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I'm from Poland, long time smoker, vaping (with quality e-cigs) since approx. 2 months, and since then I switched to vaping instead of smoking 100%. At the beginning I was buying ready e-liquid's (first 12mg, now 18mg - and that's the right amount for me). Unfortunately I couldn't find "the right one" so I decided to make my own. I read about DIY liquids (tutorials etc.) and I decided to order NIC BASE. Unfortunately in Poland you won't buy a base stronger then 20mg/ml so I ordered from HILIQ. The process was ...a bit tricky (and the delivery costed as much as the base itself), but eventually I received my NIC BASE (freebase nic, 200mg/ml, 150ml). I was surprised by the color - it was amber-colored. As it was 100% in VG a was shaking, shaking, shaking ...and shaking some more (approx. 10-15 min intensive shaking). Then I made my desired 18mg/ml liquid with ingredients (VG, PG, aroma) previously tested on a "ZERO-NICOTINE" e-liquid (which vaped great, lovely vanilla-like taste, great clouds etc.).
When I made my liquid WITH that base (everything literally sterile, syringes etc.; counted 10 times; all precautions taken; waited 1 day to aroma blend in) it TASTED HORRIBLE. The after taste was chemical-like, salty (? - hard to describe) and ALSO it produced HEAVY HEADACHE (BUT NO dizziness, NO nausea, NO anxiety - so it couldn't be NIC OD). And if that wasn't enough it also produced (after 10-15 "clouds") THROAT ACHE (but not the kind that "scratchy" liquids produce - it WAS LIKE WHEN SICK WITH THE FLU) - I had to take some throat medicine for that. I contacted HILIQ distributors in PL - and told them that something's not right. Fortunately support for polish customers was quite good, and they (after my suggestion) changed the product to: "NIC SALT A" 200mg/ml 100ml in PG this time. When this arrived (although the color was perfectly transparent), and I made my liquid - THE F...NG SAME!!! The after taste is a little lower, and there is NO sore throat side-effect, but after a few (3-5 clouds) my head is pulsing with pain!!! There are some moments (like this morning) when I was able to vape approx. 10-15 clouds without that aftertaste and then there was no headache ...and EVEN some of the aroma was present. But soon after that AFTERTASTE+HEADACHE!!!
SO MY QUESTION IS - WHAT CAN I BE DOING WRONG? ...OR IS THIS JUST FAULTY SALT-NIC-BASE? HAS ANYONE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCE? I shaken everything (the base before mixing[15 min, it had a little foam even], the liquid after mixing[frequently]), I keep the base in a refrigerator, I use sterile equipment, I made the "zero-nic" base as a control and it vapes great, I let it steep for a day or more. Everything according to the book... What should I do? Any solutions or is this a refund situation? BTW: NIC-SALT-BASE (Salt A) batch number is: MD:2019.03.13 - anyone has the same batch? Same problems?
In my experience as a Nicotine Salts mixer, Nic Salts oxidizes more rapidly than freebase for whatever reason. I have also learned that if Nic Salts reach that point of dark amber color just before it turns to a brown color, it becomes very pungent in smell and taste and can no longer be used. It often kills flavoring as well as causes a variety of minor physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and a cough immediately after inhaling. My opinion based on this experience is that you received a bad batch that has overly oxidized possibly due to poor laboratory practices or substandard packaging. Good Nic Salts should be virtually clear and colorless with no discernible taste and should be non-intrusive in your mixes. Also, for reference, a PG based Nic Salts is much easier to work with and carries the Nicotine much better.
today I just ..."soldiered on" and smoked the liquid until it got this weird taste/headache vs. good taste ratio UP and as the day went on ....there was a lot more vanilla/milky AROMA and the chemical after-taste was appearing after 7th (cloud)...then 10th ...then NONE. I guess that it just had to be: a) REALLY well shaken - BASE, before making a test batch (10 min) b) made into a weaker strength (12mg/ml instead of 18mg/ml) - I was in my local vapeshop and the guy that was there told me that salts are usually approx. x1,9 stronger (IS THAT TRUE?) c) laid to rest for a while. I made my first batch VG70:30PG / 10ml / 18mg/ml 7% Aroma [Panna Cotta - i like vanilla/carmel-like taste] so I added 0,9 ml (0,94mg) of the NIC salt - but this batch wasn't shaken for as long. Second batch was a control batch with ZERO NIC. Third was made using REALLLY well shaken BASE and in 12mg/ml (but if what the local reseller says, that it's approx twice as strong it would be 24mg) - a added 0,6ml (0,62mg). Fourth was like the first but well shaken and with a different aroma. First I tested the batch #1 - therefore this post. Then I tested the third, and after approx 12h it started to "even out". One thing sueprised me as hell! NO (NONE!) THROAT HIT - almost like my e-cig was off - gotta get used to not having throat hit I hues... although when I started vaping it was the most annoying thing, and now I miss it a little. Also there's less "smoke".
