Thinking about changing from smoktek tank to vision nova tank.

[Princessdee]

I use both.
I was getting about 1 day on my favorite flavor in a carto tank. (Very Dark)

I got a nova tank that the wick goes all the way to the bottom (I dunno versions)
My favorite flavor goes in there now.

My lighter colored flavors last longer than my favorite in a carto tank so I still use the carto tanks for them.

I like them both for different reasons.

 

[EGO-maniac]

The vivi nova is a good cheap tank to use. Nice flavor and easily changed atomizer heads.

 

[mostapha]

@nnote: It said 2.5 on the vendor's website. You might be right. Whatever. The wicks seem to work fine.

@Flyer: No.

I totally get why you'd recommend that and why you like it, and it might solve the problems I'm having with the taste…but it's supposed to be an easy, simple product……and it does seem to work as designed as long as you don't screw it down all the way (ego twist + thread covers FTW…it goes tight enough to loosen the thread covers and hold it in place like a set screw) and don't like to taste your juice.

There seems to be a very fine line (in terms of voltage) between having any flavor at all and it tasting just a tiny bit burnt……kinda like licking 9v battery terminals to see if it's dead. But, frankly, if the choice is between using a cheap, Chinese thing that needs to be rebuilt and isn't actually made for that…and using cartomizers that I'm happy with……I'l pick the cartomizers.

Also, my 1.8Ω head came in DOA. It looks horribly wrapped and shows OL resistance on my meter most of the time…occasionally flashing lower values that flash by too fast to read…meaning no circuit and possibly an intermittent short…I should see if it has a min-max hold function. Fortunately, though, the other 2 are fine and I was pretty sure I'd only want the 2.4Ω head anyway.

I wanted to like it, and the 2.4Ω head @ ~4.5 V is a good vape (with no taste at all up to 4.2 V…kinda strange tasting at 4.5 V…ego twist FTW, again). I don't mind having to saturate the wick…it's more of a PITA than cartomizers but less than dripping. And it does feel warmer than 8.5W on a carto.

Maybe it just needs to break in some more. Maybe I'll try re-wicking eventually (after I buy a couple more tanks), but I really don't want to bother building a coil when there are so much easier options unless I'm going to get something really good out of it. I will say that I have a saddle valve and an empty tank in my daily kit, and as soon as my new shipment of cartos comes in……this thing is probably going to become a plan B. The only reason it isn't already is because I don't have a clean carto to load this juice in.

Different stokes and all, but for me there seems to be no advantage over cartomizer tanks. It's also only been about 16 hours since I got it, so if there's a break-in period…it's not done yet. And it is a lot prettier in blue than my clear-ish DCT (I decided not to trust smoktech's colored plastic).

Edit: after thinking a bit more, I'm wondering if the first toot/hit/whatever was slightly dry and might have burned the wick. After I finish this tank, I'll change to the 2.8Ω head and see what that does, but I'm worried the Twist won't go high enough to get any taste/sensation out of it at all.

 

[donnah]

My VN came last Thursday. I like it.. don't love it though. I'm also finding that these definately need lower than "normal" voltage and that there is a fine line between a good vape and one that hints at burnt. It's worth the $13 plus shipping I paid for it. I just changed out to another head and it was easy. I rinsed the other one and am letting it dry for awhile and see how it does when I use it again. I'm also looking at kanthal wire and wicking to see if I can build my own. For me, the performance and flavor is good.. not wonderful or awesome. I would not like it if it was the only thing I had to use and I'd have a hard time using it on a vv device that didn't have a voltage readout (unless I used a voltmeter)

So yes, mine's giving a pretty good vape with pretty good flavor. (to me) it isn't as good as a fresh boge in a tank (on day one and two) but it's trying it and playing with it. I was getting a bit bored here lately and this was cheap enough to try. I'm not getting rid of my cartos and tanks anytime soon though LOL.

 

[mostapha]

I think there's something wrong with mine. Either that or I just don't understand how people like them. My "meh" impression is leaning more and more towards "fail" with each vape. It seemed good for a bit this afternoon and dropped off ridiculously.

