Have not used the rope, yet.
I have used both mesh and cotton in my AGA's. My thoughts are it will depend on the
juice your using.
I use MBV and currently have a tank setup with caramel coffee and another with peach. On the caramel coffee I would get great taste and nice cloud's with mesh and little to no taste with cotton, (I may have had to much cotton). The peach on the other hand did not taste right with mesh and it's tank is setup with cotton.
Currently I am trying a blending of mesh with a cotton core in my CC tank and it's not bad. Need to go pick up some new mesh and remake it instead of trying to do this with used mesh.
Bottom line is you will get different results with different wicks with different juices. Word of advice, log what you are doing when are trying new things and be very specific.