Eleaf Istick

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javyn

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I gotcha, sorry didn't mean to open an old can of worms. But it's a new device to me LOL, and I wasn't going to hunt through 8,000 pages of forum when I could lazily ask :)

This little box has me rethinking my dislike of regulated mods. My comfort zone is around 20W, and I plan on using this at 10-12, since that's what I consider a lighter vape. All this mess isn't going to be an issue for me.

I assume you are asking me(?)

By excessive power, I mean that the readings on the 20W are not accurate due to being tuned to Mean rather than RMS, as well as being unable to buck the battery's voltage (as Road_House explained). In real world usage, this translates to the 20W hitting at a higher voltage than what it is set to. At the lowest setting of 3.0 volts, the 20W hits closer to 4.0-4.1 volts. Not a problem for many users, but for us lower voltage/wattage vapers, it makes the device much less user friendly. This issue was discussed ad nauseum when the 20W was first released, and very well covered in this thread. The issue was resolved with the 30W and 50W versions, as well as a few other issues, but (I believe) the 10W is also tuned the same way as the 20W. CMIIW

Apologies for opening up that old...

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spaceballsrules

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edit: Moot post.

spaceballsrules EDIT: He had asked about the difference between mean and RMS.

PBusardo can explain it better than most, so just watch his review on the iStick 20W. Skip to 22:00 for the lowdown on Mean vs. RMS.

 
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Kent C

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So how does it compare to the Tobac BCC? ;)

Now that I have it (SubTank) loaded on the istick 50W, I can tell you more :) I might not roll my eyes when someone says a clearo or coil really improves flavor - I may raise an eyebrow... but I seem to be getting more flavor out of my coffee mix (BWB espresso+Decadent Vapours Doppio espresso) than from my dripping PV. I really don't know why that would be - I'm using the OCC coil but I have OC on the VS vape as well, so it isn't the wicking. Vaping the 50W/Subtank at 20W can produce some serious hot vapor. I'm still experimenting but because espresso can handle more heat than any flavor I have, I'm at 12-14W and the vapor is warm but not hot and the flavor holds up well. I'll have to try other flavors later - mainly DV's Habana Reserve - I'm so familiar with that one that I could let you set the wattage and I think I could come close to telling you what the number is :D

As per instructions, and Phil's video, I soaked the cotton before vaping and no burning occurring even at 20W. I can say - at home - eGos and the Tabac BCC/T3S have taken a back seat. Still the biggest change in ecigs was the eGo. I could easily vape only them for the rest of my life, although it appears that won't be the case :) The variable small box PV's are as welcome as the Janty Stick, NicoStick, Bartleby and Ken's mods (and others) were, coming out of the 510, 801, 901, (808) era.
 
Thanks for the post. Looks fairly easy to replace the batteries and work on it. I think Ms.Nikita would be happier with what we pay for the 50 on avg. $45 (30 lb) instead of 55lb ($83). I don't understand the higher price there unless it's taxed heavily.

With store discounts, I paid £17.00 inclusive of sales tax. I believe that's an equivalent of $25.56 of your green dollars :)
 

Kent C

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Bartleby and Ken? sounds like kid stuff :)

Lol... high tech at the time. One of first homemade mods that had a charger built in. Janty stick had it but ran on the weak 10440 batt.

The Bart had a 14500.

bartleby.jpg


Ken's 'Big Daddy' early variable voltage mod (Kat's picture is the 'Little Sister' :)

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billherbst

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I can say - at home - eGos and the Tabac BCC/T3S have taken a back seat. Still the biggest change in ecigs was the eGo. I could easily vape only them for the rest of my life, although it appears that won't be the case :) The variable small box PV's are as welcome as the Janty Stick, NicoStick, Bartleby and Ken's mods (and others) were, coming out of the 510, 801, 901, (808) era.

As of the beginning of 2014, my choice of vaping hardware had stabilized in a way that was very satisfying to me. I had a large stock of Kayfuns on VAMOs/Kicked mechs and small-chamber RDA bottom feeders, and I was also pleased with my BCC clearos---humble GS-H2s and GS-H5Ts with adjustable airflow---on Vision Spinner clones. Early in the year, I began using Koh Gen Do cotton (and later rayon) wicks when rebuilding the heads, which was a major upgrade over silica.