 

[malcop]

Mine arived this morning, so far so good, using it on a Lavatube Chrome mini, I find around 4.4 volts with the 2.4 ohms atomiser works best for me.

 

[mostapha]

And mine got good again.

Is it possible to press the button wrong? Maybe it's some kind of wicking issue, but it seems always to produce about the same amount of vapor. Sometimes, it's awesome, warm, flavorful vapor. Other times, I want to chuck it because it doesn't taste like anything and is just a warm sensation at the tip of my tongue until I exhale. Tipping/swirling doesn't change it……neither does pre-drawing without firing. And the draw always sucks.

At this point, I'm honestly just curious how to figure out what's different between the times when it's awesome and the times when it makes me want a cigarette. I mean…I'm going back to cartos regardless. But I don't like it when things are this confusing.

 

[nnote]

mostapha. I definatly thing you got a v2 not a v2.5. The 2.5 heads also solved the shorting issue with an insulator 'cloth' in it. The fact that you have a shorted one makes me think it definatly 2.0
Anyways.....
On these tanks you really cant just fill and vape. What you need to do is wet the coil with a drop of juice and then wet the wicks with some juice, then assemble the tank and fill.
They work best with lighter juices. With dark juices I only fill half a tank then clean. Dark juices tend to gunk the coil quickly and you can tell because vapor production drops way off.

 

[mostapha]

It's not a particularly dark juice, and it's 100% PG. And vapor production is right where it always was, though it's a bit inconsistent. Mostly it's TH & flavor that are insanely inconsistent. It was "bleh" in the car on the way in this morning……put it in my pocket, did a couple things for about 5 minutes, then walked to another building and took it out……and it was fine……in the pocket, out……crappy again……in the pocket, out…okay.

IHNC what could be causing it. Maybe it's just gunky. But if I go through ~ a tank and a half of juice in a day……my cartos would be fine (with this juice)……if I have to clean this one 3 times a day……that's just a different reason to go back to cartos.

 

[malcop]

I don't know if it helps but I'm using KY4 which is 70% PG & 30 VG, no wicking problems, or dry hits and throat it is fine for me at least.

 

[nnote]

mostapha.....
in the pocket.... meaning standing straight up? Since these are wicked devices best thing to do is always keep them laying on their side or tilted to keep the wicks moist. If mine are getting low and I leave them sitting straight up I have to give it a tilt/twirl to re moisten the wicks.

 

[mostapha]

Oh, I play with it a lot before the first vape……it's never been "dry" just either really good or really bland with no real sensation of vaping something. Once the juice gets low enough, it's kinda cool……you can kinda "draw" with the juice on the side of the tank by moving it around certain ways. It's fun to watch……but I think fluids are cool.

BTW, my cartos came in………first draw relegated the vivi nova to a backup, I think. I put in the 2.8 head. I'll rock it at 4.8 V at some point and see if I just burned the first one somehow. It does look black right at the coil. Even if that's just juice, I don't feel like it should be that bad after a day.

I'm willing to admit I might have screwed up, but it's not my first PV, and that hasn't happened with a carto or atomizer yet………the carto tank just plain works better right now. Also, wow punching with a saddle valve is easy.

It really is a love/hate thing with the nova so far……when it works, it works well……but it's kinda random whether or not it'll work well at any point.

 

[donnah]

while I am liking the VN... I wouldn't want to use it exclusively.. it's just not that satisfying of a vape for me. It's nice to have it on one of my devices to use as an alternate though out the evening. For me the vape is kinda thin.. I'm also bottom feeding a smok tech 2.5 single coil carto and it's much fuller and more satisfying. I'm glad I bought it though and will continue to use and play with it.

 

[mostapha]

I tried a LR Boge for the first time last night, and oddly enough the 2.8 is working better than the 2.4 did. Right around 4.8 V (for both of them) is kind of just awesome. I slightly prefer the boge right now, but I'm thinking either the coil was defective or I burned the wick inside a day. It was disgusting when I took it out. So, if that's a n00b mistake or a screw-up, fine……if that's actually indicative of their longevity………probably not going to keep with it.