Now I have a different problem - DRY HITS. The taste is great, the whole thing mixed well etc. About the strength - I found that 18mg/ml (salt) is just right. Maybe it hits a little faster but I didn't feel like it was twice as strong as NIC BASE. When I put a new fresh (original) coil (SS316 0.6Ohm) I found that it was working good for about A DAY. After that (especially after charging the pen at night - therefore having more power when fully charger) in the morning I got dry hits. Also I had to prime the (new) coil with "store-bought" e-liquid - it had to go through approx. 1ml of it before I could put in my DIY liquid. So my first thought - PG:VG ratio (PG30:70VG) was to thick, so I made a 50/50 liquid. It got A LITTLE better, but still I was getting dry hits and also the top of my AIO was getting really hot quite fast. I had to limit the time of a single puff to approx 2sec (while normally it was approx 5sec), and also the "bursts" had to be shorter and with longer intermissions (2secPUFF-5secBREAK), and then after 4-5 bursts like that i had wait a few minutes until the head got colder, otherwise DRY HIT - ALL OF THAT - REALLY ANNOYING - especially when you have only a few minutes of break to vape. At the same time - when I was switching to "store-bought" liquid everything was going back to normal, even on a coil which previously had dry hits. ALSO... I found out that there was brown-ish residue inside the mouthpiece after a day of vaping even though my DIY liquids are almost transparent. Now I'm waiting for a 1.0 Ohm coils to arrive - my logic is that it gives less power (also uses less battery), while the cotton "supplies" the coil with the liquid at the same paste.
ALSO - I am looking for an upgrade - when I'll have some money I'm looking to buy "SMOK G80 with TFV4 HEAD". This set should "supply" the liquid fast enough and and it should have a rebuildable coil which would be great for me (I'm definately a DIY guy). Honestly all of your problems would be fixed with a device that gives you more control over the settings. Something simple like an istick 30w or pico 25 would be sufficient. Always choose eleaf over smok, always. You would get longer battery life if you go with a simple VW mod vs a device that has tc options.
Today I made a modification to one of my BF SS316 coils - i made the channels that support the cotton with liquid a little wider. This coil has the outer barrel, and the insides (i made a "contraption" that pushes the insides from the outer barrel using a clamp). The insides have airflow channels on "west" and "east" which go from the top to the bottom of the coil therefore "mixing" the liquid with the air on the cotton and the wire when I inhale. On the "north" and "south" side there are small channels which "pump" more liquid from the bottom of the tank - AND THOSE I WIDENED with a dremel. The effect - less dry hits, but the taste changed (I made those modifications on a coil previously used with my DIY liquid which had some dry hits on it). But all of that is still very strange to me - on HILIQ site they even mentioned that the "Salt B" has an issue with carbonization, it wasn't mentioned in the "Salt A" description, but who knows. ON THE OTHER HAND - when I put "store-bought" liquid into a coil that gives me dry hits with my DIY liquid everything goest back to normal.
I think I'm going to take the risk and go with the SMOK - it has interchangeable batteries (huge plus), the set that's on AliEx has a TFV4 head Kit which should have 1 RBA coil (again a plus), much more coils overall and TC control. And also my (subjective) visual taste just "pushes" me rather towards SMOK - the i80 (watched on YT) looks like it's gonna feel plastic-ish, the "fire" button as a whole side-panel also doesn't convince me. And if that's really gonna disappoint me - I'll have to buy a new mod (the TFV4 head is supposedly a good design). OK, no more SMOK vs. eLeaf dillema - just bought the g80.
