HH.357...Who Here Has Used One?

[Rixter]

In light of my recent raves about my new HH.357 atomizer, I thought this might be a good time to find out who else here at Vapor Talk has had any experience with one, and what your thoughts are on them.

Personally, I feel that the HH.357 is the benchmark that all other drip atties should be measured by. It provides V/T/F unsurpassed (not even close) by any others I've tried, and has been touted as the best you can get. I haven't had mine long enough to speak about longevity, but I've read many reviews that claim months (some say 6 or more) of usage without a drop in performance.

I'll always be in search of something better of course, but so far, the HH.357 gets a perfect 10 out of 10 by me...what say you?

My HH.357's coil after a week of regular use.

[IMEDICx90]

mmmm micro coils..... sexy!!!!!

[Bebop]

Wow. Looks pristine. Do you clean it? And if so, how often and how so?

[Rixter]

Wow. Looks pristine. Do you clean it? And if so, how often and how so?

Never cleaned or dry burned (dry burning is a no-no with these). It had roughly 5 ml. of juice run through it when the pic was taken.

[Tam]

You've already sold me on these, Rixter. You don't need to do this.

[IMEDICx90]

he is trying to lure me in! im staying strong though!!!!! for now.....

[Tam]

he is trying to lure me in! im staying strong though!!!!! for now.....

Give it up, Medic. He's going to wear you down and will win in the end. Might as well just go order it and save yourself the heartache.

[IMEDICx90]

i want to see vapor production before i buy one! and i want a vid of rixters! lol. Im gonna be picky!

[Tam]

Im gonna be picky!

Good luck with that. You're gonna wind up with one anyway. Mark my words...

[Rixter]

i want to see vapor production before i buy one! and i want a vid of rixters! lol. Im gonna be picky!

In case you missed this one:

A still from the video

'Nuff said.

Edited August 3, 2013 by Rixter

[Tam]

Oh my gosh! I just got a shipping notification. Only two more days before it gets here. I'm so excited.

[rprata]

The guy that sold me all my starter gear keeps telling me I have to get one of these. I didn't realize PBusardo had reviewed it ... wow, ordering one now!

[pdoan2006]

I will definitely get one or two, but I will have to wait until the end of the month or next month. Start the count down.

[Tam]

Okay, it finally got here today. Mine is the HH.357 Cisco Spec Hybrid, 2.0 ohm, matte black, standard sized atomizer. I read the directions, blew out the primer, dabbed a little inside (very gently) to get the rest of it out, added 5 drops of juice and took an unpowered draw. Gurgled a little like it's supposed to, added a couple more drops and vaped.

No flavor.

But I expected this because of the lingering primer. Kept vaping in short-ish draws, added more juice, vaped some more, added more juice, vaped some more, all the while waiting in eager anticipation for the flavor to come though and blow me away.

It didn't.

I kept at it as I'd read that it takes some time for the break in period to finally come through. Gotta admit that I vaped myself silly and killed a battery doing it. Changed to a fully, freshly charged battery and kept trying. I finally had to put it down as I got too much nicotine in my system.

After dinner I tried it again for about 20 minutes and BAM! I got a clue.

Turn up the voltage, dummy. I'd set my battery at 3.8 volts as I didn't want to risk blowing the coil right off the bat. Turned up the voltage to 4.0 and...a little something. Turned it up some more to 4.3 and...WOW. Full freakin' flavor! For several months I've been stuck on EC Blend's Feels like a Nut (tastes just like an Almond Joy candy bar), and it had gotten to the point where the flavor was pretty muted even with direct dripping. With the HH.357 it's like the first time I tasted this juice. I am beyond impressed. I'm taking shorter draws than I usually do because the flavor coming through is so intense. And holy clouds of vapor, Batman! The draw is very light, almost like a Kangor Pro Tank but just a touch tighter. And did I mention the FLAVOR???

Avid Vaper just got an order for two more of these from me.

Thanks, Rixter, for another most excellent recommendation. I can't believe I waited this long...

