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Although I started steaming in autumn 2014, I still feel like a beginner in many ways. Despite the variety of equipment, I was well served for a long time with the simple EVOD starter sets. I then replaced them with VPlums, slightly larger steamers with adjustable watts, which look like larger EVODs overall. Actually they were enough for my steam needs, but… I always like to try something out! 🙂
So I’ve been testing subohm steaming for the last few months. (Normal evaporator heads have 1.5 to more than 2 Ohm resistance, “Low Ohm Steaming” means everything under 1.4 Ohm and “Subohm” is clearly under one Ohm). I went there unprejudiced and curiously ran, used two current Sub-Ohm steam with their 0.5 Ohm heads several times and gave them a real chance. But I couldn’t get used to this kind of steam and finally put it aside again. I won’t do any more experiments with similar devices.
Why? There are several reasons for this:
- I don’t need steam with 30 or 40 Watt power, because already the 5-16 Watt of the VPlum I haven’t exhausted for my subjectively optimal steam experience.
- When such steam is used, it is noticeable that considerably more electricity flows. Everything gets hotter, it crackles louder – I don’t need everything.
- The Drip Tips of this and other Subohm devices are anything but ergonomic. I don’t like straight metal tubes with large diameters in my mouth, but prefer curved, almost “waisted” shapes made of plastic and stainless steel, which feel better and look more elegant.
- I want to steam like I used to smoke: comfortably on my cheek! Direct lung pulls, as they are typical for subohm steaming, may be justified when smoking weed, but they are rather unpleasant for me (it really shreds into the lungs). In addition, the taste buds are in the mouth, not in the lungs, so I like to keep the steam in my mouth for a moment.
- When steaming, it’s NOT my goal to produce as large clouds as possible, that didn’t interest me when smoking either. Even with my “normal” steam I can make more steam than with any cigarette, but I don’t need that. On the contrary, I even prefer to steam on the way as inconspicuously as smoking would never have been possible.
- The considerably higher Liquid consumption in subohm steaming costs money and seems totally unnecessary to me. Just like the increased money consumption for the consistently more expensive devices and accessories.
- The lower nicotine content, which some people claim to be an advantage of subohm vaporization, is an illusion, because it vaporizes a lot more liquid, which in turn increases nicotine uptake.Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
If you look at the market of e-cigarettes or steam, it seems to me that there is a kind of Formula 1 race taking place: More and more powerful steam with more and more watts, more and more elaborated evaporators, more and more features. Competitions in steam cloud making, new releases every few weeks – and everything in the subohm range, which has practically become standard. And the ( Info-Texten dazu) info texts always include hints like “The further you go into the Sub-Ohm range, the more dangerous it gets”.
I also feel sorry for the beginners, who are just getting started today. They believe that this is the way it should be and they expect devices to do so that need far more attention than simple EVODs and similar devices that do not distract from the actual process of getting used to them. The concentration on complex high-tech steam will drive many who “only” don’t want to smoke any more into the arms of the tobacco industry, which with devices like the “Vipe” ( Geräten wie der “Vipe” ) already clearly distinguishes itself from the steamer scene and its hyped products in advertising.
Ok, been there, done that: For me, subohm steaming is through!
I will satisfy my desire to experiment differently in the future. Since it was in my mind to constantly have to buy integrated rechargeable batteries “with all the drums”, I bought a Provari 2.5 at a reasonable price – a classic battery carrier with a reputation like Donnerhall in terms of durability. And because the TPD2 is now very close, I don’t just want to be able to use normal batteries, I don’t want to have to buy evaporator heads anymore, which might not even be available any more.
I make myself independent as far as possible – and become a self-winder!
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Update 11.10.16: also the Elb steamer writes about the topic: Steaming Subohm once and back (Einmal Subohm-Dampfen und zurück)
