Let's talk about Ohmage

Hey there,

I'd like to start a discussion about resistance.

For the techno vague, like myself. One would think that the higher the Ohms, the better the vape. But I am not convinced. It would appear that higher Ohm atomizers, while delivering better vapes, burn out earlier. While this is all dependent on your battery system, one would think that there is a common thread on the longevity of atomizers.

I have found that, if you have a variable battery, the lower the Ohmage, the longer life it has.

If I am misguided in my belief, I would love to hear from you. As the atomizer has become my greatest expense (apart from juice) with vaping.

 

This will be interesting as myself a newbe to vaping but I think you have your terminology reversed. Higher ohms equals higher resistance and thus less power through the coil.

 

I think you're missing the mark a bit. Higher ohms don't produce a better vape at all, it doesn't work that way. Look at a non-variable battery at 3.7 volts:

1.2 ohms is a 3.1 amp draw at 11.4 watts
1.5 ohms is a 2.5 amp draw at 9.1 watts
1.8 ohms is a 2.0 amp draw at 7.6 watts
2.2 ohms is a 1.7 amp draw at 6.2 watts
2.5 ohms is a 1.5 amp draw at 5.5 watts

As you can see, as resistance increases, the power output goes down. I used these values because they are pretty common out there. The common coil values are common because that is what constitutes a pleasant vape for people on cheap eGo gear. The companies sell different values because without an adjustable mod, resistance is the only way to change the taste of the vapor.

Now look at the common sizes. Here is a nice website that breaks it down for you.
Kanthal Wire Guide

The reason the coils you have don't last long is because the wire they use is tiny, it burns out. With a lower gauge (thicker) wire, it is more resistant to burning out. With 32AWG a coil on my Genesis atomizers would last me about a week. Using 28AWG, I've never had a coil burn out. I'm not on my computer that has the resistance calculator on it, but you can find it here:
Taste Your Juice | RESISTANCE WIRE CALCULATOR

Off the top of my head, a 1.6 ohm coil using 28AWG uses around 9cm of wire, 10 wraps, which I wrap on a 3/32 drill bit and stick on my Kayfun. The coil comes out to be maybe 4mm wide, just a guess but you can look at my last video to get an idea. So lets say you like a 1.8 ohm head on your Aspire and eGo combo. Dual coil so you would need 2 3.2 ohm coils. If my 1.6 ohm coil is 4mm wide, you would need two of the same coils 8mm wide. If you wanted to use a smaller drill bit, it would be even longer. Obviously, this just doesn't fit inside the tiny little head, so they just use smaller wire, sometimes 34 or 36 AWG.

The other problem with higher resistance is heating time. With a sub-ohm coil, as you can see, you have a higher amp draw from your battery, which translates into no wait to get vapor. With a 3 ohm coil, you may have to hold the switch down for several seconds before you get vapor. When I started with my SVD and Protanks, I would normally run into the 14 second auto cutoff before I was finished with my vape.

Not the case, though that would be nice. Variable devices have lower resistance limits, because the electronics can't handle an unlimited number of amps travelling through them. The reason it seems like the battery lasts longer is because you aren't holding down the switch for so long waiting for the coil to heat up and produce vapor.

 

thanks Ryan

Heaps to chew on here.

 

OK, here goes,

Bad Wingman, in my techno vague understanding, the higher the resistance has no bearing on power delivery (only in as much as it might have to work harder,and therefore draining available power sooner). The power set on the batt will deliver. The Ohm'age on the Atomizer dictates how that power is delivered (higher Ohm takes longer to heat [certousy ryanmacl]). The problem appears to be that there are so many heads and batts, that this is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. If I arsed up my description, sorry.

Ryanmacl, stupid question... what's AWG? I'm not sure that mine is a burn out problem (though you appear to talk about self wrapping). It's a question about, how do I get the best out of my cheap ego set up. Sometimes the coils become unusable (burnt taste), so how do I avoid, alleviate, nurture my coils. I am not concerned about cost so much as getting the best out of my coils. As you appear to have technical knowledge I would be interested in your opinion.

All the best,

Antman

 

Not so Antman. The higher the resistance = less power. Straight ohms law. I'll put it this way - Air has a very high resistance. A battery doesn't discharge its self on the table because of that high resistance. There is no power flow. As you take away the resistance by adding a coil you create power flow. The less resistance = more power.

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Just for some context - It may help you achieve your answer or goal - what is your setup and what volts or watts are you using?

 

American Wire Gauge, its a standard of sizing wires.
American wire gauge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If cost isn't so much of a concern, get a cheap ultrasonic jewelry cleaner and use it to clean your coil heads. Keep them in a warm dry area to dry naturally. Don't try to pump up the voltage too high, they are designed for 3.7 volts. Don't dry burn (although you can fire it a little bit to dry out any water from cleaning). Firing the coils until they glow red can easily burn them out.

That is my advice to keep your coils fresh and lasting a long time. It may not be the easiest way, as many people dry burn their coils and have no issue. Really though, if you switch to an RBA like a Kayfun, you'll have a much better experience once you get over that learning curve. Ask yourauntbob, Vapermorphs, and any number of people here who have made the switch.

 

You seemed to like my drippers a whole hell of a lot yesterday....just saying....

 

Storm-A (Origen clone) with dual twisted .4x.1 ribbon, I think a 5/4 coil.