Rebuildable 'Sub Ohm' Frequently Asked Questions

I already have a non-rebuildable "sub ohm" tank that takes pre-manufactured coils, can't I use that? Very likely, but non-rebuildables can be different to set up an use - take a look at our non-rebuildable sub-ohm pages

What d-juice mix do you recommend? I've heard of folks using between 1:5 and 1:3 with good results claimed, althought I've settled on using a 1:4 mix of 500mg of dimitri to 2ml of 70/30 PG/VG. The actual djuice strength is not too critical because vapour potency is easily tuned by Wattage and/or toking rate as described in the video.

How does it compare to cart vaping? RTAs have a much more abundant airflow, are capable of a much wider range of vapour potencies, and are far more versatile all round. They're also are a bit more tolerant of less pure/more waxy spice. But carts only require very simple & cheaper devices to drive them (e.g. the Yocan Uni Pro), are more convenient, quieter in use and easier to set up.

Tell me more about how RTAs handle waxy/yellow product? The cotton wicks still become clogged up, but they do seem a little more tolerant than cartridges. Basically, after a refill or two yellow contaminants appear to concentrate in the vertical parts of the wick, eventually starving the coil of fresh ejuice. and necessitating replacement.  Update - see our section on d-juice filtering.

How does it compare with the direct emesh? RTAs are much more forgiving on vapour temperature, can be vaped many times without reloading and are far better suited to a wider range of vapour potencies. If desired, a well setup RTA can deliver a single-toke punch which is very close to a credible ~25mg on the emesh (by taking a very slow and long toke with ample wattage). Never underestimate the power of RTAs.

How spice-efficient is the RTA method? As mentioned in the video, it's fairly lousy. The biggest problem seems to be that once d-juice is soaked into a wick, the wick holds onto a resident amount of "dead" ejuice that it will only give up in very shallow, weak tokes. So when the wick is replaced, we must accept the loss.

To minimise loss, is there a technique for wringing the most out of a nearly-dry wick? Yes and No. If the wick is in good condition then you can refill the tank with more d-juice. But if you don't have any replacement juice, then in Temperature Controlled mode you can just take very slow long tokes. However, if the wick is either burned or badly contaminated it's easier just to toss it and start over.

Can I use temperature control? Yes, but I'm genuinely not sure if it's worth the trouble. If your RTA is properly coiled/wicked and you're using one of the often-quoted blends of dimitri/PG/VG then the temperature control will be superbly provided by the boiling point of your ejuice (which will be around 180°C). As far as I've been able to tell, the ONLY advantage of using temperature control is protection against dry hits, plus maybe being able to wring a few more tokes from a drying wick. So if you're OK being extra careful with wicking/coiling plus making sure the tank topped up then there will be no advantages to using temperature control.

Are there any disadvantages to temperature control Yes. Even when set up perfectly you still can't rely on it 100% because it can easily drift out. Also it tends to be hard on the RTA because you'll repeatedly be tempted into tightening the terminal screws upto their limit in an attempt to get a good connection. Also, if you're not using temp control, you have a much wider variety of vaping wires available to you as you won't be restricted to using SS316L stainless steel.