CARTOMIZERS: Just Don't do it...

[Katya]

There's also the all-important step of blowing through it when you're done. I think people forget that and then wonder why they flood. Well, of course they flood... you just finished forcing juice into it through the air hole.

You're absolutely correct. That's why I prefer syringe--you inject the eliquid exactly where it needs to go. No shaking, blowing, spinning, or tapping on the desk necessary.

But all those method work if performed correctly. Choose what works for you and learn how to do it right.

The same is true with everything else in vaping--all PVs work. Some work better than others, but they all do work.

Good night and happy vaping!

 

[hausmouse]

eh I'd probably drip

What if you were upside down hanging from your web? That would be awful difficult. You'd have juice and webs everywhere. With a carto you just enter calm and collected vapin away

 

[cherrycakes]

haha you have a point there

 

[D4rk50ul]

Use cartomizers all the time, this is either bad cartos or most likely user error.

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[Plumes.91]

Usually, when i am upside down, I turn myself right side up.
But if I got my pants caught in a tree and had to hang upside down..
I suppose I'd want a vivi nova. Or I'd hold by pv against my forehead and vape.

 

[DPLongo22]

It takes me about a minute to fill one 6ml carto.

 

[Horselady154]

Your method, Baditude?

Yes, the method he is suggesting.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. This method has been described and videotaped years ago... Carto users have been using it, along with other methods, for 5 years...

Ok, but it was pretty rude the way you shared it.

I don't see the guys who made the videos that you posted going around these forums helping out newbies and I don't see them taking time to create great blogs that have helped so very many that are confused by all the lingo around here, much less how to cut through all the BS to get a device up and running. But, I have seen Baditude do those things on a daily basis.

It's all about giving credit where credit is due.

You could have done it with much more couth than the way you chose.

Carry on!

Indeed.

 

[Lauralie]

Though I like the convenience of cleoros and such I actually prefer the taste I get from cartomizers. Always keep some on hand!

 

[patkin]

Also try starting at 3.7volts or less, and take short small puffs until it's hitting well.

What are the numbers, Vets? 40 drops for the small cartos, 70 for the XL's?

Boge
22-25 drops with "upside down" condom method (until bubbles are gone)and use right away.
vape a bit and as soon as the surface looks dry add 8-10 more drops
so, in all, its 30-35 drops
I do it this way because I'm the impatient type and don't like a slow soak wait.
I don't get dry hits unless the carto is defective and I can tell by the pull if it is.
I've learned when the point of needing 15 drops is so each top off after that is 15 drops.
I've been doing it this way a long time and a Boge usually lasts me a good month or longer.
Then I either clean and/or turn it into an atty for testing new/diy juices.

Edit: I should say longevity (of Boge anyway) really depends on the juice used in it... there's really nothing to go wrong with a carto except the atty and the life of that is pretty awesome if not cruded up.

 

[UncleChuck]

It is not me, my skills, my equiptment- or even my 'technique'... it is Cartomizers.

Sorry, not to be rude, but it is 100% your fault. Or just a dud carto. It doesn't matter how much you protest, either you got a faulty carto or you are doing something wrong.

There is no excuse for having a burning taste with cartos. This means either you, or someone else fired the carto before it was saturated with juice, and burned the filler material. User error, in other words. I've used hundreds of cartos over the years and months vaping, if it's burned you screwed it up, that's not "just how cartos are"

Juice getting all over the place, again is user error. I can fill a carto to full capacity in about a minute, without a drop spilled.

This isn't a matter of opinion, if your cartos are burned and you are leaking juice everywhere, you are doing something wrong, or you got a faulty carto. That's just a fact.

I love carto-tanks personally, I can have a tank anywhere from 1.2ml to 6ml up and running in mere minutes, and it will last a long time. Cartos are best used in tanks, without them you have to constantly top-off the carto and overall life suffers.

It makes sense if you screwed up filling the carto so badly that it would leave a bad taste in your mouth (literally and figuratively ) but carto tanks are actually one of the most reliable and consistent methods to vape. Generally when people say "tank" they mean carto-tank. Vivi novas, most Kangers, etc are all just clearos, just different sizes and shapes.

People usually don't like what they don't know, or are bad at. Once you get good filling cartos I'm sure you'll at least find them more consistent than clearos or anything else.

I just drip quickly into the filer, flick the crap out of it, then dump even more juice into the filler, and flick the crap out of it again. Every once and awhile I'll take an inhale through the carto to see if it's starting to flood, as I can tell by the sound and feel of the draw if it's starting to get full.

Sometimes I also will put an empty carto into a tank, block off the base of the carto, and do some sharp inhales. This method fills the carto from the punch holes, so it's filled bottom-up like the condom method, but with less mess and much quicker.

