5 dead atomizers, two-three weeks old. Any suggestions?

[Renro]

I love my Leo and want to keep it, especially with all the new products they have planned, but i just lost 5 atomizers that were less than a month old, all within two days of each other.

i swap out the 5 atty's between 3 Leo's, dry out the atty's upside down every night, cleaned them every 3 or 4 days and let them dry for 3 days, i use 70/30 BBW juices and charge the batteries on the USB charger supplied in the kit. [One battery started to lose it's charge and was down to about 2hrs of use before having to recharge it and is being replaced]. I don't drip.

The atty's gave no prior indication that there was anything wrong - no pops, fizzles or gurgles. One drag was a beautiful tasty vape and the next was completely dead. 5 dead atty's within 2 days of each other.

Am i doing something wrong? Or is this just my bad luck - like I can't drive Fords because they mysteriously die on me....

VaporJunction and Travis have been wonderful. They've honored their warranty, no hassle, no questions asked. i can't recommend this company enough - and I haven't received any freebies or samples or anything other than outstanding customer service from them...but 5 atty's in less than a month...

Please, any thoughts, similar experiences, suggestions? I really do enjoy my Leo and want to stay with it, but I won't be able to afford an atty a week once the warranty wears off. I hope the carto's come out soon because i would prefer those anyway, but in the meanwhile, I would like to be able to use the Leo's that I have without having to have the atty's replaced once a week. ANY thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks~

 

[TODSHO]

Im with you on that..even though i havent had as bad of luck as you. I had 2 atomizers puke on me with no warning. The last one is being replaced by the vendor. Boge caries a 14 day warenty from the time of arival, so if any of yours went within this time, i would contact the vender where you purchased them. The vender that i used is replaceing mine and i dont have to return the old one, they just shipped me a new one. I too love my leo and am waiting for the "new" stuff to come out. I dont think your doing anything wrong, its just the luck of the draw.
Ps. Just make sure the battery is kept free of juice..i wipe mine out a few times a day. Exessive juice on the battery contact can cause voltage problems from what im told...just a suggestion
IM WITH YOU ON THE FORDS TOO!

 

[Renro]

Thanks TODSHO,

You made me smile and that is something, considering my day.

I don't have to worry about VaporJunction replacing the atty's, they will replace them beyond the Boge warranty for a full 3 months. Thank God.

Thanks for the tip on keeping the battery juice-free. i'll make a point to check that out.

Sorry about your own bad luck - here's to hoping that it changes for the both of us!

Im with you on that..even though i havent had as bad of luck as you. I had 2 atomizers puke on me with no warning. The last one is being replaced by the vendor. Boge caries a 14 day warenty from the time of arival, so if any of yours went within this time, i would contact the vender where you purchased them. The vender that i used is replaceing mine and i dont have to return the old one, they just shipped me a new one. I too love my leo and am waiting for the "new" stuff to come out. I dont think your doing anything wrong, its just the luck of the draw.
Ps. Just make sure the battery is kept free of juice..i wipe mine out a few times a day. Exessive juice on the battery contact can cause voltage problems from what im told...just a suggestion
IM WITH YOU ON THE FORDS TOO!

 

[Jackal3]

Moisture. Read through the other posts here in the Leo subforum and you'll find often the cartridges aren't wicking perfectly and can result in an overheating atty. Every time I refill my cartridges I pull the poly fill to the top of the cartridge first, then refill it. This ensures the poly fill touches the bridge inside the atomizer for proper wicking. I've been lucky and not had one die on me yet, and the Leo is all I use (though I switch between 3-4 of them).

Keep an eye (or mouth as it were) on the temperature of the atty and the heat/TH level. Too much heat in the hit and you can bet you're wicking is problematic. Lots of folks like that hot TH and pay no attention to it. Next thing you know you've got a dead atty.

Soon Boge will be coming out with a cartomizer for the Leo, as well as a tank system. Boge is also experimenting with cartridge modification.

 

[DaveP]

Sounds like you have been policing the dry atty part of conserving atty coils. These aren't low resistance attys are they?
LR attys have a reputation for popping much sooner than standard resistance attys. I'd contact the seller for advice on this problem. It could get expensive.

OTOH, you can buy a Riva 510 (Ego equivalent) with two 750mah batts, two attys, a cone, 10 empty carts, and a fast charger for $29.99 after clicking the 20% off icon at the top left of the page. I have one coming for a friend.

