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Help Me Find Flavor (Merlin Mini/Pharoah)

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
4 weeks off cigarettes and I'm trying to chase flavor. Started vaping 6 years ago but never gotten into it. Tried again 2 years ago still didnt enjoy it and just did it for 2 weeks. Tried again 6 weeks ago and so far so good but now Im chasing flavor and I need help.

My mod is the IPv8 and I got the Pharoah... didnt find much flavor there so I got a Merlin Mini. Tried all sorts of coils from plain kanthal to pre-built claptons, pre built tiger wire of different guages. Learned to build and now I'm on a 5 loop 3mm Alien Clapton (pre made wire) at .3 ohms. Flavor is great at the start then it just dies down after a few pulls. Is this normal?

First pull from a fresh wick and coil was heavenly and juicy. Its like a fine mist of juice hit the back of my throat and was super flavorful and wet. So far Im liking the warm vape of .3 ohms 70-80 watts, 5 loops alien clapton on the IPv8 and Merlin Mini with all air flow open (took out the airflow reducer screw). No leaking, no dry hits even on chain vaping. Not sure if its a coil problem, a wicking problem (even if I dont get leaking or dry hits), or vapers tongue (read that those who just quit smoking are prone to it).

Wasted so much cotton, wasted so much pre built coils, and wire just chasing for a consistent super flavor filled vape just like that first pull when I just put in a new wick and coil.

Maybe I vape too much trying out new coils? Maybe my juice is not that good even if I now have 20 juices from different manufacturers (noticed that not all are created equal in flavor)? Even just switched to temp control at 520 F 65 joules on the same .3 ohm alien clapton since its made out of stainless steel and its the same ok vape thats just has slight flavor compared to the juicy first pull from a fresh coil and wick.

Thanks in advance.
 

Deucesjack

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Member For 4 Years
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4 weeks off cigarettes and I'm trying to chase flavor. Started vaping 6 years ago but never gotten into it. Tried again 2 years ago still didnt enjoy it and just did it for 2 weeks. Tried again 6 weeks ago and so far so good but now Im chasing flavor and I need help.

My mod is the IPv8 and I got the Pharoah... didnt find much flavor there so I got a Merlin Mini. Tried all sorts of coils from plain kanthal to pre-built claptons, pre built tiger wire of different guages. Learned to build and now I'm on a 5 loop 3mm Alien Clapton (pre made wire) at .3 ohms. Flavor is great at the start then it just dies down after a few pulls. Is this normal?

First pull from a fresh wick and coil was heavenly and juicy. Its like a fine mist of juice hit the back of my throat and was super flavorful and wet. So far Im liking the warm vape of .3 ohms 70-80 watts, 5 loops alien clapton on the IPv8 and Merlin Mini with all air flow open (took out the airflow reducer screw). No leaking, no dry hits even on chain vaping. Not sure if its a coil problem, a wicking problem (even if I dont get leaking or dry hits), or vapers tongue (read that those who just quit smoking are prone to it).

Wasted so much cotton, wasted so much pre built coils, and wire just chasing for a consistent super flavor filled vape just like that first pull when I just put in a new wick and coil.

Maybe I vape too much trying out new coils? Maybe my juice is not that good even if I now have 20 juices from different manufacturers (noticed that not all are created equal in flavor)? Even just switched to temp control at 520 F 65 joules on the same .3 ohm alien clapton since its made out of stainless steel and its the same ok vape thats just has slight flavor compared to the juicy first pull from a fresh coil and wick.

Thanks in advance.
Could be a few things. I doubt it's your wicking since you're not getting dry hits. Could be your juice. All juices are definitely not created equal. How many different flavors do you vape? I find switching it up a lot definitely improves flavor across the board. I also keep a menthol juice in my rotation to reboot the taste buds when I feel the flavor waning. Could be your wattage too. Try lowering it a bit. If that doesn't work try increasing it. I think you're doing things right, you just haven't found your sweet spot yet.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper
 

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Could be a few things. I doubt it's your wicking since you're not getting dry hits. Could be your juice. All juices are definitely not created equal. How many different flavors do you vape? I find switching it up a lot definitely improves flavor across the board. I also keep a menthol juice in my rotation to reboot the taste buds when I feel the flavor waning. Could be your wattage too. Try lowering it a bit. If that doesn't work try increasing it. I think you're doing things right, you just haven't found your sweet spot yet.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper
I have 3 favorites. One is a menthol root beer. One is a watermelon with slight menthol. One is a sweet strawberry banana. These 3 are the more expensive ones from where I come from (Philippines) and they do taste a lot more flavorful than the others. But even with these... Super flavor just comes from the first few pulls.

