Last night I received a Sense Herakles Hydra tank I recently ordered from Vape NW for $19.99, along with some other goodies, including a $14.95 5-pack of 1.8 ohm coil heads for the Hydra. Shipping was $5. It came in a day earlier than expected, along with a separate shipment of new 6mg nic juice, so I was excited. I love vape mail. The tank looks really nice. I got the one with 2 black metal accent rings. The Hydra is also available with red accent rings, or in unaccented stainless steel (which looks pretty classy). I ordered this tank specifically because I've read many people recommending this as a good top fill mouth-to-lung tank when using the 1.8 ohm coils. The tank also ships with one 0.2 ohm nickel TC coil. Both coils are BVC heads. I used an IPV D2 (in power mode) and iStick 30W for testing.
The tank's top fill system is dead simple compared to some other top fill sub ohm tanks I've tried, with minimal fussing. I think the juice fill holes should be a little bigger. That's not a problem if you use a needle-nosed bottle or syringe though, so it's not a big deal. The only way to widen the fill holes would be to widen the tank itself a millimeter or two, and that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing - as the Hydra only holds 2ml of juice, which is not much for a sub ohm tank - but fine for MTL vaping. The tank is small and potentially stealthy. It would look great in all black, but no such option is available. Another website does list such an option, but the picture and description they show is simply incorrect. The Hydra is very similar in size to a Nautilus Mini, though a bit shorter with the stock drip tip, but also a bit heavier - though still very light. I tried 3 different 510 drip tips, including the wide bore stainless steel delrin one that came with the tank. All the drip tips I used fit tight without any wobble issues. The drip tip that came with the tank is way too wide bore for MTL vaping, but I guess it is a nice tip of its type for direct lung hits.
6mg nic juice was the lowest nicotine level juice I had to use in this tank. Even at lower wattage settings I think that was a bit too much throat hit for the Hydra. At lower wattage settings flavor was still actually not bad - though a bit sharply one note without much complexity, and vapor production was okay - but nothing spectacular. When using narrower drip tips with the lowest airflow setting, I found the draw on the Hydra to still be too loose for a decent feeling mouth-to-lung hit. Blocking one of the air intake holes with a finger helped, but I can't see doing that regularly, and the tank quickly gets too hot for that to be comfortable for long anyway. With airflow reduced to the lowest setting, at just 15 watts, the vapor already quickly gets fairly warm - and then flat out hot when chain vaping. Despite that, the coil kept up easily with no dry hit issues - even when the tank was very low on juice. The Hydra's 1.8 ohm coil is rated as a 15-50 watt coil - which is pretty astounding compared to any other higher ohm rated coil head I'm aware of.
I had no leak issues whatsoever with the tank, but after refilling the tank I would sometimes get a slightly flooded head that would vape away fairly quickly without any unnecessary extra fiddling. No juice ever came out through the air intake holes or the floating 510 connection - even after blowing air through the drip tip back into the tank. This tank's 1.8 ohm coil heads handle high VG juices without any issues. I used 30/70 and 20/80 PG/VG juices without any dilution, and a slightly distilled water diluted 30/70 PG/VG juice I normally use in my Nautilus Mini. All these juices wicked perfectly through a fairly wide wattage and airflow settings range.
On wider open air intake settings, using a wider bore drip tip, at higher wattages, vapor production gradually increases, and flavor becomes more refined, but flavor then also becomes more muted somehow, losing some of its pop - until you increase the wattage even more. The vape is still warm, and the tank still gets hot, but not as quickly. For mouth-to-lung hits, the vapor, throat hit and warmth just became too much for me to be enjoyable at all by about 25 watts, so I did not go any higher. I also started getting much dryer vapor at about that wattage, which I did not really like - though the coil still wasn't dry hitting at all (that I could tell), even though I was still just taking MTL hits.
I honestly wouldn't even know how to take a proper direct lung hit - even if I was forced to at gunpoint. My lungs and larynx just fail to cooperate when I try, or I end up choking like a teenager trying their first cigarette. A much lower nicotine level juice would probably help with that, some, so keep that in mind if trying out this tank (or any other sub ohm tank) for the first time. About 1.5 to 3mg nic juice is the highest nicotine level I would normally want to use in any tank like this. That being said, using 6mg nic juice in this thing didn't kill me either, so no big deal. I can see a few folks that really like their throat hit being totally cool with using 6mg nic juice in this baby!
