Variable Voltage vs. Variable Wattage: Which is better and why?

[BiffRocko]

With the introduction of the Darwin and, more recently, the Kick, Evolv has changed the face of the APV market by introducing variable wattage APV's. This has led to much confusion about whether variable voltage or variable wattage is the better technology and why.

A long technical discussion regarding variable voltage versus variable wattage got me thinking about this subject in depth today. I feel it's time to offer an informed opinion on this matter, and explain why I believe variable wattage is the superior technology.

Some of you may have read my post on high powered vaping. For those who haven't, or for those who aren't quite sure how a PV works, give it a read.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...w-plus-bit-electronic-theory.html#post1988870

For the lazy, here's a quick recap of that post and the knowledge we need to take from it to understand why variable wattage is indeed the superior technology.

Our vaping experience consists of a number of variables including the temperature of the vapor, the flavor of our juice when vaped at a particular temperature, and the amount of vapor produced. The amount of heat at the coil in our attys or cartos is what determines this vaping experience.

In electronic terms, wattage determines the amount of heat produced at the coil of our PVs. We control the wattage produced by our PVs by changing either the resistance or voltage in the electronic circuit.

To explain why variable wattage is better, we also need to consider what's commonly termed as user experience. Everyone is familiar with user experience whether they realize it or not. We're surrounded by it all day long. Our computers, cell phones, TV's, and gaming consoles all provide a user experience. Even something as mundane as a refrigerator provides a user experience. User experience is quite simply the overall experience you have using some sort of device.

Evaluating a device's user experience often boils down to one question. How easy is it for a user to interact with the device and achieve the desired results? Let's take a look at VV versus VW and examine their user experiences.

To make this examination, we'll compare two users. One who uses VV and one who uses VW. Both users prefer the same atty that is rated by the manufacturer at 3.0 ohms. For purposes of comparison, we'll also assume they use the same liquid and prefer identical vaping experiences.

Our variable wattage user sets their device to 10.1 watts. Our variable voltage user dials their PV to 5.5v which produces the same 10.1 watts when using a 3.0 ohm atty. (The VV device actually produces 10.08 watts, but it's close enough for this comparison.) Before our little experiment begins, we measure the resistance of their attys and find them to be an exact 3.0 ohms each.

Both of our users happily vape away on these same attys for a week and have identical experiences. The next week, we give them two new attys. They swap the old for the new, and leave their devices set to 5.5v and 10.1 watts respectively.

Our variable wattage user continues to vape at their desired level of heat, experiencing the same vape with the new atty as they did with the old. The variable voltage user notices something different about their vape though. It seems hotter and the juice tastes "burnt".

The VV user wonders what happened? He knows that 5.5v is his preferred setting from being in vaping bliss for the past week. What's changed this time around?

Astute readers may have noticed that we forgot to measure the resistance of the new attys. We take measurements of both attys, and find that the VW user's atty is coming in at 3.1 ohms. When we measure the resistance of our VV user's new atty, we find it to only be 2.7 ohms.

We do the math and find that the VV user has been vaping at 11.2 watts. A 1.1 watt difference might not seem like much, but it in actuality there is a tangible performance difference. We do some more math and find that to get back to our 10.1 watts, we need to adjust our voltage down to 5.2v. Once this adjustment is made, our VV user is back in vaping heaven getting their preferred amount of heat at the coil.

In the end, both users were able to achieve the same vaping experience, but the path to get there was much easier for the VW user. They only needed to set the wattage once and forget about it. The VV user needed to measure the resistance of each atty, do some math, and adjust the voltage to achieve the same experience.

If that doesn't convince you, here's a real world example of why VW provides a better user experience. I've been vaping my Darwin with the same Cisco 306 3.0 ohm atty for several weeks now. I always vape at 12.7 watts. The Darwin displays the resistance of the atty or carto on its LCD screen. Today, I happened to look at the resistance on the screen for the first time since I started using this atty. It's not a 3.0 ohm atty. It's actually a mislabeled 1.5 ohm atty.