Already rotated in some desert and breakfast flavors apart from my usual fruit flavors. Also have a nutty and a coffee flavor too.

I actually switch flavors every 2 ML tank just to check my taste buds. Usually if I rotate back to my favorites the taste pales in comparison when I used the same juice on a fresh wick and coil.

I also rotate in my pharoah just to check again and it's the same muted taste. The pharoah now has a .4 ohms 8 loop 28 guage tiger wire.

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antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Almoat forgot.. Lower wattage always has less taste for me. Higher wattage has a ton of bland tasting clouds if it's not from a fresh wick.

Noticed on the merlin mini that if I unscrew the top with juice in it the next few pulls are tastier. Releasing the vacuum puts more juice in the grooves of the alien coil?

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Deucesjack

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Almoat forgot.. Lower wattage always has less taste for me. Higher wattage has a ton of bland tasting clouds if it's not from a fresh wick.

Noticed on the merlin mini that if I unscrew the top with juice in it the next few pulls are tastier. Releasing the vacuum puts more juice in the grooves of the alien coil?

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It could also take some time for your taste buds to come back since you just quit smoking recently.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper
 

fq06

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Noticed on the merlin mini that if I unscrew the top with juice in it the next few pulls are tastier. Releasing the vacuum puts more juice in the grooves of the alien coil?

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Sounds like too much wick in the juice pockets and/or too thick in the coil.
If releasing vacuum allowing the wicks to really wet up gives you a good vape... your wicks need to get more juice flowing through them.
 

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
It could also take some time for your taste buds to come back since you just quit smoking recently.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper
Ugh. Wasn't really sure if that was the problem.

So you really can get a consistently flavorful vape? Afraid that you couldn't.

I remember when I just started shopping for juices at a store.. almost everything made me cough but at least I tasted it. Now I don't cough even on high watts.. just couldn't taste much too haha.

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antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Sounds like too much wick in the juice pockets and/or too thick in the coil.
If releasing vacuum allowing the wicks to really wet up giving you a good vape... your wicks need to get more juice flowing through them.
Thought about that too.. so I kept changing wicks. This is the thinnest I could go without leaking already. Not much tension when I put the wick in the coil.. I don't even have to twist the cotton to go in.. tails fluffed and trimmed at the top a bit.. just barely touching the bottom of the juice well from the back.. tails towards the front trimmed a bit so tails are fatter by a bit near the coil.. practiced that on the pharoah which I got first. I could even vape the wick almost white without a bad dry hit.

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antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
A pic of your merlin mini deck wicked up would help.
I'll put up a pic after I finish this tank. Yeah.. maybe I'm still doing it wrong.. need help getting the hang of this.

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fq06

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Super juicy and flavorful, one of the best tanks I've vaped with a simple 316L 26/30 clapton.
Somethings up if you need to crack the top cap to get enough juice in the wick for a moist flavorful vape.

What cotton are you using?

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antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Using organic cotton pads. Not sure what brand since I just get it from the vape store per 5 pads. One of the vape stores I go to sell muji so I've used that too.. I prefer the pads from the other store since they are more fluffy inside. Also tried fiber freaks same thing. Been focusing on the merlin even though it's just a week old since it gives me more flavor than the pharoah which now gives me almost zero flavor whatever build is in there. Tons of clouds though.

Even just had a store install a coil and wick on my pharoah 3 days ago.. tasted good in the store after installation.. guy at the store even tried it and set the watts to it's "sweet spot". Had that one rebuilt so I can try and buy more juice which I did. Lost its flavor almost as soon as I got home after about 2 mils of juice used on it. Juices I just tried on it (those I bought too) now seem bland even on the merlin. Those now are tasteless on the pharoah.

