ANGRY! And Need clearo/tank help!!!

[Ralikar]

I've consolidated my stuff and I'm trying to make vaping easy and not a PITA. I got 2 1300mah X2 (will be moving to ego twist next) and started DIY.

But I'm ENRAGED at the sorry crap our vendors throw at use for a delivery system. I'm tired of opening a %%%% box of Phoenix Bottom Coils and finding it to be the best thing in the world and the next box to be a pack of duds. I'm TIRED! of these vendors selling me crap and inconsistent products and ripping money from my wallet! It's like going to McDonalds and getting a great cheeseburger one day and a dog poo burger the next!!! I'M TIRED OF POO BURGERS!

So I want a 1.5-3ml +/- clearo/tank/ce #. I'm tired of the taste and of filling my cartos all day!

I've tried the SI Stardust rip-offs and loved the huge airy vape but they leaked and were crap. I've gotten PBC--one box was a game changer and the next crap. Phoenix TCs/Fluxos seem okay but people report they leak. We will all grow old and die before a vivi mini appears and they already have leaking issues (see my post below).

So I just want a 1.5-3ml or so clearo/tank/Ce# that:

1) DOES NOT LEAK! Maybe a tiny drop once in a blue moon. I do not want to be peed on on a job interview
2) SAFE... I don't want some DC crap draining my bat and blowing off my hand
3) DOES NOT LEAK
4) NOT CRAZY EXPENSIVE. I'll change a carto here and there or some head but I'm trying to stop GETTING SCREWED on bad shipments or bad crap from bad vendors!
5) DOES NOT MELT WITH juice
6) That does not take 234 mods to get it to work!

If anyone has some suggestions of what will meet my needs I would be greatful
I'M TIRED OF BEING RIPPED OFF BY ECF VENDORS SELLING CHEAP KNOCK-OFFS AND INCONSISTENT GARBAGE!!

 

[cintai]

I would be interested in that answer as well. Got two different tanks for my ego twist within a week they both cracked/failed and then I'm staring at money flushed down the drain.

 

[Synnuh]

LavaTube and ProX tanks from VapeDudes with a saddle valve from Home Depot.

Easy to fill, won't melt with juice, don't leak, not crazy expensive, takes no mods to get it to work, long battery life.

The LavaTube can be had for ~$55 with a battery.

The ProX tanks come in 3ml for $12.99 with a carto, drip tip, side fill tank, and a 10ml bottle of juice.

You can get 25 Boge cartos from SureVapes for $23 shipped.

If the size is an issue, another route is an Ego Twist with a Slim DCT tank and Boge 2.0 cartos or the replaceable head Stardusts.

Something else you can try is a bottom feeder. I can't speak for others, but the VMod I had worked and kept me from fiddling. Throw a good LR 306 atty on it, and it vapes well with a solid battery life. I couldn't get the feeding down and eventually got rid of mine, but bottom feeders are another avenue you can take.

Both courses, whether carto tanks or bottom feeders, have a learning curve, but in the long run they are a lot cheaper and a lot more hassle free / convenient than filling cartos and being guinea pigs for vendor's products.

Not saying these are the only routes, you're going to get a ton of answers, but I've been in your position and these are the things that have helped me out of it.

 

[thinkingaboutit]

I just want to say, poo burgers made me laugh.

On the tanks, I have been frustrated also at times...but I found ALL my problems documented with suggestions here. Aside from a dud carto, the rest is easy to deal with tank wise. If you are filling wrong, you can find it here. If you are using juice that kills tanks...glass tanks are documented here. Rebuildable atty tanks are getting more reasonable price wise. It may be an option for you.

 

[djwyman]

definatly stick with carto tanks instead of those wonky CE style tank vision crap...if you want one that looks simular to the vision style to fit an ego try this one: SMOKtech eGo 2.5ml Clear DCT Tank
these will fit any standard size carto so you can go with boge cartos for it so the sure vapes deal for 25 for $23 is a great way to go there

 

[HappyTimeHarry]

Definitely go the tank route. I haven't been able to find a clearomizer that gives a good, consistent vape. There is definitely a learning curve to tank and carto use, but it does not take long. Once you get the hang of it, it is very easy to do. You can get a DCT tank for pretty cheap from many vendors. If you are using a high PG juice, you could probably also go with the pre-punched cartos, that would make it a little easier for you too. I was searching for a good clearo early on as well because it just seemed so much easier, but to get a good quality vaping experience you will need to do a bit extra. Again, once you learn it, it becomes very easy to do.

