Looking for a mod upgrade ...maybe, has to work with Serpent Mini
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Owners of each will claim quality.
Each box has its own positives and negatives. Generally the Alien has been popular for it's size as a 2 battery box (it really is small for a dual battery), firing bar rather than button (some people feel real strongly on this feature), and screen.
I think the Alien has also been so popular is because of the tank included in the kit, the Baby Beast. It's now a big seller for Smok along with it's bigger brother the Big Baby Beast. Smok apparently did a great job on building a cloud vaper's dream factory coil tank. Neither Evic or Eleaf offer as unique a tank with their kits.
Currently running a Pico with a Serpent Mini as today's setup. Although I have a number of devices, for the most part, they all merely fire the coil and allow me to vape. 90% of the time, I'm running in the 15-25W range, so a dual battery mod can last me a couple of days. On occasion, I'll drop in a dual-coil build and will need more "oomph". I'm all the way up to a whopping 50-ish Watts..... If you're staying fairly consistent with your builds, you really just need to find a device (whether single- or dual-battery) that is comfortable. If you opt for a dual-battery setup, make sure to grab a couple pair of batteries - you really should "marry" pairs for use.
Yep, I want the dual set up for efficiency and convenience. I'll be on the water all day for about a week in May. Also might as well try something new. I was checking that Ultimo atty but it looks like a hassle. What do you mean as far as OOOMPH ? Which double coil are you using ? I wouldn't mind building that if it's not too complicated.
I use to be a number cruncher too.
The Alien is the new kid on the block..it's sleak, looks good and just all around appeal. Before that one, it was something else such as the Wismec Reuleaux serie, before that it was the Eleaf Pico, and so on. While the most popular mod might be popular, it's not a reflexion of it's quality.. just that because they are new, the potential "bugs" aren't showing just yet. The Pico has been extremely solid while the Reuleaux serie, which has been extremely popular despite being plagued with bad contacts and other issues (I still am amused to see many that ranted so much about theirs only to end up posting about question on how to fix it, or just end up selling/trading it). The Alien, has had issues with the paint in the first few batches, but appears to be a solid mod at this point.
Somehow, some mods simply flood the market and becomes the "must have" for many... and lots of just as good or better mods end up overlooked... some like the Sigelei 213 which sold fairly well, but quality control and other issues ended up killing its popularity, while some like the Reuleaux RX75, that might have been a winning mod, stalled completely and simply never was a popular one.
One thing that affects the sales is that some models are voluntarily pushed by the makers (cheap to mass produce them) and stores (high markup so more profitable than a less popular model), and until bugs comes out, they are ranted on enough to "catch on".
Then there's the new "must have" mods with new options with touch screens, 20 types of TC approaches and other features, etc. that they are now adding because the basics aren't going to sell, even though these feature don't really do anything "must have" beyond the basics that one can vape just fine with.
I'm going on a bit of a rant here...
But note that it's the same with tanks.. I see people rant about some tanks that I find mediocre, or made to appeal to the wannabees cloud chaser. Then it's the rants about the expensive replacement pre-made coils, how short the lives of these coils are..etc..
And for both mods and tanks, the fad passes and the same people must have to next "best" thing.
It amuses me to hear the wannabees rant on and on (with every new tank or mod they get) about "OOOOOoooooo "flavour" is so much more amazing!!! " etc. when you look at this "new best thing" they have and it's the exact same as the last 5 they've had, just different look. In all my tanks, the only real difference will be chimney length/diameter, and airflow. But when the basics of a RTA/RDA when the deck (according to size (22 to 25mm for example)) will be near identical, the coils (using identical coils from tank to tank), the wicking (which simply needs to be done right to prevent dry-hits) will tend to be virtually identical, I see it as a Pavlovian response, and even a show to prevent buyer's remorse. The best way to know when I'm dealing with a noob, is that he's argue really hard on how amazingly different his new tank is and that he "now" tastes flavours "amazingly!".