[Rixter]

... I'd set my battery at 3.8 volts as I didn't want to risk blowing the coil right off the bat. Turned up the voltage to 4.0 and...a little something. Turned it up some more to 4.3 and...WOW. Full freakin' flavor! For several months I've been stuck on EC Blend's Feels like a Nut (tastes just like an Almond Joy candy bar), and it had gotten to the point where the flavor was pretty muted even with direct dripping. With the HH.357 it's like the first time I tasted this juice. I am beyond impressed. I'm taking shorter draws than I usually do because the flavor coming through is so intense. And holy clouds of vapor, Batman! The draw is very light, almost like a Kangor Pro Tank but just a touch tighter. And did I mention the FLAVOR???

Avid Vaper just got an order for two more of these from me.

Thanks, Rixter, for another most excellent recommendation. I can't believe I waited this long...

Each juice has it's own "sweet spot"...some blends just don't shine at lower power levels.

Glad you like it, Tam.

[Tam]

Each juice has it's own "sweet spot"...some blends just don't shine at lower power levels.

Glad you like it, Tam.

According to the vid on the site they say that a 2.0 ohm coil does best at a recommended 4.3 - 4.8 volts, which surprised me because that sounds so high. But with these being wound so tight I guess they can easily take the extra voltages. Thanks again for the rec!

[Rixter]

I started having a little trouble with my HH.357's resistance level dropping, so I sent it back for them to check it out. Let me be clear that its performance remained outstanding.

The following conversation is from my AvidVaper Help Desk and knowledge base ticket:

Rixter:

I just received my HH.357 Long Barrel Hybrid 510 Atomizer three days ago, and it is the best performing atty I've ever used. The only thing that concerns me is that the resistance level has slowly dropped from 2Ω to 1.7Ω, and I'm just wondering if that's normal with the HH.357. I'm using an 80PG/20VG blend, and my juices are relatively clear.

Rixter:

I've been using it on a Sigelei Zmax set at 8 watts.

Rixter:

Resistance is still dropping. It's now dropped from 2Ω to 1.5Ω after only four days of use. I figure I've dripped less than 3 ml. through it so far.

Hanna Hadawar:

Hey Rick, that doesnt sound good...what liquid are you using? is it dark or sweet? any dry burning for cleaning or accidental?

Rixter:

I've been mostly using EC Blends' Chocolate Malt, which is sort of sweet but not too dark. I have not dry burned the atty or cleaned it in any way. As I said before, I've only had it for a few days and followed all instructions on the product page to the letter.

It performs remarkably well, and except for the drop in resistance, I've had no problems with it at all. I have used it exclusively on my Sigelei Zmax set to 8 watts, so the device has been adjusting its voltage to compensate for the lower resistance, but at 1.5Ω, I hesitate to use it on any of my other regulated devices.

I've attached a close-up of the coil so you can see the condition of it, and also a pic of the juice I'm using in it.

Hanna Hadawar:

Oh yeah wow coils look great actually. thanks for sending the pics it always helps. If you would like you can send the atty to my address below and i can take a look at what is going on and get it repaired or replaced for you.

Rixter:

It's still dropping (now at 1.3Ω), so I'll send it back this weekend.

Rixter:

Hi Hanna.

I mailed my HH.357 to you on 8/3/13, and USPS tracking confirms delivery on 8/6/13.

I was just wondering if you've had a chance to check it out yet and figure out what's going on with the resistance drop.

I'm not rushing you, but it's such a great atty that I do find myself missing it.

Hanna Hadawar:

Hey Rick, I do have it and I will be able to give you an update a little later this evening if that is ok with you. I will probably be able to ship something back to you tomorrow.

Rixter:

Thanks Hanna.

Hanna Hadawar:

Rick, took the atty apart, coil looked good but wick was fused solid and coil wouldnt budge. A few of the windings of wire were fused together and shorting, dropping resistance. I was able to break them free and the resistance is up to 2.1 ohm. This issue is often seen with accidental fire, prolonged dry burning or not enough liquid when vaping OR anything that would cause it to run hotter than normal repeatedly. You have said you didnt dry burn so that one is out so maybe a little more liquid is needed? It can be caused by deposits on the coil but your coil was pretty clean.

