I have been using a Genesis style atty for a month or two now, and I feel like I have found my sweet spot, per say. Please keep in mind that this is what works for me and YMMV.
I have a ZAU, Short DID and Mini DID, and this configuration seems to work well in all 3 setups, however I tend to use the DID's when out and about, and the Zatty at home. There are several important factors that I seek to accomplish in any vaping setup, whether that be a carto tank, rba or otherwise. These factors are:
- Consistency: I need my setup to work well throughout the day. I generally don't have the time or inclination to tinker and fiddle while at work or out and about. I don't mind having to refill or change batteries one or two times, but beyond that I need it to just work, and hopefully work really well.
- Performance: I really enjoy the quality of vape that a genesis type setup gives me. Carto tanks also perform well, and definitely have a place in my arsenal, but I found them lacking a bit in performance.
- Pocketability: I commonly put my PV in my pants or coat pocket, backpack pocket, or other places where I can't guarantee the PV will stand up. The Z Atty is prone to leaking if not left in an upright position for a period of time, and the top cap can come off relatively easily. The fill screw and screw on top cap in the DID are very attractive features for me and gave me the pocketability I desired.
I have zero issues with carrying around extra batteries, and a bottle of liquid with a needle tip cap on it. I understand this is more of a PITA for others, and I would recommend something with better battery life and tank capacity for those people.
Here are the different components in my preferred setup:
Wick:
I use either 400 or 500 mesh. I find the 500 mesh wicks extremely well, and almost too good sometimes. I cut my mesh to the appropriate height, just a bit longer than I need, by about 70mm for the DID, 50mm for the Mini DID and ZAU. I pre-oxidize before rolling, and then roll it up until I have the right width and oxidize a second time.
The width of the wick plays a very important role in obtaining the pocketability aspect, as well as giving you a good amount of stiffness to ease the coil wrapping process. For the DID and Mini DID, I want the wick to be thinner than the wick hole. This allows for airflow through the wick hole and allows me to use the fill screw and still keep the air displacement needed as liquid wicks up and is vaporized. It also minimizes the contact area of the wick to the wick hole, reducing the chance of shorts at this location. The 70mm length allows me to roll the wick fairly tight, and obtain the width I am looking for.
With the Zatty, the 50mm length allows me to fit the wick in the insulator, and it is rolled very tight. Air displacement occurs through the fill port in the Zatty, so airflow in the wick hole is neither desired nor necessary.
Here is a picture depicting the width of the wick compared to the width of the wick hole in the DID:
Coil:
I have tried several different coil setups, and here are my deductions:
- I use the Short DID on a mechanical pv, so I shoot for a ~1.3-1.5 ohm coil. I use 30awg kanthal with a 4/5 wrap coil to achieve this, and it performs really well. 30awg Kanthal doesnt seem to gunk up as quickly as 32awg, however this may just be my imagination. The 30awg affords me one additional wrap than 32awg, and I believe the additional surface area of the coil really helps create more vapor at the same wattage. Since I am using 500 mesh, the wick can keep up easily
- I use the Mini DID on a Little Sister VV pv, so I shoot for a ~2+ohm coil. The wick is much thinner on this setup, and the space between the wick and positive post is less, therefore stick to 32awg at 4/5 or 5/6 wraps.
- I use the Zatty on a Provari, so I want at least a 2 ohm coil. I currently have a 5/6 wrap of 32awg that comes in at 2.1 ohms, but I intend on trying to get as many wraps of 30awg as I need to get up to 2.5-3 Ohms, and pumping up the voltage, I will report back on the success of this setup.
In conclusion; through experimentation, research and trial and error, I was able to obtain 3 perfect (for me) setups. A P+350 with Short DID gives me portability, performance, and pocketability, although I can easily go through 2-3 batteries a day. A LSVC with Mini DID also gives me portability, performance and pocketability, but has a bit more stealthiness to it, and gives me voltage regulation throughout the battery life. Running dual 10440s gives me 2-3 hours of vaping on a single charge, but this is mainly a backup I carry around. The Zatty on the Provari is for at home and is a fog machine, what more can I say?
I will be receiving a Zatty Pro later today, and a Zenesis BAM hopefully soon. The BAM has no need for an insulator, and I plan on experimenting with really wide, thick wicks with it.
