First RBA Build is a Success, I Think

[Ansah]

I have two Mini Did clones, and now with a Tiamat+ and a real Cobra coming in the mail, I thought it was high time I actually tried doing this.

Despite all of the videos and forum posts to peruse, I'm still a bit confused about the little gel cap pieces that come with the Duds, but just used one to seal the center post where it goes through at the top. I also used the SS wick and wire that came with these units, so I don't remember if it's 400 or 325 or the exact gauge of the wire.

It was really hard to get the wire placed in the negative screw post, since it didn't want to tighten with the wire in the way. Is this because the clones have cheaper screws? But I finally fiddled a fit after swapping parts some between the Cov Gen 1 and the Vulcan, which seem essentially interchangeable.

Oxidizing the mesh seemed pretty straightforward. I used A.G.'s (thanks!) system of torching it before rolling, using a paper clip to roll, torching again, and inserting and wrapping the coil while the mesh was still on the clip. Per A.G., I didn't bother doing the water treatment and it seems fine. I did 4 wraps, which glowed evenly on the first dry burn, which I guess is beginner's luck. I ended up doing a counter clockwise neg post and clockwise coil and pos post wrap. The stock air hole, aligned with the wick, seems fine too. Plenty of draw and plenty of vape...

The 4 wraps give an Ohm res of 1.5, which is lower than I would have aimed for, but since I have no idea what I'm doing anyway, I consulted the Safe vaping Power Chart and— after playing with the voltage a bit— have the Provari at 3.2v, which seems about right.

The flavor of the SS mesh is a bit different than a Vivi Nova or a carto. It's more akin to the Nova, but heavier or something... It's neither "yuk!" nor "wow!" I think it's perhaps muted or something, though it's still there. Since this is my first build, I don't have anything else to compare it to.

First impressions of first build:

Draw: Excellent
TH: Excellent
vape Production: Excellent
Flavor: Just OK, not great.

I do look forward to getting the Cobra so I can see what the build difference is between an inexpensive clone and a high dollar original, to see what all of the fuss is about.

 

[lightbud404]

Good deal and congrats! I get a warm and fuzzy feeling reading success stories. Give your mesh some time to wick the juice thoroughly (couple tanks give or take) and your flavor glitch should go away.

best of luck.

 

[Thrasher]

while there could be some flaws yet - when working correctly dont mistake clean flavor for muted as many devices like some of the clearos lay it on thicker then it is intended to taste, plus the flavor improves as the wick breaks in. i used to vape double ry4 through a nova and couldnt stand it, tasted like a sugar daddy. in my genni it has a light smokey taste with just a hint of the caramel and i love it now.

 

[latexyankee]

I have two Mini Did clones, and now with a Tiamat+ and a real Cobra coming in the mail, I thought it was high time I actually tried doing this.

Despite all of the videos and forum posts to peruse, I'm still a bit confused about the little gel cap pieces that come with the Duds, but just used one to seal the center post where it goes through at the top. I also used the SS wick and wire that came with these units, so I don't remember if it's 400 or 325 or the exact gauge of the wire.

It was really hard to get the wire placed in the negative screw post, since it didn't want to tighten with the wire in the way. Is this because the clones have cheaper screws? But I finally fiddled a fit after swapping parts some between the Cov Gen 1 and the Vulcan, which seem essentially interchangeable.

Oxidizing the mesh seemed pretty straightforward. I used A.G.'s (thanks!) system of torching it before rolling, using a paper clip to roll, torching again, and inserting and wrapping the coil while the mesh was still on the clip. Per A.G., I didn't bother doing the water treatment and it seems fine. I did 4 wraps, which glowed evenly on the first dry burn, which I guess is beginner's luck. I ended up doing a counter clockwise neg post and clockwise coil and pos post wrap. The stock air hole, aligned with the wick, seems fine too. Plenty of draw and plenty of vape...

The 4 wraps give an Ohm res of 1.5, which is lower than I would have aimed for, but since I have no idea what I'm doing anyway, I consulted the Safe Vaping Power Chart and— after playing with the voltage a bit— have the Provari at 3.2v, which seems about right.

The flavor of the SS mesh is a bit different than a Vivi Nova or a carto. It's more akin to the Nova, but heavier or something... It's neither "yuk!" nor "wow!" I think it's perhaps muted or something, though it's still there. Since this is my first build, I don't have anything else to compare it to.

First impressions of first build:

Draw: Excellent
TH: Excellent
Vape Production: Excellent
Flavor: Just OK, not great.

I do look forward to getting the Cobra so I can see what the build difference is between an inexpensive clone and a high dollar original, to see what all of the fuss is about.

Damn well be proud of yourself to get a decent vape so quickly, pat yourself on the back. Flavor does seem to get better, also the first time you vape mesh I think you taste the mesh more until your tastebuds and the wick adjusts. First time I tried mesh in a vivi i was not impressed, but it grew on me. But yea the clones have super cheap parts, I stripped both my negative and fill hole screw in the first day it was a joke. Go to the hobby or hardware store and find replacements immediately, not to mention if you have butterfingers like me you will loose a few.