Liberty flights link:
E-Liquid and Electronic Cigarette Shop - Category Listings

 

[Renro]

Hi Jackal3,

Thanks for responding. I did notice that the atty got hot after a few drags before I did the vodka/pressure cleaning. But once I cleaned them, they were perfect - no heat from the atty after 12 drags at a time. Wicking IS a problem, but I found a work around for that too (for the most part, could be better) I guess that is why I was so surprised that they just up and died. They were literally working perfect one drag, and then dead on the next with no indication whatsoever. Thank you for the advise, when the replacements arrive, I will keep a better eye on the heat of the atty.

I am going to keep one Leo since I absolutely love it when it works, but I can't wait for the carto's and possibly the tanks. In my limited experience, carto's deliver a much more consistent and satisfying experience and with the Leo, it will be out of this world. I wish they were on the market already.

DaveP, hi, thanks for replying. They are not LR atty's but I believe those are available.
I've heard a lot about the Riva's and got my hands on one while I wait for the replacement atty's for my Leo. It's a good unit, but different. I can't put my finger on it, but there seems to be something missing. I have to use it constantly because it doesn't quite eliminate my desire for an analog, the cart is tiny compared to the Leo and the taste is ... flat (?) I don't know how else to describe it. I honestly can't say what it is, but it's different. The plus is that it's been pretty reliable, the battery last for about 4 hours, it's easy to use and fits nicely in my hand. (750 manual battery)

So I have been using my old SmokeTip (cartomizer) with the P/T. the ST delivers a very analog-like drag and completely satisfies that need, delivers (compared to the Riva) great vapor, but can be harsh and doesn't work quite as well when off the P/T and on the regular batteries. (automatic battery tiny 280). Still i find myself reaching more for that than the Riva750 but it is so utilitarian, too harsh to vape all day and is...boring LOL

When my Leo works, it seems to give me the best of both worlds, a consistent analog-like satisfying drag without any harshness, great taste, satisfying vapor (which i didn't think was a big deal until it was gone) on a long lasting battery with a big cart.

I wish my atty's would work. The 3 month replacement warranty from VaporJunction is priceless, but if anyone knows any good spells, I'm listening.

 

[mgmrick]

You take 12 drags at a time? Not very many attys are going to beable to handle that

 

[bladebarrier]

You take 12 drags at a time? Not very many attys are going to beable to handle that

Yeah. If he means chaining 12 long drags in a row, off a cartridge, that just seems like a recipe for disaster. No atty is going to wick that without dripping. Not even the LR tank atty's. Only a bottom feeder can pull that off, and that still will depend on the atomizer.

Of all of the atty's I've used, I've only been able to actually "blow" 2x 801 LR's, using too high a power, and 1x 306. Maybe I've blown a 510 LR or two, but I've mostly just tossed a couple out over time, because they were gummed up enough to not care, and I had replacements. I find it pretty hard to actualy break the filament of most atty's, but I'm not a heavy vapor anymore.

I've had some become useless because the juice was too thick. I've had some become crummy over time, and tossed them out because I've got a replacement. I've had many that I just thought were awful in the first place and never used long enough to break them. I haven't been able to actually pop a leo atty yet, but I have had many experiences where atty's short on the battery, because they don't make proper contact.... Any chance that's what happened?

 

[Jackal3]

I've noticed a few times my Leo atty would begin to lose power/heating. First I check if there's fluid under the atty. Found that helps to keep that clean. Other times I've found a simple alcohol bath for an hour, with hot water rinse and either air dry over night or blow out with air compressor gets it going again. I do prime it with thin, PG juice (unflavored or something light flavored like green tea) before use. Often, it takes from 10 minutes up to a half hour of use before it's back to 100% heating. But I've yet to have one die.

My wife, however, has killed 3. She doesn't watch the heat level or the wicking. She fills a cartridge and vapes on it for days until nothing comes out. Then she might put a few more drops in and if it works, great. If not she either clogged the atty or burned it out by then. I tell her what to do to watch the wicking, she hears me, but doesn't "listen", you know? Ugh.

 

[stoprealones]

I will tell you what I was told when I purchased my first Ego from Vicki at Cignot,GREAT individual and supplier! She told me NEVER to clean my atomizer,to simply use a couple of drops of distilled water if I want to change flavor. Well, that was a number of years ago,and I have to tell you from my personal experience,my attys last for months. Some last more than 3 months at a time. I have seen all of the vids on cleaning your attys,but I trusted Vicki,and it's proven to be wonderful advice,since I have not had the probs. that others report quite often. I know that there is always a chance to get a DOA atty,but I know what I do works, and I have Vicki to thank and now the wisdom to share the same info. to others. Also, as other poster said,make certain to frequently clean your batt.by wiping off using dry papertowel any extra juice around threads and on top portion; this,too,is important. I Hope this info. will help you as it has me---

I love my Leo and want to keep it, especially with all the new products they have planned, but i just lost 5 atomizers that were less than a month old, all within two days of each other.

i swap out the 5 atty's between 3 Leo's, dry out the atty's upside down every night, cleaned them every 3 or 4 days and let them dry for 3 days, i use 70/30 BBW juices and charge the batteries on the USB charger supplied in the kit. [One battery started to lose it's charge and was down to about 2hrs of use before having to recharge it and is being replaced]. I don't drip.

