I'm here to muddy the waters
my new rank list for clearos, based entirely on ease of use and vape/flavor, is:
1) IKV vision 2.0 ohm (510): this thing is a beast. I tore it apart and rebuilt it the other day after weeks of abuse, this time with stainless steel. just like the original set up, its a fog machine. This thing puts out the thickest vapor I've ever seen. And the flavor is all there somehow. You do have to play with the nipple a bit though, but most of us like that kind of thing ::drum roll:: The first thing to give you issues will likely be a micro crack around the base, but its literally as bad as one drop after sitting for 4-5 hours, and I'm sure a piece of tegaderm or loctite would fix it. I've also used the guts in an Echo shell and it rocks. I'm convinced that part of the magic here is Isaacs coils, he's using materials in his cartos that I've never heard of anyone else using; I'm not sure if they're in the vision. And I can't say more than that, been sworn to secrecy.
2) VZ dual coil vision clearomizer, 1.5 ohm: This thing is a monster right out of the box, which is a first for me. I didn't play with a single thing. The vapor is pretty hot, thick, but still full of flavor. Dry hits are about as infrequent as a properly modded fluxomizer. The wicks also look different. They have a more fluffy cotton look to them, not sure why. I haven't taken them out and handled them yet though, so they could just be funny looking silica.
3) SI stardust: after spewing hate all over the Iturbos for never tasting right, these things have made me happy over the past few days. I don't know if they're actually different or what, but somehow they're perfect right out of the box, though I only have two, so who knows. NO gurgles, no drop down the center tube, and the drip tip/silicon set up is somehow not wrecking my flavor mojo. Its a little cool for my taste, but I have one rewired at 2.2 ohms with cotton wick and its right on time. Maybe its a slight difference in materials vs. the Iturbo, I dunno.
4) phoenix = fluxo: the phoenix has really grown on me. its a huge PITA, and I don't recommend them to anyone that doesn't love to mod and overcome frustration. You end up juggling dry hits with floods until you find the perfect set up, and I mean perfect, a slight change and its back to one of those extremes. the flavor is more balanced and full than a fluxo, the sweet notes come out stronger, even more than #1 and #2. But it lacks the heat and kick of the fluxo, so depending on my mood it can go either way.
This isn't a real 1-4, because they're all so close with little pluses and minuses. The most fiddle free is the VZ DC clearo, the best flavor/vape is probably the IKV vision. I think if I had to pick ONE it be the IKV vision, or the fluxo/phoenix, because of the flexibility with regards to rebuilding, putting them in different size
tanks, etc. The stardust I actually find to be a PITA to rebuild because of the final step (sliding the wicks/coils down), if you miss once or twice, you will wreck your silica, or end up with a short, or both. And I'm not brave enough to start playing with parallel wiring yet, so that's not happening.
It seems to be more gentle on the sweet notes