Seriously, it's math and physics here... it's liquid being heated up to the point of evaporation, there isn't any magic in how a mod with heat a coil up so differently of another, either it works, possibly works a bit better or just works well", does TC correctly or differently from another mod with a different chipset, while for the tanks, it's a simple principle.... coil heats up, wick pulls in liquid, airflow to suck this vapour up. You can have a tank that will do vortexes and every other approach anyone can come up with.. it's still the exact some vapour than a 5$ tank will produce, that your one year old mod will do. In all my tanks, the only real difference is that some decks are easier to build on, some are easier to wick, but mostly, it's the airflow that I feel makes a difference... not in actual "flavour", but in amount of air going through. I'm at the point where it's more about how one builds that can make a true difference, the number of wraps used, etc. and not the tank itself if it's a decent tank.
Sorry for the rant, but I find it ridiculous lately how some go on that there's a huge science between these things, when the principles are the exact same for all of it, just to be "smart" sounding, and the moment I see anyone go "wow Flavour!!!" I just want to start slapping.
The "craziest" I get is dual claptons. They ring in net around 0.25Ω. I prefer Velocity-style decks for my dual builds. I'm too clumsy to get a 3-post to work where I have to trap two leads in a single post
I just received my Smok Alien. I. Really. Like. It. One whole side is the fire bar, and the control buttons are on the face. I'm rocking my Serp Mini (I have four) on it right now at a whopping 15.4W. I've barely made a dent in the batteries
@Imfallen_Angel - I'm with you - if the mod can fire my topper, it's a win-win for me. More or less flavor with a particular mod? Newp, IMHO, it's all about the topper and how it's setup, and even with that, I am hard-pressed to notice any discernible differences from one build to the next. If it's not burnt, I did it right! I like having different toppers to play with, but if I was REALLY forced to pick, I can make an EVOD tank and a Vision Spinner work, and it would keep me from picking up another cigarette. I'm fortunate that I don't have to pick just one setup.
The "craziest" I get is dual claptons. They ring in net around 0.25Ω. I prefer Velocity-style decks for my dual builds. I'm too clumsy to get a 3-post to work where I have to trap two leads in a single post
I just received my Smok Alien. I. Really. Like. It. One whole side is the fire bar, and the control buttons are on the face. I'm rocking my Serp Mini (I have four) on it right now at a whopping 15.4W. I've barely made a dent in the batteries
@Imfallen_Angel - I'm with you - if the mod can fire my topper, it's a win-win for me. More or less flavor with a particular mod? Newp, IMHO, it's all about the topper and how it's setup, and even with that, I am hard-pressed to notice any discernible differences from one build to the next. If it's not burnt, I did it right! I like having different toppers to play with, but if I was REALLY forced to pick, I can make an EVOD tank and a Vision Spinner work, and it would keep me from picking up another cigarette. I'm fortunate that I don't have to pick just one setup.
Glad to hear that you're enjoying the Alien... aside being in series, it's so close to being the TC100W's cousin as the basics are virtually the same between these mods. I have the Xcube 2 (form SMOK also) and it's a great and very fancy mod, but dang it's huge and I hate that there's no on-board charging as the springs for the batteries are seriously hungry for the wraps. At 15ish Watts, yeah, it should blow you away how long it's going to last. Just make sure that you're using married batteries (both always charged equally since new).
For tanks, the two real features that I look for, is airflow and the refill. The deck itself is third, nice to get a good one, and forth is leakage.
The best tank I've had for everything EXCEPT airflow is the Bachelor 2, best refill system, the flat (postless) deck is sublime on it. Anyone that likes a tight draw, this tank is a "must-have".
