I have tested Nichrome as well as SS316 and a few others and Kanthal is what I like mostly, I use SS316 for when I want to use a clearomizer with temperature regulation.
But for 90% of the time I use a Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer(RDA) in which I have experimented with many kanthal widths but the best option I have found is 0,5mm kanthal using 6,5 turns with a coil diameter of 3mm.
I have been aware that I do not understand the underlying principals of what makes a good heating coil good for these purposes, there is a tool that is great at
this site where you get calculated results of heat flux and heat capacity and more.
But as I see it without really getting into the real details I believe it is a question of resistance vs surface area and also mass, since you want as large a surface area as possible with a low enough resistance to enable fast heating while not having too much mass to increase the heat up time, anyway the setup I use as described above have been found through experimenting and I am seeking a rather hefty vaping experience.
I do understand that thinning the wires by my self will not be an option, and it's actually quite funny that I can't find any kanthal below 1mm in Sweden, of course there are lots of that stuff already imported but since I have found the build I want to use all the time then I should buy a much larger quantity than 10 meters at a time.
As for nichrom and such, as I am using Wattage regulation 90% of the time metals such as nichrome and nickel of titanium an others are risky to use in that mode, I go it explained for me yesterday but I can't recall it exactly but nickel is a good example of a metal that can be used in temperature regulation but not in wattage regulation, it has something to do with the way wattage regulation works, and it can create an environment in which the metal will let go of molecules and one would inhale nickel in some amounts.
And the only metals that are safe to use for wattage regulation is Kanthal and Stainless Steal such as SS316.
I think I will try and buy larger quantities from the UK, because the price they take for small quantities is ridicules.
Oh and there is something relating to all this and the problem of getting the wire in Sweden that has to do with definition of high grade kanthal, the kanthal you want to use for vaping is kanthal A1, but strictly speaking kanthal A1 has to be of a minimum width of 1mm.
I don't remember how that played into it all but apparently that created some difficulties for the Swedish industry not being able to sell smaller wires, or something.