I'm thinking it was just a bad set of heads or something. I'll give it a better chance and order some replacements, but I'm also ordering a tank that fits boges. The draw on the nova is just too weird.

Do you clean the vivi nova heads the same way you would an atomizer (soaking in booze)?

 

[classwife]

Moved to Tanks from General E-Smoking Discussion

 

[r77r7r]

I tried a LR Boge for the first time last night, and oddly enough the 2.8 is working better than the 2.4 did. Right around 4.8 V (for both of them) is kind of just awesome. I slightly prefer the boge right now, but I'm thinking either the coil was defective or I burned the wick inside a day. It was disgusting when I took it out.

I'm thinking it was just a bad set of heads or something. I'll give it a better chance and order some replacements, but I'm also ordering a tank that fits boges. The draw on the nova is just too weird.

They sell XLboges for the big tanks. I put the small ones in the big tanks that have grommets-Only using the the bottom of the carto anyways.

Tanks - Mom and Pop Vapor Shop

 

[mostapha]

Cool. I'm probably going to get a cartomator anyway……if I don't manage to get a lava tank……which I probably won't.

 

[mostapha]

So, after like a week, I've come around.

I accidentally grabbed the 1.8Ω head when I tried to put the 2.8Ω head in. It's not shorting, so I'm thinking there might be a problem with my meter's leads. I'll check on that. But it's working really well. The smoktech carto kind of stopped performing as well (in a tank), and the boge wasn't mine.

I'm not sure what you guys mean when you say it takes less power to drive them than other attys/cartos…I find that it's right about in-line with the other stuff I have used. And the 1.8Ω head seems to give me a pretty good range on my Twist. I'm hitting the current limit at some points, but with the way it seems to work the current limit compresses the top side of the wave that the Twist would be putting out…so I'm actually getting a good range that changes a lot in small increments from 4.0V to 4.8V from warm and pleasant to hot and almost burney. Going lower than that, the flavor drops off very quickly.

The other thing is that I figured out that I was just plain drawing too hard/sharp. Once I started treating it like a pipe instead of a cigarette, it felt like a very well packed pipe that's always at its sweet spot without any nursing or re-tamping. Also, the drip tip that came on it sucks. Fortunately, it seems like it's just a drip tip. I replaced it, and it no longer bothers my lips.

So, after like a week, I'm kind of sold on them……I wasn't at first, and I have no problem admitting that I was wrong (and doing something wrong).

I don't think I want to bother with rebuilding, but if the 1.8Ω head lasts on par with cartos……I'll probably stick with them at least until I find a good source of cartos that taste better than smoktechs. I'll definitely be ordering more heads this week, and I'm considering getting a second nova to have another flavor available.

This is the most undecided I've been about something since I started vaping (not that long, really). But it seems like it's going to work out for the better.

 

[bobothewizard]

So I ended up buying one of these for the wife and loved it so much i ended up buying one for myself. I see some people mention cleaning them, what does this involve? Are you referring to the rebuilding of the heads or is there some way to "clean" the wires in the head?

 

[Princessdee]

So I ended up buying one of these for the wife and loved it so much i ended up buying one for myself. I see some people mention cleaning them, what does this involve? Are you referring to the rebuilding of the heads or is there some way to "clean" the wires in the head?

I clean mine by:
Unscrew the top and bottom and clean the top (drip tip part) and plastic case with soapy water then rinse.

Unscrew the part with the wick (I'll call this the "stem") and rinse under running water (very hot or cold doesn't make a lot of difference That I see, I use warm) till the wicking looks white.

Thread the stem back onto the bottom and dry burn for a few short bursts till the coil glows red. (no, I don't let the wicking dry. Yes....I know...but I don't) Let the coil cool and then unscrew and hold the stem back under running water (to get off the "ash-y" taste of the dry burn.)

Lay it on a paper towel on the desk. Let the wicking dry enough that it won't dilute the taste of the juice (I let it set overnight, but only cause I usually do it late at night. Probably wouldn't take that long)

Screw it all back together and fill. Vape.

That's my way. You'll find something different that works for you.

Rebuilding...I dunno. Haven't tried it yet. Dunno if I want to go there. yet.