However, my vaping experience didn't change. I would never have known it was a mislabeled atty if I didn't look at it today. If I had a VV device set to 6.1v, which would approximately produce my desired 12.7 watts with a 3.0 ohm atty, I would have put out 24.8 watts at the coil and popped that sucker on the first button press.

So there you have it, folks. Hope this helps those on the fence to make a decision between VV and VW.

 

[tinstar15]

I agree with about 95% of what you stated. The only factor in which I differ is that variable wattage works fine if all your preferred liquids vape well at a certain setting with certain cartos/attys. I like to use some of my fruity flavored liquids at 8~ ish watts. My tobaccos, I prefer 11 watts. Mentholated liquids I like at 10. I have a root beer flavor that only tastes right at 10.5 watts, .5 watts difference in either direction makes it taste bizarre. I also use cartos/attys in three different resistances and 6 different styles, each one has it's own preferred liquid and wattage setting.

With the Darwin, I'd be changing settings just as often as I do with any of the VV devices I own. If I used one flavor all day then it wouldn't be much of an issue. I use zero nic mostly and occasionally an 8 or 16/18mg nic liquid on occasion when my blood pressure is tanking on me. Flavors get boring after a few hours so I rotate, quite often if I'm not doing anything. If I'm out and about, I'll have two or three spare carto tanks loaded with different flavors, each has it's own preferred voltage level. Sometimes I bump up the voltage just for a little extra kick. With a Darwin, that's not too difficult to do. With a Kick, it's a tad more complicated.

In the end, it's not the tech. It's the effect. Each person is different, so experience becomes completely subjective.

 

[DPLongo22]

I agree with about 95% of what you stated. The only factor in which I differ is that variable wattage works fine if all your preferred liquids vape well at a certain setting with certain cartos/attys. I like to use some of my fruity flavored liquids at 8~ ish watts. My tobaccos, I prefer 11 watts. Mentholated liquids I like at 10. I have a root beer flavor that only tastes right at 10.5 watts, .5 watts difference in either direction makes it taste bizarre. I also use cartos/attys in three different resistances and 6 different styles, each one has it's own preferred liquid and wattage setting.

With the Darwin, I'd be changing settings just as often as I do with any of the VV devices I own. If I used one flavor all day then it wouldn't be much of an issue. I use zero nic mostly and occasionally an 8 or 16/18mg nic liquid on occasion when my blood pressure is tanking on me. Flavors get boring after a few hours so I rotate, quite often if I'm not doing anything. If I'm out and about, I'll have two or three spare carto tanks loaded with different flavors, each has it's own preferred voltage level. Sometimes I bump up the voltage just for a little extra kick. With a Darwin, that's not too difficult to do. With a Kick, it's a tad more complicated.

In the end, it's not the tech. It's the effect. Each person is different, so experience becomes completely subjective.

I was going to say something similar, but tinstar15 beat me to the punch. I too find that different watts, as with volts, perform differently for the variety of tanks & cartos I use. So it really comes down to (a) which juice, and (b) which delivery device (for me). That combination determines which voltage (and/or wattage) I prefer at the time.

The bottom line is whatever gets you where you want to go is probably doing its job. And you do, of course, need to know where you're going. Or, at the very least, the neighborhood you wish to visit.

 

[markfm]

I live in the "good enough" zone. I'm a numbers person by profession, but frankly vape to replace smoking cigarettes, a low tech activity.

I'm entirely content with vv that just has a dial to adjust voltage up or down. I'll nudge the voltage either way a couple times a day, depending on if I want a bit more or less oomph throughput the day; this is using precisely the same atty and eliquid. My devices don't display voltage, resistance, power, or the latest winning mega millions number.

Equally I own an 18650 bottom feeder that I like at work, am quite happy with it. It looks really nice, fits the environment, and while I can't tweak the voltage the large feed bottle and high mAh battery give me a totally simple functional system, appropriate for the use. Sure it runs warmer early on, but that is a time when I tend to want more power, and the great majority of the day is spent at about 8.5 - 9.5w, a fine zone for my eliquid. No electronics to break, other than that I use a protected battery.

