earthling.

[Tam]

Interesting outcomes. And then you add in the subjective (I prefer the single coils in the Aerotank and Aerotank bases on the KPT2), and it blows all the data out of the water. LOL. Thanks for putting this up!

[Earthling789]

Interesting outcomes. And then you add in the subjective (I prefer the single coils in the Aerotank and Aerotank bases on the KPT2), and it blows all the data out of the water. LOL. Thanks for putting this up!

Actually, Tam, the only real difference measured was the coil.

Both tanks used the same Air Flow Control base, with the setting marked to ensure consistent air-flow, and I even used the same drip-tip on both tanks. Both coils were verified with a real Ohm-meter to be 1.5 Ohm at the start of the test (and pre-soaked before use). I also locked my MVP to the same Wattage, and charged it every night.... So, the only real variable was the coil configuration, BCC or BDC.

My goal was to know two things:

• How much more liquid was the BDC actually using (I had assumed 50% more)
• Did using the BDC equate to fewer hits per day. My assumption was since the AT burned more juice, I would get my daily nicotine in fewer hits (conserving battery, assuming both tanks used the same juice per week).

What I learned... at least for ME... is that the AT uses a tiny bit more liquid per hit (~13.5% more, which is far less than I assumed), and yes, I do hit the AT slightly less often over the course of the day/week, but not enough to make me give away all my PT2's... and the cost-savings of the PT2 is not enough to make me toss out my AT's, either.

One thing I didn't factor into the weekly/monthly costs is the tank, themselves, because prices vary so wildly... but for the record, the average price for my KPT2's was $10.50 PLUS $4.25 for Air-Flow bases, and the average price for my AT's was $14.99... so with $0.25 difference between them, they're basically the same cost (at least for the tanks, based on what I paid for them).

I'll continue to enjoy them both, but I'll not be buying any more AeroTanks, despite how much I love the "Industrial" look of them, unless I find a REALLY good deal on them ($14 or less).

[Tam]

I wasn't questioning your data or results at all, Earthling. All I was trying to say (and saying it badly), is that there are so many customizations that we all make even with tanks of these sorts that it would be easy to keep doing these experiments in an endless array of variations. Um...did that make any sense? It did to me but I may not have explained it well.

[Earthling789]

Ah, yes, you explained it quite well... yes, there are endless combinations, and even changing coil resistances may or may not have a noticeable impact!

[Compenstine]

Not so sure I like this Mega Tank (not listed) Flavor seems to be muted. Vapor is good, but just no flavor. I'm sure it is the coil and not the juice as I'm vaping Fadora Apple Cider. We all know that the coils that come with tanks for some reason are not as good as those that are in the 5 packs. I will reserve judgment till after I have used it more with different coils.

[Earthling789]

Comp, I gotta agree with you on the coils that come with the tanks... I don't know what it is, perhaps the wicks are different or they get some oils from the manufacturing process on them, but when I get a new tank I generally take the coil(s) that come with them and toss them into a mini-tackle-box (different Ohms/dual/single separated) for use in extreme emergencies... or to give to people I don't like

Now, there's a thought... hmmm... maybe I should take a few of those "included" coils out of storage and give them a good Vodka soak, to see if the problem is just contamination from the manufacturing process of the tanks? If that's the case, I'll have a couple dozen usable coils after a good soak?

[Compenstine]

Yeah I wanted to burn one up so I can see how rebuildable it will be. If I can rebuild it, I should get the flavor I want out of it. Let me know how the soak works I may do that with this other coil I have.

[Earthling789]

I just dropped two into a shot-glass I'll give them a try on my next coil change...

[jerryjoe]

Not so sure I like this Mega Tank (not listed) Flavor seems to be muted. Vapor is good, but just no flavor. I'm sure it is the coil and not the juice as I'm vaping Fadora Apple Cider. We all know that the coils that come with tanks for some reason are not as good as those that are in the 5 packs. I will reserve judgment till after I have used it more with different coils.

I'm starting to notice the same thing with my Nautilus. All of a sudden my flavors are muted almost to the point of no flavor at all. I get the sweetness (I'm vaping fruit flavors) but not the intended flavor. But I get the flavor when I use one of my other tanks, especially the Aspire ET-S.