In need of a little advice on RTA's

[thebigbadonion]

Hey everyone! I've been vaping now for a good few years, gone from the small vape pens, and slowly progressed up to subohm kits,. I realised I actually prefer MTL So last year I bought my self an Aspire Nautilus 2 and Zelos kit. Its served me pretty well for that time, but I'm sick of the thing burning coils out all the time. Don't get me wrong here, I do know how to prime a coil, I'm not totally new to this, its just the nautilus coils seem to be very inconsistent, some can last weeks, others hours. Plus the tank its self can be fiddly, and has a habit of welding its self to the mod, to the point, even the incredible hulk couldn't remove it by hand

Anyway! To the point! I've been looking in to getting a RTA,something perhaps like the Geekvape Ammit MTL.or similar (other suggestions would be appreciated) But one thing concerns me about moving over to an RTA, I'm visually impaired, and everything with an RTA seems tiny and fiddly (basically could be difficult to see what I'm doing). So for those of you with experience with them, would you recommend it for something like me? Also are the prewound coils any good? Or would I just be better making my own?

Also on another note, those yahoo messenger smilies bring back a ton of nostalgia, expect me to over use them!

 

[rtni]

Hey everyone! I've been vaping now for a good few years, gone from the small vape pens, and slowly progressed up to subohm kits,. I realised I actually prefer MTL So last year I bought my self an Aspire Nautilus 2 and Zelos kit. Its served me pretty well for that time, but I'm sick of the thing burning coils out all the time. Don't get me wrong here, I do know how to prime a coil, I'm not totally new to this, its just the nautilus coils seem to be very inconsistent, some can last weeks, others hours. Plus the tank its self can be fiddly, and has a habit of welding its self to the mod, to the point, even the incredible hulk couldn't remove it by hand

Anyway! To the point! I've been looking in to getting a RTA,something perhaps like the Geekvape Ammit MTL.or similar (other suggestions would be appreciated) But one thing concerns me about moving over to an RTA, I'm visually impaired, and everything with an RTA seems tiny and fiddly (basically could be difficult to see what I'm doing). So for those of you with experience with them, would you recommend it for something like me? Also are the prewound coils any good? Or would I just be better making my own?

Also on another note, those yahoo messenger smilies bring back a ton of nostalgia, expect me to over use them!

Hi there. Welcome to the forum. I've never owned a Nautilus but my understanding is that it's very good? Maybe I'm confusing it with something else entirely. Are you getting inconsistent coil performance using the same juice?

It's hard to suggest an RTA without knowing the extent of your sight issues. I would consider my sight to be good but I work in I.T and when I get home in the evenings I need to use jewelers / eye glasses if I'm adding a new coil to or wicking my RTA's. You're definitely right - they are small and fiddly but some are better than others. I'm not familiar with the Ammit MTL - I assume it's different than the single coil Ammit 25 RTA? On that note, you might consider a single coil RTA with a large build deck and maybe something that has screw less posts.

Have you researched mesh tanks? I have a freemax mesh pro and the flavour is amazing. It's so good that my RTA's have been put away in the cupboard. The coils are great and can last two weeks (at least for me using clean juices). It's not strictly a MTL tank though but I imagine there is something similar in that mold that would work for you out there?

 

[fasteddy]

You could use something like this...

Fancii LED Lighted Hands Free Magnifying Glass with Light Stand - 2X 4X Large Portable Illuminated Magnifier for Reading, Inspection, Soldering, Needlework, Repair, Hobby & Crafts Amazon product ASIN B019VLFJV8

 

[Deaf Vaper]

Hello @thebigbadonion

I agree with the issues you've had with the BVC coils, cos I also started with the Zelos/N2 tank, a year ago. I'm still using those coils, on 2 of my Nautilus tanks, the 2 & the Mini, for now. Those Aspire BVC coils were okay to begin with..but the quality control with these have definately changed in last few months, as i get the same problems with them. Ironically, just this very morning, I'm beginning to get to grips with RTAs too & i also am sight impaired. I have Ushers Syndrome myself, & suffer from severe peripheral loss, but my central vison is reasonably okay, albeit use reading glasses. So i've decided to have a go at MTL RTAs, in fact, just this very morning!

I had an unused Digiflavour Siren 2 tank knocking about, s decided to try that one out..and i must say, i really like it. Not too airy, got a decent draw to it, nice flavour production, good vapour, * it's the easiest refilling tank i have, being it's a top filler. It has a bayonette style top lid, so just twist off and refill. The deck couldn't be simpler to access and screw the coils to. In the bag of spares that came in the box, there were a few made coils in with bag of spares, all about 1.0 ohm i think, so good to start off with. Now everybody is different when it comes to chioce of tanks and performance, but i have to say, i like this tank, feels very simlar to how the Mini performs and draws..so you could try that one, maybe?

Here's an image of the deck to get an idea, the coil couldn't be any easier to fix too, just tighten the two grub screws on the sides of the mount.