I also have one tiny key ring pv. Relatively short run time, no user control, but perfect as a stealth unit.

Net, whatever fits a situation, works for a user, is what matters. Personally, in my variable gear I like to tweak it a couple times a day, on the fly, and a kick would drive me nuts; that doesn't make it bad, just not for me.

 

[Eddie.Willers]

I had long suspected that VW was the superior technology due to the variable being discussed.
Don't get me wrong, the Darwin is a fine device - but I think I'll wait until the control electronics are packed into a tube mod that has user-changeable batteries...can't be long now!

 

[BiffRocko]

With the Darwin, I'd be changing settings just as often as I do with any of the VV devices I own. If I used one flavor all day then it wouldn't be much of an issue.

This misses the point I'm making. Obviously if you prefer to vape different liquids at different temperature levels (wattages), you're going to have to make adjustments on your device. With VV, you're also going to have to measure each atty/carto that you use, do the math to find the right voltage for your desired temperature, then adjust your voltage up or down to achieve it. A VW user will not. In fact, I think you made my point even stronger. Since you vape at 4 different wattages, you have to do that math 4 times and remember new preferred voltages for each of the flavors you vape.

In regards to the Kick though, I agree with you. For someone who uses multiple juices, it would provide a diminished user experience over any device that has external controls for adjusting wattage or voltage. That's not exactly an apples to apples comparison though. If a drop in VV device existed and we compared it to the Kick, I'd rate the Kick as the better user experience for it's ability to regulate the same output power without user adjustment and regardless of the atty/carto's resistance.

Don't get me wrong, the Darwin is a fine device - but I think I'll wait until the control electronics are packed into a tube mod that has user-changeable batteries...can't be long now!

With the introduction of the DNA from Evolv, they are coming.

 

[six]

This misses the point I'm making. Obviously if you prefer to vape different liquids at different temperature levels (wattages), you're going to have to make adjustments on your device. With VV, you're also going to have to measure each atty/carto that you use, do the math to find the right voltage for your desired temperature, then adjust your voltage up or down to achieve it. A VW user will not. In fact, I think you made my point even stronger. Since you vape at 4 different wattages, you have to do that math 4 times and remember new preferred voltages for each of the flavors you vape.

Well. No. Specifically for VV devices using trim pots, I find no need at all to meter my attys or cartos before use. I do no math. I doubt anyone would feel such a need.

It goes like this:
Start low - vape - turn the wheel - vape - bump the wheel a tiny bit one way or the other- vape - ahhh! perfect! --- No meter and no math necessary.

While Evolv's implementation of VW is a more complex technology than VV with a trim pot, I'm unconvinced that 'more advanced' automatically equals 'superior'. I'm certain that it is indeed excellent, but I'm also certain that I enjoy physical control and the ability to adjust without even looking at the device.

 

[kingcobra]

It's really the wattage that we care about, and VW lets us set that directly across hardware, where with VV you are just controlling one of the variables, the voltage, without taking into account the other variable that determines the heat, which is the resistance. So there's really no argument that fumbling around with voltages can possibly be better or even as good. You would have to continually monitor the resistance of your atties and keep a freakin calculator and notebook handy to get the same result. Moreover, resistances can even change intra-vape especially if you chain vape and that is beyond the means of VV.

For me, by the way, it's a matter of being able to turn down the watts, not turn them up, but I want a consistant 5 watts or whatever, not just a certain amount of volts that I have to keep checking.

Having said all that though it's not a real big deal to use VV although all other things being equal, I've no idea why people would want to use this. However things aren't equal as we know

 

[tinstar15]

The main problem with VV vs VW is that people seem to get hung up on the math. The math isn't really all that much of an issue. Technically speaking, every device is variable wattage. You have amps, watts, ohms, and volts in the equation. Changing one of the variables changes the others. If I take a fixed voltage regulated mod and add a LR atty, I changed the watts. The main thing is the FEATURES of the VW devices, not the ability to change the wattage.