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fq06

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Stripping the outer skin off the pads right? Looks like it but can't tell when wet.

I don't have much cotton at all in the pockets. 2.5mm ID coil seems to give it the right amount of thickness for the pocket (and doesn't overpower the chamber... my preference). Fluff it up and carefully fold it in the pocket. I don't force to the front or mess with it at all once it's wet. Let it stay as fluffed up in there as you can.
All I can really think of.

Edit... after looking at that, you have more wick goin on than the build I'm running now. Try less wick.
 
Last edited:

r055co

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First off save money and better quality get Koh gen Do, around $11 for 80 large pads on Amazon.

For a flavor build I use a 28x2/36 317L SS fused Clapton around 0.4 ohms in my Merlin Mini.

Smaller the better for wrapping wire. Better flavor, performance and doesn't retain the heat.

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Deucesjack

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It could also take some time for your taste buds to come back since you just quit smoking recently.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper
It could be. When I first started vaping after like a month I got a terrible case of Vapers Tongue. For like 10 days I literally tasted nothing. I actually started to get a little worried but it passed.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper
 

r055co

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It could be. When I first started vaping after like a month I got a terrible case of Vapers Tongue. For like 10 days I literally tasted nothing. I actually started to get a little worried but it passed.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper
That's why I am always carrying around at least 3 Mod's with different flavors. Since I started jumping around flavors no problem with Vapers Fatigue.

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Deucesjack

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That's why I am always carrying around at least 3 Mod's with different flavors. Since I started jumping around flavors no problem with Vapers Fatigue.

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Me too, since them I keep a small tank of menthol handy. Problem solved.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper
 

fq06

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
It could be. When I first started vaping after like a month I got a terrible case of Vapers Tongue. For like 10 days I literally tasted nothing. I actually started to get a little worried but it passed.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper


Same thing happened to me, no cold involved... just lost flavor for a couple weeks. But it wasn't off & on, I couldn't taste anything except a fruit menthol juice and I hate menthol lol
 

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Stripping the outer skin off the pads right? Looks like it but can't tell when wet.

I don't have much cotton at all in the pockets. 2.5mm ID coil seems to give it the right amount of thickness for the pocket (and doesn't overpower the chamber... my preference). Fluff it up and carefully fold it in the pocket. I don't force to the front or mess with it at all once it's wet. Let it stay as fluffed up in there as you can.
All I can really think of.

Edit... after looking at that, you have more wick goin on than the build I'm running now. Try less wick.
It's a 3 mm. Yup. Outer layers taken out. Fluffed and just tucked in. Really careful not to pack it in. Tried a 2.5 as well and same thing lol.

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antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Same thing happened to me, no cold involved... just lost flavor for a couple weeks. But it wasn't off & on, I couldn't taste anything except a fruit menthol juice and I hate menthol lol
My favorite flavor which is a mentholated root beer tastes just like menthol now. My fruity menthol is now just menthol. Loaded up some vanilla almond cupcake... Wow I can taste it!

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InAbsentiaMods

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Don't really know what to suggest that hasn't been said by someone else already, apart from that I noticed you mentioning you took out something that increased your airflow in one of your posts.

I don't own the Merlin so I can't comment on its performance at all, but in my experience you want less draw to increase flavour.

With most atties you have to choose on a scale between clouds<->flavour, and increasing airflow is generally something people do to increase cloud production.

Now this might not be true if the Merlin had really really tight, bad airflow to begin with such that you couldn't draw through it properly, so up to a certain point more airflow does help. But if removing that piece you mentioned just makes the whole thing ultra swooshy then you might be getting too much airflow.

Hopefully someone else who actually owns a Merlin could confirm or deny my suspicions.
 

