Why I Graduated to Rebuildable Atomizers

Authored by Jessie Cyr-

So, here’s the deal: I started vaping with a cig-a-like and it just didn’t cut it. I moved to an old style evo device--the one with the disposable atomizer. That was better, but it still didn’t cut it. I got a variable voltage stick mod and a Nautilus Mini, and that helped me start turning the corner, and then the Kangertech Subox mini was released. That was it for me. I didn’t think about cigarettes anymore once I got my first sub-ohm set up. It could put out 50 watts of power, but the stock coils for the subtank were best between 20 and 30 watts, so that’s where it stayed. I decided that since my local shop only sold coils individually, and they were 5 dollars each, I was going to try my hand with the RBA section for the subtank. It was pretty easy to install the prebuilt coil that came with it, and stuffing a little cotton in there was easy enough.

At that point, I wanted more. I liked the rebuildable coil more than I did the ones that were pre-made, and they were cheaper! From there I started watching building tutorials. Then, before vaping gear was considered a tobacco product, I got a velocity clone atomizer on Amazon. I put a pair of simple coils in there the day it arrived in the mail. I really liked the extra flavor, and the amount of vapor it produced finally made my lungs feel “full”. I was sold, and that meant I needed to know more, I needed to test the limits of that poor little subox. I started making twisted coils, but they took too long to heat up with 40-50 watts of power, so I stuffed one big twisted coil between the posts on that Velocity clone, and gave it a try. That was it. I got more flavor with that half cocked idea than I had with the round wire coils, and it didn’t take so long to heat up like the dual coils had. I had found the limit on that combo.

Of course, that meant I needed a new mod with more power. I got an eLeaf iStick 60w TC kit. The first temp control capable device I ever bought, and that thing has been a trooper. I got a Royal Hunter RDA shortly thereafter, and went back to dual coils, This was getting closer to what I wanted. I didn’t know it from the start, and I probably didn’t know it then, but I was getting into something that was going to become a really regular part of my vaping experience. I was buying a new RDA, and finding the boundaries with it, pushing the limits of what I could get out of it between flavor and vapor. Since then, I have gotten deeper into building, making my own clapton coils, learning how to make fused claptons, working with stainless steel instead of kanthal, and trying rebuildable tanks. It really became as much a hobby as it has been a stop smoking aid for me.

Now building new coils and trying to maximize the potential in a given RDA, isn’t some dogged pursuit of perfection. It’s a relaxing experience for me, just getting away with some music on and wrapping a few feet of wire into some tight clapton strands became almost like a weekly form of meditation. It still is! I’ve got more RDAs than I really know what to do with, I have some favorites and others that I don’t know that I’ll ever build on again, but I am just always happy to sit down and start building now. It’s relaxing, it’s rewarding, and it leaves me in near complete control of my vaping experience.

If you’ve got a tank with an RBA deck, or you’ve ever been curious about building yourself, give it a try. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to try, many shops can help get you set up with a tried and true dripper and some premade coils for the same price you’d have spent on a new tank. They can put you in the driver’s seat and really give you a chance to find your perfect experience. If you want more clouds, or you want more flavor, just know it’s there to be had and it can absolutely become a tranquil experience for you as well.