Prelude
I was very excited about this atty because I vape in the neighborhood of .4 to .5 ohms with cotton, and once you discover the amazing, satisfying vapor production at this level, you really can never go back. Rebuilding, lowering resistance, and wicking with cotton is what made me fall in love with vaping its also what enabled me to cut my nicotine down to 2 mg (often, zero). But theres a problem that comes with this delightful vaping style; sub ohming in a dripper greatly reduces ones atomizer choices. Yes, you need to be able to wrap and wick coils, but in order to get them to perform, you need the right kind of air flow. The best coil in the world won't produce without the right amount of air.
One things for certain you will find yourself in a precarious position when it comes to RDA-vaping and driving. We all know its not safe to juice up your wick while behind the wheel. Bottom feeding mods built to handle sub ohm vaping have been to date the only solution to prevent the dreaded dripping and driving syndrome, while still producing billowing clouds.
With this in mind, I was eager to try an atomizer that offered an RDA design with adjustable air flow, and a tank underneath that could be utilized on a tube mod. The idea is that when clicked, the 3D will shoot liquid up through a hole in the deck to be absorbed by the wick, and then suck the excess back down to the lower reservoir so there is no leakage from the upper quadrant.
Aesthetics
Although I was not overly pleased with the 3Ds logo (its definitely not up to the standards Atmomixani has set with its other product engravings), I must admit the 3D looks somewhat shmexy on a Nemmy (especially the two-tone Kalafan) and the look is enhanced by the native hybrid connection. Unfortunately, the logos do not line up well when all sections are secured to optimal tightness. I can live with that, but its something I feel should have been engineered with more care considering the price point.
Build
I started my adventure by installing dual coils in the 3D. Its not the easiest atty to rebuild especially with thicker wire configurations. Prepare to go through a bit of struggle to capture your coil legs properly between screw and post. Atmomixani should have given us post holes in an atty this innovative (and pricey). Note: once installed, be careful not to push the moveable deck down and turn the fill hole too much it will rotate the pos post and pull your coils out of shape.
The atty vapes fine in dual mode, but I prefer a single coil. Happily, the air flow control ring allows you to choose. As an aside, I did open up the attys largest air hole in single coil mode to 3/32 on both the cap and the ring; but it was super easy to do and Im very happy with the results. I like the way the 3Ds air flow control ring locks into place so you can set it and forget it.
Single coil mode: drill-twisted 26 gauge, 8 wraps on a 3/32 precision screwdriver (.5 ohms)
Filling
Its a shame this doesnt hold more than a mil and a half of juice, as that would never last a full day. But I was not as concerned with that as I was the difficulty of getting the juice IN.
Its not easy to get that lower tank area filled without a needle nosed bottle or hypodermic. I tried filling the top sector and then clicking the device to suck the juice down into the lower sector (see Todd's Reviews), but this did not work for me. Not sure if its because my juice is thick (100% VG), or if its just a flaw in the design, but the juice stays pooled up in the top sector rather than getting sucked down to the lower reservoir. I finally found a juice bottle that had a tip that fit.
Final Thoughts
I like the 3D and its working for me in the car. It vapes well: good flavor stellar vapor production. Holds about 3 mils altogether if you wick with cotton. Does squonk the liquid up to the wick as promised when you click the device. (Does NOT suck the liquid back down as well as I would like; maybe someone with a higher PG ratio juice can weigh in on this, as I suspect the viscosity of my juice may be causing the problem.) Is it worth $150? Probably. Were paying in the hundred dollar range or more for RDAs that do far less, so why not shell out the extra for one that squonks and can turn your tube mod into a dripper with a tank. Atmomixani should offer the 3D with a needle-nosed bottle of some sort at no extra charge, and as mentioned, they should put holes in the posts or offer it as an option. (Maybe a logo re-design if they really want to go the extra mile - they could hold a contest and allow their fans and customers to enter logo ideas.) But all in all, a pretty nifty little atty from a company that continues to innovate and push the vaping envelope.
