What is out there? Looking for a round up of rebuildables / repariables

[MickeyRat]

I'm going to give you some honest advice. Ignore the voltmeter! You're starting to find out why I think they are useless for anything but diagnosing a problem or satisfying curiosity. My VV doesn't even have a meter. Adjust the voltage and juice flow until you are getting a good vape. Don't even look at the voltmeter. I do find that on the Penelope, I vape it at a higher voltage than I would if I had the same resistance in a commercial atty, Yes, I do get curious and see where I get on a new device but, I don't use meters to tell me where I like it. So I happen to know that currently I'm running 4.9V on a 2.1 ohm coil. On a commercial atty at that resistance, I would expect to run around 4.1V.

Once you find the settings that give you a vape you like, then you might have a place to start but, with a hand wound coil, you aren't likely to find a single voltage that will always be the one. Also as things wear, you'll find it needs a little adjustment now and then. Don't let the meter dictate what you want.

 

[MikeB]

Some tips:

Prime the coil with juice in the beginning and don't open the flow control at all and vape a few puffs, when you feel the vapor is going dry, open the juice flow, a little. Initially I was opening the flow too much and causing flooding, but figured out that I need only half a turn to get juice into the atty in the right quantity.

At the GG thread u have read about people using 7V on a 1.5 atty! It seems that these attys can take it, so you could crank up voltage until the Provari shows an error, then back it up a lil and vape.

The GG sub forum is a cool place to get expert advice. Lots of helpful veterans there.

Interesting. I've been opening it approximately a full turn. With the housing off, watching it as I turned it, even a full turn didn't seem to expose much of the wick, so I thought I had to give it a good bit of turning to do much. I'll try to be more gentle with it then and see how that goes. ... I'm not used to having a juice control.

7V on a 1.5 atty??? wow... that's almost 5amps!!! That must be like vaping a blow torch. lol. Crazy that little coil can take that, and what device can put out 5amps? Has to be a box mod. Anyway, I'll play with the voltage more too.

Thanks for the tip on the GG sub. I'll check it out.

 

[MikeB]

I'm going to give you some honest advice. Ignore the voltmeter! You're starting to find out why I think they are useless for anything but diagnosing a problem or satisfying curiosity. My VV doesn't even have a meter. Adjust the voltage and juice flow until you are getting a good vape. Don't even look at the voltmeter. I do find that on the Penelope, I vape it at a higher voltage than I would if I had the same resistance in a commercial atty, Yes, I do get curious and see where I get on a new device but, I don't use meters to tell me where I like it. So I happen to know that currently I'm running 4.9V on a 2.1 ohm coil. On a commercial atty at that resistance, I would expect to run around 4.1V.

Once you find the settings that give you a vape you like, then you might have a place to start but, with a hand wound coil, you aren't likely to find a single voltage that will always be the one. Also as things wear, you'll find it needs a little adjustment now and then. Don't let the meter dictate what you want.

You know, I read that twice and that really is good advice. When I started out with my Provari I kept playing with the voltage until it "felt right" and then I sort of stuck with that "number". Since then I've found that "number" doesn't always seem to work depending on the juice/carto/etc that I am using, and I have to adjust it. My thoughts on this have been changing but hadn't solidified yet. The way you put it though, its crystal clear. You're right, that "number" doesn't really mean anything aside from what voltage I'm running at. As far as the vape goes I think there are just too many variables to quantify a "number" that will always give you the vape you want.

I'm going to back off thinking about the number and instead just focus on taste and feel. In light of that, I kinda wish the Provari had a recessed thumb wheel or something to just dial it up or down. The menu isn't bad at all, and it's really fast once you get the hang of it, but I still think it would be a better to just have an analogue interface for the digital control.

What mod(s) are you running?

 

[MickeyRat]

\What mod(s) are you running?

I use a Buzz Pro most of the time with the Penelope. It literally just has a button and a wheel. I also have one of the earlier Madvapes VV boxes that didn't have a meter. It has a button a knob and an off switch. I know they have one with a meter now but, I think the ones without a meter are still available. Yesterday (after I posted that), I just got a VV gripper mainly because it's cheap and I actually like box mods. It has up down buttons but, you don't have to go through a menu to get to them. In that configuration, you pretty much have to have a meter to get some idea of where you are. What's funny is on a thread about that mod, I saw several Provari owners remarking about how much easier it was to adjust the voltage. On a mod with a wheel or knob, you can tell when you're getting way off the reservation by knob position. You need to know that because it might indicate a problem.

To me, VV is like salting your food. If you're making a recipe, you might measure to get things close but, in the end, on the plate, it's done to taste.

 

[Xaiver]

To me, VV is like salting your food. If you're making a recipe, you might measure to get things close but, in the end, on the plate, it's done to taste.

Maybe that's why I don't care for VV devices... I hate salt.

 

[MickeyRat]

Maybe that's why I don't care for VV devices... I hate salt.

