New to RTA. A few questions.

[WaveyDL]

I got my first RTA the other day and so far I'm loving the setup. It's a Dead Rabbit RTA on a box I got of a friend (AEGIS Legend)

I'm new to this having come from a Vaporesso SWAG. The guy in the shop was great and built this for me and said when it needs changing I could just come back and he'd do it for £10 but I want to do this myself.

First off I like how this vapes. The mod is at 55w and the coil is showing 0.11 ohms. I'm a fan of both sweet and fruit but have been sticking to the less sweet flavours on the SWAG so I don't chew through coils. I don't chain much and like it cool and with lots of flavour.

SO here's my questions and sorry if they have all been answered elsewhere but I'm having trouble sorting through it all to find the information.

1: Coils. What wires do I need to build myself. I want to start with premade coils but there's so many names and makes I'm kinda lost. Aliens, Claptons, Staggered, Juggernaut and so on.

2: What shouldn't I do? I know this covers a big subject but I'm talking about breaking things. Will some kinds of wire or coil build damage the tank/mod or can I just go for it and see what I like?

3: Where to buy stuff? I'm in the UK and there's plenty of online places and more shops. The shops cost quite a bit more so any recommendations on good online shops to go shopping on?

4: The Dead Rabbit RTA. Is this a good tank. What I mean am I going to get a much better experience with something else? If so can you give me some recommendations.

5: Cotton. Does brand actually matter? Is one kind better for sweet and another for fruit?

6: Coils. Same as #5 does it make a difference.

7: Wattage: Am I doing it right. Lots of youtube videos saying up to of 90w and higher. Does the temperature matter other than to change your experience and life of the coils.

8: Tools: What do I actually need to build my own. There's lots of tool kits out there with everything you could possibly need including the thing for getting stones out of horses hooves (Swiss army knife joke). What tools do you recomend. I'm both prudent and tight so I want as few tools as I need.

My problem is that I don't know what I don't know and I don't want to get into bad habits or end up breaking things. So any good videos or guides you can recommend?

Here's a photo of the build the guy in the shop did for me:

TIA

 

[Andy S]

Start simple. A single strand of wire wrapped around a screwdriver. Something not too stiff or too flimsy, maybe a 26g or 28g kanthal would be good to begin on. Experiment with different lengths and diameters.

As for Dead Rabbits, if the RTA is designed the same as the dripper with the horizontal posts then yay, it's so much easier to build than ones I've had previously.

Couple of tips, if you're not sure what wattage you should use on a self-made coil, run your mod in voltage mode and try it between 3 and 4... any coil will be able to handle that. And try to use only just enough wicking: There is limited space inside the barrel and over-wicking will hurt your air flow. The build in your photo is good, with the wicks just long enough to get into the well and plenty of room at the sides and underneath.

 

[Cozy]

For Q1. I found this article pretty good for explaining the differences with photos too

https://vaping360.com/best-vape-tanks/clapton-alien-coils/#what-is-a-clapton-coil

 

[Mr Ripple]

Hi @WaveyDL and welcome.

Spend some time on YouTube looking at rta build videos.

 

[WaveyDL]

Thanks for the info. I was looking at trying a variety box like this and when I get a bead on what I like I can get going on making my own. Amazon doesn't strike me as the goto place for coils but it's a saturated market from what I can see and I'm not sure where to look as lots of this stuff is US based.

I'm off to have a nice long look at at that vapeing360 link and see if I can find a build video on youtube that mentions what wire types they are using.

Thanks guys! Keep it coming \o/

 

[Lung Redemption]

In the case of the Dead Rabbit(in my personal experience), too much wick is better than too little, else you'll end with all the juice spitting up and into you mouth, snug(tighter) and generous wicking is better in this case.

What strawberry said though, nothing better than watching someone build the tank firsthand and watching how they build it up(watch various vids though because opinions will vary - and they may be doing builds with more complexity).