Thejkaz

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Congratulations on quitting smoking. Two things to add that I didn't see anyone's mention. 1. The closer you are to the coils the more flavor you will taste. The best flavor I have had was a toss up between my limitless 25 plus and my freakshow mini, both have coils very close to the drip tip. 2. Hydration is key when vaping for some reason when your body is not properly hydrated you don't taste flavors as much.
I vape almost exclusively TFA cheesecake and I go for months without vapers tongue. If I start to loose flavor I switch to fruity Pebbles for a bit but that is very rare.

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SirRichardRear

AKA Anthony Vapes on Youtube
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4 weeks off cigarettes and I'm trying to chase flavor. Started vaping 6 years ago but never gotten into it. Tried again 2 years ago still didnt enjoy it and just did it for 2 weeks. Tried again 6 weeks ago and so far so good but now Im chasing flavor and I need help.

My mod is the IPv8 and I got the Pharoah... didnt find much flavor there so I got a Merlin Mini. Tried all sorts of coils from plain kanthal to pre-built claptons, pre built tiger wire of different guages. Learned to build and now I'm on a 5 loop 3mm Alien Clapton (pre made wire) at .3 ohms. Flavor is great at the start then it just dies down after a few pulls. Is this normal?

First pull from a fresh wick and coil was heavenly and juicy. Its like a fine mist of juice hit the back of my throat and was super flavorful and wet. So far Im liking the warm vape of .3 ohms 70-80 watts, 5 loops alien clapton on the IPv8 and Merlin Mini with all air flow open (took out the airflow reducer screw). No leaking, no dry hits even on chain vaping. Not sure if its a coil problem, a wicking problem (even if I dont get leaking or dry hits), or vapers tongue (read that those who just quit smoking are prone to it).

Wasted so much cotton, wasted so much pre built coils, and wire just chasing for a consistent super flavor filled vape just like that first pull when I just put in a new wick and coil.

Maybe I vape too much trying out new coils? Maybe my juice is not that good even if I now have 20 juices from different manufacturers (noticed that not all are created equal in flavor)? Even just switched to temp control at 520 F 65 joules on the same .3 ohm alien clapton since its made out of stainless steel and its the same ok vape thats just has slight flavor compared to the juicy first pull from a fresh coil and wick.

Thanks in advance.
Congrats on quitting. for the pharaoh just use one jumbo coil. like 4-6mm ID of a fancy coil and center it right over the airflow. best flavor you can get IMO

It could be your taste buds haven't come back form the smoking damage yet as well. using a menthol like you are should help clear it up
 

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
So I just re wicked again last night and performance seems to be more consistent now. Used fiber freaks cotton blend density 2. Seems less wick than my usual.

Vape is a lot wetter which I prefer. There's still a big dropoff on flavor from the first few pulls but it's more consistent now.

I wish the merlin had the same posts as the pharoah where it's easy to take our builds and switch them around then putting them back in without damaging them.

Will try to build on the pharoah again and see if I taste anything there.

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antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Still not happy with the flavor. Scrapped my last alien coil and rolled some pre made tiger coil on a 3mm jig..Came out .4 ohms. would appreciate some feedback on my build and my wicking cause still not getting the flavor explosion that I'm looking for (the one I get on the first pull with a new Clapton and wick)

7b017757ac4837fdf07f70f710663273.jpg


Took out outer skins of the organic cotton. Made sure there's not too much resistance when put in the coil. Fluffed it before cutting by hand.

f3b7c1d4eb563c1c18b353fd0e9dd080.jpg


Cut the wicks at the length of the base as suggested by numerous tutorials I've read on how to wick the merlin mini. Coils placed near the air flow. Made the draw a bit tighter even. Not sure yet if I like it. Don't think it did anything to the flavor.

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More fluffing before tucking. Thinned it a bit more by scraping the sharp end of my ceramic tweezers. Took out excess cotton by hand. Fluffed it some more.

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Tried tucking it in as carefully as I can with my smallest screwdriver. Don't have angled sharp tweezers. Maybe I should get one of those.

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Still underwhelming.

Any ideas? Did I do something wrong in wicking? Bad choice of coil? Or is it just probably my taste buds due to being cigarette free for about a month?






