What the hell is up with Kanger's "flavor wicks"?

[Susaz]

To all WET YOUR HEADS PRIOR TO USE.

Water when disperses, helps feed 100% PG or other thick liquids to avoid dry hits. AND it removes any traces of oil present in the head.

 

[jcco]

I general, I find the Kanger system to be quite inconsistent. I have experienced flooding with 100% VG & everything else that can happen except for dry hits. I have to fiddle with these things constantly. Or, more often than not replace the entire head to rid of the problems. At least that's a halfway affordable option but it sure starts to add up.

I cant figure out what is going on with mine. Hopefully the new heads are a little better.
I'm more or less frustrated with the whole thing. I wouldn't dare to remove any flavor wicks & never experience dry or burnt hits. If anything I've had to add some cotton to slow down the flooding. So obviously that are what the flavor wicks are designed to do. Hold back the flood.

I love them when they work & hate them when they don't. It's so inconsistent it's enough to drive me nuts.
I have yet to remove any wicks whatsoever. I cant imagine what would happen if I ever did.
They [Evod & PT] are my favorite devices so far but they obviously have kinks in their systems, at least for me.
I certainly don't get any burnt or dry hits. I haven't used anything but VG in them. I can't imagine what a high PG would do in them.
Some work perfectly & others have issues. I wish they would come out with something that's consistent.

That's my

 

[stevegmu]

I don't think clearomizers were really designed for 100% VG, or even e-liquids heavy in VG.

 

[7sixtwo]

Thanks to those who gave the helpful responses, even those who couldn't help but be a little snarky.

As I said, I'm new to fiddling with this stuff.

So far I've found that removing both "flavor wicks" from an Evod head has improved the performance with no downside. I tried the same with a couple well-used PT II heads and they gurgle and flood like a ..... Truly ...... me off Sun afternoon, while I was just trying to enjoy football. Btw, y'all see "Manning Bowl III", (Broncs vs Giants) ? The boys in orange kicked a little ... again, lookin great this season!

So, to achieve the performance I'm after, I guess it's time for me to just remove the stock wicks and coils altogether and make my own, of either cotton or fatter silica instead of what Kanger uses; to fill that gap.

 

[XeniaMike]

Same here, what a difference! I usually always remove at least 1 flavor wick when starting a new head. Jim Diamond's suggestion of saving them is a good one, I'll have to try that. Been enjoying Boba's recently, and have removed all the flavor wicks to get it to flow properly. Store those puppies upside down overnight or you might get flooding, which is what happened to me this morning. GRRRR.

 

[Cycles Gladiator]

I kept getting a burned taste if I used more than 4 watts (~3.2V) with a 2.5 ohm head. I took out both flavor wicks and it is working so much better, working great on 7-8 watts now. I'm also using 70% VG and not having any issues with flooding (I've been keeping it on it's side though when not in use).

 

[CraftyZA]

Out of the box I leave them where they are, However, If I rebuild I add plenty of wick. I like to add a lot of wick. I would wrap a coil around 2 wicks, then after they are installed, I still install a "flavour" wick on top of it. So 3 in total. It wicks up fast enough to let me vape at full power on a 0.6 ohm coil without a single dry hit. Stopped that for now due to battery issues, but your PT coil can do it.

 

[OzarkTroutBum]

I try to run them right out of the box if possible. If I get flooding and gurgling then I start replacing the wicks with cotton yarn.

Removing a wick has not worked for me and only results in gurgling and flooding. I use 50% and some 70% VG mixes.

 

[HDVaper]

I guess I'm one of the "know it alls" who recommend lower ohm coils in Kanger BCC's that are paired with regulated Ego batteries. The higher ohm coils can be frustrating with those batteries, especially if the nominal 2.5 ohm coil actually comes in at 2.8 (one of mine does). It's hard for that little battery to drive that tank satisfactorily.

