I have the Vivi Nova tank, and hate it. It leaks all the time. Can anyone suggest anything better?

[-GR-]

I used to use carto tanks when I vaped before. Since getting back in to vaping we have three vivi nova tanks and plan to get a couple more. They may not be the best thing out there but they are cheap, easy to clean and we don't have any issues with them. I have two DID's if I want something better.

Regarding the leaking it would have to be through where the head threads onto the post. It's either not tight or the o-ring is missing. That is the only way I could see it leaking through the center post.

 

[StereoDreamer]

IMO chain vaping w a Nova only works if your juice level is sufficient. Anywhere down halfway mark and one will experience burnt taste if chain vape. Of course... It helps if you are on a runny juice.

Simply not true...

I finished off a tank of HHV Neavenly Tobacco that I ordered with a 30/70 mix (it was pretty thick) and I was able to vape it down to about the next to the last marck on the tank (0.3ml) before it became an issue, at at that point, it wasn't that it was tasting burned, it was just more fiddling with the "tip and swish" than it was worth.

The key to the Vivi Nova is that once it gets below the halfway mark, you need to tip and swish or roll your PV, so that both wicks get washed with juice at the top. If you do this every other puff or so, it won't taste burned, and you can vape it nearly empty.

Is this a silly tweak that most folks don't want to be bothered with? Yes. Is it a weird quirk of this particular tank that will annoy the heck out o some people? Sure. Is it one of those things that some "vape geeks" will find an endearing trait and others will consider it a fatal design flaw? Probably.

But much like high-end audio gear, the simple fact is that not every bit of kit is perfect of revery consumer. A turntable that takes hours to set up, an will only work with 10% of the cartridges on the market, and needs a special platform, an only sounds great with 3 or 4 preamps might be the bees knees for me, because I dig that sort of tweaky, geeky, eccentric sort of gear.

But to a casual stereo consumer, or someone who prefers CDs, it will be like a visit to the 7th level of hell...

Same goes for vape gear. Just because YOU have a bad experience with a bit of gear, or you are a casual vaper (and not a geeky hobbyist, or balls-to-the-wall vapophile) doesn't mean that gear is a POS. IT just means that it's not suited to your habits, expectations, desires and abilities.

I LOVE my Vivi Nova. I carry it around everywhere, and it has never leaked a drop. I've laid it down on my couch and my car seat. I've carried it it my coat pocket. I've worn it on a lanyard. And ne'er a drop has spilled.

And I've vaped the heck out of it--with thick VG-heavy juices--and it never tastes burned.

I understand the eccentricities of the Vivi Nova. I vape within those limitations. I adjust my vaping habit, form and routine to maximize my vaping experience with the Vivi. And it works for me. In fact, I will be buying a LOT more Vivi's in the future--the new "window Nova", more of the original Novas, some of the Mini Novas, and probably whatever they come up with in the future.

I'm not saying the Vivi Nova is the be-all and end-all of tanks--it certainly is NOT. In fact, it leaves a LOT to be desired--no glass tanks, top-feeding coils that can be twitchy and finicky with thick juices, etc. But it is easy as heck to clean, REALLY easy to fill or top off, and a breeze to change the coil on. And for the price, it's pretty darn rugged too. And if you are REALLY geeky, the heads are pretty easy to rebuild to your own custom specs...

I'll get some carto tanks in the future, I'm sure. I'll also buy some more expensive and sophisticated RBA tanks. I have a LONG "wish list" of tanks and drip atomizers that I am lusting after.

But when it gets down to brass tacks, and I need an easy-to-fill, easy-to-maintain, easy-to-clean, and easy-to-vape tank, I'll reach for my Vivi Nova...

 

[elmattias]

Simply not true...

I finished off a tank of HHV Neavenly Tobacco that I ordered with a 30/70 mix (it was pretty thick) and I was able to vape it down to about the next to the last marck on the tank (0.3ml) before it became an issue, at at that point, it wasn't that it was tasting burned, it was just more fiddling with the "tip and swish" than it was worth.