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r055co

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I think it's your taste buds personally. I got Vapers fatigue the first couple of months then things settled down, cigarettes do trash the taste buds and it takes a bit for them to come back. There are few things you can do to help,

  • Drink lots of water
  • Reset your taste buds with coffee and/or tea
  • jump around in flavors
 

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I think it's your taste buds personally. I got Vapers fatigue the first couple of months then things settled down, cigarettes do trash the taste buds and it takes a bit for them to come back. There are few things you can do to help,

  • Drink lots of water
  • Reset your taste buds with coffee and/or tea
  • jump around in flavors
Yours lasted a few months? Wow that long? Then you just suddenly tasted yummy juice one day?

Been doing all you suggested already. I'm a big coffee drinker and water drinker on a normal day.

If ever this is really it hope it goes away soon.



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r055co

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Yours lasted a few months? Wow that long? Then you just suddenly tasted yummy juice one day?

Been doing all you suggested already. I'm a big coffee drinker and water drinker on a normal day.

If ever this is really it hope it goes away soon.



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I'd say a couple of months and no it wasn't like a light switch, it just gradually came about.

Also jump around flavors, that helps a lot. I carry at least a couple of mods with me all the time with different flavors. Also what works is vaping unflavored in your mix of flavors. Unflavored really isn't that bad, for me it's a nice change.

Brand of juice also has an effect.
 

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
yahoo! woke up today and finished a tank of blueberry menthol on the merlin). just tasted menthol and very slight blueberry. then switched to a vanilla strawberry dessert flavor... tasted nothing. switched back to the blueberry menthol.. now it just tastes like very muted menthol.

following the advice of getting a second setup.. so i just ordered a serpent alto and an RX mini.

man... this is getting expensive! smoking was way way cheaper! A pack of lucky strikes just costs me $1.20 USD from where I am (Manila).
 

Deucesjack

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Yours lasted a few months? Wow that long? Then you just suddenly tasted yummy juice one day?

Been doing all you suggested already. I'm a big coffee drinker and water drinker on a normal day.

If ever this is really it hope it goes away soon.



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Yeah but coffee is not conducive to taste since it's a diuretic. So if it is a vapers tongue thing coffee is not keeping you hydrated. It's actually dehydrating you quicker.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper
 

r055co

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yahoo! woke up today and finished a tank of blueberry menthol on the merlin). just tasted menthol and very slight blueberry. then switched to a vanilla strawberry dessert flavor... tasted nothing. switched back to the blueberry menthol.. now it just tastes like very muted menthol.

following the advice of getting a second setup.. so i just ordered a serpent alto and an RX mini.

man... this is getting expensive! smoking was way way cheaper! A pack of lucky strikes just costs me $1.20 USD from where I am (Manila).
Always good to have a backup, or two, or three or... ;)

I've got so much gear I could probably open up a B&M. But you know what? Still cheaper than the Stinkies, a hell of a lot more healthy not to mention a hell of a lot of fun

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InAbsentiaMods

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Yeah but coffee is not conducive to taste since it's a diuretic. So if it is a vapers tongue thing coffee is not keeping you hydrated. It's actually dehydrating you quicker.

Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all it's flavour.

-William Cowper

I read a study that showed coffee isn't actually a diuretic, it's just a mild irritant on your bladder amongst other things that makes you feel you need to pee more.

If you drink exclusively coffee you'll still retain more fluid than you expel, though not by very much.

That's all anecdotal of course, but between that study and the fact that I'm still alive and not a raisin after decades of living pretty much entirely on coffee until dinner time, I'm inclined to believe it :D


—•—•—•—•—•—

Cheers

Jacob Chandler
@InAbsentiaMods
 

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Always good to have a backup, or two, or three or... ;)

I've got so much gear I could probably open up a B&M. But you know what? Still cheaper than the Stinkies, a hell of a lot more healthy not to mention a hell of a lot of fun

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Didn't you see that stinkies just cost a dollar 20 US where I'm from. Marlboros a dollar fifty. Cheapos just 80 cents a pack.

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r055co

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Didn't you see that stinkies just cost a dollar 20 US where I'm from. Marlboros a dollar fifty. Cheapos just 80 cents a pack.

