Do atomizers always die, bang, all at once?

[Shan123]

Or can they end not with a bang, but a whimper? I always thought that when an atty died, it went all at once, no mo' vape.

Can they just peter out until you're getting some vapor, but not enough? Do they stop producing as much heat? This would explain a lot of things, from not loving my 510 passthru to thinking I'd made some lousy mixes of LorAnn's + unflavored juice that seemed awfully good the first time I mixed 'em.

I've only ever used 901 and 510 attys, both recessed, so it's hard to see what's going on in there, if they look cruddy (as some people have mentioned coil crud), etc. Can I assume no one's found a reliable way to give them back some of their original glory?

[Jim Davis]

Or can they end not with a bang, but a whimper? I always thought that when an atty died, it went all at once, no mo' vape.

Can they just peter out until you're getting some vapor, but not enough? Do they stop producing as much heat? This would explain a lot of things, from not loving my 510 passthru to thinking I'd made some lousy mixes of LorAnn's + unflavored juice that seemed awfully good the first time I mixed 'em.

I've only ever used 901 and 510 attys, both recessed, so it's hard to see what's going on in there, if they look cruddy (as some people have mentioned coil crud), etc. Can I assume no one's found a reliable way to give them back some of their original glory?

They can quit in a heartbeat, or slowly mosey off into the sunset. Spares are a must. I had one that just took a little nap. Cleaned it, primed it, and then puffed on it for 5 minutes straight before it woke up.

[Closet Toker]

I use only my Screw Driver with the 901-4075 atomizer. When the vapor production starts to fade, but the atomizer still gets very hot... It's time to "clean burn" the atomizer.
Blow out the atomizer to get excess liquid out. Then run the dry atomizer until the coil gets cherry red. Run it for about 8-10 seconds. Sometimes I'll do this a second time after the atomizer has cooled back down. Then add four drops of liquid, let it soak for a minute and then try it. You should get good-normal vapor production again. If not, the atomizer is probably weak.

Before I learned this trick, I've probably threw away more than one perfectly fine atomizer.

[Shan123]

Thanks. Suspicion confirmed, course of action determined. I've got a couple of weak-sistah attys here to subject to The Treatment.

I've been starting to calculate how much I used to spend on tobacco, to see how often I could indulge in the luxury of new hardware without feeling guilty. There will NEVER be one of those "I've saved $XXX" banners on my posts here.

[Closet Toker]

Yeah, I don't use the banner either. I will have to vape for at least one year to, "break even". I went through all the "hoops" also. Finally got sick of buying the Chinese "toys" and got the Screw Driver. Now I just buy atomizers, cheap batteries, and e liquid.

[Jim Davis]

Thanks. Suspicion confirmed, course of action determined. I've got a couple of weak-sistah attys here to subject to The Treatment.

I've been starting to calculate how much I used to spend on tobacco, to see how often I could indulge in the luxury of new hardware without feeling guilty. There will NEVER be one of those "I've saved $XXX" banners on my posts here.

don't even think about breaking even. You've just taken an addiction, and turned it into a hobby. The up side is you'll feel much better. Well worth the $$.

[Shan123]

Jim, love your philosophy. Thanks. I don't even seem to have a great need for nicotine (funny how you can discover that when you separate the nicotine from the behavioral habit, which has tentacles), but you're right. Hell, if smoking had been this enjoyable I could never have quit, either from a taste or a hobby standpoint. I never took a cigarette apart but I HAVE hacked into an empty cart with now-destroyed scissors to figure out where the liquid was leaking to, when trying to master the Fluval re-stuffing business. And then there's FLAVOR to play with... woot! And the joy of new gear -- I just ordered a PCC for the 510 tonight.

Toker, the Screwdriver sounds faaaaabulous, and now I'm reading bits here and there about something called a GG, which is apparently never in stock. I remember being floored at the difference between the 901 and the 510... eventually I'll succumb and buy more substantial, uh, vaporware. Everyone raves about these.

(Wish me luck... cigarettes go up $1/pack here tomorrow, and so far my beloved has not taken to vaping. I refuse to nag, so I'm hoping the tax hike will do what I will not.)

[Jim Davis]

Jim, love your philosophy. Thanks. I don't even seem to have a great need for nicotine (funny how you can discover that when you separate the nicotine from the behavioral habit, which has tentacles), but you're right. Hell, if smoking had been this enjoyable I could never have quit, either from a taste or a hobby standpoint. I never took a cigarette apart but I HAVE hacked into an empty cart with now-destroyed scissors to figure out where the liquid was leaking to, when trying to master the Fluval re-stuffing business. And then there's FLAVOR to play with... woot! And the joy of new gear -- I just ordered a PCC for the 510 tonight.

Toker, the Screwdriver sounds faaaaabulous, and now I'm reading bits here and there about something called a GG, which is apparently never in stock. I remember being floored at the difference between the 901 and the 510... eventually I'll succumb and buy more substantial, uh, vaporware. Everyone raves about these.

(Wish me luck... cigarettes go up $1/pack here tomorrow, and so far my beloved has not taken to vaping. I refuse to nag, so I'm hoping the tax hike will do what I will not.)

If you plan on looking into the heavyweights, you'll see the SD - GG - Pridigy, Z-moshi, and maybe a few others. Maybe that's what your other half needs.

[Antebellum]

don't even think about breaking even. You've just taken an addiction, and turned it into a hobby. The up side is you'll feel much better. Well worth the $$.

I'm watching out for the day when I will break even. It's not likely to be this month, but I'm very hopeful for August.

In the meantime - need more juice! Need more attys!

Edit: I just noticed that if I reset my "been vaping for" to what the packs cost NOW, I may have ALREADY broken even.