A friend of mine from the Ahlusion forums recently started selling Twik Ekowool. This is a modified version of Ekowool silica cord, which is one of the most popular wick materials for rebuildable atomizers. Many vapers love it for its superior flavor (over standard silica) and durability. Twik Ekowool adds an organic cotton core to the mix. On paper, it offers improved wicking and flavor. I’ve been using Twik Ekowool for the last few weeks and was mostly impressed. Here’s a breakdown of my Twik experience (which is like the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but with organic cotton).
Wicking: Twik Ekowool’s super wicking was easily noticeable. I tried it out on a variety of atomizer setups from 0.5-ohms to 1.5-ohms. I purposely took longer-than-normal drags just to see if Twik could keep up…and it did. In the case of my 0.5-ohm dual-coil setup, Twik Ekowool was able to wick longer and faster than standard Ekowool. Generally speaking, the faster wicking was more beneficial as I lowered resistance, which makes sense since e-liquid is being vaporized faster because of the higher heat. If you’re using a dual-coil low-ohm dripping atomizer or a bottom-coil silica atomizer, then you’ll likely benefit from Twik Ekowool’s superior capillary action. (Hmmm, I think I’ll call my next band Superior Capillary Action.)
Flavor: Many vapers believe that cotton offers the cleanest and truest flavor. Flavor is also subjective, so your results will definitely vary. Personally, I have no problem with the flavor that standard Ekowool produces, but a few of my friends think that it adds an earthiness to e-liquid. While I found that Twik Ekowool offers slightly better flavor than standard Ekowool, I can totally understand someone else saying that the cotton core makes a big difference as far as flavor goes.
Workability: For the most part, Twik Ekowool is as easy to work with as the original. Since it’s softer than standard Ekowool, you’re able to squish it (technical term) into atomizers that have tight spaces. One minor drawback is that you can’t torch it when it’s dry. Torching has two benefits: it helps eliminate frayed ends and it stiffens up the fiber. If you like to use atypical shapes for your wicks, the latter comes in handy. For example, when I use a dual-coil setup in a dripping atomizer, I use one piece of wick shaped in a loop (affectionately called The Jacoji Loop). Torching makes it easier to get the precise size and shape of the loop. While I was able to make a Jacoji Loop with Twik Ekowool, it was a little harder because the soft fiber wouldn’t always stay where I wanted it to. All that said, most vapers use a straight setup and shouldn’t have any problems working with Twik Ekowool.
Maintenance: This is one area where standard Ekowool has a clear advantage; maintaining it is idiot-proof. You can torch and dry burn Ekowool all you want. Since Twik Ekowool has a cotton core, you shouldn’t dry burn it, since the cotton will burn. Torching it dry is out of the question too. You can torch the coil while the wick is still wet, but you have to be careful (I’ve messed this up a few times). This isn’t a big issue for vapers that enjoy clean juices, since rinsing will be enough. It can be an issue for vapers that enjoy heavy e-liquids that gunk up coils, like those made with naturally-extracted tobacco. Since it can’t be dry burned or torched dry, more vapers will get longer life out of standard Ekowool than Twik Ekowool.
Price: Twik Ekowool is very fairly priced at $4.99 for two feet with free shipping. That’s inline with prices for small quantities of unmodified Ekowool; Kidney Puncher sells straight Ekowool for $4.45 for two feet, while Stormy’s Vapor Cellar sells two feet for $3.99 — shipping is an additional charge for both vendors. Considering the extra labor it takes to thread the cotton core through hollow Ekowool, Twik’s price is great. Of course some people are going to say that they can buy dozens of feet (or meters, as Ekowool’s Russian creators measure it in) for less, but we’re talking about small quantities here.
Verdict: At the very least, Twik Ekowool is definitely worth trying. The price is comparable to the going rate for small quantities of standard Ekowool. You get superior wicking and better flavor. Just keep in mind that maintaining it isn’t as idiot-proof as caring for standard Ekowool. Vapers that are unsatisfied with the flavor and wicking of Ekowool should definitely give Twik Ekowool a shot. Even those that are happy with Ekowool should try it. The price is low enough that it’s worth experimenting with to see if the addition of a cotton core will make a significant difference in your vaping.
Personally, I’m going to keep buying both. I’ll use Twik Ekowool for most of my setups and standard Ekowool for when I want to build things like The Jacoji Loop. If you try Twik Ekowool, please leave a comment below and share your experience with it.