Since the Darwin is able to detect and auto adjust the voltage to maintain the same watt output, it has a neat feature that some will find desirable. Change attys or cartos and it gives you the same wattage. It's really great for people who have a stockpile of various attys or cartos in various resistances using one flavor. Using different liquids and knowing the watt range they work well at is easier to keep track of.

IMO, as long as you have adjustment control over one or more of the variables, it's fine. Incorporating a feature like auto-adjusting voltages to maintain wattage is a great feature but it's not the be-all/end-all of features. Some people like to fiddle with stuff, some don't.

I know what settings each of my juices like depending on what they're in. I don't need to whip out a calculator to figure out what voltage to set. If I've been using one all day and it just doesn't kick as well as it did earlier, I just notch up the volts a bit.

At the end of all these VW/VV discussions, it still ends up not dealing with the one most inconsistent variable in anything vaping related....the human being on the vaping end of the device. Some people like one thing, some don't. Some have inexhaustible sources of funding, some are rolling pennies for ramen noodles. I like dripping on some devices, I also like tanks, dual coils, single coils, fixed voltage, variable voltage, big batteries, small batteries, wood box mods, tube mods, and even the ubiquitous eGo. I switch devices to suit my mood and situation. Same with juices. There is no one APV in my collection that I believe is the ultimate device. I also have about 8 or so different heating element/feed setups (carto tanks, attys, LR, SR etc.). No one of them is "the best", but each one has it's own charm.

One other point. Having it change your voltages automatically is nice but, historically speaking, it will always cost more to have something done for you when compared to doing it yourself.

 

[six]

So there's really no argument that fumbling around with voltages can possibly be better or even as good. You would have to continually monitor the resistance of your atties and keep a freakin calculator and notebook handy to get the same result. Moreover, resistances can even change intra-vape especially if you chain vape and that is beyond the means of VV.

There are factors that neither method can account for. For instance, the time it takes for the coil to get to temperature - the time it takes for the coil to cool down - the thermal mass surrounding the coil (juice mostly, but also the ceramic cup and steel wool type wicking materials) and how long it takes to overcome that thermal state - the design of the atty or carto in regards to how quickly and accurately juice is fed to the coil etc etc etc. So, it's a hard sell to say the minute changes in resistance that occur while the coil heats and cools make much difference to the user experience.

As an easy example of just one item I mentioned: Most of my 306's are still audibly hissing (still vaporizing juice) for a noticeable period of time after I release the button. It takes them just a little bit of time to cool to the point they are no longer vaporizing. That's the same with a VV mod, a mechanical mod, or my kicked rough stack.

 

[tinstar15]

On a slightly different note....the Darwin is a great concept with really great features. The one thing I'm still wanting to see with Evolv is if they will come out with a tube style VW that has a button type interface instead of the wheel type dial. The only downsides that the Darwin had IMO was the swing arm (neat idea but not very tank friendly) and the non user replaceable battery. The battery isn't really a big issue since it's not likely to need a new battery for a considerable length of time, but it's often nice to have a separate spare battery for extended use when out of range of a power source. I suppose I could use a rechargeable USB backup battery if it was really necessary. The wheel adjustment isn't all that bad either, I just prefer buttons to knobs and wheels. I did really like the display on the one I played with. The one big advantage of the Darwin over the Kick is that the Kick maxes out at 10w, the Darwin pushes a little more.

I had hoped that Evolv would up the wattage on the Kicks eventually but I'm guessing that it probably wasn't possible from an engineering standpoint. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Darwin didn't seem to work very well with the dual coil stuff IIRC. I wasn't using any back then, but I use them quite often now. I think a few tweaks and a different form factor (tube instead of semi-box) might make it perfect for me. That's assuming they can keep up with demand. Hunting down a Darwin almost classifies as a career choice. At least Kick's are slightly easier to find.

 

[BiffRocko]

It goes like this:
Start low - vape - turn the wheel - vape - bump the wheel a tiny bit one way or the other- vape - ahhh! perfect! --- No meter and no math necessary.

So, in other words, trial and error. How is that a better experience than just setting your favorite number for a given flavor/atty combination and having it vape just how you like it?

