Aro Head Users - Feedback Please?

[Trayce]

Wondering how many people who are using Aro heads are experiencing leaking on to the pin?

If so, have you been able to modify the wick setup to prevent it?

I get some leakage on all the Aro heads I've used to date (only about 6, but it's 6 for 6). I'm using them in 2 Aro tanks and a PT2. I've rebuilt a few using different methods to get a fatter wick thinking that might prevent it. But using 2 types of cotton yarn and also bending standard silica over on itself for a double-wick didn't make a difference.

Adding flavor wicks seemed to have prevented the leaking (I think) but I couldn't get a proper hit so I removed one, then the other one as it was gurgling/flooding. So it was a short test.

 

[DavidOck]

Just ordered a glass Aro and spare heads, so just a stab in the dark...

What did you use for flavor wick? I've had good luck with one strand of cotton yarn, on evod, PT and T3 heads, so maybe...

I tend to replace them when I need to inspect the coil, as they gunk up, are cheap and easy to replace.

 

[Trayce]

I tried a small strand of silica and also cotton (balls). I do have yarn but went to cotton balls b/c the yarn tasted bad even after boiling (and it's organic yarn too). But I could try that just for a test.

I bet you'll really like the Aro though, they're real nice little clearos.

 

[DavidOck]

Ah, well,that's the problem - organic.

Too healthy!

 

[Trayce]

I think I finally got it. I rewicked another Aro with cotton (organic balls). This time I did not twist or compact the cotton... just pulled it gently through the coil to end up as a rather fat, uncompressed wick. Then made a single flavor wick that was different than the previous ones I tried. This one was with less cotton, all straight fibers just cut to the right length and sort of "spread out on top of the coil and wick so it formed a thin 'blanket'... so thin it was transparent when wet. Stuck the chimney on and it's hitting great, making lots of vapor, and so far, no leaking on to the pin. Hail to the fiddlers and tinkers in the world. All the advice on this board is such a gigantic help.

 

[DavidOck]

Glad you found the combo that works for you. I'll keep your experience in mind when mine come in.

 

[Trayce]

Glad you found the combo that works for you. I'll keep your experience in mind when mine come in.

Hopefully you won't have any leaking anyway. Others here use the Aro heads with no leaking.

We all know these things are hand assembled in China with little quality control. All it takes is a 'batch' of slightly thinner wicking material or flavor wicks and that entire run will have leaking. I bought my initial heads all at once, so it's at least possible they were part of the same run. It will be interesting to see if my new order of 10 which are en route will have the same issue. But it doesn't really matter since they'll all get re-wicked with cotton anyway. And they're really easy to rebuild too, compared to the T3 heads, [which I don't own but did see a video of]. These heads screw out of the base making all the parts (e.g. bottom grommet and pin) easily accessible.

 

[DavidOck]

Similar to Evod/PT and T3S heads in design. Have to do an inspection and see why they're not interchangeable...

 

[ScottP]

Similar to Evod/PT and T3S heads in design. Have to do an inspection and see why they're not interchangeable...

The EVOD/PT heads have a wider collar (the metal disc between the wick holes and the bottom threads) than the ARO does. This means the EVOD/PT heads will not fit up into the ARO base properly. However, since the EVOD's don't care about the collar size, this means that you CAN use ARO heads on EVOD's.

Since I have >HEARD< you can use the T3S heads on the EVOD but not the other way around for the same reason, it >MAY< mean that the T3S heads and ARO heads are interchangeable.

 

[DavidOck]

I can see some time spent fiddling... since I already have T3S, Evod and PT heads, will be an opportunity to check it all out.

I, too, have heard that the T3S fits in all Kanger BCCs, although I haven't tried it yet... Since the Davide and mini, the V-Tox, and the D-Box Dube also all claim to use Evod/PT heads, if the T3S (and Aro?) work in everything, wouldn't it be nice!

 

[B1sh0p]

Any slightly leaky Aro head usually just needs an adjustment in wattage from what I've seen. It has to do more with the viscosity of the juice than build.

 

[Trayce]

Any slightly leaky Aro head usually just needs an adjustment in wattage from what I've seen. It has to do more with the viscosity of the juice than build.

Since I am a near-100% VG user, I have the attitude that heads should not leak regardless of viscosity since the head is made for e-juice, and that's what I'm vapin'. So if a head really DOES leak with high-VG juice (any head) then that's a poor build in my book. Far as watts stopping seepage, doesn't happen over here. Bumping watts can help dry a flooded wick, but if the head is leaky it doesn't make a difference what power the coil is using.

 

[DavidOck]

The EVOD/PT heads have a wider collar (the metal disc between the wick holes and the bottom threads) than the ARO does. This means the EVOD/PT heads will not fit up into the ARO base properly. However, since the EVOD's don't care about the collar size, this means that you CAN use ARO heads on EVOD's.

Since I have >HEARD< you can use the T3S heads on the EVOD but not the other way around for the same reason, it >MAY< mean that the T3S heads and ARO heads are interchangeable.

My Aro's (pyrex) and spare heads came in yesterday. Some first impressions of heads.

They fit in T3S, Evod, PT, Davide, V-tox... haven't fired any of those combos up to check for leaks, but looks good.

