side fill and air adjustment
3.8ml
so far only in stainless
3.8ml
so far only in stainless
Eleaf Lemo II
- Thread starter Vapenstein
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
OK, still liking the L2 and overall satisfied with it on all Facets. It will remain in the Ft. Vape Armory and see its fair share of Action.
One thing I have noticed is that the L2 does tend to leak juice into the Center AF below the Coil and into the Air Chamber and Slots in its Base. Especially if it sits for a while. So, it does tend to Flood a tad with current Wicking SOP and there is a very fine line between over wicking (leading to Dry-Hits) and Flooding. The L2 is an "unforgiving" RTA if Wicking is not close to "just Right".
A few Observations after having thought about its Design and Possibilities in Function and experimenting with ways to either avoid or overcome those Possibilities and Issues....
1. Position the Coil a little higher above the Center Post vertical Air Intake. Most say 1.5mm but it seems to Perform better and have less residual juice entering the Air Duct if Coil bottom positioned closer to 2.5-3mm above the opening.
2. Be sure the Cotton through the Coil itself is not too loose or too taut (Basic Wicking Altruism). Very key to achieving that fine line of awesome performance without Dry-Hits or Flooding/Leaking.
3. Wicking.... The standard School of Thought for the L2 is the medium-to-light Fan Brush Method just touching the Deck and across the side Area completely from Post to Post with nothing in the Channel itself. Well, that works OK for most and me as well. But, it can, and does, lead to over flowing into the Chamber. With only the Medium/Light Brush Wick in the Chamber to grab & absorb the juice and prevent liquid from flooding due to unchecked fed and limited Wick material to hold it, that's where Issues arise (IMO). So, how to get the best of the Fan/Brush method and solve its One Shortcoming....
Remembering back to Wicking my old Fogger v4.1 and doing the Qorax 2-Cut Method (foolproof on the Elk & Props to Qorax-the Earl of Konigin himself) on my Earl Konigin, I decided to add a slight twist and depart from the Conventional No Wick in the Channel Mantra.
I did the Wick through the Coil as in #2 above, fanned it out (fluffed it), then made 2 Cuts leaving a small center Wisp of Wick between two larger Sections on each side.
Then did a rough Trim/Snip to get the Lengths closer to proper length, wet the Center Wisp, laid it into the Channels with a micro-Driver and cut to Length to stop right at the bottom of the Juice Channel. It definitely does not fill the Channel and only takes up maybe 30% of it. Wetting helps hold it and puff up to Operating size to allow proper trim to length and insure takes up only less than half the Channel diameter.
Then Juice the other Wick Sections and cut them to proper length just touching the Base as normal. Fan them toward the Posts and sides to insure proper Coverage on each Side of the Coil & Chamber (again as normal). Slightly Overlapping the interior sides of the left and right Brushes to cover the center Channel Wisp completes the upper Fan. This entire Method and the center Cuts help to prevent too much Wick Mass in the center of the Fan Brush which leaves the entire Fan Wick nice and uniform for an efficient saturation. This evenness of Wick aids in proper Juice absorption, retention, and flow without clog or flood.
Then attach the Chimney Base making sure it just touches the Wick Perimeter and does not gap from it nor is it crammed or packed against it with excess. No need to clear a "Hole" or Gap at the Channel opening as the Wick Wisps in the Channel itself will naturally pull Juice up and on into the rest of the Wick Fan Brush Sections (that's what "wicking" is and ones) Gaps lead to Flooding and/or excess Juice making its way into the Center Air Fee Chute. Also prevents having to worry about the Wick working into the Channel openings and clogging it up preventing flow into the Chamber and Main Wick as it is Vaped and refilled over time.
*After posting this and looking again at the Pics, I thought of one more possible Improvement. Next time, I will incorporate more of the Qorax 2-Cut Method into this by adding another Cut at the very first through the center of the Main Wick Tails from left to right making an Upper and Lower Section first (approx. 1/3 of the Main Wick Tail as Upper Section and 2/3 as the Lower). Then "bob" the Upper to create a Retention "Shoulder" on top of each side of the Wick. Then complete the lower section as described above.