 

[cheltenham cat]

0.11at 55w, im going to respectfully suggest your not making the most of your set up

coils get premade fused claptons in nichrome to start off with the guage of the wrap should be 8-10 points higher ideally

Dead rabbit rta has been largely well received however i have a sense that a dead rabbit anything would be, the fanbois are all over the brand

Watch(you tube) and learn

jewellers screwdrivers, tweezers, wire cutters(small) and scissors will do you

some cottons are more tried and tested than others cotton bacon, muji

sometimes you will get it wrong sometimes it will be sublime(but impossible to replicate) most of the time it will be pretty good..... embrace all outcomes

just go for it and see what you like none of us have clue what you like

 

[WaveyDL]

Thanks for the advice.

Gonna try making my own this weekend. Got some Kanthal A1 and some cotton from Cotton Gods coming along with some ceramic pliers. I've got plenty of other tools around the place so should be set. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[MiscoDatt]

Thanks for the advice.

Gonna try making my own this weekend. Got some Kanthal A1 and some cotton from Cotton Gods coming along with some ceramic pliers. I've got plenty of other tools around the place so should be set. I'll let you know how it goes.

It’s dead easy, you’ll be fine! The cotton gods stuff is great! Just don’t get hung up on getting it to look perfect. If the ohms are a bit off either way don’t panic. Give it a go and you may be pleasantly surprised

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Right Wavey, I have also got the dead rabbit RTA. I have answered your questions below. Just my own take. What I am sure of however is you don't need to get the vape shop to charge you an tenner to build and wick on your RTA!


1: Coils. What wires do I need to build myself. I want to start with premade coils but there's so many names and makes I'm kinda lost. Aliens, Claptons, Staggered, Juggernaut and so on.

A. Ask @Smut on here to make you some coils. He will make you some bangers that will last you for ages.

2: What shouldn't I do? I know this covers a big subject but I'm talking about breaking things. Will some kinds of wire or coil build damage the tank/mod or can I just go for it and see what I like?

A. Stick to coils that run on wattage - Kanthol, N180 - rather than temp control, SS or nickel at this point. Do a google to show you what types of coil run on which setting. I use N180 for the dead rabbit.

As a noob I'd say stick to the wattage mode unless you understand ohms law.I'm a that point now still.

3: Where to buy stuff? I'm in the UK and there's plenty of online places and more shops. The shops cost quite a bit more so any recommendations on good online shops to go shopping on?

A. What stuff? There is a list on here of recommended vendors. If you stick to that you won't go far wrong. You'll find huge debates about eliquids etc on here!

4: The Dead Rabbit RTA. Is this a good tank. What I mean am I going to get a much better experience with something else? If so can you give me some recommendations.

A. I would say it's a good tank, not the best, but not bad. Its main advantage is the top airflow which means it won't leak. The coil placement is important however in respect of taste, as is the wicking. Dead Rabbit is a bit hyped because the RDA was so popular.

If you haven't already have a look at the vaping with vic youtube review of the Dead Rabbit RTA He does a really good build and wick. Follow the coil placement and wick method he uses and you'll get the best flavour from the tank.

5: Cotton. Does brand actually matter? Is one kind better for sweet and another for fruit?

A. Try cotton bacon - the best in my view. But any organic cotton that is bleach free and not coloured will do you fine.As you will find the game here is to use the right amount of cotton. Too little and you'll get gurgling and spitback. Too much and you'll get a flat taste and possible dry hits.

6: Coils. Same as #5 does it make a difference.

A. Yes. Different coils provide different resistance.

7: Wattage: Am I doing it right. Lots of youtube videos saying up to of 90w and higher. Does the temperature matter other than to change your experience and life of the coils.

A. Experiment on what is right for you. I vape mine at 55-60 and its perfect for me. Some people like a hotter vape and some cooler but I find this is the sweet spot for taste foe me.

8: Tools: What do I actually need to build my own. There's lots of tool kits out there with everything you could possibly need including the thing for getting stones out of horses hooves (Swiss army knife joke). What tools do you recomend. I'm both prudent and tight so I want as few tools as I need.

A. Get a coilmaster V3 kit. You can get one on Amazon for about £30 and it'sl all you need to make your own coils and build.

Most of all enjoy your vaping and getting into building your own!