Eleaf Melo 3 Tank flavorful or not?

[Mactavish]

Did not see another thread on this new Eleaf MELO 3 tank, as of April 3rd 2016. Posted some observations in the Pico thread, but that's more about the mod and hardware.

Got the MELO 3, 2ml top fill tank, that came with the new Eleaf PICO 75w mod. Bought some Eleaf EC .5 ohm Titanium prebuilt coils, as well as the Eleaf ECR, it's their RTA rebuildable. Here is what I wrote so far:

I've run the Melo 3 with two tanks now with juices I know, with the Eleaf EC .5 ohm titanium coils, and am getting LESS flavor then both Tron and Cubis tanks. I'll give the RTA a chance with a Ti build. I like the tank itself, good airflow, NO leaking anywhere thus far, but lacking flavor in TC mode.

UPDATE:

MELO 3 RTA: 26 gauge titanium, 9.5 wraps on 2.5mm rod, approx. .4 ohms. KGD cotton. On most of my tanks and mods with similar builds I find I run mods at approx. 35 watts, and around 470F. Also tried changing the KGD cotton out for a Native Wicks cotton, same results, MUTED FLAVOR!

Using same juice for testing (Jimmy the Juiceman 6mg. Crume Brûlée). Flavor is much better then the PREBUILT Eleaf Ti coils, but still not the most flavorful tank I own. Guess I'd call it average. No leaking so far.

Any opinions on vaping with the Melo 3 tank in TC modes? In particular FLAVOR impressions?

 

[Heartsdelight]

Did not see another thread on this new Eleaf MELO 3 tank, as of April 3rd 2016. Posted some observations in the Pico thread, but that's more about the mod and hardware.

Got the MELO 3, 2ml top fill tank, that came with the new Eleaf PICO 75w mod. Bought some Eleaf EC .5 ohm Titanium prebuilt coils, as well as the Eleaf ECR, it's their RTA rebuildable. Here is what I wrote so far:

I've run the Melo 3 with two tanks now with juices I know, with the Eleaf EC .5 ohm titanium coils, and am getting LESS flavor then both Tron and Cubis tanks. I'll give the RTA a chance with a Ti build. I like the tank itself, good airflow, NO leaking anywhere thus far, but lacking flavor in TC mode.

UPDATE:

MELO 3 RTA: 26 gauge titanium, 9.5 wraps on 2.5mm rod, approx. .4 ohms. KGD cotton. On most of my tanks and mods with similar builds I find I run mods at approx. 35 watts, and around 470F. Also tried changing the KGD cotton out for a Native Wicks cotton, same results, MUTED FLAVOR!

Using same juice for testing (Jimmy the Juiceman 6mg. Crume Brûlée). Flavor is much better then the PREBUILT Eleaf Ti coils, but still not the most flavorful tank I own. Guess I'd call it average. No leaking so far.

Any opinions on vaping with the Melo 3 tank in TC modes? In particular FLAVOR impressions?

where did you get the Eleaf ECR RTA rebuildable? I love to build my own coils instead of buying stock. I'm going to try the Triton RTA head now in the Melo III. Will let you know the flavor In a bit. But I put a 26g kanthal in it. Guess it doesn't really answer your question though.

I did VAPE SS316L in the Pico's SS316 mode on a Griffin at 390degrees & only 28.5 watts. & it's great! But you wanted to know the flavor on the Melo III Tc.

 

[Mactavish]

where did you get the Eleaf ECR RTA rebuildable? I love to build my own coils instead of buying stock. I'm going to try the Triton RTA head now in the Melo III. Will let you know the flavor In a bit. But I put a 26g kanthal in it. Guess it doesn't really answer your question though.

I did VAPE SS316L in the Pico's SS316 mode on a Griffin at 390degrees & only 28.5 watts. & it's great! But you wanted to know the flavor on the Melo III Tc.

Get the Eleaf ECR's here:
Eleaf ECR Coil

Let us know how the Triton RBA works, I bought one as well, have yet to try it.

I'm beginning to think the lack of flavor, muted is just the tank design, as I've tried the prebuilt Ti coils, the Eleaf RTA, and now a few other juices as well. Vaping side by side with a Cubis with similar build in the Cubis RBA, and the Cubis, while not considered a great flavor tank by most, is giving me more flavor then the Melo 3. I'm disappointed, as I like many things about the Melo!

