Why did people start using kanthal over nichrome?

[Sgt.Rock]

I used kanthal pretty much sxclusively for about a year before I switched to Nichrome 80.

I find that for what I do it's a real good fit. Lately I run 3 mm .5 ohm coils in my lemo2 made with twisted 26 ga NiC 80 and they ramp up fast and last a long time without rust, discoloration or sag. I torch them when I wrap them and dry burn them red hot whenever I change wicks (pretty much daily) and they last weeks...In fact I've never run one long enough to see any degradation worth mentioning as I will usually recoil my main ADV coil once a week need it or not.

 

[sedition]

I'm really excited to try Nichrome now. I've been running twisted and Clapton builds, and the ramp-up time is ever more apparent. I'd hate to think how much of my battery life goes to just getting the coil hot enough to vape.

 

[Sgt.Rock]

Be sure you snag 80 and not 60 Nichrome -- 60 works fine but does not hold up anywhere near as long...and it will rust.

NiC 60 is 60% Nickle, 16% Chromium and 24% FE(Iron)
NiC 80 is 80% Nickle, 19.5% Chromium and 1.45 Silver according to the data sheets at Temco

 

[sedition]

^ Good info, thanks! Just built a 26 gauge 7/8 wrap with N80, the faster ramp up isn't as dramatic as I thought it might be, but that's also possibly due to using more wraps than usual. Will wrap a nice 4/5 sleeper tonight and see if there's much difference.

 

[Alien Traveler]

I vaped a lot on nichrome. Do not see real difference.
fasttech sells premaid coils from nichrom (good for protanks, aerotanks, etc.):
$2.05 Pre-Coiled Welded Wires - NR-R-NR (50-Pack) 50-pack - 32 AWG / 1.5ohm / 30*30mm at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping
I strongly believe the same coils are used in most clearos (aren't they all made in China?)
So, maybe we all have an experience vaping on nichrome (most of us stared with clearos, I believe).

 

[AndriaD]

yup I was wondering that too. Temp control is nickelwire, not nichrome. Nichrome is something different. Nichrome is nickel with chromium for nichrome 80, and nickel chromium iron for nichrome 60 i believe.

Even at 1.0+ ohm builds at low watts it seems to heat up quicker than kanthal. The only downsides I've found so farm between nichrome and kanthal is that, nichrome is much more malleable so if you use like high gauge wire I can see it being finnicky and annoying, and if you dryburn too high wattage on nichrome, it melts the wire. That's about it though, I use 24gauge and just watch my dryburns, other than that I dont really see how kanthal is better which confuses me to why kanthal is so prevalent and nichrome nobody even talks about. I dont get this weird taste people talk about, maybe they are just trying to take super long hits and are just burning the crap out of their cotton because they dont notice it heats up much faster.

I read someplace that nickel or nichrome can cause nausea, and as far as I'm concerned, ANYTHING that even MIGHT cause the POSSIBILITY of nausea, I want as far from me as I can get it.

Nickel is one of the most allergenic metals to humans.

Andria

 

[anavidfan]

Ive never used nichrome. I remember way back when I started building my own. 95% of the posts I read, and those that I knew said Kanthal was better for so many different reasons, so I went Kanthal.

Most people at the time said that Nichrome had a "taste" , again, cant say because Ive only used kanthal. There were some posts that had "research" on pros and cons and there was some mention regarding chromium , but then again people take chromium ? Not sure if it the same chromium.

Someone always thinks something is better than something. I have used Kanthal and probably always use it unless a legit publication is presented here on the forum.

If you like Nichrome, keep using it, if you prefer Kanthal, keep using it.

 

[zoiDman]

...

If you like Nichrome, keep using it, if you prefer Kanthal, keep using it.

I think this is Kinda the Long and the Short of It.