Eleaf iStick "pico"

[TrollDragon]

Contextually, to me it sounded like you did not want to put your Moonshot on the Pico because of amp draw, not battery drain. Did you mean the latter? If so, that was my mistake.

There is just not really enough wattage to ramp up those coils before the time out would kick in.

I picked up the Pico for the form factor and the HG2 for the extra capacity knowing it would be run at 35W or lower. All of the easily available 25A and higher CDR batteries have 2000 mAh or less, so no longevity there.

 

[jstrong]

I have been trying to quit vaping and settle on one small setup. I bought 2 of the Pico and a today my Wotofo Serpent Mini showed up. I love this little stealth setup. If you haven't picked up the Serpent Mini yet this tank looks great on the Pico and is a tad bit smaller then the Melo. Match made in Heaven. The Serpent Mini I have is set at .63 on 26.5 watts is making some nice flavorful clouds.

 

[Heartsdelight]

Hey all, greetings from SE Asia. I've been Vaping for a while, but the Pico here is (strangely enough) my first regulated box mod, having subsisted on a beat up 18350 mech and a Taifun before this.

And dang, colour me impressed with how much Vaping tech has improved. I mean, a full 18650 battery and 75W in a box barely taller than my old setup (not that I ever need that much wattage anyway).

Sure, the buttons are loose, the paint scratches easily and the battery cover threads are crunchy, but as it stands I really like this little fella.

Diminutive Daily Driver by Eirakkun, on Flickr

Forgive the gaudy CF skin. Pics from this thread were showing alarming evidence of how much eLeaf paint tends to rub off, so I wrapped the Pico as soon as I was able (with whatever little skill I had).

The brushed metal areas aren't as lucky though. I don't really have "patina" developing on them, rather a whole lot of micro-scratches... especially at the bottom. The silicone cover could help... but I've never really been a fan on stretchy, sticky silly-cone.

Maybe I should just use re-purposed generic Invisible Shield to cover the brushed parts (like I have with the Pyrex of the GMv2 and the Pico screen). Or maybe it should just run with it and go with the "beat up daily driver" look most of my mods end up with anyway lol.

Do you mean the ones made for cellphones "Invisible Shield"? That could work, but for the bottom you would have to poke holes for the battery vent holes. Hmm...

 

[frizzy_tyger]

I have been trying to quit vaping and settle on one small setup. I bought 2 of the Pico and a today my Wotofo Serpent Mini showed up. I love this little stealth setup. If you haven't picked up the Serpent Mini yet this tank looks great on the Pico and is a tad bit smaller then the Melo. Match made in Heaven. The Serpent Mini I have is set at .63 on 26.5 watts is making some nice flavorful clouds.

How do you find building on the serpent mini? A few of the videos I watched found it finicky. I like is better than the other short RTAs I've looked at though.

Then again I've been rebuilding the kanger occ stock coils, so maybe anything with a deck would be less finicky.

 

[jstrong]

I like the deck on the mini. Seem like a good concept so far.

 

[7sixtwo]

...I don't think I'll put the Moonshot on the Pico with it's dual 22g 0.4Ω build though...

I don't see why not. The kit comes with a 0.3 ohm Eleaf coil. I run 0.3 ohm dual claptons in my TMesses v2 clone on my Pico at ~56W without a problem.

 

[frizzy_tyger]

I like the deck on the mini. Seem like a good concept so far.

Thanks jstrong

 

[TrollDragon]

I don't see why not. The kit comes with a 0.3 ohm Eleaf coil. I run 0.3 ohm dual claptons in my TMesses v2 clone on my Pico at ~56W without a problem.

Because at 56W on the Pico, a heat flux of 77 mW/mm² really doesn't work for me.

 

[gofishtx]

Hey guys, I love my Pico, but what is so "stealth" about clinching something in your fist and sticking it to your mouth

Put an RX200 in 1 pocket and then put a Pico in the other pocket. Stealth

 

[Eugene lim]

Put an RX200 in 1 pocket and then put a Pico in the other pocket. Stealth

.
This is my definition of stealth

Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

 

[ScandaLeX]

Put an RX200 in 1 pocket and then put a Pico in the other pocket. Stealth

I can't imagine what could be stealth about the RX200. It's already big as hell, add 3 batteries & a tank then try to hide it? How?

 

[ddirtyvapes]

Really? If one allows time for the battery to "recover" from the last firing, I had thought that Bypass should be accurate... and easier than using the multi-click readout function.

Have you found it isn't?

