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Aromamizer V3 Mesh Deck 'fix' - burnt hits w/ 100% VG

"11"

Silver Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
EDIT (some days later): Will leave original post but I tossed the mesh deck in the pile of gear and went back to the dual core postless deck. It just doesn't give the same satisfying dense clouds as coils, esp after the first couple chain hits. Vapor thins out b/c the mesh wick - even done as described below - can't stay saturated with 100% VG. Wish someone would make a LARGE mesh deck with GIGANTIC juice wells (or a complete redesign) meant especially for 100% VG. Otherwise looks like dripping or squonking is the only possible way it would match dual coils. IME.

Hey folks....

Been using the original Aromamizer Supreme exclusively (dual deck) for 3 years or so, but after getting a Profile last year just to try on the side, I wanted the new AS V3 with the mesh deck. (The Profile is nice but hate dripping into the top constantly - don't have a squonker.)

Well I watched every wicking tutorial on the AS V3 mesh deck but no matter how I wicked it (and I did all different methods, sometimes re-wicking it 5 times in one day until I'd get tired and give up... until the next day when I'd do the same thing).. but no matter what, was one burnt hit after the next. If I saturated the mesh by dripping I'd get 3 good hits, then a burnt one. (My style is slow, long pulls, maybe 4 or 5 in a row, then put it down a few min and repeat.)

Finally figured out the issue, in my case anyway. And a 'fix.'

As we know since the deck is not spring-loaded (like the Profile) you need to put a lot of cotton through it to make sure it stays in contact with the mesh. But with 100% VG you can't use tightly packed cotton b/c it won't wick thick juice if it's tightly packed like this deck requires. And especially THAT much cotton, packed that HIGH (cause the mesh forms a high arc). There is no way that giant tight wick will self-saturate with 100% VG. Hence only burnt hits unless you drip.

I even drilled out the juice holes as much as I could, but made no diff.

So dug out my VandyVape SS316L mesh screen on a roll...aim was to trim it to the proper width (of course, since my stuff was wider) but then to make it shorter in length than the mesh screens that come with the deck, so the arc of the mesh would stand lower... nearly half as high. This would allow a thinner wick that could be installed with a little looser fit, more like you wick a coil, because it's so low, the cotton would easily stay in contact with the mesh by simply swelling with juice. Plus the tails could wick up into it quicker and more efficiently since it "wouldn't have travel so high" and into so much cotton.

Well, it worked. I can now vape it without burnt hits - or dripping - and it's working good. Great flavor and nice vapor. And the ohms are only slightly less than the standard screen (.14 vs .15ohms). Vaping in TC 408F, 35-40w depending on my mood. :)

Just in case that helps anyone who vapes 100% VG and can't get the AS V3 mesh to work without burnt hits.
 
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Just Frank

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I've always told people too much cotton will ruin their experience with mesh rebuildables. I use way less than I see in videos and it's always worked for me. Less cotton under the mesh and less in the wicking channels. In the videos I've watched, the spring loaded ceramic block gets maxed out downwards. It might as well not even be there if all's you're going to do is smash all that cotton on top of it.

I don't use max VG. I never really liked it. But the goal is the same, you want liquid to be able to soak freely. That, and make sure the entirety of your mesh coil in contact with cotton. I sometimes still mess up and use too much. I know right away though because the flavor is usually really muted.

A quick hot spot fix is to take the deck out, and poke something sharp into the cotton under the mesh. Just push it in a little more on both sides and it almost always goes away. It has for me at least.
 

Just Frank

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
And the ohms are only slightly less than the standard screen (.14 vs .15ohms). Vaping in TC 408F, 35-40w depending on my mood. :)
What kind of SS mesh are you using? I've tried 300 and it ohms really low. It took way too much wattage to vape decently for me. Maybe I should try it again? I think Kanthal mesh is better though. It's a bit stiffer and toughe,r and it vapes great. It seems like I'm the only one who likes Ka1 mesh. Almost everybody says they use SS mesh but I don't get the appeal.
 

"11"

Silver Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
[...] In the videos I've watched, the spring loaded ceramic block gets maxed out downwards. It might as well not even be there if all's you're going to do is smash all that cotton on top of it. [...]

That's true. And the thing about the Profile spring loaded deck is, the spring gives quite easily for the very reason the designer didn't want it compacting the cotton.

I have to use 100% VG b/c PG irritates my lungs. And don't like diluting VG with distilled, so it is what it is.

In answer to your other post, I used VandyVapes 0.37 ohm/ft SS316L. (In this link have to use the drop-down menu to switch to the one I got... the page defaults to the Kanthal.) Though it would be more convenient to find a mesh roll of the same width as your deck. This one is wider than the AS V3 deck so must be trimmed width-wise too which is a PITA. But it vapes real nice. Nicer than the honeycomb screens that come with the tank, in my personal opinion. Super smooth with no spitting or popping.

I would actually prefer NOT to sub-ohm and use KA1 mesh, if only Kanthal vaped in TC mode. But virtually all decks are made for the more common VG/PG blends, so TC helps avoid burnt hits by limiting the coil temp. (For some reason the SXMini seemed to be acting up in TC mode and was trying to dial in the wicking, so had it in PM and got all those burnt hits... but back in TC now.)

So the reason I use SS is because I need TC mode. :) If you don't, I'd stick with KA1 too. Uses fewer watts, batteries last longer, juice isn't heated as high to produce vapor... supposedly a healthier choice than sub-ohming, according to some. (Whether true or not, IDK.)
 

Just Frank

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Okay, so you're using SS 300 mesh too. Maybe I should give it another shot. I used a piece bigger than the standard Profile styled mesh sheets. It read .1Ω on my mods. Using less should make resistance drop even further but I'll check it out again. I know a lot of people use and like it.


Those mesh rolls were made for the Vandy Vape Mesh RDA and/or maybe the Mesh 24 RTA. It's width is too much for a lot of decks but a lot of the newer mesh rebuildables have switched to wide mesh format. A roll lasts a long time though so it's worth it to cut it up I guess.
 

"11"

Silver Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Okay, so you're using SS 300 mesh too. Maybe I should give it another shot. I used a piece bigger than the standard Profile styled mesh sheets. It read .1Ω on my mods. Using less should make resistance drop even further but I'll check it out again. I know a lot of people use and like it.

Those mesh rolls were made for the Vandy Vape Mesh RDA and/or maybe the Mesh 24 RTA. It's width is too much for a lot of decks but a lot of the newer mesh rebuildables have switched to wide mesh format. A roll lasts a long time though so it's worth it to cut it up I guess.

Good to know. I'd actually prefer a larger deck b/c it would mean bigger juice holes. That's the one thing I don't like about the V3 deck. It's small so the juice holes are not large enough for thick juice.

Yes, it's much less expensive than buying precut screens. (I did not buy mine from the link however - that was just for showing it. I can't remember where I got it, but probably off eBay.) If you use a strong light you can see lines running along the length of the mesh (its weave I guess) so it's easy to cut a straight line to trim the width by following a line. Just one more step.

Truly, I got tired of building dual coils after so many years and thought the mesh deck would be faster and less hassle. The mesh part is, esp since it lasts longer than a coil, but wicking mesh is so time consuming it's not any faster than dual coil builds, for me anyway. In fact it's more trouble and takes longer.

I also am finding that coils deliver denser clouds, unless you've just built the mesh and so saturated the coil. Then they're similar, but for ongoing vaping, the coils deliver a denser cloud when just wicking from the tank, IME.
 

huston

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
i use the kanthal mesh in my V2 aromamizer. at first it was giving me dry hot hits. Then i figured out i needed to lower the wattage (around 30-35) and hit it a few times and then i could bring the wattage up and no more bad hits.
 

ajvapes

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
VU Patreon
I don't have the mesh deck for the supreme but do have one for the plus v2. What I have found is yes you have to go tight under the mesh, but if you trim the bottom half of the wick back to coil, thin the rest and fold down it wicks well. Also don't pack the well too tight and the cotton should not protrude from the bottom. Just my two cents... YMMV
 

Grandpa

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I've got 4 of the V3's but have yet to try out the mesh decks. I may in the future as I'm curious about using them. I've got `em, why not?

But I totally get the 100% VG being too thick because I am also a 100% VG vaper. I have had problems in the past using regular coils because the juice is so thick. Not so bad in the summer when it's warm, but a deal breaker in the winter when it's cold and the juice is like 90 weight oil. It's a viscosity deal.

What I do is this: I add water to my juice. Not just any water, but DISTILLED water. If you try tap water you are going to have problems and your coils will gunk up immediately. I wouldn't recommend it. Just go to the store and get a jug of the stuff. If you use a CPAP machine with a humidifier you already should have it on hand.. I mix my juice with 10% distilled water and it works great. When you take a hit it will snap at you a bit and make your vape a little hotter but the 10% seems to work really well for me. If I wick my coils right I have no problems at all. I like to thin my cotton out pretty good from the coil down to the juice well and just don't pack it in too tight. Use one of the good juice calculators out there and you can integrate it into your favorite recipe. I have been vaping my juice this way since I started mixing 4 1/2-5 years ago.

I may give these mesh decks a try now to see if I can make them work ok.
 

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