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

[yankeebobo]

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

The thumb screws could be replaced with a "v3 replacement kit".

I use the v2 (upgraded to screws), v3 and v4. Side tip on the v2s... I haven’t used a key to remove the top in two years. Rubber band.

 

[h00ligan]

That's what frustrates me. I can build the piccoloid fluff less and it's works perfectly. Die to the chimney design you can keep the wick internal with shoulders bytes unshakably the side and that's very easy. The chimney on the heron is a pain in the rear and makes that type of build (think of how a hurricane is built but upside down) doesn't work. The chimney holes for me are too small to hold s good amount of cotton. Because I can't put that cotton amount through and have to wick I have to use less and therefore it ends up flooding slowly. As soon as I do more. Dry hits. There just seems to be no win. And I know if I used thinner liquid it would be better. I vape 90% vg.

So I tried the fluff. I have to do another build still. It's been on hold as things for me have not been good unfortunately. Hopefully I'll get to it tomorrow when I wake up to a much better day than the last few.

 

[yankeebobo]

How smal of a coil are you using? I use 2mm across any atty I have and its sufficient. BUT, have you tried to increase the density of the wick? You may fare better pulling the cotton through to almost not being able to pull it anymore and then backing it off 1-2mm.

Im coming in late in the game and by only seeing the v2 photos it seems like it is ALL deck. That tells me that the wick is the heart and soul. Other wise you are placing juice on the deck and by default it flows like a golf ball into the hole.

 

[Cucco]

I just wanted to say 'Howdy' to my GP Family!

Yankeebobo: We sure did have fun on that bench, didn't we?

 

[paladinx]

@yankeebobo Yeah I am the same. I can't stand the trend towards clouds, but let me not go on a rant .. I too am a mouth to lung guy, I even find the V2 spheroid a bit airy.. what does the adjustable air control whistle or something? Shame. As for the fluff.. That part I really don't understand. Why would soaking your juice in another material improve the flavor?? If the flavor is better with fluff, that would mean the wicking isn't right in your setup.. maybe you are getting too much or too little juice going into the coil with the new no fluff method. Maybe I am a m0ron, but I can't possibly see the advantage of fluff verse a tank that you can just fill up with 0 hassle.. That is of course unless the system has to be tweaked or not working right. can't get any better flavor than short wick right into the liquid itself..

Is there a video tutorial that you recommend that shows THE EXACT thing to do. I wrap my coils on that little blue screw driver that comes with mods sometimes. IM not sure of the size. I guess its all trial and error, and different opinions.. I like things more precise and simplified with less room for experimentation and error. I thought eliminating the fluff would do that, I guess not.

 

[perseas]

@yankeebobo Yeah I am the same. I can't stand the trend towards clouds, but let me not go on a rant .. I too am a mouth to lung guy, I even find the V2 spheroid a bit airy.. what does the adjustable air control whistle or something? Shame. As for the fluff.. That part I really don't understand. Why would soaking your juice in another material improve the flavor?? If the flavor is better with fluff, that would mean the wicking isn't right in your setup.. maybe you are getting too much or too little juice going into the coil with the new no fluff method. Maybe I am a m0ron, but I can't possibly see the advantage of fluff verse a tank that you can just fill up with 0 hassle.. That is of course unless the system has to be tweaked or not working right. can't get any better flavor than short wick right into the liquid itself..

Is there a video tutorial that you recommend that shows THE EXACT thing to do. I wrap my coils on that little blue screw driver that comes with mods sometimes. IM not sure of the size. I guess its all trial and error, and different opinions.. I like things more precise and simplified with less room for experimentation and error. I thought eliminating the fluff would do that, I guess not.

Every tank system "cooks" the liquid during vaping due to the constant heating, it turns darker because of this. With fluff, the liquid drips onto the coil during vaping, the rest time the liquid remains thermally isolated (relatively) from the coil. Of course, if we have super low resistance values, the created heat gradually destroys the aromatic molecules of the liquid inside the fluff, which perfumes the draw as an extra bonus with a normal resistance value.

Many times, especially at the beginning of builds with fluff, things are miss and hit due to different viscosities, inadequate fluff placement, various resistance values, these cannot be addressed in one video only. The proof can be found at GP Series by VapourArt - Advance Notifications, Tips & Tricks & Updates Thread, where are dozens of different techniques for fluff, Spheroid and Heron builds. This versatility is good for some, or a burden for others. I vape 50/50 GVC and I find my ideal setup after some fails with every version of Spheroid and Heron. I like the speed of correction and the easiness of the overall build and I can repeat the same result with my liquids in every version, after a short learning curve. One thing I can recommend is to keep the wick tails short as Yankee said. This helps to avoid over wicking issues, while keeping the internals of the housing clean keeps the flavour clear from previous builds' remnants.

 

[perseas]

I just wanted to say 'Howdy' to my GP Family!

Yankeebobo: We sure did have fun on that bench, didn't we?

Hugs from Athens!
I know you love forests, who dares not to
Forest and waterfalls in Oregon.

