Struggling with berserker MTL

[Anthony_d]

Hi,

I'm relatively new to vaping (under 6 months) and having some issues with building. Cold turkey from analogs after 16 years! And havent touched an analog since!

I started vaping with a Vaporesso Veco with the EUC coils (ss316 ceramic) and Aspire Cleito so these are my standards as far as flavour goes... I wanted to start building because of the poor consistency of factory coils.

Recently bought 'The troll rta' and cant get it to work for flavour... Clouds for days but muted flavour, but i dont mind because its not my style of vaping, so its sitting out...

Bought the ammit 25 next and this i prefer alot more, flavour is a little less than my Veco tank, but its ok! Havent tried many differtent builds on this yet, but planning on doing so in the future!


Now i bought the VandyVape Berserker and i really like the drawstyle and the way it is a more stealthier way of vaping. But i can not get flavour out of it. I can barely taste what juice is in it... Its like cardboard
I make my own juice, mostly fruity mixes with some sweetener 50/50.
There is 0% sweet of taste in the berserker atm.

Have gone through so many builds...
28ga kanthal a1 twisted, spaced or contact.
28ga plain micro, spaced or contact
Provided coils
Higher, lower, 2mm id, 2,5mm id, 3mm id, wicked loose, wicked firm, 2 different wick brands, fluffed, not fluffed.
Build varying from ,3ohms to 1,5ohm going from 40 watts to 5watts...
Shorty mode, long chimney.

Am i expecting too much from this 'mtl with amazing flavour' tank? Or am i spoiled with the EUC ceramics?

 

[lucifah]

I haven't got the Berserker, but 4 other MTL tanks which I use frequently: Siren 2, Merlin MTL, Skyline, Doggystyle. Except for the Doggy with its tiny build deck, this works for me every single time (but took me some time to get it right as well):
KA A1 28GA, 2.5mm ID, 5/6 wraps, contact or spaced doesn't really matter, coming out to about 1 Ohm or slightly above. Wicks tight, in the coil, but not too tight (yeah I know, this is vague, takes a lot of trial & error). And make sure to have enough wick (but not too much) in the wicking holes/gaps, otherwise it'll spit, flood, gurgle.

What I didn't do initially was prime the wick properly (too little juice), so I always ended up with dry-ish muted taste for a number of toots. So make sure it's all nicely soaked with juice before you screw the chimney down. Also, get the coil close to the air inlet, about 1-2mm away from it.
Wattage wise, I run those builds somewhere between 14 and 18W, depending on the juice and resistance.

Again, this works for me on those 4 RTAs. Your mileage may vary. But it's maybe a starting point (I didn't invent this; followed other people's suggestions). Try to make a similar build work and don't introduce too many variables (wire types, resistance, different wicks etc). It's hard to narrow down the problem when you change too many things at the same time.

The Siren 2 is supposedly on par with the Berserker (if reviewers are to be believed). I'm getting fantastic flavour. But it took some practice to get there, and some more gray hair in the process.

Hopefully somebody with a Berserker can give more specific advice for that RTA.

 

[Neunerball]

My personal favorite is the Serpent Mini 25mm as a flavor RTA. The Merlin RTA is definitely an excellent MTL tank. I own two myself, but they aren't as good to me, due to prefering DL hits.

@Anthony_d ... Have you tried Claptons, fused Claptons, or Alien coils? BTW, welcome to VU!

 

[Anthony_d]

Thank you for the replies!

Lucifah, i will give that a try tonight.

Neunerball, afaik the provided ones are claptons and they did not really shine... But will give it another go


Its unreal how many boxes should be checked and all the stars and moon should align in order to get some of these to work lol...

 

[lucifah]

Its unreal how many boxes should be checked and all the stars and moon should align in order to get some of these to work lol...

Yeah, can be frustrating at times. Takes time to find a build and technique that works best for you. But it'll be worth it!

