who tried mesh wicks?
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I switched a couple months ago and it has been my favorite so far. I vaped silica for a long time and got tired of the taste so I switched to cotton. I loved the taste of cotton but that would only last a day and I had to change it or deal with sub par vape for a couple days. Then I switched to SS mesh and I will never go back. Oxidizing definitely takes a little trial and error before you get it right so be patient, and have a rig ready along side while you are learning because it took me about a week to get it. What I love most is that I can vape heavily for a couple days and when it starts to get some build up I just take it out, cook it with my torch, rinse in water, and repeat that process a couple times and slap it back in. That whole process only takes me about 5 minutes and a single wick will last me for weeks doing this. It is definitely worth a try, just remember to be patient and buy extra supplies when you first start cause you will probably need it.
You can use stainless steel mesh wicks in any atty but I've only used SS wicks in Genisis attys. SS mesh is the hardest wick material to learn to use because you have to make it lose its conductivity or your coils will short through it. I suggest you start with a single coil and move on from there after you master that completely.
As R0bb0b said, SS wicks last a long time. I also find they give very clean flavor, but you have to do it right or they will give you a lot of problems.
This ^^^.
They gunk up too, and have to be cleaned/burned. And fiddling with them is a PITA to me.
I've "regressed". I now just use clean juice and stock heads....like the Evod heads. Meh. Lazy I guess. They can last me about 3 weeks each, plus or minus. They are 5 for $10 at a local vape shop. So that's less than a $1 per week and I don't mess with ANYTHING. I've also gotten over my "silica shards" concerns...rightly or wrongly.
I've been using mesh wicks for a year or so, and I see no reason to use anything else. I'm very happy with mesh. Your mileage may vary of course, there are many out there who can never get the hang of making a mesh wick right, and so have to post here bashing mesh for all they are worth.
P.S.
I made them work right, but I'm just lazy. It was the low-maintenance of stock stuff that appeals to me. But I LIKED the results of mesh, just wasn't worth the effort to me.
I think it depends on what you use it in too. Some toppers are, more or less, designed for it.
I made them work right, but I'm just lazy. It was the low-maintenance of stock stuff that appeals to me. But I LIKED the results of mesh, just wasn't worth the effort to me.
I think it depends on what you use it in too. Some toppers are, more or less, designed for it.
Yes please i love the concept of using mesh makes more sense in this application to me. I have some on the way to try for the first time, and its hard to find solid tuts on the stuff
I used SS mesh wicks for Genisis tanks for a long time. They have their advantages, but I found ceramic to give cleaner taste. There's also the chromium oxide discussion when it comes to stainless...
For styles of atomizers other than Genisis, there's no reason to use SS mesh, when hemp or XC-116 braided ceramic work much better, do not have the faint metallic taste or the possible health implications of stainless. For Genisis, porous ceramic works great, but is difficult to manufacture; some people have had success with pure nickel foam (not me), or XC-116 (braided ceramic).
For styles of atomizers other than Genisis, there's no reason to use SS mesh, when hemp or XC-116 braided ceramic work much better, do not have the faint metallic taste or the possible health implications of stainless. For Genisis, porous ceramic works great, but is difficult to manufacture; some people have had success with pure nickel foam (not me), or XC-116 (braided ceramic).
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Braided ceramic? Now that's a new one on me, just how does one braid a ceramic material? I'm curious now. Last I knew ceramic wicks were quite brittle and easy to snap, as well as pretty expensive compared to mesh. As for the metallic taste of mesh it's something I've only heard about on here and never experienced myself in the year or more I've been using mesh. Chromium oxide is another thing I've not heard mentioned until now and I know nothing about, so I'm not sure it's worth my getting into it. I'm happy with mesh and quite unaware of any health concerns with using it. If there are any they certainly don't compare to those of the cigs I quit over a year ago.
I think some who get into vaping also get into overthinking it all and belaboring minutia.
I used SS mesh in Genisis attys almost exclusively for the better part of a year before I moved on to other systems as my main vape. One of the things I learned about SS was that when heated hot enough it makes hexavalent chromium (chromium VI), which is really not healthy to inhale. There are also other oxides that form, but they are not as bad as this one. This is the reason I figured out how to pulse oxidize my SS to avoid getting it hotter than blue and also how to avoid dry burning the wicks. Kanthal also has chromium in it, but there is much less of it in our attys and until recently I was not aware of any way to avoid chromium in resistance wire.
If you plan to use SS mesh for a long period of time you might want to educate yourself about it. I did my research over a year ago and don't have links anymore or I would post them.
I tried'em ... I liked them ... don't have any desire to use them again 
Won't likely use silica, XC or ceramic sticks ever again either but only because I prefer KGD or Rayon.
Won't likely use silica, XC or ceramic sticks ever again either but only because I prefer KGD or Rayon.- Status
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