I don't see what people enjoy about doing the direct lung hit thing, regardless of the amount of nicotine they are using - other than the fairly massive clouds that are produced. It just isn't pleasant to me, but to each their own. It is probably a very different experience when building and wicking your own custom coils on a re-buildable dripper. Direct lung hit sub ohm vaping is apparently very popular with some folks (which I'm sure you've all noticed by now), and this small tank can deliver that type of experience in spades - if that is your thing. Clearly though, it is definitely not my sort of thing - or that of many other more run-of-the-mill MTL vapers.
In conclusion, the Sense Herakles Hydra is a nicely made, easy to use, great looking, small and lightweight sub ohm tank that is completely inappropriate for mouth-to-lung vaping in any way, shape or form - unless you are some kind of masochist. Its tightest draw, even with a narrow bore Kayfun drip tip on it, is still not even remotely "tight". But even if you do that, with the reduced airflow everything becomes way too warm anyway, so the whole exercise becomes increasingly pointless and futile - like a cat chasing its own tail (though at least that is funny to watch). The Nautilus Mini, as imperfect a clearomizer as it is, is still a much nicer device to mouth-to-lung hit on than any sub ohm tank with higher ohm coils I've tried (3 so far - including the Hydra).
As they are cheap, despite their own set of imperfections, I think I will try the 1.5 ohm dual-coil eLeaf GS Air M or MS tanks next, and also the new 1.8 ohm Clapton coils for the Nautilus and Triton Mini in the Nautilus Minis I already have. The Innokin iSub Apex with 2 ohm coils sounded potentially interesting as a sub ohm tank you can MTL vape on. However, those recommending it for MTL use all seem to be direct lung hit types - who have maybe completely forgotten how a pleasant and satisfying mouth-to-lung hit is supposed to feel? So I think I will take a pass on trying that tank - at least until I see more positive reviews from vapers who are actual, regular MTL vapers that know what they are talking about.
MTL topper development has definitely taken a back seat to direct lung hit sub ohm vaping. Despite the claims of some, I don't really see that changing - at least not yet. Tank makers out there appear to be trying, but regardless of how high an ohm rated coil you make to stick in it, and regardless of how tight you supposedly make the draw - a sub ohm tank just doesn't work for MTL vaping. A good sub ohm tank is just too airy in general to do a really good job of pulling off both types of vaping in one device. So if you want a good MTL vape, get an MTL specific clearomizer or tank - not a device that is trying to be a jack of all trades. That just doesn't work. Eventually we will get good, quick and easy top fill/coil replacement, high juice capacity clearmizer tanks that can handle high VG juices well (for those of us that are PG intolerant), but it looks like it will take awhile.
The tank's top fill system is dead simple compared to some other top fill sub ohm tanks I've tried, with minimal fussing. I think the juice fill holes should be a little bigger. That's not a problem if you use a needle-nosed bottle or syringe though, so it's not a big deal. The only way to widen the fill holes would be to widen the tank itself a millimeter or two, and that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing - as the Hydra only holds 2ml of juice, which is not much for a sub ohm tank - but fine for MTL vaping. The tank is small and potentially stealthy. It would look great in all black, but no such option is available. Another website does list such an option, but the picture and description they show is simply incorrect. The Hydra is very similar in size to a Nautilus Mini, though a bit shorter with the stock drip tip, but also a bit heavier - though still very light. I tried 3 different 510 drip tips, including the wide bore stainless steel delrin one that came with the tank. All the drip tips I used fit tight without any wobble issues. The drip tip that came with the tank is way too wide bore for MTL vaping, but I guess it is a nice tip of its type for direct lung hits.
6mg nic juice was the lowest nicotine level juice I had to use in this tank. Even at lower wattage settings I think that was a bit too much throat hit for the Hydra. At lower wattage settings flavor was still actually not bad - though a bit sharply one note without much complexity, and vapor production was okay - but nothing spectacular. When using narrower drip tips with the lowest airflow setting, I found the draw on the Hydra to still be too loose for a decent feeling mouth-to-lung hit. Blocking one of the air intake holes with a finger helped, but I can't see doing that regularly, and the tank quickly gets too hot for that to be comfortable for long anyway. With airflow reduced to the lowest setting, at just 15 watts, the vapor already quickly gets fairly warm - and then flat out hot when chain vaping. Despite that, the coil kept up easily with no dry hit issues - even when the tank was very low on juice. The Hydra's 1.8 ohm coil is rated as a 15-50 watt coil - which is pretty astounding compared to any other higher ohm rated coil head I'm aware of.
