Merlin by Augvape and Roxy

[Alter]

What vg ratio are you guys with leaking issues using? I was under the impression that the oring inside the press fit rings was to add tension not to stop leaks. How is juice making its way down there?

I use 60vg/40pg juice and I have a 50/50 NET I made, they both seep.
The merlin seeps between the base and the top tank, when you spin to open or close the juice flow the juice gets between those 2 pieces then down behind the JFC then behind the AFC and seeps out the bottom edge not ontop the 510 but around it onto the mod. The JFC ring is just a ring that I guess is suppose to have a oring on it and held in place by the pressfit post section.
Even if there is adequate oring on the JFC the juice that gets between to the oring will eventually get funky from heat and age, since there is no way to clean it out without taking the base apart and compromising the factory pressfit.

 

[TrollDragon]

I just took mine apart again so I could try to understand how it could seep from in between the juice control and airflow control ring. It looks to me that the only way that could happen is if the lower build deck oring wasn't sealing.
@TrollDragon Is this where yours is leaking from?

Mine all seep between the AFC ring and the base.

I find if I don't move the JFC at all, it does not seep. I use MaxVG juice and can fill it without closing the JFC. Once you move that tank even a tiny bit, it will seep.

 

[Beeker25]

MaxVG here, all three of my bases seep.

My Crius Plus has a very similar base style to the Merlin and it doesn't seep at all, right now it's my primary RTA.

I also like the Plus.... Just got it a few days ago. This is unfortunate news on the Merlin. I have two and they are not more than a couple months old. No problems yet but the heads up is appreciated. This leads to another thought on RTAs considered to be the most durable. Perhaps another thread topic.

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[Vinnybagodoughnuts]

I use 60vg/40pg juice and I have a 50/50 NET I made, they both seep.
The merlin seeps between the base and the top tank, when you spin to open or close the juice flow the juice gets between those 2 pieces then down behind the JFC then behind the AFC and seeps out the bottom edge not ontop the 510 but around it onto the mod. The JFC ring is just a ring that I guess is suppose to have a oring on it and held in place by the pressfit post section.
Even if there is adequate oring on the JFC the juice that gets between to the oring will eventually get funky from heat and age, since there is no way to clean it out without taking the base apart and compromising the factory pressfit.

This is where I am confused. The oring within the press fit sections is not there to stop juice.It is only there to tension the ring so it doesn't spin freely.(I think) If the juice is not escaping the tank section then it has to be escaping the build/wick section .If that oring is not damaged how does juice make it into the pressfit section? Please believe that I am not trying to frustrate anyone. I am just having a hard time wrapping my brain around this.Mine is almost empty so I will take it all apart tomorrow and take some pictures.If it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all and these sorts of problems usually affect me.Don't know how I am getting so lucky this time but I am a tinkerer by nature so I will try to figure this out.

 

[Alter]

Don't get the seeping confused with leaking. If you see juice in the airflow ports then its leaking, prolly from wicking or dripping of juice and having the other area full of juice thus flowing down the airtube but it can be fixed. The seeping is a different animal all together, all you see is a slight shine behind when you spin the AFC and pools of juice around the top of the mod. My merlin vapes all day that i don't notice seeping until overnight then there's a ring of juice on the mod in the morning so I also assume the merlin can't hold its vacuum once you've stopped vaping on it and let it sit.
If you haven't taken the base apart it would be hard to vision how it seeps but once you have the base apart and begin to see how its put together then you see how the juice gets behind the AFC and JFC. I just haven't quite figured out how some seep and some don't but they will all seep sooner or later...that's the flaw in anything pressfit.

 

[TrollDragon]

@Vinnybagodoughnuts all the seeping/leaking/wicking issues were beat to death over at the other place in the Merlin thread. Starting on the bottom of page 58 dave61 mentions repressing the base as a possible cure. Mine don't seep that bad to cause me worry and I wipe off the excess usually after each top up. It's a bad design and there will be no fix for it until it is redesigned.

If you do read over there ignore all the drama BS from that ......... previewer...

 

[hiclass]

I used to own 3 Kangertech subtank mini, a Uwell Crown, a TFV4 and a TFV8 before I get my Merlin. I love my Augvape Merlin absolutely (V1 with round JFC) and have since use it as my main tank (80% of my vaping on it). Btw, my Merlin tank doesn't seep like what AlterUrEgo has described. As of today, I have sold 2 of my Subtank mini at second-hand price to friends, keeping the last one as souvenir for myself (I don't use it any more).