I was very excited about this atty because I vape in the neighborhood of .4 to .5 ohms with cotton, and once you discover the amazing, satisfying vapor production at this level, you really can never go back. Rebuilding, lowering resistance, and wicking with cotton is what made me fall in love with vaping its also what enabled me to cut my nicotine down to 2 mg (often, zero). But theres a problem that comes with this delightful vaping style; sub ohming in a dripper greatly reduces ones atomizer choices. Yes, you need to be able to wrap and wick coils, but in order to get them to perform, you need the right kind of air flow. The best coil in the world won't produce without the right amount of air.
One things for certain you will find yourself in a precarious position when it comes to RDA-vaping and driving. We all know its not safe to juice up your wick while behind the wheel. Bottom feeding mods built to handle sub ohm vaping have been to date the only solution to prevent the dreaded dripping and driving syndrome, while still producing billowing clouds.
With this in mind, I was eager to try an atomizer that offered an RDA design with adjustable air flow, and a tank underneath that could be utilized on a tube mod. The idea is that when clicked, the 3D will shoot liquid up through a hole in the deck to be absorbed by the wick, and then suck the excess back down to the lower reservoir so there is no leakage from the upper quadrant.
Aesthetics
Although I was not overly pleased with the 3Ds logo (its definitely not up to the standards Atmomixani has set with its other product engravings), I must admit the 3D looks somewhat shmexy on a Nemmy (especially the two-tone Kalafan) and the look is enhanced by the native hybrid connection. Unfortunately, the logos do not line up well when all sections are secured to optimal tightness. I can live with that, but its something I feel should have been engineered with more care considering the price point.
Build
I started my adventure by installing dual coils in the 3D. Its not the easiest atty to rebuild especially with thicker wire configurations. Prepare to go through a bit of struggle to capture your coil legs properly between screw and post. Atmomixani should have given us post holes in an atty this innovative (and pricey). Note: once installed, be careful not to push the moveable deck down and turn the fill hole too much it will rotate the pos post and pull your coils out of shape.
The atty vapes fine in dual mode, but I prefer a single coil. Happily, the air flow control ring allows you to choose. As an aside, I did open up the attys largest air hole in single coil mode to 3/32 on both the cap and the ring; but it was super easy to do and Im very happy with the results. I like the way the 3Ds air flow control ring locks into place so you can set it and forget it.
Single coil mode: drill-twisted 26 gauge, 8 wraps on a 3/32 precision screwdriver (.5 ohms)
Filling
Its a shame this doesnt hold more than a mil and a half of juice, as that would never last a full day. But I was not as concerned with that as I was the difficulty of getting the juice IN.
Its not easy to get that lower tank area filled without a needle nosed bottle or hypodermic. I tried filling the top sector and then clicking the device to suck the juice down into the lower sector (see Todd's Reviews), but this did not work for me. Not sure if its because my juice is thick (100% VG), or if its just a flaw in the design, but the juice stays pooled up in the top sector rather than getting sucked down to the lower reservoir. I finally found a juice bottle that had a tip that fit.
Final Thoughts
I like the 3D and its working for me in the car. It vapes well: good flavor stellar vapor production. Holds about 3 mils altogether if you wick with cotton. Does squonk the liquid up to the wick as promised when you click the device. (Does NOT suck the liquid back down as well as I would like; maybe someone with a higher PG ratio juice can weigh in on this, as I suspect the viscosity of my juice may be causing the problem.) Is it worth $150? Probably. Were paying in the hundred dollar range or more for RDAs that do far less, so why not shell out the extra for one that squonks and can turn your tube mod into a dripper with a tank. Atmomixani should offer the 3D with a needle-nosed bottle of some sort at no extra charge, and as mentioned, they should put holes in the posts or offer it as an option. (Maybe a logo re-design if they really want to go the extra mile - they could hold a contest and allow their fans and customers to enter logo ideas.) But all in all, a pretty nifty little atty from a company that continues to innovate and push the vaping envelope.