Then in the spring of 2014 came the Aspire Nautilus tank, followed in September by the iStick 20, which was the first wave in the tsunami of higher-wattage smallish box mods that followed. I went on a spending spree that netted five iStick 20Ws, two iStick 30Ws, a Cloupor Mini 30W, an IPV Mini 30W, and two iPV Mini 2 70Ws. When paired with the Atlantis, Kanger Subtank, and various RDA drippers, my vaping world was plunged into confusion and disarray that has only recently begun to shake out and re-stabilize.

In December, I discovered Protank/EVOD replacement heads with cotton-wicked vertical coils from FastTech for less than a buck each. My earlier attempts at building vertical coils in Kanger-style heads had been hit-or-miss. Getting the wicking and draw right was often frustrating, enough so that I eventually gave up and went back to the easier horizontal coil rebuilds. But the cotton vertical coil heads from FastTech are both consistent and great performers from 8 watts up to 15 watts, providing another bump up in flavor for my modest BCC clearos. With all my spiffy new gear, I'd considered retiring them, but the vertical coil heads brought them right back into the fold.

What I'm finding now is that my higher-wattage/subohm gear produces a fundamentally different kind of vaping experience. It's not "better" than my previous hardware, just different---much more intense and aggressive. I like that, but not all the time. Sometimes I want the smoother, more balanced flavor and easy, laid-back vape of my GS clearos and Kayfuns, or the purity of my RDA bottom-feeders. In January, I wondered if my vaping might have hit a wall after four years, but that has now passed. It's all good again, and my choices are significantly expanded.

For those still using BCC clearos or Protanks, below are links to the 1.0 ohm and 1.8 ohm cotton-wicked vertical coil replacement heads at FastTech. One review states that they don't fit the T3S or MTS because the metal tops are 1mm too wide for the T3S/MTS chimneys, but they've fit perfectly on all my GS-series BCC clearos and Protank 1:

5-pack - 1.0 ohm cotton-wicked vertical coil replacement heads for Protank/Evod-style BCC clearos
5-pack - 1.8 ohm cotton-wicked vertical coil replacement heads for Protank/Evod-style BCC clearos
 
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spaceballsrules

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For those still using BCC clearos or Protanks, below are links to the 1.0 ohm and 1.8 ohm cotton-wicked vertical coil replacement heads at FastTech. One review states that they don't fit the T3S or MTS because the metal tops are 1mm too wide for the T3S/MTS chimneys, but they've fit perfectly on all my GS-series BCC clearos and Protank 1:

5-pack - 1.0 ohm cotton-wicked vertical coil replacement heads for Protank/Evod-style BCC clearos
5-pack - 1.8 ohm cotton-wicked vertical coil replacement heads for Protank/Evod-style BCC clearos

I am glad that they included a pic of the coil for the 1.8 ohm. It doesn't seem that complicated to build, and it looks like the wicking, as well as the draw, would be ideal. I have all of my rebuilding supplies at hand, and have started experimenting with rebuilding my Kanger coils. This is just one more option that I will look into.

Does anyone have a preference as to what type of organic cotton they use? It's the only wicking material I have left to buy. I found a sampler pack on Amazon that includes Koh Gen Do, Muji, and Cotton Labo. Is there any difference between these? I was thinking of adding Shiseido and Cotton Bacon to the mix as well. I will also pick up some rayon wick to try. Any other brands I should look at?
 

inspects

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Bikenstein

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You may want to try Rayon...its organic fiber, and does not burn like cotton, plus it wicks MUCH better.....you can search the Rayon thread Jeremy made for more info.

If rayon wasn't so cheap, I would just stop on the side of the road and pick a few bolls out of a field :)
 
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inspects

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If rayon wasn't so cheap, I would just stop on the side of the road and pick a few bolls out of a cotton field :)

Yeah...me too...but I'm to lazy to get out of my car and trudge through a field possibly getting shot-----:D

I think I paid 8 bucks for ten pounds of Rayon...enough to supply every vaper west of the mississippi for the rest of their lives..........:)
 
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