Noob's equipment corner: Kanger T3 vs Vivi Nova

[LeoRex]

'lo all... I'm relatively new to vaping... starting in January, only recently graduated from the disposables to something a bit more advanced.. first an eGo 650 then on to a eGo-V V2 Mega... But I wanted to share my experiences with other new vapers... I know that when I started looking around, things were a bit intimidating. The gear reviews were great, but the reviewers were obviously veterans with a lot of seat time.... and that experience leads them to avoid the stupid mistakes us idiots tend to make when they first start fiddling around with fancier stuff. So, sorry for the long-winded post, but I hope that maybe there might be something here that might help another new vaper.

So I was going to give my fellow babes some insight on two of the more popular rebuildables... the Vivi Nova and the Kanger T3.

First.. the Vivi Nova.

After trying, and getting frustrated a bit with, some CE3 clearos that came with the eGo kit, I figured I'd pick up a Vivi from my local smoke shop. Right off the bat, I was pleased with the performance. Good vapor, good taste, and it was easy to fill... But I did see some leaking issues. The top seal (between the top cap and the metal nipple at the top of the coil) weeped a bit...best way to describe. After vaping, if I pulled up the drip tip, there was almost always a small pool of juice sitting there. Nothing major to clean, but a leak is a leak. There is a silicone cap on the nipple that creates a pressure seal, and I can only assume that the seal wasn't strong enough. Next thing I noticed was that the spring loaded post that stuck out past the battery mount... seemed a bit flimsy and I had to nudge it to center it a bit when reattaching to my eGo. Not sure if that could lead to a shorting issue if it wasn't centered, but I was nervous that it might break (it never did). But the base was dry... no leaks to the battery, no leaks around the seals on the top and bottom cap... worked pretty good.

After a couple of tanks of juice, the flavor went a bit south and the draw started to get pretty tight... annoyingly so... so I figured I would replace the coil. Here, I was glad I got two spare coils in the box since I trashed the wicks on my first attempt to unscrew the coil. Those coil heads are tiny and there wasn't much to grab... OK... so no way to clean that one. On to coil #2... again, it only took a couple of tanks before it went south a bit. I attributed it to the 100% VG tobacco juice that is my go-to vape. After taking care to NOT break things, I could tell that the fairly thick, dark juice was doing a number on my coils... even a good soak in some vodka couldn't clean things out fully. The wicks were clean, but the coil was a bit of a mess. So I figured I'd give the whole 'dry burn' a shot.... So I looked and reviewed a fair number of videos... OK... clean it, let it dry, pop it on the battery and give it quick burts, look for it to just start glowing.. and so on. Well, after a couple of quick burts, I saw a puff, which smelled like burnt wick and not gunk burning off. Hmm... maybe I was imaging things since the coils never glowed at all. So a few more puffs.. no glowing... a few more.. nothing. I bailed at that point to see if this helped at all. And it definitely helped the draw, but the taste told a different story; I fried the wicks. Oh well... still had that last coil in there to use... but I knew it was going to be short life.

On to the Kanger. My shop then got some Kangers in, so I figured I would give those a shot. Right off, I noticed that the T3 had a much easier draw than the Vivi, but also pumped out a ton of vapor (which I preferred). And since the Kanger is a bottom coil, I didn't have to keep an eye on the wicks to keep them wet. The coil seemed to hold up better to my juice.. going a couple of tanks longer before I noticed it starting to falter. Here is where I feel that the Kanger has a leg up... Replacing a coil on a half-filled Vivi was a bit of a challenge.. whereas replacing the Kanger coil is as easy as filling it; just unscrew the base and there it is!

Noob mistake: When I cleaned my first T3 coil (which cleaned up fairly well), I forgot to put the silicone gasket back on the post. I knew something went wrong when, well, let's just say that the Kanger started to make noises that brought me back to my college days. And it started to leak like the nuts on my battery.. which I am happy to say, was a sealed unit. After realizing my f-up, on to coil 2... and all was well.

Only issue I've encountered is that, for some reason, the juice I use starts to darken noticeably when the tank gets low. The only thing I can think of is that with the bottom-coiled T3, the juice almost acts like a coolant.... and the constant heating caused some carmelization of the juice... which could lead to reduced coil life. But the coil cleaned up OK. So now I don't top-off at all... when I get around 0.5ml, I sacrifice the remaining juice to the vaping gods.

Conclusion... For me, the Kanger is the clear winner here. It was easier to fill, easier to clean and easier to replace the coil.. and now that I have ALL the parts on it, no leaks. Plus the draw is easier and it pumps out a nice, thick vape. The Vivi is still in my kit, but its resigned now to my backup, change of pace juice... at least until I get another Kanger.

