Merlin by Augvape and Roxy

Status
Not open for further replies.

anthropolyte

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 1, 2016
97
181
46
Bristol, UK
I was thinking about getting a Pico to replace / add to my VTC Mini, so that's good to know.

Second day with this tank and I'm still impressed - rewicked yesterday after a little trouble with juice flow, and it took me maybe two minutes tops. Rayon suits the deck very well indeed. I reckon there's more flavour to be had though.

What's the largest coil anyone's fitted in? I'm using a 3.5mmx0.42mm 12-wrap SS coil at the moment.
 

MMW

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Oct 8, 2015
3,661
9,531
48
NH
Rewicked again (so easy...), and kept the tails a little shorter. Just poking into the juice wells. Flavour has immediately improved.
Exactly! I fluff and thin the wick and the flavor hots great! Of course, this is with 50/50-30/70vg.

Less is more for me.
 

juicynoos

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Sep 27, 2014
1,036
981
"Paradox", French West Indies
Jeez, I ordered from STS on May 26th. My 2 tanks ( 1 SS/1 Blk) only today arrived in Miami after 9 days in Chicago and may take another week to get here based on the usual timeline for goods from FL:cry:. Even the guy in Bristol UK got his already while mine took a dump in Chicago.
I paid $22.50 for shipping from STS and now I'm realizing the decks on mine may have issues since they were sent out before he checked the stock.
I could have ordered 5 direct from Augvape through Alibaba for the same price as the 2 I still ain't got:closedeyes:
:tumble:
 

anthropolyte

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 1, 2016
97
181
46
Bristol, UK
Here you go then :)
______

I got myself a Merlin RTA (imported from the States - no UK/EU vendor thus far, but the usual Chinese retailers do have them available). So here's a little mini-review. The photos are taken using my phone, so may not be the best quality... but you'll get the general idea.

I bought the tank from SubtankSupply in Kentucky - it's also available from ECiggity. I'm hopeful that some shops in the UK will get some in at some point. It took about five days to get to me, and cost $43.49 including delivery.

It's a 4ml capacity, top-fill tank with JFC and AFC. The design of the deck is pretty unique, having two velocity-style posts offset from the centre. This makes it ideal for a single-coil setup, which is what it was primarily designed for - but it also allows for dual coils one above the other. I've not tried that setup thus far, but from other reports it's not really worthwhile (so I'm not sure why they're really there - but I guess it caters for all).



Wicking is really straightforward - simply poke the cotton / rayon through the coil, cut it to length, and push it down into the juice wells, much like a dripper. In my experience it's worth keeping the juice holes in the deck clear of wick, but YMMV. I'm using a 3.5mm coil here with rayon, and had to trim the edge of the tails of the wick slightly to avoid choking the wells, but it's a very quick job nonetheless. Those of you using cotton will probably not have any need to trim.

Wick through coil (3.5mm diameter, 0.42mm SS wire in this case):


Poked down into juice wells (keeping liquid holes clear):



The JFC works in much the same way as the Griffin and other similar tanks, by turning the tank body. Whilst it only has two holes, liquid delivery to the coil is excellent as long as you have the wicking sorted (see above). It's stiff, but not overly stiff. Enough resistance to keep it where it is in your pocket.



The top fill is great - the "divots" in the top cap allow easy grip, and it's held on by just a couple of threads, so very easy to access whilst simultaneously being sturdy and unlikely to undo on its own. Nice big holes to get any sort of dropper bottle in. As with all other tanks, make sure the JFC is closed before filling.

Take note of the black o-ring in the centre of the top of the tank. This can get stuck to the top cap - but I've not had this issue. If it gets stuck, just poke it back in.



