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New mod/tank for the simple

I tend to resist new fancy shit when it comes to vaping. I do NOT like to tinker and nothing frustrates me more than having to stop and mess with my mod.

I've been using an IPV2 mini for a year or so now. I build traditional single coils with 28ga Kanthal on the RBA deck of Kanger Subtank at about 1 ohm and then fire it at about 15-20W. When it starts to taste funky, I replace the cotton and burn off the crud on the coils (my juices are pretty sweet). I'll keep using the same coil until it falls apart (often 2-3 months).

I'm not 100% happy with the Subtank. Half the time, it either leaks or it dry hits. But, I've just dealt with it because I'm too lazy to figure out something new. But now, my IPV2 mini has been turning off on its own every 2-3 hits and I figure its time to get something new.

That being said, I realize that fancy stuff comes out for a reason, and it might be time for me to catch up a bit with this ridiculously fast paced market. So, I'm here looking for suggestions for both a mod and tank (with more emphasis on the mod). My criteria:

  • I only vape on the go. My wife makes me go outside. My office makes me go down 12 floors. It needs to fit in my pocket.
  • I am battery cautious. There is something inherently stupid to discharging 20A through a tiny little resistor a few inches from your face. Nonetheless, I need my fix. So, I am looking for a single cell mod and would like to stay well below the 20A threshold. TBH, I go back and forth on single/dual cell mods, as I appreciate that a dual cell mod would reduce the current draw significantly for the same wattage; but, I am worried over the added hassle of pairing and alternating batteries.
  • I always build my own coils. I hate building coils; but I hate running out of stock coils even more. I'm pretty happy with a single micro-coil w/ 28ga @ ~1 ohm. I can power this at 20W (4.5A - 6.5A) pretty happily. Twisted, claptons, fused-claptons all sound interesting; but given the amount of complaints over the spitting, I feel that they might be an experiment at best. It also sounds like they are harder to clean (with so many grooves). My day-to-day will most likely be traditional micro-coils. I would prefer single, dual if the maintenance is low, maybe parallel. I mention this mainly to set an expectation of the maximum wattage I would need (I believe 100W is mainly for the more exotic builds with lots of metal).
  • I've never tried TC before. To me, it doesn't very useful -- at best it tells me that something is borked with my setup and that I have to go back upstairs to fuck with it. I'd prefer to just avoid it altogether and have a coil/wick that is so simple that it just works all the time.
  • I don't care how to mod looks. As long as it doesn't look like a dildo.
Thanks
 

Jim_MDP

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Ha... you had me at the end for using "borked", so I'll give it a go.

I have a couple builds (out of ~6 or so) right now that are about 0.2-0.3 ohm but I'm usually around 0.6-1.0 and 40 watts so this should be right up your alley.
Also I use all SS, usually in TC, but occasionally switch to power mode and just bang away (thicker vapor) so I understand if you don't care for TC... though it is useful.

At these "lower" wattages I don't have to wick so thin, so I really haven't had to deal with leaks. Basically... none of my RTAs are leakers.

I've never tried the Genesis style (which would peripherally (almost) include bottom tank models like the Avacado etc) so I won't comment on those.

My "go to" tanks...

With simpler wire, the Bachelor is interesting for its' "postless" design, but the coil leg holes are only so big... no monstro Claptons etc. But damn... it produces.
Wicking is simple and as I said... no leaking.
And the wide span means you can use larger gauge simple coils without going too high in res. I use the smaller capacity Nanos more than my full size, but the decks are identical.

I really like my Serpent Minis.
The deck is very similar to what you're used to on the KST RBA... but rolled "lefty".
A lot of us really like them actually. I'm trying to think of a con... gimme a bit.

For almost leak-proof sub-ohm (-ish) RTAs... I have to give my nod to the Aromamizer.
The juice holes are in the deck itself... you just lay the tails over the holes.
"So simple... even a Jim can do it." It's truly RDA-like.
And the new Supreme Lite comes with both 2 and 5 ml hardware.
It's a winner all around.

