Just a few comments and my thoughts after long term use of KF4...
I currently have 3, that get rotated out every couple of months. They've been in use for a over a year. I've only had to use spares for (2) of the tiny white o-rings and (1) terminal screw, and only because I accidentally washed those items down the drain. I have replaced the springs with the gold-plated updates. All other non-glass parts are OEM original.
KF4 has become my all day, every day delivery device. I run all of them in "long mode" for capacity, and put between 3-6mls of liquid through one daily. I have broken multiple glass tank sections, and wish deeply that a stainless long mode tank section was available. This is my only real wish for improvement. I rewick every week, fill it once per day, and replace a coil every 2-3 weeks. I'll disassemble, clean, and inspect the one that's going to get a rest when rotated out.
For most of the time I've owned the KF4's, I've built them with 3mm Kanthal coils, .9-1.1 ohms, wicked with rayon. I ran these consistently at 20w with great performance.
Currently, my preferred build is a 3mm SS316 spaced coil, that's between .5-.6 ohms, wicked with rayon. I've been very successfully running this build on a VF Stout in TC mode at 450°F & 30w. I did experiment with nickel a bit, but the results were less than pleasant.
Overall, KF4 has been a fantastic, low-hassle, reliable device for me. It's not a beginners device, and does require some rare attention, but I believe these tanks will last for years of reliable performance.
I currently have 3, that get rotated out every couple of months. They've been in use for a over a year. I've only had to use spares for (2) of the tiny white o-rings and (1) terminal screw, and only because I accidentally washed those items down the drain. I have replaced the springs with the gold-plated updates. All other non-glass parts are OEM original.
KF4 has become my all day, every day delivery device. I run all of them in "long mode" for capacity, and put between 3-6mls of liquid through one daily. I have broken multiple glass tank sections, and wish deeply that a stainless long mode tank section was available. This is my only real wish for improvement. I rewick every week, fill it once per day, and replace a coil every 2-3 weeks. I'll disassemble, clean, and inspect the one that's going to get a rest when rotated out.
For most of the time I've owned the KF4's, I've built them with 3mm Kanthal coils, .9-1.1 ohms, wicked with rayon. I ran these consistently at 20w with great performance.
Currently, my preferred build is a 3mm SS316 spaced coil, that's between .5-.6 ohms, wicked with rayon. I've been very successfully running this build on a VF Stout in TC mode at 450°F & 30w. I did experiment with nickel a bit, but the results were less than pleasant.
Overall, KF4 has been a fantastic, low-hassle, reliable device for me. It's not a beginners device, and does require some rare attention, but I believe these tanks will last for years of reliable performance.
