# Eleaf ECR Head (Dripper) for Pico



## Mobee (21/7/16)

Has anybody tried this with the Melo3 mini?
seems like you can rebuild the coils

Reactions: Like 2


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## Clouder (21/7/16)

I have, yes, it is a rebuildable deck, I quite like it.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Mobee (21/7/16)

Clouder said:


> I have, yes, it is a rebuildable deck, I quite like it.



Nice!!
notice any difference from the stock coil or the ceramics


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## Andre (21/7/16)

Yes, that is the ECR (rebuildable) unit, which you can buy for around R60. Works a charm. Very scarce though.

As good as the stock and ceramic heads imo.


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## RichJB (21/7/16)

I think many who buy the Melo 3 Mini do so with the intention of using ceramic coils in it. But if you prefer rebuilding and got the tank as part of the Pico starter kit, why not rebuild on the ECR? 

I went the more dedicated reuilding route with two tanks (Avo and Merlin) which don't have commercial coils at all but which imo offer easier building and more versatile decks than any RBA head. However, I still have my Melo 2 purchased as part of my first starter kit, and I don't fancy Eleaf's commercial coils much. So one of these ECR heads will extend the options offered by that tank considerably.

In my case, sourcing an ECR head is the main problem, very few stock them. The vendor I spoke to rebuilds himself and said that the insulator in the ECR head doesn't last long and tears too easily for his liking. It had happened to him and several others he spoke to, and for that reason he was no longer importing it. Clouder and Andre, have you had any problems with the insulator tearing?

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## Andre (21/7/16)

RichJB said:


> I think many who buy the Melo 3 Mini do so with the intention of using ceramic coils in it. But if you prefer rebuilding and got the tank as part of the Pico starter kit, why not rebuild on the ECR?
> 
> I went the more dedicated reuilding route with two tanks (Avo and Merlin) which don't have commercial coils at all but which imo offer easier building and more versatile decks than any RBA head. However, I still have my Melo 2 purchased as part of my first starter kit, and I don't fancy Eleaf's commercial coils much. So one of these ECR heads will extend the options offered by that tank considerably.
> 
> In my case, sourcing an ECR head is the main problem, very few stock them. The vendor I spoke to rebuilds himself and said that the insulator in the ECR head doesn't last long and tears too easily for his liking. It had happened to him and several others he spoke to, and for that reason he was no longer importing it. Clouder and Andre, have you had any problems with the insulator tearing?


No problems with the insulator on this side, but thanks for the heads up. Will be careful.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Mobee (21/7/16)

Andre said:


> No problems with the insulator on this side, but thanks for the heads up. Will be careful.





RichJB said:


> I think many who buy the Melo 3 Mini do so with the intention of using ceramic coils in it. But if you prefer rebuilding and got the tank as part of the Pico starter kit, why not rebuild on the ECR?
> 
> I went the more dedicated reuilding route with two tanks (Avo and Merlin) which don't have commercial coils at all but which imo offer easier building and more versatile decks than any RBA head. However, I still have my Melo 2 purchased as part of my first starter kit, and I don't fancy Eleaf's commercial coils much. So one of these ECR heads will extend the options offered by that tank considerably.
> 
> In my case, sourcing an ECR head is the main problem, very few stock them. The vendor I spoke to rebuilds himself and said that the insulator in the ECR head doesn't last long and tears too easily for his liking. It had happened to him and several others he spoke to, and for that reason he was no longer importing it. Clouder and Andre, have you had any problems with the insulator tearing?



Thanks for the info guys
@Andre What coil wire you using,the OHMs,loop count and diameter
I may want to try this but start with pre coiled wires as a start


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## Andre (21/7/16)

Mobee said:


> Thanks for the info guys
> @Andre What coil you using,the OHMs,loop count and diameter
> I may want to try this but start with pre coiled wires as a start


Anything between 0.8 and 1.2 ohms if fine for me as I use it on a variable wattage mod. Vaping around 22 W. I use contact coils (not spaced) - not that it matters much. That is around 6 wraps of 27 g Kanthal on a 2.5 mm mandrel. Wicking with Cotton Bacon V2 or Kendo Vape Cotton Gold.


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## BassVapin (21/7/16)

the Eleaf EC heads are also rebuildable if you just be careful. I have an ijust 2 with ec heads and what i do is carefully remove the coil and cotton in one piece leaving the outside cotton over the juice holes in place then just burn the coil clean and rewick the coil and reassemble. works out around R2 per coil rebuild as I buy a sheet of UD organic cotton for R10 from vapeking and get 5 rebuilds out of a sheet easily.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jan (21/7/16)

So do I understand you use the same coils and just burn it with a flame and then reassemble ?


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## Mobee (21/7/16)

Andre said:


> Anything between 0.8 and 1.2 ohms if fine for me as I use it on a variable wattage mod. Vaping around 22 W. I use contact coils (not spaced) - not that it matters much. That is around 6 wraps of 27 g Kanthal on a 2.5 mm mandrel. Wicking with Cotton Bacon V2 or Kendo Vape Cotton Gold.



Are the Nichrome pre built coil wire any good compared to kanthal?