Every once and awhile I'll also use a needle bottle, and stick it down into the filler to fill, or I'll push it up against the punch holes and squeeze it in there.

There's a million and one ways to fill a carto, none of them are right or wrong, try them all and see which one you like the best and gives you the best results!

Literally under a minute and I have a fully filled carto that is ready to vape on immediately. Give me another 30 seconds and I can punch the carto, throw it in a tank, and fill the tank. This stuff isn't rocket science

Your method, Baditude?

Sorry, I couldn't resist. This method has been described and videotaped years ago... Carto users have been using it, along with other methods, for 5 years...

The very first videos I watched were made in 2008 and 2009.

How-to guide to refilling KR808D-1 or Vapor King cartomizers - YouTube

Care And Feeding of Cartomizers Part 2 - YouTube

And Leaford's presentation of reverse Taryn spin (named after ECF member who invented it)

Reverse Taryn Spin - YouTube

Oh the good old days.

It's all about giving credit where credit is due.

BTW, the most precise way to fill a carto, especially tight-woven one like Boge, is with a syringe and 18 g sharp needle.

Carry on!

It's his method because he is using it!

Just like it's also my method because I use it! It's anybody's method, it's the people's method

I personally discovered it on my own, and figured many other people also figured it out on their own. It's not exactly a highly complicated method unlikely to be independently discovered by many vapers repeatedly. Heck I even did this with my old 401s, with the entire ecig, to get it to feed juice from the cartridge into the atty So I'm not going to nod my head and/or give anybody the credit, not Bad or the people doing it in 2009. Because I discovered it on my own, as I'd imagine Bad did also.

 

[The Ocelot]

I like to spin sometimes, but it makes me fall down.

ETA: DJ RyckRak isn't a carto fan, but I think the rest of his post was supposed to be sarcastic and humorous - or maybe I just don't take things seriously. If I'm right though, I hope he doesn't try stand-up between songs.

 

[UncleChuck]

Oh was it the spin he was talking about? Because I don't even do that, I just flick it in my hand.

I lied, I actually didn't come up with it on my own, you know who taught me? Mr. Sweet'N Low fake sugar packets. I always put them between my index and middle finger, and flick them in a downward motion to get all the sugar to the bottom of the packet. Also use this with mac-n-cheese sauce packets, rice a roni flavor packets, top ramen flavor packets, etc

I was doing this before eCigs were invented, so I demand all the credit!! LOL

 

[epage]

yeah, I just had a girlfriend leave my house with a nicely filled carto full, and not leaking, of Griffin from Fuzion, which is notoriously thick... patience is the key...

 

[The Ocelot]

Oh was it the spin he was talking about? Because I don't even do that, I just flick it in my hand.

I lied, I actually didn't come up with it on my own, you know who taught me? Mr. Sweet'N Low fake sugar packets. I always put them between my index and middle finger, and flick them in a downward motion to get all the sugar to the bottom of the packet. Also use this with mac-n-cheese sauce packets, rice a roni flavor packets, top ramen flavor packets, etc

I was doing this before eCigs were invented, so I demand all the credit!! LOL

My shaking hands do it for me.

ETA: I demand credit for The Ocelot Method of changing cartos. Click the link in my signature.

 

[Baditude]

Your method, Baditude?

Sorry, I couldn't resist. This method has been described and videotaped years ago... Carto users have been using it, along with other methods, for 5 years...

The very first videos I watched were made in 2008 and 2009.

How-to guide to refilling KR808D-1 or Vapor King cartomizers - YouTube

Care And Feeding of Cartomizers Part 2 - YouTube

And Leaford's presentation of reverse Taryn spin (named after ECF member who invented it)

Reverse Taryn Spin - YouTube

Oh the good old days.

It's all about giving credit where credit is due.

BTW, the most precise way to fill a carto, especially tight-woven one like Boge, is with a syringe and 18 g sharp needle.

Hello, Katya. I don't make a claim about "my method" being mine alone. I don't own a patent or copyright on anything. What did you want me to say, "this method"?

I will say that I believe I was the first to promote the use of a wooden tooth pick in the center air hole. I have never read or seen an article or video that utilizes that tip. Pretty sure I was the first to come up with that. But that is not important, at least not to me.

I hate getting e-liquid in my mouth. Yuck! I had seen a video where the demonstrator brings the tank to their mouth to blow out the air hole, and I thought to myself there's got to be a better way. So I decided that since a tooth pick is the same size as that hole, why not block it off during the filling step? Eliminates juice getting in the hole = no need to blow out the cartomizer = no nasty juice in mouth = Win!

Anyway, it's not important to me who gets credit for what. I'm just here to help new vapors make vaping as easy as possible.

