4.0 - 4.5 watts and great vapor with little TH

[quipstad]

Hey everyone. I started on Blu E-cigs a couple years ago and found that I really liked the flavor and vapor production.
I got tired of constantly refilling the cartos so I decided to try a carto tank.
Since I like lots of vapor and a low TH, I use 100% VG juice.
Buuut every single tank I tried (can't think of all the names but I've tried several) all resulted in light vapor and a REALLY harsh hit.
I have asthma and this made me have to use my inhaler very often.
It would mellow out a little after several puffs but still very irritating.

So, I kept finding myself back at the Blu cartos.

Now, I know Blu batteries are 3.7 volts, so I've been using 18650 battery mod (from a flashlight). That got too big so now I'm using the Kanger eVod and the Ego-C batteries (non-adjustable 3.7 volts).

I just took a measurement of the Blu carto for the first time and a new one is 3.4 ohms!
I think I know why my hit was so harsh on the tanks! I was recommended an LR cartomizer for 3.7 volts so it was running at a much higher wattage than I got with the Blu cartos.

3.7 volts, 3.4 ohms (or 3.0 when it's on its way out), that's like 4.0-4.5 watts?
Any thoughts on why my vapor production is excellent at such a low wattage?
And how do you guys stand vaping at such higher wattages? Stuff was wrecking my lungs!
From my experience I'm getting a similar TH at 4.5 watts as a normal "light" analog.


tl;dr - I'm getting great semi-warm vapor production at 4.5 watts and am very surprised Blu e-cigs run at this wattage by default.
Sorry for the wordy post.

 

[Neunerball]

100% VG makes the liquid pretty thick. The hits you described (lack of vapor, harsh hit), seems to be caused by dry hits. The wick in the tank can't "suck up" the juice good enough.

Have you tried one of the Kanger Protanks?

 

[TheColdHandedVG]

Hey everyone. I started on Blu E-cigs a couple years ago and found that I really liked the flavor and vapor production.
I got tired of constantly refilling the cartos so I decided to try a carto tank.
Since I like lots of vapor and a low TH, I use 100% VG juice.
Buuut every single tank I tried (can't think of all the names but I've tried several) all resulted in light vapor and a REALLY harsh hit.
I have asthma and this made me have to use my inhaler very often.
It would mellow out a little after several puffs but still very irritating.

So, I kept finding myself back at the Blu cartos.

Now, I know Blu batteries are 3.7 volts, so I've been using 18650 battery mod (from a flashlight). That got too big so now I'm using the Kanger eVod and the Ego-C batteries (non-adjustable 3.7 volts).

I just took a measurement of the Blu carto for the first time and a new one is 3.4 ohms!
I think I know why my hit was so harsh on the tanks! I was recommended an LR cartomizer for 3.7 volts so it was running at a much higher wattage than I got with the Blu cartos.

3.7 volts, 3.4 ohms (or 3.0 when it's on its way out), that's like 4.0-4.5 watts?
Any thoughts on why my vapor production is excellent at such a low wattage?
And how do you guys stand vaping at such higher wattages? Stuff was wrecking my lungs!
From my experience I'm getting a similar TH at 4.5 watts as a normal "light" analog.


tl;dr - I'm getting great semi-warm vapor production at 4.5 watts and am very surprised Blu e-cigs run at this wattage by default.
Sorry for the wordy post.

It sounds to me like whatever topper you are using has limited airflow. You need more airflow and you need to prime your coils. Priming a coil means that you wet the wick before taking a drag, either by taking a very hard pull without firing the device to get the liquid on the wicks or by directly dripping liquid on the wicks to make it more easily absorb liquid while you are vaping. Larger air-flow will result in a vapor that is less dense, but will actually produce more overall vapor. This will result in less TH and more vapor.

 

[CreepyLady]

100% VG makes the liquid pretty thick. The hits you described (lack of vapor, harsh hit), seems to be caused by dry hits. The wick in the tank can't "suck up" the juice good enough.