When I switched to coils with nominal resistances of 1.8 to 2.2 ohms, performance improved dramatically. I had a warmer, fuller flavor and a satisfying sizzle from the coil. No burnt flavors or dry hits. Rebuilding coils to a target resistance of 2.0 ohms also did great.

YMMV.

I completely agree with EVERYTHING you just said. Ask me how I know.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

I completely agree with EVERYTHING you just said. Ask me how I know.

It's fun being on the cutting edge, isn't it?

You buy, you try, you adjust, you try again, you go "aha!"

Every one of my toppers is not a bottom coil system. I haven't had a flooding, leaking, gurgling or bad hit issue with any of'em that I didn't cause by my own damned fool self.

As a side note, I really do like the SmokTech Aro and Kamry K10 as competitors for the Evod and Protank, respectively. They both have bigger capacities, the draw is just right straight out of the mailbox and I've had no problems with them (that I didn't cause, again).

The X10 is bigger than the PT or PT2, but it's a polycarb tank wrapped in metal.

 

[itsmedant]

So after reading all of this, and having a bunch of issues with my main PT2 today, I want to get a tank that is solid, reliable, and consistent. I've looked up the Ithaka....don't know if I can justify dropping almost $200 on a tank right now....

What are some other good alternatives to the PT??

 

[Mad Scientist]

So after reading all of this, and having a bunch of issues with my main PT2 today, I want to get a tank that is solid, reliable, and consistent. I've looked up the Ithaka....don't know if I can justify dropping almost $200 on a tank right now....

What are some other good alternatives to the PT??

Next step would likely be a genesis style rebuildable. RSST is a good one to start with. Ithaka is a top performer, but it has a bit more complexity and many more variations in the build that might turn into too much all at once for a first rebuildable.

Once you get the hang of building the atomizer in a genesis type, it can be very solid, reliable and consistent. After that is mastered, you'll have a lot of the experience needed to branch out to the more exotic.

 

[itsmedant]

Next step would likely be a genesis style rebuildable. RSST is a good one to start with. Ithaka is a top performer, but it has a bit more complexity and many more variations in the build that might turn into too much all at once for a first rebuildable.

Once you get the hang of building the atomizer in a genesis type, it can be very solid, reliable and consistent. After that is mastered, you'll have a lot of the experience needed to branch out to the more exotic.

I've been rebuilding the coils in my kanger for a few months now, then i got an igo-w and I'm getting pretty consistent with the coils on that. I've been looking at the tanks you recommended, seems like AGA are pretty wide spread. I definitely want one with a glass/pyrex tank.

I thought I had all of this stuff figured out, and now I've had my mind blown again with these RBA's!!! Is the AGA brand good?

 

[Mad Scientist]

I've been rebuilding the coils in my kanger for a few months now, then i got an igo-w and I'm getting pretty consistent with the coils on that. I've been looking at the tanks you recommended, seems like AGA are pretty wide spread. I definitely want one with a glass/pyrex tank.

I thought I had all of this stuff figured out, and now I've had my mind blown again with these RBA's!!! Is the AGA brand good?

Can't go wrong with an AGA T2 and they're available for around 20 bucks or less.

 

[itsmedant]

Thanks for the quick reply, I think I'm going to put an order in for one tomorrow! Any good place to order?

 

[Mad Scientist]

Thanks for the quick reply, I think I'm going to put an order in for one tomorrow! Any good place to order?

A quick look around and seems like many vendors are out of stock. Hoosier Vapes has some for just over 20 bucks. If you shop around, you would likely be able to beat that price, but at least they have them.

 

[itsmedant]

Just ordered the AGA-T2. Do most people use the ss mesh for the wicks on these? I have a good bit of wick left and 32ga kanthal...I assume ill need to get some other stuff for this new tank.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk HD

 

[supermarket]

They seem to just wick up juice and do nothing with it, depriving the coiled wick of available juice to ensure nasty hits if you try to take em without a pause in between. No upside to their presence that I've observed or could imagine.