 

[Heartsdelight]

Ok the Triton RTA head sort of fits into the Melo III. The flavors ok not at its best. I think it's a bit too tall. The gap between the airflow control & tank is a bit wider by about 1mm than using a Atlantis/triton Ni200 .15 ohm coil head. Flavor is meh on both. It's ok but nothing to write home about. I'm comparing it to my Serpent RTA with the same flavor. Much tastier on the Serpent.

 

[Mactavish]

Ok the Triton RTA head sort of fits into the Melo III. The flavors ok not at its best. I think it's a bit too tall. The gap between the airflow control & tank is a bit wider by about 1mm than using a Atlantis/triton Ni200 .15 ohm coil head. Flavor is meh on both. It's ok but nothing to write home about. I'm comparing it to my Serpent RTA with the same flavor. Much tastier on the Serpent.

Thanks for the update, I was hoping the Triton RBA was better as it uses screws to capture the wire, like a STM RBA. The Eleaf RTA, is using the cheap way, both lead wires captured under the bottom grommet. That method can cause problems with temperature control vaping.

Besides dripping and squonking, believe it or not, my most flavorful tank is the MORPH, with a Delta 2 prebuilt titanium coil. That tank is too tall for my mini mods. It sits on my VaporShark DNA200 at home. I pick it up every few days and it always vapes and tastes great.

 

[Heartsdelight]

On the left is the Atlantis/triton Ni200 .15 coil on the right is the Triton RTA see how it is a little taller?
I'll try again with the Triton RTA so far I'm disappointed with the Melo III as well.

 

[Heartsdelight]

Update: I put the Triton RTA head back in. The 1mm height difference is still there as pictured above. But it's working. In a pinch it can be used successfully. I've yet to try the stock coils that came with the Pico kit for a full compare on flavor. Is it better flavor with the stock coils versus the Triton RTA? I'll let you know when I try it.

So far, it's ok for flavor. At this moment, not my favorite tank, bummer.

 

[Mactavish]

Update: I put the Triton RTA head back in. The 1mm height difference is still there as pictured above. But it's working. In a pinch it can be used successfully. I've yet to try the stock coils that came with the Pico kit for a full compare on flavor. Is it better flavor with the stock coils versus the Triton RTA? I'll let you know when I try it.

So far, it's ok for flavor. At this moment, not my favorite tank, bummer.

Yes, I had read about a size difference, but it worked ok, good photo. The inside of the chimney cap has some kind of large built in grommet seal, I assume it compresses enough to make up for the larger height of the Triton RBA. I did not use the included coils, as I assume they are Kanthal. I stick to titanium, especially when testing a new tank so I can evaluate fairly. Thanks for your continued interest.

 

[love coffee]

Did not see another thread on this new Eleaf MELO 3 tank, as of April 3rd 2016. Posted some observations in the Pico thread, but that's more about the mod and hardware.

Got the MELO 3, 2ml top fill tank, that came with the new Eleaf PICO 75w mod. Bought some Eleaf EC .5 ohm Titanium prebuilt coils, as well as the Eleaf ECR, it's their RTA rebuildable. Here is what I wrote so far:

I've run the Melo 3 with two tanks now with juices I know, with the Eleaf EC .5 ohm titanium coils, and am getting LESS flavor then both Tron and Cubis tanks. I'll give the RTA a chance with a Ti build. I like the tank itself, good airflow, NO leaking anywhere thus far, but lacking flavor in TC mode.

UPDATE:

MELO 3 RTA: 26 gauge titanium, 9.5 wraps on 2.5mm rod, approx. .4 ohms. KGD cotton. On most of my tanks and mods with similar builds I find I run mods at approx. 35 watts, and around 470F. Also tried changing the KGD cotton out for a Native Wicks cotton, same results, MUTED FLAVOR!

Using same juice for testing (Jimmy the Juiceman 6mg. Crume Brûlée). Flavor is much better then the PREBUILT Eleaf Ti coils, but still not the most flavorful tank I own. Guess I'd call it average. No leaking so far.

Any opinions on vaping with the Melo 3 tank in TC modes? In particular FLAVOR impressions?