The key to the Vivi Nova is that once it gets below the halfway mark, you need to tip and swish or roll your PV, so that both wicks get washed with juice at the top. If you do this every other puff or so, it won't taste burned, and you can vape it nearly empty.

Is this a silly tweak that most folks don't want to be bothered with? Yes. Is it a weird quirk of this particular tank that will annoy the heck out o some people? Sure. Is it one of those things that some "vape geeks" will find an endearing trait and others will consider it a fatal design flaw? Probably.

But much like high-end audio gear, the simple fact is that not every bit of kit is perfect of revery consumer. A turntable that takes hours to set up, an will only work with 10% of the cartridges on the market, and needs a special platform, an only sounds great with 3 or 4 preamps might be the bees knees for me, because I dig that sort of tweaky, geeky, eccentric sort of gear.

But to a casual stereo consumer, or someone who prefers CDs, it will be like a visit to the 7th level of hell...

Same goes for vape gear. Just because YOU have a bad experience with a bit of gear, or you are a casual vaper (and not a geeky hobbyist, or balls-to-the-wall vapophile) doesn't mean that gear is a POS. IT just means that it's not suited to your habits, expectations, desires and abilities.

I LOVE my Vivi Nova. I carry it around everywhere, and it has never leaked a drop. I've laid it down on my couch and my car seat. I've carried it it my coat pocket. I've worn it on a lanyard. And ne'er a drop has spilled.

And I've vaped the heck out of it--with thick VG-heavy juices--and it never tastes burned.

I understand the eccentricities of the Vivi Nova. I vape within those limitations. I adjust my vaping habit, form and routine to maximize my vaping experience with the Vivi. And it works for me. In fact, I will be buying a LOT more Vivi's in the future--the new "window Nova", more of the original Novas, some of the Mini Novas, and probably whatever they come up with in the future.

I'm not saying the Vivi Nova is the be-all and end-all of tanks--it certainly is NOT. In fact, it leaves a LOT to be desired--no glass tanks, top-feeding coils that can be twitchy and finicky with thick juices, etc. But it is easy as heck to clean, REALLY easy to fill or top off, and a breeze to change the coil on. And for the price, it's pretty darn rugged too. And if you are REALLY geeky, the heads are pretty easy to rebuild to your own custom specs...

I'll get some carto tanks in the future, I'm sure. I'll also buy some more expensive and sophisticated RBA tanks. I have a LONG "wish list" of tanks and drip atomizers that I am lusting after.

But when it gets down to brass tacks, and I need an easy-to-fill, easy-to-maintain, easy-to-clean, and easy-to-vape tank, I'll reach for my Vivi Nova...

very well said, I'm pleased to finally see someone that at least acknowledges the limitations of the device and the fact that it isn't for everyone...my own opinion is that if you don't like tinkering then you shouldn't get the nova.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

[flintlock62]

But much like high-end audio gear, the simple fact is that not every bit of kit is perfect of revery consumer. A turntable that takes hours to set up, an will only work with 10% of the cartridges on the market, and needs a special platform, an only sounds great with 3 or 4 preamps might be the bees knees for me, because I dig that sort of tweaky, geeky, eccentric sort of gear.

You don't have a McIntosh amp, Gerard Turntable, and JBL speakers? LOL!

 

[arcooke]

Maybe, but they aren't listed as an authorized reseller at Vision.

Where did you find that out? I've never been able to find a website for Vision or a list of authorized resellers

 

[The Ocelot]

I found this trippy. There are pictures a few pages on: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tips-tricks/340819-easter-egg-found-our-vivi-novas.html

 

[gthompson]

Where did you find that out? I've never been able to find a website for Vision or a list of authorized resellers

News Details - Vision High Technology

 

[StereoDreamer]

You don't have a McIntosh amp, Gerard Turntable, and JBL speakers? LOL!