Airflow, the OBS Crius is the "to be beaten" tank for me at this point (but has a infuriating sweating problem / leaks under the airflow ring, which is a common flaw for this tank), but my Billow V3 is pretty close. There's also my latest tank: the Wofoto Conqueror which became one of my favourite tanks of all times almost instantly simply because it's so well built, non-standard in many ways, including one of the few post-less decks (which I really enjoy more and more), and while it's airflow is less than the Crius or Billows, it's still acceptable.
Just learned that I received my package with my OBS Engine, so I'll be playing with that one later.
Oh yes - brand new pair of married batteries in this beastie..... I have 5 pair exclusively married for my dual-battery mods. Two sets of 3 for my RX200S.
I keep hearing much about the OBS tanks. I'm curious to hear your opinions once you "rev" the Engine
I'm almost exclusively top-fill tanks now. I prefer airier tanks, so I bypassed the Bachelors.Cheers!
I already have the Ace (that is both pre-made ceramic coils and also comes with an single coil RTA) and the Crius. Both top/side sliding door fill which I enjoy, but wish they'd make the holes a tad larger.Oh yes - brand new pair of married batteries in this beastie..... I have 5 pair exclusively married for my dual-battery mods. Two sets of 3 for my RX200S.
I keep hearing much about the OBS tanks. I'm curious to hear your opinions once you "rev" the Engine
Cheers!
The Ace's RTA is a bit small (obvious) but never much trouble using it with NI, but had a lot of trouble using SS with it, but finally got it (the trick was to really go nuts with the largest coil and the most wraps I could get in it to get it to not burn instantly). Airflow is crazy for a single coil, the tank is extremely nice with plenty of details, never had any leakage with it.This is a few of the rare tanks that have both lower and top airflow, with the top holes having actual downwards chimneys. OBS should have made a dual coil RTA for it, or use it as the basis for the Crius (explained below)
The Crius is probably my favourite tank for airflow. It's overall an amazing tank, could be "the" perfect tank except for two flaws. 1) it sweats (slow leak) from under the airflow ring, which is a common flaw, which could be from either a bad o-ring, space in the 510 connector, possibly a crack in the insulator. The deck itself is fairly small, all my other 22-23mm tanks are able to handle a 3 - 3.5mm coil easily, while it barely handles a 3mm. I know that it's probably why they made the Crius + (the 25mm version) but I have no real interest in getting huge tanks that will overhang a lot of mods.
So should the Ace have been used as the template to make the Crius, there wouldn't be leaking, and the extra top airflow would have made it the talk with the most airflow that I could imagine. Plus the esthetics designs of the Ace makes the Crius a bit bland in comparison. Note that the Crius is still an absolutely beautiful tank, but it doesn't have as much details.
The Engine is top airflow and the "solution" to the sweating issues of the Crius, but some report that being a top airflow dulls the flavour, which I'll not really consider that much.. odds are, with a coil that's high and positioned right, I can see the airflow going all around the coil, which probably these people weren't able to do or just went with a standard bottom flow build and didn't even considered this.
Heck, my Conqueror and Bachelor are both sporting 4mm coils, but then they are postless decks.
(and note, there's a huge difference between the Bachelor 1 and 2, and the 2 does have better airflow than many other tanks, but once you try the Billows V3, then the Crius, you're screwed.)
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No problem.. and just spent the evening with my Engine mini (the 22mm version) and....Wow! Thank you @Imfallen_Angel! I appreciate the insightful review
First impression, very nice looking tank. It's supposed to hold 3.5 ml, and most of it is hidden under the fill door section on top. There's very little space between the coil dome and the glass, so the liquid can be slow to go down especially if bubbles form.
The deck is larger than the Crius and I can able to fit two 3.5mm SS coils for 0.4 ohm (settings at 45Watts and 420F in TC for a warm vape). Getting the coils in was great, the posts are well spaced. The wicking system is interesting, probably the longest wicks I've done is any RTA, as they need to curve and go down quite a bit to go into the feed holes at the bottom.
It's a very short tank as without the bottom airfeed, you take away about 4-5mm of height.