 

[Racehorse]

Vendors sell what is manufactured. The technology for vaping is still in it's infancy, so to speak, isn't it?

I don't blame vendors....They're not manufacturing or doing the quality control on the hardware. They can't really "test" the tank you're receiving before sending it out----they can only test *a* tank of that manufacture. So there is no way to identify a dud beforehand.

There seems to be quite a lot of posts on the vendor sites about getting Boge duds, for instance.

What I would expect from a vendor is to replace and/or refund duds. Hopefully, vendors can lean on their distributors and manufacturers to make it right when they get returns, and in turn pass that on to us.

Personally, i think the prices for some of these little do-dads is absurd. I buy a piece of hardware or do-dad at the hardware store for $8.00, I often use it for years. I can't imagine the manufacturing/assembly of a plastic tank or clearomizer costs much.

Yes, there are documentations of problems, but I don't *want* to fix a leaky tank. It shouldn't leak in the first place. If it does, that is a *product defect* and should not be sold, IMHO. A tank is supposed to hold eliquid. If it doesn't then it is no different than an Ipod that doesn't play mp3's, or a cellphone with no dial tone.

 

[scalewiz]

2 suggestions: You say you might like a mini vivi, they do make a replaceable coil Stardust. Never tried one, but I think the heads between it and the vivi are interchangeable really depending on how long you want the wicks to be. They are available in various ohms, and the new stardust tubes are pretty good.

I am now using constantly the Kanger T2 CC. They also have changeable coils, but they are a little more fragile than the Stardust. They hold 2.4 ml of juice, have an airy draw, and work pretty good. The coils are also available in 4 different resistances. Here we go again, make sure you get the new ones with the updated mouthpieces; the first run had really flimsy ones that broke. My vendor says he will send updated ones if I ask.

 

[Ralikar]

Okay, well for now I have some 1300 3.6v regulated X2 808 thread batteries. What would be a nice tank and from what vendor? (That sells the cartos as well--i dont want to be fiddling with punching them )

 

[zoiDman]

...
I'M TIRED OF BEING RIPPED OFF BY ECF VENDORS SELLING CHEAP KNOCK-OFFS AND INCONSISTENT GARBAGE!!

Not trying to play the Devil’s Advocate here but who fault is it that you got something that didn’t work.

The people who Sold it or the People who Made it?

 

[Berylanna]

What is PBC?

A good thick glass tank on cartos seems to be fine IFF you also get one of those 'slap yo' mama' tank tools to go with it. I'm using a Phiniac. On the X2 I also found I need resistance higher than 2 ohms, so you might be OK with punching holes in the SI stainless-steel cartos or else buying Kanger 2.6 ohm, I'm LOVING that right now with 3 holes punched in the carto. Much easier to learn than DIY I bet, but practice on some dead cartos first.

I hated, then loved, now hate again the SI clearos and I'm pretty sure I have figured it out: it seems to vary with barometric pressure! So horrible for a week, then great for 2 weeks, now as of last night bad again.

Unless I find I like the phoenix bottom coils, either from gotvapes or from SI, who claim to have higher QA requirements, I'll sadly end up with ONLY carto tanks. Sadly because they are hard to fill. But at least Phiniac came out with designs you can see from a distance! (Though I have read there are equally usable and safe tanks for less if you are not vain.....)

 

[Miira]

I really want to know wtf some of you people do to your stardusts. I get not liking a tight draw, or if you got suckered with the short wicks, or taste difference from change in delivery method, but mine work, don't burn out, don't leak, I've never had to pull a post, and I have 8 of them. I have had 1 where the upper metal ring, where the tip screws in, be loose on arrival. I super glued it back on and it's perfect now.

 

[Ratman]

I completely agree with the OP on the lack of QC and cheap crappy knockoffs in the industry. I am loving vapeing and thus far the massive spectrum of good sounding ideas and products that do not work or do not work correctly has been the only turn off.

Yes, it is chinese manufacturing and the manufacturer is ultimately at fault however the vendor shares that responsibility as the they put their name on it and profit greatly from selling it to us. Yet most of them I have seen will not stand behind any of their delivery devices.

I am using boge cartos right now as I am new and going through the flavor process of finding juices flavors and companies i like and don't like. The initiation 'find your all day juice' quest. I have a carto filled with every one of the 30 flavors I have tried so far. I am finding I do not really like cartos much due to the filler taste. I would like to switch over to something fillerless and have been researching options to do so. I have yet to find anything besides direct dripping that actually works even most of the time, much less all of the time. So I am still buying cartos and growing more and more frustrated at having to do so. It's going to cost me a fortune in wasted juice or replacement clearos that actually work when and if someone comes out with one.