I had no leak issues whatsoever with the tank, but after refilling the tank I would sometimes get a slightly flooded head that would vape away fairly quickly without any unnecessary extra fiddling. No juice ever came out through the air intake holes or the floating 510 connection - even after blowing air through the drip tip back into the tank. This tank's 1.8 ohm coil heads handle high VG juices without any issues. I used 30/70 and 20/80 PG/VG juices without any dilution, and a slightly distilled water diluted 30/70 PG/VG juice I normally use in my Nautilus Mini. All these juices wicked perfectly through a fairly wide wattage and airflow settings range.
On wider open air intake settings, using a wider bore drip tip, at higher wattages, vapor production gradually increases, and flavor becomes more refined, but flavor then also becomes more muted somehow, losing some of its pop - until you increase the wattage even more. The vape is still warm, and the tank still gets hot, but not as quickly. For mouth-to-lung hits, the vapor, throat hit and warmth just became too much for me to be enjoyable at all by about 25 watts, so I did not go any higher. I also started getting much dryer vapor at about that wattage, which I did not really like - though the coil still wasn't dry hitting at all (that I could tell), even though I was still just taking MTL hits.
I honestly wouldn't even know how to take a proper direct lung hit - even if I was forced to at gunpoint. My lungs and larynx just fail to cooperate when I try, or I end up choking like a teenager trying their first cigarette. A much lower nicotine level juice would probably help with that, some, so keep that in mind if trying out this tank (or any other sub ohm tank) for the first time. About 1.5 to 3mg nic juice is the highest nicotine level I would normally want to use in any tank like this. That being said, using 6mg nic juice in this thing didn't kill me either, so no big deal. I can see a few folks that really like their throat hit being totally cool with using 6mg nic juice in this baby!
I don't see what people enjoy about doing the direct lung hit thing, regardless of the amount of nicotine they are using - other than the fairly massive clouds that are produced. It just isn't pleasant to me, but to each their own. It is probably a very different experience when building and wicking your own custom coils on a re-buildable dripper. Direct lung hit sub ohm vaping is apparently very popular with some folks (which I'm sure you've all noticed by now), and this small tank can deliver that type of experience in spades - if that is your thing. Clearly though, it is definitely not my sort of thing - or that of many other more run-of-the-mill MTL vapers.
In conclusion, the Sense Herakles Hydra is a nicely made, easy to use, great looking, small and lightweight sub ohm tank that is completely inappropriate for mouth-to-lung vaping in any way, shape or form - unless you are some kind of masochist. Its tightest draw, even with a narrow bore Kayfun drip tip on it, is still not even remotely "tight". But even if you do that, with the reduced airflow everything becomes way too warm anyway, so the whole exercise becomes increasingly pointless and futile - like a cat chasing its own tail (though at least that is funny to watch). The Nautilus Mini, as imperfect a clearomizer as it is, is still a much nicer device to mouth-to-lung hit on than any sub ohm tank with higher ohm coils I've tried (3 so far - including the Hydra).
As they are cheap, despite their own set of imperfections, I think I will try the 1.5 ohm dual-coil eLeaf GS Air M or MS tanks next, and also the new 1.8 ohm Clapton coils for the Nautilus and Triton Mini in the Nautilus Minis I already have. The Innokin iSub Apex with 2 ohm coils sounded potentially interesting as a sub ohm tank you can MTL vape on. However, those recommending it for MTL use all seem to be direct lung hit types - who have maybe completely forgotten how a pleasant and satisfying mouth-to-lung hit is supposed to feel? So I think I will take a pass on trying that tank - at least until I see more positive reviews from vapers who are actual, regular MTL vapers that know what they are talking about.
MTL topper development has definitely taken a back seat to direct lung hit sub ohm vaping. Despite the claims of some, I don't really see that changing - at least not yet. Tank makers out there appear to be trying, but regardless of how high an ohm rated coil you make to stick in it, and regardless of how tight you supposedly make the draw - a sub ohm tank just doesn't work for MTL vaping. A good sub ohm tank is just too airy in general to do a really good job of pulling off both types of vaping in one device. So if you want a good MTL vape, get an MTL specific clearomizer or tank - not a device that is trying to be a jack of all trades. That just doesn't work. Eventually we will get good, quick and easy top fill/coil replacement, high juice capacity clearmizer tanks that can handle high VG juices well (for those of us that are PG intolerant), but it looks like it will take awhile.