This ^^

You, in many cases will need to thin 100% VG with a few drops of distilled water and you have to prime your cartos properly. You are definitely describing burnt hits which = poor wicking. For me, I vaped pretty low watts wise before going to a mechanical, usually 6.5, my guess is just that you are actually getting vapor now and not burnt filler material. 3.4 Ohms on 3.7 Volts is crazy high resistance.

 

[jstjoehere]

The reason your vapor production is so good at a low wattage with 100% vg is because your now not burning as much juice off all at once and the wicks are able to absorb enough to keep up. As for harshness if your still getting my experience is that much vg gunks up the wicks pretty quick. Not everyone vapes at really high wattages. For instance I use an 80/20 vg/pg mix. Yes I like throat hit but in return with a 1.5ohm coil with a cotton wick in my aerotank I like to vape it at about 8watts. If Im having a stressful day I still have plenty of room to turn up and get alot more vapor.

 

[quipstad]

Though I agree with all of your statements, I don't think it's the result of a dry wick in this case. I have tried priming many times.

I thought it wasn't soaking the wick enough so I would prime before every hit. I can take off the drip tip and see the polyfill is soaked.

Sometimes too much priming and I flood the carto. I would get just a bubbling sound with no vapor. Also tried thinning out the juice with distilled water. Also tried punching bigger holes to let the thicker liquid through. Same/similar result every time. I haven't tried Kanger Protank but I've tried modding my tanks in every way possible to make it work better and it's just an unbearable burn.

I doesn't taste like a burnt wick. Lots of flavor. No funny taste to it. Just low vapor and a TH that is off the charts.

That's what leads me to believe I was just accustomed to a lower wattage.

3.7 volts and 3.4 ohms is really high resistance and really low wattage, I know. But it's the one setup that's been working great for me.
Is it at all possible that a lower resistance (higher amperage and a hotter vape) could be increasing the TH to a point that I can't handle it?
Still doesn't account for less vapor though... I don't get it.

 

[quipstad]

For added reference, I've used a few tanks but I think they all used boge 1.7 ohm cartos. In those, the wick is just the fabric tube, right?
If figure if the polyfill is soaked, the wick must be pretty wet, too.

Forgive me if I'm being stubborn and argumentative. I've been doing this a few years so I feel like I know a lot, but this is my first experience talking to other vapers and I may be somewhat firmly seated in my own diagnoses. So I apologize.
I value what everyone has to say but I'm an avid debater.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Most of the TH comes from nicotine and PG, some flavorings can add to th.
What is the nicotine level of your juice?
Have you tried standard resistance carto's in your tanks?

 

[slyphex]

I think that your coil is not hot enough. This is causing some of the ingredients in your liquid to vaporize at different times, and you are just getting a lungful of the harsh stuff and not enough of the soothing stuff.

This happens to me when my batteries are dying in my RDA. I get off the charts throat hit and flavor/sweetness but almost no vapor.

 

[quipstad]

Most of the TH comes from nicotine and PG, some flavorings can add to th.
What is the nicotine level of your juice?
Have you tried standard resistance carto's in your tanks?

Nic level is 1.8% (sometimes I see representation in %, sometimes in mg. Not sure how they correlate. 18mg per 1g?)
I would like to try SR cartos in my tanks (haven't yet) but my Blu cartos as about 1mm thinner than boges and they don't fit tightly so I haven't successfully tried one. Also, I don't currently have any tanks. The first one I got (cheap) got a shredded o-ring from inserting a syringe past it. The second one I threw out because I overtightened the adjusting nut that holds in the carto and it broke off at the head. Not sure what happened to the third...

Side-note, though this somewhat diminishes the purpose of the thread, I haven't had much desire to use tanks lately because I'm trying to get my vape down as small as I can. Using an Ego-C battery (650mah, 71mm tall x 15mm wide) and a standard length carto.

I would love to find a clear tank that is shorter than a standard carto so I don't need to add a drip tip to the top, but that's an issue for another thread.