4. Complete the Assembly of the Chimney and place the Tank onto the Base (confirm presence of lower O-Ring of course) doing your best to insure it is as centered as possible on the O-Ring.
5.Place the Top Cap Assembly onto the Chimney Tube and Tank Top (again, confirm the upper outer O-Ring is present in the Top Cap & inner upper O-Ring is on the top of the Chimney Tube). Holding the Tank in place with one hand to insure it doesn't rotate and/or move while tightening, screw the Top Cap on until "taut" and makes a good seal NOT Tight so it smashes the lower O-Ring outward or deforms it into the Channels or out of the Base. Either will cause Major Issues with leaking or blocking/limiting Juice flow.
6. Properly Fill the Tank.
a. Close the AFC in the Base before opening the Top Fill Access.
b. Turn upright, open the Top Fill Access, fill the Tank leaving about an 1/8" unfilled space showing at the top (all such RTAs need this Air Pocket to create proper Vacuum Feed).
c. Close the Top Fill Access completely and turn the Tank upside down and hold there for @ 10 seconds.
d. Slowly open the AFC in the Base.
e. Return to upright position.
7. Attach L2 to your Mod & Hit it and watch for Air Bubbles to rise out of the lower Channel openings and the Air Intake Slots to be free of residual (or more) Juice appearance. You should see some light wisps of Vapor emitting from the Base Air Intakes after firing it as well. The appearance of Bubbles rising in the Tank and wisps of Vapor from the Slots coupled with a robust and non-dry Vape are the Proof it's humming along and built well.
Once it is verified to be performing as expected,,, Hit it good several times in a row to confirm there is no Dry-Hit Issue. IF all the above is done well & is good prior to,,,, there will Not be an issue with either Dry-Hit or Flooding.
Doing all the above, I can hit this thing hard multiple time and it never Dry-Hits nor is there Juice in the lower Air Slots or Base even after sitting all night or over several days.
All that may be Common Knowledge or Practice for some. I have seen and read pieces and parts of it but not all of it & never all together in one Place. So, figured would share that and give back a tad and hopefully help some to get the great Vaping Performance the L2 can and will provide.
FYI:
Coil is a 26 gauge Ti, 5/4 Wrap (next will be a 6/5 for more Area and hopefully increased Flavor) with about a 2.6 mm I.D. Spaced about a Wire width in between wraps. Shows 0.25 ohm on an SX Mini M. Should be lower, around 0.20, but the L2 seems to add about a half ohm or Resistance across the board on all builds (in comparison to Steam Engine).
*I know it's starting to "Gunk" and needed to be cleaned while apart. I will do normal Coil Clean Maintenance after a few more Tankfulls when ready to upgrade this Method with some Shoulders.
Cotton is just good ol' standard generic boiled & cleaned Organic "Hellifino" Cotton that comes balled up. Bought on eBay in a big Ziploc bag for $9 shipped.
One thing I have noticed is that the L2 does tend to leak juice into the Center AF below the Coil and into the Air Chamber and Slots in its Base. Especially if it sits for a while. So, it does tend to Flood a tad with current Wicking SOP and there is a very fine line between over wicking (leading to Dry-Hits) and Flooding. The L2 is an "unforgiving" RTA if Wicking is not close to "just Right".
A few Observations after having thought about its Design and Possibilities in Function and experimenting with ways to either avoid or overcome those Possibilities and Issues....
1. Position the Coil a little higher above the Center Post vertical Air Intake. Most say 1.5mm but it seems to Perform better and have less residual juice entering the Air Duct if Coil bottom positioned closer to 2.5-3mm above the opening.
2. Be sure the Cotton through the Coil itself is not too loose or too taut (Basic Wicking Altruism). Very key to achieving that fine line of awesome performance without Dry-Hits or Flooding/Leaking.
