So am I the only one who's tried various forms of genesis attys and been... meh. Always seems to me that the metal wick taints the flavor worse than a carto, and I've never found a coil that was sufficient with 3.7v, genesis or otherwise. I think maybe if it could be taken down to the 1Ω range it would be, but it's not technically a coil until you wrap it twice, which winds up around 1.5 - 2Ω. I've seen vids of the katana with 5 - 7 wraps, so I tried that on the hybrid mini. It put out a big cloud with VG, but for lack of a better word, it felt 'hollow'. It didn't feel like much of a drag, and occasionally prompted an involuntary exhalation. Inhaling certain fumes like acetone or turpentine does something similar. And the taste was hollow as well, bolstered by a metallic overtone.
The kanthal doesn't seem to hold up to the 6.4v of stacked batts, because the spot prior to the beginning of the coil would get too hot. Seems all of the fans of these are using 3.7 IMR anyhow, though. Just an observation there.
I've tried several different techniques for oxidizing both the SS wick and, at someone's suggestion, getting the coil good and blacked as well. Still no dice.
Surely I'm missing something fundamental here...
Yes, very much so. The symptoms you are descibing sound very much like a shorted coil to me and you may not have your mesh properly prepared.
Some of the things to remember are to make sure that there aren't any burrs on the outside of the mesh. I eliminate these by folding 5mm or so of the mesh and then rolling it up so the cut edge is hidden beneath the outside layer of the meshroll (got this idea from scubabatdan).
Next thing to remember is that the mesh needs to be very well oxidized and should be clean before you start. Zen~ posted a neat trick that works extremely well for this. Instead of quenching the mesh in water between the heating steps, quench it in the juice you are going to use. This builds the oxidation layer very well and you end up with a wick that is almost completely broken in before you even start vaping it. You should still do the last step of oxidation (even when quenching with juice) of putting a drop of juice on the mesh and lighting it on fire then letting it burn out. Drop this a few times before you wrap the coil. Also, if you notice that you are having trouble with wicking, you mentioned that you use 100% VG. Try using #325 mesh for, #400 will be too fine and will not supply enough TH and will have a hard time keeping up. Also, before I forget about this... Make sure you are boiling the mesh for a few minutes before rolling it up to make sure there are no oil residues on it from manufacturing. You would think that the torch is sufficient to remove these, but it really is not and I highly recommend boiling first before rolling.
Next tip.... When you wrap your coil, make sure it is tight and touching the mesh all around. You can do this easily by inserting a needle or pin in the mesh and wrapping the coil while it is supported.
Make sure that the wick is not touching the bottom of the tank, pull it up after the coil is wrapped so you have a 1 - 1.5 mm of space. If you can see clear through the tank under the wick, you have enough space there.
Now a really big factor in how the Genisis atty will perform is airflow. Make sure that your air hole is directing air directly at the coil. This will yield maximum flavo and vapor and is the biggest thing I see people get wrong when using Genisis atty's. Sometimes the hole is not in the right place when you get a new mod, don't be afraid to cover the original hole and make a new one (keep it to 1mm or less if you have a small enough drill bit to do this) it is much easier to have to enlarge the hole than to have to fill it and re-drill. Try it and if you feel the need for a bigger hole, go up one drill bit size and try again.
Any heating wire will work, but I have found that the better quality wire you use the better an experience you will have. I personally use 32ga kanthal A-1. I need 4 wraps with this or it is way too hot at 3.7V. 4 coils will measure to around 1.5 ohm with a 2mm wick and it goes down fast from there. Kanthal - D is very popular too, but I stay with A-1 because it is more resistant to building up carbon and can handle higher temperature. I personally dn't like the tast of nichrome and it is not as durable as kanthal but again, to each his own, these are just my preferences
If you follow these tips, you should end up with a big smile on your face. The flavor you get from your Genisis should be full and intense and you should not get the metallic taste you are referring to, just good clean flavor and LOTS of vapor