Ekowool. Wicks that wick.

 

If you haven’t read any of my other articles, I chain vape. I am always looking for the best wicking material. The tradeoff for fast wicking can often be loss of flavor, flooding, and/or having to clean or replace it on a regular basis. I rebuild coil heads for my smaller devices, such as Vivi novas, evods, and protanks. Using regular silica I can thin it out or beef it up to try to get the exact absorbency I want but its time consuming and tends to break up easily the more you play with it. When I first saw ekowool the fact it was braided was a big plus in my mind. I checked around and ordered some 1.5mm and 2mm from www.kidneypuncher.com. That and I needed some kanathal wire, ribbon wire, silica, mesh, and a couple other things anyway and it was the only place that had it all in stock.

Ekowool was originally created as in insulator for wiring so it can stand temperatures of up to 1100C. The braid keeps fraying to a minimum, and allows for longer life as it doesn’t fall apart as fast under use or cleaning. In this picture on the left the 1.5mm is a solid braid, the right is the 2mm hollow and can be used to sleeve SS mesh or SS cable to help with hotspots and wicking. Some claim it also helps with flavor, others claim it has a slight flavor but is less detectable than regular silica.

Performance

So far I have used both in almost every type of device. I like the 1.5mm in my Vivi novas, Evods, and some CE4s. It last at least twice as long for me in those devices. Having the coil hold the edges of the braid from fraying makes it easy to rinse out and reuse. I have managed to burn it a few times on a low tank, but as a general rule it’s harder to burn than silica. I use the 2mm in my rebuild able atomizers. I use it as a sleeve for my SS cable. Personally for me it gives me a better flavor. I loop it in RSST and it wicks like a fire hose and really gives me good clouds of vapor. The loop seems to fray the braid out quicker and I have to rebuild occasionally even if I burn it clean. Break in time for either seems to be about one tank on both the smaller and larger devices. Once broken in it wicks perfectly 90% of the time. I might have to tilt it or take a hard pull but it’s a minor adjustment.

Overall

I get great flavor out of these wicks. Its not cotton but the extended life and without any burning issues is a big advantage. I think I have re-wicked every device I own.  I have it in my evods and RBAs, over ss mesh and ss cable. I prefer it to silica any day, but BE SURE TO BOIL IT FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If you don’t boil it you’ll get a nasty chemical taste. Thanks to kidney puncher, and thanks for reading