The atty's gave no prior indication that there was anything wrong - no pops, fizzles or gurgles. One drag was a beautiful tasty vape and the next was completely dead. 5 dead atty's within 2 days of each other.

Am i doing something wrong? Or is this just my bad luck - like I can't drive Fords because they mysteriously die on me....

VaporJunction and Travis have been wonderful. They've honored their warranty, no hassle, no questions asked. i can't recommend this company enough - and I haven't received any freebies or samples or anything other than outstanding customer service from them...but 5 atty's in less than a month...

Please, any thoughts, similar experiences, suggestions? I really do enjoy my Leo and want to stay with it, but I won't be able to afford an atty a week once the warranty wears off. I hope the carto's come out soon because i would prefer those anyway, but in the meanwhile, I would like to be able to use the Leo's that I have without having to have the atty's replaced once a week. ANY thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks~

 

[Renro]

You take 12 drags at a time? Not very many attys are going to beable to handle that

No, well, a few times just to see how long it would take to heat up. When i got the new atty's, i used them out of the box and they would heat up with just 2-3 drags. So then i cleaned them with a vodka bath, hot running water and a 3 day dry time. They worked beautifully...so I wanted to see what the upper limit was. 12 deep drags in a row 'started' to heat up the atty and is when i stopped, waited until I recharged the batter - so about 7 hours later, I did it again, 12 drags- same result, and then one more time for good measure - same, same. I just did it on the one atty, but they all seemed to work the same after the cleaning. It died about 2-3 weeks later after working like a charm.

 

[Renro]

. . . I haven't been able to actually pop a leo atty yet, but I have had many experiences where atty's short on the battery, because they don't make proper contact.... Any chance that's what happened?

This is the first time i have ever used an atty. How would i know if i shorted it? I can tell you that there was no sounds, pops, fizzles, gurgles or other indication that something was wrong. There was no diminishing of performance prior to it stopping working. One drag was perfect, the next was dead.

How does one know or prevent an atty from shorting out?

...About the cleaning with a few drops of water - you put that in the cart or drip it on the atty? You never cleaned them and they worked for you? Man, that would be great to just let it be.

 

[Renro]

My wife, however, has killed 3. She doesn't watch the heat level or the wicking. She fills a cartridge and vapes on it for days until nothing comes out. Then she might put a few more drops in and if it works, great. If not she either clogged the atty or burned it out by then. I tell her what to do to watch the wicking, she hears me, but doesn't "listen", you know? Ugh.

LOL, sorry but that is classic.

BTW, do you know how to reply with multiple quotes so I don't have to create so many individual comments?

 

[kanadiankat]

The LEO atomizers are considerably different than the 510's and other atty's. Some things - tried and true - we've learned in the past couple months:

- ensure that you're filling the cartridge enough. 35 - 40 drops per empty cartridge is standard, with a top up every 3 - 4 hours (a few for the cartridge and a drop on the atomizer bridge).

- cleaning via a soak method appears to either kill the atty - or lessen it's life considerable.
- the atomizer should be cleaned using the blowing out method, or a few drops of distilled water or vodka on the bridge.

- after cleaning, prep the atomizer with 3 - 4 drops of vegetable glycerin.

- at the end of the day, remove your atomizer from the battery and clean out the connector (where the atty and battery meet) with a dry tissue.

 

[TODSHO]

The only time I soak my attys is when it feels like there on there way out..lack of flavor and vapor and burnt taste. I just did a soak on one that just gave out. Soaked in alcohol for a few hours and did a hot water rinse and let dry..did a few dry burns, primed, and back to useing it again. It does take a lil bit to recover but I've done this a few times with success and a few without. At that point, what do you have to loose?
Otherwise, I do pretty much do what kanadiankat mentioned. I would not make it a habit of soaking either unless your trying to bring them back to life.

 

[DaveP]

The best mix I've found is in the 70/30 to 80/20 (PG/VG) range. 50/50 isn't bad if it's not a dark sugary juice (clogging occurs with those). A little VG in the mix brings up the vapor and the high PG ratio helps to retain taste.

Backwoods Brew is one source for 70/30 juices that run fairly clean in an atty. There are suppliers who let you pick the mix, also. FreedomSmokeUsa.com is one of those.

 

[TODSHO]

the best mix i've found is in the 70/30 to 80/20 (pg/vg) range. 50/50 isn't bad if it's not a dark sugary juice (clogging occurs with those). A little vg in the mix brings up the vapor and the high pg ratio helps to retain taste.