3. Wicking.... The standard School of Thought for the L2 is the medium-to-light Fan Brush Method just touching the Deck and across the side Area completely from Post to Post with nothing in the Channel itself. Well, that works OK for most and me as well. But, it can, and does, lead to over flowing into the Chamber. With only the Medium/Light Brush Wick in the Chamber to grab & absorb the juice and prevent liquid from flooding due to unchecked fed and limited Wick material to hold it, that's where Issues arise (IMO). So, how to get the best of the Fan/Brush method and solve its One Shortcoming....
Remembering back to Wicking my old Fogger v4.1 and doing the Qorax 2-Cut Method (foolproof on the Elk & Props to Qorax-the Earl of Konigin himself) on my Earl Konigin, I decided to add a slight twist and depart from the Conventional No Wick in the Channel Mantra.
I did the Wick through the Coil as in #2 above, fanned it out (fluffed it), then made 2 Cuts leaving a small center Wisp of Wick between two larger Sections on each side.
Then did a rough Trim/Snip to get the Lengths closer to proper length, wet the Center Wisp, laid it into the Channels with a micro-Driver and cut to Length to stop right at the bottom of the Juice Channel. It definitely does not fill the Channel and only takes up maybe 30% of it. Wetting helps hold it and puff up to Operating size to allow proper trim to length and insure takes up only less than half the Channel diameter.
Then Juice the other Wick Sections and cut them to proper length just touching the Base as normal. Fan them toward the Posts and sides to insure proper Coverage on each Side of the Coil & Chamber (again as normal). Slightly Overlapping the interior sides of the left and right Brushes to cover the center Channel Wisp completes the upper Fan. This entire Method and the center Cuts help to prevent too much Wick Mass in the center of the Fan Brush which leaves the entire Fan Wick nice and uniform for an efficient saturation. This evenness of Wick aids in proper Juice absorption, retention, and flow without clog or flood.
Then attach the Chimney Base making sure it just touches the Wick Perimeter and does not gap from it nor is it crammed or packed against it with excess. No need to clear a "Hole" or Gap at the Channel opening as the Wick Wisps in the Channel itself will naturally pull Juice up and on into the rest of the Wick Fan Brush Sections (that's what "wicking" is and ones) Gaps lead to Flooding and/or excess Juice making its way into the Center Air Fee Chute. Also prevents having to worry about the Wick working into the Channel openings and clogging it up preventing flow into the Chamber and Main Wick as it is Vaped and refilled over time.
*After posting this and looking again at the Pics, I thought of one more possible Improvement. Next time, I will incorporate more of the Qorax 2-Cut Method into this by adding another Cut at the very first through the center of the Main Wick Tails from left to right making an Upper and Lower Section first (approx. 1/3 of the Main Wick Tail as Upper Section and 2/3 as the Lower). Then "bob" the Upper to create a Retention "Shoulder" on top of each side of the Wick. Then complete the lower section as described above.
4. Complete the Assembly of the Chimney and place the Tank onto the Base (confirm presence of lower O-Ring of course) doing your best to insure it is as centered as possible on the O-Ring.
5.Place the Top Cap Assembly onto the Chimney Tube and Tank Top (again, confirm the upper outer O-Ring is present in the Top Cap & inner upper O-Ring is on the top of the Chimney Tube). Holding the Tank in place with one hand to insure it doesn't rotate and/or move while tightening, screw the Top Cap on until "taut" and makes a good seal NOT Tight so it smashes the lower O-Ring outward or deforms it into the Channels or out of the Base. Either will cause Major Issues with leaking or blocking/limiting Juice flow.
6. Properly Fill the Tank.
a. Close the AFC in the Base before opening the Top Fill Access.
b. Turn upright, open the Top Fill Access, fill the Tank leaving about an 1/8" unfilled space showing at the top (all such RTAs need this Air Pocket to create proper Vacuum Feed).
c. Close the Top Fill Access completely and turn the Tank upside down and hold there for @ 10 seconds.
d. Slowly open the AFC in the Base.
e. Return to upright position.
7. Attach L2 to your Mod & Hit it and watch for Air Bubbles to rise out of the lower Channel openings and the Air Intake Slots to be free of residual (or more) Juice appearance. You should see some light wisps of Vapor emitting from the Base Air Intakes after firing it as well. The appearance of Bubbles rising in the Tank and wisps of Vapor from the Slots coupled with a robust and non-dry Vape are the Proof it's humming along and built well.