I don't see how you can get consistency without VV with a rebuildable but, whatever works for you.

 

[Xaiver]

I don't see how you can get consistency without VV with a rebuildable but, whatever works for you.

VW And i dont mean the german auto engineers.

 

[MickeyRat]

VW And i dont mean the german auto engineers.

I know what VW is. I have a kick. I tend to like more manual control myself. I don't find the watts are everything viewpoint to be valid unless you are using the same style atomizer every time. I know for a fact it didn't work well going from a 901 to a 306. I'm not sure whether it would adjust well to different coils in a rebuildable. I haven't really tried it.

 

[Xaiver]

I know what VW is. I have a kick. I tend to like more manual control myself. I don't find the watts are everything viewpoint to be valid unless you are using the same style atomizer every time. I know for a fact it didn't work well going from a 901 to a 306. I'm not sure whether it would adjust well to different coils in a rebuildable. I haven't really tried it.

I figured that an acronym joke was warranted for that one.

Anyhow, I like thinkering with stuff, but I've got a 7 month old...lots of things need tinkering, and usually not the things that I want to tinker with. I switched to Penelope from a DCT, Kick's been set at right around 8 pretty much since I got it. I'm not sure if Penelope makes more vapor because it's a single coil and not duals, or if that's just the nature of the beast. I haven't made a coil that will run on my fixed voltage stuff yet though for comparison.

I did try to turn the kick down a bit when I first got Penelope, because she was fogging me out, but it took away some of the magic.

Anyhow, from my experience, my coils tend to gunk up as I use it, and I'd rather not be tinkering with turning the voltage up as it gunks up, whereas the Kick keeps it more or less consistant. I don't know how much of that you actually do with a VV, but I don't even have to think about it. (Except to think that I'm glad I don't have to.)

I'd say that it'd be worth a shot to try Penelope on a kick, see what you think. My major issue with the kick is how early in the battery cycle it cuts out. I get to around 3.7-3.8 and it's time to switch. If I'm only using my SB/Penelope all day, that's 3 batteries a day.

 

[MickeyRat]

Anyhow, from my experience, my coils tend to gunk up as I use it, and I'd rather not be tinkering with turning the voltage up as it gunks up, whereas the Kick keeps it more or less consistant. I don't know how much of that you actually do with a VV, but I don't even have to think about it. (Except to think that I'm glad I don't have to.)

I do it but, I'm used to it. I like to control it. I drive a car with a 5-speed for the same reason. It's one of the reasons I think mods that make you run through menus to mess with the voltage are a waste of time.

I'm curious whether you have to adjust it when you go to a new coil. Kicks are a PITA to adjust.

 

[MikeB]

To me, VV is like salting your food. If you're making a recipe, you might measure to get things close but, in the end, on the plate, it's done to taste.

LOL... thats a good analogy. I have tried not to think about the number today, which is hard on a Provari since you see the number while turning it up and down, so what I started doing (may sound crazy) is just kind-of looking off to the side of the display so all I really see is the lighted shape changing in my peripheral vision. A couple of clicks up, try a few puffs, a few more clicks, try again, etc. Anyway I found a spot that I am liking more on the Penelope. Nice warm vapor, and as long as I keep the juice control open a hair, it doesn't dry out and taste burnt. Out of curiosity, I checked the number and I was at 5.1v! See, I wouldn't have gone that high if I was watching the number. I would have thought, "oh that's much too high for a 1.7ohm atty"... Anyway, that was good advice. I still don't feel like I have a good handle on adjusting the juice control and voltage to get the perfect vape on this thing yet, but it's getting more an more satisfying the more experience I get with it.

I also tried a carto today while I had the Penelope apart looking at the gunk on the coil, and found it to taste a bit plasticy. Not bad, but it was there. I've never been one to complain about carto-filler taste, or even notice it, but I can taste it now.

I use a Buzz Pro... Madvapes VV ... VV gripper...

You're building a collection.
So out of those which is your "go-to" and why? ... if you don't mind.

I'm thinking about getting something more analogue, and which would you recommend? If different from your "go-to", then why?

 

[Xaiver]

I do it but, I'm used to it. I like to control it. I drive a car with a 5-speed for the same reason. It's one of the reasons I think mods that make you run through menus to mess with the voltage are a waste of time.

I'm curious whether you have to adjust it when you go to a new coil. Kicks are a PITA to adjust.

I would drive a manual if you could find them anymore... Before the car I have had now for like 6 years I had 2 manual pickups, and I looooved them. Except that when you own an open-box truck, everyone and their cousin wants you to help them move....and gas mileage sucks. Or it did back then, with my '93 ford 150.

The only VV device that I have is a Madvapes box, got it about 9 months ago, and I don't like it all that much. No point of reference on the dial and no lock, so I could very easily pop a buncha cartos on accident. I'd probably prefer menu's to that. Then again...I'm pretty happy with the Kick.