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## Clouder (21/7/16)

@Mobee

Yes, C-Cells..... I don't know how to explain it. C-Cells feels different to any other coil.... They're smoother I guess. But to me, the ECR feels the same as any commercial coil.

Oh, I have not had any issues with my ECR seal rings, BUT, If you look in the VAPEMAIL thread, I only got my Pico 3 weeks ago.

Also, @Sir Vape sells them. Got mine from them when I was there on holiday.

@Mobee , I think you need to get one coil of each (Kanthal, Nick, SS, etc) and try them out for yourself. I will not like some types of coils based on your personal preference. Example, I do not like Stainless, it tastes weird to me even when other people say they don't taste anything. So get a couple of coils and decide what you like and what not.

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## Mobee (21/7/16)

Clouder said:


> @Mobee
> 
> Yes, C-Cells..... I don't know how to explain it. C-Cells feels different to any other coil.... They're smoother I guess. But to me, the ECR feels the same as any commercial coil.
> 
> ...



Tried the cCells and to be honest while it is more smoother I havent found it to be a dramatic change in flavour/smoothness but hey im still new to this.
As you said will need to try the different types and take it from there..


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## Clouder (21/7/16)

@Mobee its the only way! Like for instance I tried G-Ceramics, and I hated it! It doesn't work for me AT ALL! Try it, and stick to what you like!


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## Mobee (21/7/16)

Clouder said:


> @Mobee its the only way! Like for instance I tried G-Ceramics, and I hated it! It doesn't work for me AT ALL! Try it, and stick to what you like!



Thanks man will do...
What wattage do you use with the ceramic coils?


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## Clouder (21/7/16)

I'm between 22 and 30 Watt @Mobee


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## Andre (21/7/16)

Mobee said:


> Are the Nichrome pre built coil wire any good compared to kanthal?


I do not use pre-built coils, but have used both wires and they are good to go. Nichrome has a lower resistance than Kanthal.


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## Glytch (21/7/16)

Andre said:


> Yes, that is the ECR (rebuildable) unit, which you can buy for around R60. Works a charm. Very scarce though



Eish. Thanks for the heads up. My brother in law is picking up one from VapeMob Kenilworth tomorrow for me. Managed to snag one of the last ones. Now just to source some decent Kanthal wire and some cotton.

Reactions: Like 1


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## BassVapin (21/7/16)

Jan said:


> So do I understand you use the same coils and just burn it with a flame and then reassemble ?


Yess exactly, I use a blow torch to clean the coil then use the same original coil and just put new cotton around it and put it back into the EC head. Works perfectly specially with the 0.3 coils which burn out pretty fast


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## Mobee (21/7/16)

So it seems Eleaf have started making there own Ceramic coils @ 0.5oHms,still pre-order by the looks of things
http://www.eleafworld.com/ec-ceramic-head/

However I have ordered these 2 from over the seas
one is a notch coil http://www.eleafworld.com/ec-nc-0-25ohm-head/
and the other is a dual coil with broader juice inlet slots http://www.eleafworld.com/ec-nc-0-25ohm-head/

Will give feedback when they arrive

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## BrizzyZA (VapeLife) (21/7/16)

It's awesome to use if you want to personalize your coil build. Just a headache if you want to compress the coil with a tweezer or pliers


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## snakevape (22/7/16)

Hi everyone, instead of posting a new thread I thought I'd just post my issue here.

I bought this ECR head a while ago, and haven't had good results at all. I don't know what I'm doing wrong - but I'm getting *such weak flavour*. (Kinda tastes like cotton, not burnt, just a cotton taste - possibly my cotton isn't wicking properly.. ?). My juices are fine.

I tried the standard coil it came with, and also made a standard kanthal 0.5ohm coil. Still the same. I've tried using more and less cotton in my build.
My device is a Pico.

thanks in advance for any assistance


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## Andre (22/7/16)

snakevape said:


> Hi everyone, instead of posting a new thread I thought I'd just post my issue here.
> 
> I bought this ECR head a while ago, and haven't had good results at all. I don't know what I'm doing wrong - but I'm getting *such weak flavour*. (Kinda tastes like cotton, not burnt, just a cotton taste - possibly my cotton isn't wicking properly.. ?). My juices are fine.
> 
> ...


Most welcome to the forum.

Please give us more detail. Gauge and type of wire used. ID of mandrel. Wicking material. Tank used. A picture or two of the coil with wick might also help.


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## snakevape (22/7/16)

Thanks Andre!

I used 24g kanthal with the cotton that came with the ECR head, I think it's organic.
Using a Melo 3 Mini tank.
ID of mandrel? I'm honestly not sure.


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## Andre (22/7/16)

snakevape said:


> Thanks Andre!
> 
> I used 24g kanthal with the cotton that came with the ECR head, I think it's organic.
> Using a Melo 3 Mini tank.
> ID of mandrel? I'm honestly not sure.