Thanks for the info, Mactavish. The ONLY reason I didn't order the full kit with the tank is that I'm pretty hooked on my GS-Airs in every style and shape. Plus, I don't want to have to stock multiple coils. I like that the same coils fit in all of my GS tanks. My plan is to use my GS Air-MS (the shorty one) on my pico if it ever gets here from FT! Once more US vendors get the mod only, I plan to order one stateside, and I was torn about just getting the full kit. Thanks to your review, I'm sticking with mod only and using my GS-Airs.

 

[Mactavish]

Thanks for the info, Mactavish. The ONLY reason I didn't order the full kit with the tank is that I'm pretty hooked on my GS-Airs in every style and shape. Plus, I don't want to have to stock multiple coils. I like that the same coils fit in all of my GS tanks. My plan is to use my GS Air-MS (the shorty one) on my pico if it ever gets here from FT! Once more US vendors get the mod only, I plan to order one stateside, and I was torn about just getting the full kit. Thanks to your review, I'm sticking with mod only and using my GS-Airs.

Your welcome. I have the GS AIR MS, I like small tanks, but so far have to accept their limitations. The MS worked ok, but I tend to like more airflow. The Melo 3 was included in the $44 kit with the Pico, so I thought I'd give it a test. Lots to like about the tank, but so far it's failing on FLAVOR.

I look for tanks that can take mainstream and cheap prebuilt coils, as well as a decent RBA. This way you can build your own coils or when busy, use the disposables. I started with the SubTank Mini's, and they make one of the best RBA's, and most of the Kanger made coils are good too, but for whatever reason they never offered a titanium coil, my preferred coil metal. If they had, I would not have to keep trying all these other tanks.

There are tons of tanks to play with, but many are build your own coils only style, and I'm sure going that route one would eventually end up with a bunch of winners. Finding a relatively small tank that takes inexpensive prebuilt coils as well as DIY RBA decks with great flavor is the never ending hunt.

 

[Garnoch]

Nice idea on the thread, thanks.

Hmmmm, if I'm missing something, please let me know, but other than air flow, what could create a difference in taste when using the same coil in different tanks? I've had the Triton Clapton and the Triton Ni200 in the Melo III Mini and the coils taste no different to me than they do in a Triton or Atlantis so I'm seriously curious.

I'll throw out my thoughts on the tank but keep in mind it's just on the tank, not the Melo coils...

PROS
-Compact
-Looks great (to me)
-Threads feel great
-Loving the drip tip and went back to it after trying an alternative
-Hidden air intakes is the one thing I liked about the Cubis
-As easy to fill as the Cleito
-No leaking so far

CONS
-Only holds 2ml (trade off for being compact, may pick up a 4ml Melo III)
-Seems like you can't run on empty as much as you can with a Triton
-Both those together mean you refill often
-Seems to collect more juice than normal under the drip tip. Clean it up when refilling.

Also, I love the Cleito tank (size, coils, especially taste) but considering I close the air intake at least half way on it, and the Melo III feels perfect to me wide open, I assume many may find the Melo III not airy enough.

I'd love to see a a version of the Melo III Mini with the combined chimney/coil of a Cleito or Horizontech Cerakoat Tank. If that happened, it maybe could hold 3 to 3.5 ml of juice in it's compact package.

If I think of anything else, I'll edit the post if possible.

 

[SteamHead]

Anyone try the Ccells?

 

[Mactavish]

Nice idea on the thread, thanks.

Hmmmm, if I'm missing something, please let me know, but other than air flow, what could create a difference in taste when using the same coil in different tanks? I've had the Triton Clapton and the Triton Ni200 in the Melo III Mini and the coils taste no different to me than they do in a Triton or Atlantis so I'm seriously curious.

I'll throw out my thoughts on the tank but keep in mind it's just on the tank, not the Melo coils...

PROS
-Compact
-Looks great (to me)
-Threads feel great
-Loving the drip tip and went back to it after trying an alternative
-Hidden air intakes is the one thing I liked about the Cubis
-As easy to fill as the Cleito
-No leaking so far

CONS
-Only holds 2ml (trade off for being compact, may pick up a 4ml Melo III)
-Seems like you can't run on empty as much as you can with a Triton
-Both those together mean you refill often
-Seems to collect more juice than normal under the drip tip. Clean it up when refilling.