Coils are cheap to start with, but smok is famous for having bad coils. You really do not need to "wash" your coils... especially with citrus acid and any sort of alcohol. That alcohol is probably what is killing that coil and causing a harsh burnt feeling and taste. Issue is what is in your juice.. too much sweeteners and other additives makes coils not last long, then toss in smok.. yeah.. but cleaning with citric acid and alcohol, is never a bright idea. Well, I really like my DIY liquids sweet, but I put only a little aroma (half what's suggested). When I was smoking store-bought liquids (even sweeter) there was no dry hits, at least not after 1 day of vaping. The coils are cheap, but I cannot change a coil everyday, because now what I was going through was: fresh new coil (0,6; without widened intake), primed with store bought liquid, works great ...for 1 day, then every other intake is a dry hit. After modifications (pic above) + 2 "baths" the coil looks almost like new (a lot of residue was left in the citric acid water). And then when I prime the same coil with store liquid again and switch to my DIY liquid it works almost like a new coil (~90%?). Nontheless this works (even with widening) for approx. 2-3 days then the taste gets "dry-hit-ish". And so ...I have to rotate the 4 coils I got right now, until my "refurbishment" won't do any difference. And I hope it's the thickness of the juice, not the nic salt, otherwise I'm stuck with a lot of nic salt and no option for vaping it.
The only Smok I own is a G80, came with a Smok Spirals tank. I have had great service out of both the mod and the tank. It's a very basic mod, but it works well enough and for sure doesn't seem like a piece of junk. I did buy a wrap from VaporSkinz for it so the finish wouldn't start chipping and looking crappy. So many of Smok's finishes don't hold up well. Would recommend you use the RBA, so you won't have to buy Smok's factory coils. I rewick it every couple weeks and it's held up like a champ.
I recieved new BF SS316 coils (NOT original this time - some knock-off called "XFKM" that's 5 times cheaper, and 1.0 ohm) ...and they work GREAT! First of all I much preffer 1.0 in my eGo AIO 1500 - it produces enough vapor (actually I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 0,6 and 1.0), the battery lasts longer (a whole day without any worry) and what's MOST IMPORTANT - NOW THERE ARE NO MORE DRY HITS, NONE! My theory is that why the cotton provides the same amount of liquid, the coil vapes at a lower power/temp - therefore no burning. Just to be cautious I switch to store liquid and vape a little a few minutes before I go to sleep and the AIO goes charging, and in the morning I just do it in reverse, as all of my previous coils were burned in the morning after charging. As for now I vaped approx 3 days and no problem, but we'll see... As for the SMOK and the RBA - that was one of my main cons that decided about what to buy. The SPIRALS tank (in this set) doesn't have the RBA but the TFV4 has one RBA + some wire and cotton.
Now i want to go a bit further in my DIY'ing - I want to build my own (clapton?) wire with KANTHAL. Is there a difference between "KANTHAL A1" and "KANTHAL D"? Is there a possibility to check the ohms with a normal multimeter? I don't use kanthal at all, do not know the difference between A1 and D, but do know that you can read your coil on any regulated mod. If one of these days you move to mechanicals, you should always read your coil on a regulated mod or an ohmmeter before you ever even THINK of hitting it with power in a mech.
Now about those 1.0 coils for eGo AIO 1500 - they are better, but the problem unfortunately still occurs. Not after 1 day but after approx. 2-3 days, and the vapor that is produced is not that much as a "dry hit" but more like ..."dryhit-ish". When I sense that, I changed the coil to a new one, and the used one I treat with running tap hot water (I resigned from citric acid and IPA baths) and then I mechanically try to scrape (although there's really not much residue on the wire) with a thick needle, and left to dry - so far it helps, but doing that every other 2 days is a pain in the ass. Now, my theories are that this problem might be caused by one of 4 factors: 1) The NIC salt is prone to burning the coil (worst case scenario) 2) The liquid is to thick for ego AIO (although i made it 50:50 - calculation made by "LiqCalc" app on my smartphone) 3) The aroma is too sweet (I give 8% "Vanilla Pudding" [recommended 7-10%], and I just like my vapor sweet and the vanilla taste, I wouldn't like to resign from that, though I can make the aroma less intense). Also, if I had to, I would put my money on this one, because I had a similiar issue with a store-bought liquid "Milky Pudding", that was even sweeter, and it was VG70:30PG 4) The AIO is just not designed to deal with such liquids and on the SMOK all should make things better. My hope is in the RBA coil mostly. Also to solve the issue by trial and error I made two 10ml test batches: One is VG30:70PG, 8% Aroma, The second is 50/50, 4% Aroma. Are you using it for MTL vaping? If not, that could be the cause of your dry-hit problem. It's designed for MTL and probably does not have the airflow or an open-enough juice inlet for DL vaping.
I received some info from the polish branch of the seller (HILIQ). He said that Salt A is designed ...for POD's and that it shouldn't be used in regular devices as it burns coils etc. This salt supposedly should be used with low powered devices, at low temp. My only option right now is to (I HOPE...) use the RDA, and regularly change the cotton and clean the wire (+change it from time to time). Anyone had similar experience? BTW: Salt B is theoretically designed to be used with MOD's but the max dosage is 6mg, and the feeling is at 50%, it still causes carbonazation + ...it can cause allergic reactions and caughing.
