My FT Merlin finally arrived today. Juice control and air flow control both smooth with the perfect amount of resistance. It is the silver model with the serial # 120. I count myself as lucky and look forward to building it this week.
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The Merlin RTA by Augvape and Roxy
- Thread starter roxynoodle
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petemoss
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I'm very pleased with my Merlin. Took it for a nine day trip to Ecuador and it performed flawlessly except for some leaking due to pressure changes on the plane. Once I closed the juice holes on the plane and when traveling to the mountains, the leaking stopped. I'm going to order another Merlin from STS.
Just realized I got black #1555. Works for me as 15, and 5 are my numbers.
petemoss
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Had a two hour stopover in Bogota on the way to Ecuador and I asked if I could go outside to smoke. The airport official said no one could go outside but if I wanted to vape, no problem, just do it here in the airport. A pleasant surprise! Apparently Colombia knows the difference between smoking and vaping!
Later, I vaped outside at Vilcabamba:
Later, I vaped outside at Vilcabamba:
JuicyLucy
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My Black Merlin (STS) is working perfectly, the Silver one (Contest Win) seeps...
Who would I get a hold of about replacing it?
Have you tightened down the the airflow screw on the base? and replaced the gaskets first?
In it's rightful place on my desk at work.
JuicyLucy
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Had a two hour stopover in Bogota on the way to Ecuador and I asked if I could go outside to smoke. The airport official said no one could go outside but if I wanted to vape, no problem, just do it here in the airport. A pleasant surprise! Apparently Colombia knows the difference between smoking and vaping!
Later, I vaped outside at Vilcabamba:
I enjoyed your post
well that got me confused also .airflow reducer srew mabe ?Tighten the airflow screw on the base?
Da hell you talkin bout woman??
on the o ring ...I wish I had one a little fatter for a better seal .in one of the replacement package the replacement one was 12 mm !!
the other in an other package was the right one 14 or 15 mm . but did not solve the leaking problems .
and I don't think that wont fix the problem . until we know how to take the base apart and do it right .
JuicyLucy
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the air flow screw in the DECK
A few folks had it only partly screwed in and it leaked . Tightened it down and it stopped. Or took it out, wicked it properly and leaking stopped.
A few folks had it only partly screwed in and it leaked . Tightened it down and it stopped. Or took it out, wicked it properly and leaking stopped.
The airflow reducer was removed before both of mine were built and it's not leaking like a bad wicking.
Like some others have experienced, it is seeping juice between the AFC ring and the base itself. I think there is something not pressed together right in the base.
So you're getting juice on the underside of the tank, around where the 510 is? And on top of your mod?
Yup, that is the place.
Yeah, this started up a couple days ago for me. Trying out different things, but haven't messed with the base. I'll stay tuned to what you learn.
I've contacted STS about it but have not heard back yet. If I end up keeping this seeping base after I get a replacement, I will try to break it down and see what the story is.
I got my base replaced, but it was missing a post hole. It did this a couple times. Getting the new base I didn't think much of it, but it's happening more so with this one. Was great at first!
petemoss
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TD, don't try to replace the o-ring yourself. Roxy informed me that the base has a "ton of parts", some screwed on and some press fit. So the o-ring that holds the air flow ring in place is not user serviceable. You'll probably damage your Merlin if you try to take it apart. My airflow ring is slightly loose but I can live with it.
That sucks!
This must be a total nightmare for STS having to deal with all these defectives and ship out replacements. Still better than trying to send a video off to FT explaining what the issue is...
Mine has been sitting all night and was vaped on quite regularly, so far no seepage yet. I think it only happens when you close off the juice and take the top off to fill it. I'll check the tank again later when I fill it and see if this is the case.
Thanks for the warning Pete!
Not to worry, I won't be trying to take take this base apart until I get a replacement.
So has the Merlin replaced the Rose's for you?
On my last fill, I removed the tank before I filled it, mod had juice on it, bottom of tank was wet. I can't figure it out. Normally, I close JFC, open tank, fill it, close it up, turn it upside down, open JFC, close it, turn it right side up, open JCF and vape.
This time I didn't turn it upside down - was the only difference. So far, it's dry, but still pretty full. I'm not asking for another replacement base, they asked me to pay for half the last time. Whether that was half the shipping, or half the base price, I don't know. If I keep having to pay half or more for bases, I'll just get a tank.
Shark Vape
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MUD Slinger
How high on the deck can dual coils go?
What is the max diameter for duals???
I just got the Merlin and the posts seem short for a dual coil setup...
What is the max diameter for duals???
I just got the Merlin and the posts seem short for a dual coil setup...
That's quite the procedure... With my black one I just spin the tank till the logo is away from the air hole, take the top off and fill right up to the rim. Put the top back on, spin the tank back to wide open and go. My black one has not seeped one little bit and it has a 50/50 juice in it, my seeping silver one has MaxVG.
Yeah that really bites having to pay half for replacement parts on something that should have been working from the start.
I see eFun has them for $18.50
Shark Vape
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MUD Slinger
Is the Merlin better suited to be a single coil device?
