I purchased a pack of top coil clearos for driving on month...(CE2's) and then the next month or so a vivi nova. They are similar and can both suffer from try wicks.
The big differences to me...
1) the VN is a replaceable coil.. but the cartos can cost less that a VN coil. So the main point to me is ... it's rebuildable if you want.
2) The tank is, of course, bigger. Also heavier.
I think the VN is easier to clean. Cartos are disposable so meh.
I use the 2.8 ohm coils at around 4.8ish volts.
Now thinking about resistance wire and cotton wick........
If you don't mind the added weight of a tank, I'd go with VN for capacity and future rebuild-ability. Make sure it says version 2.5 or later. There are many other rebuildable tanks out there. I think the VN is a good price point for "Tank experimentation".