Hello all
Witnessing the absolute flood of new gear over the last year or so, it's obvious that the industry is in the midst of both a boom and a learning curve. But while the devices have improved in leaps and bounds and are almost unrecognisably more efficient and effective than what was available five years ago, it's also apparent to me that the industry and its products will still improve dramatically. To draw a computing analogy, I think that the next-gen vapers will look back on today's gear with the same slightly bemused nostalgia that PC users now look back on tape drives, floppy disks and dir DOS commands.
The one aspect of vape device design that really interests me is the refilling aspect. Designers have already implemented a range of mechanisms, most of which strike me as short-term solutions. As refilling is the single most regular routine with tanks, I want it to be as smooth, easy, convenient and idiot-proof as possible. The refilling mechanism of each tank is one of the most important features that I assess in considering whether to buy or not. In reverse order of preference, these are some of the mechanisms offered:
1) Bottom fill screw such as on the Goblin Mini V1. No, Youde, that is not going to work. Thankfully corrected now with top fill on the V2.
2) Bottom fill in general, inverting the tank, unscrewing the base, refilling and then reattaching tank to base. For a daily routine, this strikes me as being very clumsy. It has fallen out of favour quickly, and rightly so.
3) Top fill in general, unscrewing the top portion of the tank, filling through slots, reattaching the top portion of the tank. Better than bottom fill, for sure, but is having to unscrew the top of the tank every single day an ideal solution?
4) Top cup fill as per the Joyetech Cubis and Eleaf Lyche tanks, where the entire coil and chimney assembly slides out, leaving just a glass cup to fill. Really easy as it doesn't even require a nozzle or dropper, you can just pour juice in direct from the bottle. Plus it seems relatively leak-proof. But, again, unscrewing...
5) Hinged solutions like the swivel cap on the Smok or the little sliding flap on the Avocado 24. Neat and ingenious but I have to wonder at the longevity of such a mechanism. I have read many tales of woe from Smok users of the swivel cap opening in their pocket...
6) Side fill via a sliding or lifting ring on the top portion of tank, as per the Eleaf Melo 2 (sliding ring) or the OBS tanks (lifting ring). Now we're talking. The ease of refilling was a major factor in me choosing the iStick 60W and Melo 2 combo for my first starter kit. It's not perfect, I usually get a tiny bit of juice running down the outside of the tank after filling. But compared to having to take the tank apart to fill, I'll live with it.
7) Top fill slots next to the drip tip like the Zephyrus V2. This looks really simple and easy for me, although there may be issues with the drip tip getting in the way of your nozzle or dropper.
So where would I like to see refilling in a few years? For me, it's obvious - through the drip tip itself. I would like to see a design where twisting the drip tip through 90 degrees shuts off the chimney. Pouring juice through the drip tip would see it diverted into the tank. Then twist the drip tip 90 degrees in the reverse direction and it seals the tank while opening the chimney again. I have no idea how it could be effected but that would be my perfect refilling solution. Although I'm not an engineer so there is a high degree of probability that I'm talking bollocks.
What is your favourite refilling mechanism currently, and how would you like to see refilling improved in the future?
Witnessing the absolute flood of new gear over the last year or so, it's obvious that the industry is in the midst of both a boom and a learning curve. But while the devices have improved in leaps and bounds and are almost unrecognisably more efficient and effective than what was available five years ago, it's also apparent to me that the industry and its products will still improve dramatically. To draw a computing analogy, I think that the next-gen vapers will look back on today's gear with the same slightly bemused nostalgia that PC users now look back on tape drives, floppy disks and dir DOS commands.
The one aspect of vape device design that really interests me is the refilling aspect. Designers have already implemented a range of mechanisms, most of which strike me as short-term solutions. As refilling is the single most regular routine with tanks, I want it to be as smooth, easy, convenient and idiot-proof as possible. The refilling mechanism of each tank is one of the most important features that I assess in considering whether to buy or not. In reverse order of preference, these are some of the mechanisms offered:
1) Bottom fill screw such as on the Goblin Mini V1. No, Youde, that is not going to work. Thankfully corrected now with top fill on the V2.
2) Bottom fill in general, inverting the tank, unscrewing the base, refilling and then reattaching tank to base. For a daily routine, this strikes me as being very clumsy. It has fallen out of favour quickly, and rightly so.
3) Top fill in general, unscrewing the top portion of the tank, filling through slots, reattaching the top portion of the tank. Better than bottom fill, for sure, but is having to unscrew the top of the tank every single day an ideal solution?
4) Top cup fill as per the Joyetech Cubis and Eleaf Lyche tanks, where the entire coil and chimney assembly slides out, leaving just a glass cup to fill. Really easy as it doesn't even require a nozzle or dropper, you can just pour juice in direct from the bottle. Plus it seems relatively leak-proof. But, again, unscrewing...
5) Hinged solutions like the swivel cap on the Smok or the little sliding flap on the Avocado 24. Neat and ingenious but I have to wonder at the longevity of such a mechanism. I have read many tales of woe from Smok users of the swivel cap opening in their pocket...
6) Side fill via a sliding or lifting ring on the top portion of tank, as per the Eleaf Melo 2 (sliding ring) or the OBS tanks (lifting ring). Now we're talking. The ease of refilling was a major factor in me choosing the iStick 60W and Melo 2 combo for my first starter kit. It's not perfect, I usually get a tiny bit of juice running down the outside of the tank after filling. But compared to having to take the tank apart to fill, I'll live with it.
7) Top fill slots next to the drip tip like the Zephyrus V2. This looks really simple and easy for me, although there may be issues with the drip tip getting in the way of your nozzle or dropper.
So where would I like to see refilling in a few years? For me, it's obvious - through the drip tip itself. I would like to see a design where twisting the drip tip through 90 degrees shuts off the chimney. Pouring juice through the drip tip would see it diverted into the tank. Then twist the drip tip 90 degrees in the reverse direction and it seals the tank while opening the chimney again. I have no idea how it could be effected but that would be my perfect refilling solution. Although I'm not an engineer so there is a high degree of probability that I'm talking bollocks.
What is your favourite refilling mechanism currently, and how would you like to see refilling improved in the future?
Do I miss top filling my Kayfun? Not one bit! I run a series of Billow v2 RTA's which are bottom fill tanks by means of unscrewing the tank from the base and squirting liquid into the upturned tank through fairly generously sized slots, this works just fine for me. I did like the idea of the slide open side fill on the Crius and the swivel top on the TFV4 but with those two methods I would always have some amount of juice left on the tank that needed to be cleaned up after filling which annoys me far more than just unscrewing a thing. 