Sorry, I was unclear. Bypass doesn't seem that accurate firing to me. It's not at all a straight unregulated bypass... I couldn't get a .25 firing anywhere near the 68ishW it should be with a fully charged battery minus drop. It may very well be accurate enough in battery voltage display. I would just be more comfortable having a way to double check using the mod itself to confirm. I have other ways to check battery voltage, but I'd feel better seeing the same voltage in Bypass shown somewhere else on the same mod. I just don't totally trust Bypass mode in general!

But yes, the actual voltage read in Bypass may very well be just fine, given time to "recover" from a button press.

@TrollDragon are you finding that the tanks which have AFC that ends up lining up with the battery cover are more restricted? I mentioned a few pages back that I was worried about the same thing but haven't had much of an issue yet, even with those that do line up closely... but all of mine are 22mm and not all are completely blocked by the battery cap.

 

[TrollDragon]

@TrollDragon are you finding that the tanks which have AFC that ends up lining up with the battery cover are more restricted? I mentioned a few pages back that I was worried about the same thing but haven't had much of an issue yet, even with those that do line up closely... but all of mine are 22mm and not all are completely blocked by the battery cap.

No issues as of yet with the hole near the battery cap, more of an OCD thing... If it does become a problem with an regular use atty on the Pico, I'll put one of the Kepler 510 cooling adapters on it.
FastTech - Finned Heat Sink

 

[eiraku]

Do you mean the ones made for cellphones "Invisible Shield"? That could work, but for the bottom you would have to poke holes for the battery vent holes. Hmm...

Yeah, *that* IS. Or any of the other similar generic paint guard clear vinyl protectors. Personally I use a roll I got cheap from a nearby DIY shop marketed for "door sill protection", and I actually got it just to protect the Pyrex tank of the GMv2. But it wasn't long before I found a few more uses for it (like the screen).

Another way is you can cut the IS in concentric circles: A ring around the outside, a loop of no material around the vent holes and a round piece in the middle. But that's gonna take even *more* work with skilled steady hands (which I don't really have lol).

For me, now that the bottom's all scratched up already I'm actually getting less and less bothered to do anything about it at all lol.

Anyway, another shot of the Pico next to a first-gen (and leaky) eGrip I borrowed from a colleague, if anybody was wondering how the Pico compares sizewise to the reigning (IMHO) stealth-vape king:

Pico and Micro by Eirakkun, on Flickr

 

[gofishtx]

I can't imagine what could be stealth about the RX200. It's already big as hell, add 3 batteries & a tank then try to hide it? How?

I meant for a comparison between the two I did not say an RX200 was Stealthy.

 

[ddirtyvapes]

BTW, if anyone saw my earlier post about my loose Melo 3 Mini AFC, I contacted VapeNW and they are sending me a new base even though they also had to send a replacement Griffin Deck from the same order because two of the screws on the original were wedged in completely. While there are a few things I wouldn't necessarily order from them, they have been consistently great to me for regulated mods and toppers and I'm not sure that the prices can often be beat beyond Fasttech and those sites, maybe. Frankly it's worth the extra $2-3 to not have to wait weeks. Not to gush, I was just really worried because I needed a replacement base for my Melo 2 when I ordered my iStick 60W kit in January and again needed the replacement Griffin base, but once I sent a short clip of me rotating the AFC freely with a q-tip they didn't give me any trouble lol.

ed: Those who are using Melo 3 or the mini, 1) where do you like to vape the 0.3 heads, if applicable? And 2) What other coil heads fit the Melo 2 and 3 besides the EC and Atlantis (II?) heads?

I think if I'm going to use the EC heads in the mini 3 I kind of prefer the 0.5s, but of course I got a pack of the 0.3s since those were better in the Melo 2 for me.

 

[ddirtyvapes]

There is just not really enough wattage to ramp up those coils before the time out would kick in.

I picked up the Pico for the form factor and the HG2 for the extra capacity knowing it would be run at 35W or lower. All of the easily available 25A and higher CDR batteries have 2000 mAh or less, so no longevity there.

I just think the Pico deserves a little more credit for its efficiency! I'm using VTC4s, which regardless of whether we call them 30A or 23-25A (Mooch), give a bit more room if you're going to use higher wattage. I didn't get the device to run it at 75W all the time (or ever, really) either, but I get quite good battery life from a 2100mAh typically up around 50-55W and I consider myself a very heavy vaper. Really, heavier than I want to be in a perfect world.

