Here are some tips and information on Modern Vapor's hardware. The opinions throughout are simply from my experience. Not everyone vapes the same way so please add your own thoughts and experiences to this.
ABBREVIATIONS:
Atty = Atomizer
Cart = Cartridge for an Atomizer
Carto = Cartomizer
PV = Personal Vaporizer (ecig)
PCC = Portable Charging Case
LR = Low Resistance
TH = Throat Hit
Go here for a full list http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/21069-ecf-abbreviations-101-a.html
BASICS:
You can use all Modern Vapor hardware as a two-piece (battery & cartomizer) or three-piece PV (battery, atomizer & cartridge). When the battery is on, the atomizer or cartomizer heats up, atomizing/vaporizing the liquid (juice) into the vapor that you inhale. If you're near a computer a lot, you might prefer to forgo a battery part of the time and purchase a passthrough. A passthrough connects to, and is powered by, USB and looks like a battery with a cable coming out of one end. The atomizer or cartomizer would connect to the other end.
Although you can buy pre-filled cartridges for your atomizers or pre-filled cartomizers to simplify the process, I prefer to buy blanks and fill them myself. This gives me more flexibility in what juice I vape and how long I can have the cartomizers or cartridges last. I use an atomizer for four to six weeks. I use a cartomizer for between one and two weeks. Actually I use at least two cartomizers at a time with different flavors, so I go a few weeks before swapping them out. This makes caromizers the cheaper way to go because a pack of five roughly costs what one atomizer costs. Caromizers are also easier to deal with. They hold more juice, are easier & less messy to fill and give a more consistent draw - less hassle.
If you fill a cartridge to use with your atomizer instead of a cartomizer, you may decide you want to modify the filler in the cartridge that holds the juice in order to get a more consistent draw. There are many ways to do this, and threads about it. The easiest and most common way is to replace the filler with "blue foam". Do a quick search and you'll find a lot of information on this. Better yet, go to MV's site for very simple instructions.
Fill a cartridge for an atomizer by dripping juice directly on the filler material until is starts to look saturated. Doing this with a Sidesho will require you to pop the inner cartridge out of the outer cartridge by poking a paperclip through the bottom hole. Fill a cartomizer by taking the end cap off with a paperclip and dripping juice around the inner sides onto the filler material while avoiding the center hole. It's not a problem to drip in the center hole, just messy as it will come out the other side.
So why does anyone sell an atomizer and cartridge if a cartomizer is said to be easier and more consistent? Because although I may find a cartomizer better than an atomizer/cartridge combo, dripping directly onto an atomizer itself will give you the ultimate in taste and vapor. You would buy and use a drip tip on the end of an atomizer to not only give your lips a comfortable place to drag from but to also give you a wide opening on the end to easily drip directly down onto the atomizer without having to remove anything. You would drip only a few drips at a time as you don't want to flood the atomizer or leak juice into the battery. Maybe stick with two or three drops at a time to begin with. So those that use atomizers may not want to buy additional cartomizers when out and about. These people can opt for replacing the drip tip with a filled cartridge instead. So cartomizers may be nice but they are not the be all end all.
Batteries are an easier matter but also come down to preference. They are all rechargeable. Regardless of size, there are automatic batteries and manual batteries for most models. Automatic batteries basically turn on as you take a drag. To sense you're taking a drag, they have a hole on the contact. Unfortunately, if you're not careful, you can get juice into that hole and ruin a battery. Manual batteries turn on when you push a button. Because of this, you have more control and I feel I get a stronger, longer drag because of it. These have sealed contacts which helps in not getting juice in the battery. You should still be careful and check the contact now and then, wiping away juice you see. Just having juice on the contact will give you a weaker drag. Also, juice and "dirt" can get into the button, which can make them stick, so wipe around the button sometimes as well. This is rare though. If you lose a button somehow, MV can sometimes send you a button with your next order, so feel free to ask before throwing a battery away. This also rarely happens. Some Sidesho and 902 kits come with a PCC for charging while on the go. You charge the PCC and it in turn charges the PV's batteries one at a time. It's been a while since I used a PCC, but I seem to remember a full charge on a PCC charging 5 batteries before needing to be recharged. Speaking of the Sidesho and 902, I'll move onto specific hardware.
SIDESHO:
The Sidesho is the closest in size to an analog cigarette. The batteries are fairly thin. I found I would go through two of these batteries a day when I used them exclusively. You can get a shorter battery for the Sidesho as well. Even with this mini battery though, you will not be able to fit an assembled PV in the PCC. The mini battery will not last as long either so choosing it is simply a size preference.