OK, so I recieved "the Dragon" (SMOK) yesterday ...to be accurate Smok G80 Kit + TFV4 - so firstly I am quite suprised that all of that costed me approx 30$ (114PLN), - at some point I was it was a scam or something, but not - everytning originally packaged, tons of instructions etc. Now I've been vaping for less then 48h so I can't say much as I did not even fully understand the menus, I used only the TFV4 Tank (Spirals is still in the box) and I chose the MTL 1.8ohm (above-ohm?) coil since I'm vaping at 18W (I tried 1 or 2 puffs at 40W - too much). Now to INITIAL! Pros: Tons of equipment, including RBA coil, O-rings, tank extensions etc, Tons of options, even "Puff Counter" is "flashy" for my at this point, Vaping (MTL!) is not like drinking a thick milkshake through a straw - It requires a lot less energy to vape, Refilling e-juice is GREAT - just one "click!" one "squirt" and DONE (in comparison to eGo AIO where I had to partially "deconstruct" the device, and there was always some juice on the device or my hands, My e-juice seems to work with that coil well (no dry hits, no burnt coils etc) - we'll see for how long... Cons: Top MAJOR CON - There is a LOT less aroma coming from the vapor (especially sweet, there's practically none, fruit flavor comes out a bit better) + there's always the addition of "new device aroma" (best felt when inhaling on a turned off device). I hope that this "new device" aroma is gonna go away in time..., The vapor seems a little bit ..dry and more "cigarette-like" instead of "watery-like" when vaping on eGo AIO ...a LITTLE more "throat hit" too, The dripping tip has no helix and that sometimes causes a bit of hot juice to hit my tongue (but maybe that residue was causing the burnings in eGo AIO), It's heavier. Any advices for someone who wants to use this device as more as "nicotine provider" than a "huge flashy cloud trickster"? (with DIY e-juice, made with "Salt A" - see above) Yeah, if you use nic salt in a sub ohm, you do not want to make it a 50mg... a 12mg would be fine.. it will still chuck clouds, as that is the nature of the mod setup you bought.
Ok, so I'm after a few days of testing "the dragon" (SMOK) and so far: - I've been using 1.8ohm MTL coil, which worked great for me. The whole time I had ONE dry hit (device in my pocket, half-full tank, and I switched from 18W to 22W). After 6 days of intense vaping there was absolutely no burnt after taste, since today. Great news for me considering that on eGo AIO the coil lasted approx 24h. - The "new device" taste was/is gone now - The hot juice "spitting" on my tongue was easily solved - I simply reduced the airflow - The aroma problem is probably caused by aromas I used in my DIY liquids. I'll see with the new coil... Today it started tasting burn-ish and I "deconstructed" (for the first time with some juice inside - made a mess) the device, cleaned it etc. - I am testing my semi-self-made RBA 0,7ohm. The device (still at 18W) produces a LOT more vapour (duh!), and I have to switch my habits of smoking cause after a few hits I get dizzy (18mg/ml; Salt A), and also it uses liquid much faster. And ...It WORKS - i know, for some of you it's just "another day at the office" but to me it's great news. 1) Everything works great but from time to time I get quite loud popping sound. Why is that? How to get rid of that? 2) Should I use that little contraption that tightens the air intake (it goes just under the wire)? 3) What does SOFT/NORM/HARD/MAX options really do when in wattage mode? ...and why when I switched from SOFT (which I used all the time) to NORM the detected 0.7 ohm went to 0.00ohm [there even was no "NEW COIL?" question]? ...is that like the acceleration/how fast the coil goes to full set wattage on the coil? 4) Should I expect some leaking? (with the 1.8 MTL there was none, but the design was different) 5) What type of material should I use to achieve a 1,0-1,5 ohm coil (preferably clapton[?]) as I also want to make them myself? Occasional popping is normal, I pretty much ignore as it seldom happens to me. Soft normal hard is just for regulating ramp time on the coil. I usually just use normal, do sometimes use hard if I'm using beefy dual coils. Leaking is generally due to wicking or vacuum loss, one of those things you just have to try one change at a time to figure out the fix. Sometimes it isn't leakage, it is simply condensation. Condensation does not always have a fix but can be reduced by closing af when not in use, changing draw style, different dt, etc. Another trial & error sort of thing, you may have an atty where you just have to live with it.
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