Problem with iStick Pico 75W

[Eskie]

@Eskie yeah , I understood the power level thing. That's why I kept it at 37watts, which was right around the "middle" of the manufacturers watt-range. I only did 3-4 pulls at 60w for bigger clouds.
I'm new and don't know how liquid,wattage and all this stuff influence the coils life and taste.
And the guy at the store looks like he's selling carots, doesn't know to much about electronic mods.
Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, that's the problem with some stores. The worst part is you typically pay considerably more than from online. Which would be OK if you got some personalized individual education in what you were using and how to use it.

Serious, don't get discouraged despite what seems like way more work than you expected. Once things get settled it's a great, hassle free way to stay away from smoking. Taking things slow is the best way to get long term success. The other thing is you do not need high power to get a nice vape. With the kind of setup you currently have there is zero reason to run at 60W, or even 40W ever. It's not a cloud setup, and if that's what you're after, they sold you the wrong kit. If you just want a nice flavorful vape, you can get this to work.

As to the black in the coil that's gunk which accumulates after use. A burnt coil, where you scorch the cotton, will give you a "dry hit" which is an experience you'll never want to repeat will typically leave the coil pretty unusable after, as the taste lingers. Could you have some burning? Sure, but my money is on too much gunk from a high power run on a sweet juice. Speaking of which, what kind of juice did they overcharge you for sell you?

 

[John Maitre]

How did you cleaned it ?

 

[SteveS45]

How did you cleaned it ?

Because as I said it was only a minor amount of burned e-Liquid on the coil which was vertical and easy to access it I used a toothpick to scrape it and a rinse under hot water and blew out the coil. Then primed it again but it does take a little extra time to get it firing correctly again. It will not work for a coil that has hardened gunk or a actual burned wick.

 

[Vinnybagodoughnuts]

Very good advice in this thread. If you are interested in large clouds you may want to consider a different attomiser. The harder you push the coil and wick the faster you will go through them. There are much better tanks with coils that wick better then the Melo for cloud chasing..Also higher VG juice does not wick as well as PG juice because it's thicker.

 

[Two_Bears]

Hi and thanks for the quick responses.
For @SteveS45 , unde 30w seemed too "slow" for me, I'm kind of cloud-enthusiast for now.
But the coils stated that can be operated from 10 to 80 and from 30 to 100w, so I didn't think that it will be a problem.
@SnapDragon NY , I did all the things you've mentioned, I knew it from a previous basic e-cig, all of it, the primming, the dry hits..

And I did that thing too with changing the wattage to find the perfect flavor.

And the burnt taste didn't arrive from the beggining , soo I don't know if it's a problem of primming the coil.
It arrived gradually.
And for the Ti coil, pure mistery, I can't even vape for 2seconds, it's alll burnt taste.
And if I set it under 180 degrees Celcius, it just shows Temp Protection.

Just because coils are Rated for 80 watts doesnt .mean they will work at 80 watts.

You have to mske sure the wick is COMPLETELY saturated.

The cotton msy be packed too tightly to wick properly.

You may be using an 80-90% VG Juice that is very thick and has wicking issues.

If you are a cloud chaser get s Velocity RDA. Get 3 mm Clapton coils, Wick them with cotton or Rayon. Those may work up to 60-80 watts.

 

[John Maitre]

Speaking of which, what kind of juice did they overcharge you for sell you?

It's smth I think store-brand.
The base is 100% VG Cloud-vape Golden Mellow
and the flavor is also Cloud-vape.

First day I bought it , it was all about the clouds. But in the last few days I switch to more taste than clouds.
Soo the bottom idea is, buy a new Kanthal coil, primer it properly, and try not to use VG juice?

 

[SteveS45]

I only vape High or MAX VG e-Liquids and with proper use IMHO they perform fine. Little tricks like letting off the fire button and continuing to draw helps cool the coil down and prime it for the next hit.

 

[SnapDragon NY]

You'd be better off buying a few 5 packs of the kanthal coils- why just 1 coil ? what do you vape when that coil doesn't work right?
The Melo tank can use the Aspire Atlantis and Triton coils, also the Tobeco coils! I use .5Ω in those coils! I am no cloud chaser- I vape to keep from smoking- and that is what this Pico kit is for! There are better cloud chasing tanks out there , maybe look into those.
I stay on the lower watts too, between 25w-30w otherwise I think it tastes burnt!
I vape 65- 75 vg

 

[Eskie]

It's smth I think store-brand.
The base is 100% VG Cloud-vape Golden Mellow
and the flavor is also Cloud-vape.

First day I bought it , it was all about the clouds. But in the last few days I switch to more taste than clouds.
Soo the bottom idea is, buy a new Kanthal coil, primer it properly, and try not to use VG juice?

100% VG is very hard to get to wick well, especially with a factory coil. They're not manufactured for that, and while with some fiddling around you can get it work it's not an optimal scenario. You can add some distilled water (5-10%) to help thin what you have, but generally 70/30 or 80/20 (for clouds) is about all I'd personally use with a factory coil.

So, if you're dropping the cloud thing an going for flavor then yes, get some more new coils. As @SnapDragon NY points out there are lots of compatible coils available for that tank so trying something else is fine (as long as compatible). Buying in a pack of 5 is a good idea as it's a bit cheaper than individually per coil, and you don't want to run back to the store or order something online with rush delivery because you need a new coil.

