GP Series by VapourArt - Official Thread for GP Spheroid, GP PAPS, X, GP Piccolo, GP SnP and more - Part 3

[cliffy15]

Hey gang. So I haven't posted in a while, but I've tried with everything to keep up with the posts. And honestly, much has been about the latest Heron which I opted out of obtaining. But here are some general comments I will entertain in my latest unknown amount of presence.

I have spent some time in the past (not in this forum) "entertaining myself" by testing my own adaptations and fixes to other mods/atties from others. I will RARELY voice complete disgruntlement in a product without first testing my own "fixes". This has amounted to trying slightly different oring sizes, sometimes fractionally different. I've collected a whole toolbox of them. And to be honest, there is NOTHING wrong with testing several builds, adjustments, configurations to try to determine a problem before giving in and sending one back for a second look. I've done it many times. Anyone who would challenge someone from "playing to discover and learn", would want to spend a moment in the posters' shoes.

I came to GP almost 3 years ago. A good friend of a few here, who they called Idaholandho, had spoken about GP and the products, and praised Perseas and his entire team. He spoke of all factors for a while. All this while I performed many "tests" I reference in the second paragraph. This went on for a few weeks and/or months. I lost track. But I am a dedicated man. I am loyal. I will ride the storm until I can't ride it any longer.

So I made my first purchase. Jojo (my wife from historical posts) had purchased a beautiful Paps X SS v1, and subsequently a Paps Lux. Within days, Perseas had made adjustments to improve the mod and stated that all those with the V1, would get the replacement part free of charge. Now...in my history, I knew I would have had to clamor and beg for that replacement part, kneeling in a corner praying to the vape gods that my 10th request would actually pan out. So I calmly waited to see what would transpire. Without so much as a breath of contact in EITHER direction, one day a package showed up at my door. Inside? The very parts that Perseas said he would send everyone. I was completely sold. Not only did it work just like he said it would, but the records GP must keep to know everyone that received that part originally must be impeccable. I am one that can be remembered or forgotten. But this group is a whole FAMILY - and none forgotten.

Over the three years, I have added many more GP children to the fold. And I rank in order of preference the Paps Titanium X, the piccoloid (v1 above the v2), and then the rest of the Xs and Paps. None for performance, but many for nostalgia or my vamping style. The TiX became a unicorn, where many huddled on a virtual "bench". The Piccoloid suits my travel to work and style of vaping and the preference in MY case still leans on the V1. I enjoy the V2, but the style leads more to V1. And, while I speak of V2, I prefer the fluff builds. It's nice to not have to worry about fluff in one setup. But what' she worry. You set it once, and forget until a refill is required, at which point you would need that refill either way. I prefer the edge I taste flavor wise as well.

And since I'm on flavor, and prefer the PicV1, I also will state that I prefer the spheroid vape to the Heron vape. I get HUGE clouds on the original Heron. I CAN get huge clouds on the Spheroid, and the latest combo that Perseas calls the Piccloid is the perfect matched pair for the 16mm size. I opted not to go for the latest Heron for the above reasons.

Oh...I sold all the rest of the gear by the way. I don't need to fiddle. I don't need to cry, or swear, or throw a fit. GP has it's home here. vaping is supposed to be enjoyable. Pick up your setup and go. The last 3 years have proven that to be the case. And those retired and reliable SnP tanks? We have a few of those in daily rotation as well.

Perseas, his team at GP, and the customer service is the same today as it was day one for me. No need to hook someone and walk away. They stand by each product, each member, each sale. I don't post often of late, but I'll stand by that.

tl;dr

(kidding!)

Howdy, Yankee! Good to see that you're still around!

 

[paladinx]

My problem with the spheroid is consistent wicking. When its vaping the best its overfull and leaking out the air holes, but than it seems to get dry hits without fully wicking all the juice in the fluff.. I think part of the problem is that when I turn or screw in my base to the tank, the cotton is twisting and warping around inside. I cut the cotton to the width of the diameter of the base.. So I don't have my cotton overly long but its pretty impossible for the cotton not to want to twist up or move about as your screwing in your base. I think the v4 going away from the fluff setup is a great idea. One less piece of hassle and inconsistency taken out of the equation. Nothing should beat the wicks being in direct contact with liquid.

 

[yankeebobo]

tl;dr

(kidding!)

Howdy, Yankee! Good to see that you're still around!

The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.