I haven't changed it since trying it at a lower wattage. It's been consistant from coil to coil. But then again, my coils seem to usually come out at around 3.3ohms. When I do adjust it, I pretty much just pop it out, turn the dial a little bit with a paring knife and then pop it back in. Yes, it's a pain to adjust, but I haven't found a reason to adjust it since I got it where I like it.

 

[MikeB]

I was just talking with my wife about the whole cotton wick issue, and while she normally glazes over during my "vape talk", she perked up...

I don't know why it didn't cross my mind, but she knits and spins her own yarn for her projects. In roughly 5 minutes she had sourced raw, organic, cotton fiber that was grown without pesticides, has never been treated with chemicals, bleach, or anything else. It's just been planted, picked, and carded (brushed to align the fibers for spinning). Including shipping it is $20 for a bag the size of a pillow case, which should yield around 425 yards at the size of the wick I showed her. That works out to 1275 feet at roughly 2cents/foot (plus her labor of course, which I'm sure I'll pay for somehow ). She seems pretty interesting in spinning some for me to try as a wick, and what is cool is that I can tell her to make it thicker, thinner, looser, or more tightly wound. I wouldn't even have to boil it. What do you think? Worth a shot? Or would it just make more sense to try to source some premade?

 

[Malduk]

She seems pretty interesting in spinning some for me to try as a wick, and what is cool is that I can tell her to make it thicker, thinner, looser, or more tightly wound. I wouldn't even have to boil it. What do you think? Worth a shot? Or would it just make more sense to try to source some premade?

You probably should continue with this in that monster thread (good read).
As for the question, definitely worth the shot. Boil it though, to lose bacteria, hand sweat and other dirt from it. In my experience, loosely woven cotton wicks and stores liquid better.

 

[MickeyRat]

She seems pretty interesting in spinning some for me to try as a wick, and what is cool is that I can tell her to make it thicker, thinner, looser, or more tightly wound. I wouldn't even have to boil it. What do you think? Worth a shot? Or would it just make more sense to try to source some premade?

Absolutely!!! I'm envious!!! Give it a shot. I'm having good luck with my cotton yarn so far. One thing you need to keep in mind though. You don't want to wrap the coil around cotton yarn tightly. I wrap the coil around the yarn and a nail together and remove the nail to provide space. If you wrap it too tightly, it still works but, the coil will clog very quickly. Like 24 hours quickly. I'm sure your wife has an appropriate knitting needle for the job.

I'm very interested in how this turns out. You might see if she can do the same with bamboo as well.

 

[martinc]

I saw on other forums that Penelope might have problems with thicker juices as an air bubble forms and cant escape due to its narrow size;if you get low vapor production with no gurgling,this might be it.

I think the cure was to make 2 slots somewhere with a dremel,but I didnt pay attention where exactly...thinner juice would be more advisable than frankensteining the thing though!

 

[MikeB]

You probably should continue with this in that monster thread (good read).
As for the question, definitely worth the shot. Boil it though, to lose bacteria, hand sweat and other dirt from it. In my experience, loosely woven cotton wicks and stores liquid better.

Thats a good point. I'll want to boil it just for sanitary reasons.

Maybe I will post this over there. I was thinking about that, but I haven't made it through the whole thread yet, and I had jumping in to the end of a thread without knowing what all has been said before.

 

[MikeB]

I saw on other forums that Penelope might have problems with thicker juices as an air bubble forms and cant escape due to its narrow size;if you get low vapor production with no gurgling,this might be it.

I think the cure was to make 2 slots somewhere with a dremel,but I didnt pay attention where exactly...thinner juice would be more advisable than frankensteining the thing though!

Yea, I read this too just last night so I was thinking about getting one of the Kir Penelope windows so I could see if there was an issue with bubbles.

 

[MikeB]

Absolutely!!! I'm envious!!! Give it a shot. I'm having good luck with my cotton yarn so far. One thing you need to keep in mind though. You don't want to wrap the coil around cotton yarn tightly. I wrap the coil around the yarn and a nail together and remove the nail to provide space. If you wrap it too tightly, it still works but, the coil will clog very quickly. Like 24 hours quickly. I'm sure your wife has an appropriate knitting needle for the job.

I'm very interested in how this turns out. You might see if she can do the same with bamboo as well.

Cool. I think I'll encourage her then. I don't know about bamboo, but she was telling me this morning that she'd found a good source for organic untreated hemp too, and was asking me if that would be good. I told her I didn't know, but Its probably discussed in that monster thread once I make my way through it.

 

[MickeyRat]

Thats a good point. I'll want to boil it just for sanitary reasons.

Maybe I will post this over there. I was thinking about that, but I haven't made it through the whole thread yet, and I had jumping in to the end of a thread without knowing what all has been said before.

Not a bad idea but, really between the anti-bacterial PG and the heat, you're probably fine from a sanitary standpoint.

Yea, I read this too just last night so I was thinking about getting one of the Kir Penelope windows so I could see if there was an issue with bubbles.

I've never had that problem. I probably will get one of those though.