Definitely
LOL yeah, the procedure I was doing based on something I read. Not gonna do that anymore. I saw that deal at eFun. Clocked in on that one last week, lol.
Well, I do run a thinner juice in mine but I run it in everything I use. Wicking the same as always. It started out PERFECT, this is very recent. I don't mean to sound like I'm knocking it, I love the flavor, love the tank, just wanna figure this out.
Best I can tell it makes no noticeable difference sychosis.
Then again, the new Merlin I have the vertical coil in has a good base and my first one has a loose AFC ring, so a small O-ring in it that's leaking a bit of air. The one with the loose AFC has slightly more air flow. Now I knew these Merlins were different when I had a look at the second one so I tested the air flow before building it by inhaling through both with the air flow wide open as that's how I was vaping the first one. As far as I can tell there's no difference in air flow compared to what I have after building it this way. I did the same with the first Merlin and also didn't see a difference in air flow without vs with a build in it.
Hope that makes some kind of sense, but it's all I've got
I agree ..love the tank ! and every time I think I fixed it it does it again ! for no apparent reason . then does ok for a while again .
just refilled mine and tried to force the jc in a different position with a screw driver in the aire slot before re esembling it .
so far so good ... but said that to many times before .my tank is standing up all the time but laying it on its side makes no difference .
every time I try to adjust the jc after esembly seems to make it leak again . like its breaking an air lock inside the base .
THAT!! Yes, that!
Shark Vape
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Mine's working as designed, but it's a disappointment.
Design: Poor ... Must hold by the tiny edge of lower base to screw on. 510 is too long to seat properly so it's a bit wobbly. Falls out of adjustment in both air and juice flow control if touched or held wrong.
Flavor: Fair ...Chamber is simply too large and airy to give dense flavor.
Fit & finish: Loose ...No leaks but once it's adjusted, don't touch it. Not pocket friendly at all.
Fussiness factor: High
Worth $31: No
I have the same 2 pc SS twist build and juice in my Bachelor Nano
and the same juice in my Tobeco Supertank Mini.
The STM is a coil-head tank running the new Aspire Triton SS coil @ .3ohms.
Even without all the slop in the base and the design issue/grip problem,
the Bachelor Nano beats it hands down... and sadly, so does the $19 SuperTank with a coil head.
The Merlin is the only RTA I've ever bought that I was truly disappointed by.
It'll be on craigslist tomorrow.
Design: Poor ... Must hold by the tiny edge of lower base to screw on. 510 is too long to seat properly so it's a bit wobbly. Falls out of adjustment in both air and juice flow control if touched or held wrong.
Flavor: Fair ...Chamber is simply too large and airy to give dense flavor.
Fit & finish: Loose ...No leaks but once it's adjusted, don't touch it. Not pocket friendly at all.
Fussiness factor: High
Worth $31: No
I have the same 2 pc SS twist build and juice in my Bachelor Nano
and the same juice in my Tobeco Supertank Mini.
The STM is a coil-head tank running the new Aspire Triton SS coil @ .3ohms.
Even without all the slop in the base and the design issue/grip problem,
the Bachelor Nano beats it hands down... and sadly, so does the $19 SuperTank with a coil head.
The Merlin is the only RTA I've ever bought that I was truly disappointed by.
It'll be on craigslist tomorrow.
Yup. Not every piece of vape equipment is right for every vaper, and that's not even talking about the QC problems that China seems to have in their machining processes. Even a Great design can be thwarted by bad QC. Kind of like buying a New Car that was built on a Friday. Sounds like yours is a mess Shark. Sorry to hear that.
I totally agree with Shark Vape on this. Now, granted my favorite tanks are "nano" size... serpent mini, goblin mini v2...I just can't seem to get any flavor out of the merlin that is even close to these tanks & believe me i have tried. I want to like this tank & love the deck but the lack of flavor, juice flow spinning at slightest touch & leaking just kill it for me... maybe i have a bad one? & yes this is my first postMine's working as designed, but it's a disappointment.
Design: Poor ... Must hold by the tiny edge of lower base to screw on. 510 is too long to seat properly so it's a bit wobbly. Falls out of adjustment in both air and juice flow control if touched or held wrong.
Flavor: Fair ...Chamber is simply too large and airy to give dense flavor.
Fit & finish: Loose ...No leaks but once it's adjusted, don't touch it. Not pocket friendly at all.
Fussiness factor: High
Worth $31: No
I have the same 2 pc SS twist build and juice in my Bachelor Nano
and the same juice in my Tobeco Supertank Mini.
The STM is a coil-head tank running the new Aspire Triton SS coil @ .3ohms.
Even without all the slop in the base and the design issue/grip problem,
the Bachelor Nano beats it hands down... and sadly, so does the $19 SuperTank with a coil head.
The Merlin is the only RTA I've ever bought that I was truly disappointed by.
It'll be on craigslist tomorrow.