Airflow is wicked, I'd have trouble to say which between the Engine and the Crius has more, there's virtually no restriction and you can inhale as fast and hard as one can. The flavour comes through just as any good tank does. I like that the fill sliding door is larger than the Crius' but the way it's made inside the tank, you have to be careful when filling as bubbles can form and it's easy to have some burping.
The only negative is the mouthpiece is simply a bit too short, an extra mm or two would have made it more comfortable and while I can put in any 510 tip, the shape of it does have it's value as the cone shape is very nice looking on this tank, and is quite comfortable to use, but I will be trying other tips and see how it goes. A small pet peeve is that I wish that the airflow ring would have a stopper, something that I wish all tanks would have as default nowadays.
I've refilled it a few times and there was a bit of flooding but blowing in it clears that out, otherwise, there's some liquid that did end up in my mouth until it rebalances. Next time I refill, I'll close the airflow and see if it still happens. Also, next time I rebuild (or re-wick), I'll put in a bit more thickness to my wick. I'm still surprised at the amount of wick is needed (length) to make it all the way down.
In all honesty, between this and the Crius, due to large coils/deck, the fact that the Crius can leak quite a bit at times I find, plus the sweating, I already believe that it I was to get another OBS, I'd go with another engine.
Fun times tonight, vaping with both the Crius and the Engine at the same time, fogging up my living room.
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So that seems like the Evic might be good for me.
Dual coils are mainly for clouds because I'm looking juicy flavor ? I get enough heat from the Serpent mini. If flavor is much better with a dual coil what is a good atty with a pretty easy build that you guys rec ?
Dual coils are mainly for clouds because I'm looking juicy flavor ? I get enough heat from the Serpent mini. If flavor is much better with a dual coil what is a good atty with a pretty easy build that you guys rec ?
But the Ammit is a single coil solution, not dual as @Bang4dabuck was asking. My response for an easy to build dual coil that's hard to mess up would be the Engine already in this discussion. It is easy to build, easy to wick, and hard to make leak with really good performance.
Of course there are a ton of dual coil RTAs on the market so it's easier to find them than a good single coil. Getting them properly wicked is not all that difficult if you're already used to building as you are with your Serpent mini.
*sigh*
His question is about the whole "flavour" thing and easy to build on...
Any tank that's done right with proper airflow will be fine either dual OR single.
Since he states that it's not about cloud chasing, and side-stepped and asked about dual vs single, I'm stating that from several people I know that are heavily into testing EVERYTHING out there (God knows where they find the money), that they have all mentioned that in their experience, right now, for an easy to build, single coil deck that it the best for flavour (and not clouds), they all recommend the Ammit at this point.
I just got the Engine (and using it at this moment), I'll have a more detailed opinion in a few days, though my first impressions are very good, wicking wasn't the easiest compared to a few other RTAs I've got, getting the tips into holes that are somewhat under the coil required that I re-thread a longer wick and wasn't the easiest to see if the wick is in right and far in enough.
Huh.
What part of the OPs post are you referring to. I read the following:
So the question about dual coil for flavor remains unanswered. If you felt the OP could not do any better than the Serpent mini for flavor, single or dual coil, why recommend something like the Ammit which has not exactly taken the market by storm?
Good flavor can be had with both single and dual coil RTAs. Some are better than others with wide open airflow generally preferred for clouds, smaller chambers that sometimes are better for flavor. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to tanks, other than the need to make a proper connection, and preferably keep juice from dribbling all over the user.
If I were going to recommend a single coil tank for flavor without personal experience with it I'd recommend a Merlin mini based upon the feedback I've read. Having said that, I dislike recommending any tank I have had personal experience with.
And your point is? aside standing on a soap box as you didn't say anything worth while or different that's already been said? You really bring this place down a lot...
If you feel so strongly about it, please feel free to add me to your ignore list.
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