Measuring with a digital caliper... all dimensions in inch

Overall height - Aro 1.041 T3S 1.050

Air tube diameter (outside) Aro 0.154 T3S 0.153

Bottom collar - the metal disk that seats in the base - Aro 0.349 T3S 0.346

I doubt 3/1000 inch is going to make much difference!

Top of air tube to bottom of same collar - Aro 0.711 T3S 0.732

About 2/100's difference there, but I suspect that's also not an issue.

So my hunch is that the Aro and T3S heads are interchangeable, and that any base that's happy with a T3S would be fine with an Aro.

 

[Trayce]

DavidOck: Let us know what you think of the Aro tank and also the head (like in your EVOD or PT2) once you try them. As compared to the performance you get with the Kangers.

 

[DavidOck]

Initial reports....

I got two of the black Aro Pyrex. Really pretty, shiny. The windows are a little bigger than the ones on the MT series, so easier to see the juice level.

Used one with the stock coil. Nice vape, good flavor, clean taste with the pyrex, of course. (The also have a poly tanked one. Didn't get those.) Draw is very slightly tighter than a T3S, but essentially the same.

Put a T3S coil in the other. Got pretty much the same results, vapes fine, no apparent leaks.

Probably won't put an Aro coil in a T3 until later, since it makes sense that it would be ok. When my next T3S is ready for a new coil, which might be some time. Haven't, of course, had the Aros long enough to need to dry burn, let alone recoil, but they look like the Kanger coils, so don't expect any surprised.

I like the Aro, overall, better than the MT3s. Pyrex. Bigger windows. And even the glossy black looks better, to me, than the already nice looking flat black of the MT. There are more color choices in the Kanger line at this time, and I haven't heard of anything but black and silver in the Aro, which might be a concern for some.

But I like the T3 look and markings, and the drip tip that isn't metal. (I can deal with the metal ok, unless I want to go hands free. Both, with the right coils, do fine on a couple of 1100 mAh autos I have. )

And, of course, no big reason not to have both - especially since they can use each other's coils!

 

[Trayce]

Initial reports....[...] I like the Aro, overall, better than the MT3s. Pyrex. Bigger windows. And even the glossy black looks better, to me, than the already nice looking flat black of the MT. There are more color choices in the Kanger line at this time, and I haven't heard of anything but black and silver in the Aro, which might be a concern for some.

Aro comes in black, ss, red, magenta and blue. Thanks for the report back... it's really nice hearing how people like or don't like their gear, since so many posts are about what kind to get... then when people get it... they often don't come back to say what they thought about it.

EDIT: Meant to add it's nice knowing the T3S head fits in the Aro. FTech has the T3S heads $4.96 for 5... Aro heads are $7 for same (USA vendors).

 

[DavidOck]

Now if they only made it without the jacket! Although the bigger windows are relatively easy to see the level through. Site I bought from only had the black and silver - at least at that time.

As time goes by, I'll probably try the T3s / Aro heads in evods, Protanks, Vtox and others that take the Evod / PT heads. Wouldn't it be nice if they all worked with one head!

BTW, I've read some scuttlebutt around ECF that the Fasttech heads aren't genuine Kanger, and some have reported problems with them. Then again, some have reported problems with everything in Vapeland, and, as you infer, those who are happy don't always post. So it could just be user error, poorly laid flavor wicks, loose fittings...

 

[Trayce]

Now if they only made it without the jacket! Although the bigger windows are relatively easy to see the level through. Site I bought from only had the black and silver - at least at that time.

Maybe they were out of stock on the rest. Discount Vapers has all colors: Smoktech ARO Pyrex Glass BCC - Red Right-hand side of page are links to the other colors.

As time goes by, I'll probably try the T3s / Aro heads in evods, Protanks, Vtox and others that take the Evod / PT heads. Wouldn't it be nice if they all worked with one head!

YES. Well, we already know the Aro heads fit in the EVOD (ScottP verified) and PT2 (I can verify). And if the Aro and T3S heads are interchangeable...

BTW, I've read some scuttlebutt around ECF that the Fasttech heads aren't genuine Kanger, and some have reported problems with them. Then again, some have reported problems with everything in Vapeland, and, as you infer, those who are happy don't always post. So it could just be user error, poorly laid flavor wicks, loose fittings...

Good point and I have read as much here too. However unless FT is buying rejects and selling them a little cheaper, it's my assumption all of these heads are made at the same plants in China and simply sold under different brands (e.g. Kanger), or generically (FT).

I see this a little different than tanks of which there are knock offs that may or may not be to spec of the brand name. FT does sell genuine Kanger PT2s and the knock off as well. The genuine Kanger PT2 says "genuine Kanger PT2" on the page, and the Kanger logo is on the tank of course. (It's also not much cheaper than buying it in the states as Kanger sets a minimum retail price from what I read on FT.)

However, as far as I know even if you buy "genuine Kanger heads" there is no indication on the head itself that it is any different than the generic heads. But maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong. IAC it would seem to only take one 5-pack to know if they are rejects, sub-par, or otherwise not as good.

 

[DavidOck]

Seems like sound reasoning on the manufacture. And even if "inferior" in some way, unless the gaskets are junk, easily rebuildable.

Could it be? The T3S is the "universal" head?

If it is, someone is sure to change designs!