when i first learned how to build a gene style atomizer, I would cut a piece of SS mesh about 1" 1/2 .. I would just roll it up as tight as i could until it would fit into the wick hole nice and smooth ( it wasnt overly tight and wasnt to loose to where there was a gap )
I didnt use no pin/needle/paperclip etc.. and i never had ANY issues..
Since then, I have bought a few 100 dollar and up RBAs that came with pre-rolled wicks.. I have noticed these wicks looked NOTHING like the ones i made.. They were either thin, hollow wicks ( that ship with the AC9 ) or wicks that were super thin and would leave a little gap in the wick hole ( ZAP, Z-Atty U )
I thought, Ok? I guess i am making my wicks wrong? Since these wicks that i got looked nothing like the wicks i made.. Well ever since i started making wicks like the ones i recieved along with my ZAP, AC9, etc.. I have had nothing but problems!
Dry hits, Burning, nasty taste, leaking, etc.. I never had ONE of these issues when i started making wicks the way i made them?
So with that said, I am going back to the way i use to make the wicks.. A big piece of mesh rolled up as tight as possible fitting smoothly into the wick hole.. I am not sure what the difference makes in the different styles/technics but from my experience, the thin/hollow/small wicks have been nothing but headaches for me.