I
vape like snake charmers play the pipe.
Been wondering lately (yay meaningful life) if wicking really is about angles. Seems to me the wicking capability of SS mesh in particular is more about breaking the surface tension of liquids than gravity. Put a drop of VG on rolled up 500-mesh and it pretty much sits there. Tilt the wick to make liquid move, and it's gone.
(This post may include mild exaggerations and lies for sake of dramatic effect.)
AHA, my good man! You're brain is orbiting the same thought as mine! Let me put my thinking this way; The wicks in our Gennys serve two purposes, which are (in fact) contradictory. One is to transport liquid (as rapidly as possible) to the coil. The other is to retain liquid (as effectively as possible) within the coil. All this, preferably, with as few unwanted side effects as can be managed.
One, fluid delivery. The fastest way to deliver liquid to the coil is tilting. Gravity and liquid seeking it's own level. Anything we put in the way is just that (in the way), a plug, if you will. Breaking the surface tension is important; but this can be accomplished by a very thin wire, or just a few strands of wick.
Two, fluid retention. What we want wrapped inside the coil is something that can be rapidly filled with liquid, holds a lot of it, and doesn't want to let go (back into the tank).
Some of the wicking materials we use are pretty good at serving both these purposes, but not GREAT at both. SS mesh wicks fast; but doesn't hold onto the liquid (drooling half-cooked liquid back into our sauce). And it doesn't wick nearly as fast as gravity. (Not to mention its taste, conductivity and dubious Chromium VI contributions.) Porous ceramic doesn't wick very well at all, but retains liquid fairly well (although maybe not enough). Although porous ceramic is rapidly improving (and is certainly good enough), it still can't do both 100%. (Not to mention that I'm one of those weirdos who can taste it, and don't like the taste.)
Side effects: primarily, this goes to my long time question, "why does tank juice not taste as good as freshly dripped?". Because, I say, it is being heated by the big fat
heat sink we've stuffed into the tank. So, how can we isolate tank juice from coil juice, deliver it quickly, as needed, and have ample juice at the coil? (with the freshest, just-dripped flavor). By subverting the somewhat flawed design of the Genisis style atomizer.
As much as I am aesthetically attached to the beautiful Genisis design; I'm more into an excellent vape. So I'm thinking in terms of separating the "wick" function from the "coil/atomizer reservoir" function.
Any ideas? Would love to group brainstorm along these lines.
Here's what I've been doing (and I know I'm not the first). BTW 90% of us, it seems, are tilting 45 degrees or more, when left to our own devices.


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These are SUPER fresh vapes! The juice retains "fresh-dripped" flavor throughout the tank. First pics are Nextel, last is braided cotton sleeve and a piece of wire (with bits of a previous experiment in the juice). Both are heavy sub-1Ω builds, and keep up great.