 

[Anthony_d]

Tried a 28ga kanthal microcoil 6 wraps ID 2,5mm about 2mm from the airhole. Ohms out at 0,675 and vaped between 12 and 25 watts, wicks great because it does not taste burnt when chainvaping. Flavour is stil extremely muted with a subtle hint of cows ass in it

Its a great vape, but just very dull in flavour...

Could it be my juice? I make my juice so it works best in my sub ohm tank, it has quite a bit of distilled water in it, because i like a wetter vape and it keeps the coils cleaner for longer...

Edit; Trying a liquid i had laying around, Beard n°64. I remember this one being quite strong in flavour, but its the same cardboard taste as my diy sweet cherry... I cant even tell the difference :/
My Gf tried it aswell and has the same observations

 

[lucifah]

6 wraps, 2.5mm, 28ga comes out to 0.675 Ohms? It should be almost double that. Sure you don't have 26ga there? But anyway, that's not the issue, I dont think.
Have you tried a little bit less wick? Hard to tell from the picture there, but it seems quite stuffed and packed with a few dry-ish spots on the wick? The latter could just be the lighting (or my eyes), though.

 

[Anthony_d]

6 wraps, 2.5mm, 28ga comes out to 0.675 Ohms? It should be almost double that. Sure you don't have 26ga there?

You are correct, it seems i've been using 26ga all the time, really thought i had 28ga :x

I only have this wire, so its not a quick option to try 28ga, but will order. Its geekvape 26ga kanthal a1.
Should i add a wrap or 2?
Wick saturated completely, no dry spots.
How much difference is there in wick materials? I'm using giantvape cotton from gearbest atm, because it had good reviews...

 

[markcfh]

I was running the beserker for quite a while, and never had such bad, muted flavor. I was using 28g at about 1.1-1.5 ohms, 12-15w. Went through many wicks and juices. Please try different cotton. You may have got a bad batch. I pretty much only use cotton bacon 2 or muji pads. Cotton lasts a long friggin time in mtl.

 

[Anthony_d]

Bought some premium cotton in a vape shop today, and coiled it super big. Twisted 28ga,that is twisted aswell So 4 28ga wires around a 1,6mm drill bit, barely fits the deck and ohms super low, vaping at 25ish watts, and it improved over the microcoil with the new cotton... Guess il be trying some different setups during the coming weeks to find what works best, but i have a feeling it will never give me the sweet flavour my tank will...

 

[markcfh]

Try a standard coil with the new cotton. Like a 2.5 mm id 28g, 6 or 7 wrap. Spaced or contact.

 

[SkoldVape]

I use a small fused clapton in mine at 25 watts and is an amazing vape. Don't use like a 3.0id fused clapton though cos no chance it'll fit but a small micro clapton ohming out 0.5. I never found 1.0ohm builds in the berserker very satisfying but I own several MTL RTA'S that all have different builds varying from 0.5 to 1.5 ohms. It takes some experimenting with RTA'S but the veco tank gives me much better flavour than the berserker. Just my personal opinion but that is an awesome flavour tank. The cleito is a solid choice too

 

[Anthony_d]

The veco tank gives me much better flavour than the berserker. Just my personal opinion but that is an awesome flavour tank. The cleito is a solid choice too

Ok this is what i needed to hear lol. Guess i am spoiled then! I do really hate to buy 10 packs of coils and noticing alot of difference between them... Some wick great and others are packed too damn tight... Might even be the ceramic that is less porous one some...

I have a build now, 8/9 wraps 26ga with a tiny spacing. And it is the best result so far. Ohms out at 1.03 Ohm.
I can start to taste the liquids now! I found that the position of the cotton is crucial, if it touches the bottom of the TINY juicewell its worse... Its hard to see, but i kinda lift the wick a tiny bit after its seated properly and it appears to wick better then! Probable because the fluid can now acces the whole underside of the wick now.

Still no flavourchaser by any means, buts kinda working and i really like the mtl feel, good throathit even with 3mg lol
Ordered some 28ga and will try some different materials later on..