The atomizer has an exposed bridge which make this the perfect setup for those that want to drip directly onto it. In fact, I feel the Sidesho SS atomizer is the best thing anywhere for dripping. MV uses the letters SS for their LR atomizers. On a normal battery, these have a similar effect to having a normal atomizer on a higher voltage battery, giving you a stronger drag. You'll find you get a little more throat hit and vapor with an LR atty. When used with a cartridge, I used to initially fill the cartridge with about 15 drops of juice and refill them with between 10 and12 drops.
The Sidesho cartomizers are top notch. I love them and my wife uses them exclusively now. I would initially fill them with about 20 to 25 drops of juice and refill with close to 20 drops. In other words, these little cartomizers hold a lot of juice.
902:
The 902 is a little thicker. Its battery is a little shorter than a regular Sidesho battery and the atomizer is longer. I found I would also go through about two of these batteries a day when I used them exclusively.
Its atomizer's bridge is recessed into the longer atomizer so although you could drip with it, you'd be better off dripping with the Sidesho. The reason for this design is to have a larger cartridge that slides into the atomizer. I would initially fill them with about 25 drops of juice and refill with about 20 drops. There is an SS version of this atty too.
There was an original 902 cartomizer that although good, wasn't as good as the new 902 cartomizer. The new one is amazing. I initially fill them with about 25 to 30 drops of juice and refill with about 20 or 25 drops. The 902 cartomizer without a drip tip or cartridge tip on the end of it is actually shorter than an atomizer/cartridge.
LUX:
The LUX battery is physically much larger. This is for the people who want a battery that will last longer. I get about 2 days out of this battery if I use it exclusively. LUX batteries are manual, not automatic.
The LUX battery takes 902 attys and cartos. It also takes the new XL LUX Dual Coil Caromizers. These have a lower resistance and have two heating elements that vaporize your juice. Because of this, you will find your get more vapor and a stronger throat hit. I love it but it isn't for everyone. That being said, I might prefer the taste of the 902 cartomizer because its a little closer to the taste of the 902 or Sidesho atomizer. The XL is very close though. These XLs are extra long and will hold close to 2ml of juice. I drip about 50 to 60 drops into a new one and refill with about 30 to 40.
There is another piece to a LUX - the cone. This is for looks only. There are short cones and l
ABBREVIATIONS:
Atty = Atomizer
Cart = Cartridge for an Atomizer
Carto = Cartomizer
PV = Personal Vaporizer (ecig)
PCC = Portable Charging Case
LR = Low Resistance
TH = Throat Hit
Go here for a full list http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/21069-ecf-abbreviations-101-a.html
BASICS:
You can use all Modern Vapor hardware as a two-piece (battery & cartomizer) or three-piece PV (battery, atomizer & cartridge). When the battery is on, the atomizer or cartomizer heats up, atomizing/vaporizing the liquid (juice) into the vapor that you inhale. If you're near a computer a lot, you might prefer to forgo a battery part of the time and purchase a passthrough. A passthrough connects to, and is powered by, USB and looks like a battery with a cable coming out of one end. The atomizer or cartomizer would connect to the other end.
Although you can buy pre-filled cartridges for your atomizers or pre-filled cartomizers to simplify the process, I prefer to buy blanks and fill them myself. This gives me more flexibility in what juice I vape and how long I can have the cartomizers or cartridges last. I use an atomizer for four to six weeks. I use a cartomizer for between one and two weeks. Actually I use at least two cartomizers at a time with different flavors, so I go a few weeks before swapping them out. This makes caromizers the cheaper way to go because a pack of five roughly costs what one atomizer costs. Caromizers are also easier to deal with. They hold more juice, are easier & less messy to fill and give a more consistent draw - less hassle.
If you fill a cartridge to use with your atomizer instead of a cartomizer, you may decide you want to modify the filler in the cartridge that holds the juice in order to get a more consistent draw. There are many ways to do this, and threads about it. The easiest and most common way is to replace the filler with "blue foam". Do a quick search and you'll find a lot of information on this. Better yet, go to MV's site for very simple instructions.
Fill a cartridge for an atomizer by dripping juice directly on the filler material until is starts to look saturated. Doing this with a Sidesho will require you to pop the inner cartridge out of the outer cartridge by poking a paperclip through the bottom hole. Fill a cartomizer by taking the end cap off with a paperclip and dripping juice around the inner sides onto the filler material while avoiding the center hole. It's not a problem to drip in the center hole, just messy as it will come out the other side.