Once it is verified to be performing as expected,,, Hit it good several times in a row to confirm there is no Dry-Hit Issue. IF all the above is done well & is good prior to,,,, there will Not be an issue with either Dry-Hit or Flooding.
Doing all the above, I can hit this thing hard multiple time and it never Dry-Hits nor is there Juice in the lower Air Slots or Base even after sitting all night or over several days.
All that may be Common Knowledge or Practice for some. I have seen and read pieces and parts of it but not all of it & never all together in one Place. So, figured would share that and give back a tad and hopefully help some to get the great Vaping Performance the L2 can and will provide.
FYI:
Coil is a 26 gauge Ti, 5/4 Wrap (next will be a 6/5 for more Area and hopefully increased Flavor) with about a 2.6 mm I.D. Spaced about a Wire width in between wraps. Shows 0.25 ohm on an SX Mini M. Should be lower, around 0.20, but the L2 seems to add about a half ohm or Resistance across the board on all builds (in comparison to Steam Engine).
*I know it's starting to "Gunk" and needed to be cleaned while apart. I will do normal Coil Clean Maintenance after a few more Tankfulls when ready to upgrade this Method with some Shoulders.
Cotton is just good ol' standard generic boiled & cleaned Organic "Hellifino" Cotton that comes balled up. Bought on eBay in a big Ziploc bag for $9 shipped.
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Oh lol I like this better than the original lemo hands down.
1) flavor is just as good, even with wider airflow
2) I can finally get the airflow I want from an RTA. I had to mod the crap outta the original lemos and even then the airflow wasn't to my preference
3) the top fill and afc alone just destroys the original, usability wise. I know a lot of the lemo lovers don't mind the silicon plug at all but I hated it.
Honestly at this point the only thing I would want improved is...
- access to deck without emptying tank
- get rid of the pointless 2 parts base design.
Apart from that? So good. It even has peek insulators whaaaaaat
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Try something besides 100%VG.... molasses isn't meant to be vaped in tanks.
Oh, and pancake wicks basically turn your tank into an RDA you can't access. lol
Rip will never admit to that. He's too busy pretending to be innovative.
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30 gauge wrapped around 26. Flavor and vapor production is off the charts with this coil.
The "Pancake Method" works great assuming you will always keep the atomizer completely vertical or don't mind a pocket full of e-liquid.
I believe many people don't realize that VG sucks at carrying flavor, while PG excels at it. I have only two go-to eliquid flavors that I use, and the vendor for one offers as high as 100%VG, the other 90%. For fun, I've tried different combinations and always end up back at 50/50's. Even at 70% VG, the flavor very noticeably suffers vs. a 50/50.
Not to mention unnecessary wicking issues..... FWIW, I've vaped the Lemo's with as high as 80% VG with no issues, so it's simply matter of practice and experimentation. You can see all the videos and pictures in the world, but until one nails the correct density and placement, it won't matter.
Same here. Fantastic setup.
I have some new wicking tips/methods (improving slightly on an old post I did in the original Lemo thread) ... I'll photo-document it and post it soon. Works fantastically even with my thickest liquids (85% VG). Best tank I've ever used. Finicky, yes. Worth a little extra time to get it perfect? yes.Google cheesehead screws. I put 1.6 x4mm ones on mine. Cheeseheads are flat on the bottom where they pinch the wire under the screw and have larger diameter heads. Theyre better than fat daddys. I have both.
Only leak I've had so far was caused by a brain malfunction....I re-filled it and sat it down and forgot to close the fill valve..lol
Put me a 1.3 build on my Lemo 2 after discovering that sub ohm is not for me. Had to change the screws out and now everything is running great! No leaks...no dry hits! Love how I can keep the airflow adjusted. Have the Lemo Drop and like it but the airflow was constantly kept getting looser and I would have to retighten it! This stays put. Really good improvements!