The last I'll mention (because I'm actually anxiously waiting for it's release at the end of the month) is the Goblin Mini v3.
The upside of its two included swappable decks is that the dedicated single coil deck is an "offset" Velocity like the Merlin. They can hold a ridiculously large ID single coil... if that's something you'd like to play with. I do... can't wait.

----

Mods are trickier, or worse.
The upside of running 25-40 watts is there are just a stupid number of feature packed modestly priced single 18650 mods out there now (I know... I have a couple dozen of them). And while I do use the TC... you should keep the TC mods in mind as well. They're likely barely more costly (if at all) and who knows... you may like it after all.

(if I had to say anything...)
I like and enjoy my DNAs but they do require more care and feeding.

But I'm quite taken by JoyeTech's recent stuff (JTech, Wismec, Eleaf) and that includes their tiny Pico, both for VW and TC.

Without TC... it's a wide open field for pocketable mods (Nuggets etc.). Check Busardo... he just did a shootout of six or so teeny tiny mods (some with TC) and at least a couple have improved versions out.

I really haven't enjoyed either my single cell P4Y (D2) or Sig75 but both makers have some interesting new offerings... though they're mostly dual 18650s IIRC.

More than I meant to ramble on about so I'll stop there.
 
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Neunerball

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Member For 4 Years
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Serpent Mini, for single coil, Cleito w/ optional RBA (they call it RTA System), and optional extension tank, for dual coil, on a Eleaf Pico.
 

Huckleberried

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OMG, you basically defined my own vaping patterns, pretty much to the letter.

My fave mod is the eVic VTC mini. Single battery, does what I need it to.

My fave tank has been the Goblin Mini v1 with the single coil adapter in place. I sometimes see people saying they get no flavor from the single coil in this tank, and I have NO idea where their minds are, LOL. They have hateful taste buds, or something. I prefer single coils in ANY tank that I use.

Merlin is also an incredibly flavorful tank, stupid easy to build on, MOST people love theirs, I've had leaking issues, BUT I have to vape high PG, so that's possibly causing my problems. Same for the Serpent Mini. Fantastic flavor, but I'm still playing around with wicking techniques on that one.

Then going back a teeny bit, I have a love for the Lemo Drop tank. Most people don't, it's a bottom screw-fill (or silicone plug that comes with), just like the Goblin Mini is, but I don't mind that one little bit. I personally prefer a bottom fill tank. I don't get the leaking that I get with top fill ones.
 

Huckleberried

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I suppose I should've added that I'm a MTL vaper, so those tanks fit my style, too. They're not SuperTightMakesYaPucker MTL, but more airy.
 

UncleRJ

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I will second Huck on the Merlin.

Super easy to build and wick and the top fill is a plus.

I make a 24 AWG coil and replace the wick and do a dry burn every other tank.

I just had to replace the coil yesterday after about 7 weeks of use.
 

Wingsfan0310

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
While it does seem like most people are happy with their Merlin, I've had mixed results. Mine doesn't leak, but the flavor just isn't there for me. It could be that I'm just used to a dual coil Aromamizer Supreme. I'm a DL instead of MTL vapor. I'm not really sure, but I tried a lot of different builds and the flavor has always been lacking by comparison! YMMV

Cheers,
Steve
 

BuryTheSun

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I'd suggest looking at the Innokin 18650 cool fire mod. Small, does anything you'd want it too and probably the best non-DNA chipset out there. Efficient on battery life and delivers a smooth vape on every tank I've thrown on it. Can't for the life of me figure out why these mods are so underrated. The sealed battery cool fire IV's are just as good if you want charge and go ease.
 

dshobe

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Member For 4 Years
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I'll suggest the Merlin as well. So easy to build on. I have had leaks, but they are minor.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 

PaulS

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I vape around 45 watts at work. My two favorite tanks are the Goblin Mini V1 (bottom screw fill, yes) and my Serpent Mini. Neither have leaked on me. The flavor I get from both is stellar. The Goblin Mini actually has a bit more air flow which is okay as I'm a DL vapor that uses series mechs at 150+ watts at home. But at wortk I'm a bit more stealthy. I would also say that the Ijoy Tornado Nano is a great little tank and the Cleito RTA/RBA with the big bubble glass is also really nice.