I would love to hear what your perfect setup is
I have a ZAU, Short DID and Mini DID, and this configuration seems to work well in all 3 setups, however I tend to use the DID's when out and about, and the Zatty at home. There are several important factors that I seek to accomplish in any vaping setup, whether that be a carto tank, rba or otherwise. These factors are:
- Consistency: I need my setup to work well throughout the day. I generally don't have the time or inclination to tinker and fiddle while at work or out and about. I don't mind having to refill or change batteries one or two times, but beyond that I need it to just work, and hopefully work really well.
- Performance: I really enjoy the quality of vape that a genesis type setup gives me. Carto tanks also perform well, and definitely have a place in my arsenal, but I found them lacking a bit in performance.
- Pocketability: I commonly put my PV in my pants or coat pocket, backpack pocket, or other places where I can't guarantee the PV will stand up. The Z Atty is prone to leaking if not left in an upright position for a period of time, and the top cap can come off relatively easily. The fill screw and screw on top cap in the DID are very attractive features for me and gave me the pocketability I desired.
I have zero issues with carrying around extra batteries, and a bottle of liquid with a needle tip cap on it. I understand this is more of a PITA for others, and I would recommend something with better battery life and tank capacity for those people.
Here are the different components in my preferred setup:
Wick:
I use either 400 or 500 mesh. I find the 500 mesh wicks extremely well, and almost too good sometimes. I cut my mesh to the appropriate height, just a bit longer than I need, by about 70mm for the DID, 50mm for the Mini DID and ZAU. I pre-oxidize before rolling, and then roll it up until I have the right width and oxidize a second time.
The width of the wick plays a very important role in obtaining the pocketability aspect, as well as giving you a good amount of stiffness to ease the coil wrapping process. For the DID and Mini DID, I want the wick to be thinner than the wick hole. This allows for airflow through the wick hole and allows me to use the fill screw and still keep the air displacement needed as liquid wicks up and is vaporized. It also minimizes the contact area of the wick to the wick hole, reducing the chance of shorts at this location. The 70mm length allows me to roll the wick fairly tight, and obtain the width I am looking for.
With the Zatty, the 50mm length allows me to fit the wick in the insulator, and it is rolled very tight. Air displacement occurs through the fill port in the Zatty, so airflow in the wick hole is neither desired nor necessary.
Here is a picture depicting the width of the wick compared to the width of the wick hole in the DID:
Coil:
I have tried several different coil setups, and here are my deductions:
- I use the Short DID on a mechanical pv, so I shoot for a ~1.3-1.5 ohm coil. I use 30awg kanthal with a 4/5 wrap coil to achieve this, and it performs really well. 30awg Kanthal doesnt seem to gunk up as quickly as 32awg, however this may just be my imagination. The 30awg affords me one additional wrap than 32awg, and I believe the additional surface area of the coil really helps create more vapor at the same wattage. Since I am using 500 mesh, the wick can keep up easily
- I use the Mini DID on a Little Sister VV pv, so I shoot for a ~2+ohm coil. The wick is much thinner on this setup, and the space between the wick and positive post is less, therefore stick to 32awg at 4/5 or 5/6 wraps.
- I use the Zatty on a Provari, so I want at least a 2 ohm coil. I currently have a 5/6 wrap of 32awg that comes in at 2.1 ohms, but I intend on trying to get as many wraps of 30awg as I need to get up to 2.5-3 Ohms, and pumping up the voltage, I will report back on the success of this setup.
In conclusion; through experimentation, research and trial and error, I was able to obtain 3 perfect (for me) setups. A P+350 with Short DID gives me portability, performance, and pocketability, although I can easily go through 2-3 batteries a day. A LSVC with Mini DID also gives me portability, performance and pocketability, but has a bit more stealthiness to it, and gives me voltage regulation throughout the battery life. Running dual 10440s gives me 2-3 hours of vaping on a single charge, but this is mainly a backup I carry around. The Zatty on the Provari is for at home and is a fog machine, what more can I say?
I will be receiving a Zatty Pro later today, and a Zenesis BAM hopefully soon. The BAM has no need for an insulator, and I plan on experimenting with really wide, thick wicks with it.
I would love to hear what your perfect setup is