I actually liked my lemo 2 better than the billow v2. I hated the first lemo, I just thought it was awful. however I really do like the lemo 2. I haven't had ANY issues with mine. No leaking, Nov dry hits, no problems what so ever. I'm building at a .5 and using native wics cotton. I've actually had excellent flavor and huge clouds at only 30 watts. I can do a honest comparison as I have a HUGE collection of RTAs as I'm always looking to improve. it's became a collection. I think the lemo 2 can hold its own against most. flavor wise it's pretty good. Not quite as good as the kayfun 4. This is just my opinion based on my own experiences. I've read some of you are having issues with the lemo 2 but that's not been the case with mine. if your having issues I suggest to take the unit apart entirely. when you reassemble it, make sure the O rings.could are seated correctly and everything is on and tightened properly. sometimes a slip of a O ring can cause a disaster. I was really shocked on how great my lemo 2 performed! it's super easy to fill, super easy to build and wic, and it has great flavor and has a better than average vapor production. My first lemo 1, leaked like a sive but I haven't had a single leak with this lemo2. I can chain vape without getting a dry hit at all. with the experience I've had with my lemo2, I can't help but recommend this unit.They really have improved it a lot!! I know some of you have had a different experience but my lemo 2 has been absolutely wonderful. I can't believe how much I'm loving it after absolutely hating the lemo 1. I think the lemo2 is very much worth buying. speaking from my experience with it I don't have any negative things to say about it.
I don't understand how you keep breaking the glass. I've had a Lemo 2 since they came out, I clean/wick once a week, and never broke my glass. I've even droped it a few times (small distances) without a single scratch/chip/sign of damage. I think you must be doing something wrong, or just have terrible luck. So, to recap, I've taken apart my tank like 100 times, never once breaking the glass. You have broken the glass everytime? Maybe you need to rethink your process.
Phil really loves the big drip tip!! Really loves it he does...
No idea what is going on with Rip. He already did a sneak-peak thing on the lemo 2. What gives??
Phil needs to research a new invention called a syringe, and learn how to build and wick for thicker liquids.
Hint Phil there is no such thing as one build fits all!
Oh and you can shorten your review time by editing out the 20 min of rambling and rantings and get to the point.
Don't do it, you'll be right back in there redoing it.
One thing that I learned early on with the Lemo is you MUST keep the juice channels clear or your wick will not be able to keep up.
One big thing I noticed (I was getting lots of dry hits too) is the harder you pull on it, the better it wicks. It's a 'vaccuum thing' that I can't scientifically explain, but if you take a few big drags on it, your wick will be wetter than the front row at a Beiber concert.
I'm loving my Lemo 2! I own 4 originals, 2 regular & 2 drops and like this one better than the originals. Easy to fill, although the originals are extremely easy as well. I like how easy the airflow control works too. Hav en't used kanthal yet, only nickel. My .11 nickel coil on my sx mini m class with some 50/50 butter pecan from ITC vapes is outstanding!!
Going on week 5 with my Lemo 2s (three total)... still loving them and using them exclusively with a few caveats:
As many have mentioned, trapping leads under the stock screws is a pain. I have since replaced them with authentic Kayfun replacement screws which work way better. I got mine from vaperev.
Stock drip tips were replaced on day 1. Way too big, and absolutely killed flavor. I use the tips from the original Lemos on my Lemo 2s. Flavor back and freakin' awesome, especially using bridged wicks in that nice roomy chamber.
Wicking has been an issue off and on and was also an issue with my original Lemos (again, as many have mentioned). This was fixed 100% for me by making sure the juice channels are completely clear, and I do this using Staples brand #1 non-skid paper clips. Unfold ends and stick two of the ends (i.e. two paper clips per juice channel, four total) in each channel immediately after wicking and screwing on the lower barrel. Throw in the bridges and place them appropriately, then pull out the paper clips. I always thought my wicking method was sound, but when buttoning everything up, I think they may have been shifting slightly and at least partially blocking those channels on one or both sides. No issues since using the paper clip method, using up to 85% VG mixes.