You're probably right in that their inclusion was an idea that seemed good to someone but was never actually user-tested prior to production and sale.

Anyway, damned glad I removed em!

bingo!


When I rebuild my heads, I use 2mm silica wick, and NO flavor wick. Why? Because I've tried everything else with 2mm wick, and it just didn't perform as well.

Ive tried doubling the 2mm wick, so that it is 4mm , and I get way too tight of a pull.

I've tried using the 2mm wick with 2mm as a flavor wick, same difference.

2mm wick with a small piece as a flavor wick - no benefit to NOT using the flavor wick.

The ONLY thing I'd like to try still, with silica, is using 3mm. The reason is because some of my eliquids just arent thick enough, and I think I get TOO MUCH of a pull with just 2mm - causing the juice to burn too fast.


anyway, there is no need for a flavor wick, at all.

 

[supermarket]

What crxess said.

Somehow, some way, there is a point to providing liquid to a coil and doing it at an appropriate rate. That is the point of all wicking - be it in the coil, or in this design - on top of it as well. Simple geometry - you have a round coil, being sealed on top by the flat surface of the bottom of the vent tube. Oh - that doesn't exactly seal does it? If the top wick isn't there you get a flooded coil where vapor production actually goes down, not up.

Well at least somebody doesn't understand how to vape maybe. The biggest problem I see new users having with these Kanger bottom coils is running them as hot as possible, just because they can. The technology neither works well or needs high voltage to "blow your clouds, man." I have a PT coil metering 2.5 ohms and I'm running the thing at a ginormous... 3.7 volts. With 100 VG liquid with the top wicks in place. Guess what? It works. Run these coils at what the "know it all's" think the voltage should be - because they know everything about how every piece of hardware works - they read something about watts and stuff - and then we have the 137 threads complaining about a PT, Evod etc. tasting harsh and burnt, and flooding because a "know it all" said the only way they work is with the top wicks removed.

Start the Kanger Bcc's at your lowest voltage possible, especially if you made the mistake - oops, "informed decision" - and headed straight for the 1.8 ohm coils. Don't be surprised if you can get your cloud thing working at an embarrassing 3.2 volts with a 1.8 ohm coil. I won't tell the "experts" on you. However, if you want to be an "expert" at vaping, rip the thing apart and modify the design before you even try it.

One thing I agree on very much is how you have beginners, just a few months into vaping, who read a bunch on here, and start tinkering with all their hardware before they even really get a feel for vaping.

Then they mess something up, or they aren't getting the results they are looking for - and they buy MORE equipment, because they figure the equipment they have failed them. Which is hardly ever the case.

I love hearing other people's experiences, and opinions, but I take them with a grain of salt. I like to reach my OWN conclusions, and in general, I just use what other people say on here (regarding hardware) as a form of getting new ideas, or experimentation.

I have built and used 30+ heads for the evods and pro tank in the past 2 months or so......and I am just BEGINNING to find out what works for me.

 

[supermarket]

I guess I'm one of the "know it alls" who recommend lower ohm coils in Kanger BCC's that are paired with regulated Ego batteries. The higher ohm coils can be frustrating with those batteries, especially if the nominal 2.5 ohm coil actually comes in at 2.8 (one of mine does). It's hard for that little battery to drive that tank satisfactorily.

When I switched to coils with nominal resistances of 1.8 to 2.2 ohms, performance improved dramatically. I had a warmer, fuller flavor and a satisfying sizzle from the coil. No burnt flavors or dry hits. Rebuilding coils to a target resistance of 2.0 ohms also did great.

YMMV.

Besides not using flavor wicks, I've always found too, that coils in the 1.8-2.0ohm area work FAR BETTER for me, then coils in the 2.2-3ohm area.

In fact, it took me a while to give in, because I was hellbent on sticking to building coils around 2.2-2.8 ohms. Now I stick with 1.7-2ohm areas.