 

[Ratman]

Berylana, i believe PBC is Phoenic Bottom Coil, gotapes version of the CE3.

Miira: I have only tried a couple of stardust and loved the flavor for the first ml but then it tastes burnt and harsh for the last half or until i refill. 7 bucks is bit steep for a 0.9ml device for me.

 

[motox]

I was a big tank type guy for a while, but ran into a bad spell recently. It seemed that I was getting zero consistency, carto to carto - some would work really well, others not so much and some wouldn't fire at all. The proverbial straw that broke the camels back was the box of cartos I purchased that had zero threading on the ends. Vendors that I worked with were good about the issues, but still it translates into more fiddling around - shipping, envelopes, waiting - meh.

After seeing many positive reviews on the HH .357 atomizer, I ordered a couple and decided to go back to my roots as a dripper for a while. Yep, definitely a bit more work but every single vape is consistently wonderful. I'm sure I'll tire of this in the future and will probably go back to some other method - but bottom line for me is that the variety is what keeps it interesting

 

[Miira]

Berylana, i believe PBC is Phoenic Bottom Coil, gotapes version of the CE3.

Miira: I have only tried a couple of stardust and loved the flavor for the first ml but then it tastes burnt and harsh for the last half or until i refill. 7 bucks is bit steep for a 0.9ml device for me.

I don't get it, I can refill the suckers for a week before cleaning them. Maybe it is the juice. I wonder if PG burns at a lower temp than VG. I use 100% VG, with the 2.1-2.4 ohm visions and I don't have these problems. It could also be that I'm an outlier and have gotten extremely lucky.

 

[Barto]

What is PBC?

A good thick glass tank on cartos seems to be fine IFF you also get one of those 'slap yo' mama' tank tools to go with it. I'm using a Phiniac. On the X2 I also found I need resistance higher than 2 ohms, so you might be OK with punching holes in the SI stainless-steel cartos or else buying Kanger 2.6 ohm, I'm LOVING that right now with 3 holes punched in the carto. Much easier to learn than DIY I bet, but practice on some dead cartos first.

I hated, then loved, now hate again the SI clearos and I'm pretty sure I have figured it out: it seems to vary with barometric pressure! So horrible for a week, then great for 2 weeks, now as of last night bad again.

Unless I find I like the phoenix bottom coils, either from gotvapes or from SI, who claim to have higher QA requirements, I'll sadly end up with ONLY carto tanks. Sadly because they are hard to fill. But at least Phiniac came out with designs you can see from a distance! (Though I have read there are equally usable and safe tanks for less if you are not vain.....)

lol, sorry for offtopic, but you have a pretty cool avatar.

 

[zoiDman]

Much of the Problem lies with the OEM’s return Policy. Or should I say, Lack of return Policy.

Carto OEM’s seldom will except Returns of Stock from all but Major Buyers. So when an average Retailer gets a Bad Batch of Cartos he really only has Three Options.

1) Offer No Refunds and Hope that the OEM’s Quality somehow is better in the Remaining Stock than the ones with the Problems.

2) Offer refunds to his End Users. No retailer likes that because it costs Way More to offer Refunds. And Anyone can return things by just saying that they didn’t work right.

3) Stop selling them and take a Loss on the Remaining Stock.

Very few Retailers can do Option #2 and #3 and stay in business too long.

BTW – If the OEM only excepts returns from its Major Customers who place Large Bulk Orders, which cartos do you think receive the Highest Quality Control?

 

[Ralikar]

Well, Miira, you need to understand that -- "wtf people" do with them is use them. There's lots of "Stardusts" some are the new 2.0 rebuildables, some are the pieces of crap knockoffs I bought. I meant-Stardust knockoff not the brand 2.0s

 

[AttyPops]

I don't have any hardware issues (knocks on wood). 'course, I drip most of the time (laughs).

Zero carto issues.
Zero tank issues.
1 atomizers lasts me a month before I change it (can go several).
Near zero juice waste.
But hey, that's me. Definitely the opposite of tanks.

OK. You want less fuss but want it to work and want a tank. IDK if that exists. Some tanks are better than others. All have fiddle factor and juice waste. IDK why they don't just make a clearo tube with a bulge in it and let it hold 3 ml. People say clearos leak too though (I use em for driving.. no leaks so far). I don't know if there is an answer. E-cigs are "fiddley".

Reason I posted: Check the modder's section. There's an area for tank mods. Lots of hardware knowledge. Tons of posts to spend your time reading and getting up to speed on the whole tank thing from construction to use and then some.