I am going to rebuild this for you and send it out, just $5 for shipping, is that ok with you?

Rixter:

Glad you are able to repair it, and the shipping charge will be fine. Just let me know how to proceed with payment.

I gotta tell you, at around $25 shipped for one atomizer, I was extremely careful not to dry burn or abuse it in any way...in fact, I babied it. The instant I didn't detect the slight gurgle of e-liquid, I added a few more drops. I also kept the power at 8 watts because that's all it took to get great taste and vapor production. I'm pretty baffled by this.

Hanna Hadawar:

It might not be anything you did at all, might just be the malty flavoring, I have seen a lot of liquids and with that i have seen some strange things. Everything from melting wire and plastic to conductive liquid and conductive when heated?? I cant explain it unfortunately, the HH has the same materials as any other atty but goes through liquid very quickly so if there is an issue it tends to present itself faster on the HH.

Some people have chosen not to use the hh with certain liquids, others just decide that the flavor of the liquid is better than the added performance of the HH and cant justify the added price and I completely understand.

That's all I have for now, but I thought everyone should be reminded that the HH.357 should never be run dry or over-heated.

Edited August 13, 2013 by Rixter

[Uma]

Aren't they great!!

One one way to baby your atty is to make sure it has eliquid in it before you test the ohms. The mods have to turn the atty on to get a reading.. which is a dry burn if the atty is dry or dry-ish.

The long barrel is the one I have, Rix! I hate spitting hot eLiquid, and the long barrel assures I don't get smacked in the lips with a hot spittle. Love Hanah, he's a genius.

and no, I still haven't used mine until I pony up and get a spare on hand lol.

[Tam]

Good to know they have such great customer service for the price of these attys. And the keeping it wet part is no problem for me. I'm a terrible dripper and consistently over-drip anyway. This atty was made for me!

[wizard46304]

These are on my list of must try!

[DAYVAPE]

YES... they certainly DO kick arse!

[WillBlack]

Seems these 'hybrid' atties have gone through quite a few revisions. The hybrid term meant using a 306 cup in the larger diameter 510 tube.

For a while Hanna had a guide on how to make them.

I had posted a pic of Avid's Aero and Rixter commented it didn't look like the HH 357.

Here is a side by side view of the HH 357 vs. the Aero from 7-2012.

Except for the 2 holes in the SS wrap (HH is on the left), the machine made Aero was pretty much identical. It would appear that Hanna now spaces his wraps out a bit. Avid no longer posts pics of the Aero so it's hard to know if he has made similar changes.

Compared to the original standard/stock atties we see the use of a thicker gauge wire. Cisco implemented this long before the Genesis folks did. The original atties also had just a small tuft of wick that was inside the cup only. We now see it hangs over and into the SS mesh, which can now act as a juice reservoir. It looks like they could now be punched/slotted and shoved into a carto tank.

Edited August 15, 2013 by WillBlack

[Rattlehead]

I ordered one last week.. Should be here by Thursday so I'll post my thoughts.

[Tam]

I ordered one last week.. Should be here by Thursday so I'll post my thoughts.

Make sure to follow the directions on how to break it in properly.

[DAYVAPE]

I have had a couple HH atties... and while I do agree that they are probably the best atty out there right now... the $25 price tag is just hard for me to swallow. I also use the 1.5 ohm Empire atty on a daily basis... and at $6 a piece they really are a great performing atty. Granted... it's no HH 357... but it's hard for me to say that the HH is worth the extra $20 a pop. I still get great flavor and longevity out of the Empire atty's as well. And since an attty just simply won't last forever... I find myself using the cheaper ones more often. I have actually used my HH attys for so long that there isn't anything that will work to 'clean' that coil anymore. It's just been used too long for that. Don't get me wrong... I still agree that the HH is superior to all others. I just wish the price was a tad lower so I could justify using one all the time. (I drip on a daily basis... all day/every day).