Any one else have this problem? (Kick 2)

[AttyPops]

I don't know how else to say it. The cut off shouldn't hit at 3.6v in well under 2 hours of vaping, it should hit at 2.6v. If I slap the same battery in my VW mod on 15w with a 1.2Ω dual coil, it lasts 3/4 of the day. Put it in with the kick2 and it lasts an hour and a half.

OK, so that's 4.2 volts, 1.2 ohms, 15 watts, 3.54 amps. Not counting the efficiency losses in the circuitry.

To bump that battery up to 4.2 volts all the time (the voltage drops as it's used) it has to draw more and more amps to boost it up to snuff.

You're getting a more "even" vape. However, you're also depleating the battery faster as the trade off. A "pure mech" like dr g is saying, will start at 4.2 but will drop pretty quickly to lower voltages...thus being more efficient in the long run as less amps are used not more amps.

Maybe calculate for 3.7 volts. Or even 3.6 volts.

3.7 volts on a 1.2 ohm coil is 11.4 watts
3.6 volts on a 1.2 ohm coils is 10.8 watts

Also, the coil wire makes a huge difference. The real heavy gauge wire takes a lot just to get it to heat. You're better off with a slightly lower gauge wire if that's the case. It will work at 8 or 10 watts easily.

It's all trade-offs.

What wire are you using? I'm using 30 ga wire and it lasts forever and works fine in my RBA and on a regulated mod and I don't have to try to heat a coat-hanger sized wire (). And a set of batteries (this is a 2xAA box mod with 14500's) lasts me over a day.

YMMV. But you have to be aware of the trade offs.

Also...search for "micro coil".

 

[AttyPops]

BTW...it's fine to let your battery go down to 3.60/3.59 volts.

Most of the useful range of a Li-Ion and IMR battery is in the 3.7/3.6 volt range. Those that make their coils for the top end only are missing out on a lot of useful life. I'd make the coil for a 3.7 volt "ideal". The top end would be a bit hot, but the normal range would work well. And I'd charge it when it got below 3.6. Still not reducing the useful life much really. It's when you go down real low that makes a huge difference IMO (although I don't have data handy). Charge cycles matter too. So there must be some trade-off. I'd like to see a study on that one with those ranges specifically.

 

[HughDaHand]

I have been using my Kick 2 for about a week now. It cuts off my AR IMR 18350's at 3.5V and my panny 18650's off at 3.3V. I think the voltage on the 18350's sags a little more under load. At my vape pace I get about 10 hours out of the 18350's, that same 18350 will last 7 hours in my Vamo if i'm lucky, and that is letting the vamo take the battery down to 3.2V. That is with both set at 8W and with boge LR carto's.

 

[dr g]

I have been using my Kick 2 for about a week now. It cuts off my AR IMR 18350's at 3.5V and my panny 18650's off at 3.3V. I think the voltage on the 18350's sags a little more under load. At my vape pace I get about 10 hours out of the 18350's, that same 18350 will last 7 hours in my Vamo if i'm lucky, and that is letting the vamo take the battery down to 3.2V. That is with both set at 8W and with boge LR carto's.

It's a little bit misleading to think about it as cutting off at 3.5v and 3.3v ... it's really cutting them both off at the same voltage. The unloaded voltage doesn't really matter, it's the loaded voltage that determines everything.

 

[eHuman]

Update while waiting on a call from Brandon at Evolv:


Excerpt of the email I sent to Brandon to describe the conditions of operation:

I am using a Fluke 87 III true RMS multi-meter to record voltage and resistance values.
MOD: EA clone with gold plated contacts.
RBA: Nimbus V2 clone, dual coil RDA
LOAD: Dual 2.2Ω coils. 1.1Ω load
BATTERY: Efest 18500 IMR
Kick2 wattage setting: Max ~15w

When the kick 2 started pulsing the output indicating that low voltage protection circuitry was active, I performed and observed the following conditions.
1. Static voltage (no load) of battery 3.65v
2. Placed battery back in same MOD, using same RBA, same coil/load without kick2: Measured voltage drop @ 3.39v

Both of my kick 2s do this although the 2nd one as of last measurement cutoff at 3.55v static.

Reading kick 2 specs on your website is states:
low battery cutoff: 2.7 Volts loaded

Same battery/PV/RBA and coil minus the Kick2 and I am getting .26v drop from 3.65v to 3.39v I.E. 3.39v under load. Still a fair distance away from the 2.7v loaded value that the spec calls for.