Saying that..of course, i don't know what visual limitations you have, can yousee well enough to see those little grub screws? I have also just invested in some expersive but necessary varifocals to hopefully make my life easier when doing these fiddly things...but that's just me. What sight disorder do you have?

One thing i might invest in soon, as a proper coil making jig/stand, so i can make a coil easier than just using my hands to wrap the wire around a bit of bar/Allen key/small screwdriver etc. It'll certainly make life easier when making them. As for wicking the coils once in the deck, well i just screwed the deck to a mod (switched off of course!), that certainly helps.

 

[keepitgoin]

Yep, coiling and wicking is tiny, and fiddly. However my sight improved when I started building my own coils as I realised how poor my near vision had become (getting older) and I had an eye test and discovered I needed glasses for reading and close work.
I persevered using my newly acquired specs, plus a magnifier, however after persevering for a coupe of months I discovered I could recoil, and wick using just my glasses.

Depending how impaired your sight is rebuilding coils may be possible. Do you have a local Vape emporium?
They are usually (in my experience) pretty good at letting Vapers try winding and wicking. After all they will benefit from your future custom.
If not then Freemax stuff seems to get very positive reviews on it's Stock Coils and performance as Tanks.

 

[Fuctifino]

Ammit MTL is a big bitch, tbh I rate the Cthulhu Hastur 3.5ml over it but it is an airy MTL tank

Innokin Ares is old hat now but wasn't a bad easy to use tank

All 3 - Ammit, Cthulhu 3.5ml & Ares are 24mm diameter tanks so might overhang on Aspire Zelos mod
(There is the Cthulhu Hastur mini = 22mm diameter but think still not matching the Ehpro True)

Ehpro True is lovely tank, 22mm - same diameter as Nautilus 2, but need to wick it properly, not mount coil too low
But once you suss it, it is a lovely tank, wicks just drop down than tuck into wicking channels
great flavour, compact size but screws are a decent size - see pic of deck....

You drop the coil in, with wires on left of screw, bend wire around screw a bit to position
then tighten & wires should not try to jump out - they will if place legs on right side of screw & tighten

Apart from great flavour, slightly larger screw heads than some tanks - the refilling is a breeze like Ares & some others
But your juice bottle needs a really thin needle top to squeeze in the narrow filling ports....

The ports are MUCH thinner that they look in pic, with most needle tips just fitting into them

Thing is, some other RTA's without this easy peasy refilling, can suffer from brief flooding/gurgling now n then
which can be a PITA

Ares was nice but now is quite expensive for what it is, Cthulhu is very airy but OK but so damn big

No the Ehpro/Nature Vape True is THE MTL RTA tank to recommend - imho
not 100% perfect but has raised the bar & set the standard in almost every area for MTL RTA's

PS - Innokin Zenith was a much easier to use tank than the N2 and coils lasted well with idiot proof refilling

 

[thebigbadonion]

Wow! Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions, I certainly wasn't expecting such a response. First a little about my eye condition. I have a condition called Keratoconus, which is a degenerative eye condition where the structure of your cornea is weakened, and slowly over time it becomes more cone shaped, and with ithat your vision becomes progressively more blurry Its a fairly mild thing at first, but for some people it can get very bad. to the point that its at for me now, I can just about make out the shapes of objects. It is correctable, or for me at this point point improvable by using special contact lenses, but even with those my eye sight is still poor. But with that said I did manage (just about) to work on computers, building them etc. But it is a thing I'm finding more and more difficult these days.


@rtni The Nautilus is a pretty good tank when you get a good coil. Problem is it can be a lottery as to whether or not those BVC coils are any good. If Aspire sorted out their quality control the rest of my complaints with it, would just be nitpicks. When I first got it the coils were lasting me around 2 weeks, which is more than acceptable. Out of the last pack of 5 I got 2 of them were duds. 1 just about stretched a week (with a little perseverance towards the end), the one in it now has been in well over a week, and is still going strong, and the last one is still unused As for liquids, I almost always use 6mg juices from LiQuid. Which is a blend of 45pg/55vg. So its not a really viscous juice that it should really struggle to wick.

As for the Ammit, I have no actual experience with RTA's, so I've no real conclusions to draw from, it just seems to get good reviews, which is why I mentioned it, but the Ammit MTL, is basically the Mouth to lung version of the regular Ammit, and is single coil. As for Mesh tanks, its not a thing I've looked in to yet, but I'll definitely take a look.

@fasteddy

Thanks for that suggestion, that or something similar is definitely something that could help, been thinking about getting something like that for a while. I spend a lot of time messing with computers, and obviously finding it MUCH harder these days.

@Deaf Vaper

Yeah those BVC coils definitely got worse about 3 or 4 months ago. To the point that at first, I thought I might have been getting fakes, so started to get them from somewhere else. They were just the same! Thanks for that suggestion. That's another one I'll look in to. It sounds pretty good from a quick search I did of it. Looks some what easier to use than the Ammt.