The only "best way" method of anything is the one that works for you. Observe what others are doing and consider incorporating their method into whatever it is that you use if the adaption improves it in some way. That's what I did, and "my method" works best for me. I merely share it with others and they can incorporate whatever steps they feel like into being their best method.

 

[epage]

AHA! I never thought about using a wooden toothpick in the center hole before! Excellent, excellent, excellent tip!! Thanks so much!

 

[Katya]

Hello, Katya. I don't make a claim about "my method" being mine alone. I don't own a patent or copyright on anything. What did you want me to say, "this method"?

Hi Bad! No, you didn't make such claim and I apologize for my post; it was late at night and I was tired. I should have just stayed on topic and offered my thoughts on fillling cartomizers.

I will say that I believe I was the first to promote the use of a wooden tooth pick in the center air hole. I have never read or seen an article or video that utilizes that tip. Pretty sure I was the first to come up with that. But that is not important, at least not to me.

I hate getting e-liquid in my mouth. Yuck! I had seen a video where the demonstrator brings the tank to their mouth to blow out the air hole, and I thought to myself there's got to be a better way. So I decided that since a tooth pick is the same size as that hole, why not block it off during the filling step? Eliminates juice getting in the hole = no need to blow out the cartomizer = no nasty juice in mouth = Win!

The toothpick trick is very old and often recommended here, like in this thread, yesterday. I'm really surprised you haven't heard about it. I first learned about the toothpick plug from my old buddy cos in December 2009, when I just purchased my first e-cig and tried to figure out what to do with it. I also watched a video demonstrating a similar technique, dated August 2009.

However, I do not use the toothpick and I don't recommend it to new vapers for two reasons: 1) sticking any sharp object into the center tube of a cartomizer may damage the coil, which is suspended in the middle of that tube, especially by a person who is not familiar with the anatomy of a cartomizer;

and 2) I believe that a drop of eliquid placed directly on the coil actually primes the coil and prevents a potential dry hit. Any excess juice should, of course, be evacuated from the tube by a gentle blow through the carto, especially if one uses an automatic battery.

Anyway, it's not important to me who gets credit for what. I'm just here to help new vapors make vaping as easy as possible.

I understand and I applaud you for it.

The only "best way" method of anything is the one that works for you. Observe what others are doing and consider incorporating their method into whatever it is that you use if the adaption improves it in some way. That's what I did, and "my method" works best for me. I merely share it with others and they can incorporate whatever steps they feel like into being their best method.

I agree 100%.

Good luck and happy vaping.

 

[GregoTX]

I don't like having to jack around with my ecig all day long. I want to fill it up, have a fully charged battery, and just vape without having to do anything else for least a day. This requires me to use a tank and carto. Like another poster said, it took a few times to get the hang of it. Some use tools to help, some use this condom method I am unfamiliar with, and some figure out their own ways of doing it. Basically I install the new carto into my tank, drip 5-6 drops at a time along the same spot of polyfill (so the displaced air can escape through the drier parts of the fill), giving each set of drops a minute or two to soak in before the next set of 5-6 drops, until I have around 25 drops of juice inside the carto and/or the fill looks to be saturated. Fill the tank. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to let everything soak in, and I'm good to go. Works every time. No muss, no fuss, just big party clouds. To refill, I pop off the drip tip, slide the tank up until I can see some space between the top of the carto and bottom of the top part of the tank, fill the tank up just short of the carto top, slide the tank back down being careful to ensure the top of the tank is held down so it doesn't pop off, pop my drip tip back on, and I'm good to go until my next refill. My cartos last around 10 days before they need replacing.

 

[DaleC]

Ok so being a complete noob, I got my first carto 510 SMK DCT 3ML and thought "I just take the end seal off where the tip goes into and fill up full . I took the drip tip off then took the black seal around the tank off and filled it up. I didn't put any juice into the cartomizer either and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes and away I went. Everything was working fine and has been for the entire day so I'm confused. I thought "oh man I just ruined this puppy" . No dry hits, burning, etc.

I think I'll use this method instead of messing one up by accident. I use a 70/30 mix so it probably didn't have trouble getting into the poly fill. I'm still really new to this so I don't know if what I did can be done on a regular basis.

Dale

 

[Faylool]

Uncle Chuck. I'm worried about your eating habits! Take stock!

Oh was it the spin he was talking about? Because I don't even do that, I just flick it in my hand.

I lied, I actually didn't come up with it on my own, you know who taught me? Mr. Sweet'N Low fake sugar packets. I always put them between my index and middle finger, and flick them in a downward motion to get all the sugar to the bottom of the packet. Also use this with mac-n-cheese sauce packets, rice a roni flavor packets, top ramen flavor packets, etc

I was doing this before eCigs were invented, so I demand all the credit!! LOL