Again, that's not to say what you should do, moreso that, other than longevity yet to be seen, the internals seem to be really quite well done and efficient. My 60W iStick gobbles up a 2500mAh 25R in barely a few hours if I vape it exclusively, even at a reasonable wattage. I get a big chunk of the day vaping exclusively on the Pico with the 2100mAh at similar and even a bit more power.

Basically, if you're someone who wants/needs a bit of headroom, the quality of the chip does seem to help ease the capacity trade-off a bit. Certainly a vast improvement over its basic predecessor.

 

[gerrymi]

As you can tell, I am a newbee ... Here is a picture:

View attachment 550732

I received a couple LG-HE4's with that adhesive sticker on them (like in your picture).

I was suspicious that I had been sent NON-authentic batteries.

Then I read that manufacturers use the stickers for sorting, counting, etc.

I peeled the stickers off and, sure enough, the authentic labeling was underneath,

You can usually Google search the battery and find a spec sheet or someone who has tested the amp limit of the battery. Never go by what the manufacture says as many times these numbers are not accurate. A forum user, mooch does a lot of testing for the community and if you look up his name I'm sure you will find all of his tests which test the most popular batteries used by vapers.

click on small chart at bottom =>

18650 Battery Ratings -- Picking a Safe Battery to Vape With | E-Cigarette Forum

Sorry, yes, it was the kit with the Melo 3 Mini and not the Melo 3. My tank is 2mL. Easy enough to fill though.

Agree 137%...Top-Filling definitely rectifies small capacity.

I consider my Cubis's capacity (3.5ml.) to be ridiculously small.

But since it takes me 6 seconds to refill it...I don't even notice.

I never go above 30 watts so 30 watts / 3.1 volts = 10 amps. So if I run my mod at 30 watts until it stops firing I'm drawing 10 amps, half the 20 amp rating of the HG2. That's called head space. I like head space. If you are going to be responsible for choosing the batteries you use you should understand this math.

pufZeppelin via Mooch (in another thread) pointed out you could add another 5A of head room by using 30Q's (rather than HG2's).

The HG2 and 30Q are both 3000mAh...

and...the HG2 and 30Q (when tested by Mooch) both have an actual CDR of 20A...

BUT...the MCA (Max. Contin. Amps) of the HG2 is 20A vs. a MCA of the 30Q of 25A...

Little itty bitty mods under $100.


..

 

[ddirtyvapes]

Agree 137%...Top-Filling definitely rectifies small capacity.

I consider my Cubis's capacity (3.5ml.) to be ridiculously small.

But since it takes me 6 seconds to refill it...I don't even notice.

No question!! Granted, for someone used to a 5mL tank and 1.5ohm coils (just for example), it might be a bit more of a pain/just seem like a lot of filling. However, it is about as easy as filling an RDA and certainly holds more and lasts longer between fills so for me it's nothing. I usually like a slightly larger tank but the Melo 3 mini is so cute and works so well and again because of the top fill, I almost consider the capacity a benefit due to the extremely small size.

Beyond capacity and top filling, how do you like the Cubis?

And if you think 3.5mL is EXTREMELY small, imagine how often I refill that 2mL Melo 3 Mini!

I hate to repeat a question but I fear it might have gotten a bit buried; can anyone confirm what other brand coil heads work in the Melo 2/3 besides Eleaf's own? Pretty sure Atlantis II heads work but not sure what else.

 

[Heartsdelight]

Yeah, *that* IS. Or any of the other similar generic paint guard clear vinyl protectors. Personally I use a roll I got cheap from a nearby DIY shop marketed for "door sill protection", and I actually got it just to protect the Pyrex tank of the GMv2. But it wasn't long before I found a few more uses for it (like the screen).

Another way is you can cut the IS in concentric circles: A ring around the outside, a loop of no material around the vent holes and a round piece in the middle. But that's gonna take even *more* work with skilled steady hands (which I don't really have lol).

For me, now that the bottom's all scratched up already I'm actually getting less and less bothered to do anything about it at all lol.

Anyway, another shot of the Pico next to a first-gen (and leaky) eGrip I borrowed from a colleague, if anybody was wondering how the Pico compares sizewise to the reigning (IMHO) stealth-vape king:

Pico and Micro by Eirakkun, on Flickr

Yeah sounded like a good idea. But my white one's bottom is all stratched already too. It's only been about 2 weeks & I haven't been using it exclusively either. Ordered & waiting for a silicone cover from Fasttech. As some mentioned, the battery cover being on top is great, you won't have to keep removing to change the battery.