Backwoods brew is one source for 70/30 juices that run fairly clean in an atty. There are suppliers who let you pick the mix, also. Freedomsmokeusa.com is one of those.

funny you mentioned that..i normally use 70/30 mix from viking vapor but decided to try some other vendors that dont have the option to choose your mix...since then, i lost 3 attys in 2 weeks. Guess i'll go back to viking!

 

[Renro]

Thank you all for the sage advice. i am expecting my replacement in a few days. Travis @ vapor junction gave me a call today (Sunday) to go over my habits and confirmed that the Leo's don't do so well with the standard 510 treatments and that the instructions found in this thread are right on the money - so thank you all.

He did recommend the adapter found at Avidvapor if you want to use a 510 carto with your Leo ($11.99)

And there is a small delay with shipments coming out of China, i'm guessing because of the tsunami.

Do we know how low we can go with a Leo LR? I mean, what is a safe range?

I can't wait to get my atty's so I can use my Leo again! Riva just isn't cutting it. I know a ton of people are Riva fans, but it makes me vape more because for me, it doesn't satisfy. I keep trying but end up reaching for my little KR8 most of the time. I can truly sympathize with the folks that are getting a burned taste. i fortunately didn't have that issue with the Leo, but that is mostly what I got with the Riva - it's horrible.

 

[Jackal3]

I don't want folks to think I lean toward Boge because of kick backs or anything. I tried the Joye eGo for a week (borrowed a friend's). I wasn't impressed with the 510 atty/cartridge combo. The cartridges are so small, barely hold any juice, and I may have just dripped for as often I was refilling it. The vapor was ok, I actually got more vapor from my Smoore Xpower and JSB Vgo. Taste wise the eGo was ok also. About the same as any other PV out there. But when I tried the Leo I was blown away at the amount of vapor, the great taste from the juices, and great battery life to boot. I do top my Leo carts off often, maybe 3-6 drops every hour, but that's with almost non-stop vaping. My Leo battery lasts me 12-14 hours as well. The ONLY PV I have tried that out vapes the Leo is my Omega mod from Altsmoke, working at 6volts with a fresh HV901 atty and a PG/VG mix juice, when I can get the switch to work correctly. And lord knows how many 510 and 901 atties I've popped on the Omega, eGo and JSB Vgo. I should have bought stock in them. Carrying that Omega around all the time is not always an option for me, though. Thus the Leo is the perfect PV, IMHO.

 

[Renro]

Hi Jackal3,

You just inadvertently answered a question I had going on another thread. I'm experiencing EXACTLY what you just described. T I N Y carts, no TH and eh vapor - more from my SmokeTip (KR8) (and yes, I am dripping for the first time out of necessity) - I have never used an eGo type pv before so I didn't know if was me or the Riva malfunctioning (5 blown atty's, i have to ask) or if that is how they normally perform.

I had the opportunity to swap out one of my Leo's for a Riva 1100 and wanted to try one first, so I've been using a Riva 750 for the past week. Thanks to your post, I now know that it's a personal preference and not a malfunctioning pv or user error

There are fixes, but who wants to have to "fix" a properly functioning pv? So the Riva and it's soft airy delivery is going to my brother-in-law who's avoided e-cigs so far because of the TH. This is a win-win!

Questions - What are people (those who are using the Leo carts) using for filler? And where can I get some?

A friend suggested that the KR8's and the Leo perform at a higher voltage and that might be the difference? Do we know what voltage the Leo uses under load?

Thanks much ~

I don't want folks to think I lean toward Boge because of kick backs or anything. I tried the Joye eGo for a week (borrowed a friend's). I wasn't impressed with the 510 atty/cartridge combo. The cartridges are so small, barely hold any juice, and I may have just dripped for as often I was refilling it. The vapor was ok, I actually got more vapor from my Smoore Xpower and JSB Vgo. Taste wise the eGo was ok also. About the same as any other PV out there. But when I tried the Leo I was blown away at the amount of vapor, the great taste from the juices, and great battery life to boot. I do top my Leo carts off often, maybe 3-6 drops every hour, but that's with almost non-stop vaping. My Leo battery lasts me 12-14 hours as well. The ONLY PV I have tried that out vapes the Leo is my Omega mod from Altsmoke, working at 6volts with a fresh HV901 atty and a PG/VG mix juice, when I can get the switch to work correctly. And lord knows how many 510 and 901 atties I've popped on the Omega, eGo and JSB Vgo. I should have bought stock in them. Carrying that Omega around all the time is not always an option for me, though. Thus the Leo is the perfect PV, IMHO.