I've never owned any McIntosh gear, but tthe guy I bought my Sequels from drove them with a Mac preamp and CD player and loved it. (He also had a Spectral amp, which is in another class altogether...) To be honest, I've never been impressed with McIntosh gear, except their CD players and old tube amps. Their new solid-state stuff has, IMO, all the sterile precision of Krell with all the personality of a Ford Taurus. But they ARE built like tanks...

My current amps are all Carver--Silver 7t monoblocks for the mains and M-500t's for the center and rears...

Never owned a Gerard TT. I DO have a Technics SL-1350, but admittedly, the only thing that is stock on it is the chassis and the motor. All the internal wiring has been replaced by me with pure silver.

I HAVE owned JBL speakers though, but currently, I'm running Martin Logans. Nothing with cone drivers comes even close to electrostatics, IMO...

Yeah, I'm an audiophile. And a geeky one at that...

Maybe that explains why I like the Vivi Nova--I sort of have a knack for (and take great pride in the ability of) finding the best performance for the dollar and making it work in my specific application with amazing results... ;-)

 

[elmattias]

as promised to the OP...an ibtanked on top of the eGo twist:

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

[Vaptor]

You probably have a crack in the threads if it leaks. One thing I like about Novas is that they never leak. I don't like anything else about it being only an emergency device for me. Too harsh.

 

[kiwivap]

People that have a bad experience with the novas are typically using the older version or a knock off. There are lots of clones out there and most f them are crap.

^^^This^^^

 

[klynnn]

I have been using the same vivi novas 2.5 version for months. I have had zero problems. Keep the heads cleaned and wet burn regularly and they work great. My heads last at least two months- I use one while the other dries out a bit. Just rebuilt my first head 2 days ago and that's just one more thing I don't have to buy.

 

[starwatching]

I am using a couple tanks from valley view vapes. Welcome to Valley View Vapes - Your Home for Quality Inexpensive Tanks and Vaping Supplies

I haven't had any problems with them. They have videos on how to fill them, and will answer any questions you have.

 

[StereoDreamer]

I finished off a tank of HHV Neavenly Tobacco that I ordered with a 30/70 mix (it was pretty thick) and I was able to vape it down to about the next to the last mark on the tank (0.3ml) before it became an issue, at at that point, it wasn't that it was tasting burned, it was just more fiddling with the "tip and swish" than it was worth.

Just wanted to add an addendum to this statement...

Now that I've had my Vivi Nova for a few weeks and am getting to understand the quirks and peculiarities of its inner workings, I was able to vape a tank of HHV "Gandalf" down past the threads on the bottom cap. Yes--it was vaping just fine with less than 0.3ml in the tank.

Sure, it involved a lot of tipping, swishing and waiting. Sure you can't chain-vape it like a locomotive when it gets that low. But if you want to vape off that last few fractions of a milliliter before you empty and clean a Vivi Nova, or can't stand the idea of tossing .5ml of your favorite e-liquid, you CAN vape it. It just takes some fiddling and a lot of patience.

I imagine there are people out there who think I'm making this up, so I guess I'll just have to make a YouTube video showing it being done to placate the nay-sayers.

But much like high-end audio, the fact is that if you have patience, and take the time to learn the intricacies of your gear, you CAN push it WAY past the generally accepted limits of performance to squeeze that last few percentage points of goodness out of your gear. You just need to be obsessive, geeky, dedicated, and stubborn... ;-)

 

[StereoDreamer]

Just wanted to add two more things to this thread.

First, I bought a new Vivi Nova v2.5 last weekend at a vape meet, and filled it up in my car as I was leaving to drive home. By the time I got home (about 75 minutes drive) it had leaked a little--not enough to be a threat to my PV, but enough that it was slippery on the bottom, and there were a few drops of juice on the top of the PV--more annoying than anything.

So I cleaned it up, an set it in a small glass cup and swtiched to another Vivi.

Next morning, the bottom of that glass cup had maybe a half a ml of juice in the bottom...

So I drained the juice into an empty bottle, disassembled the new Vivi, cleaned it really well, and let it dry overnight. I thought maybe I hadn't assembled it correctly, since I did it in a dark bar and was in a hurry. I thought I'd clean it good and then reassemble it and try it again later that evening.

