Not gonna wait any longer. I'm ready to take the plunge on the SVD. Suggestions on batteries and clearos, please.
Should I go single 18650 or dual 18350s? What brand/mAh battery should I buy?
If you are going to run a mech with an adjustable tube I would recommend any IMR chemistry Li-ion cell with protection circuit. It generally doesn't matter if they are 65 or 70mm and the circuit will be better than nothing if you have a short or something else go wrong. AW's tend to top out around 2000mah so if you want bigger capacity you need to look into the various Panasonics, or Orbtronics which are really just re-branded Panasonic cells from what I understand. These are generally available in 2900-3400mah range but also tend to vary slightly in width and length, whereas AW are always the same.
Also, what clearo is best? I prefer bottom coil.
If you are going into a nice VV mod or a mech mod forget clearomizers altogether, those really belong on ego style batteries and little else.
I like the look of the Ithaka and RSST. I don't mind rebuildable, as I'm about to get serious about my vaping.
Skip the Ithaka as your first RBA, it requires both resistance and non-resistance wires as the long connection-terminating "legs", and to do that without twist-pairing them together, you need a small gauge wire-joining device which is ~$80-100 in and of itself. It's easily the most complicated RBA with its built in juice control flow tip and would be a bad introduction even outside of those requirements.
Also, what's the deal with mechanicals? Why do some of you buy them? Advantages/disadvantages? PEACE.
The voltage you get will be exactly what is left in your cell, nothing more nothing less. This is why there are products like the Kick which when placed in-line give you a constant output. So when you build your coils you need to keep it oriented or optimized around the 4.2v to 3.6v spread before swapping batteries.
Also yes the sub-ohming on dual/quad coil builds, but to be honest I have found that to be a bit overhyped relative to microcoils and the performance I get out of wrapping on a machine screw for perfect spacing. Also if you do only have a mech and not a vv device with a checker, you need a multi-meter or something else to check your ohms on the build so you can be sure about what is going on before installing and firing it on your device.
To be fair, every dual coil mech mod build I've seen in person at high end vape shops are all about the drip atomizers, and they just pull the whole wick cover off and soak the entire thing, as opposed to pulling the tip and only wetting around the coil with limited access. Similarly, they drill out the air holes to 3/32nd or larger and generally add another one to the opposite side so both coils are getting more air. So personally I find this to be a large negative, as I do not carry spare juice with me and I do not want to fumble around with that stuff in my car or out in public space. Fresh wick, fresh tank, fresh battery and a spare maybe a charger for a long trip, ready to go. Also it can be precarious but not impossible to do without a drill press, although either way you need to "step up" each size hole instead of just reaming them out something fierce.
If you go with ekowool & kanthal you need a butane torch to burn off any impurities before installation. The alternative is XC-117 which is generally sold by folks who pre-bake it in a kiln for you so it's ready to go, but you still need to torch your coils red hot before putting them together. I only have experience with old style silica rope which tends to fray, so I moved to ekowool which is similar in composition but braided and hollow.
If you get a genny style atomizer I recommend a microcoil build with a 1mm ekowool u-wick pulled up through the pre-made coil after you affix it to the two terminals and position it over the wick hole. This is a very consistent process and lets you dial in rebuilds quite easily. My personal spread is anywhere from 1.8 to 2.2 ohms as based on
the vape chart this range gives you a wider selection of voltages (on a vv device) where it can be adjusted without under-performing or frying the juice. I have tried up to 2.8 ohm with a few extra wraps on the screw but you need to warm up the coil for a good 5 seconds before it starts popping off "like normal" so it tends to produce a warmer vape by default.
FWIW dual 18350's leave you with 7.4V output, it's not just the extra paired mahs. I have only seen one atomizer which requires this and it is not designed for nicotine liquid.