Still holding incredibly strong in the "best tank I've ever used" category. I don't want much of anything changed as far as the chamber/chimney is concerned. While I'm a huge supporter/advocate of pbusardo and love his reviews (and pretty much everything he does!); I find his Lemo 2 review to be a bit rushed and ignorant... the idea I got from him was: "I'm cranky (early disclaimer). I don't care about this tank, I don't really want to review it, I know nothing about it and am not going to take the time to figure anything out about it, but I'll review it anyway" ... and c'mon, the fill thing? I've used thick gauge glass drippers and I've had not one issue filling this thing... don't fill from the middle, go to one of the sides! I love the top fill and all methods I've used have worked just fine. He mentioned poor flavor with it as well; but uses only one build on an incredibly versatile deck using the stock flavor killing drip tip. 'Nuff said. I am glad he ranted about the ridiculous drip tip. It's pointless and just stupid in my opinion (and apparently his as well).
My wishlist from the Lemo 3 (or future run Lemo 2s) from a super fan, in case eLeaf / iSmoka is reading:
As many have mentioned, trapping leads under the stock screws is a pain. I have since replaced them with authentic Kayfun replacement screws which work way better. I got mine from vaperev.
Stock drip tips were replaced on day 1. Way too big, and absolutely killed flavor. I use the tips from the original Lemos on my Lemo 2s. Flavor back and freakin' awesome, especially using bridged wicks in that nice roomy chamber.
Wicking has been an issue off and on and was also an issue with my original Lemos (again, as many have mentioned). This was fixed 100% for me by making sure the juice channels are completely clear, and I do this using Staples brand #1 non-skid paper clips. Unfold ends and stick two of the ends (i.e. two paper clips per juice channel, four total) in each channel immediately after wicking and screwing on the lower barrel. Throw in the bridges and place them appropriately, then pull out the paper clips. I always thought my wicking method was sound, but when buttoning everything up, I think they may have been shifting slightly and at least partially blocking those channels on one or both sides. No issues since using the paper clip method, using up to 85% VG mixes.
Still holding incredibly strong in the "best tank I've ever used" category. I don't want much of anything changed as far as the chamber/chimney is concerned. While I'm a huge supporter/advocate of pbusardo and love his reviews (and pretty much everything he does!); I find his Lemo 2 review to be a bit rushed and ignorant... the idea I got from him was: "I'm cranky (early disclaimer). I don't care about this tank, I don't really want to review it, I know nothing about it and am not going to take the time to figure anything out about it, but I'll review it anyway" ... and c'mon, the fill thing? I've used thick gauge glass drippers and I've had not one issue filling this thing... don't fill from the middle, go to one of the sides! I love the top fill and all methods I've used have worked just fine. He mentioned poor flavor with it as well; but uses only one build on an incredibly versatile deck using the stock flavor killing drip tip. 'Nuff said. I am glad he ranted about the ridiculous drip tip. It's pointless and just stupid in my opinion (and apparently his as well).
My wishlist from the Lemo 3 (or future run Lemo 2s) from a super fan, in case eLeaf / iSmoka is reading:
- The Lemo 2 drip tip is way too large and could cause flavor issues for a lot of people. My reasoning for this: Most people aren't going to be able to make a proper "seal" with their lips around this thing; which means it allows "slipstreaming" or regular air to enter the inhaled vapor stream, de-concentrating the flavor. This might be acceptable in RDAs, but not in RTAs. Include a nice relatively wide bore tip, but not that wide. The included drip tip is just ridiculous for a RTA.
- Find / use better screws for the build deck. Trapping leads under the stock screws is nearly impossible with the included screws. This build deck style is one of the easiest to use, but the included screws make it incredibly difficult and frustrating. Side note: I will never use the holes for trapping leads; I use Ni200, and I've had nothing but connection issues when using them (if it doesn't immediately snap them in half when tightening).
The Lemo 2 is the best tank atty I currently own, and I have a LOT of atty's. Really dig the top feed.
Here ya go..... Stainless Steel A2 Metric Cheese Machine Screws | Mr. Metric
Or...... www.amazon.com/Stainless-Machine-Finish-Slotted-Threads/dp/B00DD4FCTO
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