{"id":1328,"date":"2010-11-03T17:44:37","date_gmt":"2010-11-03T21:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/?page_id=1328"},"modified":"2011-08-02T20:50:58","modified_gmt":"2011-08-03T00:50:58","slug":"faq-what-are-these-hv-and-lr-attys-do-i-need-them-are-they-safe-to-use","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/faq\/faq-what-are-these-hv-and-lr-attys-do-i-need-them-are-they-safe-to-use\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQ: What are these <em>HV<\/em> and <em>LR<\/em> attys? Do I need them? Are they safe to use?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>These are for use on Fat Batts (i.e., eGO-type) and mods of at least 450 mAh. If you are vaping with a standard skinny e-cig (e.g., penstyle, mini, or super-mini), you need not be concerned with these things.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLR\u201d stands for <strong>low-resistance<\/strong> (for use on 3.7V or less batteries). \u201cHV\u201d stands for high-voltage and, although that is the term such attys go by, it really is a misnomer. They are <em>used <\/em>on high voltage mods, but the atomizers are high <strong>resistance<\/strong>. When appropriately matched with the voltage of the fat batt or mod, LR and HV atomizers are quite safe [do make sure to keep your atty constantly moist] \u2026 and can dramatically enhance the intensity of the vape (vapor, flavor, and throat hit).<\/p>\n<p>To understand this HV and LR stuff, it helps to be familiar with Ohms Law \u2026 which really isn&#8217;t a big deal to grasp. If this non-techie (i.e., yours truly) can do it, anyone can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Power <\/strong>(measured in <em>watts<\/em>) is the intensity of the vape. 6-8 watts is      the &#8220;sweet spot&#8221; for most vapers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Current <\/strong>(measured in <em>amps<\/em>) is what can burn out atomizers. Roughly      speaking: around 1.5 amps is fine; 2.0+ amps is risky.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But watts and amps are not properties of atomizers or batteries. They are <strong>derived <\/strong>from atomizer resistance (measured in <em>ohms<\/em>) and battery voltage (measured, of course, in <em>volts<\/em>). The formulae are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Watts<\/strong> = Volts X Volts \/ Ohms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Amps<\/strong> = Volts \/ Ohms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So we need to <strong>balance <\/strong>battery voltage with atomizer resistance to get an ideal vape intensity (6-8 watts or so) without burning out the atomizer (i.e., not let those amps get too high). If the voltage is too low and\/or the atty resistance is too high (relative to each other), the watts are low and you get a wimpy vape (little TH, vapor, and flavor). On the other hand, if the voltage is too high and\/or the atty resistance is too low, the amps are high and you can burn out the atomizer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Caveat Regarding Resistance and Voltage Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In what follows \u2013 and throughout the vaping community \u2013 we refer to atomizer resistance and battery voltage as a set number, e.g., 2.3 ohms and 3.7V. In fact, atomizer resistance should be viewed as +\/- 0.1 ohms, e.g., a \u201c2.3\u201d ohm atty is more like 2.2-2.4 ohms<\/p>\n<p>And actual battery voltage drops considerably from fresh off the charger to stopping. The \u201cnominal\u201d voltage is more of an average or midpoint. For example, a \u201c3.7V\u201d battery starts out at 4.2V fully charged and drops down to 3.2V before demanding to be recharged. [Part of the appeal of high mAh batteries is that they stay at the higher end of the range longer than a low mAh battery.]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Standard (510) Atomizers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A standard 2.3 ohm 510 atty on a 3.4V eGO (i.e., a typical eGO\/Tornado, Riva, or Hello 016 kit) generates a safe 1.5 amps \u2026 but only 5 watts of power: not bad, but not intense enough for many vapers.