 

[yankeebobo]

My problem with the spheroid is consistent wicking. When its vaping the best its overfull and leaking out the air holes, but than it seems to get dry hits without fully wicking all the juice in the fluff.. I think part of the problem is that when I turn or screw in my base to the tank, the cotton is twisting and warping around inside. I cut the cotton to the width of the diameter of the base.. So I don't have my cotton overly long but its pretty impossible for the cotton not to want to twist up or move about as your screwing in your base. I think the v4 going away from the fluff setup is a great idea. One less piece of hassle and inconsistency taken out of the equation. Nothing should beat the wicks being in direct contact with liquid.

Here is how I have it. It ALMOST lays horizontal with a slight curl up at the ends. And nobody may believe it but I have anywhere between 3-3.5” of fluff. It wicks. Does not dry the wick. And because of the slightly more amount doesn’t release too much at once

 

[paladinx]

Thanks yankee.. So you cut the cotton to the diameter of the inside base not the outside... if that makes sense... and wow, 3 inches length of fluff? I been using 45mm in length and 20mm in height. maybe that is where i was going wrong as well. Right now the spheroid is working well.. I think its luck right now for me depending how the cotton lands onto the fluff when i screw it in. I will try wicking it your way.. Do you use kanthal wire?
I mean don't get me wrong.. I think the spheroid is a great atty.. very nice flavor, its perfect for my needs.. But the fluff always was the pain for me. In my mind which I have thought for years. the best wicking for me is a short straight run right into the juice. No hills the climb against gravity like the kayfun.. No wicking upwards like the sophia.. .Even with the fluff the spheroid uses gravity which is a bonus.. But the V4 got me really excited.. Its the atty design I had in my head now for years.. now actually someone did it in a small chamber atty

 

[yankeebobo]

Yeah. Exactly. Gravity works wonders. And sometimes it can work against you. Everyone’s mileage is different. I know some that don’t use near what I use. And Ive dabbled with the amount back in the day. I’ve just found that using more works with my Vaping style and juice. I can chain vape that all day long. Its a right wrap and then I typically use the GP fork to counter turn against the fluff gently so it doesn’t tear apart but fills in any spaces there are.

As for cut I line up the clips at the edge of the spheroid base and snip. Then I juice it up and lift slightly at the ends. It almost seems to ’scrape’ the walls of the tube as I screw the tube on. I also use a very similar amount in the Heron.

 

[cliffy15]

Here is how I have it. It ALMOST lays horizontal with a slight curl up at the ends. And nobody may believe it but I have anywhere between 3-3.5” of fluff. It wicks. Does not dry the wick. And because of the slightly more amount doesn’t release too much at once

Yankee, what type of juice are you using with that length of fluff? pg/vg ratio?

I ask because it may further the research/troubleshooting I'm having with my own build...

 

[yankeebobo]

Yankee, what type of juice are you using with that length of fluff? pg/vg ratio?

I ask because it may further the research/troubleshooting I'm having with my own build...

I will word it as 100% VG for the sake of talk. With the understanding that some flavors are PG. BUT my DIY is only about 10% so it is almost literally 100% VG. And NIC is VG based as well.

No joke. Then I use about the same in my Heron v1.

 

[yankeebobo]

Here is the tube pic with the fluff. Now I just filled it but the tube is filled in nicely. This combination of fluff and wick has worked in the spheroid and heron for well over a year with no problems. If it leaks on me then I know its because I made a mistake and got greedy on my fill.

This one I also just filled. (heron) Same cut of fluff. And if you zoom in carefully you may see a pocket or two where it wants to pull away for the wall. Had I gone the full 3.5” on the heron I wouldn’t have that. But no leak.

I cant speak for the heron v2

 

[cliffy15]

Nice, thanks for the pics!

I can't get nearly that type of saturation, I've found since my liquid is 50/50 I also generally have to use more fluff with those juices as opposed to higher vg liquid that I tend to no longer make.

I haven't had any problems, once I got my build down, with my Heron v1s and love them to death. The only real reason that I got the v2 is because I was crazy about the v1 so i just HAD to have the newer, and improved version!

The v2 has a considerably widened chamber to fill. Presumably both the tank walls and bell section take up less space. The bell cap also adds a bit of capacity. Otherwise it's supposed to work exactly the same as before with the exception of the gpin assembly.

The part that I'm fiddling with us the fluff length/density for the greater tank capacity. I have to use a greater length of fluff to get my desired density. Also, I have to be better about my builds now thatI don't have the cotton topper, nor the raised vent lip/hike on the deck, as a buffer against over-filling.

Overall I like the new design better for the increased capacity but overall shorter height. I now am constantly using it in 18650 mode which is only a tad bit taller in overall length from the previous version in 18500 mod. My only real complaint is that I can't clean the inner chamber without removing my coil.

