Cartridges or Liquid? - e-cigarette-forum.com • The place for electronic cigarette reviews, news and chat

Spikey · 02-28-2009, 12:09 AM

Some people use cartridges because it takes less time. But it costs a LOT more $! I did an "Intro to Vaping" video that may help... but here are the basics.

The cartridge has the poly filling which we call the wick. The "wick" in a prefilled cart is already soaked in e-juice (aka e-liquid aka smokejuice aka nic juice) and can be PG (propylene Glycol) or VG (vegetable glycerine). There is plenty of info on the boards on what the difference is between these 2 types of juice.

If you like the menthol.. I recommend "True Menthol" juice from PureSmoker. It is very minty and fantastic tasting!

Choices are..
-using prefilled carts (just buy them pre-filled at whatever strength u need... which is usually one level LOWER than what you THINK you need)

-topping off (means taking the cartridge off the ecig and using the dropper bottle of liquid to add some drops once it dries out.. then u can use one cartridge for a day or maybe 2 days if you keep it moist all the time before it starts tasing burnt or funny).

-dripping means using no cartridge.. just a mouthpiece and dripping the liquid right ON the atomizer coil and it vapes from there. I find when you do this.. it only lasts 5-10 puffs which is not even a cigarettes worth and you have to do it too often which is too much maintenance for me but gives a stronger hit, but it can also cause liquid to leak into your battery and ruin it so it won't work anymore if you put in too much. (also if your battery dies and you drip.. the atomizer does not heat up and all you suck in is a mouthful of e-liquid which is not good for you!).

-filling dry carts- you can buy "cores" or empty carts that are dry and fill them yourself by topping off with liquid until the top looks "moist" (love that word.... MOIST!) or using a syringe to fill from the bottom up which makes it wetter at the bottom too and makes it last longer than if you just drip the liquid on the top of the wick. If you don't like syringes or are a klutz like me... you can pul th epolyfill (wick) out of the cart, drip in the bottom of the cart and then stuff the wick on top and then top off some more until "moist"

(I think that was a hint from Terraphon't re-stuffing video?)

-One more option some people like is removing the "wick" from the cart and just rinsing it out with hot water and squeezing dry with a papertowel and then you can re-use it if it looks white. If you wash with hot water and it is still brown... probably not good anymore.

U should get some liquid.. buying pre-filled carts gets very expensive. You can also replace (or "re-stuff") the "wick" (see video called re-stuffing carts in video review section by terraphon) which means u can use the same cart for weeks and just re-stuff the polyfill material.

Hope that answers some of these newbie questions.

If you spend a few hours on these boards you will learn a LOT fast... and it will save you a lot of time and $!!!

freqfly · 02-28-2009, 12:14 AM

Nice write up Spikey

GrimmGreen · 02-28-2009, 12:57 AM

yeah , sweet tutorial... this should be stickied

also... "moist" .. giggidy

chokmah · 02-28-2009, 01:01 AM

Thanks for posting this as its very informative and helps this new e-cig user alot!

frigga · 02-28-2009, 04:21 AM

Oh another tip that someone told me is that the cores after a while start to degrade. (I've heard five refills but I'm still on my orig carts) After a while they may start to taste funny or they just won't wick. For starters, try washing out the batting as Spikey had mentioned. Or very lightly aggitating the core with a poking device like a syringe or a paper clip (I'm talking like a single poke, don't go overboard)... If the carts aren't holding liquid or just taste funny, you can also save some money by going to the pet store and creating your own wicks by getting fish tank filters (the ones without the activated carbon).

Of course you can buy blank cores, but why not save some money?

NY JETS · 02-28-2009, 06:23 PM

honestly, after dripping its tough to go back to carts. i need to figure out how to combine the mobility of carts and the quality of dripping.

Spikey · 03-10-2009, 06:06 PM

bumpin for the newbies...

MAD 69 · 03-10-2009, 10:08 PM

I prefer pre-filled carts over juicing. I get a better hit and taste from the carts, no mess, no hassle. It may cost a little more but I'm getting a better experience from flavored carts.

rejoice · 03-10-2009, 10:30 PM

I discovered I like to drip and use carts. This to me gives more hit and vapor. Only need one drop on atomizer. Works great for me.

eskimoroll · 03-10-2009, 10:43 PM

I used to refill carts but now that I use manual switch mods 90% of the time, I only direct drip since there's no concern about any leakage into the battery and the atomizer is extremely efficient at burning up all the liquid.

