Using Stainless steel

[-V-]

I've been using Kanthal for years now and haven't really followed much about Stainless steel

As far as I understand it can be used for Temp mode or normal Wattage mode?

Are there any other benefits with it?
Would you say it's better or worse than Kanthal?
What AWG is used mostly for RTAs?
I usually vape around 1 ohm to 1.2 ohms when I build a coil with Kanthal at around 17W..

[phtumshk]

My findings.
Great for TC though my experience is limited.
It vapes a lot hotter than kanthal at similar resistances in mech/watts.
To maintains coil sizes in mech/watts for my MTL rigs I had to go from .4 A1 to .3SS.
This caused me problems with rewicking as the .3SS coils would get destroyed pulling the old wicks.
Personally I still use kanthal for mtl rigs and Ni80 for the sub ohm stuff.
I have various rolls of the SS stuff if you want to try any.

[striker42]

Much the same as phtumshk, I kinda dabbled with SS but found the results weren't worth the effort either in power mode or TC. Much prefer Ni80. Great offer there -V- from phtumshk to try a bit of SS before ending up with reels of wire that are no use to you. I popped all my SS and ni200 in the PIF box at Vapefest.

[-V-]

Do you have to do spaced coils with it?
I've always made touching coils where I heat them up squeeze them together...

[phtumshk]

Dec 31, 2017 16:48:54 GMT -V- said:

Do you have to do spaced coils with it?
I've always made touching coils where I heat them up squeeze them together...

You can use either.
I found spaced vaped slightly cooler than the touching.
its not really advisable to drastically overheat the SS wire before wicking/using.

[jtc]

SS claptons in TC on a DNA is the best vape I have ever had, and I will continue with it for the foreseeable 😊👍

[beedee]

I like SS too, have tried:

SS316L Clapton 26/30
SS317L @ 0.45mm and 0.38mm (for some reason this did not come in AWG size)
SS 316L @ 28, 26 and 24 awg

I generally use in wattage mode, though sometimes TC too. I do both spaced and unspaced coils - you can dry burn, but seen lots of warnings to only do it to a dull glow.

I find it a slightly sharper flavour than Kanthal. For me it takes a little longer to bed down and get to it's best - usually a tank full or so. I use the Clapton a lot and love it, and the 317L is an exceptionally pure flavour.

I usually vape 25watts and upwards, though I generally don't like really high wattage.

It's well worth a try, but if you wanted 20 watts or under maybe you'd need to go for 28AWG

[tonyb]

I've used 316L SS for well over two years. Works in both TC and wattage. It has a lower resistance than Kanthal so be prepared to use lower ohm readings. It heats quicker than Kanthal. If you are using a regulated mod just build a coil to the right size for your atty deck, don't worry about the resistance. As with any wire the thicker the wire the more power you'll need to heat it. Thicker wire obviously more stable and less likely to deform when re-wicking.

On a mechanical mod you need to understand ohms law and how that relates to battery safety. Same for any wire. I like to build parallel wire coils in squonk attires for faster ramp up time and a warm vape.

Use a spaced coil for good results in TC.