I've been using this dripper for almost two weeks now and I gotta say, it rocks my world. I mentioned in the previous blog about this RDA that I needed to bend the leads of the coils to get a center build, but I've since installed coils without doing anything fancy, and it works fine. It's just really important to make sure that the long lead going to the negative is not going to touch anything else. I just slide my screwdriver in there and push it out a little when I'm done with the build, and that does the trick.
Another thing I've noticed which is kind of a flaw but not a big one is, the airflow holes on the outer barrel were not done very cleanly. They have little rough spots which will grab any cotton that touches them and hold onto it like glue. I'm not a machinist or metalworker so I'm not sure why this is in terms of what tools were used to make those openings, but it's a little shoddy and kind of a pain trying to get the cotton threads out of there. You grab some with the tweezers but there's a few more threads left behind. It sometimes takes several passes to get all the cotton out. Like I said, though, it's not a big deal and doesn't happen every time. I could probably sand the edges and smooth 'em right out, but it's not enough of an issue to bother.
I have discovered that leaks on this atty are common, though very minimal. A tiny amount of juice is somehow getting out and pooling at the base around the 510. I have no idea where it's coming from. It's not a lot, but more often than not there is a tiny bit of juice on the base when I take it off the mod. Not always, though, which suggests that it's something I'm doing. Or not doing. If I figure it out I'll do another update, but so far it hasn't once been enough to get any juice onto the positive pin of the mod.
The stock drip tip is another thing I thought was not so hot at first, with the small size and potentially lethal flange at the base, but I haven't cut myself on it, not once. That flange is actually very good at making a seal at the base of the tip, which means that when I pull the tip out to drip, there isn't a bunch of juice collected around its base. It just fits perfectly, and like I said - none of the other drip tips I put in there came close to the flavor I got from the stock tip. Something about the conical design, maybe? I have no idea, but it works really well.
One last thing I wanted to mention, and I've had this problem with other drippers as well, and that is the Phillip's head post screws. I've snapped a couple wires with them while building, which is a bit of a downer. I pulled them out and looked at the ends of the screws, the area that goes down onto the wires, and three of the four of them were pointy. I grabbed my little file and dragged it over the tips of the screws to make them flat, and it helped a lot. But the post holes are clearly made for larger gauge wire than the 28g I've been using. The 28g wire easily gets pushed off to the side when screwing them down, and the screws could be a tiny bit longer and perhaps a little tighter in the threading. They tend to work themselves out over time, and I've had to tighten them occasionally to get my resistance to read the way it should. This is my biggest gripe about the CLT, but it's not an uncommon one in the world of RDA's (though the grub screws in the Jam clone stay put much better). I'll probably start using 26 guage wire at some point just to see if that takes care of the problem, which I suspect it will.
As far as negatives go, that's about it. And those are all pretty minor. The good things about this RDA are that it's very solidly built and the o-ring tolerances are perfect. I mentioned before that o-rings on the base that hold the outer barrel were ridiculously tight when I first got it, but they've since loosened up a bit and are now perfect. I pop the whole barrel and top cap assembly off sometimes to have a look at the wicks and do a drip, and it just glides off and right back on with ease. It's not loose by any means, it's just right. Adjusting the airflow is a breeze. That knurled top cap makes a world of difference when you want to change your draw. So for me, the CLT has only improved with use (and some minor tinkering). If you can still find one now that the V2 is out, and anything about it has you thinking 'Hmm, maybe I should get one of those', I would definitely recommend pulling the trigger and getting one. You won't be disappointed.
Another thing I've noticed which is kind of a flaw but not a big one is, the airflow holes on the outer barrel were not done very cleanly. They have little rough spots which will grab any cotton that touches them and hold onto it like glue. I'm not a machinist or metalworker so I'm not sure why this is in terms of what tools were used to make those openings, but it's a little shoddy and kind of a pain trying to get the cotton threads out of there. You grab some with the tweezers but there's a few more threads left behind. It sometimes takes several passes to get all the cotton out. Like I said, though, it's not a big deal and doesn't happen every time. I could probably sand the edges and smooth 'em right out, but it's not enough of an issue to bother.
I have discovered that leaks on this atty are common, though very minimal. A tiny amount of juice is somehow getting out and pooling at the base around the 510. I have no idea where it's coming from. It's not a lot, but more often than not there is a tiny bit of juice on the base when I take it off the mod. Not always, though, which suggests that it's something I'm doing. Or not doing. If I figure it out I'll do another update, but so far it hasn't once been enough to get any juice onto the positive pin of the mod.
The stock drip tip is another thing I thought was not so hot at first, with the small size and potentially lethal flange at the base, but I haven't cut myself on it, not once. That flange is actually very good at making a seal at the base of the tip, which means that when I pull the tip out to drip, there isn't a bunch of juice collected around its base. It just fits perfectly, and like I said - none of the other drip tips I put in there came close to the flavor I got from the stock tip. Something about the conical design, maybe? I have no idea, but it works really well.
One last thing I wanted to mention, and I've had this problem with other drippers as well, and that is the Phillip's head post screws. I've snapped a couple wires with them while building, which is a bit of a downer. I pulled them out and looked at the ends of the screws, the area that goes down onto the wires, and three of the four of them were pointy. I grabbed my little file and dragged it over the tips of the screws to make them flat, and it helped a lot. But the post holes are clearly made for larger gauge wire than the 28g I've been using. The 28g wire easily gets pushed off to the side when screwing them down, and the screws could be a tiny bit longer and perhaps a little tighter in the threading. They tend to work themselves out over time, and I've had to tighten them occasionally to get my resistance to read the way it should. This is my biggest gripe about the CLT, but it's not an uncommon one in the world of RDA's (though the grub screws in the Jam clone stay put much better). I'll probably start using 26 guage wire at some point just to see if that takes care of the problem, which I suspect it will.
As far as negatives go, that's about it. And those are all pretty minor. The good things about this RDA are that it's very solidly built and the o-ring tolerances are perfect. I mentioned before that o-rings on the base that hold the outer barrel were ridiculously tight when I first got it, but they've since loosened up a bit and are now perfect. I pop the whole barrel and top cap assembly off sometimes to have a look at the wicks and do a drip, and it just glides off and right back on with ease. It's not loose by any means, it's just right. Adjusting the airflow is a breeze. That knurled top cap makes a world of difference when you want to change your draw. So for me, the CLT has only improved with use (and some minor tinkering). If you can still find one now that the V2 is out, and anything about it has you thinking 'Hmm, maybe I should get one of those', I would definitely recommend pulling the trigger and getting one. You won't be disappointed.