Guys that want to vape tanks at high watts use the Modfather, the Scuttua, the Boreas, the Supreme. Me, i prefer my RDAs for hifgh watts - I am right now vaping my Phenotype L with only one slot open at .1 ohm on my cheap Snowman mech. It's fantastic. I use my Cleito RTA (the only RTA I vape with a high watts) with a .15 build and get great clouds at 75 watts. My Limitless Plus I use because the bandana design just looks nice but I use it mainly as a RDA. Same with the Avocado 24 - I drip on both of these.

All the devices I mentioned are pretty easy to build on.
 
Thanks all for the info. I managed to fix my IPV2 mini by taking a pair of pliers and tugging on the spring in the battery compartment. It'll probably start failing again soon, but at least I bought myself some time to research.

I'll return to the list of tanks at a later date. I'm currently focusing on the mod.

So far, I'm mainly looking at the eVic VTC Mini, the Eleaf Pico Mega, and the Cuboid (just because its a dual battery mod for the same size). After researching a bit online, it appears they all have somewhat of a shoddy 510 connection. There are lots of threads complaining about wobby tanks/shallow connections. Having had several (much) older Joyetech products (eGo-T, oh how far we have come...) that have failed, I am somewhat weary of Joyetech. Threads like this also scare me: https://www.fasttech.com/forums/3331700/t/1881807/pics-of-the-chip

This has me looking more seriously at the IPV D3 since my experience with the IPV2 mini has been pretty good (it has been my longest lasting mod).

Has anyone else experienced issues with the 510 on the Joyetech products? Does the heatsink help?
 

Iliketurtles

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I have had a Cloupor GT since the day it was released, use it almost every day still working fine though looking a bit beat up.
Pros - Light AF for a 2 x 18650 mod, 80w max, has a VV setting, very low maintenance - re-tension a battery spring every now and then and that's it.
Cons - No onboard charging, scratches up fairly easy, you need both batteries in the mod as it is series.

It only does nickel TC I think but I don't use TC so means nothing to me, I have it set at 4v and that doesn't change. Dropped it many times - no problem except obviously little scratches. Its a cheap every day 'beater' and it does that job well, great little box.
 

Wingsfan0310

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Thanks all for the info. I managed to fix my IPV2 mini by taking a pair of pliers and tugging on the spring in the battery compartment. It'll probably start failing again soon, but at least I bought myself some time to research.

I'll return to the list of tanks at a later date. I'm currently focusing on the mod.

So far, I'm mainly looking at the eVic VTC Mini, the Eleaf Pico Mega, and the Cuboid (just because its a dual battery mod for the same size). After researching a bit online, it appears they all have somewhat of a shoddy 510 connection. There are lots of threads complaining about wobby tanks/shallow connections. Having had several (much) older Joyetech products (eGo-T, oh how far we have come...) that have failed, I am somewhat weary of Joyetech. Threads like this also scare me: https://www.fasttech.com/forums/3331700/t/1881807/pics-of-the-chip

This has me looking more seriously at the IPV D3 since my experience with the IPV2 mini has been pretty good (it has been my longest lasting mod).

Has anyone else experienced issues with the 510 on the Joyetech products? Does the heatsink help?
The IPV6X looks like it would be a good mod for you. It uses a Yihi chip, is supposed to be the smallest dual 18650 mod out, and looks good (imo).

Cheers,
Steve
 

ResIpsa

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I will second the Eleaf Pico. I use one with a Serpent Mini. Actually, I have two right now. One set up for sub-ohm DL and one for 1.00+ ohm and MTL. Both fit in the pocket easy, are light, the tanks are easy to build and wick (these are my first RTA's), tanks are top fill, and with a single 18650 battery you can charge them with a USB cable. Never need to take out the battery.