02-28-2009, 12:09 AM	#1
Spikey Moved On Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Long Island, New York, USA Posts: 1,336	Cartridges or Liquid? Some people use cartridges because it takes less time. But it costs a LOT more $! I did an "Intro to Vaping" video that may help... but here are the basics. The cartridge has the poly filling which we call the wick. The "wick" in a prefilled cart is already soaked in e-juice (aka e-liquid aka smokejuice aka nic juice) and can be PG (propylene Glycol) or VG (vegetable glycerine). There is plenty of info on the boards on what the difference is between these 2 types of juice. If you like the menthol.. I recommend "True Menthol" juice from PureSmoker. It is very minty and fantastic tasting! Choices are.. -using prefilled carts (just buy them pre-filled at whatever strength u need... which is usually one level LOWER than what you THINK you need) -topping off (means taking the cartridge off the ecig and using the dropper bottle of liquid to add some drops once it dries out.. then u can use one cartridge for a day or maybe 2 days if you keep it moist all the time before it starts tasing burnt or funny). -dripping means using no cartridge.. just a mouthpiece and dripping the liquid right ON the atomizer coil and it vapes from there. I find when you do this.. it only lasts 5-10 puffs which is not even a cigarettes worth and you have to do it too often which is too much maintenance for me but gives a stronger hit, but it can also cause liquid to leak into your battery and ruin it so it won't work anymore if you put in too much. (also if your battery dies and you drip.. the atomizer does not heat up and all you suck in is a mouthful of e-liquid which is not good for you!). -filling dry carts- you can buy "cores" or empty carts that are dry and fill them yourself by topping off with liquid until the top looks "moist" (love that word.... MOIST!) or using a syringe to fill from the bottom up which makes it wetter at the bottom too and makes it last longer than if you just drip the liquid on the top of the wick. If you don't like syringes or are a klutz like me... you can pul th epolyfill (wick) out of the cart, drip in the bottom of the cart and then stuff the wick on top and then top off some more until "moist" (I think that was a hint from Terraphon't re-stuffing video?) -One more option some people like is removing the "wick" from the cart and just rinsing it out with hot water and squeezing dry with a papertowel and then you can re-use it if it looks white. If you wash with hot water and it is still brown... probably not good anymore. U should get some liquid.. buying pre-filled carts gets very expensive. You can also replace (or "re-stuff") the "wick" (see video called re-stuffing carts in video review section by terraphon) which means u can use the same cart for weeks and just re-stuff the polyfill material. Hope that answers some of these newbie questions. If you spend a few hours on these boards you will learn a LOT fast... and it will save you a lot of time and $!!! Last edited by Spikey; 02-28-2009 at 12:45 AM.

02-28-2009, 12:57 AM	#3
GrimmGreen ECF Veteran Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: The Capital of Nevada Posts: 1,059 Blog Entries: 18	yeah , sweet tutorial... this should be stickied also... "moist" .. giggidy __________________

02-28-2009, 04:21 AM	#5
frigga Full Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 10	Oh another tip that someone told me is that the cores after a while start to degrade. (I've heard five refills but I'm still on my orig carts) After a while they may start to taste funny or they just won't wick. For starters, try washing out the batting as Spikey had mentioned. Or very lightly aggitating the core with a poking device like a syringe or a paper clip (I'm talking like a single poke, don't go overboard)... If the carts aren't holding liquid or just taste funny, you can also save some money by going to the pet store and creating your own wicks by getting fish tank filters (the ones without the activated carbon). Of course you can buy blank cores, but why not save some money? __________________

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02-28-2009, 12:14 AM	#2
freqfly Full Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 41	Nice write up Spikey

02-28-2009, 01:01 AM	#4
chokmah Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Austin Texas Posts: 286	Thanks for posting this as its very informative and helps this new e-cig user alot!

02-28-2009, 06:23 PM	#6
NY JETS Suppliers Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Posts: 310	honestly, after dripping its tough to go back to carts. i need to figure out how to combine the mobility of carts and the quality of dripping.

03-10-2009, 06:06 PM	#7
Spikey Moved On Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Long Island, New York, USA Posts: 1,336	bumpin for the newbies...

03-10-2009, 10:08 PM	#8
MAD 69 Full Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: NJ USA Posts: 108	I prefer pre-filled carts over juicing. I get a better hit and taste from the carts, no mess, no hassle. It may cost a little more but I'm getting a better experience from flavored carts.

03-10-2009, 10:30 PM	#9
rejoice Supporting Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: USA KY Posts: 1,476	I discovered I like to drip and use carts. This to me gives more hit and vapor. Only need one drop on atomizer. Works great for me.

03-10-2009, 10:43 PM	#10
eskimoroll Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 204	I used to refill carts but now that I use manual switch mods 90% of the time, I only direct drip since there's no concern about any leakage into the battery and the atomizer is extremely efficient at burning up all the liquid.