Sweet Sixteen!
The 16mm lil brother of Estia / Aqua
There are times when we desire going sleek. Thus mods like Gus-G16, GP-Piccolo, Ba-Gua, Chi-Sleek etc. exist, which carry 14xxx batteries in 16mm or 17mm tubes. And so there are RBAs like the Spheroid, Penelope, Aiolos Steam Machine etc. which fit their size. And now the Aiolos-T!
What is it?
The flagship 16mm atty of Gus is their Aiolos Steam Machine, which uses filler material in their tank to hold juice (just like the Spheroid). No More! Here comes the Aiolos-T (T' for Tank) which retains the form but replaces the format. No more filler material. Instead this tank holds e-liquid directly and takes the Aqua route! Looks like the Aiolos-SM but is actually a smaller Estia. Yes, this is a Kayfunish BC-SRTA (Bottom Coiled Silica based Rebuildable Tank Atomizer).
Dimensions & Specs:
1. Width: 16 mm
2. Length : 44 mm
3. Juice Capacity: 2 ml
4. Single coil design
5. Bottom air fed
6. Top Filling (for juice)
7. Adjustable 510 connector
8. All stainless steel construction
9. Pos Pin made of Brass (external, at 510 post)
10. Available in two finishes (Polished and Matte)
Build Quality, Material & Finish
Made of food grade 304 stainless steel the Aiolos-T is a good looking atty. With AIOLOS engraved in its base, Gus logo in centre of the tank and their signature pips on the top-cap ~ the entire visage is pretty classy and means business. Milling and machining is also spot-on as we have come to expect from anything Gus. It comes in two finishes, Polished (shiny) and Matte (brushed) with a future possibility of Sanded (media blasted) finish as well. Mine pictured in this review is two-tone. With the base and top-cap being polished while the tank is brushed.
Assembly and Internals
The Aiolos-T can be disassembled into four main parts. The Base (and Deck), the Chamber & Chimney, the Tank Tube and the Top-Cap. No drip-tip is included. Everything is threaded. Disassembling is pretty simple. Unscrew the top-cap, unscrew the tank and unscrew the the chimney. Just the reverse while assembling.
The Deck
Very similar to the Aqua, the Aiolos-T deck has two posts with an air-hole in between. Over which you build your wick/coil and screw-in the chimney. The only difference between this and the Aqua is that there are just two juice slots (at opposing diagonals) in place of four. Which is bcoz the Aiolos-T is designed for single coils, similar to the Kayfuns.
Unboxing
As of now the mailing option from Gus Mods is only thru courier. Either UPS or by EMS. The packaging is perfect as expected from Gus. Comes in a strong cardboard box and well packed in bubble-wraps. For such a small item I found the packaging to be actually an overkill!
The package consists of the Atty and a Spares Bag containing few O-rings and screws.
BUILD & SETUP
Single Microcoil & Cotton Wick√
Initial Cleaning:
The atty comes neat & clean out of the box, yet as usual I gave it a thorough scrub under soapy water.
Coil Mounting:
28g Kanthal, 8/9 wraps on a 2mm Allen Key, 0.9Ω
NOTE: In this atty the distance between the terminal screws level and the base's air-hole is a bit higher than the Kayfuns. Which is why I chose to attach the coil upside down (see pic insert). That gave me the perfect gap between the coil and the air-hole as I like, which is around 2 mm. This gives me the best VTF.
Ohms check:
Build test fire:
Wick inserted:
Juicing up the wick:
Vapor Test:
Wicks placement:
NOTE: I have tried both methods of placing the wick-tails. One - by keeping it lying under the deck bridge, just like the Kayfuns. And two - by tucking the wick-tails into the vertical juice channels. The first method gave me a dry-hit once a while. But the Aqua method (tucking the tails into the juice channel) gave me no wicking issues. But theres still a caveat! The wick tails should be thinned down and should not touch the floor of the juice slot. Obviously, the tails should not protrude out into the horizontal plane as well.
Filling the tank:
NOTE: The process is exactly like the Aqua (and the Estia). Unscrew the top-cap > fill up > partially screw-in the top-cap > then inverse the atty and screw-in the top-cap fully. Hold it for a minute more (in this same inverse position) > then attach it to your mod ~ and you are ready to go. Important: Do not fill more than 80% of the tank as with any Kayfunish atty.
First Draw!
Next Draw
Vape Experience / THOUGHTS
Im writing this review after a few days of use, with many tanks thru. When built right (needs some experimentation with the wick placement) the Aiolos-T offers a good vape. The vapour production is phenomenal for a tight draw atty. Yes, all 16 / 17 mm RBAs are a bit tight draw ~ but they are typically also gr8 in flavour. So, is this device. Exactly like its predecessor - the Aiolos-SM (and GP Spheroid) you can taste your juice with this mini RBA. TH is off course build dependent ~ but it is spot on as per your nic levels.
Pros √ and Cons X :
Pros: Slim, trim and looks good on 14xxx series mods. Easy to fill and doesnt leak or flood. Enough deck space for an atty of this size - so its easy to setup. Gives good VTF. The exterior finishing & detailing makes it look very classy.
Cons: Placement of wick-tails need experimentation ~ else you will get dry-hits. Also bcoz the gap between the tanks ID and the OD of the chimney being just a hairline - high VG juices could pose a problem in wicking. My 100% VG juice didnt wick at all.
BOTTOMLINE:
This is not a Kayfun. Neither does it claim to be. 16mm RBAs have a special place ~ and that is atop 14xxx battery mods. Which this Aiolos-T does superlatively ~ and with class. This is a looker, a head turner. Which is exactly why I purchased it. Btw, having built it sub-Ohm I am mostly using it atop 18500 (or higher) mods ~ and it looks gorgeous even on them! For the money this RBA is a no brainer. Besides, if you own a 16 mm mod ~ the Aiolos-T might just be unavoidable!
This is a masterstroke by GUS
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Price: 70 Euros
Where: www.gus-mod.gr/zencart