Thanks all... If you made it to here, thanks for humoring me and reading the rantings of a accomplished fool.

 

[BostLabs]

I haven't used the Vivi's but I have the T3's. Like em! If you like them you should try the EVOD's.

 

[InTheShade]

Nice write-up there LeoRex - with some good points made for both devices.

Even though I disagree slightly, my mini nova metal seems to have robust O rings and I have never ever had any sign of leaking from either end. Also, I have had the same coil in there for about 3 weeks - and I use it pretty much every day. I just rinse it out and dry burn every 2 or 3 tanks and it seems to be fine. Only issue I have is that I can't see how much juice is in there, but I have developed a "nova" sense where I seem to just know it's time to top it off with extreme ice.
My T3 - It leaks like a monster. I've changed the heads, fiddled with it, tightened it, loosened it... So i just tossed it into a drawer until I get DIY rewicking supplies so I can see if that was the issue.

Now the EVOD on the other hand (which uses a very similar set up to the T3) I love. No leaking, great flavor and vapor production and looks decent even on a vamo. Only issue is the condensation on the fixed drip tip. Looks a bit nasty but doesn't affect performance.

 

[SirSteve]

If you don't want your Vivi, send it to me. I like mine, also like my Kanger stuff. Just don't send me any CE4's, only thing I tried that I haven't liked.

 

[DoogieTony]

Vivis are great after rewicking them. Also I don't care for the cooler vape from bottom coil kangers.
Different strokes for different folks.....

 

[ScottP]

A few things to point out. First, while the Kanger is often called a "rebuildable" I think they are only talking about the ability to rebuild by fully replacing the head. The Vivi Nova, while NOT called a rebuildable, is actually fully rebuildable with your own wire and wick.

Second you have to be a bit careful when talking about Vivi Nova problems because there are TWO major manufacturers that look almost identical right down to the packaging. One is from Vision and one is from Smoktech. MOST (not all) of the time I hear problems about the Nova's (leaking, pin misalignment, etc.) it is almost always the Smoktech version. Thats is not to say the Vision version does not have nuances of it's own.

You can tell the difference between the two Vivi Nova versions by looking at the heads. in the picture below, the one on the LEFT with the flat top is the Vision brand, and the one on the RIGHT with the pointy top is the Smoktech brand.


I would be interested to know which version the OP has just for reference.

EDIT: I may stand corrected, the Kanger T3 looks like they might use the same replacement heads as the Pro Tanks. If so I just watched a video that the Pro Tank heads can indeed be rebuilt in nearly the exact same way as the Vivi Nova heads.

 

[KerryK]

I don't use top coil stuff much now, still use the Kanger T4 Micro, works like a champ. I've found the easiest way to work with Kanger T3's is to add or remove flavor wicks and to keep a consistent pg/vg ratio. Once you have that fine tuning dialed in they work really well!

 

[Cycles Gladiator]

I like the loose draw of the Kanger, but if you remove a wick from the vivi nova, it has a nice smooth draw too. I can get the kanger to quit leaking if I take it apart, and completely dry the center out, but after a while it starts to gurgle and spit liquid into my mouth. Never had a problem with leaking in the nova. Also, in my opinion, rebuilding the nova is much easier. I have a problem getting the wire cut flush inside the ego connector (or else it shorts the battery), so much easier with how the nova heads are set up. I would probably use both equally, if the kanger wasn't always spitting liquid into my mouth. However, I have actually been using it more - until I pick up replacement heads or some more wick/wire for the nova. I hear they are coming out with new heads for the T3, the T3s - iirc, they screw on to a base similar to the vivi nova, not sure if that will solve leaking issues or not though.

 

[LeoRex]

Yeah... it's the smoketech one... I might pick up a Vision to try that out then.

 

[Ken_A]

Here's something new to me Kanger T3S Atomizer Heads (5 Pack) (1 Base included temporarily) - Sun-Vapers.com . I ordered the 2.5 ohm to try them out.

He also has Protanks for $17...I broke down and bought one.

From another thread.... It's the new kanger T3 heads

 

[ericbnc]

For me the Kanger heads are perfect - I have 3 T3's and a Pro Tank and no complaints.

 

[ScottP]

Yeah... it's the smoketech one... I might pick up a Vision to try that out then.

If you do there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
1. the easiest way to replace the heads, is to remove the rubber cap (flat head part in the picture I posted before), just pull straight up. This leaves the wide channel above the wicks available to unscrew with a thumbnail or flat head screwdriver.

2. The wicks are made of silica to you really can't burn them up. In fact a blue flame will clean them back pearly white. I have recoiled a Nova head reusing the original wicks after thoroughly torching them back white.