 

[h00ligan]

How smal of a coil are you using? I use 2mm across any atty I have and its sufficient. BUT, have you tried to increase the density of the wick? You may fare better pulling the cotton through to almost not being able to pull it anymore and then backing it off 1-2mm.

Im coming in late in the game and by only seeing the v2 photos it seems like it is ALL deck. That tells me that the wick is the heart and soul. Other wise you are placing juice on the deck and by default it flows like a golf ball into the hole.

I'm using a 2.5 mm coil and tired 1.5 mm microccoil I wick very thick by default and with a dense wick. The problem is once the diameter of the wick gets too thick you create a bottleneck through the chimney holes. 90% vg doesn't soak so much as it travels along a cotton or rayon wick. So bottlenecking meet hole means dry hits.

By the way regarding a difference in flavor in tanks and fluff. I have tanks that taste totally different with my adv that are similar in design and appearance. The differences the shape of a chamber can make is huge depending on the juice. A lot of fruits and me thinks I don't notice subtle differences like I do with complex dessert. Anyway when you out fluff in the chamber aside from w changes listed above you're also altering the way the collection area acts regarding the circulation of the vapor. Time it stays in there. And usable volume of space

 

[yankeebobo]

I believe perseas said it all best in his post. Its a varying degree for many. And I won’t say which is the RIGHT way. But the fluff will essentially allow it to “drip” onto the wick in a fashion similar to a dripper.

As for the sound no it doesn’t whistle. its almost as if someone cut a small hole in the side to allow you to hear the coil vaporizing the juice. Like a hiss I suppose.

One factor I didn’t mention is the wick medium. I use KGD cotton on all my devices. and there is a reason I selected 2mm for my coil sizes on everything. I have had my trials with various sises amen encountered over wicking, under wicking, dry hits and flooding. Even the sophia that I use on the SnP gets a 2mm coil. And all of the wicks are fairly snug in the coils. Not too tight to not be able to pull it through but snug enough. and as perseas said you get to know it. I know 5 wraps with 28g is ~.8 ohms, 6 wraps is ~1.0 ohms, etc. I will check myself regularly to make sure but I can do these automatically.

 

[yankeebobo]

I should also mention that I decant all juices I use with fluff to the bottle below. It really helps get that juice all the way to the bottom (the top upside down). This helps saturate the fluff evenly.

 

[qorax]

Imho, there's no much difference between a fluffless Spheroid / Heron (tank mode) to a setup with fluff (Spheroid mode). On the flavor front. Yes, there is a slight, very slight hike - but for most folks it'd be indistinguishable. I don't notice any significant increase / decrease in flavor between the two modes.

There's just one reason I'd build them with fluff - and that's for a 100% non-leaking setup under changing altitudes. Like when on flight or mountaineering, rappelling, skiing or while driving thru a seriously hilly terrain, or if living in a penthouse atop a skyscraper. For our day-to-day use the Spheroid / Herons don't leak at all. Zero in my case.

I opine again, Spheroid has been made better with the V4. And so is the Heron with it's V2. There are various reasons to that - like reducing the length, alignment of logos, change in coil positioning (rebuilding made easier) etc. But the fact that we now have a choice ~ to build them with fluff or without - is a discerning factor on its favor. There's one serious extra effort been eliminated here. Saves time as well.

Both, the Spheroid V4 and the Heron V2 can be setup in a jiffy. Under 5 minutes each. A hasslefree building experience. And both vape exactly as their predecessors - lovely, tasty vapes. And I'm loving it!

 

[Cucco]

Hugs from Athens!
I know you love forests, who dares not to
Forest and waterfalls in Oregon.

Thanks! Great pic! Hugs back to you my dear friend.

 

[cliffy15]

just my $.02 ... I actually preferred the screw-on cap on the spheroid. It was difficult for me, having clumsy hands and little hand/arm strength to comfortably push out the cap. With the Allen key it wasn't a problem at all.

I dread changing/adjusting fluff for that reason but I understand the desire for an o-ring replacement. For me however if I'm going to be dickering with the fluff I'm probably going to have my little tool set ready for rebuilding.

 

[cliffy15]

Additionally, I'm finding that I really need to get a fair amountof resistance through the coil with my kgd. Otherwise, I get flooding and eventually the wick spins freely in the coil (more flooding).

Even so, I went to the mall with my hnp in my cargo shorts and basically lost all the liquid to my pocket. It's not my fluff... I know it. It doesn't leak at all while moving.

I'm guessing the jostling is getting too much liquid to my wick and it is over wicking. I also suspect that having the wick touch the deck ring is just creating a path for the liquid to go where I don't want it. It's more difficult accomplish this with my amount of wick because the Heron v4s coil location is offset.

Here's a picture where my fluff was almost empty but look where all the liquid ended up:

I'm going to go back to my double wick (two tails pointing up and two pointing down on the deck) to get a high fluff density (but less wick going to the fluff) while keeping flooding at bay. This way helps me to keep the fluff from touching any part of the deck ring as well.

crossing fingers... one last thing I may try is a smaller (2mm) coil to keep the leaking under control.

 

[h00ligan]

Additionally, I'm finding that I really need to get a fair amountof restaurants through the coil with my kgd. Otherwise, I get flooding and eventually the wick spins freely in the coil (more flooding).

