My impressions of the Heron v2.
Let me get this out of the way. I'm a huge Heron fan. It is the only atty I use all-day, everyday, so I may be biased towards this product although I do buy other atties from time to time just to try something new and I still use drippers when I want to do multiple-coil/sub-ohm builds. It has been my mainstay from release day (still have #23 going strong!).
So I've been playing with several different builds since I received it three days ago and today has been the first day that I haven't brought another paps/Heron v1 with me to fall back on, if necessary.
Kudos to all those who love their fluffless builds (I DO like having that option). First off, I spent most of the time fiddling with the fluffless build/topper to get it just right. It took me two days (and a lot of eliquid) to decide that this just wasn't the direction I wanted to go in. Using it in the fluffless/standardRTA style build reminded me why I gave up all my other RTAs (from rebuilding clearos, to carto-shaped RTAs):
- There's a fine line between having too much wick (dry hits) and too little wick (flooding) and that changes with other factors (below).
- Can't blow out floods without removing the tank and/or closing the juice flow control (n/a on the Heron)
- Susceptibility to air pressure changes/temperature swings/vacuum in tank (I typically go from 65F to 90F during the course of an average day and it definitely affects the viscosity of my 50/50 liquid)
Thus ... I went back to the fluff. THE fluff. THE FLUFF.
Everyone is familiar with the fluff. I don't have to explain it. The Heron and the fluff just works and works well.
For anyone curious, I used a 18mm x 80mm size fluff in my Heron v1 with great success with my 50/50 liquid. In my Heron v2 I am using a 18mm x 110mm sized piece of fluff and it seems to be working quite well for the last 24 hours or so. I'll be giving it a couple of more days to evaluate but I don't think I will need to adjust those dimensions.
So if the Heron works well in both incarnations, why would I need to buy a new one? Well ... here are the things I like better:
- It's shorter. (I didn't like the height of the v1 with an 18650 so I used 18490 with it exclusively. Now the shorter Heron with the shorter teflon tip and 18650 battery is only a little bit taller than that)
- It's bigger. More capacity! Even the bell cap has a bit of capacity (which is why I didn't change the width of my fluff dimensions)
- Teflon tip. I didn't think I'd like this at all. But I do! Sure, you can buy one without the included Heron but why would you? I have a preference for small-bored tips. It gives me better flavor than wide/wide-open tips.
- Airflow is better than the v1. I typically vape mouth-to-lung but I like having the ability to open it up a lot more than what I have it set at now.
- I much prefer the coil being to the side, rather than between, the build posts.
- I like the tried-and-true single-loop method to wicking my coil and using the wick tails to dip onto the deck/well so sop up any flooding or condensation that might occur. I have a picture where you can see the general direction of my juice flow as my looped end is clean and my tail end seems to be darker from the unvaporized parts of my eliquid flowing away.
All these things make the Heron even more satisfying to use.
There is one thing that is different but can't decide if which version is better:
- I like the way that the positive post pops out. However, this also means that I can't just remove the insulator to wipe any flooding or condensation that might be inside the inner chamber without replacing the coil (and I dislike brand new coils).
There is one thing I would like:
- The option for a cotton topper (similar to the previous Heron) with a hole on the top. It would hold my floppy wick better. *grin* It helps safeguard accidental flooding (I overfill sometimes - especially when I drink). It also helps preserve the fluff from the brown stuff that spits out from the coil. I can literally go for months on the same piece of fluff on my Heron v1 (with topper) unless I change flavors.
I've been trying to think of a way to plug up the side holes of the topper cap that came with my Heron v2 and drill a hole on top but couldn't come up with anything elegant. Maybe I have to figure a way to spring load a piece of wire on the deck ring to hold the wick in the exact position I want.
Am I really one of a few that actually LIKE the cotton topper?
...
Master P, I'm loving this new atty and it was worth the wait to get it! =D
Here's that pick. Yes, that's a loop even if it's a like too long. It's okay, I guess as I've rested it along the deck ring.