3. As with any coil, be careful doing a dry burn, if you do it too long without pausing it can cause the coil to break like a fuse.

4. I haven't tried this yet, but given the above points, it might be possible to use a torch or butane lighter to burn off the gunk out without damaging the coil. When the current head I am using gets bad I may try that and report back.

5. IF you do end up with a little bit of leakage with a Vision branded Nova, they have another rubber piece included inside the mouth piece. If you remove this from the mouth piece and insert it into the rubber piece on the head before assembly, it should stop any leakage problems. This step is not needed unless you actually have a leak to begin with.

Enjoy

 

[aikanae1]

From my understanding, the new t3s heads do not fit into the older t3's. I'm not sure anyone has the new t3s in yet, but they are already stocking the heads. The evods heads do not fit the t3s either. Sun-Vapes has a lot of info on this.

I use both t3's and nova's but for different pvs. The novas work with everything pretty good but I like the t3's best for ego-like batteries. I like the nova's on bigger mods.

​

 

[LeoRex]

Been a hard week... First, my new eGo-V craps out (not charging, display all wonky) so while I work on getting that exchanged, its back to my plain jane eGo.

But... the Kanger... oh, how you vex me. As many others have complained, the thing starts leaking like CRAZY once you get down below 1.4ml or so... gurgles, lots of leaks through the base.. a mess. My inquisitive mind starts working as to why... And I have some theories, both revolve around the air pressure in the tank, but I can't be sure... Only thing I can think of is that there is a complex draw pressure that is related to the amount of juice... more juice, more pressure to counteract the draw pressure of the wicks in the coil. As the level drops, it allows the coil to pull in more juice, causing the leaks. But I am not an expert if fluid dynamics.

Makes sense that some of the fixes I've seen involve screwing around with the flavor wicks.

But now I've off to replace the V2 Mega... maybe I'll go with a Vision 1300mah spinner to replace it... Seems like those STB bats are a bit twitchy.

 

[LeoRex]

2. The wicks are made of silica to you really can't burn them up. In fact a blue flame will clean them back pearly white. I have recoiled a Nova head reusing the original wicks after thoroughly torching them back white.

I've tried a dry burn... and not only did I end up with a burnt taste, when I tossed it, I broke it down and the wicks were def scorched a bit. Knockoff?

 

[ScottP]

I've tried a dry burn... and not only did I end up with a burnt taste, when I tossed it, I broke it down and the wicks were def scorched a bit. Knockoff?

The smell and taste are the gunk burning most likely. This is a problem with anything that uses a coil and wick. When you dry burn you have to do it in bursts (blowing into the coil) until it stops smoking and stinking. I use basically the method in THIS video. When that's done I rinse it out real good to make sure I get any loose particles out that I might have knocked loose in the cleaning process.

 

[LeoRex]

Update....

Taking the advice of some videos and pages, I decided to take a good look at the T3 head to see if there was anything I could do to avoid the leaking when the tank was low. I pulled the head, washer and post and took a look inside. First, the two 'flavor' wicks were pretty flimsy.. two tiny little wicks sitting on top of the coil... tossed those. I had some wick pieces from a blown Vivi Nova head that I had in a baggie, so I started with two of those. Still a bit of a gurgle and a wisp of daylight across the wicks.. so I put in a third. After a careful trim (need to pick up some sharp cuticle scissors) I put it back together and put in 1ml of juice, which would have leaked like an old Jaguar. NO LEAKS so far! Draw was pretty much the same, but no more sounding like a mini ....... and nothing on my battery. SWEET!

One thing I did notice was that the coil (actually it looked like two tight coils in series) was in GREAT shape.... I had about a week on it and the coils were still recognizable and the wick was pretty clean. Same juice absolutely kicked the Vivi Nova head's .... after a few tanks (but, I think the VN coil was a POS knockoff). And this was even after burning through some of the well-done tobacco juice that I had in the tank (see below).

So no leaks, long lasting coils... two issues/concerns abated.

The only problem I have now, and one that I don't see as easily solvable, is the cooked juice. The coil is swimming in juice, so I guess it stands to reason that it might darken under the heat. It tasted OK, and the coil didn't look any worse for wear, so it might not be a big deal in the long run.

Vivi is sitting my my kit still.. draw is just too tight for my liking. I've read in some places that pulling the little nipple off the head might open things up a bit, but I might as well give it a try and hope it doesn't make the leaking at the head even worse.

 

[ScottP]

One advantage to the Vivi is you can get a replacement all metal tank that will allow you to vape tank cracker juices with no fear of damage to the tank. As far as I know this is the only eGo sized juice proof tank there is at the moment.