First Impressions: Mini HV801 + Extended Chameleon + 2 AW16340 LifePOs

[VaporMadness]

First Impressions: Mini HV801 + Extended Chameleon + 2 AW16340 LifePOs

There are very initial impressions... starting vaping it less than 30 minute ago. This 6v setup is working amazingly well so far!

* It's a warmer vape than the fullsize LR801 at 3.7... maybe that's due to the shorter tube, maybe that's due to the extra wattage, possibly a little of both. I like it, a little warming feeling on my tongue as I draw in, but no where near hot. The net effect is much appreciated.

* The extra power makes it more forgiving when it comes to over dripping. It can power its way thru excess liquid more easily than my 3.7v setup. I'm gonna have to redefine my notion of just what is "excess" when it comes to dripping And I'm gonna have to stick to my 6mg liquids while I'm vaping like mad like this!

* Very quiet in it's operation... no air sucking sounds and barely any sizzling sound... i just hear the click of the button and get a big blast of vapor. The lack of air sound is largely due to the Chameleons native 801 adapter, it's not slotted and doesn't have holes drilled thru like many adapters do, so nothing to induce whistling sounds. I always liked that about the Chameleon's adapter. The muffled sizzling is a bonus 801 characteristic for me. I prefer them over other attys mostly for the vapor/flavor/th characteristics... that they're so peacefully quiet is a nice bonus.

* (Of course) Wonderful combo of flavor, vapor, throat hit, just like their fullsize LR kin at 3.7... simply the best combo of those core characteristics (for me).

* I'm not sure exactly what to expect in terms of runtime for this 2 batt LifePO setup as compared to a single batt IMR setup. Or what the falloff-in-power-curve will look like as the batts drain (IMRs to a total nosedive once they get below 3.1v). Total mAh for the single IMR is 550 whereas with this 2 batt setup it's 1000 mAh (2 x 500)... and the amps draw on the single batt setup are higher than on the stack... so if anything, i guess i'd expect a somewhat longer quality runtime.

* (As mentioned in another post) Total height and weight is similar to my P16 + fullsize LR801. The lite weight is a nice feature of the all aluminum body. I like the looks of this setup too! The silver band on the 801 is definitely a feature.

* Thank you Isaac for labeling them IKV HV vs IKV LR!!

All-n-all, really liken my new toys! This 6v setup is a step up from my 3.7v rig in terms of freshly charged performance. Time well tell how it works out as the batts deplete, but i've got some good reason to expect goodness there too.

Cheers, thnx for reading, and Happy vaping!

 

[VaporMadness]

Yup... been vaping this long enough to tell that the power is dropping off more slowly than with my single batt rig.

 

[cappadoc]

Remember, though, that LiFePO4 will run down further. They put out 2.0V if you run them that far. Of course, I've NEVER done that.
They will deep drain, but according to AW, they handle it OK. No protection means no overdischarge protection.
Thanks for the review.

 

[Switched]

Glad to see you are enjoying the transition. OTOH your LifePO sets does not provide 1000mAh. In series the voltage is dbled not the capacity to do work. OTOH in parallel the working capacity is dbles e.g 1000mAh but the voltage remains constant. So you can reasonably expect 5-7 hrs per session.

 

[mwa102464]

@, Vapormadness,


Try throwing 2 x 3.7 AW Batts in your PV and vaping that HV-Mini-801, keep her wet and short 2 second pokes at it, I've had one on a Mod now for about a month with this set up and its a really nice vape. not your normal really overheated 7.4 that I've gotten from other HV Atty's and really puts out some nice vapor and flavor this Atty does at this 7.4

 

[VaporMadness]

Glad to see you are enjoying the transition. OTOH your LifePO sets does not provide 1000mAh. In series the voltage is dbled not the capacity to do work. OTOH in parallel the working capacity is dbles e.g 1000mAh but the voltage remains constant. So you can reasonably expect 5-7 hrs per session.

Oooops... my bad math. Right you are about series vs parallel. So I should expect similar runtimes since the current demand is slightly lower and the effective capacacity is also slightly lower as compared to my single batt setup. I haven't depleted them yet, they seem to be holding their charge well. They came to me charged to 3.3v and after a fair amount of use they're reading around 3.2v (unloaded measurements).

mwa, i remember reading your post about stacking IMRs and using these attys! One day when i'm feeling super daring i'll give that a try

 

[VaporMadness]

QQ about LifePOs?

How low should i let them go? Just measured them, ones at 2.5v and the other is at 2.56v. When an IMR gets below 3.1... that's it, time for the charger no matter what (it will fall like a rock if you continue using an IMR at this level of depletion). Is there a similar breaking point for LifePOs?

Hmmm... they seem to be falling off pretty quickly from that 2.5'ish point... they're on the charger now.

 

[Vaporologist]

QQ about LifePOs?

How low should i let them go? Just measured them, ones at 2.5v and the other is at 2.56v. When an IMR gets below 3.1... that's it, time for the charger no matter what (it will fall like a rock if you continue using an IMR at this level of depletion). Is there a similar breaking point for LifePOs?

Hmmm... they seem to be falling off pretty quickly from that 2.5'ish point... they're on the charger now.

You can let them go that low but I usually don't. Once they fall to 3.1-ish range they will start droping off quickly. That's where I usually charge them since you can clearly notice a drop off in TH at about 3.1V...