Also, I love the Cleito tank (size, coils, especially taste) but considering I close the air intake at least half way on it, and the Melo III feels perfect to me wide open, I assume many may find the Melo III not airy enough.

I'd love to see a a version of the Melo III Mini with the combined chimney/coil of a Cleito or Horizontech Cerakoat Tank. If that happened, it maybe could hold 3 to 3.5 ml of juice in it's compact package.

If I think of anything else, I'll edit the post if possible.

Since I don't own an Atlantis or Triton, I can't comment on comparing those coils in the Melo, I only bought the Triton RBA to have an alternative to the Eleaf RTA, as the Triton RBA seems better made, using screws to capture wire leads.

As far as coils performing different in different tanks, besides airflow, the chimney and dome can make a huge difference. If you ever get into the world of dripping or squonking look at all the choices of RDA's. While many of the build decks are similar, they mainly differ by how the air is delivered, and then by the dome size and shape, and thus how flavor is perceived.

I agree on most of your points in your review list, but am confused when you say:
"Seems like you can't run on empty as much as you can with a Triton".

At least with both the prebuilt Ti coils and the Eleaf RTA in TC mode I vaped the Melo 3 pretty much bone dry, something I always test with a new TC mod, to make sure temperature protection is working properly, no dry hits. The Pico worked properly as expected.

 

[Garnoch]

Interesting, thanks. I guess I considered that all part of airflow. Maybe it's just me that I'm not tasting a difference. I will say though that I had been hoping for better flavor considering the coil is closer to the tip because of the shorter chimney compared to an Atlantis, and it's not. Even though I cut down the airflow quite a but on a Cleito, the flavor is amazing with the wide open chimney and the coil being closer to the drip tip.

"Seems like you can't run on empty as much as you can with a Triton"
I'll try to explain. With these coils in an actual Atlantis or Triton II, I can run those tanks empty (not that I do) and still vape until the cotton is dry, but for some reason in the Melo III, I can taste the cotton isn't as saturated before the tank is empty. It's not a deal breaker at all because I never wait that long on purpose, but I found it curious. I've wondered if it's because the openings at the bottom of the chimney are so short that I can't see the opening to the coils. The juice inlets on the coils sit up inside the chimney instead but I'm not totally sure that is making a difference. I hope that made sense.

I'm still thinking I'll pick up a 4ml Melo III and maybe another Mini, but haven't decided yet. Also, I have some TC Ccells arriving soon to try out too.

 

[Mactavish]

Really trying to like the MELO 3 tank, giving it every chance to deliver.

Today's tests:

Put some strong tasting Mech Sauce "butterscotch", 70vg/30pg, 6mg. In both a:

Cubis using a prebuilt .5 Stainlees Steel coil (while I've seen a .4 ohm titanium coil, I can't find them to buy).

And in the Melo 3, I am using both their .5 prebuilt Titanium coil, as well as a .37 ohm titanium coil I built on their ECR REBUILDABLE head.

Vaped with various airflow and temperature settings (range of 35 watts at 470-500 degrees F), none of these even when dialed in for the test juice had much effect on the Melo 3's flavor, or lack of. Barely taste the butterscotch with the Ti prebuilt, like sucking air mostly. A little more flavor with my own build in the ECR head, but stiil LESS then the Cubis, which is not known as the most flavorful tank, but in this tank, the butterscotch comes through 2 times as much.

Not sure what if anything else to try. I must assume the prebuilt Ti coils are just not that good, and the tank design must be lacking for flavor delivery as well, since the ECR head is not much better.

I can't speak for the included Kanthal coils, as I have not used them, doubt they would add anymore flavor. For on the go with my new Eleaf Pico mod, I think I'll stick with the Cubis tanks, they are the same in height anyways and don't leak either.

 

[Heartsdelight]

Really trying to like the MELO 3 tank, giving it every chance to deliver.

Today's tests:

Put some strong tasting Mech Sauce "butterscotch", 70vg/30pg, 6mg. In both a:

Cubis using a prebuilt .5 Stainlees Steel coil (while I've seen a .4 ohm titanium coil, I can't find them to buy).

And in the Melo 3, I am using both their .5 prebuilt Titanium coil, as well as a .37 ohm titanium coil I built on their ECR REBUILDABLE head.