I think that your coil is not hot enough. This is causing some of the ingredients in your liquid to vaporize at different times, and you are just getting a lungful of the harsh stuff and not enough of the soothing stuff.

This happens to me when my batteries are dying in my RDA. I get off the charts throat hit and flavor/sweetness but almost no vapor.

That doesn't make sense. I get no harshness from a 3-ohm carto and painful TH from a 1.7-ohm
The 1.7-ohm will run at a much higher wattage and get a lot hotter, but it's the one causing pain to my throat.


I think I've solved this issue; I'm just looking for confirmation of the following:

1. Higher wattage will increase TH. Therefore it makes sense that if I'm used to vaping at 4-4.5 watts, then vaping at 8 watts (not to mention 2-amps on the coil) will feel extremely harsh to me.

2. Thicker juice (100% vg) may be vaporizing too quickly at 8 watts for the wick to stay wet (higher viscoscity = slower absorption) so I'm getting less vapor

If those are true, then my solution should just to be to use a 3-ohm carto tank or clearomizer. If I can find one short enough...

 

[edyle]

Hey everyone. I started on Blu E-cigs a couple years ago and found that I really liked the flavor and vapor production.
I got tired of constantly refilling the cartos so I decided to try a carto tank.
Since I like lots of vapor and a low TH, I use 100% VG juice.
Buuut every single tank I tried (can't think of all the names but I've tried several) all resulted in light vapor and a REALLY harsh hit.
I have asthma and this made me have to use my inhaler very often.
It would mellow out a little after several puffs but still very irritating.

So, I kept finding myself back at the Blu cartos.

Now, I know Blu batteries are 3.7 volts, so I've been using 18650 battery mod (from a flashlight). That got too big so now I'm using the Kanger eVod and the Ego-C batteries (non-adjustable 3.7 volts).

I just took a measurement of the Blu carto for the first time and a new one is 3.4 ohms!
I think I know why my hit was so harsh on the tanks! I was recommended an LR cartomizer for 3.7 volts so it was running at a much higher wattage than I got with the Blu cartos.

3.7 volts, 3.4 ohms (or 3.0 when it's on its way out), that's like 4.0-4.5 watts?
Any thoughts on why my vapor production is excellent at such a low wattage?
And how do you guys stand vaping at such higher wattages? Stuff was wrecking my lungs!
From my experience I'm getting a similar TH at 4.5 watts as a normal "light" analog.


tl;dr - I'm getting great semi-warm vapor production at 4.5 watts and am very surprised Blu e-cigs run at this wattage by default.
Sorry for the wordy post.

I used to vape even as low as 3 watts sometimes last year when I was still using silica wick.

 

[edyle]

Though I agree with all of your statements, I don't think it's the result of a dry wick in this case. I have tried priming many times.

I thought it wasn't soaking the wick enough so I would prime before every hit. I can take off the drip tip and see the polyfill is soaked.

Sometimes too much priming and I flood the carto. I would get just a bubbling sound with no vapor. Also tried thinning out the juice with distilled water. Also tried punching bigger holes to let the thicker liquid through. Same/similar result every time. I haven't tried Kanger Protank but I've tried modding my tanks in every way possible to make it work better and it's just an unbearable burn.

I doesn't taste like a burnt wick. Lots of flavor. No funny taste to it. Just low vapor and a TH that is off the charts.

That's what leads me to believe I was just accustomed to a lower wattage.

3.7 volts and 3.4 ohms is really high resistance and really low wattage, I know. But it's the one setup that's been working great for me.
Is it at all possible that a lower resistance (higher amperage and a hotter vape) could be increasing the TH to a point that I can't handle it?
Still doesn't account for less vapor though... I don't get it.

1: bubbling sound with no vapor is a symptom of flooded coil

2: adding just a leeetle bit too much water drops vapor production dramatically.

wattage and wicking go together; the faster your wicking material can move liquid to the coil when the coil is evaporating liquid off it, the higher the wattage you can run at.