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Yeah everytime I went down to S. America I averaged a dollar for a pack of Marlboro and 80 cents for local. Marlboro rojo grande por favor ;)

Anyway just get yourself established with a couple good Mods a couple tanks, RDA's and batteries. It takes an initial investment then it's pretty damn cheap, real cheap. If you really want to get dirt cheap you can start mixing your own juice, it's actually pretty easy and you have fun also.

Bottom line though is this, what is the cost compared to your health ;)
 

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
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Yeah everytime I went down to S. America I averaged a dollar for a pack of Marlboro and 80 cents for local. Marlboro rojo grande por favor ;)

Anyway just get yourself established with a couple good Mods a couple tanks, RDA's and batteries. It takes an initial investment then it's pretty damn cheap, real cheap. If you really want to get dirt cheap you can start mixing your own juice, it's actually pretty easy and you have fun also.

Bottom line though is this, what is the cost compared to your health ;)
I want flavor though. Most of the time I'm vaping flavorless clouds. Lots of it that I get buzzed by nicotine and I'm just vaping 3mg. Haha.

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r055co

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I want flavor though. Most of the time I'm vaping flavorless clouds. Lots of it that I get buzzed by nicotine and I'm just vaping 3mg. Haha.

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Also high VG sucks for flavor for it mutes the flavor. But then the higher the PG the better the flavor but then you get a harsher hit so my sweet spot is 70 VG/30PG.
 

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
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So I can now confirm I have a bad case of vapers tongue. My RX mini + serpent Alto arrived yesterday. Built it using stock coils.. bland. Put in a clapton.. good for a bit then back to bland. Experimented with different builds with the wire I have.. same thing. Also ordered a sour and tart juice.. tasted that for a bit then it tastes bland again. Oh well.. really hope this passes.

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MrScaryZ

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My favorite flavor which is a mentholated root beer tastes just like menthol now. My fruity menthol is now just menthol. Loaded up some vanilla almond cupcake... Wow I can taste it!

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if you are vaping menthol it will deaden other flavors quite a bit
 

inspects

Squonkamaniac
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So I can now confirm I have a bad case of vapers tongue. My RX mini + serpent Alto arrived yesterday. Built it using stock coils.. bland. Put in a clapton.. good for a bit then back to bland. Experimented with different builds with the wire I have.. same thing. Also ordered a sour and tart juice.. tasted that for a bit then it tastes bland again. Oh well.. really hope this passes.

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Suck on a lemon or lime for a few minutes, it will reset taste buds.
 

patgall

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Still not happy with the flavor. Scrapped my last alien coil and rolled some pre made tiger coil on a 3mm jig..Came out .4 ohms. would appreciate some feedback on my build and my wicking cause still not getting the flavor explosion that I'm looking for (the one I get on the first pull with a new Clapton and wick)

7b017757ac4837fdf07f70f710663273.jpg


Took out outer skins of the organic cotton. Made sure there's not too much resistance when put in the coil. Fluffed it before cutting by hand.

f3b7c1d4eb563c1c18b353fd0e9dd080.jpg


Cut the wicks at the length of the base as suggested by numerous tutorials I've read on how to wick the merlin mini. Coils placed near the air flow. Made the draw a bit tighter even. Not sure yet if I like it. Don't think it did anything to the flavor.

af45c681c96fa627d7b7dabce10aa320.jpg


More fluffing before tucking. Thinned it a bit more by scraping the sharp end of my ceramic tweezers. Took out excess cotton by hand. Fluffed it some more.

28d386916469aa714e6f48a7847384fb.jpg


Tried tucking it in as carefully as I can with my smallest screwdriver. Don't have angled sharp tweezers. Maybe I should get one of those.

12d7ce4996872ee8308f93feccd2e7b2.jpg


Still underwhelming.

Any ideas? Did I do something wrong in wicking? Bad choice of coil? Or is it just probably my taste buds due to being cigarette free for about a month?






Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 

patgall

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
you're still using way too much cotton IN the JUICE WELLS. Less cotton, more taste but don't over do it either. Also, with your tweezers make juice channels in your juice well. Check the pictures below.Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:

patgall

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
20170422_232248.jpg 20170422_232143.jpg 20170422_232230.jpg
Still not happy with the flavor. Scrapped my last alien coil and rolled some pre made tiger coil on a 3mm jig..Came out .4 ohms. would appreciate some feedback on my build and my wicking cause still not getting the flavor explosion that I'm looking for (the one I get on the first pull with a new Clapton and wick)

7b017757ac4837fdf07f70f710663273.jpg


Took out outer skins of the organic cotton. Made sure there's not too much resistance when put in the coil. Fluffed it before cutting by hand.

f3b7c1d4eb563c1c18b353fd0e9dd080.jpg


Cut the wicks at the length of the base as suggested by numerous tutorials I've read on how to wick the merlin mini. Coils placed near the air flow. Made the draw a bit tighter even. Not sure yet if I like it. Don't think it did anything to the flavor.

af45c681c96fa627d7b7dabce10aa320.jpg


More fluffing before tucking. Thinned it a bit more by scraping the sharp end of my ceramic tweezers. Took out excess cotton by hand. Fluffed it some more.

28d386916469aa714e6f48a7847384fb.jpg


Tried tucking it in as carefully as I can with my smallest screwdriver. Don't have angled sharp tweezers. Maybe I should get one of those.

12d7ce4996872ee8308f93feccd2e7b2.jpg


Still underwhelming.

Any ideas? Did I do something wrong in wicking? Bad choice of coil? Or is it just probably my taste buds due to being cigarette free for about a month?






Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
Still not happy with the flavor. Scrapped my last alien coil and rolled some pre made tiger coil on a 3mm jig..Came out .4 ohms. would appreciate some feedback on my build and my wicking cause still not getting the flavor explosion that I'm looking for (the one I get on the first pull with a new Clapton and wick)

7b017757ac4837fdf07f70f710663273.jpg


Took out outer skins of the organic cotton. Made sure there's not too much resistance when put in the coil. Fluffed it before cutting by hand.

f3b7c1d4eb563c1c18b353fd0e9dd080.jpg


Cut the wicks at the length of the base as suggested by numerous tutorials I've read on how to wick the merlin mini. Coils placed near the air flow. Made the draw a bit tighter even. Not sure yet if I like it. Don't think it did anything to the flavor.

af45c681c96fa627d7b7dabce10aa320.jpg


More fluffing before tucking. Thinned it a bit more by scraping the sharp end of my ceramic tweezers. Took out excess cotton by hand. Fluffed it some more.

28d386916469aa714e6f48a7847384fb.jpg


Tried tucking it in as carefully as I can with my smallest screwdriver. Don't have angled sharp tweezers. Maybe I should get one of those.

12d7ce4996872ee8308f93feccd2e7b2.jpg


Still underwhelming.

Any ideas? Did I do something wrong in wicking? Bad choice of coil? Or is it just probably my taste buds due to being cigarette free for about a month?






Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
20170422_232248.jpg 20170422_232143.jpg 20170422_232248.jpg 20170422_232143.jpg
 

patgall

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
you're using way too much cotton. also, use tweezers to push in the cotton in the juice well to make channels for proper wicking
 

vapemesilly

Member For 4 Years
I just saw this thread and yeah, I'm late to the party. I'll probably get boo-ed for suggesting this, however...you might think about a regular sub ohm tank and store bought coils, at least for a while. I have two RTA's, the Ammit and the Merlin, and two sub ohm tanks, a Triton 2 and a Kanger Subtank Mini. The sub ohm tanks and the store bought coils out perform the RTA's flavor wise, every time. I get really good flavor from the RTA's but the flavor from the two sub ohm tanks with the store bought coils is superior, IMO. And the store bought coils last a good long time.

Just sayin'.
 

fq06

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I agree, some subohm tanks like the OG crown and blazer mini are hard to beat... cant wait to pick up a crown 3!

But with a rebuildable, I can build it and have the perfect coil placement and wicking and it is bliss. Or it will be very good most of the time and every once in a while too much wick or something just not delivering the flavor well.