For both the Eleaf Pico and the Serpent Mini you should be at or under $50 from Ecig.com.

If you go with a double battery mod I think all of them require you to pull the batteries and charge them externally. That doesn't sound like your preference.

Chris
 

Comfygirl

Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
I will second the Eleaf Pico. I use one with a Serpent Mini. Actually, I have two right now. One set up for sub-ohm DL and one for 1.00+ ohm and MTL. Both fit in the pocket easy, are light, the tanks are easy to build and wick (these are my first RTA's), tanks are top fill, and with a single 18650 battery you can charge them with a USB cable. Never need to take out the battery.

For both the Eleaf Pico and the Serpent Mini you should be at or under $50 from Ecig.com.

If you go with a double battery mod I think all of them require you to pull the batteries and charge them externally. That doesn't sound like your preference.

Chris

Sounds like MY preference! I have an external battery charger. I can remove the battery and charge it while I use the fresh one in it? There aren't any leaking problems? Is it complicated to use? I'm more lazy than the OP because I have not learned how to build my own coils... yet...
 
If you go with a double battery mod I think all of them require you to pull the batteries and charge them externally. That doesn't sound like your preference.

Actually, I don't mind recharging externally. I am in a battery pool (several of us vapers at work). I'm a little worried about marrying batteries, because I'd have to tell everyone to be careful with keeping sets together. Charging from the unit is nice; but honestly, there have only been a handful times in the last several years where I've been caught without a fresh battery. I'm pretty good about remembering to grab an extra battery when I'm not at work/home because I know if I run out, its back to analogs...
 

ResIpsa

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Member For 4 Years
Sounds like MY preference! I have an external battery charger. I can remove the battery and charge it while I use the fresh one in it? There aren't any leaking problems? Is it complicated to use? I'm more lazy than the OP because I have not learned how to build my own coils... yet...

Yes, with the Eleaf Pico you can charge the battery in the mod or swap the battery out for a fresh one and charge externally.

Whether the Serpent Mini will leak is based on your wicking ability. However, it is easy to wick. There are several build videos on Youtube for this specific RTA. I've had it leak a few times while I try to get the wick right. It seems that the more wick I use the less likely for it to leak. YMMV.

That said, if you don't build yet and don't want to then I'd stick with premade coils. It has taken me some time and effort to learn to build even the very basic stuff I'm doing.

Chris
 

ResIpsa

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Actually, I don't mind recharging externally. I am in a battery pool (several of us vapers at work). I'm a little worried about marrying batteries, because I'd have to tell everyone to be careful with keeping sets together. Charging from the unit is nice; but honestly, there have only been a handful times in the last several years where I've been caught without a fresh battery. I'm pretty good about remembering to grab an extra battery when I'm not at work/home because I know if I run out, its back to analogs...

I used permanent marker to mark my married batteries for my multi battery mods. It works for me. However, I don't really see how you can maintain married batteries in that situation unless you can trust the others to leave them alone. Therefore, it still seems like it would be best to stick with single battery mods.

BTW, yesterday I started using my Pico in TC SS mode with my Serpent Mini set up for sub ohm. It works perfectly.

If you really want a two battery mod, I really like the Smok R200 I just got. The menu is difficult to use but it's very light and compact and TC for my tanks works better than my RX200S does. I also have a IPV5 on it's way. People really seem to like the IPV5. The R200 on the other hand gets bad reviews, mainly for the difficulty with the menu.

Chris
 

savagebee

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I'll throw another vote on the evic vtc. My wife has one and its a sweet little mod.
 

Deucesjack

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I'd suggest looking at the Innokin 18650 cool fire mod. Small, does anything you'd want it too and probably the best non-DNA chipset out there. Efficient on battery life and delivers a smooth vape on every tank I've thrown on it. Can't for the life of me figure out why these mods are so underrated. The sealed battery cool fire IV's are just as good if you want charge and go ease.

Very under rated board and mod. Love my Coolfire. It's my commuter and work mod and boy has it taken a beating. Like it so much I'm actually going to buy the 18650 version.
 

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