The AFC is perfect - enough resistance to stop it turning on its own, but not too stiff. The tank is not massively airy, but it's probably not ideal for MTL in its basic form - however! It comes with airflow adapter that screws into the air hole (much like the Bachelor Nano, but included in with the deal) and narrows the air flow down quite a bit. This adapter is fitted already on delivery, so remember to remove it if you like larger airflow. Wide open, without the adapter, I'd say it's a slightly restricted lung hit, about on par with the Bachelor, which is perfect for me. I can't comment on air flow with the minimum possible restriction, so debatable whether it's good for MTL - however other sites seem to suggest it's adequate. No pictures of the adapter I'm afraid :(

The tank does break down into its component parts, and you get a spare glass section in the box. The glass section is sturdy and does not feel fragile in any way, but note that there is a slight "lip" when assembled, as the edge of the glass protrudes ever so slightly past the edge of the metal sections. Bear this in mind if using pliers to separate the tank, as catching that lip will no doubt result in a broken tank. It's a good idea to lubricate the o-ring in the chimney before assembling to avoid it getting seized.



There's also the usual spares, and the ever-present allen key. All seem of good quality, and the o-rings appear to be standard-issue nitrile, so spares in the future shouldn't be a problem. No unusually shaped gaskets here! It also comes with a notch coil, which I am yet to try out.

No pictures of these bits I'm afraid, the box is at home!

The included drip tip is, I believe, delrin - and it's actually really nice. Wide-bore, smooth finish, and works well with the tank. The tank does have a standard 510 hole, so feel free to use your own tip.

All wicked up and good to go! I particularly like the fact that the engraved logo on the chimney lines up perfectly with the AFC hole.



Mine came perfectly clean, with no smell or taste of machine oil - popped a build straight in and got clean flavour. Note that the grub screws on mine did have a tendency to snip wires, so I gently filed down the tips of them using a metal nail file. This cured the problem.

Threading is generally good. I did have a minor issue with mine - a slight deformity in one of the juice holes on the deck edge, probably caused by imperfect drilling or punching. A gentle squeeze with some long-nosed pliers sorted this. Until I did that, the tank was difficult to screw together. It's now perfect.

The 510 is slightly long, although it's fine on my VTC Mini. Those with shorter 510s on their mods (Rolo owners, I'm looking at you) may potentially have an issue, but it should be ok. The 510 screw is adjustable, and brass.

One minor caveat - some people have stated that the AFC ring on the black version of this tank is loose, due to the wrong o-ring having been used. People with this issue are having replacement bases shipped out by Augvape. The SS one seems to have less of an issue in this area.

Overall I'm well impressed with this tank. Flavour is excellent, better than my Bachelor (and the Nano). No leaking to date, and as long as the build is right, there have been no issues with wicking. Highly recommended!

*EDIT* totally forgot to mention - it's 23mm in diameter (with no flared sections, so a true 23mm), and 47.5mm in height excluding the 510 and drip tip.
 

GarfieldDC

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Apr 20, 2013
264
484
india
Yes, I have, it fits & works great! Of course it's a tad tall on the pico but it doesn't irk me.
Could you post a pic of your Merlin on the Pico? I have a Pico paired with a Serpent Mini that I currently use as my daily setup. I have the Merlin on the way and have been wondering how it would fit/look on the Pico.
 

dhaiken

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
I just posted this over at Bird Land, I'll post it here also.
I have here the "unofficial" o-ring sizes, I didn't check as to where they go, I just measured what was in the bag.
Three 5 x 1 mm
One 8 x 1 mm
One 12 x 1 mm
One 14 x 1 mm
Two 20 x 1.2 mm
Am I sure these are the correct sizes of the ones in the bag? Yep
Edit: The one between base and chamber is 15 x 1 not 14 x 1 mm, still may work just fine, not sure.(14 x 1 mm is what's in the bag)
Under the top cap (outer edge) and at the ends of the glass are the 20 x 1.2 mm, three are needed, two are included.
The 8 x 1 goes in the middle between the juice filling slots under the top cap.
The 5 x 1 mm goes on the end of chimney tube at chamber, might fit the drip tip also, didn't check.
As for the 12 x 1 mm, I haven't the slightest idea unless some how the base comes apart and it's for the AC ring.
Indeed it was you. I had no reference in the copy I had in One Note, but when I clicked on the link it was you.
Thanks for the clarification.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TrollDragon
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread