BSKR Berserker 1.5 Mini MTL Guide (Definite) - Vandy Vape

[mikesx]

Hey all,
first quickly, thanks for the vaping community to all info, guides etc.

I am creating this post due to lack of and conflicting information how to properly setup the Berserker 1.5 Mini. This is a guide which components to use and general issues (and how to fix them) with the BSKR 1.5 Mini MTL. Also as a thanks to the community.

I have used various types of components and found the ones where this tank properly works. The difference is very noticable.

Components that work the best:
Cotton:

• Use Cotton Loops (i use Vandy Vape) these work the best. Also 1 package seems to last a very long time(est 8+ months).
• All other cotton sheets (the squares) do not seem to work well with this device. I have tried a lot of them but possibly some may work. I have tried all sorts of methods but they do not work. These are also not very good value.

Coils:

• Use "MTL STAPLE 4-.1*3/40 - Ni80" Coils (I use Coilology MTL Coil 10pcs). These last about 1-1,5 week at the most (after the flavor starts dropping).
• All other coils do not seem to work well. I have tried a variety of coils including the packaged coils and these have issues whatever you do (explained below).

Issues with wrong coils (Other than MTL STAPLE 4-.1*3/40 - Ni80):

• #1 issue is that you cant use higher wattage. Using higher than ~15-16W will damage the coil or cotton (or both) almost instantly (burnt or bad/strange taste). With proper coils you can use upto (possibly over) 30W without issues (until the coil breaks in after which about 19W-20W seems stable - this is about 1 day).
• Wrong coil will create gunk. The more gunk means worse match for this device. There should be absolutely no gunk even after 2 weeks of usage(the coil only changes color).
  • Gunk means that the coil is not burning the e-liquid properly. Some coils will create a large amount of gunk even after 1-2 days usage!
• AIRFLOW! With lower wattages the air doesnt heat up well to get through the device. The pull should be effortless in the largest opening. With the wrong coil you will find yourself using a large amount of force trying to pull on this device, which quickly becomes uncomfortable.
• Lack of flavor, strange taste, strange after taste, too sweet or other symtpoms. The coil listed gives a strong intensive flavour without any issues!

How to:
Cotton:

• You might need a lot less cotton than you think or that "seems" right. A lot of tutorials seem to use too much cotton. Cut about 1" or 2,5cm from your cotton roll. This can be separated in to about 3-4 parts.
• Fan out the cotton a lot(once you have it in the coil). You can use any sort of tool to fan the cotton. Take some time to remove about 15-20% of the cotton starting about 0.25cm from the coil.
• Cut the cotton pretty short. There should not be much cutton in the wells.

Symptoms of wrong amount of cotton:

• Cardboard taste(or cottony): Too much cotton.
• Burnt taste: Too much cotton in the wells. You can take the cotton out of the well and cut it a bit shorter(even when its already soaked).
• Burnt taste: Not enough cotton but no leakage. This is rare. You might have torn the cotton when fanning/adjusting.

Good amount of cotton should result in being able to vape in higher wattage(20-30w) with a nice strong flavor!

Coils:

• Be very careful not to distort the shape of the coil. It is slightly difficult to get it done properly and you have to be slightly delicate with the coil. There should be no spaces between the wire loops. Distorting the coil even slightly will result in diminished flavour. The legs can be slightly distorted but not the center.
• Since you may need to bend your coil legs to fit the device, use a coil tool and hold the loops in place when straightening the legs. Take care not to bend the loops!
• Burn the coil in at about 10W and remove any hotspots (graze the coil softly while the coil is slightly glowing).
• DO NOT burn the coil too much. Burn(glow) the coil as low as possible in low light conditions. Burning the coil too much will diminish flavour slightly.

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Questions & Answers:

• How long does 1 cotton piece last? It should last about 3-5 days. If you use different types of liquid in your tank in 3 days your cotton will start tasting burnt. With a relatively low amount of cotton going in the coil, a package for ~4-5$ should last about 5-8 months or more.
• The airflow is just so bad! Why? Your device may be too tightly fit. The factory may have tightened the pieces too much. Take the device completely apart including the inside and put back together with less force.
• The airflow is still bad! Why? I also had a lot of trouble with the airflow. Turns out the air needs to be heated properly to create pressure(?)/difference(?) in the device. You will have to get some good coils and up the wattage a bit. 15-16W is just not enough to heat the air, at 19-30W the airflow is really great! (The more the better)
• I'm not getting good flavor! Some flavours may not be right for this device. For example the donut flavour seems barely existent. Although blueberry/watermelon/custard are very good. Other reasons may include: old coil (1-1,5week), old cotton(3-5days), or conflicting flavours. Cardboardy and burnt taste before this time are due to amount of cotton and wrong or warped coils.

Hope this is helpful! Enjoy

 

[nadalama]

Welcome to VU, @mikesx! Thanks for your contribution to the forum.

I do feel compelled to present a different viewpoint on some of the items you've discussed. Not trying to be hostile - I see it's your first post - but the post will be around for a long time and a lot of new users will see it. It's important that information presented as a "tutorial" is accurate. So having said that...

I'd never put a complex coil in a Berserker Mini. Why use a coil with any increased metal mass in a low-wattage RTA? Sure seems to me that it would take forever to heat up. Also there is the question of available space on the build deck - it's tiny.

Have had perfectly good results with plain round wire, 26 or 28 ga, N80 or SS. And why change a complex coil after a week or week and a half? Even plain, round-wire coils should last a lot longer than that unless they are damaged somehow. I have RDAs and RTAs, including my VV Berserker Mini, that have been running the same coils for months.

If "flavor starts dropping," remove the wick, dry-burn and clean the coil, rewick, and you're good to go.

Don't understand your statement about various types of cotton not working. I've used my Berserker with koh gen do and Cotton Bacon V2 with no problems. Admittedly I've not tried all the different types, but have used these two, neither of which you've listed as good alternatives.

Do agree that thinned wicks work better. It is definitely possible to get dry hits if there's too much cotton.

In my opinion, 19 to 30W is entirely too much power for MTL, especially in this tank, but that's a personal preference and also is dependent on coil choice and wicking. Your mileage obviously varies. Maybe using 30W is how you get those heavy coils heated up.

The Berserker Mini is a really good MTL RTA. If it takes a little extra trial-and-error to get right, it's worth the work, in my opinion. But there's apparently more than one way to go about it, so different experience needs to be acknowledged, I think.

 

[mikesx]

Welcome to VU, @mikesx! Thanks for your contribution to the forum.

Yeah, great addition. I haven't tried everything available on the market. But trying to fire up this device was a little bit problematic and searching i have only found other users with the exact same issues i was having(not just on this forum). The 1.5 mini was okay-ish until i used exactly this specific combo. The cotton bacon is the exact same i meant, i guess diff brand use diff names. I think the device comes with plain coils but im not sure, those did not perform that well compared to the coils i have listed. It's possible they last longer i just dont bother with it, as the total cost is about $2.50 a month(for cotton and coils).

For the cotton i meant the cotton squares. Lot of tutorials show using the squares but they aren't very good for this.

Obviously more experienced vapers will have this device figured out, i think this guide works great for beginners to get this device in at least 90% working order. Thank you.

 

[MyMagicMist]

Using the Scottish Roll for organic cotton pads.

In case you're trying to put the whole square pad into the atomizer.

All other cotton sheets (the squares) do not seem to work well with this device. I have tried a lot of them but possibly some may work. I have tried all sorts of methods but they do not work. These are also not very good value.

Muji cotton can be considered of decent value. I have a large bag that's lasted over two, three years now and I've given a fair amount away, still having plenty on hand.

A person needs to take a little patience, keep an open mind and learn to use it correctly. I know that it is difficult for the instant gratification generation but it's as true as day.

For the cotton i meant the cotton squares. Lot of tutorials show using the squares but they aren't very good for this.

Ah, so you have seen tutorials on how to use the pads. Well if one style suits you best so it is, go on and use that, then. Always say use what suits yourself. Thought you may not have been knowledgeable on the use of pads. My apologies.

• The airflow is just so bad! Why? Your device may be too tightly fit. The factory may have tightened the pieces too much. Take the device completely apart including the inside and put back together with less force.
• The airflow is still bad! Why? I also had a lot of trouble with the airflow. Turns out the air needs to be heated properly to create pressure(?)/difference(?) in the device. You will have to get some good coils and up the wattage a bit. 15-16W is just not enough to heat the air, at 19-30W the airflow is really great! (The more the better)

Also may want to check you don't have too much wick. Coil positioning can block airflow as well.

Wrong coil will create gunk. The more gunk means worse match for this device. There should be absolutely no gunk even after 2 weeks of usage(the coil only changes color).

• Gunk means that the coil is not burning the e-liquid properly. Some coils will create a large amount of gunk even after 1-2 days usage!

You might be using a juice that has a lot of sweetener, or sugars in it. This can often lead to gunk building up more so than improper coil temperatures. Notice, I'm not entirely dismissing coil temperatures. I'm saying there are other factors involved as well, such as juice choice. Another factor as you point out too is airflow.

Have had perfectly good results with plain round wire, 26 or 28 ga, N80 or SS. And why change a complex coil after a week or week and a half? Even plain, round-wire coils should last a lot longer than that unless they are damaged somehow. I have RDAs and RTAs, including my VV Berserker Mini, that have been running the same coils for months.

I was a bit curious about that too. I use simple single strand builds, nothing really fancy. Everyone seems to go on about the fancy ones. My Plain Jane builds last me months on end, all I need to do is swap out wicks. Then, I use RDA instead of RTA, maybe that's the secret? I don't know it all seems way to technical for me.

"I swallowed a bug." -- River Tam

 

[Jimi]

Don't understand your statement about various types of cotton not working. I've used my Berserker with koh gen do and Cotton Bacon V2 with no problems. Admittedly I've not tried all the different types, but have used these two, neither of which you've listed as good alternatives.

Mine works fine with cotton bacon and pretty much any GOOD cotton I have used in it, I use a SS simple coil and it works well