The first few times I did something similar to your normal routine Huckleberried, basically trying to relieve any built up pressure in the tank from compressing the top O-ring. I always fill on my mod. I found I ended up with a little juice under the atty after a while, maybe a couple/few drops. So I checked a few minutes after refilling it and it was dry. I figured it just leaked a couple of drops over time, maybe my wicking isn't quite right, or maybe it's because I drip other juices through the DT when I feel like it and sometimes get a small leak from that.
The last week or so when I've refilled I just screw the top back on and open the JC. So far doing this has not made it worse, so I was getting nothing from the more complex process. My mods all have sealed 510 connectors anyway so they stay dry inside no matter how wet they get on top. I also find it much easier to make the Merlin and Boreas not leak when they're sideways than the Aromamizer and that trumps a few drops for me so I have not really spent much time on it, but that's just me
Welcome to the Forum volfox. Atomizers are like food, not everyone likes the same dish, even if it is prepared by a Master Chef.
That sucks Shark Vape! Things like chamber size and part sizes are personal preference to a large degree, but the underlined part of your quote above makes me think your Merlin also has a problem (or two). Mine don't go out of adjustment easily and have become my preferred pocketable vape tanks. I'm thinking bad O-rings or something else is giving you grief with that part of it.
JuicyLucy
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I agree - I have two and they are my go-to tanks to bring to work where I do not have time to fuss and they take some abuse.
They have not failed me yet after two weeks or so of hard use.
Petemoss, you live in Ecuador? I have a house near Salinas and another near Carretas.Had a two hour stopover in Bogota on the way to Ecuador and I asked if I could go outside to smoke. The airport official said no one could go outside but if I wanted to vape, no problem, just do it here in the airport. A pleasant surprise! Apparently Colombia knows the difference between smoking and vaping!
Later, I vaped outside at Vilcabamba:
The last time I was at El Dorado they ripped everything I owned apart "looking"...found nothing naturally, but ruined my luggage and a few other things. Was the last time I stopped at that airport.
I can honestly say I have no issues right now with my Merlin everything seems to work okay I do feel like I had to choke off the cotton a little bit to keep it from leaking. the first Wicking I had in it was super juicy and I could change Vape it with no problem but I had a little bit of leakage after it sat for a few minutes .I reworked and made it a little tighter with the tug and pull method ,and after that I have no leakage whatsoever the juice control seems okay but after four or five hits one after another it seems like it dries out a little bit I am not disappointed with the tank but I did expect a little more. I would not buy it again but I am happy with the one I have and luckily I believe I didn't get all of the issues that everyone else has.
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Mine as well. I've put six or so different builds in and it has worked flawlessly. Not a drop has leaked, the tensions are perfect.
But like all inexpensive tanks, what you get is a lottery.
Same here. I feel bad for the people having issues because it really is a wonderful tank. I have 4 of them and not one issue with any of them.
This is what I'm experimenting with now. I haven't tried leaving it on it's side though, so I'll toss that into the mix. My only concern with that is that my juice is thinner. Can't handle much VG.
As I've said, I love the tank for the flavor and how super easy it is to build and maintain, just need to get past this one snag now.
So far mine hasn't truly leaked, but I do get condensation build up in the airflow control chamber. After watching it a bit I've figured out that excess vapor in the tank drops down in there after you stop pulling on it. This condenses and builds up to a dense enough amount to seem like the tank is leaking after enough hits.
JuicyLucy
My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
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That's good to know.
Mine have passed - many times - the sideways in the pocketbook and upside-down in the pocket tests repeatedly.
I trust them very much
When I first got mine I had it in my purse and it ended up laying on it's side for quite a while. No issues at all then, so I don't really understand why it's just starting. We'll all get it figured out somehow. We didn't get this far in vaping giving in. S'all good. Definitely not giving up. Flavor is too good!
Are we talking about the same rta!? Damn.Mine's working as designed, but it's a disappointment.
Design: Poor ... Must hold by the tiny edge of lower base to screw on. 510 is too long to seat properly so it's a bit wobbly. Falls out of adjustment in both air and juice flow control if touched or held wrong.
Flavor: Fair ...Chamber is simply too large and airy to give dense flavor.
Fit & finish: Loose ...No leaks but once it's adjusted, don't touch it. Not pocket friendly at all.
Fussiness factor: High
Worth $31: No
I have the same 2 pc SS twist build and juice in my Bachelor Nano
and the same juice in my Tobeco Supertank Mini.
The STM is a coil-head tank running the new Aspire Triton SS coil @ .3ohms.
Even without all the slop in the base and the design issue/grip problem,
the Bachelor Nano beats it hands down... and sadly, so does the $19 SuperTank with a coil head.
The Merlin is the only RTA I've ever bought that I was truly disappointed by.
It'll be on craigslist tomorrow.
Totally outside my experience with it.
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Have you checked to see if the wick tails are not touching the air nozzle?
Also the wick should go all the way to the bottom of the well so it completely covers the juice holes.
I'm using rayon, not touching the adapter, if that's what you meant, wicks all the way to the bottom, in front of the JFC, but not clogging it.
Set that coil higher. It's too close to the airflow.