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Last Updated on February 9, 2016 by
Vivi Nova Tips
The other day in my weekly (whenever I can find the time) column, Vaping with Julia, I mentioned that I performed a few tweaks to maximize my vaping experience with the new Vision STV Vivi Nova Tank System. A couple of earnest readers commented that they expected me to reveal those tweaks in the following paragraph. Oops. I didn’t.
The reason I didn’t is two-fold. First, Vaping with Julia is a column where I just ramble on about what my week and how it pertained to vaping. A little of this, a little of that, nothing heavy… just some light reading for a stressful Friday. The second reason is that I have tried in the past to write out how I tweak the Vivi’s but every time I try I get myself into an endless loop, going back around to the beginning and starting again.
I had finally accepted the fact that writing about wicking systems was something I couldn’t do well (Thankfully our newest writer, Matt, has no such problems), but a comment on our FaceBook page from Jim, a loyal reader and a heck of a nice guy, got to me. I had to try again, if for nothing else then to prove to myself I could do it, and to see if I could improve the vape for anyone (Jim) who wants to try out my tweaks.
I should warn you though, the Vivi’s I use are version 3 Vision STV Vivi’s from MyVaporStore ($13.99) and the mods I make cannot be undone. If they don’t work for you I apologize ahead of time. Vivi Nova Tips
Let’s make sure that before you apply any modifications to your atty that you have in front of you exactly what I have because all these different Vivi’s on the market react differently. They can even vary by where you buy them. (As will the price)
I would also like to say that in no way am I an expert with this topic. I sometimes think that you need to be an electrical engineer to fully understand coils and coil wraps, which metal coil to use when wrapping wicks, which material to use as your wicks, and how it applies to the proper wattage and voltage, and on and on and on… it gives me a headache. The things I have done to improve my vaping with a v3 STV Vivi Nova have little to do with scientific electrical theory and more to do with “what works for me”. Check out some forums, like Totally Wicked’s forums and you’ll read posts from people that know this stuff upside down and inside out. That is not me.
The Vision STV Vivi Nova Tank Systems V3
Version 3 of the STV Vivi includes an updated air hole, longer wicks, coil heads and tubes. It’s a complete remake of a very popular Vivi, and most other tweaks you’ve made in the past no longer apply. For instance, many people would ‘stop up’ one of the air holes on the bottom-side of the v2.5 to get a tighter draw with it. I’ve found that is no longer necessary, either the holes are smaller, though I can’t really tell, or they have been reworked somehow. Either way the air hole no longer needs to be stopped off.
The V3 STV Vivi holds 3.5ml of eLiquid, has a plastic tube that is covered with a metal tube painted with a nice rubberized paint. It features two cutouts on the side so that you can keep track of the amount of eLiquid left in the tank. They are gorgeous!
The Tank comes apart easily and cleaning it is a breeze. No need for a needle for filling it either; just pour the juice in the tank after unscrewing the top. Be careful not to get liquid into the center piece though, but that is easily avoided.
When you buy the Vision STV Vivi Nova Tank System you get a total of 3 atty heads, 1.8, 2.4 and 2.8 ohm. These are “long wick” atty heads. Conventional Wisdom tells us that the 1.8ohm is the one to use on eGo, eGo-T, or eGo-C batteries. While this certainly works I’ve found that the 1.8ohm atty head provides a great vape on the eVic, ZMAX, or any other large battery device. You can vape at lower voltage and still get a nice vapor production going and a tremendous amount of flavor. The 1.8ohm atty head will run your better down a bit faster though.
The 2.4ohm atty head is the “default” head, the one that comes attached to the tank. Most people start off with this since it’s already screwed on and if you want to there certainly isn’t anything wrong with that. 2.4ohm is supposedly a general-use ohm and I use this one quite a bit myself.
The 2.8ohm is the one most people recommend for the larger battery devices. The reason is straightforward; you can vape at higher voltage and/or higher wattage with a 2.8ohm than you can with a 1.8ohm.
Accuracy is another thing to take into consideration. I’ve gotten used to using a Fluke meter for testing purposes and whatever the ohm rating is supposed to be is usually off a little. The biggest variances I’ve gotten were from Apollo eCigs Vivi’s and the best have been from Totally Wicked’s version and MyVaporStore versions. Actually, the same factories make them all but I have a suspicion that there are different “grades”, but I have no proof and it’s only me that thinks this. See? I’m beginning to get lost again…
Atty Heads – Where the action is
Since, to me anyway, the air hole is no longer an issue, the tweaks I do are all atty based. The STV Vivi Nova’s (v3) use 4 strands of wicks wrapped in a coil. (The number of wraps effect the ohms). In earlier versions there were some that had a loose wick, or rather unwrapped wick and those in the know would take that wick out. In the new version all 4 are wrapped in the coil.
The long wick is really long, extending a bit further than the length of the tube. It’s supposed to provide more vapor since there is more wick surface to cover in eLiquid, and for the most part that’s true.
Long Wick v Short Wick
Okay, here’s where it always messing me up. Long wicks and thick eLiquid can be a problem, short wicks can leave you constantly turning your PV upside down all the time to make sure it’s still soaked with liquid. Short wicks are good for thick juice… and blah blah blah… I’m not even going to try to explain this because before you know it this piece will be 6000 words or more. No one wants that.
FOR ME, this is what works. (Use a Fluke or even an eVic or some other device that will measure the ohms of your atty head. This will tell you how far off your atty head is. The last time I did this, last night, the 1.8ohm I was using measured 1.9ohm)
- I clip the wick about 1/10 of inch. Like growing to the salon and asking the stylist just to cut off the split ends. Barely noticeable, but it just looks better. The wick will also look like it has split ends, so just clip the split ends.
- Take a lighter, any kind of lighter, fire it up and run it under the wick ends on both sides, just for a second. This will burn away any of the remaining split ends.
- Using your fingers twist the ends of the wick a little. This wipes away any leftover particles you might have burned. It also tightens the wick up a bit.
- Using your Fluke ($10 on eBay) or your VV device that can measure the ohms (eVic?) test your atty head again. For me, the atty is always closer to the stated ohms now.
- Fill with eLiquid. Let it sit for about 30 minutes.
- If your device can give you a “recommended” voltage, get it. (Wattage should always be the default wattage until you are an advanced user. If you are an advanced user then why are you reading this? LOL)
- Adjust your PV to the recommended voltage and take 3x 2-second puffs in quick succession.
- Now just vape… make adjustments to the voltage until you find your sweet spot. There is no need to change the voltage unless you change the eLiquid.
A word of warning: If you try this on a Vivi Nova that you’ve already used make sure it is clean and 100% dry. If you try this on a brand new Vivi you’ll get a better result, but I would highly recommend doing it first on a used on with a new atty head. If you don’t like the result you’ve only wasted $2 at most.
These tweaks are small, and are less than you would need to make on earlier Vivi’s. That’s because most people really like the v3’s with no modifications at all. They love the long wicks; they love the performance. As do I, but for me a tiny clipping of the wick, a burning away of the split ends gives me a better tasting vape.
If you try the above let me know how it worked for you. If you are doing different tweaks for your Vision STV Vivi Nova’s v3 please let us know. If you hate these tanks, or love these tanks, again, let us know.
I hope I have helped some of you, but for more detailed, more advanced techniques look to the experts. I’m just a girl looking for a good vape, so I offer these vivi nova tips to each of you. Enjoy!
Have a great weekend!
Julia
