How To Choose The Right Battery For Your RDA - Episode One: Advanced Vaping

 

Video Transcription

Hi guys, this video is for all you advanced vapers and rebuildable maestros out there, as well as starter kit rookies looking to make the step up. We’re going to be looking at selecting The Right Batteries, choosing the right Rebuildable Atomiser, the best Coil Types and Eliquid for your setup and much more.

(Round Up) - These tips will help you avoid making the Top 5 mistakes of an advanced vaper.

1. Choosing The Right Batteries & Safety

The majority of advanced vape mods use removable, rechargeable batteries. There are different types available and some vapers have been known to pick the wrong one, which can have a huge impact on performance. There are variables that a lot of people forget to consider when choosing a battery, for example your amp discharge rate is often difficult to find, but makes a big difference to the performance of your device. Most of the time, your batteries will say on the packaging or leaflet their Amp discharge rate but if not you can easily check online on either the manufacturer's website or at Vape Club.

How to choose the right battery for an RDA/RTA?

Basically, if you’re looking to power a regulated vape device that is set to deliver a high wattage output, you’ll need a battery that offers a higher Amp discharge rate, such as a Molicell 2600mAh 25A battery (Close Up Of Battery). The trade-off is that it will have a reduced life/capacity (mAh), this is due to the chemical make-up of the battery - meaning it will lose charge faster. Those looking to vape at lower wattages can pick a battery with a higher capacity as you won't require as high an amp output, for example, the Efest IMR 18650 3500mAh 20A is a great choice and offers a long lifespan between charges (Close Up Of Battery).

When it comes to reviewing the discharge rate of batteries there may be two Amp levels recorded - continuous and pulse. For the most accurate reading of how your battery will perform, you should go by the continuous discharge rate. While the pulse discharge may be higher, it is not always a true reflection of the battery’s capabilities. We recommend that you ignore the pulse discharge and take the continuous discharge as the actual Amp current instead. The continuous discharge rate measures the current output at any level of charge whereas the pulse discharge measures the highest possible current output of a fully charged battery and as such doesn’t take into account the changes in current that a battery will experience as it runs out of charge.

In this table we’ve outlined the recommended Amperage and mAh capacity which are best suited to different wattage types and coil resistances for your device. We hope this helps.

How To Store Vape Batteries Safely?

Staying on the topic of batteries, no matter how experienced a vaper you are, you can never pay too much attention to battery safety. You’d be surprised just how common it is for the more experienced vaper to make an error of judgement when it comes to battery safety, often because they believe they know exactly what they’re doing.
It cannot be stressed enough the need to always carry batteries in a protective case, never loose and never in a pocket or bag with other metal items like loose change and keys. Always check your battery wraps are fully intact before each use or charge and never use a battery with a damaged wrap. It simply isn’t worth the risk of a battery exploding in your pocket and causing serious damage such as third-degree burns.

At Vape Club we have a selection of protective battery cases for all battery types and sizes used for vaping which you can find on our website under the battery drop-down section.

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2. How To Pick The Right Rebuildable Vape Atomiser?

This one isn’t really an error, but more something which people rarely get right the first time. Rebuildable atomisers offer users the opportunity to build and mount their own coils, for a more customised experience. There are different versions available, to suit different vaping styles and it’s easy to pick the wrong one, before making a purchase you should check the following:

1. How Many Vape Coils Does A Rebuildable Atomiser Fit? Smaller rebuildables sometimes only fit one coil, which may not be enough for those looking to create large clouds and experience a direct to lung vape, (which is where you inhale vapour straight to the lungs without letting it linger in the mouth).
2. Can I use any Vape Coil build? Complicated coil builds will often be larger to accommodate higher wattages/temperatures. It’s always important you check the details regarding the size of the build deck and the terminals holes to ensure compatibility.

Personally, I find the 0.6 Ohm Coil Art Premade Kanthal works well across the board (Close Up Shot Of Coil); it’s a simple, mid-resistance build which finds the ideal balance between cloud and flavour.

Part of selecting and using the correct coil is making sure it's installed properly. When you insert a coil into your RDA make sure you conduct extra safety checks before using it, like making no part of the coil touches the base of the deck, making sure you haven't overstretched your coil and there are no hot spots, and make sure that the resistance reading on your ohms reader matches the expected ohm resistance of your coil (within a 10% margin because a lot of them will vary by 10%).

How To Adjust Airflow On A Rebuildable Vape Atomiser?

Adjustable airflow while common with rebuildables is not always a guarantee, certain devices designed for competition vaping will feature fixed airflow, so make sure you check. Adjustable airflow will give you greater control over your style of vaping and can limit or increase cloud production to suit your needs.

Some users have reported issues in setting up the airflow on their tanks. As a rule of thumb, the more closed your airflow is, the more restricted your airflow will be and therefore less cloud will be produced, but you will produce a more clearer flavour.

Mouth To Lung or Direct To Lung Vaping?

While a lot of RDAs, RTAs and RDTAs have been designed to allow vapers to create larger clouds and to experience a direct to lung inhale, there is now a growing market for smaller models that offer a restricted inhale for mouth to lung vaping. The Vandy Vape Berserker (Close Up Shot Of Atomiser) is a solid choice and delivers adjustable airflow with enhanced flavour.

Does It Have An Eliquid Reservoir?

Conventional rebuildables will require you to regularly drip eliquid directly onto the coils and cotton, this can be inconvenient especially when out and about. If you plan to vape on the go, we recommend investing in either an RTA or RDTA which features a built-in eliquid reservoir like a standard vape tank.