Ok, I think 24 g Kanthal is too heavy for the ECR. Use 28 or 27 g. I use a 2.5 mm mandrel, but you can go up to 3.0 mm. Too small and wicking will be limited. The ECR head was built for a resistance around 1.0 ohm. I think 0.5 ohm might be too low resulting in wicking problems. My current one is 1.2 ohms, but I have successfully gone down to 0.8 ohms. I vape mine around 22 W, using Cotton Bacon V2, but lately mostly Kendo Gold. 
Did you check out the video in the first post?

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Ryan__Sexton (22/7/16)

Mobee said:


> Has anybody tried this with the Melo3 mini?
> seems like you can rebuild the coils




I tried using the ecr system with the Melo2. I found that because it only has 2 juice inlets the cotton dries out too quickly resulting in the worst dry hits. But give is a shot. Ecr head is R75 I think


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## Andre (22/7/16)

Ryan__Sexton said:


> I tried using the ecr system with the Melo2. I found that because it only has 2 juice inlets the cotton dries out too quickly resulting in the worst dry hits. But give is a shot. Ecr head is R75 I think


Works perfectly fine for me. At what wattage did you try it?

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## Ryan__Sexton (25/7/16)

Andre said:


> Works perfectly fine for me. At what wattage did you try it?



50 to 60w. But I have moved on from the Melo2 to a RDA.


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## Caramia (25/7/16)

I have found these heads work optimally under and up to 30 Watts, and with the cotton chucked well back into the holes

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## Andre (25/7/16)

Ryan__Sexton said:


> 50 to 60w. But I have moved on from the Melo2 to a RDA.


Yeah, as @Caramia says, that is probably too high for the ECR head.

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## Glytch (25/7/16)

Has anyone tried to drill two other holes on either side of the ECR?


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## Andre (25/7/16)

Glytch said:


> Has anyone tried to drill two other holes on either side of the ECR?


You mean two extra holes in the ECR itself? If so, not sure how that would help, if help is required?
Or do you mean in the chamber of the tank, above the horizontal slits? If so, I think that would flood the coil and lead to leaking.


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## Glytch (25/7/16)

Andre said:


> You mean two extra holes in the ECR itself? If so, not sure how that would help, if help is required?
> Or do you mean in the chamber of the tank, above the horizontal slits? If so, I think that would flood the coil and lead to leaking.



In the ECR itself. Just noticed it only has two holes as opposed to the stock coils which have 4. Just a thought.


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## Andre (25/7/16)

Glytch said:


> In the ECR itself. Just noticed it only has two holes as opposed to the stock coils which have 4. Just a thought.


Oh, I see. That could work if you could get wicking material to cover it. Maybe a vertical coil if possible.


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## Ryan__Sexton (27/7/16)

Andre said:


> Yeah, as @Caramia says, that is probably too high for the ECR head.





Glytch said:


> In the ECR itself. Just noticed it only has two holes as opposed to the stock coils which have 4. Just a thought.


Yeah I was contemplating drilling additional holes at one point. But yeah like @Andre says you would have to build horizontally. It will just flood.


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## Zak1 (20/9/16)

Hi There, I'm a noob here.
I also tried the ECR but the seal ring is a prob.
I found the IDEAL head for my Pico Melo 3; got it from the Vapery... It's called ANYVAPE RDA Coil.
Much better build-able deck with two screws very good airflow and flavor.

Reactions: Winner 2 | Thanks 1


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## Andre (20/9/16)

Zak1 said:


> Hi There, I'm a noob here.
> I also tried the ECR but the seal ring is a prob.
> I found the IDEAL head for my Pico Melo 3; got it from the Vapery... It's called ANYVAPE RDA Coil.
> Much better build-able deck with two screws very good airflow and flavor.
> View attachment 68436


Most welcome to the forum @Zak1. Thank you so much for sharing this information. That looks perfect. 
If you feel like it, please introduce yourself at the end of this thread: http://www.ecigssa.co.za/introduce-yourselves.t24/

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## Zak1 (20/9/16)

Thanks Andre, will do.

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## Glytch (20/9/16)

Zak1 said:


> Hi There, I'm a noob here.
> I also tried the ECR but the seal ring is a prob.
> I found the IDEAL head for my Pico Melo 3; got it from the Vapery... It's called ANYVAPE RDA Coil.
> Much better build-able deck with two screws very good airflow and flavor.
> View attachment 68436


Wow. That looks amazing. Does it wick through the holes on the side or through the juice channels at the bottom?


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## SAVaper (20/9/16)

Zak1 said:


> Hi There, I'm a noob here.
> I also tried the ECR but the seal ring is a prob.
> I found the IDEAL head for my Pico Melo 3; got it from the Vapery... It's called ANYVAPE RDA Coil.
> Much better build-able deck with two screws very good airflow and flavor.
> View attachment 68436



Very nice. Thanks


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## Zak1 (20/9/16)

Hi Glytch, It wicks through the holes on the side... but when it is screwed into the tank these holes are at the bottom of the tank.
There are quite a few you-tubes on this build.
The secret is do not wick the holes too tight... this is a case of less is more...
The deck and screws are quite small but it just taught me more patience and once you get the sweet-spot this is really a nice vape.
Check this rebuild on youtube here ... Its in German but this guy is typically German brilliant.

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## Zak1 (21/9/16)

hey Guys, here is another rebuildable coil for the PICO

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