<\/p>\n<p>That same atty on a 3.7V mod (or Kr8 battery) yields 6 watts and 1.7 amps: nice vaping with little risk of atty burnout.<\/p>\n<p>[NOTE: Other atomizers (e.g., 306, 801, 901, and Kr8 cartomizers) have different standard resistances. See <a href=\"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/?page_id=222\" target=\"_self\">this page<\/a> of the WWV <em>V2<\/em>.]<\/p>\n<p><strong>HV Atomizers<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Most<\/em> &#8220;<strong>HV<\/strong>&#8221; atomizers are <strong>4.5 ohms<\/strong> resistance and are      intended for use on 6V mods (using two 3.0V batteries). This results in 8      watts of vaping (very nice) and 1.3 amps current (a conservative level).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Some <\/em>HV attys are <strong>3.5 ohms<\/strong>, intended for use on 5V mods: 7 watts and      1.4 amps. [BTW, 3.5 ohms is the resistance of a standard 801 atomizer.      Unsurprisingly, prior to the advent of LR and HV atomizers, the 801 was very      popular with users of 5V mods like the Prodigy V1 and V2.]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Others<\/em> are <strong>5.2 ohms<\/strong>, intended for 7.4V mods (using two 3.7V batteries):      10.5 watts (too high for me, but good for some I guess) and 1.4 amps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So a correct matching of these \u201cHV\u201d atomizers with these 5.0, 6.0, and 7.4 voltage levels delivers a powerful yet safe vape.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LR Atomizers<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>LR<\/strong> atomizers are intended to yield vape intensity (watts) on 3.4V or 3.7V similar to what the higher voltage mods deliver. But some of them generate atomizer-blowing current.<\/p>\n<p>The further you push the amps above 1.5, the greater the risk of burning out an atomizer (although I wouldn&#8217;t worry too much about anything up to 2.0 amps).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The      typical resistance of LR atomizers is <strong>1.5 ohms<\/strong>. Vapers routinely use      such 1.5 ohm LR attys on 3.4V egos (7.7 watts and <strong><em>2.3<\/em><\/strong> amps)      all the time: excellent vape intensity \u2026 but notice that suppliers warn      about limited life spans of such LR atomizers. [Used on a 3.7V mod, the      amps are <em>2.<strong>5<\/strong><\/em> \u2026 and start out at <em>2.<strong>8<\/strong><\/em> amps when      the battery is a fully charged 4.2V.] There is no physical <em>danger<\/em> in such high amps \u2013 nothing blows up. It\u2019s just that these 1.5 ohm attys      die faster than standard (or high) resistance atomizers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Another consequence of the high amps created by 1.5 ohm LR atomizers is that they should only be used on batteries of at least <strong>450 mAh<\/strong>. Otherwise, you risk damaging the <em>battery<\/em> as well.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>I <\/strong>like      to use <strong>2.0 ohm<\/strong> LR atomizers on my 3.7V mod: 6.8 watts (which is      great for me) and 1.85 amps (pretty safe). On an eGO, that would be a <em>fairly<\/em> satisfying 5.8 watts and non-risky 1.7 amps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Where can I get them?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Most <\/em>suppliers carry LR atomizers and cartomizers. HV attys are more difficult to find.