 

[VaporMadness]

In my first run of the LifePOs they stayed above 3.2 for a good long time (i was testing them occasionally)... then after noticing a drop off performance I measured them and saw 2.5... and very shortly thereafter 2.2 (falling really fast). I think I need to be a little more careful with running a 'stack' to the ragged edge than with running a single batt to the edge. If one falls of the cliff before the other... i can imagine things getting stressed more easily.

 

[Switched]

So, what's the verdict VM wrt time between charges?

 

[VaporMadness]

Didn't take long to charge at all on the WF-138 (i think that the model). I should get another of those and have it set permanently on the 3v setting... changing charging modes could get to be a hassle... not to mention that i have to remember to do that! Off the charger one reads 3.37 and the other 3.42.

Ah... but you were asking about runtime! Considering i was vaping more than usual with new toys in hand, its hard to say. Similar in runtime to my 3.7v rig i think, but a slightly higher quality vaping experience in that time. I think that's about right.

My plan for now is to use the 6v lizard at home and keep the P16 for on the go use... the P16 fitted with a shorty 801 is a mean looking ecig! The slight decreases/increases in the cylinder diameter of the atty and MOD tube make them pair up nicely. Now i really want to get one of those stealth 510/801 adapters! After I get a better handle on the runtime of the LifePOs, maybe i'll take the 6v rig out and about too... it sure does vape nice.

 

[Wharf Rat]

Thanks VM & Switched, the education has helped a lot. I have the miniHV 801 coming. I understand the priming but i read about break-in period taking 1/2, 1, 1 1/2 days. My first atty experience wasn't successful. I didn't prime at all, just dripped 3-4 drops and started vaping. So this time I'll prime, but what about break-in? I'd like better results this time.

 

[Switched]

Ahhhh Rat, If properly primed the minis do deliver, straight out of the box. Do not worry about break in time perse, they just get better as time goes by and finally plateau somewhere for a good while before tapering off. Sometimes the plateau is reached sooner than later. My latest one is taking a little longer than usual (when compared with the one before) which was a matter of hours. There is no explanation for this but something that is common across the board with all attys in my experience.

 

[VaporMadness]

An update on my first 6v rig. I definitely have a preference for the new 6v setup. I keep going back to it as soon as the batts are recharged.

About the atty: Flavors taste brighter and there's just more vapor (even out of mixes mellow on the VG by my standards). This mini HV801 is working better than any of my LR801 ever have. With the LRs i usually only drip 2 drops to avoid flooding, with the HV i'm amost always dripping 3 drops and the thing churns out huge flavor bursts of vapor. I have yet to flood it and there's been no scorching and not a drop has leaked out of the bottom. Just perfect.

About the batts: The LifePOs seem to maintain voltage differently than the IMRs. Feels like they stay at the upper end of their range for longer, and then just fall of a cliff very fast at the end. Whereas the IMRs do a more gradual slide in from their peak down to their low end beyond which they do their rapid nose dive (but that may be because my IMRs have been in use for about 10 months now). Anybody else that does 6 and 3.7v notice this difference in draining characteristics?

> I didn't prime at all, just dripped 3-4 drops and started vaping.

Yea... that's probably not enough to bring them up to full steam... it's trial-n-error'ish for me... when just starting one out i'm patient... until i am getting nice wet vapes out of it, i keep dripping more and allowing some soak in time (unless its flooded)... of course each atty is a little different.

 

[cappadoc]

Anybody else that does 6 and 3.7v notice this difference in draining characteristics?

I would agree. The LiFePO4's drop off very suddenly. IMR and regular AW's drop off slowly. LiFePO's will die 1-2 hits after showing signs of weakening, whereas the other AW's give a decent 6-10 hits as they fade.

 

[Vaporologist]

I agree 100%. For me, it takes about 5-6 hrs for the AW LiFePO4s to go from 3.37V to about 3.1 (with my current vaping habits). But it only takes minutes for the voltage to drop to a mid 2V range from there. I really don't feel much or any difference in performance the first 4-5 hrs. But when the performance starts to drop, it drops fast. After many months of using them, I don't need a DMM anymore to let me know they are close to 3.1V. They really are awesome batteries!

 

[Switched]

Yup! Yup! Yup!

Prior to using IMRs and LifePOs I used to vape into the PC. Now, I am more cognizant where the drop off actually is. Before I did not notice it coming on, but now I definitely do. The only one that surprises me all the time is the eGo. I am not sure what is happening there. The remainder of my batts show a drop in performance (all my batts) then I swap 'em out. BTW I am still using my original set of LifePos. One still discharges lower than the other, but closely monitoring them they are still doing well. Just a fluke in the set. How I found out about it was through dripping. I would re-drip and nothing expected would happen. Check 'em out on the MM and woila. Now I still re-drip but if nothing happens (increased VP) I swap out the batts and I am good to go again

 

[VaporMadness]

Another update on my 3.7v to 6v setup comparison... i scrapped the fullsize LR801 i've been using for over a month and a half with a put a brand spanking new mini LR801 on it instead... now the flavor and performance of the two rigs are MUCH closer to one another! The 6v setup has an edge mostly due to the niceness of the native 801 adapter of the Chameleon, slightly tighter draw and no air sucking sounds. 3 drops of BWB Casablanca... click... yummy.

 

[cappadoc]

VM, (or anyone else)
I have the full size LR801's. What, in your opinion, is different from the mini. Is it the build or the size? That is, are the mini's different other than size?

 

[VaporMadness]

I've only very recently gotten the mini 801 (LR and HV). Afaik, the only difference is in size. But that does put the coil closer to the mouth piece which seems to make for a warmer vape. Maybe isaac will chime in on what differences there are and aren't? I sure hope he's starting to feel better.