So why does anyone sell an atomizer and cartridge if a cartomizer is said to be easier and more consistent? Because although I may find a cartomizer better than an atomizer/cartridge combo, dripping directly onto an atomizer itself will give you the ultimate in taste and vapor. You would buy and use a drip tip on the end of an atomizer to not only give your lips a comfortable place to drag from but to also give you a wide opening on the end to easily drip directly down onto the atomizer without having to remove anything. You would drip only a few drips at a time as you don't want to flood the atomizer or leak juice into the battery. Maybe stick with two or three drops at a time to begin with. So those that use atomizers may not want to buy additional cartomizers when out and about. These people can opt for replacing the drip tip with a filled cartridge instead. So cartomizers may be nice but they are not the be all end all.
Batteries are an easier matter but also come down to preference. They are all rechargeable. Regardless of size, there are automatic batteries and manual batteries for most models. Automatic batteries basically turn on as you take a drag. To sense you're taking a drag, they have a hole on the contact. Unfortunately, if you're not careful, you can get juice into that hole and ruin a battery. Manual batteries turn on when you push a button. Because of this, you have more control and I feel I get a stronger, longer drag because of it. These have sealed contacts which helps in not getting juice in the battery. You should still be careful and check the contact now and then, wiping away juice you see. Just having juice on the contact will give you a weaker drag. Also, juice and "dirt" can get into the button, which can make them stick, so wipe around the button sometimes as well. This is rare though. If you lose a button somehow, MV can sometimes send you a button with your next order, so feel free to ask before throwing a battery away. This also rarely happens. Some Sidesho and 902 kits come with a PCC for charging while on the go. You charge the PCC and it in turn charges the PV's batteries one at a time. It's been a while since I used a PCC, but I seem to remember a full charge on a PCC charging 5 batteries before needing to be recharged. Speaking of the Sidesho and 902, I'll move onto specific hardware.
SIDESHO:
The Sidesho is the closest in size to an analog cigarette. The batteries are fairly thin. I found I would go through two of these batteries a day when I used them exclusively. You can get a shorter battery for the Sidesho as well. Even with this mini battery though, you will not be able to fit an assembled PV in the PCC. The mini battery will not last as long either so choosing it is simply a size preference.
The atomizer has an exposed bridge which make this the perfect setup for those that want to drip directly onto it. In fact, I feel the Sidesho SS atomizer is the best thing anywhere for dripping. MV uses the letters SS for their LR atomizers. On a normal battery, these have a similar effect to having a normal atomizer on a higher voltage battery, giving you a stronger drag. You'll find you get a little more throat hit and vapor with an LR atty. When used with a cartridge, I used to initially fill the cartridge with about 15 drops of juice and refill them with between 10 and12 drops.
The Sidesho cartomizers are top notch. I love them and my wife uses them exclusively now. I would initially fill them with about 20 to 25 drops of juice and refill with close to 20 drops. In other words, these little cartomizers hold a lot of juice.
902:
The 902 is a little thicker. Its battery is a little shorter than a regular Sidesho battery and the atomizer is longer. I found I would also go through about two of these batteries a day when I used them exclusively.
Its atomizer's bridge is recessed into the longer atomizer so although you could drip with it, you'd be better off dripping with the Sidesho. The reason for this design is to have a larger cartridge that slides into the atomizer. I would initially fill them with about 25 drops of juice and refill with about 20 drops. There is an SS version of this atty too.
There was an original 902 cartomizer that although good, wasn't as good as the new 902 cartomizer. The new one is amazing. I initially fill them with about 25 to 30 drops of juice and refill with about 20 or 25 drops. The 902 cartomizer without a drip tip or cartridge tip on the end of it is actually shorter than an atomizer/cartridge.
LUX:
The LUX battery is physically much larger. This is for the people who want a battery that will last longer. I get about 2 days out of this battery if I use it exclusively. LUX batteries are manual, not automatic.
The LUX battery takes 902 attys and cartos. It also takes the new XL LUX Dual Coil Caromizers. These have a lower resistance and have two heating elements that vaporize your juice. Because of this, you will find your get more vapor and a stronger throat hit. I love it but it isn't for everyone. That being said, I might prefer the taste of the 902 cartomizer because its a little closer to the taste of the 902 or Sidesho atomizer. The XL is very close though. These XLs are extra long and will hold close to 2ml of juice. I drip about 50 to 60 drops into a new one and refill with about 30 to 40.
There is another piece to a LUX - the cone. This is for looks only. There are short cones and l
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Great additions. I'm curious about your atty cleaning... Keeping a Sidesho atty going that long doesn't necessarily surprise me but it's really impressive, so you surprised me, but the question is this... Keeping it going is one thing, but when you pull on a brand new atty, I'm assuming you feel the difference? I do after only a month so I'm curious. Like up until maybe two months ago, my wife was using a Sidesho atty, not cartos. Every time she got a new atty, she'd literally sit back as she took that first pull and would say "That's what I'm talking about".