<\/p>\n<p>Sources for HV 510 include: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fatmosusa.biz%2F2010%2F09%2Fjoye510-high-voltage-atomizer%2F\" target=\"_blank\">AtmosUSA<\/a> (4.7 and 5.5\u03a9), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalciggz.com%2Findex.php%3Fmain_page%3Dproduct_info%26cPath%3D65%26products_id%3D397\" target=\"_blank\">Digital Ciggz<\/a> (4.5\u03a9), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Ffreedomsmokeusa.com%2Fproduct_info.php%3Fproducts_id%3D650\" target=\"_blank\">FreedomSmokeUSA<\/a> (5.0\u03a9), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shop.goodprophets.com%2Fproduct.sc%3FproductId%3D192%26categoryId%3D17\" target=\"_blank\">Good Prophets<\/a> (4.2 and 5.0\u03a9), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fikenvape.com%2Fstore%2F\" target=\"_blank\">IkenVape<\/a> (website down for maintenance as I write this, so no direct link; I believe 3.5\u03a9), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.liberty-flights.com%2Fproduct.asp%3Fid%3D77\" target=\"_blank\">Liberty-Flights<\/a> (4.2 and 5.0\u03a9), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.madvapes.com%2FHigh-Voltage-510-Atomizer-45-ohms_p_2966.html\" target=\"_blank\">MadVapes<\/a> (4.5\u03a9), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.nhaler.com%2FHigh-Voltage-510-Atomizer-w-45-Resistance-HV-510-Atomizer.htm\" target=\"_blank\">NHaler<\/a> (4.5\u03a9), and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vaporjunction.com%2Fstore%2Findex.php%3Fmain_page%3Dproduct_info%26cPath%3D32%26products_id%3D99\" target=\"_blank\">Vapor Junction<\/a> (4.5\u03a9).<\/p>\n<p>Sources for HV 801 include: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shop.goodprophets.com%2Fproduct.sc%3FproductId%3D190%26categoryId%3D25\" target=\"_blank\">Good Prophets&#8217; HV\/LR Atomizer for DSE801<\/a> (4.2 and 4.8\u03a9), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.litecigusa.net%2FDSE_801_HV_Atomizer_p%2F801hvatom.htm\" target=\"_blank\">LiteCigUSA&#8217;s DSE-801 HV<\/a> (ohms unspecified), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.nhaler.com%2FHigh-Voltage-801-Atomizer-w-45-Resistance-HV-801-Atomizer.htm\" target=\"_blank\">NHaler&#8217;s HV 801<\/a> (4.5\u03a9), and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vaporjunction.com%2Fstore%2Findex.php%3Fmain_page%3Dproduct_info%26cPath%3D32%26products_id%3D142\" target=\"_blank\">Vapor Junction&#8217;s EM HV 801<\/a> (4.5\u03a9).<\/p>\n<p>Those various resistances on 5V, 6V, and 7.4V will generate the following watts (i.e.,  intensity of the vape) and amps (i.e., the current that fries attys):<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">3.5\u03a9: 7.1 watts and 1.4 amps on 5V &#8230; 10.3 watts and 1.7 amps on 6V<br \/>\n4.2\u03a9: 5.9 watts and 1.2 amps on 5V &#8230; 8.6 watts and 1.4 amps on 6V<br \/>\n4.5\u03a9: 8 watts and 1.3 amps on 6V &#8230; 12.2 watts and 1.6 amps on 7.4V<br \/>\n4.7\u03a9: 7.7 watts and 1.3 amps on 6V &#8230; 11.6 watts and 1.6 amps on 7.4V<br \/>\n4.8\u03a9: 7.5 watts and 1.25 amps on 6V &#8230; 11.4 watts and 1.5 amps on 7.4V<br \/>\n5.0\u03a9: 7.2 watts and 1.2 amps on 6V &#8230; 11 watts and 1.5 amps on 7.4V<br \/>\n5.5\u03a9: 6.5 watts and 1.1 amps on 6V &#8230; 10 watts and 1.3 amps on 7.4V<\/p>\n<p>All are fairly atomizer-friendly with the current. Your desired intensity is likely to be somewhere in there. [<em>Mine <\/em>is at the low end, i.e., ~6.5 watts.]<\/p>\n<p><strong>FYI<\/strong>: I didn&#8217;t do all those watts and amps calculations in my head. Rather I used this simple <a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-cigarette-forum.com\/forum\/redirect-to\/?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fthelocust.net%2Fohm%2F\" target=\"_blank\">online calculator<\/a>: enter any two values (e.g., ohms and volts) and it calculates the other two (e.g., watts and amps).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>These are for use on Fat Batts (i.e., eGO-type) and mods of at least 450 mAh. If you are vaping with a standard skinny e-cig (e.g., penstyle, mini, or super-mini), you need not be concerned with these things. \u201cLR\u201d stands for low-resistance (for use on 3.7V or less batteries). \u201cHV\u201d stands for high-voltage and, although [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":1223,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1328"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1328"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1337,"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1328\/revisions\/1337"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/vapingguides.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}