Depending on your coil (straight wire or fancy), building & wicking skills, a subohm tank could be a much better experience than a rebuildable. Or a great subohm tank may be on par or a little better but much more expensive to keep running than a well built rta. That goes in your mileage may vary category :D
 
Last edited:

iVapeDIY

Bronze Contributor
Member For 2 Years
So many variables. Systematically isolating each variable helped me a lot. Firstly, I fixed variables that can be reliably replicated:
  • same atty (max JFC with AFC set to optimize MTL with standard draw)
  • same mod/ wattage
  • new rebuilt coil (same spec)
  • same cotton
  • same drip tip (delrin, for minimal heat)
Since wicking is behavioral, this needed some standardization; best flavor for me (as well as avoiding leakage/ weeping) on a Goblin Mini v3 was to tightly fill the entire diameter of the coil and have fluffy bow ties touch the closed juice channels.

With standardized coils (currently set to KA1 round 26ga, 10.5 wraps, 1 ohm), wattage and juice combinations can be the foci of the flavor chase, which can take months due to steeping ...
:drunk:
 
Last edited:

ApolloKen

Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Yep too much cotton. Also a lot of folks close the chamber on the pharaoh which is a big no no. Leave the juice well wide open or you'll choke your cotton. I used to think my sub tanks had better flavor than my rtas. Correct coil placement and correct wicking changed everything. Now all my rta`s blow my sub tanks out of the water
 

jodi3moons

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
4 weeks off cigarettes and I'm trying to chase flavor. Started vaping 6 years ago but never gotten into it. Tried again 2 years ago still didnt enjoy it and just did it for 2 weeks. Tried again 6 weeks ago and so far so good but now Im chasing flavor and I need help.

My mod is the IPv8 and I got the Pharoah... didnt find much flavor there so I got a Merlin Mini. Tried all sorts of coils from plain kanthal to pre-built claptons, pre built tiger wire of different guages. Learned to build and now I'm on a 5 loop 3mm Alien Clapton (pre made wire) at .3 ohms. Flavor is great at the start then it just dies down after a few pulls. Is this normal?

First pull from a fresh wick and coil was heavenly and juicy. Its like a fine mist of juice hit the back of my throat and was super flavorful and wet. So far Im liking the warm vape of .3 ohms 70-80 watts, 5 loops alien clapton on the IPv8 and Merlin Mini with all air flow open (took out the airflow reducer screw). No leaking, no dry hits even on chain vaping. Not sure if its a coil problem, a wicking problem (even if I dont get leaking or dry hits), or vapers tongue (read that those who just quit smoking are prone to it).

Wasted so much cotton, wasted so much pre built coils, and wire just chasing for a consistent super flavor filled vape just like that first pull when I just put in a new wick and coil.

Maybe I vape too much trying out new coils? Maybe my juice is not that good even if I now have 20 juices from different manufacturers (noticed that not all are created equal in flavor)? Even just switched to temp control at 520 F 65 joules on the same .3 ohm alien clapton since its made out of stainless steel and its the same ok vape thats just has slight flavor compared to the juicy first pull from a fresh coil and wick.

Thanks in advance.
Honestly it sounds like you enjoy the first couple hits after your tank is overfilled. That juice hitting the back of your throat is what some would call "spitback", and when it's in a fine mist like that it can be kinda nice. Perhaps you should try your luck with a dripped, that way you can keep your wick super saturated every time you want a hit. A squonker could be another good way to make that happen. I could be wrong, I'm pretty new here too, but it honestly sounds to me like you're getting the spitback from an over-juiced tank (happens to me all the time right when I fill my tank up), then get blown when the wicks kinda even themselves out. Take all of this with a grain of salt tho haha. Also, smoking does mess your taste buds up, but that should go away soon. Just stick with it and stay away from cigs and you'll be enjoying full flavor in no time.
 

antikryst

Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Actually it's a lot better now. After experimenting with various atomizers and builds. Also got a squonker which I love. Apart from having 2 month long vapers tongue I just realized that some atomizers I had just didn't cut it for the vape I want.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
 

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