I'm not saying it can't or doesn't work. I'm just saying there's a whole lot less fiddling with VW.

The main problem with VV vs VW is that people seem to get hung up on the math.

Exactly my point. There is no math with VW. There is no trial and error. Remember the wattage you like, set it, and your experience will be consistent.

I realize people have different preferences. I've said it myself dozens of times here on ECF. I'm sure there are some people out there who enjoy the trial and error thing or doing the math, but I'd wager they are in the minority.

I think a few tweaks and a different form factor (tube instead of semi-box) might make it perfect for me. That's assuming they can keep up with demand. Hunting down a Darwin almost classifies as a career choice. At least Kick's are slightly easier to find.

I didn't realize how lucky I was when I posted my WTB a Darwin ad. I was contacted within a day by someone who had two and was looking to get rid of one.

I would love to see a tube Darwin, but I'm not holding my breath. Evolv seem to be focusing on making themselves a huge force in the industry with products like the DNA as opposed to targeting direct to consumer sales. That being the case, I'll most likely get a Kick, probably with Pure Smoker's Legacy Mini. The size of the Darwin is my biggest complaint about it. I much prefer smaller PVs. I absolutely love the form factor of my Icon.

 

[six]

So, in other words, trial and error. How is that a better experience than just setting your favorite number for a given flavor/atty combination and having it vape just how you like it?

I'm not saying it can't or doesn't work. I'm just saying there's a whole lot less fiddling with VW.

How did you figure out your favorite number? Trial and error, or just a guess? Am I understanding you correctly that you are saying you have one wattage number for any device you use with any juice you use and that's it? If so:

If you like every juice in any atty or carto at exactly the same wattage, then I suppose you're right... but to be honest, I think it would be a little bit weird because my tastebuds and throat tell me that there are big differences in what vapes well in what device at this or that wattage. Not everything is going to produce the best user experience at exactly this or that exact number of watts. If I have "brand X flavor juice from Y vendor" and I'm using it in both "Z brand carto and in W brand atty" both being whatever ohms... they aren't going to perform identically or taste perfect at whatever wattage number. They'll be different, and it's really likely that each device will benefit from being at a different wattage number from the other.

Saying something like "My perfect wattage for every juice there is in any atty or carto is exactly 9.5 watts" would cause others to shake their head a little and wonder where the "variable" portion of 'variable wattage' or 'variable voltage' had gone from my equipment. They'd probably also want to explain to me that a better experience might be had if I try this or that juice in this or that atty/carto at some other wattage.

Now, if I misunderstood and you do in fact make use of the variability for different devices and different juices, then I'm seriously at a loss to understand what you mean by more or less "fiddling". Using my VVPV, my REO VVW, or a Madvapes VV box, to get the flavor and throat hit I want, I turn the wheel a little. Setting aside the hassle of taking the top off my kicked mod to make changes - I still have to turn a trim pot and even need to use a tool. With your Darwin, don't you also turn a wheel?

 

[BiffRocko]

Yes. You are misunderstanding what I said. I'm not saying that all flavors in all attys or cartos should be vaped at the exact same wattage, and obviously to change the wattage or voltage a control must be adjusted.

What I'm saying is that once I figure out that 18mg RY5 in a Cisco 306 3.0 ohm atty vapes the best for me at 12.7 watts, I can dial that setting in each time I use that combination and get the same experience. If I decide to switch to a Cisco 306 1.5 ohm with the same RY5, I know to dial the wattage down to 9.8 watts because they tend to have a bit more throat hit than the 3.0 ohms.

I don't ever have to know the actual resistance of my atty or do the math to figure out the right voltage to get my desired wattage. I don't have to "Start low - vape - turn the wheel - vape - bump the wheel a tiny bit one way or the other- vape - ahhh! perfect!"

I turn the dial to set my preferred wattage for the flavor and atty I'm vaping and ahhh! perfect!

 

[six]

What I'm saying is that once I figure out that 18mg RY5 in a Cisco 306 3.0 ohm atty vapes the best for me at 12.7 watts, I can dial that setting in each time I use that combination and get the same experience. If I decide to switch to a Cisco 306 1.5 ohm with the same RY5, I know to dial the wattage down to 9.8 watts because they tend to have a bit more throat hit than the 3.0 ohms.