Even so, I went to the mall with my hnp in my cargo shorts and basically lost all the liquid to my pocket. It's not my fluff... I know it. It doesn't leak at all while moving.

I'm guessing the jostling is getting too much liquid to my wick and it is over wicking. I also suspect that having the wick touch the deck ring is just creating a path for the liquid to go where I don't want it. It's more difficult accomplish this with my amount of wick because the Heron v4s coil location is offset.

Here's a picture where my fluff was almost empty but look where all the liquid ended up:

I'm going to go back to my double wick (two tails pointing up and two pointing down on the deck) to get a high fluff density (but less wick going to the fluff) while keeping flooding at bay. This way helps me to keep the fluff from touching any part of the deck ring as well.

crossing fingers... one last thing I may try is a smaller (2mm) coil to keep the leaking under control.

I moved to a 2mm coil after trying 1.5 and 2.5 and it's been much more successful. Better flavor and less issues wicking although the spheroid chimney and overall build type I much prefer. The. 2 mm may help. I can't say I like faffing about with fluff. It's a pain if you want to change flavors or run one tank of something that lingers.

I wick extremely tight with a very dense wicking material - cotton bacon which is about twice the density of KGD. I have found cotton bacon solves a fair bit of issues compared to rayon or Japanese pads for me in the gem tank as well as the heron probably because it wicks very well but it super dense. Before anyone starts in on cotton bacon I'm aware it's a rebranding of something. When I learn what that something is I'll buy it directly but until then given what I spend on hardware and juice I don't really mind spending $24-35 a year on cotton instead of $12. It's not breaking the bank in this equation. No 2 works very very well. I don't care for the initial cotton bacon which is dental cotton.

If you decide to try it - follow rayon wicking guidelines. - i.e. As thick as possible without deforming the coil. A bit trickier with 28 gauge nickel builds. I let the coil collapse on itself and use a small screwdriver to rework the spacing after wicking is finished.

I am s fan of all kinds of wicks from rayon to Japanese cotton pads I just find cotton bacon v2 typically solves issues in my more complicated or difficult tanks as it wicks faster than rayon and is more dense than cotton pads. I certainly don't suppose it's the be all end all of wicks. There's rarely one right answer to anything Vaping related.

Next up for me is a fluff free build again - I wish the chimney was more like the spheroid. A tiny bit taller so we could do the internal wick like the spheroid where the shoulder .... up against the holes. That really helps to wick quickly with thick liquids and prevent flooding.

Here was my last fluff build that gurgled s few times briefly but didn't flood or dry hit.

Here is a bonus exhausted and cold one eyed chihuahua who is my favorite just because she is keeping meCompany when I can't sleep and I'm playing about. plus. Levity. Not s flattering photo papa!

 

[paladinx]

I don't mind the allen key or screwing the top portion.. the bottom portion i rather not have it spin, but thats just me.
You guys are a very helpful bunch and I appreciate it. Love your videos Qorax, I been thinking of doing my own on this Spheroid V4.. Seems like a nice set up.

The point made about the fluff keeping the juice from being contaminated by residue is an excellent point I didn't think of. Especially with dark juices.. I guess that is a logical benefit, but usually when it gets to that point, you probably need to change your cotton out anyway.. I still think I would prefer fluff less for convenience. I have to check what size my coil is, if its 2mm.. I use 50/50 juice most of the time. I been using 2mmx45mm piece off fluff.. I guess i will try more and cut it more even.. Its not wicking properly.. i see like a glob of juice kind of stuck near the bottom / middle that never makes its way out of the tank

 

[MsLoud]

If you are seeing juice stuck in the fluff - you have too much fluff maybe? I wrap maybe 3 turns around the bell then when it goes into the tank section, I take a toothpick and kinda unwrap the fluff from the bell a bit. I can literally drain the fluff - almost - and I dont use cotton. I use ReadyxWick 3mm. I make sure the tails are long enough to stick into the fluff. Yes it may twist a bit but it gets enough saturation to never dry hit. When the vapor and taste start to wain - I know its time to fill up

 

[yankeebobo]

I solved my problem with changing flavors by obtaining a few setups.

At one point I had one end of the wick up to to the fluff/juice and one down to the deck. However it sometimes led to juice being wicked DOWN if it wasn’t vaped for a while.

As for finding the size... Once I found the perfect size fluff I cut a non currogated cardboard as a template. I have a complete tear down in a spheroid down to under 5 mins (not counting if its a fluff rinse)

 

[MsLoud]

There is also a difference in fluff. I think I bought out Domo when he put it on clearance (cry) and have enough little baggies to last my lifetime. It is softer than 2 other versions of PIF fluff I have received. I like the GP fluff better. The other is more coarse.

 

[paladinx]

I don't think i use too much fluff, i been using 45mm.. The cardboard trick is a good one! is ready wick ceramic? I wanted to try that, but I heard it is dangerous because of particles or something .. I probably would like it though. I tried mesh but that is too much of a pain int he ..., i couldn't get it to wick that great, but the flavor was nice.. I would imagine mesh in the V4 would be easier. But who knows