3. How To Pick The Right Rebuildable Vape Atomiser Coils?

Premade coils come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, it’s important you pick the right type to match your vaping style and one that will fit into our RDA. DIY coils tend to be a hassle in terms of buying the correct equipment to trim as well as the need to carry out more safety checks to see if it’s suitable to perform.

With standard rebuildables you will need to check the size of your deck and of the holes on the posts. For example compact RDAs like the Digiflavor ETNA smaller single strand coils, rather than larger complex builds.
On the other hand larger RDAs like the Wotofo Warrior feature bigger post terminals for larger and more exotic coil builds.

Much like conventional tank coils, the coils you use in rebuildable atomisers will have different resistances which will impact cloud and flavour production, as will the build type that you choose too. So it’s important to experiment to find your ideal combination.

Another common issue is that your coil type may not be compatible in Temperature Control mode. Remember this mode is only supported by certain wire types, so always check before use. As a rule of thumb though, we advise that the following wire types are to be used in TC Mode; Stainless Steel, Nickel and Titanium. These cannot: Kanthal and Nichrome.

4. Wicking

Many advanced vapers still have trouble wicking properly which results in dry hits and premature coil burnout. As im sure you are aware, a wick is made of cotton and serves to soak up eliquid that is heated by your coil. A poorly made wick can affect how your RDA will perform overall. When making a wick you’ll need to account for the aperture of your coil, by this we mean the space in the coil where your cotton will be threaded (point on camera). If your wick is too thin it will not hold enough eliquid which will lead to a dry hit, if it’s too thick liquid will not be able to soak through it fast enough, also leading to a dry hit. To find the perfect balance when rolling your wick try and match the diameter of the gap, when threading it through you should notice some resistance, but you should still be able to pull it through cleanly.

How To Achieve The Scottish Rolling Wicking Method?

• Cut off a length of cotton from your reel, about 5cm/2 inches or so should be enough.
• You’ll then want to start gently pulling the cotton to make it flatter and more absorbent when turned into a wick. Be careful to try not to tear a hole in your cotton.
• Once thinned out, place it onto a flat surface and begin to roll it up into a cylinder, making sure the cotton stays tightly packed.
• Remove any excess frayed cotton and roll one end very tightly, this will make the process of threading for your coil far easier.
• Once threaded through, snip off any excess with your scissors and fluff out the ends with your tweezers.
• Tuck the ends into your build deck, ensuring each end touches the base of the deck for consistent wicking.
• Creating a decent wick will not only help you experience better flavour it will also reduce the occurrence of dry hits and help make your coil last longer.
• If this seems like a time-consuming process, then premade wicks which are agleted offer a simple solution. Personally, the COTN pre-cut cotton threads as well as the Geekvape Feather Cotton work great and take a fraction of the time and are available in a range of lengths and widths to suit the aperture of your coil.

How Do You Stop Spitback When Vaping?

Spitback is a common occurrence when you start using RDAs or if you're using a new kind of coil. Spitback describes when a tank or RDA spits eliquid. This occurs when there is a build-up of eliquid that has not heated enough to be vapourised.

This issue most commonly occurs when you have dripped too much eliquid onto your coil, it causes the deck to flood and spit when your RDA is used. A build-up of vapour on the drip tip and inside of your RDA can also cause this problem.

To stop spitback with your RDA, make sure you only drip enough eliquid to saturate your cotton, do not let the juice well or deck flood. Also, check the top cap and drip tip for condensation build-up and clean regularly.

If you’re in the situation where you thing you’ve added too much eliquid and you’re experiencing spitback, you can get rid of the excess in two ways.

Method one: remove your top cap and hold your device away from your face. Fire the device in two second bursts, repeating this process two or three times will burn off any excess eliquid, rendering your device to safe to vape with once the top cap has been put back on.

Method two: Remove your top cap and wrap a cloth or paper towel around the base of your atomiser. Proceed to tip any excess eliquid onto another piece of kitchen roll or cloth, with the material wrapped around your base serving to mop up any run-off.

5. Choosing The Right Eliquid For Rebuildable Atomisers?

A large proportion of RDA vapers still incorrectly use the wrong eliquid for their device. The most common mistake is choosing a high nic eliquid, which when vaped in an RDA will provide too strong of a throat hit which can be quite unpleasant. We usually recommend to not exceed 6mg nicotine strength when dripping.

Shortfill eliquids are commonly used with rebuildable atomisers, they are generally high VG eliquids, that are 70% VG and higher. They are designed to have a nicotine booster shot added to them, to increase their nicotine content from 0mg.

To accommodate the process of dilution that occurs when a shot is added, they will contain a higher amount of flavour concentrate, around 20% more. If you choose not to add this shot, the extra concentrate can lead to a harsher inhale, which can be very offputting.

If you’re not looking to introduce nicotine to your eliquid, we recommend that you instead add a shot of flavourless, 0mg eliquid to your shortfill, so you can continue using it with your rebuildable atomiser. Be sure to match up the VG content of your eliquid with your booster shot for best results.

How Important Is A High-Quality Nicotine Shot?

Another thing worth noting is the importance of investing in a quality nicotine booster shot. More often than not, if you buy a low-quality nicotine shot they compromise the flavour to a degree where it can become rather peppery and harsh.

This is because, as mentioned, RDAs naturally give off the most concentrated form of flavour so it’s worth being extra cautious. Purchasing a high-quality nicotine shot delivers that nicotine craving without affecting the overall taste of the eliquid.

Another decent alternative, would be using a salt nicotine booster shot which produces a smoother throat hit than standard nicotine, whilst also having less of an effect on flavour. Overall, it’s important to remember that picking the correct nic shot is very important when it comes to RDAs as it can have a large impact on flavour and throat hit.

 

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