 

[cliffy15]

@Hooligan: I have made some progress and while the results are promising I need more testing before they are conclusive.

I, too, am getting minor flooding that leaks out of the afc. usually it's only happening when left overnight or getting jostled around in my pocket and even driving in the car (increased vibration?).

I'm using a 2.4mm coil wicked with kgd. I have 12mm x 130mm of fluff for my thinnish 50/50 liquids.

Now for the progress: I'm not a new Heron user by any means.Just a new v2 user. I think my issue is/was not with the amount of fluff, but how the fluff was positioned in the tank. n00b mistake? probably, but it was difficult to tell with the naked eye.

At first glance, my fluff seemed to fill the tank perfectly with no gaps. However, I vaped it almost dry and crispy last night and noticed (as I looked at it with a tiny screwdriver) that the fluff was pulling itself away from the walls just a tiny bit. Difficult to see without my new reading glasses but significant enough to let the entire roll of fluff spin around the bell shaft a little when prodded while dry (not when wet and more pliable).

So this morning I took the fluff out, rinsed/dried it and replaced it.Before filling, I took extra care to really FLUFF/unwind the fluff - making sure it was in firm contact with the entirety of the tank walls.

I'm only on my first tank but the results are quite promising. If initial tests pan out, I'm going to deliberately try to put it through some situations where it previously flooded and see how that goes.

Will report back later.

edit: well, hey, not 15 minutes after posting this I got up and drove into town after replacing my battery and filling the tank. chain vaped all the way there and had the hnp in my lap on the way. after the last few minutes in my lap and parking the car, I pick it up and the side is coated in liquid that seeped out of the afc and into the seat while it was sideways.

Maybe i wasn't successful after all. I'll give it a couple of days and see. maybe Maybe i over filled or something. The first fill always is a little finicky for me.

 

[yankeebobo]

I hear ya on cleaning the base. I am thinking of looking at it the next time I tear it down to take a peak at ideas. But I will tear the base off the heron and spheroid to mop up at least once a week. And generally it may be a little condensation that built up rarely juice.

I USUALLY wait out some new releases to see how they shake out. And factoring in that I have 3 Herons already I just couldn’t pull the trigger. Although the latest paps looks fan freakin tastic and I’ve imagined it with one of my herons.

This is my problem. When I find a maker that just satisfies my needs and I reach a point I don’t NEED anything, I tend to wait for that “must have”. I have a lot of GP gear and even some that doesn’t make a regular rotation. They pinch hit well

Oh. ALL my coils are 2mm. No more, no less. ALL

 

[cliffy15]

I hear ya on cleaning the base. I am thinking of looking at it the next time I tear it down to take a peak at ideas. But I will tear the base off the heron and spheroid to mop up at least once a week. And generally it may be a little condensation that built up rarely juice.

I USUALLY wait out some new releases to see how they shake out. And factoring in that I have 3 Herons already I just couldn’t pull the trigger. Although the latest paps looks fan freakin tastic and I’ve imagined it with one of my herons.

This is my problem. When I find a maker that just satisfies my needs and I reach a point I don’t NEED anything, I tend to wait for that “must have”. I have a lot of GP gear and even some that doesn’t make a regular rotation. They pinch hit well

Oh. ALL my coils are 2mm. No more, no less. ALL

I have two v1s and I really wanted a third. I skipped the v1.5 (marginal improvements for my vape style) and waited for the v2. I like it a lot.

I'm just a little frustrated that I can't kick this flooding issue especially since my other Heron builds work flawlessly. Maybe I'll give the 2mm coil a go eventually but I've always used the same 2.4mm coil in all of my Herons and Spheroids although I haven't had a Spheroid since v2 and v3.

I'm not interested in the fluffless build in the least so maybe that feature was lost on me.

 

[yankeebobo]

I just prefer the fluff. Flavor wise its better. I admit that the Pic v2 is fluffless. I’ve done it both ways.

 

[paladinx]

@yankeebobo I thought pic was the mod that holds the battery.. Im shocked that you use 3 inches of fluff .. isn't the fluff extra fluffy? I thought if anything you would need to use less with the fluff than Jewels pads.. Guess ill try it. My cotton was doing exactly that you were saying, as I put the base in, the cotton is hitting the walls.. I have to arch the cotton up real high.. I thought the cotton hitting the walls wouldn't be good cause its pushing the cotton downwards as you slide the tank up... and than when its on, Its like who knows where the cotton ends up after you twist it on.. I think THEY REALLY should have had the tank push down on a washer and avoided a screw on base... Really surprised they wouldn't fix that design after the V1.. I would have. Have you tried the spheroid V4? The idea of removing the fluff completely and having a tank full with juice sounds pretty damn appealing to me.