@keepitgoin

No I don't think there's one around here. The vape shop closest to me is run by the most arrogant prick, you'll ever meet. Would likely throw me out for even suggesting something like that. Only went in once, never again! So I just buy all my supplies online now.

@Fuctifino

Thanks for all those suggestions! it doesn't matter too much if it doesn't fit on my Zelos. I also have a couple of other mods. Aspire NX75 (which is about the same size) and a Smok G-priv. Although I really don't like the G-priv. ended up accidentally turning its self up to 220w just by holding it in my hand once too often, not a fun experience on a coil that's meant to be vaped at like 50watt, (never tried to use the nautilus with it ). Yeah you can lock the screen, but the button is so easy to catch by accident. But I'm certainly not against using it for a bit until I get another mod, if need be. I only really use the Zelos so much, because its simple, and just works, plus its light and comfortable to hold, and throw in my pocket. Considering my condition though, when it comes to an RTA, big is probably not a bad thing.

Thanks once again everyone for all the good info, very helpful bunch. I'm definitely coming to the decision to give it a go here. When I go ahead with it, I'll def keep you all informed on how I get on, and no doubt bonbard you all with more questions!

 

[rtni]

Best of luck buddy. Hopefully you find something that works well for you. Keep us posted

 

[Deaf Vaper]

Wow! Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions, I certainly wasn't expecting such a response. First a little about my eye condition. I have a condition called Keratoconus, which is a degenerative eye condition where the structure of your cornea is weakened, and slowly over time it becomes more cone shaped, and with ithat your vision becomes progressively more blurry Its a fairly mild thing at first, but for some people it can get very bad. to the point that its at for me now, I can just about make out the shapes of objects. It is correctable, or for me at this point point improvable by using special contact lenses, but even with those my eye sight is still poor. But with that said I did manage (just about) to work on computers, building them etc. But it is a thing I'm finding more and more difficult these days.


@rtni The Nautilus is a pretty good tank when you get a good coil. Problem is it can be a lottery as to whether or not those BVC coils are any good. If Aspire sorted out their quality control the rest of my complaints with it, would just be nitpicks. When I first got it the coils were lasting me around 2 weeks, which is more than acceptable. Out of the last pack of 5 I got 2 of them were duds. 1 just about stretched a week (with a little perseverance towards the end), the one in it now has been in well over a week, and is still going strong, and the last one is still unused As for liquids, I almost always use 6mg juices from LiQuid. Which is a blend of 45pg/55vg. So its not a really viscous juice that it should really struggle to wick.

As for the Ammit, I have no actual experience with RTA's, so I've no real conclusions to draw from, it just seems to get good reviews, which is why I mentioned it, but the Ammit MTL, is basically the Mouth to lung version of the regular Ammit, and is single coil. As for Mesh tanks, its not a thing I've looked in to yet, but I'll definitely take a look.

@fasteddy

Thanks for that suggestion, that or something similar is definitely something that could help, been thinking about getting something like that for a while. I spend a lot of time messing with computers, and obviously finding it MUCH harder these days.

@Deaf Vaper

Yeah those BVC coils definitely got worse about 3 or 4 months ago. To the point that at first, I thought I might have been getting fakes, so started to get them from somewhere else. They were just the same! Thanks for that suggestion. That's another one I'll look in to. It sounds pretty good from a quick search I did of it. Looks some what easier to use than the Ammt.

@keepitgoin

No I don't think there's one around here. The vape shop closest to me is run by the most arrogant prick, you'll ever meet. Would likely throw me out for even suggesting something like that. Only went in once, never again! So I just buy all my supplies online now.

@Fuctifino

Thanks for all those suggestions! it doesn't matter too much if it doesn't fit on my Zelos. I also have a couple of other mods. Aspire NX75 (which is about the same size) and a Smok G-priv. Although I really don't like the G-priv. ended up accidentally turning its self up to 220w just by holding it in my hand once too often, not a fun experience on a coil that's meant to be vaped at like 50watt, (never tried to use the nautilus with it ). Yeah you can lock the screen, but the button is so easy to catch by accident. But I'm certainly not against using it for a bit until I get another mod, if need be. I only really use the Zelos so much, because its simple, and just works, plus its light and comfortable to hold, and throw in my pocket. Considering my condition though, when it comes to an RTA, big is probably not a bad thing.

Thanks once again everyone for all the good info, very helpful bunch. I'm definitely coming to the decision to give it a go here. When I go ahead with it, I'll def keep you all informed on how I get on, and no doubt bonbard you all with more questions!

yes same here, good luck with it bad onion, hope you find something suitable for you.

Btw....have you tried the Zenith tank? The stock coils for those are very good..last ages with mine.

 

[rew]

As mentioned above, I would go with the True tank. A good MTL RTA that is easy to live with.