Do that, prime the coil well, let the thinner juice soak in, start out low power ~10W (I know you'll probably get no hit at all, but it's OK, you're just helping to break in the coil), then work your up a few watts at a time. You'll probably find your own sweet spot, and could be 25-45W depending on the coil, juice, and personal preference. Be aware coils still get dirty and need replacing at a rate based on the juice and how much of it you vape per day. Figure an average of a week before it's too gunked to taste right.

 

[John Maitre]

@SnapDragon NY there are like 2 or 3 store in the hole city that sells this type of tanks/coils, and they don't offer special price for the 5pack, soo one or five is the same.
I'll just make sure I have one to spare.

I'll finish this juice and go for one with some Pg in it.
And for the Aspire Atlantis and the other coils, I'll have to search for them in my country.
Or find some guy who knows this stuff in my city..

 

[Two_Bears]

I only vape High or MAX VG e-Liquids and with proper use IMHO they perform fine. Little tricks like letting off the fire button and continuing to draw helps cool the coil down and prime it for the next hit.

I used tge same trick on the GMini to combat the condensation problem falling on top of the mod.

 

[daviedog]

Do you know any way to lower the wattage in TC mode?
It's says 75w , and the Ti coil it's supposed to go at 60w max.
But I can't find a way to lower the wattage in TC mode.

Yes,,go to preferred TC mode,,click 4 times rapidly,,watts will appear. Set wattage.
Wattage in TC mode sets the ramp up to chosen temperture. Try around 25 watts. 75 watts would be dreadful..

 

[John Maitre]

Yes,,go to preferred TC mode,,click 4 times rapidly,,watts will appear. Set wattage.
Wattage in TC mode sets the ramp up to chosen temperture. Try around 25 watts. 75 watts would be dreadful..

Thank you soooo much.. I'll try it right away

 

[KenD]

Do you know any way to lower the wattage in TC mode?
It's says 75w , and the Ti coil it's supposed to go at 60w max.
But I can't find a way to lower the wattage in TC mode.

Click the fire button four times when in tc mode. That'll let you adjust the power. Whatever the power though your coil shouldn't burn at 180℃. Are you sure you set it up correctly? Tc in titanium mode and make sure that the resistance is properly read at room temperature.

Sent from my K6000 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[Vinnybagodoughnuts]

@SnapDragon NY there are like 2 or 3 store in the hole city that sells this type of tanks/coils, and they don't offer special price for the 5pack, soo one or five is the same.
I'll just make sure I have one to spare.

I'll finish this juice and go for one with some Pg in it.
And for the Aspire Atlantis and the other coils, I'll have to search for them in my country.
Or find some guy who knows this stuff in my city..

If you want better flavor then absolutely go with a higher pg juice as pg is a better carrier for flavor then vg.This will also help with your wicking problems.Good luck!

 

[John Maitre]

Click the fire button four times when in tc mode. That'll let you adjust the power. Whatever the power though your coil shouldn't burn at 180℃. Are you sure you set it up correctly? Tc in titanium mode and make sure that the resistance is properly read at room temperature.

Sent from my K6000 Pro using Tapatalk

Yes, I set it up correctly.. I didn't adjust the wattage.

 

[SnapDragon NY]

@SnapDragon NY there are like 2 or 3 store in the hole city that sells this type of tanks/coils, and they don't offer special price for the 5pack, soo one or five is the same.
I'll just make sure I have one to spare.

I'll finish this juice and go for one with some Pg in it.
And for the Aspire Atlantis and the other coils, I'll have to search for them in my country.
Or find some guy who knows this stuff in my city..

I have the same problem with only two vapes shops in my town- so I save time and money and order everything online- like FT when they have a big sale, I stock up! Maybe your vape shop they will offer you a discount if you buy 5 piece coil set since they are pretty much sold that way! I am not sure if you can order online in your country?
Sounds like you are getting great advice and hope you are able to solve your problem!
Best of Luck to you!

 

[John Maitre]

I have the same problem with only two vapes shops in my town- so I save time and money and order everything online- like FT when they have a big sale, I stock up! Maybe your vape shop they will offer you a discount if you buy 5 piece coil set since they are pretty much sold that way! I am not sure if you can order online in your country?
Sounds like you are getting great advice and hope you are able to solve your problem!
Best of Luck to you!

Online, I have to order from the same shops.. So it's the same thing. 5pcs with discount I can get only from china and wait 2months for them.
And I save 5dolars comparative with buying one by one from my shop.
I can't thank you all enough for all the help.
You're a great community.

 

[Smoke_too_much]

Yes,,go to preferred TC mode,,click 4 times rapidly,,watts will appear. Set wattage.
Wattage in TC mode sets the ramp up to chosen temperture. Try around 25 watts. 75 watts would be dreadful..

Oh so that's what that wattage setting does. I usually just leave mine at 75 watts because I couldn't see that changing this setting was making any difference. Thanks for the info.

 

[daviedog]

Oh so that's what that wattage setting does. I usually just leave mine at 75 watts because I couldn't see that changing this setting was making any difference. Thanks for the info.

It's a nice tweak to fine tune your vape. A lot of Mods, while doing TC don't have the option..