 

[SkoldVape]

Ok this is what i needed to hear lol. Guess i am spoiled then! I do really hate to buy 10 packs of coils and noticing alot of difference between them... Some wick great and others are packed too damn tight... Might even be the ceramic that is less porous one some...

I have a build now, 8/9 wraps 26ga with a tiny spacing. And it is the best result so far. Ohms out at 1.03 Ohm.
I can start to taste the liquids now! I found that the position of the cotton is crucial, if it touches the bottom of the TINY juicewell its worse... Its hard to see, but i kinda lift the wick a tiny bit after its seated properly and it appears to wick better then! Probable because the fluid can now acces the whole underside of the wick now.

Still no flavourchaser by any means, buts kinda working and i really like the mtl feel, good throathit even with 3mg lol
Ordered some 28ga and will try some different materials later on..

I like the berserker but get more flavour from sub ohm tbh but just experiment

 

[Neunerball]

...I pretty much only use cotton bacon 2 or muji pads...

+1

 

[Neunerball]

Bought some premium cotton in a vape shop today, and coiled it super big. Twisted 28ga,that is twisted aswell So 4 28ga wires around a 1,6mm drill bit, barely fits the deck and ohms super low, vaping at 25ish watts, and it improved over the microcoil with the new cotton... Guess il be trying some different setups during the coming weeks to find what works best, but i have a feeling it will never give me the sweet flavour my tank will...

As @markcfh mentioned, I'd also try a 2.5 mm coil. In addition, the distance between the air hole (under the coil) to the coil itself can have an influence as well.

 

[R.Savage]

Hi,

I'm relatively new to vaping (under 6 months) and having some issues with building. Cold turkey from analogs after 16 years! And havent touched an analog since!

I started vaping with a Vaporesso Veco with the EUC coils (ss316 ceramic) and Aspire Cleito so these are my standards as far as flavour goes... I wanted to start building because of the poor consistency of factory coils.

Recently bought 'The troll rta' and cant get it to work for flavour... Clouds for days but muted flavour, but i dont mind because its not my style of vaping, so its sitting out...

Bought the ammit 25 next and this i prefer alot more, flavour is a little less than my Veco tank, but its ok! Havent tried many differtent builds on this yet, but planning on doing so in the future!


Now i bought the VandyVape Berserker and i really like the drawstyle and the way it is a more stealthier way of vaping. But i can not get flavour out of it. I can barely taste what juice is in it... Its like cardboard
I make my own juice, mostly fruity mixes with some sweetener 50/50.
There is 0% sweet of taste in the berserker atm.

Have gone through so many builds...
28ga kanthal a1 twisted, spaced or contact.
28ga plain micro, spaced or contact
Provided coils
Higher, lower, 2mm id, 2,5mm id, 3mm id, wicked loose, wicked firm, 2 different wick brands, fluffed, not fluffed.
Build varying from ,3ohms to 1,5ohm going from 40 watts to 5watts...
Shorty mode, long chimney.

Am i expecting too much from this 'mtl with amazing flavour' tank? Or am i spoiled with the EUC ceramics?

For flavour and the Berserker. I run a 3.0 mm ID coil with 6 wraps, using 26 gauge nichrome 80. I run this at 21.3 watts to 25 watts. I run tobacco flavours using a 65 35 vg pg juice. Usually Blackwood Double Barrel or Duke in this tank. I get great flavour from this build. It is worth a try in the Berserker. Hope this helps

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

 

[SkoldVape]

For flavour and the Berserker. I run a 3.0 mm ID coil with 6 wraps, using 26 gauge nichrome 80. I run this at 21.3 watts to 25 watts. I run tobacco flavours using a 65 35 vg pg juice. Usually Blackwood Double Barrel or Duke in this tank. I get great flavour from this build. It is worth a try in the Berserker. Hope this helps

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

I find 3.0 ID coils hard to fit. I use a 2.5 ID coil

 

[PeteS]

I know this is a really old thread but in case someone else stumbles across it like I did, here's what helped for me. Like the OP I am pretty new to vaping and was making a silly mistake.