Vaped with various airflow and temperature settings (range of 35 watts at 470-500 degrees F), none of these even when dialed in for the test juice had much effect on the Melo 3's flavor, or lack of. Barely taste the butterscotch with the Ti prebuilt, like sucking air mostly. A little more flavor with my own build in the ECR head, but stiil LESS then the Cubis, which is not known as the most flavorful tank, but in this tank, the butterscotch comes through 2 times as much.

Not sure what if anything else to try. I must assume the prebuilt Ti coils are just not that good, and the tank design must be lacking for flavor delivery as well, since the ECR head is not much better.

I can't speak for the included Kanthal coils, as I have not used them, doubt they would add anymore flavor. For on the go with my new Eleaf Pico mod, I think I'll stick with the Cubis tanks, they are the same in height anyways and don't leak either.

That's sad I have a Cubis, think I'll give it a shot with the rebuildable head I bought but haven't used yet. Thanks for the update!

 

[Mactavish]

Figured I'd test the Cubis against the new SubTank Mini TopFill tank which I never opened until now. Since Kanger for whatever reason has never made a titanium prebuilt, I used the .15 ohm Nickle coil, the Eleaf Pico is showing .21 ohms. This coil is better at 450f.

Vaping against the Cubis with the SS coils, same juice as in test listed in above previous post.

Airflow is more with Cubis, then STM wide open. Flavor wise they seem compatible, maybe a slight edge to the STM. With the STM at a moderate setting of 450f with 70vg/30pg, I get an occasional little dry taste, not burnt as you should not get that in TC mode, but maybe the STM is not keeping up juice delivery as well? But considering I've had occasional leaks from my non TopFill, older STM's, out the bottom airflow holes, the Cubis and its non leak feature wins for out and about carry.

In some threads and reviews the Cubis is not highly regarded in terms of flavor, but in my tank to tank flavor tests it seems as good as my old standby favorite the STM!

 

[Garnoch]

I agree with muted flavor in the Cubis, but it wasn't too bad - there was a lot that I liked about that tank. The Cubis tasted very much like the COV Defiant to me, but the Defiant was much more muted. I just chalked that up to the coils though I guess. Speaking of flavor, I ran the Triton Ni200 TC coil all day today hoping it would last longer than the clapton coils and it didn't. It lasted the same, almost to the minute, so I won't bother with them since they don't have as much flavor to me as the claptons. The Ccell TC coils should show up on Thursday and I'll give them a shot too. I'll try them with either Propaganda Illuminati or Mech Sauce Apollo's Nectar.

 

[Heartsdelight]

I had a thought on using a juice that I know I made too sweet for RTA 's. I put it into the Melo III & now the juice is perfect! It's a way to use up the juice & use the Melo III. (I'm using the Triton's RTA head).

 

[ScandaLeX]

Really trying to like the MELO 3 tank, giving it every chance to deliver.

Today's tests:

Put some strong tasting Mech Sauce "butterscotch", 70vg/30pg, 6mg. In both a:

Cubis using a prebuilt .5 Stainlees Steel coil (while I've seen a .4 ohm titanium coil, I can't find them to buy).

And in the Melo 3, I am using both their .5 prebuilt Titanium coil, as well as a .37 ohm titanium coil I built on their ECR REBUILDABLE head.

Vaped with various airflow and temperature settings (range of 35 watts at 470-500 degrees F), none of these even when dialed in for the test juice had much effect on the Melo 3's flavor, or lack of. Barely taste the butterscotch with the Ti prebuilt, like sucking air mostly. A little more flavor with my own build in the ECR head, but stiil LESS then the Cubis, which is not known as the most flavorful tank, but in this tank, the butterscotch comes through 2 times as much.

Not sure what if anything else to try. I must assume the prebuilt Ti coils are just not that good, and the tank design must be lacking for flavor delivery as well, since the ECR head is not much better.

I can't speak for the included Kanthal coils, as I have not used them, doubt they would add anymore flavor. For on the go with my new Eleaf Pico mod, I think I'll stick with the Cubis tanks, they are the same in height anyways and don't leak either.

Had you considered getting the Cubis RBA & making you're own Ti builds?

!!! G*NOTE FIVE !!!