 

[yankeebobo]

I should have said Piccoloid v2 so yes, the spheroid.

I have used less fluff. Even when fluffing up less, it released the juice too fast. So I increased until I reached this point.

Regarding the cotton. Cut the length. The curl at the ends is formed by you with the tube so the the overall length between curls fits between the inner diameter of the tube ... Then the “curl” almost slides up the walls of the tube. You cannot arch it high, that will definitely twist it up and you’ll get problems. Gurgle, juice up the chamber, leaking into the air hole, lesser vapor, etc. Increase the fluff if you think you need to until you meet your needed amount. You may not need what I use but you will likely find more isn’t a bad thing.

The heron has no thread. And there have been times I reach to grab the mod from a holder and almost lost the tank. that has more surface to grip. With the spheroid and its less surface and smaller diameter im not surprised that Perseas didn’t do the same thing with the spheroid. The smaller mod is a travel friendly mod. The thought of pulling it out of my jeans pocket and pulling the tank off makes me cringe. What he did do is eliminate the need for a tool to unscrew the chimney for cleaning, etc.

I do have a v4 and its fantastic. im old school and still do prefer the v3 layout but I do love the v4 none the less.

 

[paladinx]

@yankeebobo Didn't they actually change the top of the spheroid so it snaps in place with an 0-ring instead of the allen key?

I am really surprised to hear that you prefer the old style format.. any idea as to why? It doesn't vape as good, or it leaks more or has issues? I would imagine with the same chamber size and all the flavor of the vape should be the same, but not having to use fluff should be a plus. Why wouldn't it be? Unless the design is flawed or hard to manage? Im not even sure what is new in the V3.. I believe mine is a V2..
Im in the U.S. so getting one of these things is pretty expensive for me.

 

[yankeebobo]

They did make that change. Yes. And of course I believe that it could be done on the bottom. But I have no problem having that bottom screw in. I see it as extra security. I use tanks and have for a while. And I have had tanks slip. And those are the reasons I don’t carry one on my pocket when im wearing jeans. That and the extra bulk. I carry them in my coat or in the car. But the spheroid and piccolo I can leave in my jeans all day and have it on the ready.

The v3 and back have the center air hole. The wick is centered over that air hole and therefore centered in the tube. Its not a flaw in either v3 or v4. I prefer fluff. In the v4 I find the feeding with fluff is a tad off. Now perhaps I haven’t had enough time to tune it in so to speak but still. The air hole is to the side. The wick over that air hole is to the side. And the feeding feels off. Now, in the sense with no fluff, it works just fine. I jjstvsee the fluff delivering more consistently and also offering a better flavor.

But more importantly than that is the air flow. Over the last 1-2 years Vaping has shifted to cloud chasing competitions and the requests for more air for lung hitting. I mouth enhale, not direct lung. Yes you can control the air flow and it was designed to meet all aspects. But, its noisier no matter where its set. The v3 is quiet. Meaning I could be ms a wall 2 feet from another person and they wouldn’t know I took a pull. But with the v4, they could hear me from 10 feet away. All atties with this feature that I’ve tried have this ‘problem’ .

If you look back at some of my histrorical posts about the Heron, I preferred the v1 over the v1.5 . Same thing. V1 had three distinct holes for air, still adjustable but not as much. Cover a hole, or two and thats your adjustment. The v1.5 had a slot and as I see it the v2 has an even bigger slot.

None of these are design flaws. They speak to Perseas listening to requests. He makes adjustments in design to accommodate everyone. These are just my style.

 

[MsLoud]

I have both v2 and v3 - no v4 though - but I find no vaping difference between the 2. I use to LOVE my v3 with the press fit top cap but I have found the v2 with the allen key is no issue as my fluff last - well - forever lol, Not like I'm changing it all the time ad because I use 3mm ReadyxWick I don't need to rewick/coil for months - just rinse and dry burn on back in biz.

The difference in the v2 and v3 is the screws vs the finger nuts and the top cap - press fit vs threaded. I think possibly the bell is a bit different? Not sure - but none of these effects the vape.

I love fluff. I have several atties that use fluff for that very reason. Hassle free and no leaking. The Spheroid is the perfect atomizer IM-not so-HO

 

[yankeebobo]

Im not even sure what is new in the V3.. I believe mine is a V2..
.

im assuming you are referring to the spheroid. One easy way to see is that top bell. If its a key screw to remove its v2. The v3 has the snap press assembly. There are other features and you can compare them on the website. I cant remember the specs