First the build. Using the coils that came with the Berserker, I placed it as low as seemed practical and I found wicking it pretty tightly worked best. (I sat down one afternoon and wicked it a few times going loose to tight.) That coil was reading something like .76. When I first installed the cotton I had to let the juice really soak into it for a while since it was so tight. That helped some.

But the silliest thing I was doing wrong was... drawing on it wrong. I had started with pod systems that seemed to work best with a long, gentle draw. From there, like the OP, I went to a Veco tank which is DTL. When I started using the Berserker I was drawing on it like it was a pod system, a slow gentle draw. What that mostly accomplished was giving the drip tip time to get hot enough to burn my lips unless I kept the wattage WAY down... down too low to get flavor from the juice.

My 'eureka' moment was when for some reason (maybe frustration!?) I took a stronger, shorter hit. Doing that, I could bump the wattage up to 22-23W without burning my mouth, and the flavor intensified at the same time. For me at least, this was the biggest improvement in flavor...simply drawing on the vape differently.

I am still a complete neophyte so maybe I'm just crazy. Or maybe this is just one of those situations where the issue is SO basic that most of the folks giving the OP advice never even thought to mention it. If so, maybe this will help the next newbie who comes along.

 

[dirtyred]

I just bought this tank and had the same flavour issues. Switched from Vaporesso Estoc because of coil quality consistency. I did a few clapton and fused clapton builds on 2.5mm and 3mm core, between 0.6-0.8Ω but I couldn't taste much. I started upping the concentrations of my flavours until the point where it started to taste bitter. I stopped at 12% concentration with FlavourArt flavours, which is pretty damn high. Tried different recipes as well. No luck.

I did a 26G Kanthal build on a 2.5mm core, 7 wraps, resulting 0.85Ω. I've put a big less cotton that I've cut at the edge of the deck and gently tucked it in the juicewell. I've also remade my juice to 6% and it's a completely different experience. I can taste the juice once again. Not as strong as with the ceramic EUC coils but it's a start. I'll redo my juice with 7% and maybe a bit shorter cotton.

 

[AndriaD]

Hi,

I'm relatively new to vaping (under 6 months) and having some issues with building. Cold turkey from analogs after 16 years! And havent touched an analog since!

I started vaping with a Vaporesso Veco with the EUC coils (ss316 ceramic) and Aspire Cleito so these are my standards as far as flavour goes... I wanted to start building because of the poor consistency of factory coils.

Recently bought 'The troll rta' and cant get it to work for flavour... Clouds for days but muted flavour, but i dont mind because its not my style of vaping, so its sitting out...

Bought the ammit 25 next and this i prefer alot more, flavour is a little less than my Veco tank, but its ok! Havent tried many differtent builds on this yet, but planning on doing so in the future!


Now i bought the VandyVape Berserker and i really like the drawstyle and the way it is a more stealthier way of vaping. But i can not get flavour out of it. I can barely taste what juice is in it... Its like cardboard
I make my own juice, mostly fruity mixes with some sweetener 50/50.
There is 0% sweet of taste in the berserker atm.

Have gone through so many builds...
28ga kanthal a1 twisted, spaced or contact.
28ga plain micro, spaced or contact
Provided coils
Higher, lower, 2mm id, 2,5mm id, 3mm id, wicked loose, wicked firm, 2 different wick brands, fluffed, not fluffed.
Build varying from ,3ohms to 1,5ohm going from 40 watts to 5watts...
Shorty mode, long chimney.

Am i expecting too much from this 'mtl with amazing flavour' tank? Or am i spoiled with the EUC ceramics?

I had the same issue with the Berserker, and also LEAKING! I think there might be a newer version of the Berserker, v1.5 or v2, not sure exactly, but it's supposed to be an improvement -- which tells you right there, even the maker knows it has limitations! I love the tight draw too, and if it didn't leak so damn much, I'd go back to making my juice at 30% flavoring... but LEAKING is the MOST IMPORTANT thing for an atty not to do!

Andria