When I did, it worked fine. No leaking at all. I carried it around all day and it didn't leak a drop. Today, I'm using it too, and still no leaks.

SO here is what I think happened, and this is something to check when you get a new Vivi. They come with the 2.4ohm head installed. But it's not screwed down tight. If you fill it without screwing the head down tight, and then tip it too much so that the liquid can get up there where the head screws into the center tube, juice will get down in the center tube, and it will leak like a sieve through the connector an the air holes on the bottom of the Vivi.

You don't have to crank the head down with pliers or a coin in the slot or anything--just get it good and tight with your fingers. That should fix a LOT of the leaking problems folks are having.


Second I'd like to offer a tip on improving the wicking issues that many folks complain about. Although the more geeky among us see the Vivi as a modder's dream (or nightmare) just BEGGING to be torn apart, re-coiled, re-wicked, and generally messed with, there ARE some simple things you can do to greatly improve performance without breaking out the pliers, or tearing things apart.

The first thing I do with a new head in my Vivi is to untwist the wick strands for about 1/4" at the ends, and make sure they are good and frayed out. This seems to help TREMENDOUSLY with wicking, and allows the wicks to grab a LOT more juice with ease. Fro the first 2/3 fo the tank, you barely have to tip it at all, and for that last 3rd, a simple tip to both sides will wick up enough juice to get two or three REALLY nice vapes before you need to tip it again.

Just wanted to pass that on for others. Sure, the Vivi isn't perfect, and yeah, it does take a certain amount of patience an fiddling to get optimal performance. But a few simple tweaks can go a LONG way, and can greatly improve the performance of the Vivi Nova...

 

[jasta]

Very nice @Stereo !!! thats the same thing i did to my eGo v3 but i ordered Mini Nova because of the cracking problem that eGo has.. does anyone here experience cracking in their vivi?

 

[ccoss11]

This is not an origina Vision Vivi Nova, you shuld get a right one, and I think there would be no leaking problems.
But many have in this field, Vivi Nova from differnt suppliers. Same name but not same materials and designs.

 

[cedric212]

Can't tell if it's a 'Vision' ViviNova, but it does have all the characteristics (i.e., vent hole on the connector and long wick). As for the flooding...well, there are three possibilities I can think of other than overfilling it:

1)a gap between the silicon cap with the top metal mount - just take off the drip tip and see if there's a gap
2)a gap where the wicks come out allowing the ejuice to leak into the center post - maybe try placing small piece of cotton to seal the gap
3)over-saturation of wick - silica doesn't hold the eliquid as well compared to ss or cotton/bamboo so I recommend rebuild with cotton/bamboo (currently using cotton wick)

Let's face it, these made in China atty/carto/clearo are finicky in nature. A faulty carto goes directly into the trash, whereas the ViviNova can be easily troubleshoot and rebuild cheaply (still using the same 2 heads that came with the kit received in Aug.). The bottom line is, if you're not into rebuilds then you'll probably better off with a cartos+tank setup.

 

[Soundhunter]

Got 5 of them..they can be fiddly and frustrating at times...far from perfect (as is every other delivery system).. but .. for me anyway..they taste superior to any carto I have ever tried (that includes IKV 801s)

I can vape all the way to the bottom - See both of StereoDreamer's post above..excellent!

They are not for everyone - That is for sure... neither is getting a pack of 5 cartos with two being duds..

None of mine have leaked as severly as that picture shows (I have had a couple of very small leaks..a little fiddling fixed it ) .. I would say this one is either a defective Nova or user error..

really simple as that - some like em, some don't - but if this problem were wide spread.. I think with as many people buying them we would know by now

 

[Fokai]

Got 2 Vivi Nova 2.5s from Gotvapes. They worked fine for a couple of days but then the leaking began. First time was when I was out at a bar and it leaked in jeans... Thank god I was wearing dark jeans otherwise I would have had a large brown spot since I was vaping coffee juice... I thought vivi was going to be my main vaping tank but now I might have to go back to cartos...