I don't ever have to know the actual resistance of my atty or do the math to figure out the right voltage to get my desired wattage.

You and I go about our vaping a little bit differently. For instance, it sounds like you change attys or cartos often. I don't. The mod in front of me right now has had the exact same atty on it since 3/19 of this year and I only remove it once a week or so for cleaning. Then it goes right back on the same PV. That same atty spent from 1/24 to 3/19 on a tube mod. So, just considering the atty, I went almost two months without ever swapping a different device on the end of that PV. So, having attys that last 5+ months means there will be few opportunities for me to consider putting on another atty or a carto. When that atty someday dies, I'll have to start low vape - turn the wheel - (etc). The rest of the time, I don't have any need or reason to put on a different atty. So, something that might affect probably not even 15-20 seconds of my time perhaps twice a year doesn't qualify as any sort of "fiddling" to me. It's insignificant.

Part of the reason I vape differently than you is because the most used two of my four VV/VW are feeders. When I'm carrying variable voltage, 99% of the time it's a feeder. While you have the easy ability to just switch cartos whenever you want, it isn't quite so simple to do that with a feeder/atty combination. It involves swapping bottles and sometimes a couple of maintenance chores like blowing out the tube and blowing out the atty. So, that's a big part of why I seldom need to change attys/cartos.

So, I suppose it's a big part of why that feature doesn't appeal to me very much. It's why I can't look at it as superior in any way. I'm very unlikely to change resistance. I seldom have the opportunity or need to do so. So, I don't have to remember any numbers that correspond to my favorite setting for the device and juice.

There is a similarity in all this, however. The dial is color coded on my two most used PVs. It's marked at 3.5v, 4.5v, and 5.5v. Functionally, it isn't that much different than the darwin display telling you your number of watts you've chosen. Up is warmer - down is cooler. I think they are intended as much as being reference points as to where the wheel is turned to as they are to express some indication of a power setting.

And we also see the equation differently. When I look at an ohms law calculator, I don't look for the formula that ends in watts of power output first. The first formula I generally pay attention to for e-cig related stuff is the one that ends with amp draw. Then I think about volts. I never really care about watts of power except when calculating for dual coils and then I'm still calculating amp draw before I think about watts. There are 12 common formulas in ohms law. The two or three that I focus on are not the same two or three formulas you focus on... and that leaves room for others even who will look at it differently than either one of us.

 

[BiffRocko]

You and I go about our vaping a little bit differently. For instance, it sounds like you change attys or cartos often.

Actually, I vape only one flavor out of the same type of atty all the time. The only reason I know the bit about 3.0 ohm vs 1.5 ohm attys is because my battery life was terrible using the Darwin with 1.5 ohm attys. I switched to 3.0 ohm attys after talking to other Darwin owners who suggested my poor battery life was a result of using LR attys.

The reason I own a Darwin because I want a consistent experience without any hassel.

I'm very unlikely to change resistance. I seldom have the opportunity or need to do so. So, I don't have to remember any numbers that correspond to my favorite setting for the device and juice.

You do understand that just because an atty or carto is rated for a particular resistance value, in actuality there is a variation in resistance between attys, right? You can buy two brand X attys rated at Y ohms and they will probably meter differently. For example, the 1.5 ohm rated atty I'm using on my Icon (my primary backup PV) right now actually meters at 1.2 ohms. Ignoring the fact that my Icon's voltage output is changing over the battery's charge, when I run that atty on a 3.7v battery it's putting out at 11.4 watts instead of the 9.1 watts it would be running at if it was truly 1.5 ohms.

And we also see the equation differently. When I look at an ohms law calculator, I don't look for the formula that ends in watts of power output first. [

This is the other part where we're having a disconnect. Wattage is the number we can look at to determine the amount of heat that's going to dissipate through the coil. The amount of heat determines the flavor, throat hit, and volume of vapor. Amperage will not provide this indication as there is not a directly proportional relationship to wattage.