But as I recall, there were once (probabaly twice) that I found seeping with my Merlin (around the JFC control knurling ring) and it only happen when I wick incorrectly according to my own standard (accidently cut away too much cotton and thus use too little cotton). As in my earlier post in this thread, because I often use 4mm coil and quite an amount of cotton, 99.9% of my rewick or refill is perfect -- NO SEEPING! This is why, I don't believe it is a design flaw (so call press fit problem) that causes seeping, otherwise mine should always seep too.

What I wonder most is: why is that so difficult for those who claim pressfit design is a problem to illustrate with a photo? Isn't a picture worth a thousand words just to pinpoint where and better explain why seeping occured with their tank, of which they have already opened up its base portion against the pressfit mechanism?

 

[Marc411]

I would have to agree with kiclass, I own several and the only time I have any challenges is when I don't wick correctly. I use this tank a lot on my epipes which means they very rarely are store vertical and I have no issues. I do fill the juice flow channels completely with cotton though, all the way to the bottom of the deck. Fill the channels full but not packed tightly and I would be willing to bet your issues go away.

 

[MMW]

If I'm understanding correctly from their descriptions, where the base threads and the deck wall meet?

 

[Eskie]

I have to second Marc411. I have 2 Merlins, a v1.5 (round hole on the chimney, squarish on the base) and a v2 (squarish juice holes on both the chimney and base) and I have no leaks or seepage. I frequently leave the tank on a mod overnight, juice holes open, and never had any accumulation of anything on my mods.

 

[MMW]

Fwiw, I have 5 and no seeping.

 

[hittman]

I haven't had any leaking issues since the folks here showed me how to wick correctly. I do get condensation but don't notice any seepage like other folks are having. At least not so far.

 

[Dubminer]

I haven't had any leaking issues since the folks here showed me how to wick correctly. I do get condensation but don't notice any seepage like other folks are having. At least not so far.

I have not had seeping just condensation as well,but it does get annoying.

 

[TrollDragon]

Well then it must be wicking or user error... It's funny that of the 25 different RTAs I own, I only have this problem with the Merlin...

 

[Vinnybagodoughnuts]

Once upon a time.Many pages ago.I was shown a video tutorial on how to wick a Merlin.The builder said I should not push the wick all the way down into the cups and block the juice holes.Going against my better judgement I did.The result? A hand,atty, and mod covered in gooey eliquid.I never understood how my cotton wick could "block" my juice holes and prevent wicking. My second attempt was to fill the cups and completely cover the juice holes.The result? A perfectly working RTA. I always build a larger coil(3mm) to ensure I have plenty of wick and make it long enough so it does not touch the deck especially around the air flow tube.I have found a small flat screwdriver to be the ideal tool for pushing the wick into the cups.I have also seen some people spread the wick outside the cups.Why? The last thing I want is a gooey wick touching areas that don't need ejuice on them. I just need the wick to form a conduit to my coil. I am not sure why some are having seeping/leaking issues and some are not.It is possible as Alterurego states that this is the fate of all our beloved Merlins but at this point I can't see how. I will take some detailed pictures of my wicking next build.

 

[MMW]

Well then it must be wicking or user error... It's funny that of the 25 different RTAs I own, I only have this problem with the Merlin...

I doubt it's user error brother. You know how to build I reckon.

 

[Vinnybagodoughnuts]

+1 FWIW I am sure many of you know how to build.My post was just how I build and was not meant to suggest that any of you don't know what you are doing.
I think its great that this thread has withstood the test of time. A testament to the great people here.

 

[MMW]

Right on. It's just hard to pin down something concrete. Juice viscosity is out because ricks uses 100%pg and has no leaks.

 

[Vinnybagodoughnuts]

@Vinnybagodoughnuts all the seeping/leaking/wicking issues were beat to death over at the other place in the Merlin thread. Starting on the bottom of page 58 dave61 mentions repressing the base as a possible cure. Mine don't seep that bad to cause me worry and I wipe off the excess usually after each top up. It's a bad design and there will be no fix for it until it is redesigned.

If you do read over there ignore all the drama BS from that ......... previewer...

I stumbled on that thread a few weeks back.I didn't know what the "other" forum was that you guys sometimes talk about.That guy is a jerk. I hate "reviewers" who don't even bother to do any preproduction research or hands on testing.Worthless imo.I guess I will go read over there again to see whats been going on.Thanks for the heads up TD.

 

[Beeker25]

I've built my Merlin many ways. And I'm sure there are many ways to successfully build it. I have had dry hits when i run the tails to the bottom with cotton. With rayon I can run them to the bottom but I thin the tails out as you should always do with rayon. With cotton I go half way down the well so i see some cotton through the juice holes. That works pretty well for me. Btw i think Claptons burn juice quicker so if you use those then the possibility of dry hits increase everything else being equal. IMHO.

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