I am new to this forum but have been vaping since Aug. 10th. I have a DSE801 and DSE103 (Like the menthol & flavors, just not ALL the time). I usually get DSE801 attys etc from either VaporKings (I like colors) or ARLO LLC (plain white attys are $7). They both have fast shipping and good customer service and support. I have attys from both places (4), since late Aug and only had 1 head south.There are threads here about problems with high-bridge 801 attys, but I don't think that's an issue for me - I drip, so cartridge contact with wick is irrelevant.
I love my penstyle (and my Prodigy with an 801-compatible atty), but the atomizers have been so unreliable and inconsistent. Some have vaped well for a couple weeks before dying; some have been DOA; and some have worked only for a couple days or just limped from the start.
I've ordered from various suppliers, e.g., Rocky Mountain Vapor, Totally Wicked, Heaven Gifts, and Puresmoker ... and I'm not sure I see a pattern. The 5-pack I got on sale from TW was the worst (but that is a small sample), two of the three I got from Puresmoker were good for awhile (another very small sample), and the dozen (over time) that I got from RMV varied considerably. I think the two gifts from Heaven were OK. [I just love playing HG's unusual name.]
I've read here that many people are happier with the BE112 or Joye302 than with the current DSE801, but the reasons stated all relate to how well the atty interacts with the cartridge material. And I don't care about that. Restuffing cartridges, filling them and topping them off using syringes, straws, or toothpicks - all are just a pain in the tush for me. Dripping is so easy ... and effective (the juice definitely gets on the wick).
Any insights or atty/supplier experiences relating to this atty reliability issue will be greatly appreciated!
P.S. As I was preparing this post, one of my last functioning 801 attys just died.8-o...... [i.e., shock, then figurative tears, then anger] Back to my no flavor / no throat hit 510 ... and to my KR808D-1 with excellent but expensive GreenCig carts.
I read some of the problems with attys losing vaping power and found at least 1 reason why. When you have that problem, pull out cart and see how much moisture is on it. I really don't think its flooding as much as it is excess condensation. Unless ecig designers have solved the physics problem of how to repeal the law of gravity, liquids flow down not up, unless they are vaporized first. The condensation on the OUTSIDE of the cart blocks the little vents on the mouthpiece and stops the air circulation needed for vapor volum. Just wipe it off and take a longer, less hard drag and that should solve problem. I've had it work everytime, except when that 1 atty croaked.