I threw together a quick spreadsheet to demonstrate these numbers.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amq8_blR5LladGFldHhWUUdVTkNwM09ETTlRZXU2SXc#gid=0

If a consistent vape is what we're after, wattage is what we want to pay attention to. I will concede that not every vaper is going to care about having a consistent experience, but those that don't probably aren't using VV or VW since the whole purpose of using VV or VW is to tailor your experience. Or they don't understand the math and how it relates to the vaping experience.

 

[retird]

Oh well, yet another VV/VW discussion.....nice thread here.....this discussion has been vetted constantly since VW came about with the Darwin....then the Kick...then the DNA....

Only comment to add is that I have used mechanical mods, VV mods, and the Darwin......I settled on the Darwin over 15 months ago...never looked back....I like simplicity...same carto, 3 juices....same device....set it and forget it....matters not whether the carto is 2.7 ohm or 3.0 ohm....no fiddling with changing batteries...vape all day, charge overnight...no fuss, no muss...

I know we each find our "happy place", whether it is VV or VW.....I found mine in the Darwin.....

 

[six]

If a consistent vape is what we're after, wattage is what we want to pay attention to. I will concede that not every vaper is going to care about having a consistent experience, but those that don't probably aren't using VV or VW since the whole purpose of using VV or VW is to tailor your experience. Or they don't understand the math and how it relates to the vaping experience.

I've found that consistency has a just as much to do with how well any particular device delivers juice to the coil as it does with feeding that coil regulated voltage. - You make it sound like there are some seriously wild fluctuations in ohms while the atty is in use on the PV, and that really isn't true. Those fluctuations are miniscule and insignificant.

.no fiddling with changing batteries....

Now *there* is a feature I have indeed come to appreciate. I don't change batteries in my VVPV. And, the charger is pass-through so that PV can be used any time. I've never really thought of my batteries as being any sort of a problem to charge and pop in and out of the devices I own, but it turned out that I really do like a PV with a charging port.

 

[tinstar15]

I'm still trying to see where the debate in this is.

Both VV and VW are the same thing. Provari, LT, Vmaxx, Darwin.....in the end result they all perform the same function. They all vary the voltage of the device. The main difference comes down to automation. The Darwin monitors resistance and varies the voltage to maintain a watts setting. The Provari Vmaxx and some LTs have the ability to show the user the resistance and the user varies the volts. I know most folks who use VV or high voltage devices that I've met never even thought about wattage until the Darwin came out. The watts levels posted earlier that I prefer came from me knowing what voltage setting I prefer for my daily use. I know what resistance my stuff runs at. I just used my phones watt's calculator app to work out the numbers for the benefit of the OP. I personally never think in terms of watts since my device doesn't adjust in those terms. I see no hassle in a couple of button presses.

The only thing that sets the Darwin apart from any other VV devices is the automation of the VV function. So technically everyone here is fixing to start a war fighting on the same side. The set-n-forget function is neat. To my knowledge the Darwin is the only "device" that does this currently. There is the Kick module, but I consider that an add on accessory to an existing device.

So, by that rationale, the only purpose that is served by threads like this to start a Darwin vs Provari vs Vmaxx vs LT post war. What makes up the one perfect device varies depending on the end user. Some like analog look a likes, some like D cell flashlight sized devices. Starting threads claiming "one device to rule them all" is just asking for a breakdown in discussion and a start of fight.

 

[Slurp812]

I have a provari, and yes, I use some math once in a while. I use single coil cartos, and its super easy. The calculations (if you care to do them) will show this works great. All you do is to take the carto ohms, and add 2 to set the voltage. 1.7 ohm carto = 3.7 volts. 2.2 ohm carto, 4.2 volts. 3.0 ohm carto, 5.0 volts. This will get me very close to the 8 watt sweet spot. This does have a flaw in that at the higher ranges (like the 3.0 ohm) you will be a bit higher in wattage. So for a 3.0, I usually start @ 4.9 volts. I cant take credit for this, I got it from another user here on EFC, and cant remember his name...